And the saga continues...

CHAPTER 10

FOUR MONTHS LATER

Tempe was working at her desk when Angela came rushing in, disturbing her concentration.

"Sweetie!"

"Angela, you startled me."

"Are you sitting down?"

Tempe looked to the seat she was sitting in while Angela took a seat across the desk from her.

"Hannah left."

"What do you mean, Hannah left? Where'd she go?" Hannah was always going away on assignment, Tempe thought. She didn't understand why Hannah leaving was just big news to Angela.

"She left Booth. You know…for good."

Tempe felt her blood drain from her face. "What?" she whispered.

"Apparently she and her executive producer started up an affair on her last assignment."

"In Columbia?"

Angela waved her hand in a dismissive, "yah. Whatever. Anyway, she told Booth last night and then he called Jack then he came over and got really drunk and now I think he's kind of staying with us until Hannah gets all moved out."

She took a second to let Angela's ramble fully sink in. "Is he…is he okay?"

Angela just stared.

"No. Of course he's not," Tempe mumbled. She hung her head. She was sad for her Booth. Sure they weren't close like they used to be, but he seemed so happy with Hannah. Therefore, she was happy for him. "He's at your house?"

"Yah. He was passed out when I left. Can you believe she cheated on him?"

Tempe opened her mouth to say that expecting humans to be monogamous was an old fashion value, but closed it instead.

She tried to work the rest of the day, but her thoughts kept going back to Booth and the devastation he must have been feeling over the failure of his marriage. He wanted forever and she wanted him to have that; that's why she turned him down all those years ago.

Then there was part of her that thought of Hannah and her body temperature would rise. How dare she! She and Booth were no longer partners to respect her wishes! Here Hannah was worried about she and Booth starting a romantic relationship while she's having sexual relations with her producer.

She looked over to see Hodgins walking by her office. "Hodgins!" she shouted out to him.

Hodgins stopped and walked into her office, "What's up?"

"Have you spoken to him today?"

Hodgins sighed, "no. But he did text me to tell me he was alive and to meet him after work at Founding Fathers."

"What time?"

"Um. Five-thirty."

Tempe nodded her head, "can I… would it be okay…"

"You want to go instead of me?" Hodgins asked for her with a kind smile.

"Yes, if I can get Kara to stay late with Ann Marie." Tempe added.

"Ok. Just let me know." Hodgins started to walk away, but turned back. "He's obviously in a really dark place. So, just… just tread lightly."

"I don't know what that means."

"You will."

FOUNDING FATHERS – 5:30pm

Tempe stood outside staring at Booth's back slummed over the bar. Taking a deep breath, she walked in and took a seat next to Booth.

"Hey," she whispered.

Booth turned, his eyes showing just how drunk he was. "So they told you."

"Yes. Is that okay?"

He nodded and took a sip of his scotch.

"Booth, I'm so sor-"

Booth cut her off, "You like evidence, right, Bones? Well, here's the evidence. The evidence is that there is something wrong here. Now, I-I fell in love with a woman, and I had a kid. She doesn't want to marry me. Well, uh— And then, the next woman, well, she's …" His eyes bore into hers that she had to look down at her lap.

"And now," he looked back to his drink and continued. "I mean, what is it with women who just don't want what I'm offering here? What did I do wrong?"

"I'm sure you did nothing wrong."

Booth turned his head sharply, "No, just— You know what? Drink. Drink."

He motioned for the bartender to bring another glass. "I'm just really… I'm just mad. I'm just really mad at all of you, all right? I'm just mad."

She watched as Booth poured her a glass of scotch. Before she took a sip, he clinked his glass to hers. "To our failed relationships."

Tempe was confused.

"You and Sully. Me and Hannah." Booth clarified.

"Oh." Tempe just looked into her glass.

"If you're not going to drink with me, well, you can leave. There's the door."

"I'll drink." To prove her point, she took a sip.

"Good."

They sat quietly for what Tempe estimated was about thirty minutes. She wasn't sure what to say. This kind of thing was Booth's area. Lucky for her, he eventually spoke.

"I'm sorry I let her cost us our partnership, our friendship."

"She was your wife. Or I guess still is your wife."

He snorted and took another sip. "Part of me wants to find this guy and beat him to a bloody pulp."

Her eyes widen at his confession.

"But the other part of me knows it takes two to tango."

"By that you mean, she's just as much to blame?"

"Yah, Bones. She's just as much to blame."

"Booth -"

"Hey! At least she says she doesn't want anything from me. So the divorce will be quick and easy. Let's drink to that."

He clinked his glass to hers.

"I'm sorry," she softly told him.

"I don't want your pity."

"What do you want?"

"Like I said before, to sit here and drink. We can figure the rest out later."

TWO MONTHS LATER

Tempe was in bone storage when Booth came bounding in.

"It's done!" He announced. "I'm officially single again. Back on the market. Ready for action."

She looked up still distracted by her current task, "that's nice."

"Well, it's customary to take a newly single man out for drinks. So what do you say? Ann Marie's still with Russ and his family, right?"

"Yes."

"So let's go celebrate."

She studied his face. His mouth was set in a grin, but his eyes were still sad.

"OK. Let me just finish up here. You want to wait in my office?"

"Will do, but don't take too long."

"I won't."

HOURS LATER

A half empty bottle of tequila sat in front of them.

"I shouldn't have sprung that on you like that. Or maybe I should have. Just like Sweets said someone had to break the stalemate."

"It's all right."

"And when you told me you regretted it -"

"Booth -" she warned. She really didn't want to go back down that road again.

"I should have taken you and driven off into the sunset."

"It wouldn't have worked that way."

"I know." He poured them another shot. "You know what I think?"

"No."

"I think we will be in each others lives forever."

Tempe nodded, "that seems logical as I'm mother to your niece."

"No. No. Regardless of that. You're my best friend and... and I love you."

Her eyes widen.

"I mean I love you like you love some one you've know for years. Who's been with you through your highs and lows."

"Oh. Then by that definition, I love you too, Booth."

They both downed their shots.

"The last time we drank like this we almost had sex," she reminded him.

"Imagine if we had had sex."

"I'm sure it would have been satisfying. You're a good kisser."

"You are too, Bones. You are too."

She twirled her shot glass in her hand, "do you still want to have sex?"

"With you?" he incredulously asked.

She nodded.

"Yes. I do. Do you want to have sex with me?"

"It is something I would like to do. Yes."

They took another shot.

"I wish it were that easy. Us having casual sex... it's not in the cards for us. It would mean too much. At least to me."

"So we'll be friends forever."

Booth chuckled.

"What?"

"Nothing. It sounds like something one would write in a high school yearbook. But yes, we'll be friends forever, Bones."

END CHAPTER 10

Thoughts? Are they really going to be just friends?