As the whale movie played and Brennan finished eating, Booth's phone rang in the bedroom. 'Booth.'

'Hey, Booth, it's Dr Sweets.'

Booth grinned— as weird and shrinky as the 12-year-old was, he'd somehow grown to like the kid. 'Hiya, Sweets, what are you doing working on a Saturday?'

'Oh this isn't, official FBI business, especially as you're not officially employed by the FBI.'

'So what's up?'

'I, uh, just wanted to see how Dr Brennan is going. I heard from Daisy that she's been in hospital, only receiving a few select visitors—'

Booth grinned. He bet Cam had told Daisy that to keep her out of there.

'Angela told me she was staying with you, I just… I wanted to know if she's okay.'

Booth sort of softened. After a couple of years, he'd decided the kid really wasn't so bad. He obviously liked him and Bones personally as well as professionally. It was kind of impressive that Bones had warmed up to him, despite her views about his chosen field.

'Yeah, I, uh… couldn't leave her there,' Booth sighed. 'I don't really know what to do, I'm just sort of… making it up as I go.'

'Well that was probably a wise decision,' said Sweet.

'A wise decision? I don't know, Sweets, she's— she hardly talks, she locked herself in the bathroom when she dropped a plate, she's watching the same movie, over and over…'

'Well… people can revert back to their childhoods when significant trauma—'

'Whoa-whoa-whoa, don't start shrinking us, Sweets. Come on, you know neither of us like that childhood crap. She's not doing that. Bones, she's just… her… and whatever I'm doing seems to be sort of working, so…'

'Well by being there for her you've given her something to latch onto.'

'Shut up, Sw—what?'

'No, really. This is probably the best thing for her. In some cases, talking through traumatic incidents with a professional is helpful but for real long-term recovery, often it is being cared for by someone, who genuinely accepts and sticks with them is what really makes things change.'

'Huh.'

'Think of it like… a ball of string, you with me?'

'Go on.'

'So, psychotherapy can sometimes untangle the knots. But what's more important is having a touchstone- an anchor, if you like- something to tie to so she doesn't float away.'

'Wait, why is the ball of string in the water?'

'It's a mixed metaphor.'

'Really.'

'Anyway. I'm just trying to say, that it's good for her right now to be with you. She needs like, familiarity, you know. It's common for people in situations like these to have trouble distinguishing between their memories, hallucinations or nightmares and reality.'

'Bones, she's not hallucinating. She de-toxed at the hospital.'

'But she probably has hallucinated during her time with Broadsky. She knows what it's like. Having experienced hallucinations, she's likely to still feel confusion now, even without being on drugs.'

Booth looked into the living room at Bones, still curled up watching tv. She never used to like tv. She found it a waste of time.

'Look, if she's up for it why don't you bring her over to the Hoover.'

'Sweets, you know I can't go to the Hoover, I'm COU—'

'Just come in plain clothes, you'll only be coming to my office. You'll have Dr Brennan with you, it won't look like you're in cahoots with the FBI.'

'"In cahoots"? It might…'

'I see no reason why you can't come in. Hey, if it helps we'll get the security guards to throw you out.'

Booth grinned. That would actually be pretty fun.

'You're just saying that cos you know how much I like going undercover.' Well, most of those times he was pretending to be together with Bones, that was sort of an incentive…

'That's partly true. But, come on, it's been like eight weeks and I've missed her too, you know. I want to help.'

Booth glanced over at Bones, still curled up watching the whales.

'She might be up for it. She hasn't really been outside for a week.'

'Well I'm free after—'

'That's okay, we'll just show up.'

'Hey, I do have other patie—'

'Bye, Sweets,' Booth grinned, ending the call.

'Booth? Hey Booth? You hung up didn't you,' said Sweets on the other line,

.

Brennan sat entranced watching the whales. She liked how they glided through the water, huge and slow but so graceful. She didn't really hear the commentary, but she heard the whales singing. That sound was so beautiful, and haunting. She couldn't tell if the whales were singing from happiness or sadness. It didn't really matter. It was just what it was- everything at once, something words could never fully explain.

She liked hanging out with the whales, just watching. They didn't have to talk to be understood. She liked that. She lay down and watched from a different angle. The world looked weird for a minute or two, but then her eyes adjusted and it was good again. The chair was so soft. For some reason that was really important to her. To be laying on something clean and soft. She might never get up.

The whales started jumping out of the water. She remembered this happened right at the end of the movie. It was going to be over soon. She didn't want it to end. Maybe she should play it again?

Suddenly Booth was crouching beside her. She opened her eyes wide and took a sharp breath in surprise. She hadn't heard him come over.

'Bones,' he was saying. He said other things but she just caught her name. She tried to focus on Booth. It was hard somehow, because she's just been focusing on the whales. Her head felt like it was full of concrete, and it just got slow and heavy and wouldn't move.

