Booth knew that he had to get to the office soon, his 'doctor's appointment' that he had called in for that morning would only last so long. He and Bones had a case to solve, and wallowing in one's self pity was not going to be one of the ways to do that. He pulled the SUV to the front of his apartment, sliding it into the parking space, he noted that it was a little after eight in the morning, and Hannah had probably already left for work. He wasn't sure at this point if he cared that she was there or not, simply because he knew that talking with her was unavoidable, there was no logic in avoiding his own home, no point in prolonging the inevitable.

He sat for a moment, the journal still resting in his hands as he held it protectively in his grasp. He considered taking it with him, but it occurred to him that it would be safer in his vehicle. Reluctantly, he opened the glove compartment and carefully slipped the journal inside, feeling a pang of guilt in his chest as he watched it settle atop the other documents in the compartment. He closed the door, latching it, and locked it with his key, wondering for a moment if he should feel ridiculous for keeping the journal under lock and key, yet feeling no remorse at all. Before exiting the SUV, he pulled his phone from his pocket and turned the ringer on, noting the number of messages, he scowled at the device as he rolled through the incoming calls. He found only Hannah's cell number and felt guilty for having ignored her phone calls. He was well aware of what he was getting himself into. With a resigned sigh, he slipped the phone back into his pocket.

He climbed from the SUV and made his way to his apartment, more than happy to finally be able to climb into the shower and change his clothes. He was just about to put the key in the lock when his phone began to ring in his pocket. He glanced briefly at the display and tried to deny to himself that he had smiled, but he knew that he had and left no time to chastise himself. "Booth."

"You answered." Her voice was a near gasp, and there was a very long, very loaded pause between the two of them. He knew she wasn't waiting for an explanation, just stating the obvious as she always did.

"What did you find, Bones?" He asked pointedly, knowing that by now she was in the lab, standing over their victim, her phone in her gloved hand, her eyes raking over the body before her as she tried to organize her thoughts. He heard her long pause and just waited patiently. "Bones?"

He heard her clear her throat, and like a whirlwind she began to explain the procedures that had already been performed on the body, and the findings that the team had come up with to explain her theory that the man on the slab had been bludgeoned with a dull instrument, something small and metal, but hard enough to cause skull fractures in a particular pattern. Time of death had been approximately a week, and Angela was currently working on facial reconstruction. When her explanation was completed, there was a pause so quiet that he was unsure if she had hung up or not. Then her soft words echoed in his mind. "Are you alright, Booth?" She asked, her words more emotion filled than the discussion of death and murder, he almost had to ask her to repeat them to ensure that he had heard correctly.

"I am alright." He replied, resting his back against the wall beside his apartment door. "I am going to get showered and changed, and I will drop by the lab on my way in." He said, listening for a confirmation or anything, but there was just silence. "We'll talk, Bones." He said, before hearing the sound of the click of the phone in his ear as she hung up.

He slipped the phone into his pocket and unlocked the apartment door, taking a step inside, he listened for a moment. He heard footsteps coming from down the hallway and for some reason, he didn't feel as nervous as he thought he would. This was, after all his apartment, his domain, his place of solace. He was a man, he had nothing to fear but his own guilt. He looked up as Hannah stepped out of the bedroom, obviously ready for work, their eyes met and there was a moment of pause.

"I'm glad to see that you're alive." She said with a raised eyebrow. Her lips held just a hint of amusement, but her eyes were much colder.

"Same to you." He said as he walked through the apartment toward the living room.

Several snarky comments popped into her mind as she watched the man before her walk away, his posture slightly hunched, his demeanor clearly saying that he wasn't in the mood to share his problems. She held her need for the upper hand at bay and waited for an explanation, or any type of communication that could make up for the evening of anxiety and worry that she had experienced. She took a step toward him and watched as he pulled his suit jacket off, loosening his tie, still failing to make eye contact with her.

"I'm going to go take a quick shower." He said, trying his best not to yawn, he draped his jacket over the couch and moved toward the bedroom. "I have to stop over at the lab on the way in."

"Where were you last night?" She asked, noticing there was no change in his steps, he just continued toward the bedroom.

"Bones couldn't meet me for drinks last night, so I just did a few other things that I had to get done… I must have gotten caught up in what I was doing, and before I knew it, it was morning." He shrugged. He turned and saw the slight irritation in her face. "I'm sorry if I made you worry." He said sincerely as he walked into the room and began unbuttoning his shirt.

"Then why did Temperance say that you had already left when I called this morning?" She asked, watching his head turn so that his eyes could meet hers. "That would imply that you had been there last night."

"I stopped by her place when she didn't show up at the bar." He said seriously. "I wanted to check on her."

"So you checked on her, but your girlfriend, you leave sitting at your apartment waiting for you to call or show up." She asked, her voice holding a shred of determination, though he could see that she was just hurting, and wanted an explanation.

"It wasn't like her to not show up, Hannah. I stopped by, waited for her to answer the door and then said goodnight. Don't you trust me?" He asked, watching her lip slide into her mouth, her eyes on his determinedly. The pause that occurred at that point was long enough for him to feel his heart sink, and the pain in his eyes squeezed his chest. He wanted to ask her again, he wanted to reach out to her and gain that connection that they had, but found that he simply didn't have the strength.

"I'm not sure that we talk enough, Seeley. I don't believe that our relationship has ever been about trust before." She said after watching his face fall.

"But do you trust me?" He asked.

"I want to trust you."

"That's not the same."

"We haven't really discussed these kinds of things. We're only just learning about one another, about where our relationship is taking us." She replied, straightening herself, she glanced at her watch. "Why don't we talk about it over dinner tonight?" She replied, watching as he watched her look away from him and step backwards toward the doorway. "I need to get to work. Call me later, okay? If you get a chance." She said, without saying another word, she disappeared from the bedroom doorway and walked quickly down the hallway, and after a moment, he heard the door closing firmly behind her.