(Pre-Season 6)
Thank you for reviewing my story. It is the only way I can tell if you are still interested in my stories.
I don't own Bones.
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"Dear Temperance, I was going to say Bones, but it seems weird to say Dear Bones. Anyway, I hope you're doing okay in Maluku. You told me this dig you're on might be a game changer in the Anthropology world and I hope it is. I want you to find whatever it is you're looking for and its historical and the world knows about it. Anyway, I know you're famous already, but it would be cool if you became as famous as Dian Fossey. Yeah, I know who she is. She studied gorillas. I also know she's not a forensic anthropologist, but she's pretty famous in your science world. I bought a book for Parker about mountain gorillas and Dian Fossey and Parker and I thought it was pretty cool.
I'm at Camp Black Horse in Kabul. It's about how I expected it to be. It's in the 80's here right now, so warmer than back home, but not too bad. I'm not really allowed to talk about my job, but it's going to be as boring as I told you it'd be, so don't worry about me. I'm fine and I'll be fine until it's time to go home.
I know the Gravedigger trial was rough on you and it made you question working with me. I'm hoping you'll think about our partnership and the good we do together and consider coming back to work with me when you're done in Maluku. We made a great team and I think we should get back together.
Anyway, I have to go. Write soon.
Your friend. Seeley Booth.
She read his letter twice before placing it back in the envelope. It was short and awkward and she wasn't sure why. Brennan knew that Booth could be articulate when he wanted to be, after all he did have a Bachelor's degree in Criminology. It had taken her a long time to understand that the public Booth didn't really represent the private Booth. Angela had told her once that Booth was a genius at playing stupid. It had taken her years to understand what she had meant.
Her first weeks at the dig had been strenuous. There is a lot of labor involved in setting up a dig and ensuring supply lines flowed smoothly, so that everyone could do their job properly and Brennan had worked long hours to accomplish her goals.
When Booth's letter had arrived, she'd had mixed feelings. She was grateful he had taken the time to write her, but she dreaded what the letter might contain.
Brennan debated whether or not to write Booth and in the end, she didn't. She didn't have much to report and she was still thinking about her partnership. Deciding what to do with her life was not something she would accomplish in a few days or weeks. She loved Booth as a dear friend, but the Gravedigger trial had emphasized just how easily she could lose him and she wasn't prepared to live with that loss. She had never meant to let Booth get close to her emotionally, but it had happened anyway. When the Gravedigger had kidnapped Booth, she had feared she would never see him again and the trial had brought those fears back to the forefront of her thoughts. The nightmares they had triggered had been horrifying and they had felt all too real. She wanted to step away from Booth and regain her independence. She neither wanted or needed love.
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Dear Bones. I know you must be pretty busy and that is why you didn't write me and that's okay. I understand your dig is very important and I know you well enough to know that when you start working on something you don't get enough rest and you don't eat properly. I hope someone is making sure you're sleeping enough. If they aren't then shame on them. You're a valuable asset to your team and they should treat you that way. Try to rest Bones. Try to give yourself some downtime and if you do have a few minutes to spare, then write me. I'd love to hear from you.
It's boring where I am. Just paperwork and stuff. I'm not even sure why I'm here since I don't really have much to do. I've been training some young men how to track and they're fast learners, so at least someone is getting the benefit of my expertise. Still, it's a safe job, so don't worry about me. I'm fine and I hope you are too.
Your partner and friend. Booth.
She had opened the letter with shaking hands and she hadn't been sure why. Booth had been on her mind for days and she worried that he might be doing something dangerous and imperiling his life. The letter had assured her that he was fine and that was a relief, but something about how he described his job seemed to be off and she wasn't sure why. His letters were so brief and that worried her too. They used to spend hours talking about many topics and Booth's letters didn't reflect that companionable friendship they used to have.
Would she write him back? She didn't think she could. Like Booth, she didn't seem to have anything important to say. She was still thinking about their partnership and their friendship. She loved him as a friend, but she knew he wanted more. Did she have more to give? Did she dare risk her happiness for him? She didn't know the answer to that question, at least not yet.
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Hi Bones, I have a few minutes and I thought I'd write you a quick letter letting you know I'm doing okay. I hope you're doing okay too. I haven't heard from you, so I guess you're still very busy. Don't forget to rest when you can. You don't have to make your big breakthrough in one day.
