Thank you guys for the warm responses from my previous chapter. I honestly didn't think it would have such agreement to it. Blew me away. Thank yous to: Carpathian Princess, dms517, Raven Joy, JAG'ed Bones in the Casckett, ZinaR, BonesfanJD, RobinAngelena, Annarita, mphs95 (I hope so too), FaithinBones, regbride12, jsboneslover, kareneb, mendenbar.

This story comes from a prompt from Jenny1701. She said that at the end of "The Daredevil in the Mold", Hannah had told Booth that she didn't think they were done and the show didn't really tie up that lose end. So here's me, as I've done before, trying to tie up that lose end.

This takes place shortly after "The Blackout in the Blizzard".

Someday Soon

The blonde exited the elevator confidently. She hadn't been here many times before, reporters weren't really welcomed there but she had managed to get a visitor's pass and if all went as she had hoped, then she would be out of there quickly enough. As she entered the bullpen she scanned the area. A few agents looked up but none gave her as much as a second glance. No matter, she was there looking for one particular agent, one that thankfully had his own office. She saw him through the glass walls of this office, sitting at his desk, a pen in hand and flipping the pages of a case file, his face a mask of concentration.

Her heart skipped a beat, he still looked good. The sight of him still sent a pleasant tingle through her. Inhaling deeply to give herself courage, she walked towards the office and knocked on the doorway before entering. The door was open after all. If he didn't want to be interrupted he should have closed it. The handsome FBI Agent looked up and the look on his face was nothing short of shock and surprise.

The week following the blizzard that had Booth and Brennan stuck in the elevator in his apartment went by relatively uneventfully. There wasn't a case following that and Booth had been relieved that he had not caught whatever bug that killed Anne-Marie Weston. He was grateful the huge anti-viral pills that he taken had worked. It was as if that night in his apartment had changed something between Brennan and him. Their little talk had now given him renewed hope, something to look forward to, a future with the woman he had always wanted to be with. He had caught a glimmer of light at the end of a dark tunnel and he was intent on working his way toward it. The partners spent more time together with lunches at the Diner, dinners at the Founding Fathers and many late nights simply talking at each other's apartments. It was as if both were waiting for a much anticipated event, and their time together was in preparation of said event.

So that cold winter afternoon, the person who had just walked into his office was the last person he had wanted to see.

"Hannah. What are you doing here?"

"Hi Seelely."

"Uh hi."

"I just got back from spending a couple of months in Kabul."

"Right. Good to see you back in one piece."

"I was wondering if you'd like to maybe grab lunch? That is, if you're not busy with a case?"

"I um… I don't have a case at the moment. I was just signing off on some other Agent's report." Booth could hardly believe what was happening. He wondered if he was trapped in a weird dream.

"Great. We can do lunch then."

"Now?"

Hannah glanced at her watch. "It is lunch time. Unless, you had plans?"

Booth did have plans. He had planned to go over to the Jeffersonian, find Brennan and make her go get something to eat with him. Though they didn't have a case, he remembered she was busy working on an article for a journal and he didn't want her to be so engrossed in her work that she forgot lunch. But he hadn't made his plans known to his partner, so technically, he was available to go to lunch with Hannah.

He wasn't sure why but he found his lips moving, and he heard his voice saying, "No. I don't."

"Good. Grab your coat, it's rather cold out. A welcome contrast from where I just came from."

"Right yeah okay." Booth stood, grabbing his thick, black overcoat and pulling it on, he followed his ex out of his office.

And that was how they ended up at the Royal Diner.

Lunch was filled with an awkward tension that hung in the air. Booth grabbed a fry, dipped it in ketchup and put it in his mouth. A familiar figure entered the diner and Booth realised it was Hodgins. The look on Hodgins' face told him that he realised Booth was having lunch with Hannah. If Hodgins knew, then Angela would know. If Angela knew, that would mean Brennan would eventually know. Booth hadn't had the time to decide if he would tell Brennan about the lunch, but he figured he would have. He just had hoped that Brennan wouldn't have had to find out from someone else. Someone like Angela. Booth suddenly wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole. He regretted agreeing to lunch and just wanted to get it over with already. As Hodgins left with his coffee, Hannah spoke, vocalizing his thoughts when she showed up in his office.

"You must be wondering why I looked you up."

"Yeah, kinda."

"Remember when you asked me to marry you?"

Booth offered her a bitter smile, suddenly no longer hungry. The anger he had felt that night started to resurface. "How could I forget?"

"I'm sorry Seeley."

"That why'd you came here? To apologize? I think you already did that, that night."

"No not to apologize. You remember what I told you? That I didn't think we were done?"

Booth opened his mouth to speak. He wanted to tell her that he did think they were done but Hannah continued speaking.

"While I was in Kabul, I had time to think. To think back on what we had, the memories we made in Afghanistan, and then back home here. I do love you Seeley. I'm still not the marrying kind, not with my career, but I'm willing to give it a try. Who's to say after maybe more time with you, I won't change my mind about marriage? I'm sorry I hurt you when I rejected you, but I know I do still want to be with you. You're a good find and it was stupid of me to give up what we had. So what do you say? Give us another try?"

Booth was enraged. How could she come back asking for another chance when she had crushed his heart not too long ago. No matter. He already knew what his answer was. He wasn't going to throw away the chance he had with his Bones. He shook his head.

"No."

