Like a moth to a flame, he showed back up right before it was time for her to go home. Other times, long past now, he would have picked up food and showed up at her apartment. Bones would have taken things from his cartons she claimed she didn't like and he would have insisted they watch something besides documentaries.

Now, he was left to dig for scraps of time with her and it irked him.

He wondered why he couldn't walk away when she'd made it very clear she'd moved on. First, Bones rejected him verbally and had cemented it by bringing home another man. But Booth couldn't keep himself from her orbit, always had to be near her, around her, or his day just wasn't complete.

How long before it all imploded?

"Booth, what are you doing here?" she asked, wary at his sudden return. Their earlier meeting had gone so poorly, Brennan was concerned that returning to work with him had been a mistake.

Still, his reappearance, after his abrupt exit, gave Brennan hope that everything would work out in the end.

She had about ten minutes before she had to leave to meet Craig at his hotel, but mentioning that was a bad idea. So she kept her mouth shut and waited for Booth's response.

But she wasn't going to be at the hotel long. Just enough time to tell Craig that it was over between them. Brennan wasn't sure it had ever started, but it was definitely at an end.

Brennan wasn't going to settle and Craig wasn't doing it for her. He was a miserable, jealous man who had no trouble hurting the feelings of those around him. To continue something so clearly wrong for both of them was cruel.

Craig had simply been a barrier to keep her thoughts away from Booth. But now that they'd both returned to their former jobs, Craig was an inadequate substitute for the man she wanted.

Which was unfortunate since he didn't want her back. So he'd keep showing up, pushing himself into her life, just to remind her what she couldn't have.

Perhaps there was someone else out there for her if she opened herself up enough to find them.

Booth shrugged at her question, walking around her office, touching this and that. He needed to pick her up for an interview in the morning, information he could have relayed by text. But he wanted to see her face, hear her voice as she talked to him.

Maybe with some context clues, he could figure out exactly what was going on.

Because something wasn't right, his gut was telling him. Somewhere, in the time they'd been apart, there had been another misstep. Something that had been more devastating than the night outside Sweets' office.

He had told her he'd move on and he hadn't. Bones had never been one to just bring a guy home, especially in the last several years, and had. They were still out of step and he didn't know what to do to get them back on track again.

Meeting Craig was a bad idea and Booth hoped he never would. He hated the guy on principle for taking the one thing Booth loved most in the world. Maybe Craig would have a secret criminal past and Booth could arrest him. Maybe he'd resist arrest. Booth's fingers twitched at the thought of getting to take a swing at the man.

She watched him from behind her desk, trying to understand what he was doing.

"Booth," Brennan tried again when several minutes passed with no word from him. "I really have to get going."

"To Craig?" he asked, grimacing as the words left his mouth. Booth couldn't seem to stay away from her. Even when she was going home to another man. He had to come to terms with her new boyfriend or this was never going to work.

"Yes, Booth, to Craig," Brennan said. "I'm having dinner with him." But she wasn't, but Booth didn't need to know that, didn't need to know she was breaking up with a guy because of him.

He managed to not flinch at her words, but it was close. After another minute of pacing her office, he finally sat on the couch she kept there. He knew there were nights she'd slept on it, when cases kept her well past quitting time. It had been some time since that was required, however, and he was weirdly disappointed the fabric no longer smelled faintly of her.

"You know," he said, leaning back and fiddling with his tie, "you still haven't told me his last name. Makes it hard to do a background check."

She glared at him and he laughed softly. She looked at that smile and finally gave him one in return. "You don't need to do a background check, Booth. He's harmless."

And Brennan realized with a start that was the perfect word to describe Craig. He would never hurt her physically, and if he tried, she could easily take care of herself.

Emotionally, Craig was harmless as well. Stay or go, Craig wasn't going to leave a metaphorical scar on her heart.

Not the way the man in front of her had.

"Harmless, huh?" Booth asked. Brennan wasn't surprised that he had picked up her use of that word, just as she had. "Not into danger anymore, Bones?"

Had Booth been dangerous? Definitely, Brennan decided. He'd led her into dangerous situations, then made sure she arrived home safely.

And the danger to her heart had been too high to measure.

Even now, Brennan wasn't totally recovered from the damaged he'd done and doubted she ever would be.

Brennan finished packing her bag before coming over and sitting on the couch with him. She carefully positioned herself at the opposite end, as far from Booth as she could get. "My life has been very quiet the last eight months. Not much danger to be found on Maluku. Quite different from yours, I'd imagine."

Was that the deciding factor? Was it the danger that had forced Bones to say no? Had she feared losing him too much to totally let herself love him?

She had first hand experience of the feeling that came with his death, even if it had been a mistake. Was that what she remembered when she looked at him, the pain of loss?

How did he make her understand the pain of loss came with the joy of living or loving someone?

The doors to the past, it seemed, could be shut, but never locked.

"It wasn't always dangerous," Booth hedged, and as expected, Brennan didn't press him for more information. She knew what was private, and what wasn't, at least when it came to his service.

"I worried," Brennan admitted softly, playing with the strap of the bag that rested next to her. "I worried a lot. But communication was inconsistent on Maluku, as I imagine it was for you."

