AN: As we can see we are climbing up the length ladder xD And I'm sorry this took so long, with my knee injury, basketball, school (Exams next month...yay), and everything else, I kinda fell behind. But don't worry, I will update everything soon (Yes Getting In Touch, is Getting there ha!) I wrote this to the song Slow Down by Bobby Valentino, so that's where the title came from, and truthfully it kinda fits, I suppose, in my own little world...full of rabid rabbits...and my friend Nathan...sitting under a green mushroom...
Angela and Cam looked at each other, wide eyed and mouth's open. They reluctantly put their fisted hands on an opened palm and hit their palms three times, Angela's hand staying in a fist, while Cam's opened fully, her hand covering Angela's fist as Angela sighed heavily and they walked in opposite directions.
*****
"Seeley!" Cam called after, running as fast as she could in her heels, grabbing the Agent's arm gently, and stopping him as they reached his SUV.
"Camille, I don't have time for this," Booth said, his voice laden with sadness, anger, and exhaustion.
"Yeah well, we're going to make time," Cam said, moving her hands to sit on her hips "What the hell are you doing?"
"Leaving," Booth said, turning and making his way towards the driver's side of the car, but as expected, was stopped by Cam.
"Booth this is crazy! We need you here, we need you to stay," Cam stressed, her voice cracking slightly as her eyes started filling with tears.
"Why should I stay here Camille?" Booth asked, his voice deep and raw, immediately sending a sense of pity into Cam's heart.
"I just said it. We need you here. Brennan needs you here," Cam said, jumping as Booth growled and stepped forward.
"I know where I stand in her life, and she doesn't need me. She doesn't care for me; she won't even give me a second thought. So now, my period of suffering is OVER," he finished, his voice raising and sending cold chills down Cam's back, stepping back in fear as Booth's eyes blazed with a fire she never saw before.
"Brennan does care for you, and she cares about you, but you know her, it's probably not easy for her to express," Cam said, her arms crossing over her chest in defense as Booth shook his head and narrowed his eyes evilly.
"She expresses things just fine," Booth said simply, turning on his heel and sliding into his SUV, slamming the door shut and revving the suburban up threateningly, peeling out of the parking lot quickly, and leaving behind a still stunned and scared Cam.
*****
Angela followed Brennan out to the balcony, the cold air chilling against her bare arms as she stayed in the balcony threshold for a second, watching the hunched form of her friend grasp at the railing, as if it would give her some sort of support.
"Sweetie," Angela started, her arm stretching towards her best friend.
"No, Ange, please," Brennan said through a tear thickened voice "Not now."
"It's times like these where you need my talks," Angela whispered, placing her hand on her friend's shoulders, and gasping in surprise as Brennan turned and wrapped her arms around Angela's back, her tears falling onto Angela's shoulder as they poured from her eyes.
"I never thought it would be him," she sobbed, "I never thought he would be one to abandon me."
"You didn't," Angela asked, wishing she didn't have to point this out to Brennan, especially when she pulled back and looked at Angela with narrowed eyes and a slightly agape mouth.
"What do you mean?" she asked quietly, sniffling and running her hands quickly over her cheeks, wiping the moisture away for only a second before more tears sprang from her eyes and trickled down her cheek.
"Sweetie, I don't want to have to tell you this, but you abandon him all the time," Angela whispered, sighing when Brennan shook her head and looked out to the illuminated city.
"China, Guatemala, you left him," Angela whispered "And you weren't there when he needed you most."
"Because I couldn't bear to see him dead, lying in a coffin, or looking at me with wide brown eyes thinking I was his wife, there's only one thing worse than his death, and that's breaking his heart," Brennan babbled, thinking about how much it would hurt them both if she admitted that she wasn't his wife, and she wasn't pregnant with his child, but what Angela muttered next, made Brennan's body go rigid.
"What do you think you're doing now?"
"N-no," Brennan muttered "He doesn't."
"He told you it personally," Angela stressed, gripping the balcony's edge close to Brennan's hands so she could force her to understand what she was saying.
"He meant professionally," Brennan started, shaking her head as Angela hissed "No," and continued her tirade.
