(After 'The Beginning in the End')
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He saw her standing next to Daisy, checking her watch and looking around as if searching for someone or something. He didn't know if she was looking for him, but that didn't matter he supposed. He was there and he wasn't going to let her leave without saying something to her. He just didn't know what that something was.
She checked her watch for the tenth time and she knew he wasn't coming. Their conversation in the park flashed into her mind. We can come back and pick up where we left off. Nothing really has to change and Booth's reply came back to haunt her, 'No, things have to change'. She knew she had hurt him when she turned him down in front of the Hoover, but she had done that to protect him. In turmoil at the time, she had been too afraid to commit to a permanent relationship with him or anyone else and he didn't seem to understand that. Wary of personal entanglements, she feared that her inability to have an open heart would destroy everything she had between her and Booth. She had never been good when it came to change and now, she knew that things were going to change even though she had tried to stop it. Change was inevitable. She should have remembered that.
Her flight was being announced and he knew he was running out of time. Afraid he was going to miss his moment, Booth began to jog. He had to speak to her before she left. He needed to know that what they were doing was right for both of them. Finally, in her presence he stopped and removed his cap. "Sorry, I couldn't get a pass. I had to sneak off the base to come and say goodbye."
Her heart was beating wildly. He had come after all. He was standing before her clean shaved, wearing his uniform and she suddenly felt afraid. She knew that Booth was a warrior and he would be a hero even if that wasn't something he planned to do. It was second nature for him and she feared this would be the last time she would ever see him.
Uncertain, Booth was worried that Brennan's silence was condemnation. Maybe she hadn't wanted to see him. She was leaving for Maluku to get away from him, he knew that. She hadn't told him that, but things had gone wrong outside the Hoover when he had asked her to take a chance and they had continued to go downhill from there. He had pushed her that night when she wasn't ready and he knew that this separation was the consequence of his poorly spoken words and actions. He couldn't change those minutes and they were all going to bear the consequences. "Listen Bones, you got to be really careful in that Indonesian jungle . . . Okay?"
She almost laughed even though he hadn't said anything funny. Perhaps it was the irony of what he had said that made her want to laugh or perhaps cry. Confused, she didn't really know what she was feeling at that moment. "Booth, in a week you're going to be in a war zone. Please don't be a hero." She was so afraid he was going to die without her there to back him up. "Please don't be a hero. Please just be you."
Almost speechless, Booth felt like she was seeing something in him that wasn't there. Or am I wrong? He took her hands in his hands and forced himself to remain calm and polite. "One year from today, we meet at the reflecting pool on the mall."
His words were hopeful, but she felt far from that. She felt bereft. She had made a decision to separate herself from someone that she valued and probably loved, but it had been her decision to make. No one had forced her to except the offer to join the dig. This was all her doing. "The coffee cart, I know."
"One year from today." He didn't know what else to say and her flight was being called again. It was time for her to leave and he needed to get back to the base before anyone noticed he was gone. He watched her glance at their friends while they stood and waited to say their final goodbyes.
Torn, not sure if she was doing the right thing, Brennan smiled at Cam, at Hodgins and Angela and then turned to watch Booth walk away from her. She wanted to stop him, she wanted to make him stay, but she knew she had pushed him away and he was moving on. Maybe she could have found a better way to explain why she had turned him down, but she couldn't undo the past. They were leaving for different parts of the globe and they wouldn't see each other for a year. Reluctantly, she turned and walked toward the gate leading to her flight. She didn't feel the sense of excitement she thought she should. Her thoughts were mixed up and she didn't seem to be able to unscramble them into a more logical train of thought. She hadn't felt this uncertain since she had been a teenager and she had been told her parents had disappeared. She hadn't understood what that meant for her future and now she was living that uncertainty again.
He walked away and he knew that he didn't have a choice. Brennan was on the way to Indonesia and he was on the way to Afghanistan and it wasn't something he could stop.
Stumbling, he slowed and then stopped, pausing for a moment. I can't do it. Turning, he saw Brennan disappearing in to the crowd and he moved back towards her. A sense of urgency taking over, he ran and caught up with her. Pulling on her arm, he stopped her. "Bones . . . Bones, don't."
"Don't what?" She turned and looked into his deep brown eyes. Eyes that seemed to convey so much to her or least that seemed true sometimes. "Don't do what, Booth?"
"Don't go . . . Stay. I want you to stay." Booth felt his heart beating wildly in his chest. Desperate for her to understand, he did the only thing he could think to get his meaning across. He kissed her.
At first, she was surprised. His lips were pressed against her lips and she was responding. She placed her hand behind his head and pressed her lips firmly against his. The kiss wasn't erotic nor was it meant to be. This kiss, their fourth shared kiss was a promise. Time stopped for them. The noise from the people surrounding them faded into the background while they continued to kiss. Finally, they separated and stared into each other's eyes. They had a decision to make and it had to be mutual.
"Bones." He didn't know what to say. His words outside the Hoover had been the wrong words and he was terrified that he might make the same mistake.
She heard the desperation in his voice and she knew she was feeling the same emotion. "Booth."
They stood there staring at each other not sure what they should do. Slowly the sounds of the crowd around them returned and they knew that they needed to do something.
Frantic, Daisy rushed up to Brennan and grabbed her arm. "Dr. Brennan we're going to miss our flight. We have to run if we're going to be on our flight."
"If you wish to go then run Daisy, but I'm not going." Brennan continued to stare at Booth. "I'm staying."
His racing heart calmed down and Booth smiled. "I have to report back to my base, but I have some connections at the Pentagon, Bones and I'm going to find a way to tear up my contract. I want to stay too."
"I understand." Brennan moved closer to Booth and placed her arms around him. "I know it will be easier for me to stay than it will be for you, but even if you have to go, I'm staying Booth. I will wait for you and when you return, we will have a lot to talk about."
"Yeah, we will." Booth hugged her and felt that the world finally made sense to him. "They may make me go, but I'll come back as soon as I can . . . ride with me to the base. We can take a cab and talk on the way. We have things we need to say."
Understanding what he was saying, Brennan nodded her head and turned to face their friends who were staring at them in stunned silence. "My bags are on the flight and I can't stop that. I'm staying, Cam. I hope that won't upset your plans for the Lab."
"Uh, no." Cam shook her head. "No, it's alright. I can change them."
"Good." Brennan smiled at Hodgins and Angela. "I will be in to work tomorrow. I know you plan to go to Paris. I will miss you and I hope you will return." Her arm looped around Booth's arm she began to walk down the broad hallway to the exit. "I will send an email to Dr. Sinaga to let him know that I have to drop out of the project. I'll follow that up with a letter . . . You must keep me apprised of your situation while we are separated."
Feeling overwhelmed, Booth continued to walk down towards the exit with Brennan. "Yeah, we're going to talk about the possible things that might happen, but I promise Bones, I will not be gone a year. That's not going to happen."
As they walked down the hallway, their progress was followed by their friends. Her hands on her hips, Daisy shook her head in annoyance. "I want to go to Maluku . . . Dr. Brennan was going with me."
The final boarding call was being announced for her flight and everyone knew that Daisy wasn't going anywhere. Hodgins cocked his head to the side. "You've missed your flight. I can have my plane fly you to Maluku if you don't want to wait for another flight."
Torn, Daisy chewed on her bottom lip and finally nodded her head. "Thank you, Dr. Hodgins. I believe I will take you up on that offer. Someone has to go and represent the Jeffersonian."
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