He was putting his hand on her shoulder. She relaxed. She was having trouble remembering, something bad had happened… but it was all a blur. She remembered pain, sharp things jabbing at her. This touch was different, it made her happy. She leaned in for more and Booth was putting his lips in her hair. Was he kissing her? The thought made her almost laugh. She felt happy now. Booth had some ointment and was stretching out her arm and rubbing in onto her wounds.

'I forgot to do this last night,' he was saying. 'I don't want you to have any scars…'

Scars. That word sounded familiar. She had no idea why. She thought about the word for a minute, turning it over in her mind, sounding it out in her head. She didn't know what she thought.

'I don't…' she suddenly said.

'Hey, what?' Booth was asking.

'I don't know,' she said.

'What don't you know?'

'I don't, I… I don't know.'

'You don't know what you don't know?' asked Booth with a smile. It was a huge relief to hear her talking, but he was trying not to make a big deal about it in case she got spooked and stopped.

She smiled back. '…..yeah.'

'See, I always understand you,' he said, looking downright cocky.

'Not always,' Brennan said back.

'Eh, close enough,' Booth shrugged, delighted to have got so many words out of her. 'How do you feel about going out to see Sweets?'

Brennan frowned. Sweets. Why Sweets?' He was….. he was a psychologist. She didn't like psychology. She thought it was imprecise. And stupid.

'You're pulling your scrunchy face,' Booth said. Brennan looked up at him. 'I think he just misses us,' he said, smiling confidentially, because this joke was just between them. 'He's probably trying to find an excuse to get us into his office.'

Us. Brennan pondered that. She would have thought, that with her being so… whatever she was… Booth would have said get 'you' into his office. Not 'us'. She sat up and leaned closer to Booth. She didn't know why.

'Do you want to go out though? Get some fresh air, some sunshine, do some walking…'

She didn't know. She didn't know what she wanted. She liked being here, but mainly because Booth was there. She gazed at him and shrugged.

Booth smiled at her. She smiled back, she didn't think about why. She just responded. He pulled her to her feet and started leading her to the bedroom. 'You're gonna have to get changed though. You're still wearing pyjamas.'

Brennan hadn't really noticed. She was conscious she was wearing something. She didn't particularly want to take the clothes off, even just to change, but Booth was holding a folded dress, bra and leggings out to her, so she took them and went into the bathroom.

Once she shut the door she looked in the mirror. She looked… she didn't really know how she looked. She didn't really care. She looked a little bit different, somehow. Her hair was a bit longer. She opened one of the bathroom drawers and looked for a comb, then ran it through her hair. Her fringe was hanging over her eyes so she brushed it to the side. She twirled her fingers around the longer strands and looked away. She didn't really like mirrors at the moment. She saw too much change. She wanted things to be the way they were before.

She pulled of the pants and tank top and put on the bra, leggings and dress. She felt clumsy doing it, but eventually got everything straight. She felt her head spin, and put up a hand to her temple, before stumbling out the door.

.

Booth was looking up at her. He looked… kind. She felt ambivalent about that. She suddenly hated this. She was angry, and frustrated, and just… hated everything. Booth saw the change and patted the bed beside him. Brennan didn't want to sit down because she was angry. But she also did want to sit down, because it was Booth. She compromised by sitting on the corner and facing away from him.

'What's wrong, Bones?' Booth was asking. I don't know, thought Brennan. But she mustn't have thought it very loudly, because Booth was still asking her to tell him.

'I can't…. I don't know why. I can't,' she said, looking over at him, pleading with him to understand.

He seemed to understand what she was trying to say. 'I know it's frustrating, Bones.' He paused, seeming to think he'd said the wrong thing. 'I mean- it's not frustrating to have you here, that's not—I didn't mean it like that…'

Bones didn't pick up on anything. She was frustrated. Booth tried again.

'It's always frustrating when you can't do something you used to be able to do. When I was going to college, I was on a scholarship for football, and then I broke my knee.'

Brennan looked at his knee. She knew this story. She had seen his x-rays. The injury would have threatened his scholarship. 'I was really angry, it just felt so unfair. I went to the casino and gambled away my whole fortnight's rent, because I felt like I'd been thrown away, and for some reason I wanted be the one doing the throwing…'

Booth watched Brennan's face soften as he spoke. 'It worked out in the end, though,' he said. 'If I hadn't had the injury, I never would have gone into the army. I never would have joined the FBI. I don't know what I'd be doing… probably turn into some drunk loser like my father.'

Brennan shifted closer and shook her head a little.

'We wouldn't be partners if I hadn't broken my knee.'

Brennan didn't know that she was much use as a partner just at the moment.

'It's okay to hate it, Bones, anyone would. But don't stay angry for too long. Trust me, being angry and bitter doesn't work. It just makes you feel even worse.'

Brennan brushed her hair behind her ear. 'Okay.' Every time she used her voice it sounded strange to her. Like hearing your voice on voicemail, something not quite real, not quite yours.

Booth bobbed his head down to catch her eyes and smiled, keeping eye contact until and she gave a little smile back. 'So how would you like to come with me over to the Hoover?'