Thank you thank you thank you for the reviews! My kids are back at school (and homeschool, because, 2020) so my energy has been waning at night, when I write. I'd so loved cranking some writing out daily and getting this story out of my brain and onto the page. Hoping to keep the momentum going through the end of it because it's really harassing my muse, this story. Thanks again for reading! – Mac

Chapter 21

"What are you doing here?" Rob asked the man. Jeremy. Brennan recognized the name. This was the dad to Amy's baby. The man who, completely sober, slept with Amy, completely wasted. And broke the only rule Rob had apparently set with his friends: Amy was off limits. And now Rob's former best man was on the doorstep of his bistro, looking like nothing at all was wrong. Looking confused at Rob's greeting.

"I want to see Amy. We have some things to talk about." Jeremy looked over at Brennan, and quickly at Booth, confusedly.

"These are my friends," Rob said icily, not elaborating with names and niceties. He clearly wasn't planning to hang out as a group any time soon, if the group included Jeremy. "What do you want to talk to Amy about? I think you've done enough. Don't you?"

"Dude, you cannot still be mad about that. It was one night. And she wanted to keep it," he added in a whisper, getting closer to Rob. Brennan realized they should probably move along. Let Rob handle this. But… but Rob had been there for her so much. When she and Gary had really gotten into the details of prom night, he could've walked away at the reunion, excused himself. But he stood right behind her. Like a good friend. She felt like she should stay. It's what a good friend would do. "Now, I need to sort through a few things with her and I'd hate to put it on her with a newborn. Was hoping to have these conversations now."

"She really doesn't need the stress," Rob said. "She's been having a really hard couple of weeks. The doctor seems worried she will go early. If it's too early, that's not good for the baby. And any amount of stress could trigger labor."

"She's keeping you up-to-date on everything her doctor says. I barely get one-word responses about this baby via text."

"She doesn't tell me. I've been going to the appointments."

Jeremy said nothing for a moment, seemed to study his former best friend. "You've been going to all of her appointments? While she's pregnant with your buddy's kid." He laughed. "Last I remember, you two weren't even talking."

Rob stiffened. "Things change. I remembered what was more important. And I showed up for her first appointment. That's what you do when you care. You show up." He spoke pointedly at Jeremy, some unspoken meaning hanging in the air – though Brennan didn't know what it was in regards to. And for some reason, Rob's eyes skittered over to Booth, briefly, on his last comment.

Jeremy looked at his watch and rubbed the side of his face. Clearly this wasn't going the way he'd planned. "Look, Rob, I'm not trying to do anything to upset her. I just need to talk to her."

After a long moment, Rob sighed. "Fine. I'm going, too."

"We are really quite capable of talking about this without a chaperone," he said, laughing again. "You treat her like she's breakable, Rob. Give the girl some credit."

Rob took a step toward Jeremy. "You think I don't know how strong she is? But I trusted you with her before and you hurt her. I won't be making that mistake again."

Jeremy put his hands up. "Fine."

"I'll met you inside in a minute."

With one more look at Booth and Brennan, Jeremy tipped his head and stepped through the door of the bistro. Looking through the window, Brennan could see he was about to get another cold front. This time from Keeley.

Brennan walked closer to Rob. "Are you okay?" she said quietly. "Do you need me to—"

"No. It's fine. We can talk about all of this later. And anything else you'd like to talk about," he added quietly, so Booth couldn't hear.

She smiled at that. "Booth is actually heading back to DC today."

Rob nodded. "Can I have a second with you, Agent Booth?"

Brennan nodded as Booth walked over, and she stepped away, thinking about the next step on her journey – and wondering if it was something she could face and take down – like the lake. Like Gary.

Or if it was something that would completely break her open.

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

Booth stepped towards Rob and looked over at his partner… former partner. It was a strange, constant correction, this change in their status. And without the foundation of their friendship beneath their feet, he was lost as to what she was now. If she was anything at all.

"What's your number?" Rob asked.

