Plan 'A' Redux

by LizD

A B&B Tale ... but what if Hannah said yes. How would Brennan move on and with whom? What would it take for B&B to find their way back to each other? Give it a chance you might be surprised. - EPILOGUE UP!

10. Chapter 10

Plan "A": Redux

By LizD

Winter 2011

Chapter Ten

-P-L-A-N-.-"A"-

Brennan woke early - late for Egypt time. She was still suffering from jet lag. The food, the bath and the big fluffy bed with Egyptian cotton worked wonders for getting her back on track. As she was leaving for the museum, she discovered that her phone had lost the charge in its battery. It must have died somewhere in the night. She left it in the hotel to be charged. It didn't matter much anyway, she had her laptop and people usually contacted her via email or webcam.

Angela's piece of gossip affected her but it changed nothing about what she was doing. She had commitments, she had responsibilities. The reality of the situation was that Booth was probably only being nice to her because they were working the case. His anxiety was undoubtedly due to the fact that they hadn't worked a case together in over ten months. They never officially ended their partnership; it wasn't discussed. And yes, he probably had some initial reaction to the news of her pregnancy, but he would get over it. The break up with Hannah more than likely had nothing to do with Brennan or her pregnancy. She was convinced by time she was stateside again it would go back the way it was. Booth back on his task force, Brennan consulting and there would be no occasion for their paths to cross. It was what she expected. It was what she wanted. Their paths had diverged, they would cross again occasionally, and they might even parallel depending on Booth's relationship with the child, but the idea or hope that they would be on the same path again was not rational.

Sadly working with him again made her really start missing him again – the old him, the partner, the way they used to be working a case, discussing and debating everything from religion to pie. She had her first craving the day before Thanksgiving. It was for blueberry pie. She didn't indulge it, but it made her smile nostalgically.

She had no sympathy, no empathy, no feelings at all for Booth, Hannah or the demise their relationship. She had no opinion nor did she care to know what went wrong. It just added more proof that relationships were transitory, ephemeral, fleeting; that emotions changed with time and that the idea of committing to anyone for a lifetime was a promise that no one could make. The only bond that was literally forever was between parent and child. Once she had accepted Max back into her life, and accepted that though his actions were confusing and hurtful at times; his love for her was constant as was hers for him. As she was dealing with the loss of her partnership, she was witnessing Angela and her baby. Brennan wanted that connection with another living soul.

Things happened pretty fast the February before but by the end of those twenty-eight days, she had lost her partner, a friend, Hannah, and a woman she had come to respect and admire, Caroline Julian. Brennan accepted that her partner needed time and space to deal with Caroline's death but didn't truly believe the partnership was over. She didn't accept that until Broadsky had been captured and Booth did not return to major crimes. As for losing her friend, Hannah, that was Brennan's choice. There were few times in her life when Brennan made a conscious choice to cut someone out of her life. Typically people she knew just drifted away. Of course the people that she listed as friend could be counted on one hand. With Hannah however she decided to end the relationship and she did that in defense of Booth. Hannah never questioned it so there was no need to tell her why. The loss of Caroline Julian was devastating for everyone in different ways. Booth naturally took it the worst as he felt responsible. He completely walled off and internalized everything. It didn't need to be that way; the partners could have helped each other work through that loss and tracked Broadsky down together. Brennan felt the same sense of helplessness after Miss Julian's death as she did with the gravedigger. But there was no way she could approach Booth, he wouldn't allow it. It was all water under the bridge. Maybe one day Booth and Brennan would talk about that time, apologies would be made but the damage was already done.

Brennan has been working for six to seven hours and was contemplating going back to the hotel when she was told she had a visitor. Brennan had made several connections over the various times she was working at the museum and thought nothing of someone coming by to see her. She cleaned up and went to meet her guest.

"Hello Temperance," Hannah Burley called to her as Brennan entered the main lobby.

Several feelings flashed though Brennan, but she checked them all and showed Hannah something more than disinterest.

-P-L-A-N-.-"A"-

Booth turned his back on his desk and his paperwork. So much was spinning in his head. He needed it to slow down. He still hadn't found Shelly, the girl from the scene or Ralph Kingston. Identifying the rest of the victims was slow going but at least he had narrowed down the people he should ask. He was also checking the records for anyone who had been picked up for prostitution in the past few years to see if he could make an ID. It was painstaking work. He was using Angela as much as he could, but nothing beat just good old detective work. But he needed a break. On his credenza was a picture of Parker when he was five; Booth's favorite picture of him. It was nothing special, but the smile on his son's face full of glee and wonderment was inspiring to him. Of all the ill Booth had done and seen in the world, he was still part of creating life.

