116: She
As she had hoped, her world has turned right-side up again, though if she is honest with herself nothing is the same. Still, she is determined not to put any more pressure on Booth than she already has. In that vein she continues to pursue a friendship with Hannah, thinking that it is the best way to prove to Booth that she will honor his commitment to the other woman. They plan a lunch.
What happens on the day of their lunch perplexes Brennan. Pretense and subtlety are two things she has never learned how to employ, preferring instead to be forthright in her interpersonal relationships, so she defers to Angela's expertise on the subject when Hannah calls to cancel their lunch. Upon further deliberation she can see how flimsy the other woman's excuse is and that realization doesn't hurt her feelings as much as intrigue her.
And so she sets about launching her own private investigation as to why the other woman would cancel on her. Hannah continually evades her calls and finally she must track the other woman down at her car. Even then Hannah tries to escape but Brennan is persistent. She needs to know.
The answer makes her wonder if she should have suspected this all along. Booth is an upright man who would not feel right concealing something so important from his girlfriend. He would never cheat on Hannah. He would be honest about where things stood between he and Brennan. As Brennan hears this from the other woman's perspective she can understand; yet never before has the truth hurt so much.
Struggling to hide the regret for not accepting Booth's offer of a relationship so long ago - thereby saving both of them this pain - she apologizes to Hannah. She never meant for the other woman to become collateral damage in Brennan's war with her own emotions. She wants to prove that by offering to remain friends. To her relief, Hannah accepts and they part ways amicably.
Later that night at the bar, Brennan is struck once again by how much has been affected by her choices in the past. She attempts to persuade herself that it is time for her to move on. That Hannah is in Booth's life now and she needs to be happy for both of them no matter the pain she herself is feeling. Still, she doesn't accept the drink from the more-than attractive man who offers.
All things considered the night has gone well. The two women are as much friends as they could ever be and eventually they part and Hannah goes home. To Booth. Brennan, as she has done far too many times before, hails a cab and returns to her apartment, and for the first time she admits to herself that being alone sometimes does make her lonely.