AN: This is set a few weeks after The Doctor In The Photo. Yes, Hannah is in this story but fear not... B&B all the way.

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It had been 3 weeks since my world had turned right side up again. I had cried like an idiot in Booth's car. I had told him I didn't want to have any regrets, but I did; I had the regret of telling him how I felt, when rationally I knew that he could not reciprocate the same feelings. I was an idiot to believe that Booth would leave Hannah, I knew him. He wasn't that type of man. Yet, I still held on to a shred of hope that Hannah was a plaything, a toy, a conciliation prize. Something to take his mind off of me until I was ready to fully love him; but she wasn't.

Brennan woke from her dream covered in sweat. Again? Freaking again?

Bren, you have got to stop dreaming of being under Booth. You have to stop imagining his hard body over yours, his very kissable lips trailing down your body until he has you squirming and begging for him to release you. She sat up and swiped her hair from her face, pulled off the blanket and planted her feet on the floor. Stretching her arms above her head, she glanced at the clock. 5.30am. I might as well get up and go for a run.

She picked up her phone and dialed Booth's number. She knew Hannah was out of town and maybe, just maybe he would want to go for a run with her.

"Hey, Booth."

His mumbles came from the other side of the phone and she knew she had woken him up.

"Sorry for waking you but, um, do you want to go for a run?"

She tried to decipher his sleepy mumbles while she pulled on her running shorts.

"Okay. I'll be over in about 15 minutes. Bye." she hung up the phone and searched for her sports bra and a tank top.

After getting dressed and splashing water on her face, she headed for Booth's apartment.

Her body was stiff as she drove, the tension in her muscles were a distraction, and she tried to roll her shoulders over to relieve some pressure. She arrived at Booth's apartment and parked her car.

No stress, Bren. Just a casual run with your friend and partner.

She got out of the car and took the elevator up to his apartment. Taking a deep breath, she knocked a few times on his door.

The door swung open to reveal a very handsome Seeley Booth. Oh he looks so good in the morning.

He was wearing a pair of grey sweatpants that hung low on his hips and his blue FBI t-shirt but he had bare feet.

"Heya Bones. Come on in, let me get my shoes on and we can go." she stepped inside and threw her handbag on the table by the door.

"When does Hannah get back?" Brennan called down the hallway to Booth's bedroom.

"Tomorrow night." he appeared with his shoes on, and a smile.

"Ready now?"

"Yep, after you, Bones." he motioned to the door. He slipped his house key and some money into his pocket and zipped it up.

They ran all the way to the reflecting pool, the coffee cart was in sight.

"So race to the coffee cart?" Brennan asked as she held her arm out to stop Booth running.

"And what does the winner get?" he smirked.

"The winner gets a free coffee because the loser pays."

"Okay. Did you bring your money?"

"Always so cocky, Agent Booth."

"You love me," he laughed. Yeah I do, and I can't help it. I love you. I want to tell you. But I already told you in your SVU and look how that turned out.

"Ready, Bones?"

"Yeah. On three. One, two, three."

They both sprinted off towards the coffee cart. Booth was ahead but only slightly when Brennan ran past him and touched the coffee cart a second before he did.

"Yes!" she yelled playfully in his face. "I'll have a latte thanks, Booth."

"I feel like you cheated," he puffed out his voice. "I'm out of shape."

"Maybe you should run with me every now and again and you'd be in better shape, old man."

Booth grabbed Brennan in a playful headlock,

"Hey, who you calling am old man?"

Brennan giggled. This was the most he had touched her since he got back from Afghanistan. She missed her best friend, and the man I love.

"Booth, let me go and get my coffee please."

Booth released his loose hold on her and went to order their coffees while Brennan went and found a table.

Booth returned with the coffee and smiled at his partner as he sat down.

"I missed this, Bones. You and me just being like this. Look, I'm sorry okay? I'm sorry we don't do this much anymore. I've got- you know,"

"I know, Booth. You have Hannah now and it's logical that you spend your free time with her and not with me; but I miss you, Booth. I miss my best friend." Brennan took a sip of her coffee and kept her head down.

"I'm sorry." he placed his large hand on her forearm and she relished in the feel of his calloused fingers on her soft skin.

She lifted her head and gave him a forced smile.

"It's okay, Booth, really. I understand." I understand but that doesn't mean I don't hate the situation.

"So what are you going to do at the lab today since we don't have an open case?" Booth asked her as he withdrew his hand from her arm.

"I'll probably work in Limbo and try and get all that paperwork for the Hayley Marcus case done. Are you nearly finished with your side of that paperwork?"

"Nearly," Booth took another sip of his coffee.

