Thank you so much for all of the reviews! Sorry for the delay in posting and even more sorry for the cliffie, I hope you'll forgive me and enjoy the bumpy ride! Thanks again. Enjoy! – Mac

Chapter 29

Brennan looked at Sam, her eyes wide in alarm. Then, she looked down at the timer on the ground, built into the dark, large mat she was standing on.

4:21:12

4:21:11

She squeezed her eyes closed. She was standing on a bomb. How did she let that happen? She should've waited outside for Sam, explored all of this together. Maybe he would've known something was up before she positioned herself squarely on a bomb. And if he hadn't shown up? She'd be dead right now. Because she would've moved to exit – never realizing her movements would have detonated.

Sam held his hands up to her. "It's going to be okay. Just… try not to move at all."

"You think if I move even slightly, it'll go off?" she asked, looking down at it again, trying to piece together how this bomb functioned.

"I don't know. Let's not take that chance, okay?" he said, dialing a number on his phone. After a few moments, he turned his face. "Hello? Agent Blake. Can you hear me? Hello!" He looked down at his phone like he wanted to throw it and then looked at her. "I have to step outside. The bomb squad will be coming. I promise. Will you be okay?"

She nodded and flicked her wrist casually, not noticing how much her hands were actually shaking. "I'll be fine. Just… come back. Please."

He nodded and ran outside.

She reached into her pocket and grabbed her own cell phone. If she was going to stand here for awhile, she could at least read messages. She saw one from Booth.

Bones – I'm not sure what time you were thinking, but I should be good for 7. Does that work for you? What about the Thai place?

She felt butterflies, seeing his name on her phone, signaling him writing her. For so long, their only messages had been case-related. He never wrote for any other reason. She knew it was silly to get a little excited that he was making plans with her. Because the logical part of her brain knew that the plans were being made because they had a lot to sort through. The fallout of their friendship and subsequently their partnership, for starters. His relationship with Hannah and how that had led him to give up on said friendship, her own role in everything that happened – and how it was that they might move forward from here – if that was even possible at this point.

But it still felt nice to have him reaching out to her for personal reasons. As a sign that he maybe still cared. As a friend. Or whatever they were now.

Booth… I'm tied up at the moment, but hopefully will be out by then.

She glanced down at the timer.

4:15:57

I will write you if it looks like I need to miss our appointment.

She hit send as a strange feeling settled in her stomach. If she missed it, it'd be for one reason only. And there would be no rescheduling. Their conversation in Camden would be all that she'd have for closure with Booth. Well…. If it came down to the wire and she really didn't know if she'd make it, she would have to text him something. A goodbye. Her feelings. And forgiveness. She knew him well enough to know that he was shouldering some guilt for all that happened to lead to everything shattering between them. She'd want him to move forward, free of that burden. Free to find someone new, if not Hannah. And free to be happy, leaving her and their history behind once and for all.

That said, she hoped she didn't blow up today.

Sam ran back into the door way. "Some agents are coming. And the bomb squad will be here in five. They agreed that until they arrive you should not move at all. Do you feel okay? Are your legs tired or… or anything? Do you feel able to stand there?"

Sam always looked so confident when he was working this case. Every interview was a chance to look the part of an agent sent to save the day. He exuded calm and comfort in his every word. Now… he looked like he was in over his head and afraid of the wrath of his superiors. Because, her fault or not, he was essentially responsible for keeping her safe. He'd likely be in trouble if she died out here today.

"I feel okay," she said. "Right now, I'm able to stand still. But… I don't think I can just stand here like this for four hours."

He nodded and leaned on the wall. "I know. I know. They'll help us. There's no way you'll have to stand completely still that long. I promise."

Her eyes met his and in his, she saw something vulnerable and genuine. He couldn't necessarily make this promise, but he wanted her to trust him. He wanted to be the guy he was always trying to be – the one who made people feel safe. She didn't feel safe, if she was honest. He never made her feel that way since they'd begun working this case. And… that was okay. She trusted herself enough to not have to rely on him. And she liked that he was not an exact agent replica of Booth. She needed to try working with someone completely different. But in this moment, she realized exactly how much he was not like Booth. And it made something inside of her feel like it was sinking.

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

Booth and Carlisle walked through a movie set, that looked like something out of Hollywood. This reality show was being shot in DC and all of the women they'd met so far seemed like throwaways from the Real Housewives series.

"So, you didn't know Jemima? She was your body double," Booth said. "How on earth is that possible?"

A woman with long, blonde hair and fake everything chewed her gum and rolled her eyes. "Exactly. Body double. As in, she was in scenes when I wasn't. We stood side by side when they cast her. But then, we never interacted."