Booth's eyebrows went up. "I know this is a friendly town and we ate breakfast together and all, but I –"

"If you're leaving and she's staying, I thought you might want someone to let you know how she's doing."

Booth stood up straighter, pulling his head back to look at Rob closely. He glanced over at Bones. She was looking up the road, nervously. Anxious, no doubt, for the next stop.

"You just met me," Booth said quietly. "Why… why would you do that for me? I don't get it."

"Because when I wasn't speaking much to my best friend, when everything we had fell out from under us, I still worried. All the time. I wished someone could have just told me she was okay. If you don't want—"

Booth closed his eyes, relief coursing through him as he told Rob his number. Rob tapped it into his phone and texted him instantly. "And now you have mine." Rob smiled at Booth. "It was inevitable, us exchanging phone numbers."

"Why? You feel that strongly about me?" Booth joked, knowing he'd been cranky at best to this man and his sister since he met them.

"No. Not yet," Rob admitted. "But I feel that strongly about her," he said, glancing at Bones. "I plan to be in her life forever. So if you two can sort through… whatever this is… you and I will eventually be friends. Maybe."

"Maybe," Booth agreed. He looked down at the text from Rob, in his hand, keenly aware that at this moment he didn't even have this basic connection to Bones anymore. The ability to check in with her with a quick message. This guy was offering him that lifeline. "Thanks," he said, looking up at Rob. "And I hope things go okay with your… situation," he settled on, not exactly sure how to categorize Rob's own personal issues.

Rob glanced over his shoulder at Jeremy through the window. "Yeah. I should probably go." He turned back to Booth. "Have a safe flight. And Temperance, find me later on. We can have dinner!"

She smiled at Rob and waved. And Booth walked over to where she stood. "You still want to do this?"

She nodded. "I have to do this. And if you have to leave, it's fine. If you have to get back to Hannah—"

"There is no Hannah," Booth said. "Not anymore. And I don't want to be anywhere else right now. Okay?"

She met his eyes with her own – and Booth's breath caught. God, when was the last time he'd really stared into her blue eyes. Hers reflected honesty and hurt and love and all of their years of friendship and history. Had he been stopping short of full eye contact for months now? Because at this moment, he was lost – and so aware of all he'd been missing.

"Okay," she finally said. She led him to her rental car and he climbed in. They drove in silence as his mind raced. Everything that she'd told him left him with a cold feeling inside his chest. Leaving this house for a prom, all dressed up – and being tricked. Taunted and bullied. Nearly killed by drowning. And then beaten into a coma. What was likely her first time was stolen from her by a man who rained nothing but punches and kicks all over her until she was completely unconscious. She didn't deserve one second of the torment she'd received that night. And he knew this was not the whole of what she'd been through. Maybe it was worst. But there was more. The thought of her prom night made it hard to breathe. The thought of her going back into this house suffocated him. The last time she was in that home was that night.

Finally, the car stopped and she got out quickly. She walked up to a house with black shutters and chipped siding. The front door was bright yellow – freshly painted. But Bones was just standing there, as if in a trance, staring at it.

"Is this okay?" Booth asked.

She nodded. "Yes. I'll be fine. I have everything I want to say prepared. I don't have notes, but… I know what I want to say."

Booth nodded. He knew that in the moment, the words rarely came out right – especially when trauma was involved.

"Why don't you wait in the car?" she said, turning to him.

"Bones… are you sure? Because I can go in there and I won't say a thing. But I'll be there, in case you… in case you need a reminder that you're not alone. That I've got your back and that nothing will happen to you. That he can never hurt you again."

She closed her eyes. "I'll know I'm not alone if you're nearby. It will help. I can do this."

"I know you can," he whispered, something inside sinking.

She walked toward the house and he could see her shaking a bit – like she had been on the lake earlier. Booth walked to the car, never taking his eyes off of her. He didn't get in the car. He leaned against it. And he watched her knock on a door to her past.