"I told you he fucked up when he said that. He didn't mean it in any sort of professional sense; everyone around you knows that, the only one who seems to not see how he feels towards you is you. Why are you keeping your eyes closed when it comes to this?" Angela asked, moving closer into Brennan's personal space "Why are you ignoring it?"
"Because feelings are ephemeral Angela," Brennan stated, re-quoting herself, and choking out a strangled sob when Angela's lips moved to Brennan's ear and hissed.
"Yeah, and look where you are now."
*****
"I'm really not in the mood for this," Booth hissed to himself as he stepped through the multiple boxes littering his floor, and opened his door, his eyes wide as Angela brushed past him and shoved her finger hard into his chest.
"Alright G-man, what kind of drug are you on to fuck you up this much?" Angela asked.
"I wouldn't think a drug that makes your life hell without giving you some sort of high would sell much," Booth brushed off, using the annoying cop humor that always pissed off Angela.
"We are NOT starting with that tonight Ok," Angela asked "What we ARE starting off with is why you would even think about doing this?"
"I've evolved Angela, and I've learned. I'm not waiting around for her anymore," Booth said with a slight shrug "She doesn't care, and she doesn't want this, so why should I?"
"Wow, I never would have thought that you would be enough of an asshole to make me want to strangle you," Angela stated simply.
"Ok, if you just came here to insult me, writing it all in a letter, and send it to headquarters in California, because I don't have for your PMS womanly pride bull shit," Booth said, his inner conscious in disbelief that he would speak that way to a woman.
"PMS womanly pride bull shit?" Angela asked, her eye brow cocked as her hands rested on her hips "Wow, you just jumped from asshole to-"
"OK, I don't care Angela, alright?" Booth asked "Like I said, write it in a letter, or email, I don't care, but I don't have time for it now. Besides I would think you would be happy with my promotion."
"I am," Angela said weakly "We all are but I would never think that you, of all people, would leave the love of your life behind, for selfish well being."
Booth's nostrils flared, and his eyes caught fire, his shoulders sagging slightly as he realized that she was right, but before he could retaliate, his cell phone rang, and he snapped it to his ear.
"Booth," he grunted.
"Yes sir," he finished quickly, pressing and holding the number '2', snapping the phone back to his ear.
"Suspect, interrogation, your lab, 20 minutes," he said quickly, closing his phone and placing it in his pocket, glaring at Angela and opening his door.
"I've gotta go get Bones," Booth said, pushing Angela out the door, and losing her around the hall.
*****
Booth sighed and closed the file, standing up and walking out of the interrogation room as the officers hand cuffed the suspect, and he was pulled into the back room quickly.
"Bones, what the hell are you doing?" Booth asked, spinning towards her and straightening his coat as she closed and locked the door behind her.
"Don't leave," she said bluntly, her back pressed against the door, keeping him in the back room as long as she could.
"Why not?" Booth asked, his head starting to pulse as he fantasized about how this argument was going to turn out.
"Well, what about your cosmic balance sheet?" Brennan asked, her hands clenching and unclenching as she fought throwing herself at him and begging that he stay.
"I have long ago atoned for my kills," Booth said simply, his arms crossing over his chest as he sized her up unconsciously.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked quietly "Why are you leaving me. You're abandoning me like everyone else, and you were the one assuring me that not everyone leaves."
"Yes, I am abandoning you, because YOU have not had to go through what I've had to go through this past year. I've suffered, kneeling at your feet, just waiting to be recognized, but now I'm sick of it. I know what I mean to you, and I know you don't want me here, let alone need me."
"I want you," she said, her stomach flipping at her alternate meaning "I want you…here…in Washington."
Booth sighed sadly, that was exactly what he was talking about, and he felt exhaustion pass over him in waves as he plowed through "You've never cared Temperance. You've always identified me as only an alpha male, and you've never really listened to what I tell you, even when it comes to your life or mine. You've stomped on my heart and flaunted all of your boyfriends, just to put me through hell. Now will you please, let me out, so I can get ready? I have a plane to catch in an hour," Booth said simply, moving his hand behind her, and turning the door, stepping around her, and leaving Brennan shaking, and crying, her teeth digging deep into her lips as she kept herself from falling to the ground, curling into a ball, and screaming away her agony.