Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, this would DEFINITELY be a plotline.

Author's Notes: I think I really like this one. The whole thing with the flashbacks and non-flashbacks, and the emotion...Yeah. XD


A HOLE IN THE WORLD

Six Weeks Before

"I'll be fine," Brennan said. She smiled warmly at her friends. Angela shook her head.

"Bren, with Booth not here to convince you otherwise, it's our job to convince you not to go." Brennan sighed.

"Ange, now is the perfect time to go. Booth's going to be undercover for another month or so, and I'm going to be back within three weeks, providing everything goes well. He won't even find out I was gone."

"It's not a good idea," Zach interrupted. "You should wait until Agent Booth gets back."

"If Booth gets back he'll do everything he can to stop me. I don't want to be stopped," said Brennan.

"Maybe he could go with you?" suggested Angela. Brennan sighed.

"I've identified victims of genocide in third-world countries before. Without Booth," she said.

"Yeah, but that was before he stepped into the over-protective male role," Angela said.

"It wasn't quite 'protective' of him to accept an undercover mission and leave this place for six months," Hodgins put in.

"Don't you dare imply that Booth abandoned us," Brennan said icily. "He didn't have a choice. He had to accept it." Hodgins, taken aback by Brennan's outburst, stepped back warily. "Now I'm going," said Brennan. "I'm packed, and my flight's in three hours. I'll be back," she said.

Six Weeks Later

The Jeffersonian Institution's Medico-Legal lab looked quite abandoned as Booth stepped out of the cab he had taken. He paid the fare, tipped the cabbie, and slowly walked towards the building. He sighed. "It's the homecoming I've always dreamed of," he muttered to himself. Maybe I should have called, he thought. He hadn't talked to any of them in six months. But no—he wanted to see the look on Brennan's face when she saw him walk into the lab. He smiled slightly, remembering the goodbyes that they had said to each other.

"So, this is it," Brennan said. Booth nodded.

"This is it." They both paused for a moment, watching each other closely. "I don't know what to say," said Brennan. Booth shook his head.

"Then don't." There was another momentary silence. "Listen, I'm sorry, Bones," said Booth. "I know after everything you've been through with men in your life, I promised I'd never leave you."

"You'll be back," said Brennan. Booth nodded.

"I will." Brennan smiled slightly.

"Then you're a step ahead of every other man in my life." Booth laughed and looked down. He heard the final boarding call for his flight.

"That's, uh…my flight," he said. Brennan nodded understandingly. He smiled at her. "I'd tell you to keep in touch, but, you know, the whole no-contact thing…" He trailed off. "Be seeing ya, Bones." Booth turned away from her, walking off in the direction of his gate. He tried not to look back, but when he did, she was already walking away.

"Hello?" Booth called as he entered the lab. There was no sign of his friends. "Bones? Squints?" He paused. "Anyone?" The only people he'd seen had been the two security guards. He walked towards the direction of Brennan's office.

There they were. Angela, Hodgins, Zach, and Cam were all gathered around Brennan's desk. Brennan wasn't there, from what Booth could see. He stood in the doorway. "Squint party?" he asked. All taken by surprise, they looked up.

"Booth," said Angela quietly.

"You don't have to act so happy to see me," Booth said, grinning slightly. Angela stood up and walked over to Booth, wrapping her arms around him tightly. He smiled. "On the other hand, it's not so bad," he said, hugging her back. She pulled away after a few seconds and Booth saw that tears were running down her face.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, laying a hand gently on her cheek. He paused. "Where's Bones?"

"She left," said Angela, her voice quavering. "She went to identify victims of genocide in Brazil."

"What?" Booth was shocked. "You let her leave? How—when is she going to be back?" Angela shook her head sadly.

"She's not." Booth frowned.

"What? She's staying? Why would she—" He froze as he realized the meaning of her words. "Oh God," he said quietly.

