A/N : This chapter is dedicated to mumrulz, piratesmiley and Bella1992. Thanks so much for your kind reviews, it means a lot to me. I really hope you'll keep on enjoying the story!

Chapter 14 : Cold sweat

Brennan unlocked the door of her apartment, amused by Angela's babbling. She had been released from the hospital a couple of hours ago. At last. She was really beginning to get bored stiff. If it were up to her, she'd even go back to work the next day, but she knew that one way or another her friends would force her to go home and rest. At least, she'd be able to keep on working on her book and satisfy her new agent.

"… and milk, and eggs, and I also got you some coffee because I saw you didn't have much left…"

As the door opened, Angela stopped talking and stepped in, sighing.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay at my place for some days, sweetie?" she asked, worried, as she was carrying her friend's bags inside.

"Thanks for all of this Ange, but I'm fine, really. I mean, the killer's dead, what should I be afraid of?"

Angela raised her eyebrows. "If I was in your place, everything would scare me." She glanced at the room, then grimaced and shook her head. "Actually, I think that I'd burn everything and move to another apartment."

Brennan chuckled. "Angela… I've been buried alive by the Gravedigger. Epps entered my apartment, tried to kill me and then fell from my balcony." She shrugged. "I'm not scared", she concluded with a detached voice.

Angela could do nothing but approve of the logical explanation and admire the courage of her friend. How could she be so relaxed after what had happened to her?

"Okay then." She said reluctantly. "I guess there's not much left for me to do now."

Brennan smiled warmly before pulling her friend into a hug. "Thank you, Angela. Thanks for everything. For all that you've done for me and… Thank you."

Angela couldn't help grinning proudly. "I'll phone you tomorrow morning, is that all right?"

"All right."

"And if you need anything, anytime of the day, call me, okay?"

"Sure."

"And be careful with your bandages when you're washing yourself, you know the doctor said that…"

Brennan laughed. "I know that Angela, I know how to take care of myself, I'm 32, I'm not a child!"

"Brennan… Promise me you'll let yourself have some rest."

Brennan shrugged. "Yeah, I promise. See, I think that right now I'm gonna lie down on my couch and…"

Angela raised her right index finger. "I know you, Brennan. I don't want to see you at work until Monday. I mean it."

"I wasn't…"

"And I'll make sure you're staying home, believe me. One way or another."

"I wasn't planning on leaving to Guatemala, you know", Brennan said with an amused smile.

Angela smiled back, biting her lower lip. "Look, I'm sorry, I… I'm worried about you." She hesitated. "You know, I've…" But did not finish and sighed. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." She hugged her friend one last time before walking out of the apartment and closing the door behind her.

She had meant to say 'I've been so afraid that now I need to make sure you're all right all the time'. But she knew her friend well enough to be aware that, purposely or not, she would refuse any help when it came to emotional subjects. It was like a reflex, a protection. Besides, Angela had to admit that she was scared, not only for Brennan, but also for herself. Since that night, everything made her startle, she had nightmares, she had been sleeping at Hodgins' place, and to be honest, she really needed him to lie next to her in the dark.

Although perhaps it was a little paranoid, she knew that all this could have happened to her instead. And that she wouldn't have been as strong as her friend.

When she opened her eyelids, she noticed the room was plunged in darkness. She rubbed her face. She hadn't meant to sleep that long, she only wanted to close her eyes for a moment. But it felt so good to be back home, so good to lie on her comfortable couch, her head resting on those fluffy pillows. And she had fallen asleep. She sat up and let her eyes adjust to the darkness. She glanced at her watch. Almost 7 pm. Angela had left at about 4. She hadn't realised she was that exhausted.

She switched on the lamp near the couch which she used when reading. It wasn't too bright, so her sleepy eyes didn't get blinded by the light. She got onto her feet and made her way towards the kitchen to serve herself a glass of water. And almost tripped over one of her bags that were left on the floor. The bags. She thought she'd better unpack them before breaking a leg. She grabbed the handle of the sports bag and tried to lift it, but immediately her face contorted with pain. It wasn't heavy, and yet it weighed way too much for her stitched, still aching wrists. She sighed with annoyance, bent over and unzipped the bag. She took the clothes she hadn't worn and began walking towards the bedroom, but soon she wrinkled her nose, realising they smelled like the hospital. "Jeez", she moaned to herself, turning around.

But when she found herself at the entrance of the bathroom, she stopped, her free hand upright in mid-air, as if an invisible wall was sitting in her way. The room was dark but she could make out the tub. She knew that everything had been cleaned; Angela had taken care of that. But in the darkness, she remembered where he had dragged her to, where she had been lying while he was taking off her clothes, where blood had pooled. She could visualise the red water. She realised that her hands and legs were shaking. Okay, Temperance, calm down, don't be a coward. You know the killer is dead, everything is over, and the bathroom is clean. There's nothing to be afraid of. Absolutely nothing. Now, switch this damned light on and throw these clothes with dirty linen.

