Pairing-Brengela

Episode-Post Aliens in a Spaceship

Italizised quote is from "Deja Dead" by Kathy Reichs. Read and review, por favor!

At first it hadn't been bad. Booth had stayed with her for a long time, guarding her, but when she'd insisted he leave her alone, and he'd done so, the nightmares started to get bad.

It wasn't violent at first. Just…A replay. Hodgins dying in front of her, bleeding out. The last breath that she'd ever breathe trapped in her throat. It was just…What she'd known at the time. It made sense to have THOSE dreams. Those dreams held meaning. They existed. They had occurred. When they started to get harsher, though, her mind couldn't always comprehend it.

Hodgins, bleeding out, not just from his legs. A corpse on her table.

Angela being taken, and finding her days too late. The warm touch of her best friend suddenly turned cold.

A reverse sequence, where it was BRENNAN who was the killer. Where Brennan was the one to destroy.

So…What do I do? I dig up bodies. I examine bones.

She could never save them. It never worked out that way.

Usually, though, she could bare them. She'd dealt with nightmares most of her life. She knew what they entailed. She had been the bitter receiver of such ghoulish dreams since fifteen. It wasn't unusual. Sometimes, they didn't even feel real.

Except when they did.

It was a warm night when she'd gone to bed, alone. Her late night endeavors with Angela had decreased, her friend preferring the company of one Jack Hodgins. Brennan didn't mind. The love in Jack's eyes had been unmistakable, almost comparable to her own. Almost. Most of the windows in her apartment had been opened, the fan spinning lightly above her head. No covers on top of her body.

Sleep came easily to her that night, which was rare. Usually it took long periods of time, but she thanked her body when the sleep came. It was much needed.

Nightmares invaded like infantry, undetected by any sensors. It wasn't until it had invaded her deepest psyche that she began to panic.

Angela, dead on her table. The sudden realization that it had been her, Brennan, to put her there. Why? She didn't know. Panic clocked in and for a moment, her mind could pretend it was a sick joke.

It wasn't.

Sympathies were passed to her, though the realization that SHE had done this made her stomach curl. It wasn't until much later, when she worked on the bones, that the corpse started to rise, to glare, to yell and to scream.

Hatred, foul and angry, rushed through her body.

'You let me die,'

"No!" Brennan yelled, darting up in bed, eyes wide and panicking. Her hand was absently reaching for a weapon, but when she realized the danger was not imminent, she relaxed and sunk down into her bed. Staring at the wall in front of her, Brennan could imagine every last sickening detail of her nightmare, and noted that her heart wouldn't stop hammering.

Irrational though it was, she dove for a phone, closed her eyes and dialed the number.

Someone other then Angela picked up. A sleepy voice replied,

"Ello? Who's calling at this time of the night?"

Brennan blinked, not really surprised, before shaking her head.

"It's Doctor Brennan. Is Angela there?" she asked.

"Oh, hey Doctor B! Yeah, yeah she's here…Just a sec,"

The ruffling sound met her ear and Brennan flinched before holding the phone away from her ear, and closing her eyes tightly.

"Hey, Sweetie. What's up? You don't have a case or something, right? It's three in the morning,"

"I can't sleep," Brennan said suddenly, rashly. The silence that met her on the other end was anything but reassuring. "I…I'm having nightmares, Ange…I'm…"

"Afraid?" Angela asked for her. Brennan's brows furrowed and she shook her head.

"No, not quiet. I'm sorry for bothering you, Ange. Have a good night-"

"Wh-ho there, sweetie. I'll be right over,"

"What about doctor Hodgins?"

"You need me for one night? I'm sure he understands,"

It ended at that, and Brennan closed her eyes, half grateful, half terrified. Leaving Hodgins had risks, and they both knew it. However, as if on clockwork, Angela arrived fifteen minutes later, knocking on her door.

"Sweetie, it's me. Open up,"

Tense, she made her way to the door and opened it, before being embraced by Angela's arms.

"Oh, sweetie. You should have called earlier,"

"I was unaware-"

"This isn't the first time, is it? You know you can call me for anything,"

Ushering her over to the couch, Angela perched on the other side and grabbed her hand.

"You wanna talk about it?"

Brennan shook her head.

"Not particularly, no,"

"Do you want to talk about IT?"

The change was not in the word, but it was in the meaning. It just meant the dream. IT meant what had happened.

"I just…I thought we were going to die. I've believed I would die before. But I find it odd…I was at least content that I was with someone I knew,"

Angela nodded, the weird sensation this remark had not going away. She'd believed she would die before. Angela knew this. Only once, though. She'd never known there had been multiple times. And the fact that she was happy that she wouldn't die alone…It was a sad remark. One that made Angela's heart long for Brennan's ability to be content.

"He loves you,"

Angela nodded.

"I know."

"And you can only love one person the most, can't you? So he's that person for you,"

Angela wasn't sure how to explain this. Because it had been so long since she'd known how to. She fell love with ever person she'd ever dated. She'd never not loved someone whom she went with. But it faded away, usually. With Brennan, it hadn't. It hadn't been mere interest that kept her at bay.

"It's more complicated then that, sweetie. I do love you, though,"

"What if I'm like the gravedigger?" Brennan asked suddenly. "What if I'm cold and calculating and I just…I experiment. What if I'm like them? I'm not like normal people,"

Angela stroked her hair and shook her head.

"But you aren't him, sweetie. You aren't cold. You're very warm. And sweet. Not normal, no, but where's the fun in that? Why would you think you're like him?"

"I have nightmares where I AM him…"

Angela stayed silent.

"They're just dreams, sweetie. They can't hurt us,"

Shrugging, Brennan leaned heavily into her.

"Can you stay?" she begged softly. Angela smiled.

"Course. I was planning on it,"