Thank you so much for every single review, follow and PM. It's such joy in a writer's heart. And I won't lie… the encouragement has been the primary reason for the quick updates. I'm so happy and relieved there's an interest in this story that was noodling around in my brain for years that I am eager to just keep on with this amazing crew of readers. Thanks again! – Mac

Chapter 17

"Bones?"

No. Brennan stilled at that word. That name. Spoken softly from the voice of someone who'd always just meant the world to her. His name for her. Her favorite name and the one she'd always protested early on in their partnership. It got to the point where no word ever had the effect on her as that word when Booth said it. Well, the way he sometimes said it. Like she mattered so much. Like he said it now. Except…

She knew she didn't anymore.

He was here. Sweets had warned her he was coming but… she hadn't expected to see him tonight. And… not like this! Sitting out here, falling apart. The last thing she wanted to do was show him her feelings again. Be laughed at. Inconvenience the life he now lives, by laying her problems at his feet, when he'd rather be shot at. Anything not to deal with her. Why did he even come?

She finally looked up at him, hesitantly, her eyes wide and full of questions. She wiped the tears from her cheeks, her eyes – so quickly, trying to push down every emotion that had just been rushing to the surface as she'd run out of the reunion. She would not cry in front of him. Not again. Not ever again. She would be strong. Professional. Reassure him that she wasn't missing or hurt. And give him permission to go back to his life. To Hannah.

She opened her mouth to address him, but it just hung open for a moment as she took him in. He hadn't shaved in days, his clothes looked messy – for him. Disheveled. And… he looked bad. His face. His eyes. He didn't look quite right. He looked like he was on the edge.

He moved ever so slightly to stand a bit closer to the bench, a sheepish look on his face. And she didn't know why but he looked near tears himself. Raw with emotion. Suddenly she felt guilty – disappearing like she had likely caused him some alarm.

"Hi Booth," she finally managed.

He just stared at her, a sort of shattered look on his face. He looked like he didn't know what to do. Where to go, what to say. He just looked at her.

"Hi," he eventually said.

"You found me. I… I didn't mean to just disappear on you. It was just something I needed to do, but I probably should have figured….. anyway, I'm completely fine. But all the same, I should have called you or told you face-to-face that I was taking a trip, so you wouldn't be confused, or left in the lurch in the middle of a case. I can see now that leaving you without a way to get in touch with me was not the right thing to do. And now I've wasted your time, coming all the way down here. And really, I'm fine." Though her voice shook just a bit on the word "fine."

He walked slowly to the bench and sat down in it, on the opposite side of it from her, leaving space between them… all the space that was always between them now. Where was his normal humor? The lecture about leaving without a word, or even the "great, Bones, just wanted to make sure you're alive. Next time, check in. You know, the way most people do when they just decide to fall off the face of the earth for a week? Maybe let your partner know you won't be finishing the current case." Kind of like the way he'd talked to her that night… before her admission in the car. When he'd pushed her out of the way in the rain, from the speeding car. "You know, just saving your life. Again." Like it wasn't a big deal. Her being there alone in the rain – his voice had conveyed that he would always check in with her. They were partners and she knew how much he valued the meaning of that word. But his tone… that typical lightness, especially of late… it left their connection completely professional and without any substance anymore. How she wished she had put the pieces together before that car ride. Just opened her eyes, paid attention. Noticed how he no longer looked at her, how he never saw her anymore. She would've buried those feelings and spared herself the humiliation that followed.

He somehow looked worse the more she talked, so she stopped. But he just stared at her, looking lost.

"Say something," she finally begged.

"Are… are you okay?" His voice was choked. But his eyes connected with her for what felt like the first time in years, though she knew it had only been months.

"I just told you that I was. See? I'm completely fine. And I'll be back in DC soon. And Booth, don't worry. I will help the transition of our partnership go smoothly, so it won't interrupt any cases that weren't fully closed yet."

At that, he looked down at his hands, and nodded, bowing his head. "You think that's what I'm worried about?"

He didn't elaborate so she just sat there, unsure of what to say. But… he really did look bad. Like something was really, really wrong in his life. "Is Parker okay? Is Hannah okay? Because Booth… you don't look okay."

"Parker is fine," he quickly reassured her. "Hannah, that's… it's not important right now."

She didn't understand. Why was he here? She remembered what Sweets said. About giving him one minute. And about making him listen. Except… she didn't know what she wanted to say to him right now.

She looked at the doors to the school with regret. "I need to go back in there. But, I'll give you one minute."

He looked at her and his look broke her heart. It reminded her of how he looked that night.

I'm that guy.

"What do you mean, one minute?"

"Something is on your mind. But right now, I can only give you one minute. Because… I came here for a reason. And I need to get back. I have friends in there, waiting for me."

He nodded and smiled, though the smile did not travel to his eyes. He tapped on his watch. "And, go," he said quietly.

She looked over and saw a timer counting down from sixty seconds. But he wasn't talking. He… he was just sitting there. He only had one minute and he was just sitting there. Why?

"Why aren't you talking?"

"Because, Bones… I just want to do something that I haven't done in a really long time."

She looked down. "What's that?"

"I want to be here. For you." He looked at her. "If you need me."

Her eyes widened – their old familiar connection at war with what they'd become. He was just worried. He had a life to get back to.

"You don't have to do this, Booth. It's okay."

"No. It's not. It's really not okay." He looked at his watch. "Twenty seconds left. Let me just sit here. Next to you." He met her gaze. "Please."