Carlisle narrowed his eyes. "Then why was your DNA found under her nails?"

Booth's phone chirped and he looked at it, seeing Bones's name pop up on the screen. His stomach tensed as he stepped away from the suspect to read the message.

Booth… I'm tied up at the moment, but hopefully will be out by then.

Something pulled at the edges of his brain as he waited. Three dots… she was typing again.

I will write you if it looks like I need to miss our appointment.

Disappointment began to spread through him, as he closed his phone and pocketed it. She was going to cancel. She… she changed her mind about meeting up with him, giving him a chance to talk. He knew that he'd done a number on her trust. And that he'd forfeited every right to even be her friend anymore. He'd proven to her that if she couldn't give him what he wanted then he'd leave. And he needed to explain. He still didn't know exactly how he could even begin to make her understand. His brain still hurt trying to understand everything that transpired this past year, in regards to Bones.

But he figured he'd at least have the chance to try.

They'd been through too much together to just walk away. He couldn't. He physically couldn't just walk away like none of it mattered. And yes, he had done exactly that already. But… he was here. He was here now, and he saw his actions for exactly what they were. And he'd never do that again.

He walked back over to Carlisle, agitated and frustrated. He knew Bones could set her mind to things and not budge from them. And he'd given her so many reasons to put all of her defenses back up between them. But after everything – after Camden, their hug, their talk…

He thought she'd give him a chance.

She had told him she would. And… while she could be stubborn, she also kept her word. Her promises. Maybe… maybe she was just held up. Like she said.

Okay, Bones. Let me know when you can, then.

And he walked back over to keep working this case. Without her. Wishing for the thousandth time that he was with her right now. Doing their thing. Together. Like they'd always done. That had felt as natural as breathing.

This felt all wrong, all the time. His new 'partner' was nice. Skilled, even. But… it didn't feel anything like working with her.

She'd always be his partner.

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

Brennan stayed very still as men, completely covered, stooped at her feet, looked at the bomb, the black box, while other men looked for a possible basement entry, to work from the floor below her.

"This is an AO2-1-XL1," one guy said to a woman who was carefully pulling apart the black box.

She peeked over at Sam, who looked pale and still quite nervous. She looked down at the timer.

3:10:09

She had stood completely still for nearly an hour and a half. Her legs felt like Jell-O. They almost felt numb, but she tried to think of other things. She'd written a message to Rob earlier – a prompt.

In a bit of a weird situation and need a distraction. A good memory.

But she'd heard nothing back. Rob always wrote immediately back. But… he did have a bistro to run and a very pregnant best friend who he was secretly in love with. So… she knew she couldn't expect him to be at her beck and call. But still. She really needed the distraction right now.

Her phone rang – Rob's name lighting up the screen. He never called her. He always texted. She slid the green arrow over and pulled the phone to her ear.

"Brennan," she said. She knew he didn't even call her that, and her work name wasn't probably the appropriate greeting. But… it's how she answered her phone.

"Temperance," he said, sounding out of breath. "I'm so glad I caught you."

"Are you running?" she asked.

She heard him laugh for a quick second – but could tell he wasn't feeling particularly happy right now.

"Yes. Keeley got a call from the dance school. Amy left because her water broke. But she's not home. She's not at the hospital. No one knows where she is. I've been running all around town trying to find her."

She immediately felt a little rush of anxiety flood through her body. "What? He water broke? She's still—"

"Four weeks early. Yes," he said, his breathing labored. He was always so good humored and calm. He was funny, quick with assurances and confident. Right now, he sounded like a shell of himself.

"Where have you looked so far?"

"Let's see. Her home, her parents home, the dance school, the grocery store, the drug store, the hospital, her doctor's office. I've looked everywhere. Her phone is going right to voicemail. I don't know what to do. I need to keep looking. I know you can't do anything to help, but… I just needed to hear you tell me that it's going to be okay. Because you know these things. All the things you've done, seen – you're strong, and experienced with everything. You need to tell me that it's going to be okay. Tell me where you think she went. Tell me to calm down. Tell me something. Please."

She closed her eyes, forgetting about her tingling legs and about the bomb for a moment. "Well, first of all, four weeks early is not insurmountable. The baby will be small but everything is basically developed by 36 weeks. If she gets the care she needs at the hospital, she will be just fine. I promise."

She heard him take a few deep breaths. "Where is she? Where is she…"

"Let's trace your day. Did you see her at all today?"

"No," he said, his breathing a bit labored. "It's Friday. I don't work, but she does. She tends to only come in for breakfast on the days that I work."

