Eighteen Minutes

By: Lesera128

Rated: M

Disclaimer: ::stares:: ::blinks:: ::stares again:: Yeah. I still don't own anything…but, you knew that from the stares, right?

Summary: For 18 minutes, Dr. Temperance Brennan was clinically brain dead before resuscitation pulled her back only for her to fall into a coma. When she finally wakes up, Brennan must cope with overwhelming losses and an ensuing crisis of faith. AU.

Logistical Notes on the Story: Please see the earlier chapters for the picky details.

Chapter 9 – Remembering Her Other Life

Brennan sat with a cup of steaming tea in front of her. The tea cup sat in a saucer on top of Wyatt's outside teak picnic table. She watched it for a moment as the steam evaporated into the cool morning air. Yet again, she was beginning her morning with another appointment at Wyatt's abode. Yet again, she knew she'd be expected to talk with him. But, this time, unlike the previous visit, she wasn't quite as inflexible in her bearing since she now knew what was expected of her now that she was once more in the psychologist's presence.

Looking down at the cup, Brennan's finger caressed the delicate pattern that adorned the outside. "This is a very pretty ceramic."

"Yes," Wyatt said as he shifted slightly in his seat. "It's always been one of my favorites."

"The patina on this glaze indicates that the bone china is quite old," Brennan said, looking up at him.

Nodding, slowly, Wyatt said, "It's a bit of a family heirloom. It's been handed down from parent-to-child for, uhhh, several generations, I think."

"I'm not much of an expert on ceramics, but I would hypothesize that it was fired in some type of master craftsman's shop," Brennan said as she lifted the tea cup towards her eyes and squinted at the design.

"I'm told," Wyatt said. "That it's been in the family for at least two or three centuries. The pottery type is referred to as English delftware."

"Tin glazed pottery?" Brennan mused. "That would be right for this type of patina."

"While the English variety was never as of such a high quality as the continental style from which it stole the illustrious name, it still has a soft spot in my heart since it's been in the family so long," Wyatt told her.

"At least since the eighteenth century," Brennan said. "If memory serves."

"As you say," Wyatt shrugged. "I've never really bothered to look."

"Well," Brennan shrugged as she set the teacup down. "I would. Don't take my word for it."

"Ahh, yes," Wyatt nodded. "Because you think you have memory problems, as I recall where we left our last discussion. Memory problems related to the gallant Agent Booth?"

Brennan frowned a bit. Letting her finger gently caress the rim of the teacup, she said, "I'm surprised that you still use this tea set given how old it is. It must be very valuable―if not for sentimental purposes, then, surely, monetary ones."

"Well, mum always said there was no point to having something if you weren't going to use it, so―" Wyatt shrugged.

Brennan nodded and a silence descended on the pair. At last, she looked up and said, "What do I do now?"

"So the famous Roman, Quintus Horatius Flaccus, a lyrical poet known to the English-speaking world as Horace, said 'Well begun is half-done'," Wyatt said quietly.

"So," Brennan said, the nervousness and anxiety clear in her voice. "I…I-I…I just have to begin?"

"Yes, my dear," Wyatt nodded with firm encouragement in his voice as he tried to will her to do what he know she so desperately needed to do. "When you're ready, take a deep breath…and begin where you will."

As the black standard-government issue SUV cruised down Interstate 66 towards downtown D.C., Booth was doing his best to keep from letting a smile crack his neutral facial expression. At last, he saw Brennan shaking her head slightly.

"What?" he asked as he glanced in his side view mirror.

"That's the best you can do?" she said as she shifted slightly in the passenger seat to look at him better.

"What?" he said as he repeated his earlier statement.

"Getting Homeland Security to snatch me so that you can stage a fake rescue," Brennan responded with a look.

"Well," he chuckled openly, at last allowing the smile that had been threatening to crack his face for some time to emerge. "At least I picked you up at the airport, huh?"

"You were going to do that anyway," Brennan told him with a wry look.

