Chapter 5

Booth stood there, frozen, for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality, was mere seconds, before he had the presence of mind to get a hold of himself and get her down from there before she fell or worse yet, jumped. He swallowed hard, and licked his lips. Okay….stay calm…he chanted to himself over and over.

Booth quietly walked as close as he felt he dared. What he really wanted to do was run up and throw her over his shoulders and pull her down to safety. He didn't want to startle her though, so he was slow, deliberate.

What the hell was she doing anyway!? Bones wasn't that depressed, was she? She was way too logical to consider suicide! This is totally out of character for her. He frowned at the thoughts that raced through his mind as he tried to make sense of the situation. And what the hell did she toss over the edge anyway? He wondered to himself

"Bones…." He said quietly from behind her, his right hand outstretched towards her, he tried to keep his voice calm, level. He struggled to conceal the panic that threatened to burst forth.

She was standing on the ledge of the building, which was roughly 4 inches wide. She was still wearing those thick-heeled shoes she seemed to favor, and the heel was hanging over the ledge closest to him. The bricks that created an almost wall around the edges of the roof was about 3 feet tall, making her tower over him. He was mentally gauging how long it would take him to lunge forward, grab her and pull her down in case she looked like she was going to jump.

She didn't seem startled as she looked over her shoulder at him, and lowered her arms quickly. Her eyes were glassy, and she had dark circles beneath her them. "Booth….?" She said, confusion evident in her voice "What're you doing here?" her brow furrowed, as she turned to face him fully. He watched her turn her feet so the heels of her shoes were now on the outside of the building. He swallowed again, and forced a smile

"Uh….yeah. Bones you mind coming down off of there?" he said, avoiding her question, and waved her towards him, taking another careful step in her direction.

She looked disoriented for a moment, almost as if waking up and not quite realizing where she was. Her brows still knit together; she paused, and glanced at her surroundings.

"I…." she began hesitantly, and looked at the street below over her shoulder.

"C'mere" he coaxed, taking another step so he was within grabbing distance, his hand still outstretched towards her

Then she stepped down, off the ledge, and stood before him a moment, and without missing a beat, fell into his arms. Booth glanced upward at the heavens and mouthed a silent thank you, as he automatically slipped his arms around her. Her arms were around him, holding him tight, as her face was buried into his coat.

He gently pushed her back away from him, and forced her chin up so he could look into her eyes. "Temperance, what the were you doing up there? How do you think I felt, seeing you up there like that?" he said evenly, suppressing his urge to shout at her, to shake her senseless. Looking more closely, he could see she'd had something alcoholic to drink. Well, that explains a little, anyway, he mused darkly

She met his eyes, and said "I wasn't going to jump, I was just seeing what it felt like, to be up there like that" she said quickly. Too quickly he thought.

"What it felt like…" he echoed disbelievingly, his eyebrows raised

He sighed, and slipped his arm around her, gently leading her towards the door. "Lets get some food. We'll talk okay? Yeah?" he offered at her small nod.

End this chapter.

Huge thanks for all those who took the time to review. It means a lot! – R -