A/N: Be warned, I am incredibly tired and I've just had the worst meeting known to man so prepare for a hell of a lot of angst today. Sorry kids but this is my catharsis.

And don't forget to review when you finish. I'm not going to beg. Hell, who am I kidding… PLEASE? I'm having a very very bad day and without reviews I don't think I'll be able to carry on… Please, pretty please? Pretty please with melted Galaxy chocolate on top and a sprinkling of Boreanaz in his tighty whiteys!

Fine. Be like that. See if I care… flounces off with a big sulk on (PS: still love you Ava, don't take the cheerleaders away from me...)

Temperance Brennan sat on the window seat in her dorm room, a blanket draped around her shoulders as she hugged the hot cup of coffee to her chest. Staring out over the grounds of Quantico, she watched the treetops swaying in the breeze, the moonlight dappling their branches as the stars pierced the darkness above.

A finger against the window, she attempted to trace the constellations in the sky, remembering the ones her father had taught her.

She couldn't help but shudder at the thought of her father, the day's events flooding back to her. After talking to Booth at the edge of the very trees she was staring at now, she had somehow found the courage to return to the autopsy room and finish her evaluation. Following a somewhat brief examination of his own, the FBI doctor had allowed Zach to begin the procedure of essentially boiling the remains, enabling them to get a clear picture of the bones.

Brennan remembered the look in Katie's eye when she had heard what they were doing to her friend. It had been…chilling. Nate had been at the blonde's side all day, comforting and reassuring her.

Temperance smiled at the thought of Nate. He was a genuinely nice man and she felt somewhat soothed in his presence. She was certain that some of his easy charm had rubbed off on Booth during his time at the academy.

Booth…

Brennan closed her eyes, finding herself back sitting on the sodden earth on the edge of the trees, her partner's arms wrapped around her, keeping her safe. She could feel the heat of his body, smell his aftershave, hear the beating of his heart beneath his impressive pectoral muscles. She sighed heavily.

Booth…

She remembered a conversation she had not long ago with Rebecca, Booth's ex and mother of his child. The blonde - a trend in her partner's love life that Brennan had not overlooked - had told her that you only ever really get one moment in your life to catch fire with someone, to make that connection. Rebecca and Booth had missed their moment.

Screwing her eyes shut, Brennan sighed again, this time with a tinge of sadness.

Did I miss my moment too?

She attempted to dismiss the thought as irrational. With the universe's infinite possibilities, logic would suggest that the thesis of only one moment for each couple was impossible, that there must be any number of specific instances when they could take the opportunity to further their relationship beyond the platonic.

All the logic and rational hypothesises she could think of did little to reassure her as her mind played back every single time she had been tempted by him to take that next step, to push their relationship beyond the purely professional. The sheer number of memories caused her to wonder if maybe now she was running out of moments to grab.

Booth…

Not long after her conversation with Rebecca, Brennan had found herself in her office discussing the anthropology of sex yet again with her partner. This time, something had been different. The way he looked at her, the way she looked back, something had changed. He had moved closer, that boyish smile on his face as he told her that there were just some people you couldn't sleep with, that there were too many strings attached. There was too much to lose.

She closed her eyes again, feeling the heat of his body against hers as she let herself be vulnerable with him, let her strength dissolve. She felt the strength of his arms around her only hours before, and she remembered how safe she had felt, how protected. He always came through for her, no matter what. He was her partner.

She remembered his deep voice reverberating around his chest as he spoke, reassuring and comforting her as easily as if he was ordering a cup of coffee.

"He's your father and he loves you. No man that feels that way about someone as wonderful and smart and beautiful as you could ever do that. Not to you, Temperance. Not to you."

That had been her moment, right there and then, amidst all the uncertainty and the doubt and the pain and the anger. That had been her big moment, her chance to tell him how she really felt.

Brennan bit back tears as she stared up at the crescent moon, her finger tracing its shape in the dark.

And how could I tell him? As far as he's concerned, I'm just Bones. I'm just someone he works with. He doesn't feel it. Not that I even know what it is…

The gentle knock on the door caught her attention and she turned her head in time to see Booth's silhouette step inside.

Booth…

He flicked on the light switch, his eyes roaming the room for her. She blinked rapidly at the sudden brightness and he offered her a sheepish grin in apology. She smiled back, aware that she probably looked like hell.

There's too much to lose. With everyone else that's left me, I can't lose him, not now. Not ever. I can't risk it. There's too much to lose.

He wandered over to sit at her feet on the window sill, his presence immediately comforting her. He hadn't left her side all day, not since he helped her back inside following her minor breakdown. Everywhere she went, he followed. He wanted to protect her, and she wanted to let him.

She was actually a little surprised he'd left her alone at all for the past hour. He had sent her to her room with the orders to get some sleep. She had the sneaking suspicion he hadn't strayed too far.