"Yeah," Booth said as he signaled and moved the SUV into another lane. "But, I've gotta keep you on your toes, Bones. If I did something silly like just pick you up at the arriving flights gate like a normal person, what kinda message would that send?"

Unable to help herself, Brennan looked over at her partner. She noted that while he was dressed impeccably―freshly pressed black suit, stiffly starched white button-downed collar dress shirt, a more flashy than normal black, dark blue, and white stripped tie, and shiny black dress loafers―Brennan could still tell something was off about him.

Narrowing her eyes she said with a small smile still tugging at the edges of her mouth, "Maybe it would send one that you're a normal person?"

"Now, we both know that's not true," Booth snickered, moving his head to flash her a toothy grin as he quickly moved his eyes back to the road.

"Yes," Brennan laughed. She stopped for a minute and then realized what was different about her partner. Leaning forward in her seat, she gently reached over and brought her fingers to the back of his head. "You got a haircut, didn't you?"

She let her fingers gently brush the smooth softness of the prickly short hairs on the back of Booth's head as she rubbed her hand up and down a couple of times before she let her hand fall away.

As she brought her hand back to her lap, Booth again flashed a smile at her. "Like it?"

"You know I always like it when you get a haircut," Brennan responded.

"Hmmmm," Booth chuckled. "Funny, that, huh?"

Even as he smiled at her, Brennan then felt something click in her mind as she took in the totality of Booth's face. Her brow furrowed a bit a she finally noticed the significance of the details that her brain had been trying to process since he'd picked her up.

"You've lost some weight," Brennan observed with a small frown marring her pretty face. "And, you haven't been sleeping, have you?"

At her words, some of Booth's easy bravado disappeared as he shot her a different look―a more guilty look―as he quickly tried to brush off her concerns. "It's nothing, Bones―just been a bit busier than normal."

"You've been sleeping on your couch again, haven't you?" Brennan said, even though she knew the answer before she'd asked the question.

Sighing, Booth knew he was caught. Shrugging his shoulders slightly, he told her, "Maybe once or twice."

"Booth!" Brennan sighed. "You promised―"

"Sorry," he said. "I have been trying…and for the most part, doing pretty well. But, since I knew you were coming back this week, I've just had a lot on my mind, okay?"

"Ahhh," Brennan said, another look of comprehension dawning on her face as looked at her partner. "Well, that took longer than I thought."

"What?"

"You did pretty well," Brennan said as she glanced at her watch. Chuckling, she said, "You lasted a lot longer than I thought you would―"

"Hey," Booth said, flashing her what bordered on a lewd grin. "I'll have you know that's what they always say about me, just FYI, there, Bones."

"Mmmmm hmmmm," she said. Stopping she sat back in her seat, crossed her arms, and licked her lips once as Booth continued to guide the SUV towards downtown. After a couple of minutes of silence, she said, "You can go ahead and ask me you know."

"Nope," Booth replied instantly. "Not yet."

"Not yet?" Brennan asked, surprise creeping into her voice as she looked over at her partner. "What do you mean not yet?"

"I've waited eight weeks to be able to get my answer," Booth said simply. "I can wait another twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes, huh?" Brennan remarked with curiosity clear in her voice. "What happens in twenty minutes?"

"You'll find out," Booth nodded. "So, until then, why don't you crank the tunes if you're bored?"

Knowing that it was more for his benefit than for hers, Brennan did as he'd asked. Reaching forward, she pressed a button on the dashboard, and the stereo quickly came to life. Booth had left it set on CD, not the radio, and so the melodious tunes of one of his CDs quickly filtered into the SUV's cab.

Home is where I want to be
Pick me up and turn me round
I feel numb - burn with a weak heart
(So I) guess I must be having fun

The less we say about it the better
Make it up as we go along
Feet on the ground
Head in the sky
It's okay, I know nothing's wrong ... nothing

Immediately, as soon as the music started to play, another smile lighted on Booth's face. His head began to bob a bit to the music as he tapped one set of fingers on the steering wheel.