I've been given a group of guys that are eager to learn tracking and stuff like that. They're a great bunch of guys. They treat me like I'm an old man and maybe I am since I'm forty and they're about eighteen or so. Anyway, they're willing to learn and that's what I'm counting on.
I heard from Cam and she's doing pretty good, all things considered. She wasn't happy with what went down, but I guess we should have known that was a possibility. Anyway, she says Michelle is doing well in school and making top marks. I'm really proud of her and I think she's going to do well in whatever field she chooses to go into.
Parker and Pops are doing well. They told me to tell you that they're thinking about you and they hope you're happy. Are you happy?
If you can, write me. I miss you. Booth
There was a dark drop of something on the edge of the letter near the bottom of the page. It was dried of course, but it looked suspiciously like blood. Perhaps he had cut his finger on the paper. She hoped that was it and that he wasn't hiding anything from her. She knew her partner and she wouldn't put it past him to hide the fact that he had been hurt. He was in a war zone and the possibility was all too real.
A tear fell down her cheek and onto the letter, landing next to the dark spot. "Booth, you promised not to be you. Don't do anything dangerous. Just don't."
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Bones, it's been four months since we left the District and I haven't heard from you. I get it, you're busy, but how much time does it take to write a couple of lines on a piece of paper, put it in an envelope and address the damn thing? Are we done? Is our friendship over? You know I'd wait forever for you if you told me that you needed time, but your silence tells me that you don't need time, that you've made up your mind about our partnership.
Can you tell me if we're still partners? Just one line on a piece of paper, Bones. Are we still friends?
Hopefully still your partner, Booth.
His letter filled her with anxiety. She didn't know what to say, what to write. She was still afraid that continuing her partnership with Booth was going to end up tragically someday and that she would lose the best friend she had ever had. His loss would be devastating and she wasn't sure she could survive it. Did she want to continue to work with him? She still didn't know. She thought about it every night while she lay in bed and whenever she had a free moment during the day.
Never in her life had she ever had this much difficulty deciding about anything. She loved Booth, but could she bear to watch him die? It was a real possibility and his death would be the one thing in this world that would destroy her. Not the death of her father or her brother. She would mourn them of course, but not like she would mourn Booth's death. Could she continue to risk her happiness? She just didn't know.
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Bones, this is my last letter. You haven't written to me in the five months I've been here and I guess you don't want to. I just want to say that I really enjoyed working with you and I loved our friendship. I've never had a friend like you and I probably never will again.
I hope that you find happiness someday. I was hoping that it would be with me, but we both know that won't happen. I'm not what you need and I accept that. You deserve happiness and I will pray that you find it.
I will remember the good times we had as well as the bad. The good times outweighed the bad and like most friendships we had our ups and downs, but I want you to know that knowing you has made me a better man.
Thank you. Booth
P.S. I still plan on meeting you by the reflecting pool when we get back. If you don't come then I will know that our friendship is over. Until that happens, I still have hope that I am still your friend if not your partner.
She held the letter against her breasts and wept. She had been in turmoil for quite a while. She loved Booth so much and the unhappiness she felt not being with him made her realize that giving up their friendship was not an option. She had been fooling herself all along. She had feared Booth dying and leaving her, but if she gave up their friendship, then that would be leaving Booth and in the end it would be the same thing. She would not be happy without Booth in her life and she accepted that.
She wished she could write to him and explain what she was feeling, but she didn't know how to put her words into a letter. It was galling that she was a best selling author and made millions of dollars writing novels and yet she couldn't write a simple letter explaining how she felt to the man she loved.
When it was time to go home, she would meet Booth by the reflecting pool and she would tell him the things she couldn't write in a letter. She would tell him that she loved him and that she valued their friendship. Most importantly, she thought they could take a chance. She would give him the chance he had asked for outside the Hoover. Of course, she hoped she was strong enough to say the words when they met and she hoped they were both strong enough to make it work if they tried. Only time would tell.
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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.
A/N: I got this story idea from a Guest who berated me for something I wrote in another story. My story ideas might not please everyone, but that's the risk I'm willing to take posting stories for everyone to read. I love writing fanfics and I love 'Bones'.