She was about to screw up her courage and do it when she heard the knock on the door. She jumped and turned around so abruptly that she let the clothes drop to the floor without even realising it. All the fear she had tried to keep buried inside resurfaced. From where she was, she could see the door. She remained still, gazing at it and trembling all over. It can't be him. It's not possible. He's dead. He's dead. She tried to suppress the shudders of her body, tried to persuade herself that she might have dreamt or imagined the noise. But there was another knock, and panic began to take the control over her mind. It was happening again. No, it wasn't possible. Not again. It was a nightmare, she hadn't really woken up. It had to be a nightmare. Although somehow she knew she wasn't asleep.

"Bones? It's me, uh… I know you're at home, I thought I saw the lights on… You'd better be here anyway, because if you're not, Angela will kick your ass. Well… Maybe you're sleeping… Jeez, I really feel stupid, talking to myself like this…"

She felt stupid, too. And relieved.

"Yes I… I'm coming" she managed to utter, making her way through the room with shaking legs. When she reached the door, she looked through the peephole and, reassured to see Booth's face, she unlocked the bolt, her brow still damp with cold sweat.

When the door opened, she could see Booth's smile dropping at the sight of her.

"Bones, what happened?" he asked with a worried look, his voice filled with apprehension.

"Nothing, I was just… I was asleep", she lied.

"You're crying…" he almost whispered. It was not a question, rather a comment.

She slowly moved her still trembling fingers to her cheek, and indeed, found it wet with tears. She wiped them nervously. "I uh… I had a nightmare, not a big deal."

She felt his hand gently closing around her arm, just above the bandage.

"Bones, you're shaking", he said, his eyes trying to catch her shifty gaze.

The heat of his hand warmed up her body, giving her the strength to lock eyes with him and smile. "No, that's okay! I'm fine Booth", she managed to say, hiding in her voice the fear she had felt before. She noticed the box in his other hand. "Wong Foo's?" She successfully changed the subject.

He removed his hand from her arm but his concerned look continued to probe her eyes. "Yeah, I… I wanted to know how you were doing and I figured that maybe you didn't have much food, so…"

"Actually, Angela filled my fridge." She chuckled. "I think that I can eat for a month with everything she brought. But I haven't cooked anything yet and I'm starving", she lied again with a smile, the smell of food making her slightly sick.

"Uh… Can I come in then?" he asked with a polite smile.

She realised that she was still clutching the door handle nervously, standing in his way. "Yeah, sure… sorry", she apologised, inviting him to enter, and she locked the door before sitting on the couch next to him.

As he was making his way through the corridor, the sound of the door closing behind him made Booth stop and sigh. During the entire evening, he had tried to make her confess that things were not as good as she was trying to persuade him they were. He knew when she was lying. He always did. And he hated that. He had noticed her trembling body, her tears, the thin locks of hair glued to her damp brow. He had seen anguish in her eyes, and felt the shudders of her body. It had taken long before her laugh stopped to sound false and he was pretty sure that she had forced herself to eat. He had proposed to stay with her, sleep on the couch. And in spite of his insistence, she had refused politely, saying she was a big girl who didn't need anybody to chase away the monsters under her bed. So, he had wished her a good night, which he doubted she would have. And then he had left.

Yet, he couldn't help feeling anxious. He wondered whether to go back or not, but he knew her well enough to anticipate her reaction. A few times, she had opened her heart to him, and he had opened his arms to her. But most of the time, she was making sure that her feelings did not show too much. And this night, he was pretty sure that he wouldn't get her to admit anything; that much he knew now. Like she had done this evening, she would keep on acting as if nothing had happened, pretending that things had returned to normal. How the hell could she stay in this apartment? When he had been in front of the door earlier, he had felt a wave of apprehension invading his body, and glancing at the bathroom door had sent a shiver down his spine. How would she possibly be able to sleep in here? No, he couldn't let her sleep in this place.

Again, he was about to turn around and walk back. And again, he stopped himself. She didn't want to talk about what had happened, that was obvious. Yet he needed to. He needed to talk. He had tried to. He had tried to lead the conversation to a more personal subject, but was afraid it was too early for her. He had given her hints, but had only succeeded in lighting in her eyes a glimmer of reluctance mixed with fear. He had made her understand that he would be there, any time, if she needed him. That was all he could do for the moment.

That's why, eventually, he forced himself to climb inside the SUV and headed to his place, longing for rest but knowing that he would find no sleep.

A/N: Please don't hurt me, don't hurt me ! I know you guys are expecting some fluff… But everything happens eventually! You just gotta be ready for this ;)