A/N: I'm so, so, sorry for the delay! I feel really bad, I hope there are people out there still reading this! And thanks to everyone who left me a review, I really appreciate it!

She entered the office and announced her presence to the receptionist and then took a seat in one of the plush chairs. There was a hole in the pit of her stomach and she was wringing her hands nervously. She was never really good at talking about her feelings, even to Booth.

The door opened and a woman walked out, wiping tears away from her face. She immediately tensed up and was about to stand up and walk out when her name was called.

"Temperance Brennan." The receptionist repeated.

"It's Dr. Temperance Brennan." She said automatically.

"Oh, well Dr. Landry will see you now."

She took a deep breath and walked into the office. Sitting on a chair was a tall, dark haired woman who she assumed was Dr. Landry.

"Dr. Brennan?" Dr. Landry inquired.

She nodded.

"Come in and take a seat."

Brennan did so and faced Dr. Landry with an intense stare.

"Dr. Wyatt told me you didn't like psychology, may I ask why you are here?" Dr. Landry asked. It was clear this woman pulled no punches.

"Well, because….Booth wanted me to and…"

"If you're here for someone else, I don't think that's a good enough reason."

"No," Brennan said forcefully. "I'm here for me. I want to make it better."

"Okay then." Dr. Landry said, giving her a small smile. "Now let's talk specifically about why you are here. Start from the beginning."

"I…" Brennan started. She wringed her hands nervously. "I'm not really comfortable…"

"I understand. But in order for me to help you we need to talk this out. You know what, let's start somewhere different. Tell me about your job."

"Well I work at the Jeffersonian Institute. I'm a forensic anthropologist, I help identify human remains from all over the world. I also do work for the FBI."

"Is this where you met Booth?" Dr. Landry asked.

"How do you know about Booth?" Brennan replied. "Because I thought there was a doctor-patient confidentiality thing and logically…"

"Calm down Dr. Brennan. Doctor Wyatt just told me that you and Agent Booth worked together and that you were involved personally as well. He also happened to mention that you hate psychology. Other than that, his lips were sealed."

"It's a soft science." She muttered. "And if you knew Booth and I worked together why did you ask?"

"I wanted to hear it from your perspective." Dr. Landry said. "Now continue."

"I became his partner and we work cases together."

"How did you get involved romantically?"

Brennan smiled softly. "We were working on a case and eating dinner. He just turned and looked at me and asked me if he could kiss me. And he did. We decided to have a relationship despite our differences."

"It sounds like you love him very much." Dr. Landry said warmly. "Something happened though, am I right?"

"I got pregnant." Brennan replied. "And then…I never wanted children and Booth was so excited and when he found out I wasn't, I just felt like the baby would be better off with him."

"I can understand that." Dr. Landry said. "To be suddenly faced with this decision, a complete shift in the way you were thinking would be overwhelming."

Brennan nodded. "I continued throughout the pregnancy and then gave Chris to Booth for him to take care of. I didn't….it was a mistake…"

"Okay let's stop for a moment." Dr. Landry said. "You gave up your baby how many years ago?"

"Four." Brennan said quietly.

"And am I to assume that you have starting having a relationship with Booth and your daughter again."

Brennan nodded.

"Yet you still feel guilty about what you did."

"It was a mistake…" Brennan started.

"Yes perhaps." Dr. Landry replied. "But there's nothing you can do about it now, am I right?"

"Well I guess but.."

"Look Temperance, if you continue to feel guilty about your choice, you won't be able to move forward. It was a choice, not a mistake, it was what you needed to do at the time. Yes there are repercussions but those you should be able to handle. Being burdened down with guilt is not going to help you get past it."

"Easier said than done." Brennan muttered.

"I agree." Dr. Landry said.

"I'm…." Brennan paused. "I'm reminded all the time. Every song I don't know how to sing or game I don't know how to play. Every time I see Booth with Chris….I mean I can't even take care of her properly." She said, thinking back to her disastrous afternoon with Parker and Chris.

"Those are things that you can learn. Being a mother is something that is in you, I know it and I haven't even seen you interact with your daughter. Parenting does not mean perfection. It's about making mistakes and muddling through them. If you have your daughter's best interests at heart then the rest will fall in place, believe me. I have made so many mistakes with my daughters, I will fill a book if I wrote them down. But it doesn't matter." Dr. Landry said.

Brennan nodded in response but she didn't feel very comforted inside. Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

"I know there's more to cover but I think we should finish it here for now, give you some time to think about what we've said. And I have something for you." Dr. Landry said, handing her a black notebook. "I want you to write in this as much or as little as you want. Write all your feelings as they come during this week and all I ask is that you be completely honest with yourself. I'm not going to read it if you don't want me to, it's just for you. Well I think we're done. That wasn't too hard was it?"

Brennan sighed. "Yeah, I mean, it was…"

Dr. Landry laughed. "I understand. Walking in the front door was a big step for you. I hope to see you next week, this time okay?"

"Sure." Brennan said, getting up off her chair and moving towards the door.

"And Dr. Brennan?" Dr. Landry said. "These things take time. Don't expect miracles right away."

"Thank you." She replied.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She stared at the skeleton in front of her and felt her body ease, her previous discomfort seeping from her. She smiled as she tried to figure out the puzzle of this man's death. Here she felt useful, needed even.

She was working steadily away when he came in looking for her. She hadn't called after her appointment and after waiting for 45 minutes for dinner with her, he packed up Chris and took her to Wong Foo's where Sid was currently watching her.

He had once joked that she was only truly happy when she was with her bones. In reality, this frightened him. The thought that he couldn't be the one to make her completely happy.

"Hey." He said softly, swiping his card as he made his way up to her table.

"Hey." She replied, never taking her eyes from the skeleton.

"I called and you didn't answer."

"I was busy."

"Well are you ready for dinner?" he asked. "Because Chris is at Wong Foo's with Sid right now."

"I'm not hungry." She said. "Why don't you go without me tonight?"

He nodded. "Okay, well I will see you at home okay?"

"Actually," she said, finally lifting her head. "I think I'm going to stay in my apartment tonight."

"Temperance…"

"I just want to be by myself tonight." She interrupted. "It's not a big deal, I promise. I just need some time. I'll come by in the morning to say goodbye to Chris before she goes to school."

He moved closer to her, reaching up and running his hand through her hair.

"Okay." He said softly. He pressed a soft kiss on her lips and moved away.

"Okay." She replied, watching him turn and head out the door.

She turned back to the skeleton and continued to work steadily into the night.