She nodded. "Okay." She was keeping her promise to Sweets to give him this minute. She just imagined he'd say something. Whether a lecture or expressing that he hadn't wanted their partnership to end, a plea to keep it together, to keep doing what they were so very good at, she didn't know. But she never expected him to just sit there and say nothing. To just be there. He hadn't been there in so long.

His watch beeped and he tapped it off.

"Temperance, there you are!" Amy's voice said, rushing out of the school. "You talked me into coming to this darn thing and ran off during Cyndi Lauper. You know that song makes most girls want to dance."

Brennan closed her eyes for a moment. "Not me," she said, looking back at Amy.

She looked at Booth. "I'm really doing okay," she said. "You don't have to check in on me anymore."

He nodded as something sad and nostalgic flashed in his eyes at her words. Finally, he stood up. He looked over at Amy, and then back down at Brennan.

"I'm going to go now – I'm staying at a little inn on the lake. And I can go back to DC. I just… I hope we can talk there."

She nodded. "That would make sense, considering everything."

He shook his head. "No, that's not…" then he stopped. "Okay. We can talk then. But…"

"What, Booth?" The sight of him was breaking her – she needed to get away from him now.

"I'm going to go right now but I am here. If you need me. I am here. I am here and I am not walking away ever again. I am here… I want you to know that."

She nodded, her mind racing.

"Temperance?" Now Rob had joined Amy and they were looking at her and Booth, beyond confused.

Booth walked away and she felt a knot tighten in her stomach at his retreating form. She thought she had it all figured out with Booth. He'd…. he'd made it all so clear. So beyond clear. But now… she felt like she had no clue.

B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B

"Are you from out of town?"

Booth looked up at the woman behind the counter of the restaurant – the closest one to his inn. This was one of those towns. Where people want to talk.

He nodded, hoping she'd take the hint.

"I'm Keeley. Where are you from?"

He looked at her, tiredly. "DC."

She poured his coffee and smiled. "Another visitor from DC. I feel like Camden is really on the map, now."

He looked up at that. "You know Bones?"

"What?"

"Brennan," he corrected himself. "Temperance—"

"Of course. She's become a regular. We love her. She's at the reunion tonight with my brother. She's amazing. What a life – writing books, working with the FBI… do you know her?"

He nodded. "I do."

Keeley suddenly tilted her head and squinted her eyes. "You're her partner. Aren't you?"

"Now, how do you know that?"

"Seeley Booth. She dedicated one of her books to you. I looked you up when she…"

"When she what?"

Keeley shook her head. "Nothing. Not important. You… you must be here to see her, except… you're missing the reunion."

"I'm not here for that. And I'm not really staying. I had to see… I had to do something. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Will you stop in here before you leave? We have a great breakfast. Say, around 9?"

"If I say yes, can I eat my dinner in peace? No offense. You seem really nice. But I am exhausted."

"Absolutely." She walked away, a big smile on her face.

For a place that caused his partner a lot of pain at one point, it sure did seem like a friendly place.

Bones. He hadn't meant to see her tonight. He ruined everything. He hoped to see her tomorrow, to possibly go with her to the home, support her… he'd meant to tell her how sorry he was for everything. He wasn't planning to go to the school or the reunion. But… he just found himself standing outside of it. And he couldn't believe it when he saw her run through the doors after a few minutes. And his heart broke when he saw her crying.

The sight of it broke him – seeing her in pain, dealing completely on her own with things that he would've helped her with if he'd only stayed her friend. Her best friend. It broke his heart to see her alone because he knew she'd been alone in so many ways – as he had – before they had created their own, special family. The kind that was supposed to mean that they'd never be alone again.

He couldn't help calling her name. He wanted to pull her into his arms, let her cry on his shoulder. But… he had no right. He'd forfeited every right and he hadn't even realized he'd been doing it. And when she saw him, he saw her do it. Remove all of her tears and try so hard to look strong. She'd never done that before. She'd always let him in, allowed herself to be vulnerable with him. It had taken years to be that to her. And now, she didn't want him to see her at all. She wanted to look 'okay' but he could see that she wasn't.

She looked beautiful. And she looked really happy walking in with those two people. Those 'friends.' In some ways, she looked really, very okay. But… her eyes, when he called her name, told a story of someone who was hurting. A lot.

And he had a feeling he had a lot to do with that.

B*B*B*B*B*B**B*B

Brennan grabbed a beer with Amy – well, Amy went for the walk to the bar with Brennan to stave off any 'reunions' with any former classmates. She really didn't want to be seen by her former classmates. And Brennan understood exactly how she felt.

"Was that the guy?" Amy asked, as they stood in line.

Brennan looked at her, knowingly. "Yes. Booth. My partner… former partner."

"He's handsome."

Brennan smiled, agreeing. Though, Booth did not look himself at all tonight. The sight of him still left her with a cold, unsettled feeling.

She knew they weren't friends anymore. But she felt a vague sense of guilt sending him away with him looking so bad. But this was her trip. Just like Sweets said. One minute was what he got. And she owed herself this experience.

"Did you and Rob get to dance while I was gone?"

She laughed. "I see what you're doing," Amy said. "And it's not going to work. We aren't meant to be, Temperance."

Brennan nodded, and touched her friend's belly.

Rob walked over. "Keeley just texted me. She wants us all to have breakfast at the bistro together tomorrow at 8."

"Works for me," Amy said.

"Temperance?"

Brennan turned around to find herself face to face with Gary Lemen. Her prom date.