Prompt: The Boneless Bride in the River - What if Booth had asked Brennan not to go when she told him that Sully wanted her to sail away with him for a year?
Disclaimer: I don't own them.
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Angela thought she should go. Of course, Angela would probably think it was a good idea to join the circus if a good looking man were involved. (The circus is fun, of course, but it's not a sensible career path.)
But Booth … Booth would tell her what he really thought. He'd know why she felt such a disinclination to go, and he'd help her figure out what to do.
She was surprised when he started making jokes about Sully being shipwrecked. Sully was his friend, and Booth placed a high value on loyalty and friendship. When she told him Sully asked her to go with him, she saw a flicker of an emotion she couldn't quite name cross his face.
It looked almost … fearful.
A second later, it was gone and Booth was agreeing that a year around the world would be fun. She must have imagined it. She needed to be sure, so she asked, "Do you think I should go?"
She was pretty sure he'd tell her to go – everyone was telling her it was an incredibly good idea – so she was surprised to hear him say "Stay."
She really didn't understand him sometimes. "You don't think I should go with Sully? I thought he was your friend."
Booth kept his eyes straight ahead as he answered. She wasn't really listening to what he was saying – something about "flighty" and "turn into Captain Ahab and go hunting for a white whale" and "partners". Instead, she searched his face for another sign of that unexpected emotion.
Their conversation was interrupted by the thud of the backhoe hitting the wood of the coffin and they were forced to turn their attention to the case.
That night, she was woken by shouts from a nearby boat, and she found herself wondering again about that fleeting emotion.
Booth had been acting strangely every since he'd shot that clown. In another situation, she would have thought he was jealous, but Booth didn't think about her like that.
Unless … did he?
Once the thought crossed her mind, she couldn't think of anything else. Was Booth jealous of Sully? And if he was, did that mean he wanted a relationship with her?
The thought was absurd. They had nothing in common but work – he believed in God, she believed in science, he wanted marriage and family, she had two demanding careers. A relationship between them would be a disaster.
He was probably just confused by how much time they spent together, how close they were becoming.
If she left, it would give him time to find someone who believed in the same things he did, someone who wanted the life he had to offer. It was the rational choice.
A week later she was miles from land, the wind blowing through her hair. She learned a lot during that year – about herself, about sharing a life with someone, about the rejuvenation that comes from taking a break.
But she never forgot the look on Booth's face as he waved goodbye from the dock.