Disclaimer: Once again, I still don't own the characters. Never have, never will.

Well, here we are! The second chapter! I hope you like this one too!

Pairing: Still Booth x Brennan.

Temperance knocked on the door, suitcase beside her. After the second time she rapped on the door, David answered.

"Tempe, listen to me," was the first thing out of her ex-boyfriend's mouth. "We can work this out! I'm sorry-"

"Save it David. I don't want to work this out. I just want to get my things and leave." She tried to be civil, but it took all her willpower. How she loathed and hated this man standing before her, when just this morning she had kissed him goodbye, ready for their date that night.

He shook his head and ushered her in. She went straight to the bedroom and found all of her things on their- his- bed.

"I took the liberty of pulling all your clothes out. All your pictures and mugs are wrapped and in boxes in the living room."

Tempe nodded, and turned away. She didn't want to talk that would just make it more painful to say goodbye.

It took about 15 minutes for her to put all her things away and carry to the car. As she shut the trunk, she turned to David for the last time. "I have one question. How long?"

"Two months." The answer stung. How could she have not realized his unfaithfulness before now?

"Oh." Tempe got in the car, and backed out. She rolled down the window, and asked the other question that had been plaguing her mind all day. "What's her name?"

David paused for a second before answering. "Christine."

Sitting at home with a tub of ice cream didn't seem applicable for the situation, although she was hungry. She decided to order from the local pizzeria, and so she drove home slowly.

Because it was dark, Tempe didn't see the black SUV waiting in front of the parking garage. When her headlights finally grazed the waiting car, she slammed on her breaks, just inches from the bumper. Rolling down the window, she leaned out to see who it was.

"Tempe!"

"David? How did you beat me here? Or better yet, why are you here?" She was confused- had they not just broken up? What was he doing here?

"You left!" He shouted to her.

"You cheated!" She yelled back. She ignored his last comment, and drove into the garage, and parked in her space. She hopped out, and started to pull out the suitcase, when David pulled it out for her. Damn. Tempe thought; she had hoped to get in the building before David had an excuse to come up.

"Let me get that." Why was he acting so polite?

"David, let go! I don't want to see you right now, or ever again." She tried pulling the luggage away from him, but David resisted.

"Tempe, we need to talk. I ran all the red lights I could to get here before you did, just so you couldn't avoid me. We really need to talk."

"David…I don't-"

"Temperance, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have cheated on you. I was such an idiot. Please take me back!" David's pleas were ignored.

"David, I don't want to be in a relationship with you anymore. So no, I'm not taking you back." As a look of shock crossed David's face, she finally grasped the handle of her suitcase, and managed to take it away. "David, let go!"

"You can't leave me." He sounded so mad, and Tempe quickly grew frightened; something that rarely happened to her. Although David had never hit her, there was a first time for everything.

"I'm sorry David, but I can't be with you. I'm truly sorry." The fear was plain in her voice, but David didn't let go of her. He grabbed her hand off the suitcase, and when she reached up to pry his fingers off of her arm, he took hold of that hand too. Now he held her by both wrists. Struggling to get away, she finally managed to bring their hands up and hit David in the face. In his attempt to stop the blood flowing from his nose, David let go of Tempe's hands. This was her chance to get away, and so she started to back away. However, David had other plans and he one again grabbed hold of her arms.

"You stupid woman!" He yelled at Tempe, and then smacked her across the face with his forearm. She gasped, and put her hand up to her eye, feeling blood. She ducked away from him, and started to reach toward her phone- to call someone; to call Booth- but David had already started to walk toward his car.

Stopping in front of his car door, he called back to her, "Goodbye Temperance." After that, he was gone.

Sure enough, by the next morning Tempe had bruises on both her wrists and triceps, along with a cut on her face paired with a black eye. She looked like a rape victim.

Touching the bruises tenderly, she winced. Not only did the bruises look horrible, but they hurt too.

She browsed through her closet, cursing the fact that it was summer. Had it been cooler outside, she could have worn a jacket, therefore covering up the bruises on her arms. But because of the heat outside, she would sweat to death in a jacket. And there was nothing she could do to cover up her black eye but makeup. She sighed, knowing that Angela- not to mention Booth- would have a million questions about her appearance, and would worry about her all day.

After pulling into her parking space at the Jeffersonian, she calmly walked into her office, successfully avoiding Angela on the way.

She slid into her office, thankful that she hadn't seen anyone on her way in and gave a sigh of relief. Until…

"Bones!"

Cringing, she saw Booth leaning against her desk, staring at her various bruises. "Hi." Damn. She thought, thinking she should have worn her sunglasses.

"Bones, what the hell is that one your face?" Suddenly, he looked at her arm. "And what about your face?" Anger was the prominent expression on Booth's face, mixed with confusion, and something else Brennan couldn't identify.

"They're just bruises Booth. Calm down." Tempe stated weekly.

"Bones, you have bruises on your wrists, arms, you have a cut on your face not to mention a black eye!" Anger was also present in his voice now too.

"I am well aware of my…appearance," Tempe started, wondering how she could explain away the bruises. "Like I said, I am well aware of my bruises, but that is just it. They're bruises. So if you came here for another reason than to goggle at me, tell me now, because I have work to do." She brushed past him, ignoring his smoldering eyes.

"It was David, wasn't it?" Even though Booth said it quietly, Tempe could hear the tremor in his voice, could hear how he was trying to control the fury that threatened to consume him.

Tempe stopped at the door, and turned to face him. "Booth, it's nothing. David just grabbed me when I fell, and held my wrists harder than he thought." She gave a tight laugh. "The cut on my face was my own fault; when I fell I accidentally smacked myself in the eye." She lied quickly. As much as she hated David, she didn't want him dead by angry FBI.

"Are you telling me the truth Bones?" Booth didn't trust her, but Brennan wasn't surprised; the story wasn't convincing even to her own years. It sounded like something that abused woman would say to cover up or her abusive boyfriend- which it was.

"Of course. Would I have any reason to lie to you?" Tempe asked sweetly. Booth muttered something under his breath about a dead boyfriend, but Tempe didn't answer. Right now, he didn't merit a response.

The rest of the day passed smoothly enough, except for having to explain her story to everyone. Angela, of course, obsessed about her all day, but Tempe didn't mind that as much as the looks that Booth kept shooting her. Apparently, he still didn't believe her story.

After working on her novel for a while, Tempe decided to go home for the night. She was relieved to find that David wasn't waiting in the parking lot. She went into apartment, where she tossed and turned in sleep all night long.

Heehee, more to come!

Reviews feed my soul. :)

Charlotte