(The Headless Witch in the Woods)

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As Booth cuffed Will Hastings and told the firefighter his rights, the man pleaded with Brennan to believe him when he said that he hadn't killed his brother, Graham. The man was begging her to believe him when he said that Maggie Cinders, a ghost living in the woods where graham's body had been found had killed his brother.

Stunned, Brennan had watched while Booth had forced Will to leave the restaurant. The murderer protested his innocence the entire time he walked through the restaurant and out to the SUV. Not sure what to do, she had sat down, finished her glass of wine aware that the other patrons at the restaurant were staring at her. Once her wine glass was empty, she motioned for the server standing nearby to come to the table. "Bring me the check please. I know you haven't served the meal, but we did order it and I will pay for it."

Once the bill was paid and the server was left with a large tip, she stood up, pulled her shawl around her shoulders and walked through the restaurant, all eyes on her. With as much dignity as she could muster, she walked with her head held high and her shoulders thrown back. She would not allow strangers to assume that she was embarrassed or humiliated. That was not for them to decide.

Once she was safely in her car, she leaned forward, placed her hands on the steering wheel and wept. She had found Will Hastings to be an inspiration. Unlike her brother, the man had raised his younger brother after his parents had died in an automobile accident. He hadn't given the boy to the state to raise. Will had quit school, joined the fire department and raised his brother on his own. He had accepted his responsibilities and Brennan had considered him to be an honorable man. Now her honorable man was accused of murder and she was left questioning her judgement.

She had talked to Booth during their case and she had pondered what it would have been like to be raised by her brother. Rightly, Booth had pointed out that her brother was a thief and being raised by Russ probably wouldn't have been very good. And yet, she still thought about what might have been. Will had proven to her that Russ could have raised her but because of his selfishness, he had abandoned her just like her parents had. Russ had given her away to strangers and he had not looked back.

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Alone in her office, Brennan sat in her chair staring at nothing in particular. She knew she should go home, but at the moment she needed the comfort of her office. Her office represented order a safe haven from the chaos outside the Lab.

Quietly, Booth had walked up to the open doorway and spotted his partner sitting alone in her office. He felt bad for her. Brennan had found a friend that she had felt connected to. She had felt that Will understood her because he had lost his parents when he was 18 and he had raised his younger brother. Will had done what Russ should have done and that made her drawn to him. Now the man was accused of murdering his brother and she was obviously feeling sorry for herself. "Hey." He spoke quietly, hesitantly. He wasn't sure if he had the right to be there since he hadn't been completely honest with his partner about his relationship with Cam. He knew he should have told Brennan about it, but he had kept putting it off since he knew it might create an awkwardness between them. I should have told her anyway.

Turning slightly in her chair. Brennan sighed and slumped back against her chair. "I sure know how to pick them, don't I?"

Stepping further into the office, Booth stopped a few feet away from the desk, giving his friend some much needed space. "Well, you know . . . our perceptions are always colored by what we hope and what we fear, what we love. We do the best we can."

Depressed that she could have allowed herself to become friends with someone who was involved in one of her cases, Brennan knew that she had made a grave mistake. She knew that Will was a potential murder suspect, but it had seemed highly unlikely that the man could have killed his brother. She had been wrong. "I'm afraid my best isn't good enough. I can read bones, not people."

Booth hated to see his partner taking Will's arrest so hard. "Well, you know, you had no trouble seeing through me." Apparently, Brennan had figured out that he and Cam were dating and she hadn't said anything. She had probably waited for him to mention it and he knew he had let her down. He vowed to be more honest with her in the future. "You know what? You're not alone. Okay?" He held out his open arms inviting her to come to him for a hug if she needed it. He wasn't much of a hugger, but Brennan clearly needed someone to lean on.

"Booth." Brennan liked Booth as a friend, but she feared signs of affection would lead down paths she didn't want to go down.

"Hey, we're partners." He knew Brennan had problems connecting to people. She was wary of emotional entanglements and Will Hastings had just proved to her just how much trouble being involved with someone could be. He needed her to see that she was safe with him. He would never hurt her and he hoped she knew that. "Okay? It's just a guy hug . . . Take it. All right?"

He was clearly sincere and wasn't looking for anything other than to be friendly and truthfully, she could use some human contact. Moving into his arms, she rested her head on his shoulder and felt safe. She had known Booth long enough to consider him to be her friend and being this close to him, his arms wrapped around her made her feel like she really wasn't alone.

Soon she stepped away and smiled. "Thank you."

Gratified that Brennan trusted him, Booth returned her smile. "Hey, what are partners for? I have your back and you have mine. It's the nature of all partnerships . . . Bones, look I'm sorry I didn't tell you that Cam and I are dating. She's your boss and I didn't want you to think that changed anything between us. You're still my partner and my friend and you can count on me. Nothing has changed. Nothing at all."

She wanted to believe him and for now she would. He hadn't done anything to betray her trust and she hoped he never would.

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