A huge thank you to all my faithful reviewers! I am so glad you're enjoying this one! Just a few more chapters to go, but I have a few more stories to share with you after that!

Brennan sat at her desk at the Jeffersonian, staring at her computer screen. She was supposed to be working, but her thoughts were on Booth. When she had left him, she had gone home and tried to sleep, but thoughts of him kept running through her mind. She had finally given up, gotten dressed, and came in to the lab. She had tried to immerse herself in her work, but it was no use.

She kept seeing his face, feeling his arms around her, his lips on hers. The words that he whispered as she left. She sat back and ran her fingers through her hair. She didn't know what to do. She knew that she shouldn't have left. She should have at least tried to talk to him, tried to explain. But she had been afraid. She had wanted nothing more than to repeat his words back to him, to tell him that she felt the same way, that she had loved him for so long, but had only realized her feelings as he lay bleeding. When she thought she was going to lose him. But she couldn't, so she had walked out the door.

She hoped he would forgive her, but she just didn't know what to do, what to say. She knew that the relationship that they had shared for two years was gone. With those words spoken, there was no way to go back, but she was too afraid to go forward, to see where it would take them.

She saw what happened when you cared too much. You got careless, like they had in the diner. When she thought he was dying, she regretted the fact that she hadn't told him what he meant to her, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that it was better this way. If they were too emotionally involved, it would distract them. And that was only one problem.

They were so different, too different. That worked well as partners, but as more... She could never change enough, never be what he wanted. She didn't want marriage, or children, and she knew that was important to him. And as far as religion, they were total opposites. These were all rational arguments, why they couldn't be together. So why did she feel so bad? Why did she feel like her heart was breaking?

She just needed time. It had taken her time to get over the loss of her parents, but she had done it. She would get over this too. She had made it this far alone. She could do it again. She had to, for his sake. If she loved him, (and she couldn't lie to herself, she loved him more than she ever thought possible), she had to let him go, to let him find someone who would be all the things she wasn't, who wanted all the things she didn't. Someone who would make him happy.

BBB

Booth paused before hitting the send button. He reconsidered, closed the phone, and sat back. He couldn't call her. Not yet, but the urge to speak to her was overwhelming. He hadn't meant to tell her, but the words had just come out. If the situation had been different, if the events at the diner hadn't happened, he would have done things differently. But everything was so mixed up. He knew her feelings scared her. There was nothing like seeing someone you care about in a dangerous situation, fearing that you could lose them. He knew. He had been there. The fear he had felt when he had realized that Kenton was the killer, and that she was with him. The desperation when she had been buried alive.

He knew the emotions, the thoughts that went through your head. He had been through it with her enough times to know. But Bones, she was too literal, too rational. She would try to talk herself out of what she was feeling. That was the bad thing about letting her go, giving her time. He knew it was what she needed, but it was a gamble. He just had to trust himself that when she did finally talk to him, he could make her see that there was no other solution. They were meant to be together.

BBB

"He told you he loved you, and you just left?!" Angela couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Sweetie, are you crazy?!"

"Look, Ang, I don't really want to talk about it, okay?" Brennan started toward the door.

"Oh, no you don't!" Angela walked over and blocked her escape.

"You just don't rattle off some story about falling asleep at Booth's, then him telling you he loves you, then walk out on me!"

"Angela.." Brennan sighed. "I just don't know what to do." She walked over and sat down on the sofa.

Angela sat down beside her friend. "Sweetie, I can't tell you what to do. I can only tell you that you're making a big mistake if you don't at least try. Booth loves you, anyone with eyes could see that long before now. Talk to him. Tell him how you feel."

"I can't Angela. Booth and I are just too different."

"Just answer me one question. When you thought Booth was dying, what did you feel? Because I can tell you that whatever you felt, Booth was feeling the same thing when you and Hodgins were buried alive. He couldn't have lived with himself if you had died." She got up, and turned to walk out. "Do you really think he's going to let you go now?"

Brennan watched her leave, no closer to an answer than she had been.

BBB

"Booth!" Angela ran out of her office, and hugged him, careful not to hurt him. "It's so good to see you!" She frowned and stepped back. "Should you really be out?"

"Probably not, but you know me. That usually doesn't stop me." He gave her a smile.

Angela smiled back at him. It was impossible not to. "Look, as much as I'm glad to see you, I know you didn't come here to see me." She paused a moment as she looked at him. "She's in her office. Thinking." She put emphasis on the last word.

Booth winced. "She told you"

"Of course she told me! And I didn't have to drag it out of her either. Well maybe a little." She smiled. "Look, because you were shot, and almost died, and are still recuperating, I'll forgive the fact that you didn't follow her and drag her back to your apartment!"

"Angela..."

"You can't just tell her that you love her, then let her go to 'think'!"

"I.."

"You know that she'll just..."

"Angela! Look I know all that. This wasn't the way I wanted to do this, but it happened and I have to deal with it. Besides, if I hadn't let her go, she would have felt pressured, like she was being pushed into a corner."

"I know. You just know how she is. She'll come up with all sorts of reasons..."

"And I'll argue, we'll bicker back and forth, it will be business as usual."

Angela couldn't help but smile at that analogy. It fit them perfectly. "Okay, but you better make sure you win this one."

"Hey, I can be pretty persuasive." He flashed her a charm smile. "I'm going to go prepare my arguments. Don't tell her I came by, okay?" He turned and walked away.

Angela watched him leave. Brennan was pretty tough, but she thought her best friend would be in trouble this time. Even she couldn't resist Booth's charm smile.

I can't image any sane woman being able to resist his smile! lol! Okay, you know what to do! Review, review, review! I'll post the next chapter tonight!