A/N: I do apologize fans for the delays in some of my stories. I have most of the chapters written, but I have to edit my stories and with the double duty I took on at work, it's tough. I've been putting out stuff I've had on the hard drive for a while in the meantime. I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you for your patience.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bones but being between a DB and TJT sandwich could be fun...maybe throw in a little MGT
Booth and Brennan left the interrogation room followed by their handcuffed suspect, who he gave to Shaw to process. "Bones, I have to update the files and then update Hacker on this. Knowing him, it will probably be about an hour at least. Why don't you go ahead and take off?"
"Are you doing this to avoid what I am making for dinner tonight?"
'Shit, busted' Booth thought quickly. "No, Bones, I promise I will be there for whatever dinner you want to make, including that weird grainy stuff"
"Quinoa, Booth. Very healthy for you"
"I'm sure. Now the sooner I get this done, the quicker I can get home and enjoy your meal"
"Of course, Booth" She kissed her husband. "I'll keep it warm for you when you get home"
Booth smiled dreading what she was going to make tonight. "Thanks, honey"
They kissed again and they separated. While Booth was walking back to his office, he thought about what his wife was going to tell him before they got interrupted, again. When he got home and after he digested whatever vegetarian surprise Bones cooked, they would discuss what she tried to talk to him about today.
Angela walked to the garage, grateful that she left her car there from when she met up with Sweets earlier. As she got into her minivan, her thoughts filled with regrets. She sat and contemplated how to apologize not just to Brennan, but to Booth and Hodgins. Her behavior was selfish and cruel and she could only hope that she wasn't too late. After a moment, she realized that she had to pee thanks to all the coffee and water she drank today with Sweets. After debating whether to wait until she got home, she got out and walked back inside.
When she was done, a relieved Angela left the building and entered the parking garage. She got into her vehicle and then started it. She pulled out of her spot and headed for the exit when she saw Brennan at her car.
Brennan entered the garage from another exit. She debated about what she wanted to say to Angela the next time she saw her. Contrary to what she told her friend, she didn't want their friendship to end, but she was prepared to yank the plug if Angela continued to be rude to Booth.
After a minute, Brennan realized she was standing in the FBI parking garage alone. Resolving to put it out of her mind until tomorrow, she walked with purpose to her vehicle. She had reached her car when a loud honk startled her, causing her to drop her messenger bag that she was digging through.
She looked up to see Angela with a stricken look on her face before she pulled into a nearby spot. Brennan watched as the other woman came by and helped her pick up her stuff. "I'm so sorry, Bren. I just wanted to get your attention"
When they finished, both women got up with the doctor pulling on her bag. "Well, you got my attention. Good night, Angela"
Angela panicked. "Wait, Bren. I need to talk to you"
"Angela, I have to pick up a few things for dinner before picking up Christine. I don't have a lot of time"
"Don't worry, I'll be brief" Seeing her best friend's look of impatience make her momentarily tongue tied, but she found herself. "I'm sorry"
"Sorry for what, Angela"
"I'm sorry for being a douche to Booth"
"I don't understand the need to call people a feminine hygiene product, but I am assuming this time it's to describe your behavior to Booth. You're right, you should be sorry. Now if you'll excuse me"
"Wait, Bren. Just wait" When Brennan stopped, Angela walked up to her but was stopped by the ice projected by the other woman. It was not something she had experienced in several years and it was disconcerting. However it was deserved and she knew it.
"What, Angela? I have things to do before I get home. I'm supposed to make dinner tonight. It's the least I can do after all that Booth did for us last night after we got arrested"
"I know. I'm sorry…it's just I'm trying to come up with the perfect words. They're ones I never thought I would have to say to my best friend. Forget it. Brennan, I'm sorry for everything"
Brennan was touched, but was determined to not let Angela go that easy. "As stated earlier, sorry for what?"
'I deserve that, too' Angela thought to herself. "Well, where do I start? How about with I'm sorry for sticking my nose where it didn't belong with you and Booth"
When Brennan nodded her head, Angela continued. "I'm sorry for not encouraging you to try to find out what was going on with Booth this summer. I'm sorry for not trying to help you with my mad skills on a computer to maybe find out what was going on. I shouldn't have encouraged you to think he was maybe whoring around on the side. I'm sorry for insulting your wedding plans with Booth and getting a bug in my butt when you wanted to keep the plans between you and Booth. I'm sorry for digging at Booth and making him think he was like his father. It was pretty low."
Brennan softened as she saw Angela wipe a tear away, but kept her resolve as the other woman continued.
