Booth wanders into his apartment and closes the door behind him, he hears a sound in the kitchen and wanders through to have a look, Gemma is stretching up into the cupboard and pulling out a mug, she turns to look at him and smiles before she reaches for another one. He allows his eyes to roam over her legs, the over-sized t-shirt teasing her thighs as she stretches. Her hair falls around her shoulders in dark ringlets and he watches her with a male appreciation. Placing the mugs on the counter she makes her way over to him at the door and smiles gently, the smile is quickly replaced with a look of genuine concern and she raises a hand to his forehead. He takes her hand from his head and clasps it gently in his.

"Are you okay Seeley? You look worn out." He kisses the back of her hand gently and nods.

"I'm fine. I just had trouble sleeping last night…. Guess it was too warm… Honestly, it's nothing to worry about. Just tired." This seems to appease her and she leans forward to place a gentle kiss on his lips. He accepts her gesture and when she deepens the affection he does not refuse her. In a few moments she is against the kitchen counter, their bodies flush against each other, his hands roaming on her thighs, as she sighs into his mouth he is back in Brennan's apartment reliving last night's events. His mind replaces the woman in his arms with the one that he wished was in them, all of the pent up passion and repressed feelings from the past 24 hours pour into his response to Gemma. As her fingers scratch across the surface of his skin he groans, and pushes her further into the counter moving his lips from hers to her neck and shoulder. It takes her sigh of his birth name to bring him back to reality. Instead of continuing with his ministrations, he lays his forehead on her shoulder and lets out a deep sigh. She leans back to look into his eyes. He can't face the understanding that he sees there, the gentle acceptance of his rejection of her. She thinks that he's too tired to continue and as she turns to continue making the coffee, he is appalled when he realises that he has lost count of the number of times he has replaced her in his mind with another woman when they have made love.

"Where did you go this morning?" Her back still to him, she doesn't see his closed eyes as he prepares for another lie.

"I had to go to the office, needed to pick up a file… Listen, forget coffee for me. I think I am just gonna take a shower." He turns and leaves her alone before she has time to question him any further, his mind is reeling with anger and shame. He knows she deserves much better than him, but he also knows that he is too selfish to let her go.

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Standing under the spray from the shower head he allows the hot water to sear his skin, to wash away the remnants of both women. But the lies and the guilt remain with him. He leans his hands against the wall and closes his eyes. Images of Brennan flash through his mind, the look in her eyes before his lips had met hers for the first time, the fire that remained burning in the icy pools of her eyes as she pushed him away. He had seen her desire, quickly replaced by the fear that had swept over her all too quickly. In his mind, her face morphs into that of Gemma. So accepting, caring… a gentle warmness that forever resides within her eyes. Nothing like the fire and ice of the anthropologist who monopolizes his every waking thought. He knows that he needs to get away, spend some time alone to come to terms with his feelings for both women. Gemma was an angel, a soft, gentle caring angel. But Brennan, she was passion, determination and strength….and most importantly she made him feel alive. Shutting off the shower head he shakes the water from his hair and steps out of the cubicle to grab a towel.

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2 Days Later

Brennan catalogues another civil war body and places the bones gently into a box to be stored within the vaults. She hands the box to a young apprentice and puts her hands into her pockets before making her way back to her office. As she is nearing the office door she catches sight of Booth, for a split second she contemplates turning and walking away from him but he meets her gaze and she is suddenly cornered by his stare. Continuing on her path to her office her steps fall in sequence with his and he chivalrously holds the office door open for her to enter. She gestures to the chair in her office and closes the door behind them before seating herself gently in her chair. His eyes move slowly from her hands on the desk to her eyes.

"Do we have a case?" Her voice is distant and carefully void of emotion. He shakes his head and looks down at his hands.

"No we don't. I came for purely personal reasons…. And before you start to worry, I'm not here about you know what… I think that we both now understand where we are on that issue. I just came to let you know that we won't have any cases in the next month or so. I'm going away for a while. I had vacation time that I needed to take, and, well I just think that I need a break from this." He gestures around him, his hand stopping in front of her. She looks down at her folded hands quickly and bites her bottom lip.

"Where will you be?" He looks at her then, a glimmer of hope in his eyes as he waits for her to meet his gaze, she refuses to instead concentrating on a pen on the desk and the hope fades. Standing up he forces a smile.

"I'm not sure. Not that it matters, just won't be here….and I think right now, it's what I need. For me." She finally meets his eyes and nods, her expression giving nothing away. The inner turmoil that she is once again experiencing in his presence doesn't show. She wants to ask if he'll be going wherever he is going alone, she wants him to ask her to go with him, even knowing that she cannot accept.. she doesn't understand the conflicting desires within her only that she hopes that he will be alone. "I'll see ya Bones." She looks up as he approaches the door.

"Booth?" He turns to look at her. "Angela always said that running away from a problem never solves it." He smiles bitterly and shakes his head.

"Apparently staying and trying to solve it doesn't work either Bones." Her face falls at that as she watches him leave. Outside the office door she watches Angela stop and exchange a few words with him. Smiles are exchanged and she is suddenly envious of her best friend's ability to receive his positive attentions. After a few more moments Booth leaves and Angela enters the office oblivious to the conflict in her friend's life.

"Hey Ange….wanna go out tonight. I feel like drinking." Angela's face lights up at her friend's request and she smiles brightly.

"Be still my heart, Bren is choosing booze over bodies!" Brennan looks down at her desk and then lets her eyes wander to the seat that Booth had just been in.

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Is it taking too long to get into? Sorry.