"Hannah." Her name stuck in Brennan's throat. "What are you doing here?" she managed to speak finally. She did not step aside to invite her in however. Hannah shuffled nervously looking at her feet. She finally looked up and faced Brennan. "I'm sorry Temperance. It's late I know. And you had no idea I was coming. In fact. I had no idea I was coming. I just was in town, and I thought" She trailed off, her eyes scanning Brennan and coming to rest on the diamond ring on the hand which was resting on the slightly swollen belly. Her eyes flicked up to Brennan's her mouth dry, then something caught her attention behind her.
Booth stepped into view. His arms were folded across his chest. Disapproval firmly set upon his face. He didn't speak. Hannah took a small step backwards. The realisation dawning upon her. "I. I had no idea. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come" she managed to say. Booth finally stepped forward, coming up behind Brennan and pushing her slightly to the side "You're right, you shouldn't have. So why did you come back Hannah? Do tell us why, after 4 years, you suddenly turn up in DC, and just happen to lob on Bones' doorstep. OUR doorstep. What do you want?" he snapped. His voice was cold and hard. It's tone was not lost on Hannah.
"I see. I guess it was too much, my turning up here. I just. I didn't like how things ended. I thought. I know it's been a long time." Booth interrupted "A long time? It's been four years Hannah. That's more than a long time. Oh I get that you needed to leave. You wanted out. You never wanted a commitment, you only wanted fun. Well you left. And may I say? You did me a huge favour. Looking back, I would have been cheating myself. I would have missed the best thing in my entire life if you had stayed. So I suppose I should thank you. But, I'm not going to. So I ask again, what do you want?" Booths words were caustic.
Hannah stood, a stunned expression on her face. Her recently cut chin length hair falling across her face as she looked at her hands twisting together. She finally looked up and tucked her hair behind her ear, aware that the last time she had seen him it had been long, hanging well past her shoulders. He had loved to wind it around his hands, letting the long strands slide through his fingers. She closed her eyes for a moment remembering the feel of those hands in her hair. Her memory was interrupted by that stern voice "Hannah? It's late, and we're waiting. What. Do. You. Want?" he repeated slowly as if she was incapable of understanding him.
She shook her head "I don't know Seeley. I don't know what I expected. I sure as hell didn't expect you! Or to see you are engaged! Or Temperance to be pregnant! Or you to be living here together! I guess. I guess I just wanted to touch base. To see a familiar face while I was here. I guess, I wanted to see if I still had any friends here." Booth stifled a laugh then looked at her with a ludicrous expression "Really? You really thought that you had friends here?" He turned and stepped away from the door into the centre of the room "Unbelievable!" he laughed as he walked away. He turned and stood, his hands on his hips, fingers tucked familiarly into his belt.
Brennan finally spoke up. "I want to say I'm sorry, but I'm actually not. Booth is right. You did us a huge favour." Hannah looked at her and asked "Did you get together right after I left?" Brennan shook her head "No. Not for a long time. You broke him Hannah. If that was your intention, you did a good job." Brennan had leaned in close to Hannah and was staring at her. "What you did was cruel and selfish and wrong. But I'm glad you did it. For all you put him through, I am glad. Because it made him search himself. Because it made him question what he wanted. Because it made him choose me. Because I am finally happy. Because we have a family, a real one." she said, her hands over her belly.
Booth had come up behind Brennan and wrapped his arms around her and protectively held her close to him. "So, I'll ask you again. Why did you come Hannah? Why now? I know you have been in DC several times over the last few years. I know people, I hear things." he asked. Hannah stood looking at the two of them. She finally spoke up, her voice was weak however "I guess, I guess I finally realised I was wrong. I still" Booth hissed at her "Don't you even say it. Don't you dare! I think you need to leave Hannah. Right now. And I don't mean this building. I mean leave." He pulled Brennan back and shut the door in Hannah's face.
Brennan turned, her eyes were brimming with tears. Her brow furrowed with worry. "I don't understand Booth. What does she mean? She hasn't come back for you, surely?" Booth wrapped his arms around her "Bones, don't even think about it. I am right where I want to be, where I belong. I have got you and the baby and Parker. We are a family, we are getting married soon. We are having a baby together. she doesn't even figure into the equation." He hugged her tighter.
Hannah stood for a moment, stunned that Booth had actually slammed the door in her face. She realised that she probably deserved it. It was pretty brazen, turning up like that. But shit! She never thought that Temperance and Seeley would actually be together and having a baby! That completely changed things. She felt foolish standing there. She had not checked into a hotel. For some reason she actually thought Temperance would welcome her in and ask her to stay with her. She shook her head what the hell was I thinking? she thought to herself.
She turned and headed down the corridor and out into the night. She needed to find a hotel and think. She would have to contact her employer in Los Angeles and tell him things had changed.
Booth slipped out of bed. He turned to check that he hadn't woken Brennan. Her regular breathing reassured him that she was still sound asleep. He crept out to the living room and grabbed the phone. He dialed the number and waited. It range for an age before anyone answered. Finally "Hello?" a low voice answered.
