Title: Deja Vu

Disclaimer: Language, violence

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Chapter Twenty-six: Landing in London

She still couldn't believe what she was doing. This wasn't like her at all. Even Angela had been surprised, though happy, about the spontaneous actions that she had taken. Her boss would be mad but she didn't care. She couldn't help thinking that this was in some way a big mistake. People didn't do things like this in real life. They saved this kind of romance for movies or TV. Not the life of some girl who had gone through foster care to become a distant young woman buried deep in her desire to work. She put everything on hold. For what? She had told him to forget about her, to move on. Would he hate her? Should she have taken her own advice and forgotten him? How could she, though, how could she forget his smile, his eyes?

She shook her head as the flight attendant asked her if she would like an extra pillow. The flight was longer than she had been anticipating and she'd already finished the book she'd brought along. Others dozed or read books of their own. She thought about work, how the others would cope without her for a little while. The only one who knew of her leaving was Angela. Part of her felt bad for leaving Angela the one to tell Dr Goodman that she was gone. He would be furious. She'd probably even lose her job. But none of that mattered to her now. Her heart was set on overdrive and she was taking chances. Hodgins would cheer her on and Zack would be temporally confused, until someone explained it all to him. Brennan feared that the young genius was becoming too much like her.

Resting back against her pillow she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. It was only a matter of minutes before she fell asleep. Her only dream was of the last few hours of her life.

She returned home from the airport, tears drying on her face. She felt as though someone had taken away her other half, like her heart was missing parts that she hadn't even known existed. Taking the elevator up to her apartment she chewed over the thoughts in her mind. There were choices to be made, that was how life played out. Choices were given and it was up to her to pick the ones she felt best suited her. In this case, the fact that she messed up weighed heavily on her. Walking down the hallway to her door she was hit with the sudden idea of how to fix the problem, the best solution to the whole problem. Stepping inside the quiet place she called home she headed for her bedroom where she pulled a suitcase out of the closet. Looked as though she would be going to England after all. It didn't take long for her to pack, only a few minutes. Her next step was to call Angela. Her friend had been happy to hear that Brennan was finally making her move, if not a bit late, but still, it was enough to cheer Angela up, and even made Brennan feel good about her decision. Angela promised to pass the news on to Dr Goodman and the others. With that she had returned to the airport, purchased a last minute ticket and set off for England.

A gentle shaking from the flight attendant work her up. They would be landing in just a matter of moments. All of sudden Brennan began to doubt her actions. What if Booth didn't want her in England after all? What if, after all that she had said to him, he decided that she wasn't worth the trouble or the time? Would he even be happy to see her? And how was she going to find him? A plan began to form as the plan landed, the night sky clouded over and threatening more rain. Waiting her turn it took ten minutes before she was off the plane and another twenty until she had located her luggage. Pulling out her cell phone she rang Angela.

"Angela, I need you to do me a favor," she said, skipping over the normal greetings.

"Brennan? Are you in England?" her friend sounded distant.

"Yes, look, Angela, I need to find out what hotel Booth is staying in," explained Brennan. "You're the best computer person I know. Is there anyway you can find out?"

"I'm not sure I can find the exact hotel, Brennan, but let me try something," Angela assured. The sound of typing came across the line and it was a few more minutes before Angela finally said anything. "All I can tell you is that he's in London somewhere. You're on your own after that."

Brennan smiled to herself. "Thank you, Angela. I'll remember to bring you a souvenir."

She hung up and headed for the phones that were waiting on the far wall. A phone directory was placed under each phone. One by one she called the hotels in London, asking each person if a Seeley Booth had been registered there. Her story was that she had gotten separated from her husband and lost the address for the hotel, he wasn't answering his cell phone and she wanted desperately to find him. They all felt bad for her and checked the registries. With luck she found him at the fourth place she called. Not having a piece of paper to write on she used the available pen to write it down on her hand. Now she just needed to catch a taxi and off she'd be. As she walked toward the exit she passed a counter that was titled Currency Exchange. She didn't have any British money and would be needing it if she was to take a cab. Another few minutes passed as she exchanged what little money she had for British currency. Hopefully it would be enough to get her to the hotel.

Outside the wind whipped around, causing her to shiver and she caught herself wishing that she had packed a sweater. Five minutes passed before she found a cab. The man behind the wheel eyed her suspiciously. She showed him how much she had and told him where she wanted to go. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to get her to the hotel. She would be two blocks away. Settling back in the seat, she enjoyed the short ride. Once again she found herself wondering if this was a crazy idea. People just didn't do things like this, did they? It had been so long since she'd let love into her life. Maybe there was a whole 'nother world that she wasn't aware of.

The cab drive dropped her off in front of a pub just as the skies began to rain down. The water was cold and soaked her thoroughly. At least the cab driver had the sense to point her in the right direction. Taking off at a fast walk she headed for the hotel. The rain began to fall harder, prompting her to run. Some people shouted at her but she didn't care. Her heart didn't feel so heavy anymore. Outside the hotel, under the awning, she tried to wring out her hair, removing very little water. She probably looked awful, and would most likely leave water spots on the tile floor inside. Holding her breath she entered the hotel. No one really gave her a second look. They probably thought she had just gotten unlucky, truth was, she had. Taking the elevator up to the top floor she found herself wishing she could go home. She was only going to make a fool of herself. He didn't want her here. The brass numbers on the door marked the room he was in, a Do not disturb sign hung in the door.

She knocked anyone. When he didn't answer she knocked harder. There was no way that she'd come this far just to turn back. After a third knock he finally opened the door.