A/N: I had a really hard time writing this chapter, so I hope that it came out alright. I know that the last bit of Booth's reaction may seem a bit out of character. Don't rush to any conclusions – his actions will be explained in the next chapter or two, and I think that will clarify his thinking quite a bit, and hopefully make it less out of character.

Speaking of the next chapters, just a fair warning to everyone that there will be a bit of a wait for it. Not too long, I hope, but longer than usual for this story. The reason is that I am going on vacation tonight and will not have internet access until Wednesday at the earliest. Try to be patient – I'll still be writing, and should have several chapters ready for quick updates when I get back!

"Booth." Seeley Booth barked into the office phone as sank down behind his desk at the Hoover Building.

"Seeley Booth, I've got half a mind to march over and kill you right now!"

"Angela? What did I do now?" Booth was extremely confused now, wondering what could possibly have made her angry with him again.

"Since when is your cell phone off all night? You got a new girlfriend or something? I've been trying to call you since midnight!"

Don't say yes, whatever you do don't say yes, she thought anxiously.

"My cell phone? I didn't turn it off – hold on, let me check it," Booth muttered, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Damn! Ange, I'm sorry, the battery's dead. I've been distracted the last few days, I must have forgotten to charge it."

"I suppose I can forgive that. We've all been a bit on edge lately."

"So, what is so important that you were calling me all night? Is it Bones? Did something happen?" All of a sudden, Booth was worried again.

"Calm down, Booth! She's fine. I just thought you should know that she's back in Washington."

"What? But how? I put a watch on her name with all the airlines – I was supposed to be informed when she bought her return ticket!"

"Well, yeah, see…okay, the thing is, she didn't fly back."

"How did she get back, then?"

Angela sighed. She wanted to tell him everything, but she knew Brennan needed to do that in her own time.

"You'll have to ask her yourself. Look, she's going to call you today and…"

"How do you know she's going to call?"

"What? Oh, she told me last night. Listen, stop interrupting me, its rude! I'm trying to tell you that she is going to ask to see you today. You need to make time for her, no matter how busy you might be. And when you see her, you need to be gentle with her. Whatever you do, don't yell. Try to be understanding."

"What do you think I'm going to do? Scream at her? Ange, I think I know how to be there for her."

"Um, right. So Monday, that was your idea of how to be there for her?"

"Ouch. That's below the belt, Ange."

"Just try not to be judgmental. And call me when you're done if you need to talk about it, okay?"

"Talk about what, Ange?"

"Just…'it'. Be nice Booth, I'll talk to you later!"

And with that, she hung up the phone, leaving Booth sitting at his desk, staring at the receiver in his hand and wondering what the hell was about to happen.

Even when she'd first called Sully, or when she'd sat there telling Angela, Temperance hadn't been this nervous. Not even close. She closed her eyes, swallowed hard and dialed his number.

"Booth."

Stay calm, just stay calm. "Hi Booth, it's me."

"Oh, um, hi Bones, how's it going?"

Ignoring his attempts at small talk, Brennan jumped straight to the point.

"I need to talk to you, Booth."

"Okay, sure. Want to meet me at the diner for lunch?"

"I'd rather we didn't do this in a public place. I'm highly likely to cry at some point during the conversation, and I believe you may find yourself wanting to yell at me. Better to do that in private. Why don't you come over for dinner?"

"Sure. I can pick up Wong Foo's on the way over, if you want." What the hell is going on? Booth wondered, contemplating the various possibilities and coming up blank yet again.

"That sounds good, Booth. Shall we say six o'clock?"

"See you then, Bones."

At exactly six that evening, Booth stood outside her door, a box of Chinese food resting in his arms. He hesitated only a moment before knocking tentatively on the door. Whatever she had to tell him, it couldn't be worse than not knowing, than letting all the possibilities repeat themselves over and over in his imagination.

Temperance stood on the other side of the door, fighting the urge to run. She took one last deep breath and opened the door.

"Hi Booth."

"Hiya Bones. I got all your favorites here, I hope you're hungry."

She ushered him into the apartment, and they settled in at the table to eat in silence. She'd planned to tell him right away, in a rip off the Band-Aid sort of a way, but seeing him, actually being face to face with him, seemed to put her at a loss for the words she'd spent all day rehearsing.

