(After the Woman in Limbo)

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I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Bracing herself for a possible argument, Brennan decided to confront Booth while he was in a good mood. After all, I can usually count on him being in a good mood when he's eating."I'd like to take a few weeks of vacation and go visit Russ and his family in North Carolina." Brennan sat at the table and waited to see how her boyfriend would respond.

"Alright." Booth picked up a piece of bacon and folded it. "I think you should try to get to know him better. You two have a lot of catching up to do." Damn I hope a few weeks doesn't mean more than two.

Surprised, Brennan stared at Booth and started to worry that she might not understand his reasoning behind his acceptance. Is he tired of me already? He agreed to that rather quickly."Of course if you'd like me to wait until later, I can put it off for a while." She hated feeling insecure, but her past had a way of making her question everyone's motives around her, even if she loved them.

Before he popped the bacon into his mouth, Booth placed his hand over her hand and smiled. "No it's okay. I know you have a hell of a lot more vacation time than I do. I can't go with you to see Russ anyway because we're just partners as far as the world is concerned, so putting it off won't change anything." Damn it."You go and have fun. I'll be fine." Releasing her hand he popped the bacon into his mouth and started to cut up his fried eggs. I wonder if I can drive down there on the weekend that she's gone and meet her at a hotel for some quality time.

Her upper lip trapped between her teeth, Brennan watched Booth eat his slice of bacon. Once he swallowed it, Brennan sighed. "Alright, if you don't think you need me here . . . I'll make plans to go." Perhaps he's just being generous. I know he wants me get closer to Russ.

Her voice sounded odd and that made Booth stop eating. Staring at her, Booth tried to decide if she was upset with him or not. Okay, what am I doing wrong?"Bones, it's just a vacation. You know I'm going to take two weeks in July and go camping with Parker. You can't go with us for the same reason I can't go with you to see Russ. We have to pretend we're just partners or they might break us up. The FBI has rules about fraternization."

"I understand." The words he was using sounded logical and yet she felt strange and yes worried. "I will be gone for two weeks." Perhaps I shouldn't go.

Her voice low and filled with uncertainty, Booth realized that Brennan had probably expected a different reaction from him. "Um, Bones, look, you want to go see Russ and I think you should too, but I know you have to know that I'm so going to miss you. You know I love you and I'd rather be with you. Damn it's going to be so fucking tough on me while you're gone, but he's your family too and you really need to meet his kids." Thank God, two weeks. I can handle two weeks.

Surprisingly, he had spoken the words that she needed to hear, not that she knew that until he had said them. A smile on her face, Brennan leaned forward and slipped her hand in his free hand. "And I'm going to miss you too. It will only be for two weeks. That is not really a lot of time if you think about it and like you said earlier, we will have to separate for two weeks when you and Parker go camping." He'll miss me. That is so gratifying. I should be ashamed of myself for being so selfish, but I'm not. He's the only real family I have. "Of course, I'll call you every day."

"Well, it's not the same as being right there with you, but yeah we'll talk every day." He really hated to see her gone for two weeks, but he was lucky she wasn't going on a dig for the summer. "Those two weeks will just fly by, you'll see." Yeah, about as fast as a gnat stuck in syrup. Shit! "So when are you going?"

Brennan picked up her juice glass and paused. "Next Monday. Russ is going to take a week's vacation with his wife Amy. They want to go to the beach I think."

"Okay, so you'll be gone two weeks." Booth grinned and buttered some toast. "Just so you know, I may not let you out of the bedroom this weekend."

Amused, Brennan chuckled. "That seems like an interesting way to spend the weekend, but I will have to relieve myself sometimes and we will both need sustenance."

Now used to Brennan's bluntness, Booth just smiled. "Well, if you have to you have to."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

For the next two weeks, Booth was almost unbearable to be around. He was short tempered and his agents realized it was better to avoid the man if at all possible. They knew his partner was on vacation and most of them realized that that was probably why Booth was in such a foul mood. Considering they worked long hours together, most had assumed that the head of Major Crimes would be happy to take a break from the prickly anthropologist, but they now knew that was a false assumption.