"How about you come over tonight and we can grab some Thai and finish up the paperwork together?" Booth's eyes searched hers as she contemplated her answer. Truth was he missed her. He knew he wasn't paying much attention to her since he got back and he felt guilty.

"Sure, Booth. How does 7 sound?"

"7 sounds great." Booth smiled.

They finished their coffees and casual walked back to Booth's apartment, enjoying the feeling of the soft morning sun on their skin.

B&B

Brennan stood in front of Booth's door with Thai in one hand and a stack of papers under her arm. She casually knocked and waited for him to answer.

He answered the door in much the same clothes as he wore that morning. She knew they weren't the same sweat pants or t-shirt but she stood and admired him for a moment; remembering the way his shirt had clung with sweat to his body earlier that day.

"Come on in, Bones." he said as he gestured to her to enter his home.

"So how was work? Get much paperwork done or are we going to be up all night?" Brennan asked as she put the food and paperwork down on his kitchen bench and started pulling out plates from the cupboard.

"I got some of it done, not much though." Booth moved from the doorway to the kitchen bench and started plating up their food.

They moved to the couch and began eating. They discussed the case and how this one was one of the worst they had seen. A young woman had been found buried in a shallow grave on the side of a country road. Her wounds were extensive and the discovery of smaller bones showed that she was also pregnant.

Brennan moved her plate to the side as she pulled the paperwork to her. She looked it over and pushed it towards Booth.

"I need your signature on pages 4, 5 and 8 please," she got up from the couch and smiled as he nodded his head.

"Do you want a beer?"

"Yeah, that would be great, Bones, thanks."

Brennan pulled out two Yuengling's from the fridge and sat back down on the couch, handing Booth his beer.

"I missed this," Booth stated. "I'm sorry, Bones. I'm sorry I've been so preoccupied with my own life to give you the time a best friend should. I know I'm the one to have caused you all this pain though. Forgive me?"

Brennan took a deep breath and leaned in, planting a soft kiss on Booth's cheek.

"I forgive you, Booth. I hope we can slowly get back to where we were before all this mess." I love you.

"Me too, Bones." Booth gave her a slight smile and turned his head back to the paperwork.

B&B

Her head was leaning against something warm and hard. She opened her eyes a little bit to find herself asleep on Booth's chest. She slowly lifted her head to look at him and he was asleep too. Paperwork was spread all over the floor and their plates of food still sat out on the table. Brennan squinted at the clock on the DVD player and it read, 11.30pm. She dropped her head back down into Booth's chest and he moaned in his sleep, wrapping an arm around Brennan's waist and pulling her closer to him; so she didn't fight it. You love him, this is as close as you are going to get to him. You might as well take every advantage and opportunity to be this close.

Brennan closed her eyes again and was nearly back to sleep when she heard a faint noise coming from the front door. By the time she was pulled out of her near slumber, someone was standing in Booth's living room. She sat up and was instantly awake.

Shit, oh this is not good.

"Hannah?"

Hannah stood there with a suitcase at her feet. Her mouth hung open as she obviously saw the position Booth and Brennan had been in.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Hannah yelled; loud enough to wake Booth and he sat up.

"Bones? What's going on?" Booth asked as he pulled himself up to a seated position and dropped his arm from Brennan's waist.

Brennan looked from Booth to Hannah and back again.

"Hannah is home."

"Seeley what the hell is this? I'm gone a few days and I come home early to surprise you and I find you asleep and curled up with Temperance." Hannah was fuming by this stage. Her fists had curled up into balls and her teeth were gritted together.

"Hannah, we-" Booth tried to explain that they had obviously fallen asleep while doing paperwork.

"I don't want to fucking hear it, Seeley. I thought you were a better man than this. I cannot believe this." she put her hand up to her eyes to wipe away the tears that had started forming.

Brennan stood up and faced Hannah.

"Hannah, we fell asleep on the couch while doing paperwork. Nothing happened. Booth would never do that; ever!"

"You were curled up on the couch. You had your hand on his stomach, he had his arm around your waist. You were practically laying on top of him and you expect me to understand and except your explanation that nothing is going on between you two?"

Booth stood up and stood next to Brennan.

"Hannah, calm down babe. Honestly, nothing happened."

"Then why haven't you moved from her side the whole time?"

Booth and Brennan looked at each other and shrugged.

"I suppose that we are so used to sticking by one another that we find it difficult to stand apart," Booth stated.

"I knew this was a mistake, Booth. Trying to be friends again. I'll just go and you can sort this out with Hannah. I'll see you when I see you, I suppose." Brennan bent down and picked up her paperwork.

"Bones," Booth caught her arm. "You don't have to go."