As Brennan listened to the music, she tilted her head as she said, "You've played this song for me before, haven't you?"

"Mmmm hmmm," Booth responded.

"I like it," Brennan said. "I mean, I knew that I liked it the first time I heard it. I liked the blend of instruments. It's not just your traditional rock music arrangement. There's quite a diversity in the accompanying instruments. I find the combination of the traditional guitar and bass and drums to be very pleasing when mixed with the keyboards and wind instruments that provide the flute and penny-whistle sounds. It's a very upbeat melody."

"One of Talking Heads' best," Booth agreed. "Off of 1983's 'Speaking in Tongues'. The album it self wasn't all that memorable besides the fact that 'Burning Down the House' was the group's first US top ten hit, but this song is friggin' awesome."

"What's it called again?" Brennan asked.

"Well," Booth explained. "It's official title is 'Naïve Melody', but most people call is 'This Must Be the Place'."

Hi yo, I got plenty of time
Hi yo, you got light in your eyes
And you're standing here beside me
I love the passing of time
Never for money
Always for love
Cover up and say goodnight

"Hmmmm," Brennan mused. "I think I find the first title to be more appropriate."

Chuckling, Booth asked, "And, and why's that?"

"Like I said, the arrangement―"

"It's actually because of the musical arrangement that Dave Byrne gave it that title," Booth said. "The title 'Naïve Melody' is talking about the fact that the bass and the guitar are playing the exact same pieces throughout the entire song."

Home - is where I want to be
But, I guess I'm already there
I come home - she lifted up her wings
Guess that this must be the place
I can't tell one from another

Did I find you, or you find me?
There was a time
Before we were born
If someone asks, this where I'll be…where I'll be.

"You know quite a lot about this song, Booth," Brennan smiled as he continued to move his head to the beat of the music.

"Well, like I said, Bones, Talking Heads is one of the best and one of my favorites," he explained.

Smiling, Brennan shook her head slightly and looked out the passenger side window. All too soon, they were cruising down a very familiar street. They didn't say another word until Booth slowed the car down and parked in front of a very familiar building. Once he'd put the SUV in park and flicked the radio off, he unfastened his seat belt and shifted so that he was facing Brennan.

"So," he said with a very pleased look on his face.

"Yes?" Brennan asked, her own eyes dancing in expectation.

"You know, I think I deserve my gold star here, Bones," he said with a bit of playfulness coming into his voice. "I made it a whole seventy-four minutes from when you landed until now without even bringing it up once."

"Yes," she agreed with a slow nod of her head. "Yes, you have. Remind me the next time I go to Office Depot, I'll get you a package of the foil stars. Then, I'll be able to reward you with both red, green, silver, and gold stars."

Suddenly, Booth reached out and leaned forward across the SUV's center console. Bringing his right hand to her face, he gently cupped her jaw and began to lightly stroke her cheek with the callused pad of his thumb. She shivered a bit, as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation. When she opened her eyes with a soft sigh escaping her lips, she saw him staring at her.

"You know," he said quietly. "If you wanted to reward with me with something, I can think of something I'd really like a whole hell of a lot better than a simple gold star, Bones."

"Oh?" she said as she tilted her head into his hand and pressed her cheek against his gentle touch. "And, what's that?"

"You know what I want," he said in a gentle voice. "And, I think I've been pretty damn patient, Bones―I've done what you asked. I haven't pressed you. I stayed away. I gave you time and space―even though, just between you, me, and the wall, there were about two dozen times in the past month and a half where I came pretty damn close to hopping on a flight down to Guatemala and ambushing you."

"I know," she chuckled. "I could tell that you were becoming…impatient."

"But, I kept up my end of the bargain," he reminded her. "Now, I think it's time for you to put me out of my misery, here, have some mercy, and give me an answer to my question, huh?"

Leaning towards him she smiled as she brought her face close to his. "I think you already have your answer."

"Do I?" he dared to breath.

