Disclaimer: I wish. But no.

AN: And the amazing 2 months later…here it is! I suck at keeping up with things, I hope you'll forgive me. But I'm hoping to get this story done soon, because I read a (SPOILER) spoiler for a future episode that talked about Parker's life being endangered, so I want to get this story wrapped up before then so I can say that whatever happens in the show…I didn't steal the idea!

Enjoy.

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Without You – Chapter 14

Booth had gone to the Mattia household with backup to try and get to Parker before they left for wherever they were going. When he got there, all he found was Mrs. Mattia, the woman who had answered the door before. She was beaten and bloodied, and told them that John had already left with Parker. She hadn't known where they'd gone.

Booth impatiently sat at his desk, trying to put his mind to other things besides Parker.

Don came in. Finally.

"I got his credit card records, Booth. Two airline tickets purchased to Los Angeles, and two park-hopper tickets to Disneyland-California Adventure and a 3-night stay at the Candy Cane Inn. The flight he bought was scheduled to leave at two this afternoon."

"That's means I've still got time. You're the best, Don."

"That's why I still have my job. Want me to get you two tickets to LA while I'm here?"

"Two?" Booth asked.

"You and your lady scientist. I can get 'em quick."

"The case…Doctor Brennan has nothing to do with it."

Don shrugged. "So?"

Booth thought for a minute. "Yeah," he finally decided. "Go ahead and buy two." He'd invite her if she wanted to come, but doubted it. Better safe than sorry, especially trying to mend that relationship as he was. And if she didn't want to come, the taxpayers would never know.

"I'll be three minutes," Don promised.

Booth took out his cell phone and pressed the speed dial.

-

"I know I'm not the most insightful person in the world, Ange, but I think he's into you," Brennan said right before her phone started ringing.

Angela rolled her eyes. "He so is not," she denied from the other end of Brennan's couch.

Brennan just smiled, and continued to smile when she saw Booth on her caller ID. "Brennan," she answered.

"Come to California with me."

"What?" she asked in disbelief.

"You heard me."

Angela perked up. "Why would I go to California with you?"

"Parker's there. I'm leaving in an hour. I have an extra ticket if you want it."

Though Angela didn't even hear the reasons, she had already gotten up to start packing Temperance's bag. "How many days?" she yelled from her bedroom.

"How many days do you think?" Brennan asked.

"Pack for three."

"Three!" Brennan relayed to Angela.

"I'm on it!" came from the back room.

"Booth, I don't have anything to do with the case. Parker's not dead," Brennan reasoned.

"You said you wanted to help. I was just giving you the chance if you wanted it."

"No, Booth, I want to come…it's just, Cullen doesn't like me very much and doesn't he think we're not partners any more?"

"Cullen's not buying me the tickets."

She could tell he was smiling. "Alright."

"So, you'll come?" Booth asked.

"Yeah."

"I'll pick you up in twenty minutes."

-

"Angela, do not pack those," Temperance said, taking the handful of lacy things from Angela and putting them back in her underwear drawer.

Angela just smiled at her. "I was just trying to help."

Once her bag was packed and Angela slipped a few fun things in there without Brennan knowing about it, they resumed their places on the couch.

"Angela…I'm sorry I made you go through everything you did."

Angela smiled forgivingly. "You and Booth got me out. I knew you would." She obviously didn't want to talk about it, though, for she changed the subject. "So why is Booth taking you to California?"

"He said that Parker's there."

"You don't have anything to do with Parker's case. He's not dead."

"That's exactly what I said, but he didn't seem to care."

That smile crossed Angela's face again. "He wants you there when he's reunited with his son," she sang, swaying back and forth.

"I don't understand the things he does, Ange."

"Well, honey, you've got a ten hour flight to try and figure it out."

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Moving to answer it, Brennan had a last minute thought that she mentally kicked herself for not thinking before.

"Ange, are you sure you're gonna be alright without me here? Because I can just stay here and…"

Angela gave her a little push towards the door. "Go save Parker. I'll be fine."

-

Booth gave her the up-down when she opened the door.

"What?" she asked him self-consciously.

He smirked and shook his head. "Nothing," he said, taking her bag out of her hands. To his surprise, she let him.

Brennan said her goodbye to Angela and the two of them began walking down the hall of her apartment building. But she wasn't about to let the up-down go. "Why did you look at me like that?"

"Like what? I didn't do anything, really." He knew she knew he was lying. The truth was, he thought her choice of clothes was especially nice, and he liked the way they fit her. But he wasn't about to tell her that.

"Fine," she said, giving up all too easily.

"What? That's it?"

"What's it?

"You aren't going to argue me to death?"

"Why would I do that?" she asked, turning her head away from him to tell him to drop the subject. She really was done arguing. That was most definitely a first. She had sped up a little, so Booth hurried to catch up with her.

"Did I do something?" he asked.

"No. Why?"

"Because I think that I just witnessed the first time in your life that you didn't get the last word in, and just dropped an argument you could have easily won."

"I didn't feel like arguing, and you looking at me isn't something I'm going to get angry about. You're a guy, I understand."

As they reached his car and got inside, Booth continued. "But you should be angry about that, because you know, what if it wasn't me? What if it was some rapist in some alleyway giving you the up-down? I mean, if you don't care when it's me, then maybe you won't care when it's a different situation."

Temperance smiled.

"What?"

She held up two fingers. "Two things. One: could you ever see anyone getting their hands on me if I didn't want them to? And two: I just got you to admit that you were looking at me and doing more than just looking at me."

Booth nodded and smiled. She had gotten him fair and square. "By avoiding the topic you got me to tell you exactly what you wanted to know. That's good. See? You're learning this whole interrogation thing.

