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Booth stared at the door for a few seconds, his mind trying to catch up with everything that had just happened.

When it did, he cursed himself loudly and opened the door, but it was too late. As he ran down the hallway he heard a car door slam shut and Brennan's Mercedes sped away from the curb.

"Dammit!" He slammed his fist into the wall, ignoring a pain that announced he'd broken the flesh on his knuckles.

He stood there for a moment trying to calm himself before a neighbor poked her head out the door.

"Seeley? Are you alright?"

The elderly woman who sometimes watched Parker for him eyed the half-naked man in the hallway.

Booth made his way back to his door.

"That's a good question Ms. Hayworth, but the jury is still out." His door clicked shut.

---------------------------------------

An hour later Brennan strode into the Jeffersonian, her arms loaded down with paperwork she'd meant to finish last night and never got the chance.

"Uh-oh."

Angela heard Hodgins speaking next to her and looked up from her drawing.

"What?"

He nodded toward Brennan who wore the mask of a warrior and her no-nonsense stiletto heels.

"Dr. B is on the war path."

Angela nodded, noting the flushed appearance of Brennan's face and the way she seemed to be almost stomping to her office.

"I'll go see what's up." She started off the platform and heard Hodgin's half joking voice behind her.

"Okay, but don't get hurt."

Brennan quickly unlocked the door to her office and threw her things down on her desk, so furious she couldn't even decide what she wanted to do next.

"Sweetie, what's the problem? Is everything okay?" Angela appeared at Brennan's door, wearing cute ballerina flats, a sundress and an intrigued expression on her face.

"Booth! That's the problem!" Brennan put her hands on her hips and paced behind her desk, she'd wanted to talk to Angela anyway so she didn't see any point in being evasive.

"Isn't it always? Bren, hold on Sweetie, just calm down." Angela moved to shut the door and walked closer to her firend.

"Tell me everything."

Brennan sighed and began speaking so fast even Zack would have had trouble keeping up.

"He isn't making any sense. He's allowing his emotions to dictate his actions. I did that and look what it got me! Why did I go there? I should have known better, that was so stupid. Why was he acting that way? It's completely irrational!"

"Whoa, Bren, just…whoa." She reached for her friends' arms and tried to calm her.

"You need to talk slower and start at the beginning."

Brennan nodded, "Okay," she took a deep breath, "It started yesterday, after I got off the phone with you. I went back to the diner and talked to him like you said. I asked him to tell me why he was acting so strangely. He insisted he was fine, which is just ridiculous because..."

"Bren." Angela stopped her from starting to ramble again before she had a chance to find out what was going on.

"Sorry." Brennan took another deep breath. "I asked him what he was doing the past week and a half, but he said he couldn't tell me because it's confidential, whatever that means. I don't really know because he obviously didn't give me any details."

Angela stood back to allow her friend more free space to continue her pacing. She'd never seen Brennan so worked up.

"When I asked why he looked so exhausted he said he hasn't been sleeping. Apparently he's been having nightmares."

"How long do you think it's been since he's slept?"

"I don't know, three or four days at least."

Angela winced, she knew how irritable she got if she missed even an hour of her precious beauty sleep.

"Well, I guess they're more flashbacks than nightmares. He seemed really upset about it so I offered to stay with him last night."

Brennan sunk into her chair and put her head in her hands. She felt completely stupid for doing that, but she also couldn't stand the thought of Booth having a night like he had last night and suffering through it by himself.

Angela gasped.

"That would help for sure!" She grinned suggestively and waggled her eyebrows. Brennan was not amused.

"Not like that Ange. I just…I know what it's like to have a really horrible dream and wake up to find yourself all alone, so I promised to be there for him if he had a nightmare and woke up."

"Did he?" Angela sat down in a chair across from Brennan, who nodded and closed her eyes, remembering.

"Yes. God Ange, it was horrible, he was terrified. He was screaming and trying to push himself back away from…something. I couldn't calm him." She took a ragged breath and leaned on her desk. "Finally, whatever it was seemed to fade away and he grabbed me and hugged me. He…he was crying Ange." Brennen's voice broke and she looked down.

Angela blinked hard, the thought of Booth being so undone bringing tears to her eyes.

"Poor Booth." She whispered.

"And then this morning he decided he needed to go work on a case Cullen wanted to give him," Brennan stated, some of the angry fire returning to her stomach. "I tried to convince him to stay home and rest and he just blew up at me. He said he knew how to do his job and just to leave him alone which is completely illogical because the last thing he needs is to be alone. That was the last thing he wanted last night. He's a mess, Ange, and he won't tell me what's going on."

Angela mulled for a moment and studied the other woman's glassy blue eyes.

"Well, what does your gut tell you Sweetie?"

"Nothing. Except on occasion that I am hungry." Brennan sat back in her chair, her tone taking on a scientific impatience everyone recognized. Anglea rolled her eyes and sat forward.

"Work with me here Bren. What do you think is wrong?" Brennan looked at her computer to avoid Angela's eyes.

"I don't…Well, if I was forced to make a guess," she glanced accusatorily at Angela, who smiled in innocence, "I would say it has something…to do with the war. Something happened while he was away that brought back a lot of bad memories for him. But…that still doesn't explain why he's mad at me!"

Angela felt a little pity at her friends' obvious confusion and frustration and reached forward to take her cold hand.