"Mmmm hmmm," she nodded, a light in her pale blue eyes dancing mischievously as she looked into his molten brown irises. Like melted chocolate, Brennan thought as she blinked in spite of a declaration to stare into the smoothy silkiness of their singed depths. Smooth milk chocolate that's been on a slow burn for so long that it's just started to melt. "After all," she explained when he gave her a clearly expectant look. "If I wasn't going to tell you 'yes', don't you think you'd have a broken arm by now?" She paused and gave him another playful grin as she added, "Or, at the very least, a serious ass kicking?"

"You can kick my as anytime you want as long as the answer's yes," he said, his mood immediately shifting so that the pleasure and confidence in his bearing was now quite clear. The fatigue that had earlier been of some concern to her seemed to have fallen away to be replaced with a ruddy glow to his skin as he licked his lip and leaned into her. "The answer's yes, isn't it?"

"Yes," she breathed, as she turned and reached for him. Although it was awkward with the console, cutting into her side, she quickly wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. "I missed you," she said quietly into his ear, the moisture of her breath as she whispered the words causing the small hairs in his ears to tingle in expectation. "I started missing you as soon as the plane landed in Guatemala City eight weeks ago―and that's when I knew. I hadn't been away from you for even twelve hours, and I already missed you. I just...I just knew."

Pressing his lips to the smooth expanse of creamy neck that she'd exposed for him, he began to trail a wet line up towards her jaw. "You have no idea how awesome that is to hear," he breathed. In between kisses, he mouthed into her skin more than actually spoke, "Thank God. Thank God. Thank God."

"You thought I was going to say no?" she chuckled, a throaty lilt coming into her voice that caused him to feel as if his heart had skipped a beat. "Didn't you?"

"Well, honestly...I was kinda/sorta worried there for a bit, yeah," he finally admitted. "I-I…I didn't know what I was going to do if you came back and said that you didn't want to be with me, that you didn't want to give us a chance at being together."

"Hmmmmm," she said as she pressed her lips to his smooth jaw and began to make a line of light kisses from his ear, along the curve, and towards his full lips. "Lucky for you then that the answer is yes."

She kissed the small space below his bottom lip first before she looked up and smiled. "Yes," she repeated. Brennan then moved her mouth to his bottom lip and tentatively opened her mouth. Her bright red tongue darted out and traced a soft and slick line across his bottom lip from right to left and back again. She saw Booth shiver again as she pulled away only far enough to mouth, "Yes."

Leaning in again, she once more parted her lips and let her tongue dart out as she gently pried open his own lips. Gradually, she plunged her lush tongue into his mouth and sought out his.

Booth, a bit nervous at first as she tried to coax a response from him, was hesitant only until he felt her wet tongue poking at the space between his top and bottom rows of teeth. Sighing a bit into her mouth, he quickly let go of any doubts, inhibitions, fears, or concerns and pulled her tongue towards his. They quickly dueled, tongues swirling over one another as the wetness of the kiss made it all too clear that at least one type of bodily fluid was being exchanged. At last, the need for air caused them to break apart. A dazed, but completely happy look was on Booth's face as he slowly pulled away from her, gasping for air. In the course of what had been one of the best make-out sessions he'd ever had―especially considering the fact that they were both still completely clothed and no groping on either one's part had occurred―Booth's thoughts were suddenly very far away from a set of remains that awaited them at Arlington National Cemetery.

Taking in the sight of her, eyes bright, lips bruised from his kissing, face and neck flushed a healthy pink, and chest heaving as she gasped for breath, Booth only stopped to ask one final question. "Yes?"

Laughing a bit, Brennan happily nodded and confirmed one final time. "Most definitely yes."

Booth needed no further encouragement. His erection made shifting in the car seat somewhat unpleasant, but as he moved so quickly to turn the SUV off and pull the key out of the ignition, his mind didn't really have much time to catch up with what his body was telling him aside from the fact that he felt a pounding in his ears, a tugging behind his navel, and an intense, almost desperate desire to suddenly be completely and totally naked. Climbing out of the driver's side, he slammed the door shut so loudly that Brennan jumped a bit as the movement had startled her. By the time he'd moved around to the other side of the car, pulled open her passenger side door, and reached for her seat belt, Brennan was laughing.

