Title: Deja Vu
Disclaimer: Language, violence
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Chapter Twenty-four: Let Me Go
People moved around everywhere. Some running to baggage claim, some trying to get to the right gate before their plane left. Others sat in the provided chairs reading books and newspapers, eating snacks, or chatting with the person sitting beside them. Still yet, others cried tears as they wished the ones they loved a safe trip, some smiled with the joy of welcoming home a friend or lover. TVs were switched to various news channels, filling people in on all the happenings of the world. A small restaurant famous for its clam chowder was surrounded by smaller stores and even a few vendor carts. Everyone wanted to make a few extra bucks, even the saxophone player standing near the bathrooms, playing his jazz tunes for anyone who was willing to stop and listen. The airport was a like a world of its own, cut off from rest of the chaotic world.
Booth stood there, watching the people with mild fascination. A group of Asians passed him speaking in their native language, one he didn't even know himself. A woman with a heavy Russian accent helped an elderly Middle Eastern woman pick up her belongings when her baggage fell open. Two children ran around playing a game of some sort, one of them nearly colliding with Booth, their parents too occupied with one another that they didn't even notice. He watched as a young woman ran into the arms of a man dressed in a Military uniform. Everyone had someone.
Except him.
He stood there, alone, his luggage already being loaded on his plane. He couldn't believe that he was leaving for England in a just a half hour and no one had come to say goodbye. It would have been nice to see Parker one last time before he left but it wasn't do-able; his ex's schedule didn't allow for the meeting. She deeply regretted it and promised to bring Parker to greet him at the airport, as long as he called in advance of his return. Something he would be sure to do. He looked around again, wanting to see Brennan. He still couldn't believe that she had said no to him. Sure, it was a lot to ask, but he thought that they had something. That they would get over the nail that had stopped the gears from moving their relationship forward. With an achy heart he looked at the departures on the screen. Less than a half hour until he left.
She had been trying to find him in the sea of people without any luck. There were too many people, including a pair of unruly children. She barely missed a collision with them. She had stepped out of their path and bumped into a man playing a saxophone. He caught her, smiling and making some comment about kids being kids. As a thank you she dropped a five dollar bill in his up turned hat. He returned to playing the song she had interrupted. She was a bout to give up when she spotted Booth. He was crouched down holding a stuffed bunny rabbit, handing it back to the little girl in the stroller that had dropped her. Her mother smiled a thank you at Booth before continuing on. The gesture was a simple one but it spoke volumes about the kind of man he was.
She walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to look at her. "Bones, what a surprise, what are you doing here? Come to runaway to England with me?"
"No, I came to see you off, like a normal person would do," she replied, not looking him in the eye.
"That's sweet of you, Brennan, but this would have been easier if you hadn't shown up," he told her. Why hold the truth in anymore? He loved her and leaving for England wasn't the high point of his life. He had to leave her behind because she chose to stay behind. Life was a bitch.
She winced at the words he said. They hurt, but what she had to say to him would hurt even more. "Booth, I'm sorry that I've hurt you. You know that my priority is the Jeffersonian. It always has been. There's a very good chance that it always will be."
He checked his watch. "Get to the point, please. My plane is leaving in a matter of minutes."
She chewed her bottom lip before finally getting the words out. "Forget about me, Booth. Just forget about me. Find someone else to fall in love with." There, she had said.
Now it was his turn to wince in pain. "Bones-"
"No, don't call me that anymore," she demanded, hiding her hurt behind anger. "You are going away to another country and there's no way of knowing how long you'll be gone. I can't say that I won't fall in love while you're gone. You shouldn't rely on me. Find someone else, Booth. Someone who is willing to fly around the world with you. Maybe someday you'll get over this and decide that you still want to be friends. I'll be waiting for that day. But for now, just forget about me."
At first it didn't seem as though he was going to react in anyway. He just stood there, staring at her. She couldn't bare the intense gaze of his eyes as she wondered what was running through his mind. Finally, he sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Fine, it that's what you want, Brennan, than so be it." An announcer rattled off the number of a plane and the departure gate. "I've got to go. See you sometime in the future, Brennan."
He turned and left, not bothering to look back, not even once. She watched him go, disappearing into the crowd before she turned and headed for the exit. Her heart felt heavy, her eyes felt moist with tears. Why had she gone and hurt the only man who had ever shown her love? Of all the people in her life she had come to trust him most of all. There was something about him, something that made her feel safe. She'd almost lost him once and here she was, driving him away for good. On a spilt second decision she turned around and ran in the direction he had gone.
"Booth," she called for him. She remembered the gate number the announcer had said his plane was boarding at, but when she got there the last two people were passing their tickets to a young woman. She had missed him. Feeling somewhat numb inside, her head hanging down, she turned and backtracked to the exit. She had messed up. She was always messing up. But how could a mistake this big be fixed?