It was Booth who finally broke the awkward silence.

"I'm really glad you called, Bones."

When she just looked at him without responding, he took it as a cue to continue.

"Look, I want to apologize for Monday. I was way out of line, and I'm sorry that I upset you."

"Booth, it isn't your –" Temperance began, but a wave of Booth's hand silenced her before she could finish.

"Let me finish. I know that you've been upset with me for a while now. Ever since what happened at Angela's wedding, things have been off between us. Please don't insult me by denying it again."

Temperance opened her mouth to protest, but a look from Booth silenced her yet again.

"Part of me wishes I could take it all back, forget it ever happened, just so that we could go back to what we had before. But the other part of me – a bigger part of me – isn't sorry it happened. Bones, I needed to say what I said, I needed you to know how I felt. How I still feel. You've made it clear you don't want anything beyond a partner out of me, and I have to respect that decision, even if I can't pretend to understand it. I just need you to tell me what to do. How do I make us better again? How do I fix this?"

At his last question, he reached out and took her hand in his, his eyes begging her for an answer.

"Booth…" she started to speak, but her voice faltered as the tears welled up in her eyes. She swallowed hard and tried again.

"Seeley, you can't fix everything. I know you think you can, but sometimes you simply can't. That's why I asked you over tonight. I need to explain what has been going on the last few months."

"Bones, I know –" This time it was Temperance cutting him off.

"No, Booth, you don't. You think you know why I've been distant, you think you know why I've withdrawn from you, but you don't. I take responsibility for that. I let you go on believing that all of this was because of one kiss, because it was easier than telling you the truth. These last few months have been hell without you around, having to lie to you every day."

She paused, catching the flashes of confusion and hurt in his eyes. Please understand, please don't hate me, she silently implored with her eyes, as she steeled herself to continue.

"Booth, this might not be easy for you to hear, but I need you to know the truth. I…I'm…well, I'm…" she paused, trying to get a grip on her emotions. "…I'm pregnant."

She heard his sharp intake of breath and saw the shock spread through his face.

Did she say what I think she said? His mind was racing a mile a minute as he tried to process her statement.

"How…who…pregnant?" He finally managed to stutter.

"Yes, pregnant. I'm fairly certain you are familiar with the how of that condition. As for the who, well, that would be Sully."

His slight wince at hearing the name did not escape her notice.

"Sully? But he hasn't been around in months…I don't get it," Booth said, stumbling through his words, still unable to fully grasp what he was being told.

"Four months, actually. But, I'm five months pregnant. I only found out two weeks after he left."

"That's why you went to Miami?"

"Yes. I needed to tell him the truth, too. He needed to know that he's going to be a father."

She saw him gulp hard, trying to get out another question. Temperance certainly was never good at reading body language, but she was fairly certain she knew what he was afraid to ask, so she answered before he could get it out.

"No, we are not getting back together. Sully's a great guy, but I'm not in love with him."

He thought he might have imagined it, but it seemed to him that she put extra emphasis on the last statement. Regardless, he relaxed significantly after hearing her answer.

"You should know, however, that he does plan on moving back to Washington. He's gone down to the Bahamas to settle up a few things he had going down there, but he'll be back for good in a few weeks. I don't know exactly how things are going to work, but I don't want to deny him the opportunity to have a full part in his daughter's life."

"Daughter?" He couldn't help but smile at the thought of a little version of Temperance running around.

She nodded. "Grace Christine Sullivan-Brennan."

As he heard the baby's last name, a realization seemed to suddenly hit him. He quickly stood up and grabbed his coat.

"I should get going, Bones. I…uh…I'm happy for you," he managed to get out, although even Temperance could tell he was anything but happy at that moment. "You and Sully are going to make great parents. I'll…I'll see you at work."

"Seeley, wait!" she called out as he hurried away, but the sound of the door clicking shut was all that she heard.

Temperance slumped in her seat as the tears began to fall. Everyone leaves, she thought sadly. I knew he would too. Everyone leaves.

Her hand on her belly, she whispered softly, "I'll never leave you, Grace. Never."