Hey kids. Sorry to leave ya hangin with that last chapter, but I think you'll find this one awesome. FYI there is this awesome part in it where Booth gets yelled at. Kay, peace out boys and girls. Enjoy it
So, for a little background on this, Booth comes back with Hannah on his heels. Of course, Brennan is heartbroken and doesn't seem to want to hang out with Booth, because of the pain. However, Brennan soon meets this good looking, successful economics professor, Grant Wylde (portrayed by Bailey Chase), who is originally from Austin, TX, but moved to Washington, DC to advance his career. Eventually, they become serious and Booth, still not completely over Brennan (although he won't admit that to himself), displays classic signs of jealousy (sorta like Sully 2.0). Then, Grant asks Brennan to move back to Texas with him and Brennan, thinking she has lost Booth forever, agrees to go. Oh and for those who are curious, Brennan has secured a job in Austin, heading up the Anthropology Department at the University of Texas at Austin.
NO COPYRIGHT INTENDED! the characters and story lines of Bones belong to FOX, not me. Except for Grant, Grant is mine. So, (drumroll please) on with the scene
"So?" (Grant asked expectantly, while seated on the couch in Brennan's living room)
"So…what?" (Brennan answered not exactly getting what exactly he was prodding for)
"So…you didn't tell me. How was the banquet?" (Grant elaborated) "Sorry again that I couldn't make it sweetheart." (said with an "I'm sorry, but I'll make it up to you later" tone)
"Um…it was…fun." (she said her eyes darting beyond him, not wanting him to pick up on the fact that had gotten wasted…oh yeah, and that she had almost kissed her partner)
"I could have guessed that…your friends looked like they had had their fair share of alcohol" (Grant said thinking that when Angela had answered the door, looking disheveled as she did, that she was working off the effects of a wild night) "Were you letting them stay here so they wouldn't have to drive home" (he asks, completely unaware that it was the other way around)
"Um…well I mean, we had all seen a fair share of booze" (she says with a nervous smile) "but yeah, I let them stay here" (she didn't want him to know that they were in fact taking care of her in her drunken state)
"Hey, how about I make it up to you tonight? Take you out to that nice little café we discovered last week?" (he asks with a seductive tone) "Then, we can head back here for…a little nightcap." (he says it in a low provocative purr, that would have most girls eating out of the palm of his hand, but for some reason, Brennan isn't really in the mood, but, she plays along anyway)
"Sure." (the truth was, she didn't want to go anywhere. All she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and never have to leave this apartment again)
"Oh and by the way, I almost forgot, we need to finalize our flight reservations with the airline. So…when would you want to do that?"
"I don't know. Uh, could we do it later, though, I have a bit of a headache and I don't want to deal with them right now." (truth was, she was just stalling, because as soon as she finalized their travel plans, then the reality that she was leaving would become all too real)
"Sure thing. All right, I'm going to head to bed, take in a nap. Unless, you want to join me in bed"
"Um, not right now. There are just a few things I have to do first" (usually, she'd be very open to having sex with her boyfriend and now was as good a time as any, but she just wasn't in the mood)
"Kay, well I'll see you when I see you" (he kissed her and then headed off to the bedroom)
[Brennan watched as he disappeared behind the mahogany door. Grant…was a good guy, he really was. He was the guy that little girls dreamed of marrying so why wasn't she more thrilled about them starting a life together? Because…because She immediately stifled the little voice in her head that was threatening to finish that thought. It was funny, however, how that voice was beginning to sound more and more like Angela and it was funny that no matter how many times she tried to ignore it, it would always keep coming back, like a mental boomerang. The fact of the matter was, though, that she already knew what that little voice was going to say. She had let that little voice dictate her action before and it led to nothing but emotional turmoil. She couldn't let it happen again. She sighed and buried her face into her hands. What was she doing? She was allowing herself to be caught in the same cycle again. This just cemented in her mind that she had to leave, had to start anew, because even if everybody here thought that they had her pegged, nobody really knew the real Temperance Brennan and if they did…they certainly would not like what they saw.]
[At the Hoover]
[Booth sat there in his office, contemplating over what had just happened in the hallway. For some reason, he felt that Brennan was just about to say something important; something that could redefine the meaning of their relationship. Then, out of nowhere, Grant comes in and intrudes on their moment. Guess he couldn't really blame the guy. After all, Brennan was his girlfriend; Booth had no claim on her. He'd given up any claim as soon as he embraced Hannah when she came into the diner. God….he regrets that now. But now…what's done is done and he has to find a way to reverse the last four months since they'd been back and find a way to make it clear to Brennan that he was the guy for her. He tilted his head back and sighed when he heard knocking. He looked to his door and there was Cam, offering a friendly smile.]
"Am I interrupting something? I can come back you know."
"No…no, its nothing Cam. So…what's up? Why you here?"
