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Chapter 1

Brennan's hands shook slightly as she tried to grip the steering wheel tighter. The traffic was terrible. Which only added to the stress of the day. She looked at herself in her rear-view mirror, her eyes were still a grayish color. She turned her focus back to the road, just in time to stop for a red light.

As her car came to halt at the crosswalk, she noticed her vision blur. More tears clouded her sight.

No.

She couldn't cry now, not so close to work. Not so close to people who might ask what was wrong. She breathed deeply, and straightened her back. Outside, the lugubrious sky hung overhead. Dark gray clouds clearly threatened rain. She held the steering wheel until her knuckles were white. How would she be able to act normal around her friends? Especially Angela and Booth, they could read people as easy as she read books. Once the last child had crossed her path, and the light turned green, she sped up. She drove through the city quickly, maybe if she got there before anyone else, they wouldn't bother her? No, Cam usually got there hours before she did. She slowed her vehicle down to the speed limit, and cruised along the road.

Maybe she could hide in her office? Lock the door, no one would come in... right? Hopefully. As she pulled up to the Jeffersonian, she looked at her palms again. The cuts were just scabs now, easily hidden, if she was careful. Since it was November, she put a scarf on, hiding the bruises around her neck. The only thing she really couldn't hide, was the scratch along her face. How could she explain a gash that long? She sighed. She would have to either come up with something, or ignore it.

She parked, stepped out of her car, and walked inside. As she tried to ignore the stiffness of her joints, she remembered something.

She was supposed to have lunch with Booth. At the diner. Today. They had planed it last night... before she went home.

Dammit. She thought, as a raindrop hit her nose. Today was going to be just... great.

{ L i n e b r e a k }

Since when was it so hard to focus? Why couldn't she remember anything important? Brennan clenched her fists as she looked at a skeleton from limbo. He had obviously been stabbed, three times along his back. But who was he? She sighed, and removed her latex gloves. As she walked back to her office, she looked at her watch. 12:04. She had time.

She sighed again, and sat down on her couch. She rested her head on the arm rest and lifted her feet onto the other side. Having gotten little to none sleep last night, she closed her eyes. Maybe she could just, relax for a minute or two. She left her light on, of course. And the blinds open. She thought about lunch, maybe she could cancel? No, he would realize something was wrong then. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't she bring herself to tell him? She took a deep breath, and crossed her legs.

Maybe he would forget.

"Bones?"

Brennan's eyes snapped open. Booth was sitting on her coffee table, clearly amused that she had fallen asleep on her couch.

"Sorry, I'm up, I'm up," She said, as she sat up.

"Late night?" He asked, holding out a hand to help her up.

She got up by herself, ignoring his question. She couldn't risk him noticing the cuts on her palms. She walked over to her desk, and grabbed her jacket.

"Ready to go?" She asked, waiting by the door.

"Yeah, I'm starving!" He said, putting his hand on the small of her back, leading her out of her office.

Brennan jumped forward at the contact, she had forgotten about the cuts along her back, they stung when he touched them.

"Jumpy today, aren't you Bones?" Booth chuckled.

"No," She stated, quietly.

Brennan noticed Booth looking at her, she turned her head toward his face and met his stare.

"What?" She asked, slightly annoyed.

"What happened to your face, Bones?" He said, concern evident in his tone of voice.

"I scratched it with an edge of my necklace last night, its just a small cut Booth."

"Okay," He said, hurt by her sharp voice.

They walked to his black SUV in silence. Brennan tried to seem as normal as possible, but was clearly failing. Booth had noticed what she was trying to hide so far. She climbed into his passenger seat as he got into the drivers seat. Maybe they could just avoid the subject of her during lunch. She could bring up her limbo skeleton, or her father. Something to distract Booth.

Once they arrived, they went inside and sat down at a small two person table. The waitress took their drink orders and left them alone.

"So, how's your day been so far?" Booth asked, sipping his coffee.

Horrible. "Good."

"I have mounds of paperwork waiting for me back at my office, I'm just glad I was able to escape it and come have lunch with you," He laughed.

"I wish it was the weekend," She said, softly.

"You and me both."

"Or that we at least had a case, or something."

"Yeah, I mean, there's got to be some crime out there."

Brennan couldn't stop her mind from wandering. Crime, that's what she needed to tell him about. She opened her mouth, getting ready to spill her story.

Just then, Booth phone rang. He held his hand up, and reached into his pocket to grab it.

"Booth."

Brennan was annoyed beyond belief. But yet, she felt relieved. She didn't have to say anything.

"Okay, we'll be right there," Booth said, closing his phone with one hand, and standing up.

"Well, your wish came true Bones, we've got a case!"

So, do you think she will be able to hide her secret forever? Is she doing a good job at it now?

Please review!

Next time: Will the case distract Brennan from her problem, or make it worse...?