Okay. So. Booth has found out. What's he gonna do. Find Bones of course.
Booth pounded on Brennan's door one more time and when no one answered, he leaned his forehead against the cool wood. She didn't really want to leave, did she? He took a deep breath, expelled it back out in a whoosh, and headed to his SUV. There was only one other place where Bones might be.
Brennan popped the knuckles on her right hand and looked at what she had done so far. For the past three hours, she'd been gluing piece by piece, shattered fragments of the skull. The left parietal had caused some problems, but she'd quickly fixed that. Gingerly, she touched the right brow bone and wondered what had caused the deep nick. A knife would be the first assumption.
Sighing, she looked around her. Nearly everyone had left for home. Everyone except her. Not that that had ever been different. She'd practically been living here since she stepped through those doors. Her mind drifted to the Perkins Institute. A part of her very dearly wanted to go. It was the part that had never learned enough, that had never seen enough, that had never needed anyone. The other part of her, the small part, wanted to stay. It was the part that had learned everything here, that had saved lives, that had wanted to reach out for someone to hold.
Time was clicking down. Brennan still felt as confused as before. She was nowhere near making a decision, and that worried her. This decision should not be so complicated. It was either a yes or no question. So, why couldn't she say either?
Booth flashed his badge to the security guard and nearly ran through the glass doors. As he entered the lab, he mentally sighed. She was there. She was right in front of him, working on what she knew best: bones.
He flipped his card out and swiped it cleanly, though, he would have sworn he felt it tremble just the slightest.
"Bones."
She turned around, frowning.
"What are doing here?"
He ignored the question and walked up to her.
Control yourself, he said to himself. The last time he'd gotten angry he'd gotten a black eye. He didn't need a matching pair. Booth found a stool and placed it beside Brennan's.
"I just talked to Cam, Bones."
"And why do I care?"
"Because she told me you were leaving."
"What? What!?"
"Gail Perkins offered you a job."
Brennan started. Okay, not the way this was supposed to go.
"I haven't accepted."
"You haven't said no either."
She shut her mouth. That was the truth.
"Now," Booth drummed his fingers on his thigh, " I'm going to give you twelve seconds to tell me why you didn't tell me."
"Twelve seconds?"
"Ten."
"I'm not about to play this game with you, Booth."
"Brennan, this is not a game."
His voice had turned so dark that Brennan had to tell herself not to wince. Oh, he was seething. She could see it in the way his mouth was tight, the way his eyes were unmoving, and the way he wrapped his hands tight together.
"I was going to tell you."
"Then, how is it that I heard about it from Cam."
"She wasn't supposed to tell you."
"But she did!"
Brennan cursed Cam in that moment. But she also cursed Booth.
"Can you calm down?"
He stood suddenly and began pacing.
"Calm down? You want me to calm down? I just found out that you might be moving across the ocean, and you couldn't even tell me?"
"I was going to tell you!"
"Then why didn't you?"
Why hadn't she, she wondered. She had told herself she was going to pick up the phone and call him. Not once had she even touched it, though.
"Come on Bones! Tell me why?"
"I don't know. Maybe because you've been too busy spying on me?"
The look on his face told her that he believed it. He believed she had lost all her trust in him. But, now that she was calm, she knew she hadn't.
"I just needed more time, Booth. That's it."
"For what? To string me along?"
"What are you trying to say?!"
"You didn't tell me! Do you know what that says to me? It says I don't care enough to tell you about one of the most important events in my life! It says that you don't care about the times I saved you! And it says, you don't like being here! With us! With me!"
His chest heaving, he glared down at Bones and then moved his gaze to the partially put together skull. Involuntarily, he reached for it. In his hand, it felt small and fragile. As he looked to Brennan again, he could feel his fingers tighten. He could smash this. Right now. On this floor. Her work. Her obsession. The idea came so suddenly and forcefully, that he made the motion without even realizing it.
Brennan had seen what he would do. Part of her was shocked, but the other part knew he was a loose cannon. His arm swung back and she raced forward and grabbed the skull out of his hand. As she cradled it, she knew she had gone beyond reproach. He was right. And now it was his turn to be mad.
A look of surprise crossed Booth's face as he realized what he'd almost done. He rubbed a hand over his face, careful to avoid his eye, and sat down tiredly with a dejected sigh.
Brennan cradled the skull in her arms, trying to judge if it was safe, and also sat down. Then, she waited.
"You know, Bones," he tried a laugh. "After all that we've been through, I guess I just thought that you would care enough."
"I do, Booth."
"Do you?"
"The bonds created in life and death situations are some of the strongest to exist. Bonds formed over extended periods of time are just as strong. They don't wear down easily and they don't disappear into thin air."
He looked at her for a moment, then let his gaze travel down to the harmless skull.
"Then why didn't you tell me? Why did you make me find out from Cam? Why did you tell everyone but me?"
She laid the skull back on the table.
"I didn't know how to tell you."
"So you just didn't? What were you going to do? Leave me a note telling me to get a new partner since you're leaving for England?"
"No. I was going to tell you. I just wasn't prepared for it."
He raised his head and looked at her.
"I haven't made a decision. Ha. I don't even know how many times I've said that today."
Could he reason with her? Say that the Jeffersonian and the Perkins Institute were basically the same? He wanted to tell her that there was no reason to go. What could be so wrong here, that she needed to move across an ocean? But he knew she wouldn't tell him. There was still so much she just couldn't tell him.
"Do you want to go?"
"Part of me does. I can learn so much more."
"Without us?"
"Not like that, Booth. It doesn't mean that."
Booth nodded his head and looked at his fingers. This was her choice. Hers, and hers only. Standing, he nodded his head again.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Bones."
I know. It's sad. Well, it was for me atleast. But we've got four more chaps to go.