Is that why he hadn't answered? Because he didn't have a way to? But, she mentally shook her head. Mail always got in and out, no matter what.

Booth nodded, not looking away from her face. He wasn't sure this was a conversation he was ready to have with her. "I understand, Bones." He'd worried, too, when he didn't hear from her. But he'd assumed she'd just needed to step back from him and he didn't want to infringe on her space, if that's what she needed.

What a colossal mistake that had been.

"For some time we had a satellite phone, but that was for emergencies only. I didn't talk to anyone from here the entire time I was gone." That was how she'd ended up with Craig. He'd been the only one willing to take the time to try and talk with her.

He'd seen a lonely woman and taken advantage. But Brennan had let him. Because it was easier than dealing with the pain.

A safe port when she'd been lonely. Brennan had been alone many times in her life, but she couldn't ever remember being as lonely as she had on that island.

"So it wasn't just me?" Booth tried to joke. A small part of him was relieved that he hadn't been the only one she'd ignored.

Brennan wanted to ask about the letters, but pressed her lips together instead. If he wasn't going to mention them, neither was she. It was better that way. Leave the rejections in the past where they belonged and perhaps they would move on and find a new normal.

But he sat on her couch, looking at her the way he always had, and Brennan was confused. He hadn't replied to those two notes, making it clear he'd moved on, but Booth certainly wasn't looking at her like a man who'd moved on.

He had that look she'd spent several years trying to pretend she didn't recognize. The one she'd walked away from.

The one, after he hadn't answered her letters, she hadn't expected to see again.

"No," Brennan said softly. "It was all of you."

"Why?" Booth heard himself ask. He didn't want to know, but he did. Why had she cut all of them off for eight months?

Should she ask him? Should she ask him why he hadn't responded to either of her letters? He was making it sound like he hadn't heard from her, but he had. She'd written him twice. She was the one who hadn't heard from Booth.

Booth had cut off all communication, not her.

She opened her mouth to ask, but shut it abruptly when her phone rang. Jumping to her feet, she dug it from her bag and had a short conversation with the person at the other end.

"Craig?" Booth asked when she ended the call, wondering what she was about to say before they'd been interrupted. But the moment had passed and he knew there'd be no more intimate conversations with her this evening.

"Yes," she answered, shoving the phone back in her bag. "Wanted to know if I was on my way."

Standing, Booth shoved his hands in his pockets. "We have an interview tomorrow," he said, finally getting to the reason he'd come to her office to begin with. "I'll pick you up at your house." At least, he hoped that's where she'd be in the morning.

She didn't want to be alone with him, just the two of them in his car, driving from her apartment like nothing had changed.

"I'll drive myself in," she said. "You can pick me up here."

"I always pick you up at your place when we have an early interview," Booth argued, angry that she was finding another way to push him away from her. Even knowing that it had to happen for her relationship to have any chance of succeeding.

"I don't need you to watch out for me, Booth," Brennan responded, her voice also rising. "I never did. I am perfectly capable of getting myself to work."

"And you have Craig now, right?" Booth asked. His voice was sarcastic, placing extra emphasis on the interloper's name.

"Yes, I have Craig," Brennan snapped. For the next several hours, anyway. "At least he wants me around."

She tried to leave, only to have Booth reach out and grab her arm. She stared down at his hand, before looking back toward him. "Let me go, Booth," she ordered.

Dropping his hand, he moved to prevent her from easily getting past him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? I want you around. I'm trying to pick you up for the interview tomorrow, remember?"

But again, she refused to answer and Booth started to wonder what secrets she was keeping. "You don't need me to go on the interview. Take Sweets." Was it possible to push someone away so much, that it became impossible to ever take a step forward again?

She tried to leave and again he stopped her by stepping in her path. She sighed angrily, but stepped back, tapping her foot in annoyance.

"Are we still partners, Bones? Or should I look for someone new to work with you?" It killed him to say the words, but if that's what she wanted, he'd give it to her. Right before he put in the papers requesting a transfer.

First, she wouldn't be available to do paperwork. Then, she didn't want to go on interviews with him. How the hell could they be partners if they didn't actually work together?

Brennan blinked, shocked by the question, except she should have seen it coming. One day back to work and he was already looking for a way to get away from her.

"I won't work with anyone else, Booth," she said, and she meant it. No one had ever been able to work with her successfully before Booth and she knew no one would be able to if he left. "Besides, you seem to be the one walking away lately. So I would say if anyone would come to that conclusion, it should be you."

"I've never walked away from you, Bones," Booth said, suddenly deflated. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Damn it, he loved her. Couldn't she see that?

But even if she could, it obviously didn't matter, because she no longer wanted him. She had Craig now.

Maybe he should follow her to the hotel, just to get a look at this guy, see what Brennan had found that was so much better than what he offered.

"You just tried. And you did, six months ago," she snapped, forcing his attention back to the conversation.

"Six months?" he repeated, but to empty space, because she had used his momentary distraction to walk away from him, leaving him to wonder if she'd misspoken.

But Bones was always precise with her words, rarely making a mistake. She could use big words, be confusing to those around her, but rarely was she wrong.

Which left Booth to wonder exactly what had happened six months ago, and what part he'd played in it. And how the hell he'd done it when he'd been half a world away.