(Double Trouble in the Panhandle)

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"Thank you for seeing me Father." Booth sat in the pew facing the altar while Father Hebert sat facing the profile of his parishioner.

"Not a problem, Seeley." Seeley Booth was one of Father Hebert's more trying members of the church, but being a former Marine, he felt he had to be there for the man whenever he could. "You missed last Sunday's service."

Slowly nodding his head, Booth shifted in his seat, flicking his gaze towards the priest then back towards the altar. "Yeah, I was on an assignment in Texas."

Uncertain why Booth was in such a state of nervousness, Father Hebert cleared his throat and started to speak, when Booth blurted out.

"Father I am in trouble . . . big trouble and I don't know what to do about it." His hand seeking out his poker chip, Booth pulled it from his pants pocket and gripped it hard.

Aware of Booth's battle with his gambling addiction, the priest took a deep breath. "Seeley you haven't . . ."

"She trusts me too much." He'd raced right over the priest's words, but he was afraid and he needed the Father to listen to him "My partner . . . my friend, she trusts me so much she's reckless . . . too reckless and it scares me . . . I don't know what to do about it and she won't listen to me . . . what am I going to do?"

Confused, Father Hebert placed his hand on Booth's knee. "Maybe you could give me more information, Seeley."

His throat dry, Booth wished he had something to drink. "Yeah . . . okay, look my partner, she was on assignment with me undercover and we were in a circus . . . I did a knife throwing act and she was my assistant."

"Okay, I'm following you so far." The priest nodded his head and clasped his hands on his lap. "Keep going."

"Yeah . . . I threw knives at her." Booth nervously licked his lips. "I'm really good at that Father. It was part of Ranger training . . . you know."

Well aware of what Booth did in the Army, Father Hebert prodded him. "Yes, I know . . . you threw knives at Temperance . . . in the circus?"

His heart racing a little at the thought of what he'd done, Booth rubbed his forehead. "Yeah and she's fearless Father. She trusts me and she let me throw knives near her to break balloons and she . . . she didn't move or anything . . . but Father, she trusts me too much. She . . . God . . . she put a red nose on the end of her nose and she talked me into throwing a knife at it and . . . and I hit it, but Father she shouldn't have done that. One little mistake and I could have killed her. If she had moved just a little or if I'd thrown it wrong . . . just a little bit and I could have really hurt or worse killed her and she didn't care because she trusts me too damn much. When it comes to Alpha male stuff she thinks I'm the greatest and she thinks I . . . I can't make a mistake and hurt her and . . . I could have killed her Father. I could have killed her."

Father Hebert heard the fear in Booth's voice and he knew that this was not something to take lightly. "Why didn't you tell her no?"

His voice so quiet, the priest had to strain to hear his parishioner. "I don't know . . . she has so much faith in me and I didn't . . . I didn't want to disappoint her . . . I am so messed up Father. Bones . . . I have a hard time telling her no. No one has ever trusted me like she does. I always want to do my best when I'm around her . . . remember she's the reason why I gave up gambling in the first place. I need to be the best because she'll only work with the best."

"Ah, I see." And he did see. Father Hebert sighed. "I think we both know why you can't tell her no . . . have you ever said anything to her about it?"

Lowering his gaze, Booth now stared at his hand resting on the pew in front of him. "She's just my friend, Father. She doesn't believe in love. It's all chemicals and whatever to her. She likes me as a friend and I'm fine with that . . . I've never had a friend like her, ever. She trusts me which is no small thing for her. Her childhood was such a mess and . . . she likes me even though she knows about my past and the things I've done. She knows I'm a recovering gambler and . . . she thinks I'm strong, but really I'm not. She keeps me grounded and believe me I will never do anything to lose her friendship. I've never met anyone like her. She's so smart and independent . . . she sure doesn't need me, but she likes me and she . . . she's special you know?"

Father Hebert felt sorry for the man, but he knew that Booth was not a very trusting person and he didn't have a lot of friends. His childhood had been unfortunate and it had definitely left a mark on him. "I think the next time Temperance wants you to do something unnecessarily dangerous you should try to be firm and say no to her . . . You know what your limitations are and it would be wise not to let her force you beyond those limits."

"Well, Father . . . if I didn't let her push me like she does, I might not be where I am today." Booth felt like he was handling a double edged sword. "She makes me push myself to be a better agent . . . a better man, so where is the limit? What is my limitations because I'm not really sure anymore? . . . Working with Bones . . . knowing Bones . . . she just makes me a better man and I don't want to disappoint her . . . I don't know if I should say no to her."

Booth was one of his more worrisome parishioners and this conversation just proved it. "I don't know what to tell you, Seeley. You're upset that she made you throw a knife at a false nose and yet you could have told her no. You are a free agent. She's your friend and you don't want to disappoint her, but it looks like to me that someone needs to add a hint of caution in your relationship."

Shifting on the pew, Booth turned to look at the priest and smiled. "She's the most exciting person I've ever met. She's brave and so damn smart she makes me look pretty stupid sometimes and I love her . . . as a friend, I love her as a friend. I guess I understand why she wanted me to throw that knife at her like that. We were undercover and she wanted to be the best. That's who she is. She always wants to excel at everything she does and she wants me to also . . . She has a lot of faith in me and it makes me feel . . . I'm okay Father . . . really. I worked myself into a lather about nothing. She knew I could do it and well . . . I did do it, so . . . anyway. Thanks for talking to me." Booth stood up and started to walk down the pew to the aisle.

"Seeley." Father Hebert knew Booth would be back. He needed someone to use a sounding board and he was it. "Come to me anytime and . . . be a little more cautious. Just a little bit."

His laughter his answer, Booth made it to the aisle and walked back to the double doors leading out to the night cloaked sidewalk. Before he opened the door, Booth turned to look at his priest. "I'll try Father . . . see you Sunday."

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