He thought back to that time with Rebecca when she got pregnant. They weren't getting a long that well; headed for a break up. She didn't like his job, his hours, the company he kept or his habits. Booth was gambling pretty steady back then and didn't like being nagged. They weren't exactly living together but he spent most of his time at her house. He came home early one day and found the brown paper bag from the drug store on the table. To find a pregnancy test inside the bag was a bit of a shock. His first thought was to run or to pretend he didn't see it, but that only lasted a minute. He found Rebecca in the bedroom. She was just sitting on the bed rocking. She wasn't crying but she was rocking. They talked about the possibility and how and when it could have happened. There was no question on the paternity. Before they could discuss anything else, they needed to find out if she was indeed pregnant. She took the test and they waited together on the bed holding hands. All kinds of thoughts flashed through Booth's mind but the only one that stuck was that he wanted to be a father and he wanted to be the best damn father he could be to prove that his old man didn't hold dominion over him. He also realized that he wanted the home, the family, the wife, the kid and the dog. He was earnest in his proposal and he was earnest when he said that it didn't matter if she was or wasn't; he wanted to marry Rebecca. If she wasn't pregnant then they could start trying. Her refusal was quick and decisive. She did not want to be one of those women who had to get married nor did she want to be one of those women that gave up her dreams just because she got pregnant. Booth did not take the rejection well. He was absent during most of the pregnancy licking his wounded ego. They reconnected about a week before Parker's birth but they were at odds during Parker's first four years. Booth regretted that. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

There was a knock on his open door. Booth looked up to see Sweets standing in his doorway. "Can we talk?" Sweets asked.

-P-L-A-N-.-"A"-

"Hannah, what are you doing here?" Brennan asked.

"I thought we should talk," she said as if they had had a falling out over something minor and needed to make amends.

"I'm rather busy," Brennan stated.

"This won't take long, let's take a walk."

Brennan led her out of the building into the small gardens in front. The gardens were teaming with tourists but Brennan and Hannah found a bench away from people. Brennan waited for Hannah to speak.

"You have done a lovely job with the museum. I was here a year ago during the unrest. It was devastating."

"I have helped; the accolades go to the curator." Brennan was in no mood to deal with Hannah's false praise. "You didn't come here to talk about the museum."

"No, I didn't." She laughed a little. "I'm not really sure why I'm here. When I boarded the plane I knew, but now it seems impetuous."

Brennan stood up. "Then I will let you be on your way."

"I'm sorry we lost our friendship," Hannah blurted out. "I should have been more sensitive to your feelings after the engagement."

Brennan was not about to discuss her thoughts or feelings about something that happened so long ago.

"You have heard that Booth and I have broken up."

Brennan nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Are you?"

"What are you expecting me to say?"

"Nothing, nothing ... please sit down."

"I really have a lot of work to do."

"It won't take long," Hannah urged again.

Brennan sat down.

"I understand you're pregnant, congratulations," she said with false joy. "I admire your determination to have a child by yourself."

"There are over fourteen million single parent households in the United States alone. Eighty-four percent are headed by women, and thirty-five percent of those have never been married. It's hardly uncommon."

"Still it's not the norm." Hannah flipped her hair back in that way that annoyed Brennan from the moment they met. "But you are not the norm, are you?"

"I am still unclear as to why you are here."

"Sweets said something yesterday ... he disclosed something that happened years ago that I had no knowledge of. He said that you had originally contemplated having a child three years ago and had asked Seeley to be the father." Brennan nodded but didn't feel that needed clarification. "I really had no idea how close you and Seeley were. He told me that he had feelings for you and you for him, but that it didn't work out and you both had moved on."

"Do you have a question?"

"Did you use Seeley's donated sperm from three years ago to impregnate yourself and if so did you do it without Seeley's knowledge?"

"Why is this within your purview? If you and Booth are no longer engaged, what difference could it make?"

"It would make some difference. Seeley and I have been struggling in our relationship for quite some time. I knew he was frustrated and unhappy with my absence, but I believe I have a right to know if he agreed to such a scheme without discussing it with me. It might have impacted his decision to end our relationship."

"This is a conversation you should have with Booth."

"He won't talk to me."

"I can't help you with that."

Hannah leaned back and studied Brennan for a long moment. "We used to be friends, you and I. What happened between us? Were you hurt that Seeley chose me?"

Brennan bristled but steeled her spine. "You and I were trying to form a friendship. My motivation was to forge a relationship with you because you were important to my partner. We had little in common and while I found your life and exploits interesting, were it not for Booth, I would not have pursued a friendship with you. I found you to be shallow and narcissistic - qualities that I did not expect to find in an investigative reporter." Hannah was taken aback by so much honesty from Brennan. "Since you have posed the question; no I didn't end our friendship because of your engagement. You were Booth's choice and if you made him happy, I was content with that. I chose to end our friendship when I witnessed your complete lack of empathy toward Booth after Caroline Julian died. You were oblivious to what was happening to Booth and how deeply he was affected."

