Title: Balked

Author: Mosquito

Date: 07-06-06

Disclaimer: Both Seeley Booth and Temparence "Bones" Brennan are not mine.

Category: Romance

Rating: NC-17

Summery: After Tessa stays back on vacation, Booth asks Bones to go with him to Jamaica

Note: Spoiler for end of "Man in the Wall"

Part 1: What About Tessa?

Another case was solved. Temperance loved the high she still had when she finished a case. Usually she would head back to her office and start going through paperwork, or work on her latest novel, or even start identifying another World War I soldier, but today she was so jumpy that she needed to get out. She'd asked Angela if she wanted to go to a club, but Angela reminded her that the only club worth going to had been a recent crime scene and that they had just put the manager in prison, so until the artists had new venues clubbing would be out of the question.

Temperance then picked up her things and headed to the only place she thought her partner might be: Wong Foo's. Walking in she noticed Booth watching the news highlight of the case they had been working on that day and stopped to look, but after he turned it off her attention turned to him. "Getting yourself in the mood?"

"Trying." His voice had a disappointed note in it that she felt bad about, but refused to comment. Because of Angela she already knew that Tessa had called off, and was aware that her best friend had probably been the cause of the lawyer's cancellation as well. "You know, this isn't really going to be the type of vacation I was hoping for."

"Oh?" She asked subtly trying not to give herself away.

"Tessa's not going. Something came up at work."

"That's too bad, I'm sorry" she told him, but in her head she could hear Angela's voice telling her how she 'so wasn't.' Trying to cover it up and make him feel less down she spoke up again, "I like going on vacations by myself."

"Really?" He looked mildly surprised.

"Sure, there's nothing wrong with being alone."

"No, I mean you like to go on vacation."

"Yeah, I go places all the time." Now his face was beginning to show real amazement.

"You ever just sit on the beach and pretend there's no such things as skeletons?" He asked waving his drink's umbrella in the air.

"Is that in any way fun?" She asked trying to be funny, but deadly serious at the same time.

"When was the last time you got away?"

"Got away from what?"

He smiled looking off into the room briefly, "Oh, Bones, cause usually what happens to me- I think about not coming back."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, you know, you go with someone… you joke about not going back to your real life… two of you laugh… but when you're alone, the world is full of possibilities." He paused there looking at her and smiling.

Closing her eyes she tried to imagine what it would be like to be there with him joking about not coming home, but the image seemed to pleasurable and as a result she opened them again. "See you next week." She could hear herself say. After he had turned and left she sat there and looked around. She reached for his drink and pulled back, almost hoping that he would return, but knowing that he wouldn't then decided to finish it. She then got up and headed for the door only to collide into him.

"I thought you left." She said.

"I did, but I was thinking on the way to my car and then decided to come back. I don't want to go on vacation by myself. What would I do? I was wondering, you know, if you could get some vacation off and it isn't too much into your schedule- plus, you might enjoy it- if you'd like to come with me?"

"Go with you?" She wondered, "what about Tessa?"

"Um, well, yeah, I don't think it'll work between us. I really was in a way scared to take her on this trip. Like Angela said, we're not ready for the next step, and I'm not even sure we would ever have made it. She's just, not what I was looking for in the long run I guess."

"You can't guess, Booth. You have to know these kinds of things. How about this: you go and see Tessa tomorrow and figure it all out, and to make sure I'll ask for time off to go with you. If you land up going with Tessa again, I'll stay here and do what I was planning to do. If the two of you really decide to call it quits, I'll come. How does that sound?"

"It's fair, Bones. I'll call you tomorrow, alright?"

"Okay." Temperance moved passed him and headed for the door. "I'm heading back to the Jeffersonian. I'm kinda off of my high and I think I can get back to work."

"Okay." Booth walked her to her car. "Good job today, Bones."

"Thanks. You too. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Booth."

"Bye."

Pulling out of her parking space she looked into her rear-view mirror and watched as Booth stood there watching her. 'A vacation with Booth,' she could hear Angela's voice in her head, 'good going, sweetie!'

Sorry it's short... I'll try for longer next time