Thank you for the reviews! The story is in its final stretch – thank you for all of your patience. I know some people keep saying it's making them sad at times and for that, I do apologize. I love happy/quirky Bones honestly, but angst is something I guess I'm a bit addicted to – especially when it involves Booth coming to his senses that season. But my goal is to create a satisfying arc. So I hope I've done my job. Enjoy :) –Mac

Chapter 26

Brennan walked back into the Jeffersonian, after a week away, feeling refreshed. The moment Angela's eyes rested on her, she stopped what she was doing and ran off the platform, into Brennan's arms. She'd missed this. The solid friendship of her best friend. As her new friends had helped to build her up when she needed it most, the safety and comfort of an old friend who's never left made her feel steady, after so many experiences in the past few days that had nearly knocked her off her feet, shaking her to the core.

She felt stronger after Camden. Facing Gary, facing Clive… these moments left her feeling strong and free. But they unleashed a lot of long-buried pain that she now had to cope with and really move on from. It was confusing…. And the hug of her friend had never felt so welcomed.

"You're really back," Angela said.

"I'm back," Brennan said. "And I've made your fetus a friend for future, post-partum playdates."

Angela smiled. "Well, it'd be confusing if the playdates took place in the womb." They both laughed. "I was confused about what you were doing, but I won't lie. Making friends for my baby never even crossed my mind."

Brennan smiled and they walked together to her office. "Same here," she said honestly. "But… I think you'll really like the mom. She really wants to meet you."

Angela looked surprised. "Then, I can't wait to meet her. As long as you're there, too, and not like running halfway around the world on a journey of self-discovery or whatever this was."

"Ange, it was a two hour plane ride away. Less. I wasn't halfway around the world."

"I didn't know that."

"Well, anyway… I'm back now."

She sat at her desk, and pulled her laptop out of her duffel bag, placing it on the desk. She grabbed her work cell, which was sitting on top of the desk as well and looked at it. It was dead. Obviously. It had been sitting in here for a week. She plugged it in.

"And we have a case," Angela said. "Agent Blake should be here any minute."

At that, something stirred in Brennan's stomach. A new FBI agent. When she asked Sweets to press pause on her partnership with Booth, she hadn't intended to keep working with the FBI. She figured that was past. She would do what she was born to do; just be an anthropologist. Identify human remains. There were so many unattended to as it was because of her involvement with the bureau.

"Don't look so nervous," Angela said, sitting down. "He doesn't bite."

She decided to go for honesty; be open about her own limitations to someone she trusted. "I don't do well meeting new people," she admitted.

Angela looked surprised – most likely by the admission and not the fact shared. "Well, we hit it off right away."

"That was different. You were you. You make it easy. And you kind of took me under your wing. You probably recognized exactly what I just said and took pity on me."

"I did no such thing. And it sounds like on this trip, you made other friends pretty quickly."

"Again… they were very friendly people."

Angela tilted her head and scrunched up her nose. "But if they didn't like you – if you didn't offer something that they connected with – you wouldn't be friends and you wouldn't be setting up playdates with babies you haven't even met for probably a year from now. Give yourself some credit, Bren."

Brennan nodded. "I will," she agreed. "I'm nervous to work with a new agent," she confessed. But the moment she left her old foster home and watched that man get re-arrested, she knew that she was supposed to be doing this. Bringing bad guys to justice. It was her thing, too. And it had been since she'd woken up in a hospital a long time ago, feeling like she had no one to fight for her. She just hadn't realized it until now.

She had Booth to thank for that. She never would have been able to help so many people find justice if he hadn't brought her into his world. But… right now, she needed the strength to kick off this new partnership on the right foot. Perhaps a better foot than the one she'd kicked their partnership off with. Booth had always seemed so prickled by her in those early days. Though, eventually….

"He's interesting," Angela said, cutting into her thoughts. "For starters, he is nothing like Booth. Considering everything, that's probably a good thing. He's really loud and kind of… I want to say annoying, but I don't usually feel annoyed by him. But he sort of performs."

"Performs…"

"Like – he's watched too many Schwarzenneger films or something. Honestly, Hodgins and I sort of loved it. I mean, he's kind of funny. And we didn't think we'd like anyone else from the FBI coming in here and working with us. But he's a decent agent. He worked this crazy angle and it panned out. We closed the case in a couple of days."

"I look forward to meeting him," Brennan said. And though nervousness still danced in her belly, she meant that. If she learned anything in this past week, it was to accept change and keep moving forward.

"I'll let you catch up on emails and whatnot," Angela said, excusing herself.

Brennan's phone beeped when it restarted and she looked down seeing that she had 71 text messages. She hadn't even checked in with her father or Russ. She suddenly worried that something happened while she was away and opened her messages. There were a couple from Russ. No emergency though. A couple from her dad. And 64 of the messages were from… Booth.

Her eyes were wide as she saw an endless stream of messages he'd left while she'd been away. She looked at a few randomly:

Bones. Parker just told me that he got a special medal of honor for his science project. Something about a potato – he said he got the idea from you. I know he will want to talk to you about it. I'm not sure I've ever told you how much it means to me that you've always taken time with him. That you really talk to him. And clearly you've motivated him. Thank you. It means a lot.

