FATAL FLIGHT
Temperance Brennan is hard at work in her office. Following the success of her first novel, her publishers are pushing for ideas for a second. Brennan is thrashing out some plots when he phone rings.
"Brennan." She answers.
"Hey Bones." Booth She knows his voice and no one else calls her Bones.
"Please don't tell me you have a new case." She really doesn't need the interruption, although spending time with Booth is not the tedious task it used to be. Lately she's been finding she actually looks forward to him coming around and she misses him when she doesn't see him for a few days. Damn that charming smile of his.
"No new case." Booth replies. "I just called to tell you I'm going to be out of town for a few days. I'm flying to Chicago on the 7am shuttle in the morning." He explains.
"Oh." Brennan replies. "Special assignment?" she asks.
"Just a few boring meetings with senior agents." He tells her. "If you get any further on the Falcon case, call Cullen." Booth says.
"Okay." Brennan replies. "Have a good trip."
"Yeah right." Booth smiles on his end of the phone. The only way this would be a good trip is if she were with him. "I'll see you in a few days Bones." He signs off.
"Bye Booth." She hangs up feeling a little empty. No chance of seeing him at all in the next few days she realises. She also realises just how sad that makes her.
The next morning Brennan has moved onto cataloguing bone fragments for an exhibit. Angela rushes in looking pale and glassy eyed.
"Sweetie." She says softly.
"What's wrong Angela?" Brennan notices immediately that Angela is upset.
"You said Booth was taking the 7am shuttle to Chicago today?" she checks.
"Yeah. He said something about meetings with senior agents." Brennan shrugs. Angela walks across Brennan's office and turns on the television screen she never uses. On all channels is a newsflash.
"What's this?" Brennan asks.
"Booth's plane crashed on approach to Chicago airport." Angela manages to say.
"No." Brennan smiles and shakes her head. "That's not Booth's flight." She denies. She listens as the news reporter explains that there are no survivors. "It's not his flight." Brennan states. She walks back to her desk and picks up the phone. Dialling Booth's number she waits for him to answer but he doesn't. He always answers.
"Honey, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Angela whispers.
"He's not dead." Brennan refuses to believe it. "He's not dead."
Brennan spends the day in a daze. She can't focus, she can't think. Every time she closes her eyes she sees his face smiling at her. He can't be gone. I can't lose someone else I love. She calls his cell numerous times but only gets voicemail. She can't bring herself to leave a message. When she tried called Cullen at the FBI she was told he was busy and not taking any calls. Brennan figures the death of an FBI agent would keep Cullen busy for a while. But she is a little surprised that he hasn't called to speak to her given how closely she and Booth work. Worked.
By night, Angela, Zach and Hodgins are long gone. They were very upset, eachin their own way, because in the last few months Booth had become a friend to them all. Hodgins was angry and shouting at everyone, Zach went very quiet and Angela just cried. After sending Hodgins and Zach home, Angela tried unsuccessfully to get Brennan to leave work. Knowing there was little she could do to ease the pain Angela decided to just leave Brennan alone.
As night creeps in and the lab empties, Brennan continues to rearrange the books on her shelves, keeping her mind occupied. The more she does the less she thinks about the loss. Holding three books in her arms, she turns from the shelves to go to her desk but stops dead in her tracks. All colour left drains from her cheeks and her eyes widen in shock.
"Hey Bones, you're here late." Seely Booth stands a few feet into her office, that charming smile on his face. "Bones?" he asks when she just stands there staring at him. Brennan drops the books and in four strides she has crossed the room and thrown her arms tightly around his neck, his height lifting her a few inches off the ground. Booth is completely shocked by this and stands with his arms out, not sure what to do with the woman hanging onto him.
"It's nice to see you too Bones but this is a little dramatic don't you think?" he asks.
"You're alive." Brennan whispers.
"Of course I am." Booth says as if it's the obvious. "Uh Bones, do you want to stop choking me now?" he asks. Brennan shakes her head and holds onto him for dear life. You're alive. You're not dead. You didn't leave me. Booth finally moves his arms and lifts them up to remove Brennan from around his neck. Only when he sets her down does he see the tears streaming from her eyes and down her cheeks. He leans back and holds onto her forearms. "Bones, what's wrong?" he asks. His eyes search hers for an answer but she seems too shocked.
"Your plane crashed." She says shakily. "We thought you were dead."
"What are you talking about?" Booth seems confused.
"You're plane, the shuttle to Chicago." Brennan says. "It crashed on landing." Brennan gulps and tries to control all the emotions flooding through her.
"I got stuck in an interview with a suspect. I didn't make the flight." Booth sighs. "I've not been out the office all day." She's spent all day thinking I'm dead he realises. "I'm sorry, I didn't know or I would have called you." He says softly. He notices Brennan is shaking and looks incredibly pale. "Maybe you should sit down or something." He suggests. Brennan shakes her head.
"I thought you left me." She sobs and leans her head and hands on his chest. Booth wraps his arms around her and rubs her back.
"Hey, since when did you start to care this much?" Booth asks with a smile. "There was a time you'd have been glad if my plane crashed." Brennan pulls back.
"Don't say that." She says angrily. "I thought you were dead. I felt like I lost part of me!" her voice is raised and shaky. "I…I…" Suddenly the days' events coupled her refusal to eat or drink and the shock of Booth returning catches up to Brennan and before Booth can catch her, she crumples to the ground.
Brennan wakes to something brushing her cheek. Her eyes flutter open and a fuzzy image appears before her. She blinks a few times and her vision clears. I wasn't dreaming. He's here. Sitting on the edge of the couch next to her, Booth is smiling but his eyes still show concern.
"Hey." He says softly. His fingers are still stroking her cheek gently. "Welcome back." Brennan starts to sit up but Booth's hand pushes down on her shoulder.
"Take it easy." He says. "You've obviously had quite a day." He smiles again.
"What happened?" Brennan asks.
"You passed out." Booth says. "I know I have that effect on most women but I didn't think you would be one of them." He jokes. Brennan cracks a smile and when she sits up this time Booth doesn't stop her. "Bones." He says solemnly. "What you said about losing a part of you?" he asks. "Did you mean…" he can't bring himself to ask the question he's been dying to ask for months. But he doesn't need to. Brennan knows what he's asking.
"Yes." She whispers and nods.
"Good." Booth looks deep into her blue eyes. "I've been waiting a long time for you to say that." His hand cradles the back of her head as he leans in and presses his lips to hers. When he pulls back she reaches out and strokes his cheek with her thumb.
"Promise me you'll never leave me." She whispers.
"I can't promise you that Bones." He sighs. I won't make a promise I can't keep. "But I can promise you that I'll never choose to leave you."
"Good enough." Brennan smiles and pulls him towards her again. Her soft lips find his and as his arms slide around her and he pulls her close, Brennan has never felt more complete.