"Come on, Bones," he muttered. "Chop, chop."

"But, don't we have a crime scene to get to?" she teased him playfully. "Remember? The remains you told me about?"

"Fuck the remains," Booth growled, as he reached into the car and pulled her towards him. "Right now, the only thing I really care about is getting you out of this car, into that building, through your apartment door, and stripping you completely naked. So, anything that doesn't have anything to do with achieving those immediate goals can wait, huh?"

Her smile widening, Brennan barely had enough time to grab her messenger back from the floor of the SUV before Booth had set her on her feet, slammed the door, and locked the car with his key fob. He took in the sight of her, standing before him, and the look of hunger clearly shining in his eyes made it almost seem as if he was going to devour her. And, as Brennan thought about it, she suddenly realized that the idea appealed to her very much.

"Now," he said as he took his thumb and gestured towards her apartment building. "Can you walk or am I going to have to carry you?"

For a brief moment, Brennan contemplated what it would be like to have him throw her over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. But, mindful of his back, and wishing to take no chance that he might injure himself before they'd made love, she simply gave him a wink before she dashed off towards the building's entrance, leaving him standing as he watched her form quickly disappear. Booth only waited a few seconds, staring at the shapeliness of her hips and the swell of her ass as it jogged through the parking lot before he took off in hot pursuit, the heaviness of his pounding feet giving him away instantly as he gave chase.

The room was dark, cool, and inviting, quite pleasing to its only two occupants who were snuggled under the covers and sheets of the queen size bed. Perhaps snuggled wasn't the right word, since something infinitely more intimate than snuggling was going on in that particular moment.

Booth, his eyes darkened in focused concentration, slid in and out of Brennan at a measured pace. He was doing his best to use his arms to keep himself propped over her so that she wasn't crushed as he moved. His naked body was flushed with the impending nature of his orgasm, and perspiration dotted his forehead as he continued to stroke in and out of her.

"Oh, God, Bones―" he moaned.

As he moaned and continued to pump into her, Brennan lifted her legs from where they'd been hooked loosely over the back of his thighs and wrapped them loosely around his taut ass. Arching her back up to meet his thrust, she groaned as her slick walls tightened once around him and she cried out in release.

"Fuuuccck," she muttered. "Oh, fuck, Boooo-tttthhh."

A split second later, she felt him convulse against her as he muttered something unintelligible. At almost the exact second, his upper body strength gave out, and he collapsed on top of her. Brennan, used to his movements, quickly used her leverage to roll them over so that they were on their sides.

She blinked, a dreamy look in her eyes as she said, "Mmmmmm."

"Mmmm hmmmm," came the languid and drowsy response.

"Mmmmmm," she chuckled again as she reached up and began to kiss him.

Brennan was about to suggest that they share a shower before returning to bed for a cuddle when suddenly a loud pounding was heard in the outer room. Brennan's body tensed as she frowned and nodded at him, "Door?"

"Hmmm?" Booth responded, still clearly a bit out of things in the haze of his orgasm.

"Door, Booth," she murmured, pressing a kiss to his jaw. "Someone's at the door."

"Ohhh," Booth growled as his ears perked up and his gaze went towards the bedroom door. When he heard the insistent knocking again, he sighed as he leaned back into the bed. "Fuck."

"That's for you," Brennan laughed as she felt Booth slip out of her with some reluctance. Drawing the sheet towards her as she watched him roll off of the bed and bend down to the floor from where they'd discarded his suit trousers and button down earlier in their haste to get into bed.

"Fuck," he groaned as he pulled on his boxers and then balanced on one leg and then the other as he tried to get his pants on as quickly as possible. Once he was upright, his white shirt in his hand, he pointed at her with a cheeky grin. "Who ever it is, I'll get rid of them in two shakes, so don't go anywhere."