"We got the call three weeks ago. On—on the day she was supposed to return," said Angela, her voice thick with tears.

"She's dead," said Zach quietly. Angela whipped around.

"Missing," she corrected. "…Presumed dead," she added quietly after a few seconds. When she turned around, Booth was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. His head rested in his hands. Dead.

"They're almost positive they found her remains, but no one can completely confirm it, because…she's not there, obviously," said Zach. Hodgins stood up and went to Angela, taking her hand. She closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder.

"We just have to be strong for him," he whispered. Angela nodded. Hodgins gently broke away from her and turned to Zach and Cam, nodding at them. They understood his gesture for them all to leave and for Brennan's two best friends to be alone. The three of them slowly filed out of Brennan's office.

Angela went to sit down next to Booth. It scared her to see him like this. She knew he cared for Brennan, but she wasn't prepared to see him break down in front of her.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. Booth stared at the floor.

"All those times—" he began. "—all those times I was there to save her and…I always told her I'd never let anything happen to her. That she would always be safe, as long as I was there. I guess I was right, because the second I'm not there…" He trailed off.

"It's my fault," whispered Angela. "I let her go." Booth shook his head.

"It's not. It's not your fault. And it's not mine." Booth put his arm around her shoulders, trying to offer comfort even when he needed it as well. "Someone once told me—there are things in this world which are out of our control. Sometimes we like to blame ourselves for them so we can make sense out of them." He swallowed. "It's not our fault." Angela nodded, leaning against his chest a little. There was silence for a few minutes before Booth broke it. "She was so annoying," he said quietly. "There were times when she drove me up the wall. But then there were times when I loved her more than anything else on this earth…She was my best friend." He shook his head. "It feels like there's a hole in the world. Like nothing else matters except that she's not here."

"I know," said Angela quietly. Booth stood up suddenly, and she looked up at him, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"My bags are still packed," said Booth. "I'm taking Zach—he can identify the remains. We're going to Brazil."

8 PM that night – Dulles International Airport

Booth couldn't believe what the hell he was doing. Deciding to go to Brazil was one of the most impromptu decisions he had ever made. And now he was standing in the ticket line, wondering if Brazil had a tourist season and if this was it. He doubted it. Zach stood behind him, fidgeting impatiently, but Booth ignored him. All of a sudden Booth's cell phone rang. He picked it up quickly.

"Booth."

"Booth?" He recognized the voice. He would know it anywhere. It was Brennan.

"…Bones?" he asked. "Bones, is it you?"

"It's me," she said quietly. "Booth…"

"Bones, where are you?"

"I made it," she whispered. "I'm at the airport. A pay phone." Shit. Booth dropped his luggage where he stood and started to run. He was stopped at the security screening section, but he flashed his FBI badge and they let him through.

She was at the first pay phone he saw. She looked like hell. Her hair was disheveled, her khakis dirty and bloodied, and she was wearing a white tank top. She dropped the phone as soon as she saw Booth. He didn't stop running until he got to her, wrapping his arms around her as tightly as he could and holding her close to him. She closed her eyes, sobbing against his shoulder and clinging to his shirt. "Booth…" This time he wasn't holding her for her comfort, but for his. She was alive. After what seemed like an eternity they pulled slightly apart and Booth grasped both of her hands in his, looking her in the eyes.

"Bones, you were—"

"Missing. Presumed dead," she said. He saw where tears had streaked her face and he moved one of his hands up to her face, firmly brushing away the tears with his thumb. "And you know how I don't like it when people jump to conclusions." She cracked a smile through the tears.

"How did—what—what happened? How did you get—" Booth started to ask too many questions at once, but he stopped himself. "Tell me later," he said. Brennan nodded and he pulled her back into his arms, slowly rocking her back and forth. She closed her eyes, feeling what she knew she should have felt the day that he left. "You were dead," he whispered, as tears sprang to his eyes. She leaned her head against his chest.

"Not anymore."


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