Agent Morris Harris leaned against the doorway to Booth's office and observed the tenseness in Booth's body, the scowl on his face. "You know you work too much. You and Dr. Brennan work so much that I think you've forgot how to relax. Since she's on vacation you need to take advantage of that and do something fun. If you need a date, Susan and I have a friend we could hook you up with. She's great and she has a great sense of humor. Her divorce is final as of last month and she's available to date. Susan told her about you and she's interested."

A scowl on his face, Booth glared at his lieutenant and friend. "I don't need anyone setting me up for dates. I do fine."

"Oh yeah?" Harris walked into the room, closed the door and sat down on the chair near the door. "When's the last time you went on a date? A real date not those lunch things you do with Dr. Brennan or those movie marathons you do on the weekend. You need to get out there and see what's available."

Irritated, Booth closed the folder he had been working with and leaned back against his chair. "I've been dating if it's any of your business, when I have time that is." Booth's scowl disappeared and his features softened. "She's nice, really nice."

Surprised, Harris leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. "Well who is she? Is she someone here in the Hoover?"

"I'm not talking to you about her." Booth gripped the arm rests of his chair and coolly looked at his friend. "My private life is private. I don't want you bothering her or giving her advice about me. She's . . . she's special, she knows about my past and she doesn't care . . . She's the one I've been looking for my whole life."

More than a little shocked, Harris sat up straight. "Wow you're that serious about her? That's great. I'm happy for you . . . when can I meet her?"

Booth shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Right now we're just taking it easy and learning about each other. I'm not going to ruin this because you're nosy."

Amused, Harris stood up and stretched his lower back. "I've never seen you this cautious about someone you're dating before. I'm happy for you, Booth. It's about time."

A smile appeared on Booth's face and with it he relaxed. "Thanks . . . thanks a lot."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

The two weeks were finally over and Brennan walked into Booth's apartment excited to be home. Yes, home. This may be Booth's place, but it is just as much my home as his.

Booth heard the front door open and hurried out of the bedroom. Dressed in jeans and a concert t-shirt, he moved swiftly down the hallway and swept Brennan into his arms. "Welcome home you." Oh my God she's so beautiful.

As Booth picked her up, Brennan dropped her bag and placed her arms around his neck. "I'm glad to be home." Her lips moved closer to his lips and they kissed, eager to taste each other after such a long separation. Slowly, Booth let her down on her feet unwilling to give up their kiss while he did so. Finally, they both separated and smiled. "It was nice visiting Russ, but I missed having sex with you." Booth was right, phone calls were not the same as actually being with him.

"Love, Bones." Booth took her hand in his and pulled her down the hallway. "We make love, which I am about to show you as many times as I can in the next few hours." I may not let her out of my reach for the rest of the day.

Eagerly following him towards the bedroom, Brennan admired her lover's body and the way he looked in his tight fitting shirt. "Well, I will take as many orgasms as I can get, Booth."

As they entered the room, first Booth's phone rang and then Brennan's asked for her attention. "No damn it." Furious, Booth grabbed his phone out of his pants pocket, saw who was calling and realized that he had to answer it. "What? . . . Yes, alright. Dr. Brennan is back in town. I'm going to go by her place and pick her up." Ending the call, Booth exhaled deeply. "Sorry, Bones. I guess we're going to have to wait until tonight. You'd think that Sunday's would be safe for us, but I guess a gross body behind the Treasury Building is freaking out too many people." Damn it.

Disappointed that their plan for a day of welcome home sex was being stymied, Brennan kissed Booth and patted his hip. "Well, this is very disappointing, but hopefully this isn't a murder and we can come home early."

Pulling Brennan back into his arms, Booth kissed her once more deeply and passionately. Once they parted Booth caressed the side of her face. "I missed you so much, Bones. So damn much. I love you."

"I missed you too." Brennan felt her heart beat flutter. I really do love this man. I just wish I could trust myself to tell him that.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

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