You guys are so cool! LOVE the reviews and alerts! I'm not sure how many chapters are left in this but there will be a sequel. Thanks for the enthusiasm for it! And can I get a "Hell Yeah!" for it being October? I REALLY love October, almost as much as I love December Lol.

Oh and just FYI, I am a California girl so I have no idea what Philadelphia is like. Sorry if I get anything wrong.

Chapter 38

The light sound of crunching fills the kitchen air as the early afternoon sunlight slices through the window. At the table, Brennan stabs another forkful of crisp salad as she reads the dictionary size book in front of her. She is startled from her reading by the piercing ring of the phone in the living room. She sets her bookmark in place and walks to the phone, not bothering to read the caller id.

"Hello," she answers, looking out the window to see if maybe Booth is there early for their Philadelphia trip.

"Tempe," says a hopeful male voice.

Brennan freezes at the sound of her brother's voice. Her eyes are still staring out the window but she doesn't see the trees or cars. She doesn't feel the excitement and curiosity she has felt while waiting for the trip with Booth. Instead she sees Russ at nineteen, standing in front of his beat up car. Sees him turn his sad face away from hers, sees him enter his car and drive away. And is filled with hurt, betrayal, sadness and an overwhelming sense of abandonment.

"Tempe? Temperance, I…I'm in DC," Russ continues to speak, sounding less hopeful. "I have to leave tomorrow but I-"

Brennan hangs up, blindly tossing the phone in the direction of the couch. She knows she shouldn't be surprised by his call. Its not the first time he had discovered the phone number of where she was since that horrible December. It's not the first time he has called here since she saw him at her graduation. But it is the first time she has heard his voice in over three years, her foster parents or Angela having answered the phone all of the previous times.

She covers her face as she starts to gasp, the breath clogging her lungs. Feeling she thought she had buried deep inside start to bubble up. Guilt and loss overwhelm her and tears threaten to spill from her eyes. Through the tidal wave of emotions, anger rises up and she grasps onto it. Anger at Russ for leaving, for upsetting the stability she has found with the Booths and her friends, for daring to entering her life when he knew he would be leaving again.

Using that anger to stem her tears, her breaths even out and a harden shell falls over the piece of her heart Russ used to fill. She resolves to never think about him again, to never let him hurt her again or upset her life. Which includes the upcoming weekend with Booth, so with after a few more deep breaths she straightens her posture and smoothes her hair. She returns to the kitchen and, appetite gone, discards the rest of her salad. She methodically washes the bowl and fork, using the thoughtless task to steady herself until Booth picks her up.

Okay, I'm all right. This is going to be okay.

Booth relaxes his firm grip on the steering wheel, sighing slightly as they drive through the city. During the long drive Booth had been distracted, worried that being back would trigger something dark inside him. However, all he has felt is nostalgia and an excitement to show his Bones all the good things about where he grew up. As he glances at Brennan's distant gaze, he realizes how out of character she has been the whole drive.

"We're almost there," Booth says, breaking Brennan from her thoughts.

"Oh," she says distractedly, shifting in her seat as Booth lowers the radio. "Good."

"You've been really quiet," he comments, glancing at her, feeling guilty and concerned.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not looking for an apology, Bones." He reaches over and takes one of her hands, glancing at her with concern. "It's been hours and you haven't said more than three words at a time."

"Yes I have," she protests. Booth raises his eyebrows with a small smirk, making her smile slightly. "Ok, I've been quiet. What would you like to talk about?"

"What's bothering you," he says, tightening his hold on her hand when she tries to tug it away. "I know you, Bones. I know when there is something wrong with you, something's wrong, alright?"

"Russ called again," she tells him after a long pause, turning to look out the window. "He's going back to wherever he's been tomorrow."

"Again?" Booth questions, looking at her curiously behind his sunglasses. "He's called before?"

"Yes. he calls every year on my birthday. And since I've graduated he's called four times. Angela answered and I didn't want to talk to him. I swore I wouldn't think about him anymore," she adds softly, swiping a stray tear from her cheek angrily. "It's not working."

"He calls you every year? Bones-"

"He called but he never came," she says fiercely, snatching her hand away. "He knew where I was but never came for me. One attempted phone call a year doesn't make up for leaving me when I was a child."

"I know," Booth tries to soothe her, glancing between her and the road. "But I think that, maybe you should possibly consider giving him a second chance."

"I thought you're supposed to be on my side," Brennan turns to glare at him.

"I am."

"Then be on my side, Booth."

"Hey, I am always on your side," he says seriously, staring at her longer than is advisable while driving until she nods her acceptance. He sighs as he turns back to the road. "Ok, you know what, lets talk about something we're not going to argue about."

"Okay," she agrees.

They sit in silence for a few moments, each looking at the passing scenery. Traffic slows down and Booth glances to the left, to the cemetery his mother is buried in. Brennan watches him as he shifts in his seat, his hand tightening slightly for a moment.

"Why did you need to come here?" Brennan breaks the silence, tilting her head as she looks at him.

"What?"

"When you invited me, you didn't say 'we should go'. You asked that 'I' go with 'you'," she explains. "Suggesting that you were planning on going anyway. Why?"

Booth clears his throat, speaking softly as he concentrates on driving.

"Um, my mom-her name was Elena I don't know if I told you that. Anyway, her birthday is on Saturday. Every year that I was here I would take flowers to her grave."

"Oh," Brennan says softly, frowning with confusion as to why someone would visit a grave especially after so many years.

Booth glances over and misinterprets her expression. He feels a shot of guilt at deceiving her and reaches out to take her hand again. "Hey, you don't have to come with me to the cemetery Bones."

"It's not that. I just don't understand why that makes you nervous," she asks. At his surprised look she looks at him softly, repeating his own words. "I know you."

"I'm not nervous to visit my mother. It's everything else," he says in a quiet voice.

"I don't understand."

"There's bad memories here, you know? And last time I was here I…" Booth sighs, pulling the car into the parking lot of their hotel. "I'm still a gambler and I, you know, I don't want you to see me like that."

"I wont," she says in a confident voice.

"You have more faith in me than I do," he says with a shake of his head.

"Faith is an irrational belief in something that is logically impossible," Brennan scoffs. "It's not faith."

"Thanks Bones," Booth smiles at her as she smiles back.

I'm sorry it took so long for an update and I'm sorry it's so short (and kind of sucky). My brother and the girlfriend I don't like moved in with their baby girls, the two year old staying in my room (which means I'm not getting much sleep). Then my car broke down again, the third time since July. So life has been really hectic.