He smiled at her as she passed him her coffee, taking a long sip. He let out a satisfied sigh and passed it back, his eyes full of concern.

"Did you manage to get any shut eye?"

She shook her head, averting her eyes. The thoughts of all those missed moments were too prominent in her mind for her to concentrate properly. His thigh was brushing against her toes, his hand on her bended knee, his touch hot against her.

"Bones, you need to get some sleep."

She pulled her eyes away from the window and looked at him. The shadows cast across his handsome features only served to highlight his look of grave concern. She shrugged as she looked away again, bringing the coffee cup to her lips and blowing on its contents softly.

He sighed heavily and ran a tired hand through his hair. Still she could not look at him. She felt him lean toward her, felt the weight of his presence.

"Temperance… Talk to me. Please, just talk to me."

Just like every time he said her first name, she felt that distinct shiver creep down her spine. After a few more seconds, she finally locked her eyes on to his, the relief obvious in his sagging shoulders.

"I don't want to talk about it, Booth. I can't."

As his thumb absently created circles against her kneecap, Brennan realised she didn't even mean the case. Her head felt heavy with the tangled mess of thoughts that were bouncing around her brain.

"I understand. Just know that I'm here for you. Whatever you want to do, I'm here."

He smiled and she felt the box around her heart open a little. A ghost of a smile brushed her lips and his eyes brightened.

"That's my girl."

The smile broke into a full blown grin and then she found herself laughing, almost hysterically. She didn't even know why she was laughing, she just did and it felt good.

Booth took hold of her feet, dropping them to the floor so she had to sit upright, enabling him to shuffle along the windowsill and wrap his arm around her. Finally calming down a little, she dropped her head on his broad shoulder and felt him resting his chin on the top of her head. She smiled into his shirt.

"This feels nice."

She could have sworn she heard his heart beat a little faster.

"Yeah, it really does."

They returned to their usual comfortable silence and Temperance frowned, wondering if she'd look back on this as just another moment she let pass her by. She swallowed hard, trying to summon the courage to tell him something, anything, about the way she really felt. It was now or never.

His voice stopped her own.

"They're serving dinner downstairs in about ten minutes if you want something to eat. Everyone's still on lock-down but classes are going to resume as normal tomorrow morning. The recruits and instructors can't leave the premises but at least they can get out of their rooms."

She nodded, sitting up straight as she accepted the fact that the moment had gone.

"I suppose I should eat something."

She stretched out her tired muscles, the blanket slipping off her shoulders. Booth grinned as he pulled her to her feet.

"And they say doctors make the worst patients."

Brennan frowned, scraping her hair up in to a high ponytail.

"I'm not an MD Booth, I have a PhD."

He rolled his eyes, his arm snaking around her waist to drag her from the dorm room before she had an opportunity to change her mind.

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Booth and Brennan strolled in to the dining room together, heading straight over to the group huddled around the table. Seeing Brennan walking over, they all immediately went silent and returned to their food without looking at her.

She sighed heavily, instantly knowing that they had been talking about her and the case. She felt Booth's hand on the small of her back, reassuring her that it was ok to move forward. She looked up at him, smiling tensely as she shook her head.

"I'm gonna grab something to eat."

She marched over to the cafeteria queue, painfully aware of the hundred's of cadets watching her pass by. Angela jumped to her feet, ready to run after her best friend until Booth laid a stern hand on her forearm.

"Just let her go, Ange. She's not ready yet."

She opened her mouth to protest but couldn't find the words. Instead, she just nodded and walked towards the door. Frowning, Hodgins dumped his tray of food and rushed after her.

Booth slid in to the now vacant seat beside Katie as Zach made his excuses and left, mumbling something about boiling bones. Booth just dropped his head in to his hands as Katie gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"It'll work out alright in the end, Seeley. It always does."

He raised his head, his eyes practically pleading with her.

"I'm not sure if it can this time. Katie, the things this guy has done. The murder, the message, the photo, the ring… Bones is in a tailspin and I haven't got a clue how to help her out of it."

She smiled and he felt a little more at ease.

"You're there for her and she knows it. That's all that matters right now, that's all you can do."

He felt his eyes instinctively search for Brennan, feeling a small sense of relief as he found her. He watched as she tucked loose tendrils of hair behind her ear. She was usually so confident and strong but tonight…

He sighed heavily, turning to Katie when he felt the weight of her stare.

"What?"

She smiled slightly.

"You really care about her, don't you?"

He shrugged. Even though Katie had basically been his rock throughout his FBI training, he knew she would always basically be a shrink at heart and he wasn't big on the West Coast style must-share-all-my-feelings-right-this-second mumbo jumbo.

"Of course I care. She's my partner."

Katie offered up a sly grin.

"She's more than that and you know it. The way you look at her…"

She tailed off, following his gaze back to Brennan.

"She doesn't have a clue, does she?"

