A/N: Disclaimer Repeat - I do not own any part of Bones. This is just for fun. ;)
The Push in the Partnership
Chapter 12
When he didn't answer her, she lifted her hand to feather a caress along his cheek. She gave him a sweet smile and leaned toward him again. "I never took you for a coward, Agent Booth." She rubbed her thumb over his cheekbone and touched her lips to his in a soft kiss. Then she pulled away and stood.
Brennan walked to the door where she'd dropped her bag, and picked it up, settling the long strap on her shoulder. She pulled out her cell and scrolled through her phone book until she found the number she was looking for. When she was finished with her call, she turned back to Booth, who had moved to his kitchen. "My cab will be here soon. I'll see you tomorrow."
She turned to go back to the door when he called her name, "Bones, wait." He palmed the back of his neck and sighed. "I don't have a good answer for you, Bones. I'm not normally a coward, you know that. But, with you…with this…I'm so scared of making a wrong move that I convinced myself it was better to not move at all." He blew out another long breath. "When I did tell you how I felt and you told me no…I can't tell you how that affected me. My confidence wasn't just shaken, it was all but gone. I put myself out there and you said no." He began pacing back and forth in front of her. "And now," he let out a morose little laugh, "I don't even know what to say about what has been happening the last few days." He came to a stop directly in front of where she was standing. "You're giving me mixed signals, Bones. You say you can't give us a chance, but then tonight…you kissed me. So you need to tell me what's going on. I think I deserve to know."
Brennan nodded. "You're absolutely right, Booth. About everything." She closed her eyes, trying to block out the questioning darkness of his eyes. When she opened them again, he was still watching her. "I am the coward here, not you. When you proposed taking our relationship in a new direction, I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life. I thought I could handle you moving on. But when you began dating Dr. Bryar, for the first time in my life, I felt jealous. I tried to console myself with the fact that doing this would make you happy, I even tried dating Andrew, but it didn't help. I still felt like my heart was being ripped apart." She looked down at her hands that had become knotted together while she spoke. And when she looked back up at him, Booth noticed the tears welled up in her soft blue-grey eyes. "I think I made a mistake when I told you no. Me kissing you was my first attempt to fix it." A horn sounded outside, signaling the arrival of her ride. "That's my cab. I'll see you later."
Booth followed her to the door. "Call me when you get home, so I know that you got there safely." She nodded and disappeared down the darkened hall.