"I'm sorry for not being a best friend and instead being a first grade bitch. Best friends don't do that"
Brennan relaxed a little more, but needed answers. "Why Angela? Why did you do it? I don't understand"
Angela knew she had to be honest. "I'm going to be straight with you. I didn't know why, either, but Sweets had an opinion that I blew off earlier but now I think I understand. He's good at what he does by the way. You all sometimes still underestimate him"
"Enough, Angela. You want my forgiveness. I need to know why. Usually the bones speak to me, but you're alive in front of me now. I need you to tell me why you were so mean this summer"
Stalling wasn't going to help her, Angela thought. Time to confess. "According to Sweets…..I've….I've got abandonment issues"
Brennan looked at her disbelievingly. "Angela, that's ridiculous. Your parents were with you growing up. To compare yourself to how Booth and I grew up is insulting"
"Bren, I-I haven't always been honest about my childhood. I've always portrayed it as a fantasy life with my dad since he was ZZ Top, but it wasn't always that great" When she saw Brennan listening, she continued. "I grew up in a very nice part of Houston"
"Yes, Tanglewood. Very upscale. You were very lucky"
"In many ways, yes, but not all of the time. Sweetie, some people didn't like the fact I wasn't white as a lily and Billy Gibbons' daughter. They also weren't afraid to let me know"
"People are not the color of white, Angela. People who think that are erroneous and stupid"
"I mean, Sweetie that I'm not completely Caucasian. As you know, I'm half Chinese. Even today, there are parts of the New South that doesn't like people such as myself or can be jealous of the fact of who my father was."
"That's ridiculous. If people aren't going to like you, it should be because you were mean to them because of the way they dressed or because of their interests." Finishing that sentence brought back some of the pain from her teenage years, but she quickly swallowed them.
Angela smiled in spite of herself. "Anyway, it was hard for me to make friends, plus my mother wasn't always around. Dad was home when he could be, but he also has to make a living"
Angela wiped a tear away before continuing. "Later on, I eventually decided that to make friends, I had to be as shallow as I could, so I because one of those superficial bitches. Yeah, I found a few friends and snagged a few guys and a couple girls, but not true ones. I was a curiosity to those people"
"Sometimes, guys would use me to get close to my dad. My dad always seemed to know which ones who hooked up with me just to see him and always kicked them out of their ass. Doing that didn't win me any brownie points with anyone. After getting rejected a few times, I decided to be the reject-er so I wouldn't get hurt. It worked for many years, but then I came to the Jeffersonian"
Brennan could only watch and listen as Angela wiped her eyes and continued. "I met you and it was like I found a kindred spirit. An awkward one, but I connected with you and it was great to just be myself, or as much I could. Hodgins broke though, too"
"Angela, as fascinating as all this is, what does all of what you just told me have to do with how you've been the last few months?"
"Sorry, getting to that" Angela took a breath before continuing. "After what happened with Booth this summer, Sweets said it brought up feelings of fear that you were going to hate me for convincing you to open to yourself to Booth and now being hurt by him. In turn, that made old feelings of abandonment and resentment pile up and that…"
Brennan frowned. "That what, Angela?"
"That all the time I was mad at Booth, I was actually mad at you for making me feel this way. However, it was easier to take it out on Booth because I could focus all my anger and pain onto him. All my bitchiness was because of you, Bren. Pathetic I know"
"Yes, it is. Nothing I've done deserves your anger"
"No, no you didn't. It was all me"
Brennan was going to yell at her friend, but then she remembered all the conversations she had with Booth over the years, of how she felt when she first met him, along with Angela, Hodgins, and everyone at the Jeffersonian. She was standoffish and kept everyone at arm's length. Angela was one of the first people to reach out to her and try to be her friend.
As she took in Angela's words, she gained a better understanding of her friend. She always knew what to say and was the one who always pushed her to let Booth get closer to her. Yes, to say that she was in pain this summer was an understatement, but she was grateful to Angela. If it wasn't for the woman in front of her, Brennan would probably still be alone…and sad.
She looked back up at the person in front of her and saw all the sadness in her eyes. She knew her abilities to understand emotions had improved thanks to Booth's tutoring over the years, but her skills were rudimentary at best. However, she knew what she saw was genuine. Before she could forgive however, there was one thing Angela needed to do. She was about to tell her when her friend's next words took her by surprise.
"Sweets said that I hide behind grand gestures…..and he was right. I needed to talk to you, but to truly make things right, there is someone else I have to apologize to. You don't have to decide what you want to do now. I just wanted you to know that I was so very in the wrong these last few months. I don't want to lose you as my best friend. I love you, Temperance Joy Brennan"
Angela's voice cracked. "So…take your time. I'm-I'm going to go apologize to Booth. As much of a douchy bitch as I was with you, I was tenfold with him and he need to know that. I'm going to go now"
Angela hasn't completely turned around when Brennan suddenly took her friend into her arms. "I love you too Angela Pearly Gates Montenegro Hodgins. I was angry and hurt, but I could never hate you. If you stopped being my friend, I would feel very sad"
The women came together in a tight hug and cried together. After a moment, Angela broke the hug. "Sweetie, I'm so glad we're friends again, but I have to go. I have two more apologies to make tonight and I think the sooner I do them the better it will be"
"Okay, Angela. Good night"
"Good night, Bren" Angela walked away towards the entrance to the Hoover.
Brennan stood there and for the first time in seven months let out a collective breath. She had both of them back. Suddenly, she noted the time and rushed back to her car while sending Max a text to ask him to bring Christine to the house. She got in the car, started it, and then took off in a hurry.
Angela was confident as she got in the elevator but when the door opened the door to the fourth floor, her stomach started doing cartwheels as she realized how much she was in the hot seat right now. Taking a deep breath, she gathered herself together and walked down the hallway to the bullpen. 'Time to put those big girl panties now, Angela' she thought
