5.

The next morning, she was glad she'd told Booth to meet her for lunch and not breakfast as it was almost twelve by the time she finally got out of bed. She hadn't slept much and she'd had a rather distressing dream involving a handsome FBI-agent and his girlfriend.

When she arrived at the restaurant, she could see Booth sitting at their usual table at the window. He had already ordered and he was enjoying his coffee, so it seemed. She approached him, noticing that he had also gotten her a coffee and pancakes already.

'Morning,' he greeted her.

'Morning,' she answered and sat down. 'thanks for last night. I'm sorry you had to see that.'

'Well, you've had a rough time, I understand. You should've seen the state I was in, way worse.' He realized his mistake shortly after. 'Sorry Bones, didn't mean to bring it all up again.'

'That's fine. It's a problem, so we have to try and solve it.'

He nodded, but he didn't offer any possibilities as to how they would solve this.

Brennan looked at him. 'I want you to know something,' she started. He looked her in the eye, hoping she wasn't going to do anything that might hurt him even more.

'I want you to tell me where you think things are going to go with Hannah.'

He frowned. 'How can I know that? No one knows how a relationship will develop, Bones.'

Her eyes lightened up a bit. That was exactly the answer she'd hoped to get.

'So if I say I'll wait for you, will that not be useless because you know you're going to be with her forever?'

He wondered how she could be so focused when last night, she had been drunk out of her wits.

'I don't want you to be alone because you're waiting for me, Bones.'

She shook her head. 'I want to wait for you. I only want two things, that's to be alone or to be with you. So if you say you are unsure of your future together, I'm saying that that's enough for me.'

He looked at her, tears gathering in his eyes.

'Thank you,' he whispered. She nodded, in her slow, affirmative fashion.

They finished lunch, chatting easily about what they would do today and about the rest of the case. The wife had been brought in for them to question again, Booth had seen her before he'd come to lunch. He told Bones he was sure it was her, and he was confident she'd provide the evidence to prove it.

After lunch, Brennan retrieved to the lab, telling Booth she should look for the evidence while he interrogated the suspect. He had agreed, knowing she just wanted to be alone with her bones to think. He would grant her that, so he left for the Hoover building.

'Did she do this to you?' Brennan found herself talking to the remains, asking them for answers. She'd been doing a lot of that lately, something that she wouldn't have considered good use of time before. However, now she found it helped her focus on where to look and what to look for.

She found a tiny piece of glass lodged in the back of the man's skull. Hodgins analyzed it as glass often used in old style lamps, such as were used at the university. She called this in to Booth, telling him the likely murderweapon. His answer didn't really surprise her.

'I know, the wife has just confessed to murdering her husband. She says she used a green and gold lamp from his desk and then dragged him out into the car, dumped him on top of a train and hoped she'd never see him again.'

He heard Brennan swallow. 'Some love,' she answered and hung up the phone. Booth sighed. He couldn't help but understand where she was coming from, but he wanted to tell her that with them, it was different. He would never hate her. He couldn't. He wanted to protect her, to keep her safe like a favorite doll is protected by a child. This feeling he had for her wasn't just love, and he was almost afraid of its intensity, but he was even more scared of losing it.

That afternoon, Hannah surprised Brennan by showing up at the lab. She'd never been there before and Brennan felt a sting of aggression. Did she have to claim this part of their life as hers as well? This was her territory, and the only place Booth come to just to see her. Now, Hannah was there as well. She had seen the woman enter the department, and as soon as Brennan had seen her, she'd locked the door of her office and gone to Angela's office, which had proper walls instead of the glass substitutes her office had. She had asked Angela to keep Hannah at bay, and Angela had been just as angry as her at the blonde harassing their lab.

Angela approached Hannah with her arms crossed. 'What brings you here?' she stated.

'I need to talk to Temperance,' Hannah stated. She didn't even look guilty or ashamed at the concept and Angela cooked inside. 'And why do you have to talk to Temperance?' she asked again.

Hannah sighed. 'Look, I understand that I am not supposed to be here, I understand this is your field but please. If I can't talk to Temperance I'll talk to you.'

Angela looked at her for a few seconds, then she nodded. 'Talk to me.'

They sat down on a bench on one side of the platform, where Angela and Brennan had often discussed their lovelife.

'I want you to tell Temperance this,' she started. Angela nodded. 'If it will help her, sure.'

'It will. I want you to tell her.. I want her to know that I understand what's going on. I see the strength of what Seeley and her have. I know I have no right to say this, but I'm jealous of it.'

Angela nodded. 'It's strong, between those two.'

Hannah sighed. 'It is. And I know Seeley wouldn't leave me to be with her, but I know deep down he wants to. And I am considering making life easier for him.'

Angela's jaw dropped. 'You're what?'

'I'm prepared to break up with Seeley if that makes him happier. But I need to know where Temperance stands with this. I want her to be with him after I leave. I'm afraid she'll change her mind again, or feel guilty, or whatever. That's why I wanted to talk to her in person, I hoped I could make her understand.'

Angela nodded. 'You were probably right. She won't believe me. I'll get her for you, just wait here.'

Hannah smiled. 'Thank you, Angela.'

While she walked to her office, Angela tried to make sense of stuff herself. Would Hannah really do this? That would be the most loving and selfless act anyone had ever done in her eyes and Angela was amazed. She hadn't thought of Hannah as a particularly selfless woman until now.

She knocked on her door and entered, startling Brennan. 'Ange! What is going on?'