Laughing, Brennan nodded as she sat up, "Okay."

"Not anywhere, Bones," Booth called over his shoulder. "Both literally and metaphorically. As good as that was, we're not done, so don't go squintifying yourself out of the mood, huh?"

Brennan shook her head with an indulgent laugh as she saw Booth disappear into the family room. Several minutes passed by, and she heard a pair of muffled voices in the outer room. After ten minutes, when he still hadn't returned, and the voices had continued to talk at a low tone, Brennan's curiosity go the better of her. Throwing off the sheet and rolling out of bed herself, she reached down and quickly grabbed for the black bra and panties she'd been wearing when they'd arrived home from the Hoover with the latest case work on the Masruk bombing case. Unfortunately, as her eyes darted about the floor, she couldn't' see where her dress had disappeared to, and so, her eyes spying the door to Booth's closet open, she reached inside and plucked one of his white dress shirts off of the hanger. Pulling it on, she began to button it as she walked out into the family room.

Clearly, the blonde woman who stood next to Booth―who'd managed to button his own shirt―was surprised when she saw Brennan and realized that she and Booth hadn't been alone after all.

"Uhhh, hello," Brennan said.

Flushing slightly in embarrassment, the blonde woman said, "Oh, hi." She stopped and looked away as her eyes went from Booth's state of dishevel to Brennan's wrinkled appearance and back as she realized what she'd obviously interrupted. "Sorry."

Waving her off, Booth didn't seemed bothered in the slightest as he said, "Tessa, this is Brennan." He paused, almost adding the label that he knew Brennan was still a bit uncomfortable with and so merely nodded at her. See? I didn't call you my girlfriend this time, Bones, so ha! Let it not be said that Seeley Booth can't be taught a new trick or two―or three. Looking up at his partner he nodded and continued, "Tessa Jankow, Dr. Temperance Brennan."

A look of comprehension dawned on Brennan's face. "Oh, hi. I've heard a lot about you."

"Right," Tessa flushed. "I, uhhh―I'm sorry. I was just telling Seeley that I should've called first, but I was on my way home, and I thought he'd want to know ASAP."

"We got a new trial date, Bones," Booth smiled. "Tessa worked her magic here and got Rebecca's attorney to agree to proceed with the petition to establish a formal custody arrangement for Parker."

"Wow," Brennan said. "That's excellent news."

"We go before the judge in two weeks," Tessa explained. She pointed at a file folder she'd handed Booth. "I just thought he'd want to know, like I said―so, I'm sorry if I...if I interrupted anything."

Brennan opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a pleading look from Booth.

"It was nice of you to stop by," Brennan quickly said.

The look of relief that crossed Booth's face as she spoke wasn't lost on her.

"Well, it's why I'm the best, or so they tell me," Tessa laughed nervously.

"And, worth every penny if you can get this thing with Parker straightened out," Booth nodded.

"Yes, well, if you have any questions, just call the office," Tessa said as she shifted on the balls of her feet, her nervousness growing, as she edged towards the front door. "And, if not, I'll see you next week for the pre-trial prep, huh?"

"Sure thing," Booth said with a jovial smile as he went to the door and opened it.

"Nice meeting you, Dr. Brennan," Tessa called over her shoulder before she disappeared out the door.

When it was shut and locked, Brennan stood before Booth with her nostrils flaring a bit and each hand placed in a clearly defensive mood on her hip. Booth took a step towards her, a very pleased look on his face as he smiled at her.

"Awww," he grinned. "That's so cute."

"What?" Brennan said.

"That," he pointed as he sauntered up to her. "That thing that you're doing right there where you're jealous."

"I didn't realize it was the lawyer," Brennan said a bit sulkily.

"Hey, it doesn't matter," Booth shook his head as he grinned at her. "This news about Parker is great, and I wouldn't have even gotten it if you hadn't busted my balls about getting a new attorney."

"One who's suspiciously blonde and eerily similar in appearance to Rebecca," Brennan frowned. "Don't tell me that's a coincidence, Booth."