Bones. I miss you. I know I messed up. And I hope you're okay. Not knowing where you are is honestly… kind of killing me. Sorry isn't enough and I know that. But I am. Sorry. More sorry than you'll ever know.

Her eyes filled with tears. She'd have to read these all later. If she could handle it. But she made him a promise and she was not going to break it. After all, he'd come to Camden out of concern. He'd stood beside her while she did one of the hardest things in her life. He'd shown up. He'd been there. She owed him the opportunity to talk.

Booth, I am back. I'm starting on a new case today. Does Friday work? You can pick the place.

She put her phone down and closed her eyes. Booth. She'd been so ready to move on. Like he had done so easily. Why did everything suddenly feel so confusing? Their relationship had never been simple or easy. There had always been layers and implications, trust and friendship, and then, at the end, there had been the shadow of it all: love, heartbreak, partnership – and their history had seemed to go up in smoke. But as she scrolled and scrolled, the name "Bones" echoing through this endless stream of Booth's consciousness, she knew there was too much history for it to just have flown off into the wild simply because she'd left town with a goal. And she could see, at least, that he was struggling to let go as well.

And if she was honest – she felt relieved that letting go wasn't as easy for him as she'd thought it must be.

"Dr. Brennan?"

Brennan looked up as a man stood in the doorway. He was wearing a bulletproof vest and a tight black t-shirt. He looked like he was in his late 20s. He was very tan. Possibly Italian nationality. He looked eager. And, she had to admit, friendly.

"Agent Blake, I assume."

He stepped into her office, his hands in his pockets. "Call me, Sam."

"You don't go by Blake?"

"I would, but my ex-partner's first name was Blake, and we were both constantly confused when people shouted out the name. So I decided to go by the first name."

She nodded. "You can call me Brennan, if you'd like. Some people do."

He smiled and sat across from her, in the seat Angela had sat in moments earlier.

"What happened to your partner… Blake?" she asked.

"He moved. How about you?" he asked. "Got sick of Booth, finally?"

She attempted a smile but looked down. "Just trying something new," she finally said.

"Are you up for going to a crime scene? There are two bodies off of the interstate. They're sick. I saw a picture," he said, holding up his cell phone and pointing to it. "And seriously. Ick. But… I guess this is your specialty? You can make sense from the gook."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "That's not exactly my job description," she said. "But yes. We can go."

As she stood up and put her jacket on, her phone beeped and she looked down.

I'm so happy you're back, Bones. Friday works great.

Something in her stomach stirred, seeing a message from Booth as it came in. She'd grown so accustomed to not having this connection to him. But they'd been in daily contact – practically anyway – for years. Why would she suddenly feel a little butterfly at a message from him?

Sounds good. She hit send and walked out of the Jeffersonian with Agent Blake.

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

Booth could already tell Agent Carlisle was going to be difficult. He was old school. Not only that, he was old. Experienced, Hacker said. But he wanted to interview everyone under the sun. And he liked to really take his time with the interviews. He'd been spoiled – getting to do this part of the job his own way all of these years, because while Bones wanted to come, be involved… she knew that this was his area. Just like he knew making sense of the bones was hers. That had worked for them.

When he'd heard his phone chirp and looked down, he never expected to see her name on the screen. He'd taken it for granted, all of the times they'd just prattled off messages back and forth. Back when… back when they'd been partners. And especially when they'd been friends. It had been so long since she'd messaged him, it made his breath catch. She was back and she wanted to get together Friday to talk. As promised.

He knew he had to figure out exactly what he wanted to say. He wanted to fight for them. For their friendship. And he still owed her one hell of an explanation. He still tossed and turned every night instead of sleeping, aching over the fact that he'd left her. That after all they'd been through, he'd still walked away. He knew it was self-preservation that had led him to do it. But he would never forgive himself for all the pain and hurt he'd ended up causing her.

"So," Carlisle said, as they drove back to the bureau. "What did you think of Tony? I feel like he's got motive."

Booth nodded, pocketing his cell and returning his mind to their case. "Definitely. He stands to lose his entire show if it comes out that the happy couple it's based around are both cheating on each other."

"Why do that?" Carlisle asked. "These people are millionaires from this reality gig and instead of sailing off into the sunset, they have to burn bridges instead. Why ruin what they built? Because they are both completely risking everything they have as well as everything they own. Plus… those kids they share? They're teens now and if they find out about all of this – they're going to lose them, too. They already seem pretty angry about growing up on TV. And I don't blame them for that."

"You and me both. I could never imagine putting Parker in the spotlight for my own profit. The idea makes me sick. I don't know what I'd do if Rebecca had insisted on a life like that."

"And there," Carlisle said, turning the car into the parking garage, "is the other side of it. Did either of them figure out what was going on and try to desperately fix it – causing all of this?"

Booth looked down. "Where's Roy at with the autopsy reports?"

"We should have something to look at now, actually."