"I learn from the best."

"But what do you mean 'I'm a guy'? Like that explains everything I do?"

"When it comes to who you look at like that, yes."

"Alright, you know what? I like your clothes tonight. I think they fit you nicely. That's why I gave you the up-down."

Brennan smiled. "Angela picked them out. She said you'd like them."

"Angela's a very smart woman."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Knowing he could catch her off guard and make her say the implied, he had to ask. "You dress to please me?"

Her head turned as fast as he guessed it would. "What? No…I…I never said that. Well, yes, tonight, but not always."

Booth just smiled. "It's okay. I appreciate the consideration."

Brennan looked down at her hands. "I just wanted to make this as easy and pleasant a trip as possible for you. You deserve this to work out perfectly."

"I'd say it's off to a good start then, wouldn't you?"

"I tried."

"It's okay, Brennan. You did good."

-

Though she knew no one who particularly enjoyed redeye flights, Brennan knew the flight would be at least tolerable when Booth found out they had first class seats. The FBI having bought the tickets and all, she had unintentionally prepared herself for a chair with one foot of leg room that had a reclining position of ninety degrees. The first class tickets had been a present from the Bureau to Booth and was, needless to say, an incredibly pleasant surprise.

Though, compared to Booth, Brennan hadn't done a whole lot in the previous days, she was still overcome with tiredness the moment she sat down in the oversized way-too-comfortable chair.

She woke up God knows how much later when her pillow got up to stretch his legs. She could tell that Booth had tried not to wake her by replacing himself with a real pillow, but the movement had woken her up anyway.

Booth was standing in the aisle right by his chair when she finally opened her eyes. He looked sorry. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"Oh, no, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you. Sorry. How long was I gone?" Brennan asked.

"About an hour," Booth said, checking his watch and taking his seat again.

"So what are we going to do when we get there?"

Booth pulled the file he had obviously been studying from the back of the seat in front of him. "The team at the Bureau looked at credit card transactions and found a room purchased at the Candy Cane Inn for tonight and tomorrow night. We'll start there."

Brennan was surprised by how cool he was being, but knew it was a façade. She reached out and put a supporting hand on his arm. "I know this is hard for you, Booth."

"Yeah," he said shortly, brushing her hand off his arm and standing up again, leaving her without another word.

Though hurt, Brennan mostly felt bad for making him feel uncomfortable and overstepping her bounds. They had started to go back to how they were before, and she had stopped paying attention to the boundaries she had made with her screw-up. She vowed not to do it again, and let him reach out to her instead when he felt comfortable.

When Booth returned with shifty eyes that never met hers, she pretended to go to sleep to give him his space. She noticed he was tense, but knew he had a reason to be.

As Brennan sat in her chair with her eyes closed, she listened to Booth, trying to figure out what he was doing, what he might be feeling. He kept sighing and what sounded like scrubbing his hand over his face, so Brennan could tell that he was frustrated and tired. Again, with good reason.

"I know you're not asleep, Brennan. You can stop pretending."

Brennan slowly sat up. "Sorry. I just wanted to give you some space."

"I appreciate your concern, but it's not necessary." Booth placed his hands behind his head. "I don't need your pity."

Feeling as if she'd been slapped in the face for the second time that flight, Brennan looked away and fell silent for a long while, staring out to the dark blackness of nothing through her window. About an hour later, she finally spoke.

"I wasn't trying to give you pity."

"What?" Booth asked, obviously forgetting what was said an hour earlier.

"You said you don't need my pity. I wasn't trying to give it to you. I was trying to offer the help I can give."

"Look, Brennan," Booth said, leaning forward in his seat. "I need your help on the case, I need your brain. I don't need your sad attempt to care and actually feel like a human. I'll deal with that."

Again, a stinging slap in the face.

"Okay," she said quietly, sinking in her chair, trying to be angry instead of hurt so bad she felt like bawling and screaming at the same time.

Booth quickly realized his mistake. "Brennan…I didn't mean it like that…"

"No…I really think you did. I really think you've been speaking your mind this whole time. And that's okay. I get it," she said quietly.

"Brennan, I've been living with my foot in my mouth recently. I'm nervous about Parker. I'm sorry I've been taking it all out on you."

Finally gaining some confidence and anger, she finally let him have it. "I'm done being your bitch, Booth. I am done getting blamed for everything, when I'm just trying to help you."

The captain came over the intercom. They'd be landing in a short 10 minutes. Thank God.

"Can't you just take a little responsibility for this? You kept information pertinent to my son's case! I can't just forget that," Booth said.

"I told you eventually and I have claimed responsibility for everything over and over, Booth! I know that a lot of this is my fault. I've punished myself, you've punished me, and I'm willing to take a little more. But will you just make up your mind?"

"Make up my mind?" Booth asked.

"Do you forgive me of not? Do you want my help or not? You seemed perfectly fine with me before we got on the plane, maybe even better than fine. So just stop fucking around with me and tell it to me straight." Brennan looked at him, waiting for an answer.

Booth fell silent. The plane landed and taxied around in the silence that fell between them.

"I'm getting a flight back to DC, Booth. I'm sorry you can't accept my help." Brennan grabbed her bag and was the first one off the plane.

Booth was left with the acceptance of her apology and help hanging on the tip of his tongue. His mind told him to run after her, but his body couldn't move. His gut gave him the strange feeling, the inexplicable feeling, that the words he wasn't able to say would be left that way. And though he didn't know why he felt that, it scared him.

Unspoken, possibly forever.

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AN: My birthday's tomorrow. Reviews?