"Like I said," he grinned at her as he pulled her into a strong embrace. "You're very adorable when you're jealous now that we're doing the whole monogamous relationship thing." Brennan began to pout―at least until Booth brought his teeth to her earlobe, gave it a gentle tug, and then swiped his wet tongue over the soft skin. She shivered a bit as he whispered, "You look really good in my shirt, by the way."

"How good?" Brennan said, slightly appeased by the compliment, but not quite ready to let go of her sullenness.

"Very," he said as he grinded into her slightly. "But, I still think you look best when you don't have anything on―"

"Oh?' she asked, suddenly melting into the warmth of his embrace. "Really?"

"Mmmm hmmm," he admitted. "I think we should, uhhh, see for certain though, there, Bones."

"Well," she purred in his ear. "If you aren't too busy―"

"Busy," Booth laughed. "When would I ever be too busy to make love to you?"

"I don't know," Brennan said with a slight laugh. "I've seen you awful distracted sometimes."

"When?"

"Well," she said. "You can be very distracted when food's involved―pie, pizza, candy…"

"Candy?" he laughed. "Really?"

"Well," she nodded. "You have been on an unusual binge for eating gummy bears and jelly beans, lately, though I'm not quite sure why."

"Jelly beans are very tasty," Booth admitted. "But, not as good as you."

"Mmmm," Brennan shivered slightly as she felt his hands come to his shirt that clung loosely to her chest and begin to deftly pluck the buttons free.

"I thought I told you not to go anywhere," he murmured in her ear as he pushed the shirt off her shoulders and it fell to the floor to pool at her feet.

"Mmmmm, you did," she moaned as he pressed against her and leaned in to cover her mouth with hers.

"Naughty," he tsked. "So naughty."

"And, you love it," she sighed as she felt his hands begin to roam over her body.

"Yeah, I do" he grinned. "I really do."

By the time that Brennan had stopped talking, the tea that sat before the pair had long ago grown cold. Her throat was scratchy from talking for so long as she explained to Wyatt bits and pieces of what she'd seen.

At last, she looked up at the psychologist and said, "When I was first woke up, I was so tired. But, for the most part―the things I wanted the most were there when I woke up. Booth was there, and he was looking at me like I thought he'd look at me if he were worried that the love of his life had just escaped death's grasp. Then, as time passed, I was still so tired, but my father was there―and Booth. He never left. So, I didn't push too much in the first few days. But, as time passed, and I realized that certain things were just slightly off…I grew suspicious."

"And, so you started to close yourself off," Wyatt said.

Slowly, Brennan nodded. "I was quiet, but I asked what questions I could that seemed as unobtrusive as possible. And, as time went by, I realized that whatever had happened to me…well, when I woke up, I wasn't the same person I was before I fell. All of a sudden, I had these two sets of memories where things seemed to be the same, but they weren't. And, as I waited, I began to get more and more information―and I realized just how much things were different from what I remembered."

"That's a heavy burden to bear," Wyatt told her. "So, you've kept your own counsel and have tried to rectified what you saw with what you know to be the reality of this world."

"I've tried," Brennan said. "But―"

"But, the question now remains―why are you talking about it now?" Wyatt asked gently. "Not to put too delicate a spin on this, but you've spent weeks keeping this to yourself. Why talk now?"

"Because," Brennan said. "I thought I was holding things together, but as more time passes, I'm―I-I…I can't do it anymore. I've got…I've got to try something different because as things have been going, Dr. Wyatt? I just can't do it anymore―I just can't."

-TBC-

Author's Note - In case some of you may've missed it, for those to whom it would appeal, I posted a completed two-shot this week called "Needing to Confess." It's my tag to 5x14 as to what happened after B&B got coffee at the diner and discussed things like faith and belief. Needless to say it's a fun, little piece of fluffy smut that I'm somewhat proud of…for this piece, coming up next, more therapy, and more of what's shaken Brennan's worldview.~