"I don't remember -."

"You left on an assignment the day after Caroline was killed telling him that he should stop taking the weight of the world on his shoulders. That he couldn't control everything. To 'let it go' I believe were your exact words and to let someone else take care of it."

Hannah still didn't see how those sentiments were wrong.

"I can't tell you how much that hurt Booth as he completely walled off to anyone after that. But it showed me how little you knew him and his history and the kind of man he was."

"You were there, why didn't you help him?"

"You still don't understand; your dismissal of him not ten days after agreeing to marry him and spend the rest of your life together was so devastating that there was nothing any of us could do. His proposal of marriage was honest and real. He was looking for someone to share his life - his whole life - past, present and future unconditionally. He would have opened up to you in ways he never allowed himself to open up to anyone. You threw that back in his face and essentially abandoned him. I will never forgive you for that. You blew apart the team that had just come back together."

"Are you accusing me of being your Yoko Ono?"

"I don't know what that means."

Hannah didn't want to explain. "But you have forgiven Booth for abandoning your partnership."

"Booth was a lot of things to me: colleague, mentor, friend, partner and yes we could have been more if different decisions were made. And there were times he could be harsh and unforgiving with me, but he was never cruel. We earned the trust and admiration that we have for each other and it doesn't matter if work together or if we ever see each other again. I will always count Booth as my closest friend and would do anything for him."

"Does he feel the same way?"

"You would need to ask him that."

"I will re-ask my question from before: did you use Seeley's donated sperm from three years ago to impregnate yourself and if so did you do it without Seeley's knowledge?"

"Again I say that this is not your business."

"That's evasive, Dr. Brennan and leads me to believe that it is true. How will Seeley feel about trust and admiration you have for each other when he finds out?"

Brennan studied her for a long moment. "This interview is over." She stood. "And to answer your question, no." Brennan turned on her heel and walked away. She had answered the question asked. Brennan can't be held responsible for Hannah asking too specific a question. She should know better being a reporter.

-P-L-A-N-.-"A"-

"Sweets, I really don't have time for you."

"I just want to check in with you about your break up with Hannah."

"Is this work related?"

"If you are having a hard time adjusting, I would recommend a few days off."

"I'm fine." Booth nodded for the door.

"And with Dr. Brennan -."

Booth stood up and tossed his pen down on his desk. "Sweets, I understand that it's a shrink thing to ask provocative questions to gauge a reaction. If you will remember, I'm an interrogator and know that trick too. But I don't turn it on my friends or colleagues. You are not invited into my life or my head at will. You have abused our working relationship and our social relationship in unprofessional ways. What you have tried to stir up between me and Hannah and between me and Bones is petty and rude and really none of your business. If you can't see the line between shrink and friend, then we can't be friends."

"I'm only trying to help."

"How many shrinks does it take to change a light bulb, Sweets?"

Sweets mumbled the answer.

"I didn't hear you."

"One, but the light bulb has to want to change."

Booth smiled. "Stay out of my business unless you are asked or it affects my work, OK?"

Sweets nodded. Booth nodded to the door. Sweets left.

-P-L-A-N-.-"A"-

Brennan was back at the hotel. Her meeting with Hannah was odd. Why would she fly to Egypt to confront Brennan about what exactly? Brennan would never get a handle on people or their motivations. She was just about to go to bed when her phone rang from the other room. She went to retrieve it. There were four missed calls. The caller ID said: BOOTH. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bones, how are the old bones over there?"

"Fine, fine. Everything is going well. How is the investigation going?"

"Slow, but we are progressing. When will you be back again?"

"A few days before Christmas."

"Right, right." Booth was nervous. He was trying to be casual and pretend like it was just a normal call.

"I heard about you and Hannah," she offered so he wouldn't have to bring it up. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well ... don't be. I'm not." He dismissed it too casually. It wasn't that the sentiment was wrong, just that it felt wrong to say it to her like that.

"Hannah came to see me today."

"In Egypt?"

"Yes. Apparently Sweets said something to her that set off her reporter radar."

"Reporter radar?" Booth laughed and got serious immediately. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine."

"What did she want?"

She considered telling him, but didn't really want to bring up the subject as it would lead to more questions. "It's not really important."

Booth didn't believe her but didn't really know how to press her. It was becoming clear to him that there was a lot of bridge building to be done with Brennan to get back what they had lost and that needed to be done before anything else could happen. It was going to be a long row to hoe, and there was no guarantee, but he had to believe it was worth it. He also knew that he would have to be the instigator and the one to pursue it.

"Are you tired? I'm not sure what time it is over there, but I would really like to tell you about some of the developments I have made with his case and see what kind of insight you have."

She settled on to the couch with a blanket and some tea. "I'm up for a while."

"Good." His nerves ebbed slightly. "So I had an interesting visitor yesterday," he started. "Her name was Java ..."