"Oh Seeley, I think she does. This is our house and I don't want her here, ever again." Hannah turned to Brennan and stared her down. "I thought you were a good person, Temperance, but it looks like you're just another bitch I can't trust. Seeley is my man."

"ENOUGH!" Booth yelled, "Shut up, Hannah. Listen to me and listen carefully. Bones means so much to me and we only just found our friendship again. I will not have you come into this apartment and demand that she leaves all because you're too fucking jealous to understand that we fell asleep doing paperwork. I will not have you call the woman I love, a bitch," Hannah stood shocked at Booth's confession of love for Brennan.

The woman I love? Booth... loves me?

"Booth?" Brennan looked at him with questioning eyes.

"Not now, Bones. Let me get this out in the open."

"You, you love her?" Hannah struggled to let the words out.

Booth took a deep breath. Truth was he had always loved Brennan and he always would. That was never going to go away, but she didn't feel the same as him, well at least she didn't until a few weeks ago.

"I've always loved Bones, and I always will. She's my best friend in the whole world. We've worked together for over 6 years. I know her, I trust her with my life. She has killed for me. She has saved my life numerous times and I've saved her. That brings two people together. She loves my son and he loves her back. I can't say the same for you, Hannah. I know you dislike when I have Parker and I'm not sorry that you feel left out when we have a boys weekend. I love my son, he was here before you and he will be here long after you are gone."

Booth turned from Hannah to Brennan and smiled.

"And with that statement, I'm meant to believe that you two are not having an affair?" Hannah spat back at him.

"Yes. You are because I'm with you, Hannah. As frustrating as this situation is, I'm with you."

"You're only with me because you can't be with Temperance, right? You told me the story, remember?"

Brennan moved away from Booth and headed towards the door when Booth grabbed her arm again.

"Bones, I'm so serious right now, stay here." his tone was demanding but soft and loving.

"I'll go," stated Hannah as she picked up her suitcase. Tears fell from her eyes. "I love you, Seeley, but you obviously don't love me enough to choose me. You are choosing her over me. You two were made for each other. I hope you're fucking happy together," Hannah said with bite as she headed towards the door.

"You're making a huge mistake, Seeley. I love you. I want to be with you; and I'm ending this before I get hurt anymore. This is done. I'll ring you and organize a time to come and pick up my things." she opened the door, "Oh and Temperance?"

Brennan looked up towards Hannah, "Good luck with him. He's hard to handle."

"Trust me Hannah, I know how to handle Booth." Brennan smirked back at Hannah.

What the hell just happened? They just broke up over the smallest thing. I mean I understand where Hannah is coming from. It did look a little suspicious and I don't even care right now. Booth is free from her, free from the jealousy and manipulation.

The door slammed shut and Booth slumped to the couch. He ran his hands through his hair and sighed.

"Well I didn't see that coming."

"Booth," Brennan sat next to him and put her hand on his knee. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause this. I'm sorry."

Booth looked up at Brennan, "No, Bones. Don't be sorry, it's not your fault at all. Don't blame yourself. This was a long time coming. Ever since Hannah came to DC, I have been thinking about you and how I ran away. How we both ran away. I thought I could use Hannah to get over you, but I couldn't get over you, I can't get over you, Bones. I love you. I really do, you know that. I've said it before. But Hannah, I thought I loved her, she was a distraction from you while I was away but I knew that I had to come back to you, I knew that once I got home, we would have to work together again. I hated being so distant from you and I understand that Hannah was holding me back from you. How did I not see the jealousy?"

Brennan rubbed her hand over his knee, "You love me?"

Booth nodded and put his hand over hers.

"I do, I always will." Brennan smiled at his words and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"I love you too, Booth." Booth pulled Brennan away from him and looked into her perfect blue eyes. The eyes he wished had been staring back at him since he got home. He looked over her face for a split second before he leaned in and softly planted a kiss on her lips. It was gentle and caring.

"Booth, I kind of feel like a bad person, I broke up your relationship."

"No, Bones. You are not a home-wrecker." Booth reassured her.

"I don't know what that means, Booth." Booth smiled at her lack of understanding. Just another thing he loved about her.

"What I mean is, you did not break up my relationship. Don't think that. This was a while coming, actually. I couldn't stand the way Hannah was keeping me from you and how jealous she was of Parker. It was not you, okay?" Brennan nodded her understanding.

"So where do we go from here?"

"Anywhere we want, Bones. Just give me some time, okay? I promise you that everything is going to be just the way it should be. All the good things happen eventually."

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AN: I hope you enjoyed this little story. Please review as it keeps me writing and makes me extremely happy.