"I know you're angry and you have every right to be. But I promise, this time would be different – "

"No Hannah, it's not gonna work. I've moved on."

Hannah blinked. "Moved on? I wasn't gone all that long."

"Two months, yeah since that night."

"You're with someone now?"

"No. But us? I think that ship has sailed, doncha think?"

"You answered my question rather quickly. Don't you even need some time to think it through?"

"Look Hannah, what we had, whatever it's worth, it was good, but now… I'm just… I've got other plans. Someone else."

If it was meant to be a light-bulb moment for Hannah it wasn't. Deep down inside she had always known.

"I see. I had to try, if I didn't, I would have always wondered. It was good seeing you Seeley."

Booth nodded. The feeling wasn't exactly mutual. As Hannah rose to leave she spoke, "She doesn't strike me as the marrying kind either but I hope you and Temperance are very happy together."

…

That night Booth knocked on the door to his partner's apartment, trying to quiet the butterflies in his stomach. He hoped whatever progress he had made with her hadn't been sabotaged by Hannah's appearance.

The door opened, and when he saw her, the world instantly felt right. He wondered if she knew she had that effect on him.

"Hey Bones, hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."

"Booth. Hi! No I wasn't doing anything in particular, you're welcome here anytime. Come in."

Booth stepped into the warmth of Brennan's apartment, glad to be out of the cold outside.

"Would you like a drink?"

"Yeah a beer would be nice."

"I haven't seen you all day," Brennan said as she retrieved two bottles of beer from the fridge.

"Yeah I was um… busy."

Brennan nodded. She appeared guarded and Booth knew that she knew.

"Look Bones… I wanted you to hear it from me but I figured, Hodgins saw and that means you know."

"Hannah's back."

"Yeah."

She bit her bottom lip. When Angela had come to her with the news, Brennan had been disappointed. She had proposed the possibility of them being together and Booth in his own Boothy way had agreed. The burnt little pieces of paper had given her hope, but the reappearance of Hannah had caused her doubt. Perhaps he still had feelings for his ex-girlfriend.

"Hey don't take this the wrong way, her being back in town means nothin' to me okay?"

"You shared a passionate relationship with her. A relationship that made you believe that you could spend the rest of your life with her. It would be logical to think that seeing her again would have brought up certain emotions."

"Right, it did bring up stuff. Sorta. It made me angry, you know? I mean she came back, and she thought that we could just pick up where we left off, like nothing happened."

"I see. She wanted to explore the possibility of being in a relationship with you again."

"Yeah. And she thought I'd say yes."

"Did you say yes?" Brennan was unsure.

A part of her wanted Booth to find happiness, to know that there was nothing wrong with him and that whoever he chose, she was to be a very fortunate woman. Yet she worried for herself. When she was finally willing to admit to herself that she was indeed in love with Booth, he was with Hannah and she had thought she missed her chance. Being trapped in the elevator and that night in his apartment had gifted her the second chance she had hoped for. And then she found out Hannah was back.

"No Bones, of course not. Why would you say that?"

Brennan felt relieved. She had been worried for the entire day about her future with him.

"How could I say yes to her after what we talked about that night. Not when I know I could have you. Remember what I said, that night outside the Hoover?"

"You said many things in your attempt to convince me we should be together."

"I told you I knew. I still know. I mean Hannah, she was…"

"An aberration?"

"A mistake. I shouldn't even have tried to move on. I should've just waited for you. I wasn't thinking straight. Why I asked Hannah to marry me… Sweets, he was saying I was getting older and I still wasn't married. He said he's younger but he's so sure about Daisy. I just wanted to prove him wrong. I wanted to prove that there's someone for me and that someone could love me back. I got so obsessed with that idea. It was never about marrying Hannah. It's you, it's always been you."

"I… I still don't believe in marriage Booth."

For a minute, Brennan was pulled back into despair. Hadn't she made it clear that she too, like Hannah didn't want to get married? She worried that her unwillingness to commit to the institution of marriage would jeopardize their future together.

"I know. And I don't care." Booth's words allayed her fears. "I just know that I wanna be with you. The rest? It doesn't bother me."

Brennan offered him a smile. "I know I want to be with you too."

"Look Bones, Hannah showing up doesn't mean anything okay? And if she shows up again or a hundred more times, it doesn't change a thing. Why chose her when I know I have you?"

"You're speaking as if we're already together."

"Are we?" Booth asked, his heart hammering in his chest.

"Not yet. You're still angry."

"You're right." He was disappointed but he understood. "We should start off on the right foot. No extra baggage. You understand?"

"Yes. We will be together some day."

Booth broke into a grin. "Some day not too far from now I hope."

Brennan smiled. "Yes not too far."

Booth's grin broadened. They stood grinning into each other's' eyes for a time before she broke the silence.

"Would you like something to eat?"

"Yeah I kinda lost my appetite after seeing Hannah today. I'm kinda hungry now."

"It's snowing rather hard outside."

"I could make us some grilled cheese sandwiches."

"Sounds good Booth. I'll get the cheese."

"Great, I'll get the pan heated up." Booth said as he reached for the frying pan.

Brennan thought that Hannah showing up hadn't been such a bad thing after all. If anything it made what they were heading towards clearer. She now knew they were working towards a common goal and the thought of that goal made her happy. She stole a glance at him and was filled with joy to see that he was smiling back at her, like he always was. Someday. Someday soon.