'She really needs to talk to you sweetie. It's important.'

Brennan shook her head. 'I can't.'

Angela walked towards her and put her hands on either side of Brennan's head. 'Look. Would I come to get you if I wasn't absolutely one hundred percent certain this is worth it?'

Brennan stood, effectively putting some distance between her and Angela.

'You're probably right. But don't send me in by myself, Angela.'

Angela nodded and followed her hesitant friend out of her office and towards Hannah, who was sitting on the same bench as where Angela had left her.

Brennan stood in front of Hannah, arms crossed, not saying anything, hoping her self-control would contain her tears long enough for her to hear whatever it was Hannah was here to say.

'Temperance,' Hannah smiled at her. When she got no response whatsoever, she looked down and sighed. 'Look, it's not what you think.'

'You can't possibly know what I think,' Temperance said.

'I can,' Hannah said. 'But I'm not here to argue. I'm here to talk to you about something I think is important for you to know.'

Brennan nodded and sat down on the bench opposite of Hannah. Angela remained standing.

'Just say what you have to say, please,' Brennan said.

Hannah nodded. 'And you just listen, please, and don't doubt what I have to say. Cause it's the truth,' she started. Brennan looked up into Hannah's eyes, seeing that she wasn't lying. She nodded.

'I want to know how you feel about Seeley. I mean, I know you love him, but I want to know how sure you are of your own feelings.' She saw Brennan start to open her mouth to argue with her, so she quickly went on. 'And don't say you don't love him, and don't think I'm saying this to hurt you. I just need to know what you would do if he was yours.'

Brennan frowned, tears in her eyes. What would she do if Booth was hers? What kind of a question was that? And why was she bringing this up?

'I.. I don't understand,' she answered, that being all she could manage.

Angela interrupted. 'Maybe you just have to tell Brennan what you told me.' Hannah looked up at her, nodded, and Angela put a hand on Brennan's shoulder. 'I'll be in my office if you need me afterwards, sweetie,' she said. Brennan looked up at her, eyes teary. 'But..'

'Just listen to her, Brennan. I'm serious.' With that, she left Brennan with Hannah, hoping everything would turn out the way she hoped.

'Ok.. I'll explain everything first,' Hannah said. Brennan nodded. 'That would probably be for the best.'

'So Seeley told me everything there was to know about you two. And however much I loved him for it, it taught me something. He loves you in a way he can never love me. Our relationship is built upon sex, and the love came second. Seeley would never admit it, but it's true and he knows it. With you, the love is raw, pure. You have so much more than I have with him, only without the sex.'

She sighed. 'I'm not saying what I want to say.'

Brennan actually chuckled.

'All right. What I want to say is.. I am going to break up with Seeley. I'm going to set him free. But only when I know that you will be there for him. He needs you, and not for a month of a year, but forever. He depends on you just as much as you depend on him. You have to be there for him,' Hannah said, leaning forward towards Brennan to make sure she got the full meaning.

Brennan couldn't believe it. 'You what? You want to sever your bond with Booth so he can be with me?'

Hannah nodded. 'That would be correct.'

'But.. You love him,' Temperance frowned. 'How could you separate yourself from him?' And then she got it. 'Aah. I see. You are afraid you'll hurt him by loving him.'

Hannah smiled at Brennan. 'See, we're not so different after all. I know I can't make him happy and the thought of having to try but knowing I would never succeed scares the hell out of me. Besides, if he can find real, true love with you, why would I deny him that?'

Brennan smiled at Hannah. 'You are an exceptional woman.'

'You still haven't answered the question,' Hannah countered.

Brennan's mouth tensed, a tear dropping from her eyes. 'I.. I too am afraid.'

'I know,' Hannah told her. 'I know. But you don't have to be. He wants to be there for you, he wants to help you, to guide you into the unknown, to make sure you can be happy.'

'He told you that?'

'No, but it's clear. But when I break up with him, he won't come to you for love. He'll come to you for comfort. You have to give him that, but afterwards, when he is emotionally healed with your help, you have to show him that it's ok for him to be with you. Tell him I did this for him. I will tell him, but I don't think he'll take it from me. He will when you tell him.'

Brennan nodded. 'I can see that. But still..'

'Temperance, please. Just don't be afraid. You were so close a couple of times. Just for one second, forget about your fears. Set them aside again. You did it once, you can do it again. He's worth it, believe me.'

'I just don't want him to be with me because you broke up with him. I don't want us to come together at such a high price for you, do you understand?' Brennan asked.

Hannah nodded. 'But it was never meant to be this way. I wasn't meant to be here. Seeley and I.. It was great but we both knew it was temporary and doomed from the beginning. He was running away from you when he found me and by the time he realized that, he'd convinced you and himself that he loves me. I can make him see that.'

Brennan thought about it for a second or two. Then suddenly everything was clear to her. 'Of course. I understand. He was hurting.' She looked up at Hannah. 'Thank you for coming to me. I will help Booth, even if I am not sure how I can, but I'll try. And he'll help me too, I know he will. Thank you so much, Hannah.'

Hannah nodded at her. 'You're welcome. It's all my fault in the first place. I have a chance to put things right, and it feels good.'

With that, both women stood, came together in a short hug and Hannah turned around and left. Brennan sat back down, frowning, her mind racing over everything it had heard in the past minutes. What had happened? What would happen? Could she adjust? Was this a blessing or a fatal mistake?