Booth stayed silent. He wasn't ready to talk about this, wasn't even ready to really admit to it. Beside him, Katie snorted with laughter.

"Jesus, Seeley. Neither do you."

She shook her head in mild disbelief, and returned to her dessert. He didn't know what to say, feeling the eyes of the recruits on him, wondering whether or not they should ask him about the dead body in the lecture hall and the rumours of a cryptic message. He silently willed them to stay away.

Getting to his feet, Booth was about to wander over to his partner when he saw a familiar figure beat him to it. Slowly sitting back down, he watched as Nate moved up behind Brennan, placing a hand on the small of her back and offering to carry her tray. Booth just shook his head, letting sarcastic thoughts run through his mind.

Always the gentleman…

"Booth?"

He ignored Doctor Harwood, choosing to continue watching his partner giggling girlishly at something his mentor had just said. He knew he couldn't deny the feeling that was grabbing at his stomach was jealously, but he knew he couldn't admit it to anyone either. There was too much to lose.

"Booth…"

Katie grabbed his face with one hand, forcing him to look at her. She smiled, obvious understanding in her eyes.

"Either tell her how you feel or resign yourself to the fact that she's going to find herself another man. It's your choice, Seeley. Personally, I suggest you take a risk."

Her eyes grew sad as her voice became quiet and fragile.

"Don't miss your moment."

Grabbing her tray and getting to her feet, she gave her old friend a stern look.

"You only ever really regret the things you didn't do."

He watched her go, wondering just who she missed her moment with. Turning back to the cafeteria queue, he swallowed his pride and decided to say something to his partner. He scanned the queue for Brennan and Nate, his heart sinking.

He was too late. She'd already gone.

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Nate's friendly demeanour had calmed Brennan's nerves, distracting her from all the eyes boring into her back and gossiping about the case. She felt his hand easily take the now familiar position at the small of her back as he took her tray, placing it down on the side.

"Look Temperance, do you want to take a walk? You know, get away from all these prying eyes."

She smiled as she glanced over a shoulder at the rows and rows of cadets who quickly averted their gaze. Nate had a point, there were a lot of people staring at them, and suddenly it bothered her again, his hand now feeling awkward on her back. That was where Booth always touched her, his way of guiding her.

She turned around, her eyes searching the dining hall for her partner. Her heart sank when she saw him.

Booth was staring deep in to Katie's eyes, her hand cupping his face as she leaned in close to say something with a smile.

How could I not have seen this coming? This was why the two of them were so friendly together. He'd found someone he had a sexual rapport with, the very advice that I gave to him. Plus, she was blonde…

Swallowing hard, Brennan turned back to Nate.

"Sure, let's take a walk."

He let her guide her out of the dining room, it taking all the will in the world not to look back at her partner, still wishing it was him by her side instead.

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Booth wandered through the glass corridors, lost in his thoughts, the moonlight creating an eerie shadow following him through the buildings.

Crossing in to the main lobby, he paused in the centre. Looking up, the moon beams highlighted the inscriptions around the atrium.

Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity. My FBI.

For the first time he could ever remember, seeing the roots of his noble profession did little to make him feel better. He stared upwards, absently playing with the religious medal round his neck, waiting for some kind of answer he didn't really expect to get.

Suddenly, familiar voices carried through the lobby on the cool breeze. Frowning, he moved to the main entrance, leaning on the door jamb as his eyes scanned the darkness, eventually resting on Brennan and Nate perched on the edge of the fountain, chatting and laughing together.

Straining his ears, he still couldn't hear what was being said but he didn't need to. The blatant flirting said it all. He was about to turn away when he saw Nate lean forward, brushing the stray hairs away from her perfect face. Booth felt his jaw tighten, his eyes narrowing.

He's still leaning in. He's making a move on her! Today of all days, after everything she's just been through, he's actually making a move on her?

Booth was about to rush forward when a sudden realisation stopped him in his tracks. Brennan was leaning in too.

Seeing his partner kissing his mentor, something snapped within him and he didn't even notice as his feet pounded across Hoover Road, heading straight towards Hogan's Alley. His fist gripping the poker chip in his jeans pocket with white knuckles, Booth stopped in front of the casino. The lights were on, the sounds of laughter calling him inside.

He stood there, staring at the flashing neon sign above his head, not sure what to do. Part of him begged him to go inside, to just let the euphoria take hold as he took his chance on the dice. The other part of him told him not to do it, that he needed to be a better man for Temperance, especially now she needed him to be strong.

The sight of her kissing Nate flooded his vision.

Swallowing hard, he stepped across the threshold, no longer caring about the consequences.

A/N: Ok, angsty moments over. At least for now… Stay tuned kiddo. Will Booth really gamble? Will Nate and Brennan really get it on? Will they ever go back to actually investigating the case? All will be revealed in your next exciting chapter! Well, some of it will at least… Don't forget, reviews are my oxygen. I will DIE without them….