"Sweetie, Booth is…well, Booth. He's…what do you call him? The alpha-male. He's strong and independent, just like you. He's the protector. Last night, you saw him vulnerable and terrified. If I was a betting woman, which I happen to be, I'd say that Booth is frustrated with himself and out of his mind with exhaustion. His hostility has nothing to do with you."

She gave her hand a small pat and then rose to leave Brennan's office, but as she reached the door she stopped and turned around.

"Nothing except that you are probably the one person who can help him out of it." Angela gave her friend one last reassuring smile left.

As she watched her leave the words slipped off Brennan's tongue before she could stop them.

"Do you think he loves me?" Her face betrayed all the apprehension and hope that one question held for her as she waited for Angela's reply.

Angela smiled at her as if she was a child in need of assurance that there were no monsters under her bed.

"Oh sweetie, who do you think you're talking to? I don't think, I know."

Angela shut the door and Brennan bit her lip to prevent a smile she was afraid to acknowledge.

Is that a good thing?

-----------------------------------

It was nearing eight o'clock, the rest of the staff had left nearly two hours ago, but the Forensic Anthropologist sat at her desk working with the same dedication she had at ten in the morning.

Brennan heard his footsteps approaching long before she could smell his cologne or see his face. She tensed at the thought of what was coming next and refused to look away from her computer screen.

"Can I help you with something Booth?" She asked quietly, after allowing him a few seconds to observe her at the door, seconds she knew he thought she was unaware of.

Booth straightened and stepped inside her doorway.

"Hi Bones."

She let her eyes flicker toward him and then returned to her computer screen.

"You didn't answer my question."

Booth rubbed his face as he walked toward her couch, his eyes felt heavy and he suddenly had an uncontrollable urge to take his weight off his legs.

"Listen Bones, I…wanted to say that I'm sorry." He glanced at her, and looked away quickly. He loosened his tie and cleared his throat, gathering his thoughts.

Brennan watched him closely, hoping to see any signs of improvement. She thought she saw some, but not as much as she would have liked.

"Booth, you don't have to apologize…" she rose from her seat and stood beside her desk, all her resolve and anger at him had melted at seeing him so distraught.

Booth shook his head and met her eyes for the first time.

"Yes I do. You've been nothing but good to me Temperance and I was a jerk. You've been great with Parker, who, by the way has called me three times today just to see if you were with me." He smiled at her, his eyes wearing a smile only talking about Parker could put there. "He says he misses his Elmo."

Brennan smiled, "I miss him too." Then, her expression turning serious, "But Booth…"

"And thanks for last night." Again he cut her off, this time rising from the couch and moving toward her, "I…um, don't remember much, but I remember…being scared." He spoke so softly she leaned foreword ever-so-slightly to be sure she heard him, "and I remember your voice. And it, uh…it helped." He nodded to himself. "So thanks."

Brennan shrugged, smiling. "We had a deal, I was just sticking to it." Booth looked confused so she continued. "In the car, after I thought Russ…you said next time you were scared you would hug me. I just wanted to make sure I didn't owe you or anything."

He played with the dice in his hand, smiling at her attempt to make light of the situation. When he looked up, he caught her gaze with his own and neither looked away. They were locked in a stare both knew 'just friends' would never share.

"Thanks Bones." He stepped closer to her.

She waited a few seconds, feeling the closeness of him, and then smiled and smacked him lightly in the arm, moving away, and knowingly breaking the connection that scared her so much.

"Stop thanking me Booth. You would do the same for me."

Booth nodded, but didn't return her playful smile. "You know I would."

She sat back down at her computer, fully intending to continue working. But Booth rounded her desk and pulled her up from it.

"No way Bones, it's almost eight-thirty. You're not staying here to work anymore."

"What? Booth let go of me I really need to finish…"

"No," She was starting to get annoyed with him continually interrupting her. "Bones, it's not going to happen." He grabbed her coat and started pulling it on her, whilst she protested loudly.

"But Booth, I've gotten really behind on this paperwork for the African Safari exhibit, there's multiple emails that need to be replied to and I'm pretty sure I lost my pen." She continued getting her stuff together to go, even though she protested doing just that.

"You mean this pen?" he pulled a ballpoint pen out of the bun of her hair.

"Oh. Yeah. That."

He put his hand on her back and guided her out of her office and then, out of the Jeffersonian. She relaxed at his touch and forgot all about wanting to stay and work.

Brennan stood outside at her car, fumbling with her keys and trying to decide whether or not to offer to come over again. She didn't know what she hated more, thoughts of seeing Booth that way, or the thought of him being scared without her there.

Booth decided for her.

"I'll call you tomorrow Bones." He started to walk away and then turned and came back.

"Listen, Parker has a half-day of school tomorrow and Rebecca is letting me take him out for the afternoon. Maybe you'd like to join us for lunch?" He gave her his best charm smile, but he didn't need to use it.

Brennan's face immediately brightened at the thought of seeing Parker again. "Really? You wouldn't mind?"

Booth wished he could kiss her right there.

"Bones, I wouldn't ask if I didn't want you there. Besides, Parker is in love with you, I'll be Dad-of-the-Year if I bring you with me." He grinned.

"Okay, call me when you want me to be ready to go."

They parted ways, going toward their separate cars, but neither of them could stop smiling the whole way home.

There, see? All is right in the world again and we get more Parker! Now if only we could get our alerts back...