Title: Betrayal
Author: MarieC
Feedback: Please
Rating: R
Pairing: Booth/Brennan
Disclaimers: 'Bones' and the characters are owned by Fox
SPOILERS: AU from the courtroom in the Episode 7: The Girl in the Fridge. That is the episode when Brennan's professor/ex-lover returns and testifies for the defense. Booth told the prosecutor about Brennan's parents. I thought Bones let Booth off too easy. The fic starts from the time Brennan leaves the courtroom after testifying for the second time.
WARNING: This won't really make sense if you have not see the episode. The beginning dialogue comes directly from the episode and then becomes AU; angsty fic
Dr. Temperance Brennan waited until she was excused from the stand. She willed the tears in her eyes not to fall. She slowly rose and without making eye contact with anyone, she walked quickly out of the courtroom. She burst through the door. She took a deep breath as the fresh air hit her and continued to sprint away. She stopped abruptly as she heard Dr. Michael Stires, her former lover and professor call her name.
"Tempe, Tempe!" He shouted as he ran to catch up with her. "I'm sorry. What can I do?" He asked with concerned eyes. She turned to face hi, said nothing, and walked away.
She was stopped again, this time by Agent Seely Booth. "Bones!" He enthusiastically began. "The Costellos are trying to cop a plea to a charge that won't lead to the death penalty. Now, they are going down." He said with a smile.
Tempe's striking blue eyes teared again as she looked at him. She tried to keep her voice steady. "You had no right. There are things that are private!" She said with some anger in her voice.
Booth thought for a moment. "Yeah. Maybe you're right. But, you know what? This was my case too." He stopped as he clasped his hands together. "So, nothing personal?"
Brennan's mouth hung open and she slightly shook her head in disbelief as she stared at her sometime partner. She tried to calm herself. Her eyes turned steely as she replied, "Yeah...nothing personal." With one last look she turned and walked away from him. She rushed to her car. She fumbled with her keys and plopped down into the seat. Her hand held the keys in the ignition. Suddenly her vision became blurry as the tears she had tried so hard to suppress poured from her eyes. She found herself sobbing as the hurt flooded through her.
After a few minutes, she composed herself. She turned her car towards the Jeffersonian. As she was about to pull into the museum, she realized that was the last place she wanted to be right now. She changed direction and went home.
She opened the door to her house and her cat meowed and rubbed on her ankle. Tempe grinned as she picked up her beloved pet. She threw her keys on the kitchen table as she checked her caller id. "Of course, Ange." She smiled at the thought of her concerned best friend. She would call later; right now, Tempe did not want to talk to anyone. She kissed her cat and placed her down as she walked into the kitchen. She filled her tea kettle and turned the burner on.
After some time she sat in her den with a hot cup of orange pekoe tea. Her mind replayed what had occurred the last few days. She could not help the tears that stung her eyes after she found out that Michael had used her for information and belittled her on the stand. Somewhere along the way, his ethical code had changed. And, she also wondered if he felt threatened by her accomplishments. Tempe rubbed her eyes as she shook her head to clear the thoughts of Michael away. Why was it that the few men she had allowed to get close, ending up hurting her?
Her thoughts wandered over to Booth. They had worked closely over the last few months. They may have their disagreements, but she respected him and his commitment to his job. Angela often accused her of having feelings for the handsome FBI agent; a charge she emphatically denied time and time again. Tempe tried not to think about any relationship with Booth beyond a working one. But, she knew, deep in her heart that she cared for Booth. Maybe not love, but there were some feelings. Tempe felt that it was inevitable for two people working closely together to foster feelings for each other. It was perfectly logical.
When the prosecutor blindsided her by asking about her missing parents, she remembered immediately turning to Booth and how he guiltily looked away. And to be called cold and unfeeling was another slap in the face. Tempe looked down as a tear slipped from her eye. She stood up and walked to her bedroom. She opened the drawer and brought out an envelope. She slowly removed a picture of her parents. She smiled as the tears poured from her eyes. She caressed the old photograph as she stared at her mother and father. She wiped her eyes as she replaced the picture after some time. She turned out her light and climbed into bed. She grabbed the shabby teddy bear with one missing eye from the center of bed and clutched it to her chest as she fell into fitful sleep.
The Jeffersonian
Seely Booth whistled as he walked into the museum. He knew it was getting late, but he knew Bones would still be working. He checked her office, and was surprised not to find her there. He turned around to see if anyone else was around. He practically ran into Angela Monteneggro.
"Hey Angela." He said as he twirled a small object in his hand. "I'm surprised you're still here. It's 7 pm on a Friday night. Don't you have somewhere better to be than at Squint Central?" He smiled widely.
"Of course! I'm meeting a date." She said with a shake of her eyebrows and her flirty smile. She placed her coat on and started walking away.
"Hey!" Booth yelled as he caught up with her. "Have you seen Bones? I have a lead on a new case."
She shook her head. "She didn't come back from the courthouse. I assume she went home. I left a message but I haven't heard from her." She paused. "I think she just needed time alone." Her face was concerned asshe looked squarely at Seely. "I think today took a lot out of her."
Booth looked down for a moment. "I didn't want to upset her...I...just..." He trailed off.
"To bring up her parents, though?" Angela replied.
"I apologized. She seemed okay when she left the courthouse." He paused. "You think she's okay?" He asked in a tense tone.
"I hope she is." Angela answered as she sadly smiled and walked away leaving a worried Seely Booth standing alone.
TBC...