"Angel?" Booth asked. "No, it's the tooth fairy. Of course it's me Booth. What do you want at this time of night? Everything is alright with Temperance isn't it?" Angel asked. He was pretty confident that all was well with Brennan. He would have sensed something from Booth had it not been. Booth replied in a whisper "She's fine. Sorry about the time. But aren't you guys always awake at night? Isn't that your daytime?" Angel sighed on the other end of the line. He wondered if Booth would ever get over the whole "you guys, your type, your sort", then smiled because he knew that Booth wouldn't quite ever get over it. "I was actually asleep Booth if you must know, but thanks for asking. So, what's up?" he asked.
Booth took a breath. "Something. Someone has come up. A woman. That I was involved with about 4 years ago. We broke up and she left town. She turned up at our door tonight. It has rattled Bones a bit" Angel snorted "rattled your Bones" he repeated laughing again. Booth spoke "Ha Ha. Yes. I'm hilarious. This is serious Angel! Bones is upset. I'm suspicious. She's been back in DC at least 5 times over the last 4 years, twice in the last year, and suddenly she's on our doorstep? She said she didn't know we were together. She clearly was rattled to see Bones pregnant. She says she was wrong. Made a mistake. Why would she do that? I don't like it Angel. Not one bit. It's weird!"
Angel waited for a moment then asked. "You don't suppose she is serious about not being over you? I mean, you are a very attractive man Booth" he subconsciously played with his own hair. Booths voice raised slightly "Are you on something? I'm ringing you for help!" Angel realised that Booth really was worried and quickly adjusted "I'm sorry Booth. I didn't really understand. You seriously are worried about this woman? But why?"
"Because she is a reporter. She digs to get information. She has contacts. A lot of them. And not all of them are legit. And she's good at her job. What if. What if she knows about you, us?" Angel paused, surprised "You really think that a newspaper reporter could have gotten information about us? I doubt it very much. I am off the radar. I would have been outed long before this if I wasn't. Look, she's back. She's here. If you think she's going to cause trouble, and you want my help. You got it Booth." Booth sighed "Great. I want her gone Angel. Out of DC. Preferably out of the country. But not hurt. Just. Gone." Angel nodded into the receiver "I understand, but Booth? Are you going to tell Temperance about this, cos I do not want to get in trouble with her again. That was horrible!" he said referring to the dressing down he got earlier.
"No. I'm not. Seeing Hannah has upset her. They were friends, sort of. I just want her gone. I don't want to deal with her. Can't you just, I don't know, be me? and get her to leave. Forever." Booth was one step off begging. Angel could hear it in his voice. He thought it strange, but to get Booth to completely trust him, he'd do anything, pretty much. Even get rid of an unwanted ex-girlfriend. "Do you know where she is staying?" Angel asked. "Shit! No! I just told her to go!" Booth was mentally kicking himself. Angel calmed him down "It's fine. Just give me a description, who she works for, or used to work for. Where she usually stayed when she was in DC. I'll do some recon, check in with you and once you confirm, I'll get her out of town permanently.
Booth relaxed "Great! We just have so much going on. And we have to tell everyone at work about the baby. Bones has told Angela, so we need to make an announcement before she does. We haven't told Parker yet! And we have to arrange our wedding! I just. I can't deal with this Angel. I don't do ex's very well. And after me proposing to her and all. I don't trust her and I just don't want to go down any road that she is on." Angels ears pricked up. That was not in his information about Booth. He proposed to this Hannah? Interesting. "OK Booth. I'll be in touch" he said and hung up the phone.
Booth took a deep breath and put the phone back on the base. He stood for a moment, a second of doubt flickering in his mind did I do the right thing?. Then he nodded to himself and quietly snuck back to the bedroom and into bed next to Bones. He wrapped an arm around her and gently pulled her back into him. She stirred slightly and then relaxed into him. He smiled, comforted by her warmth, her softness. He closed his eyes and slept.
Angel slipped downstairs to the office and turned on the computer. He typed in the information that Booth had quickly given him about Hannah. It didn't take long for several links to pop up. Angel printed them out and sat down to read about this woman. He looked at the photograph that was in front of him. Pretty girl. But she was no Temperance. There was something missing. It was in her eyes. They were hard, dull. she's duplicitous popped into his head. He wondered if this photograph had been taken before or after Booth. He shuffled through the information he had found. He saw that she had recently moved to a new job and was based in, Los Angeles. The hair on the back of Angels neck stood up. What if Booth was right? What if she was on their trail, working for someone from LA. Angels brain started spinning. He had to find out more about this woman and why she had turned up here.
He placed the printed sheets into a folder and sat contemplating what he was asked to do. Pretend to be Booth? Would that even work. It worked on Angela Montenegro, but she was distracted by the fact that Temperance was pregnant. Plus Angela and Booth were not intimately involved. Hannah and Booth had been. It could be awkward. He had to think of a plan. He had to get her alone somewhere, find out why she was there. He hoped she really was here just to reconnect with an old friend and an ex-lover, that would be easy to deal with.
He had to help Booth and Temperance. And he had to make sure that their secret was kept just that. A secret. He would do what he needed to do.