"What, I can't visit my friend at his office without a reason" (at Booth's knowing glance, she continues) "But…now that you mention it. I was just a bit curious as to why you weren't at the banquet. Brennan told us that you were going to be escorting her and...I'm a little surprised that you'd give up an opportunity to spend time with her. Especially when she's so close to leaving."
[Booth all of a sudden begins to stammer]
"Well…uh. You know, just busy with…stuff."
[Cam decides to prod a little bit]
"Girlfriend stuff?" (she asks with an inflection in her tone)
"No, work stuff. Actually, there's not gonna be anymore girlfriend stuff…Hannah and I broke up."
"Really. Why? I thought you had a good thing going."
"Well…it was good, but…it just wasn't right. You know?"
"Would it have anything to do with why Brennan showed up to the banquet all weird and….thirsty" (she puts an emphasis on the "thirsty" part)
"Um…no" (he lies through his teeth) "I don't know why Bones would be…thirsty"
[Cam can tell that he's covering something up]
"Okay seriously Seeley, spill it. I know you're hiding something." (at his uncomfortable glance downwards) "Something happened, didn't it." (when he looks up to the ceiling and smacks his lips in an awkward manner) "Oh my god…you kissed her, didn't you."
[Suddenly Booth goes on the defensive]
"No, no. We…we didn't okay, she ran off before anything happened." (he grimaces when he realizes that he had let too much slip.)
[Cam gasps and goes wide-eyed]
"So…something almost happened?" (at his continued silence) "Seeley" (she says in the tone that a mother scolding her child would use)
"Yes, okay!" (he practically yells while rising from his chair, arms upraised) "Yes, we almost…" (he struggles to say it) "We almost…kissed."
"And then?"
"And then…I don't know. You know, I leaned in and then she leaned in and then…she bolted."
"Seeley" (Cam was shaking her head) "you have to talk to her about it."
"You don't think I know that. I just tried to. But…Grant came in at the wrong moment and carted her off." (he falls back into his seat with a heavy, defeated sigh) "Its just I thought I was over her, I thought I had made myself a new life, and then…that moment in…the closet, and…" (he trails off, exasperated)
"Seeley…can I offer some advice?" (Cam says in a soft friendly tone)
"Sure thing Camille."
"Get your head out of your ass." (she says demandingly)
[He looks up surprised at his friend's impatient tone]
"I have seen you two dance around each other for years, and I thought that after you guys came back, it would be clear to you what you needed to do in your relationship. But, apparently, that isn't the case. Sure…you can try to move on, you tried to move one. You can even lie to yourself and say that you have, but, the truth is that no matter what you do. No matter how hard you try, you're always going to find your way back to her. No other woman is going to compare to the standard that she's set for you. Only she can. If you continue down this path of lying to yourself about what it is that you want…then you're never going to be happy. You're always going to think about her, even when you're with someone else. So…in a nutshell, grow a pair and fight for your girl!" (Camille took a deep breath at the end of her rant before adding an exhausted sounding) "Before you lose her forever…. okay?"
[Booth just sat there, his mouth agape. Was there a point to what Camille was saying? Were all of his attempts to move on from Brennan futile? Did he just need to face facts and realize that he loved Bones and no matter how hard he tried to move on from her, he was always going to find himself in the same position? He looked back over the past few months and realized that…Cam was absolutely right. Even when he was with Hannah, he was constantly curious about how Bones was spending her time, whether she was alone or spending the night with Grant. He also realized the fact that he only acted like a real boyfriend to Hannah whenever Brennan was around. He would only put his arm around her or kiss her when Bones was present as an audience. Oh god…. was that really what he had been doing? Was his entire relationship with Hannah built around trying to evoke a reaction from Brennan? He gravitated on the second aspect of Cam's little speech. Was it all really that simple? Was it just that he needed to grow a pair? Yeah it was. Yes he did]
"How do I do that?" (he said in a low plea)
"You tell her that you need her in your life and…not just as a partner. As something more." (Cam said in a deep monotone. Frankly she was frustrated that she had to point out something so obvious)
"But…I tried that before. She just turned me down."
"Then…you try again. And if it doesn't work, you try again. Sorry to tell you Seeley, but pride isn't really a factor anymore."
"Kay…but I need to find a way to tell her. I can't have Grant or anyone else for that matter bursting in. it needs to be private"
"Well…we're having a farewell party for her in a few days at Hodgins and Angela's…estate…mansion? Their place (she says giving up on trying to find a word to describe Hodgins and Angela's enormous residence). Why don't you try there?"
"At a party, Camille? I not sure you grasp the concept of private." (he said a little mockingly)
"I'll make sure you guys can have some privacy. (not appreciating the tone he had taken with her) "I mean their house has more rooms than the White House" (she states sarcastically, although it very well might be true)
"Okay" (Booth says with a determined nod)
[It was time that he finally stopped dancing around Bones. He felt a newly found fervor grow inside him. Cam was right, it was finally time that he fought for her.]