Booth walked into the bureau, ready to pore over evidence – wishing, instead, he was walking into the Jeffersonian. And wishing, if he was honest, that it was Friday. And they'd get to see each other.

B*B*B*BB*B*B**B

Brennan walked into her apartment, files in her hands to review. She'd spent the day, after the crime scene, looking at the bones with the team. Sam had not stuck around to see any of the evidence because he 'had to chase bad guys' – whatever that meant. She assumed that he was interviewing people involved in the victim's life. She wanted to go to those meetings, like she had with Booth. But… she was tired. So she said no and stayed at the lab.

She could tell from the bone fractures all over the body that the victim had been involved in some kind of explosion. There were still missing parts she would have to look for, tomorrow, at the crime scene. Who would set off a bomb on two people under a highway bridge – where so many innocent people could've also been hurt or killed?

Her phone beeped. Her personal phone. She looked down and saw Rob's name and smiled.

So… what've you got?

She smiled.

You first.

She saw three dots and knew he was typing. She grabbed a glass of wine and sat back down on the couch, pulling her legs up. She felt good being home. Though she missed her friends in Camden. She began to look through the case file when suddenly the phone beeped again.

A good memory. As you know, I was a tease and Amy liked to prank me. Well – in eighth grade, I saw her walking away from school with her headphones in. She always had headphones in. She was dancing. She was always dancing, too. It's why she's a dance teacher now. She could've been professional. But anyway… she's a great teacher. I see her with those kids and I know she'll be an amazing mom, too. But I digress. As much as we were basically sworn enemies, curiosity got the best of me. I followed her all the way to O'Reilly's farm. And all of those little dancy movements she'd been doing at school – it all got bigger. She just broke free and really gave it her all. She danced and moved – I've never seen anything like it. I couldn't hear the music, but…

But what?

I think that was the day I fell in love with her. I tried to pretend I wasn't. I even made fun of her for it to all of those stupid 'friends' I'd been trying to impress. And yes, Gary was among the throng of idiots I used to associate myself with.

Brennan laughed.

How is Amy feeling? Any more Braxton Hicks?

Yes. Every time she makes that face, I nearly have a heart attack. She's doing okay, though. I think she's scared.

Brennan sipped her wine and put the case files back into her duffel bag. Scared of what? Childbirth? That is understandable. It is quite painful.

Thanks for that. No. I think she's scared of doing this on her own. She's been looking for a place to live. And I can see she's getting overwhelmed.

She's not alone. No matter your role in her life, she has you.

She definitely has me. And she knows she has me. But I think she still feels scared to do this alone. I've told her that I'll be there every step of the way.

What does she say to that?

She told me to join match dot com. Said she'll help me make a profile – that it'd be such a fun distraction. She wants to sell me to the highest bidder, Temperance.

She laughed. Because she could picture Amy doing this. Deflecting. Still assuming Rob needed anyone else. Just not her. It made her sad. Though on a really core level, she understood where Amy was coming from completely. A thought suddenly occurred to her.

Have you and Amy ever kissed?

Three dots. She drank her wine.

Once.

She waited. Nothing more came.

… that was the worst story ever.

She could almost hear him smiling on the other end.

I'm sorry. I thought I already told you one good memory. I have to save something for tomorrow and the next day… have you and Booth ever kissed?

She closed her eyes – instantly flooded with memories of kissing Booth, and the feelings inside those memories instantly stirred up. No matter what had happened and where they were now, those moments had meant so much to her.

Yes.

Now who's the horrible story-teller? Come on. Your turn.

She took a deep breath and typed.

We've kissed a few times. Okay – one good memory. We were working a case around Christmastime and the federal prosecutor apparently was feeling into the holiday spirit. I guess she liked the idea of Booth and me. Anyway, I wanted her to help make Christmas for my family. My dad was… he was in prison. As was my brother.

Three dots.

You are seriously one of the most INTERESTING people I've ever met.

She laughed out loud at that.

Prison and kisses – it hasn't come together for me yet. Please spell it out.

She rolled her eyes.

Caroline was able to do me a favor to get my family together for Christmas in exchange for a favor. Her favor was for me to kiss Booth under the mistletoe. I hung it in my office and he arrived. He was surprised when I told him about her plan. I remember he smiled a lot though he seemed to find the idea crazy. But… he knew that I'd get my Christmas if he did it. So. He did that for me. We kissed. And I remember how right it felt. I didn't understand that then but I understand it now. It felt right. I don't get shy about things like that. But I knew I was blushing. He was too. I think Caroline was too. And when my family got Christmas, Booth came by the prison with his son. And he gave me his gift: a tree that they decorated. They stood outside the window with this beautiful tree. His gift to me. And I remember feeling like I was so incredibly lucky to have him in my life.

Three dots. She waited.

Wow. That is… a good memory.

She smiled and leaned back into her pillows. She agreed. She'd always thought that that was a good memory. Her best Christmas. Her best friend.

It was a good memory. No matter what happened to them, she realized that she still cherished the good memories, deep down – in a place reserved just for them.