"Interesting," she said. Because she couldn't help herself.

"Focus," he said, firmly. "Please."

"Okay. But you said Keeley got the call from the dance school. The call came to your work?"

"Yes. They must've been trying to reach me. My cell was dead before. I hate this phone. If something happens because I have a phone that only has like an hour of battery life when it's not on the charger, I'll kill someone. Probably the guy at the store who sold me this phone."

"Okay," she said calmly. "Did Keeley give you the message at the bistro?"

"Yes. I ended up coming in for a bit to cover for one of our waitresses."

"Did you check your house?"

He was silent. "My house?"

"If you were supposed to be home all day, but you ended up going in, and your phone was dead, is there a chance that she went looking for you there?"

After a moment, she heard him groan. "Yes," he squeezed out. "I gotta go, Temperance. I will call you when I find her. I promise."

She smiled, her heart racing, as she looked around at the bomb squad members looming all around her, busily trying to save her life. "Thank you," she said, hanging up the call. Energy and worry coursed through her. Not for herself, for the dire situation she literally stood in the middle of at this very moment. For them. For her friends.

"Okay, it's a weighted mat, which we knew," Benji, the main man from the bomb division spoke.

"Which means…." She started, confusion on her face.

"That it knows how much weight or pressure is being applied. You can move. But you can't leave the mat or move in a way that lightens the pressure your body applies to this mat."

"How could I lighten my weight anyway," she asked, bending her legs and take a few steps forward and then back on the mat.

"If we offered you something to lean on," Benji said. "If you did that for relief, you might put less pressure on the mat." She nodded and waited. Because she knew there was more and she needed to know exactly what she was dealing with. "Doctor Brennan, here's where it gets tricky. This is a smart bomb. It knows that a human being is standing on it. Which means we can't just throw a bag of bricks on it and pull you off to safety."

"Okay," she said, something in his tone speaking of a danger she was trying not to imagine.

"Okay," he said. "Basically, right now, the only way to get you off there, if we can't turn this off, is to have another human being that is at least 100 pounds stand on it. And right now, there are no volunteers for that."

She looked over at Sam, who was standing in the doorway, his head bent. "I have a fourteen year old daughter. I… I don't know what to say," he started.

She held a hand up. "Don't worry about it."

He stepped out of the warehouse, outside the building.

"And my team," Benji continued, "cannot either because we need to keep working this, to figure out how to deactivate it. That's our best chance and we only have… three hours."

"I'm fine. Keep working."

Booth… I am afraid that I need to cancel dinner. I'm so sorry. You have no idea how much I'd rather be doing that tonight. I want you to know that you were the best partner and best friend I've ever had. I know I didn't always make it easy. But… our time together meant the world to me, Booth.

She hit send as her phone rang. It was Rob.

"You're an angel, Temperance," Rob said. "She was at my house and had called the ambulance. They were lifting her in when I got here. We are heading to the hospital now. But she really wants to know—"

"What is the weird situation you're in?" Amy shouted? She breathed through her teeth suddenly, seething in pain, clearly having a contraction.

"What?" Brennan said.

"You text Rob… he said you texted him that you were in a weird situation."

"Yeah, Temperance, I was so nervous that I just called you. I only just read the actual message. What is the weird situation? Your work intrigues us. And Amy needs the distraction."

"Amy really needs the distraction!" Amy added. "Please!"

Brennan looked down at Benji, who had a knife out near her feet and near the timer.

"I stepped on a bomb," she said. Like it was something that happened to most people, all the time.

"You… what?" Rob asked.

"Did you say you stepped on a bomb?" Amy asked. Then she began breathing strongly again.

"Yes. But the bomb squad is here at the warehouse. And they're working on it. I should be fine."

"Should be?" She heard the alarm in Rob's voice.

"Definitely will be," she amended. "Please focus on your current situation. Having a baby should be your only concern. I'll be okay. I… I promise."

Except, she felt like she was going to fall down from standing still for so long. Even now that she could move around again, she felt her legs tingling completely, and her knees felt like they were about to give out. But she had a team doing their jobs. She'd be fine. They were skilled at this. And anyway…

She couldn't move unless another human being stepped onto the mat and that wasn't happening.

"Call me from the hospital please. Amy, don't forget to breathe like we talked about. In through your nose and out through your mouth—"

She heard Rob and Amy saying something, but she didn't know what it was. Because something on the mat shifted. She pulled the phone down from her ear and looked down at the mat, seeing two feet standing on it. With her.

And when she looked up she saw something that made her heart hurt.

"Booth. No."

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