Wendy wasn't at home, and by now, late afternoon, it was anyone's guess when and if she'd be home. Having missed lunch, Booth had bought some food and drink from the gas station across the road, and so waiting for Wendy had become an official stakeout.

Once the last of her sandwich was digested, a comfortable silence filled the car. For all the times that Booth had offered to listen to her problems and for all the times she had declined, her potentially life changing decision still whirred in her mind and she needed someone to talk to.

"Sully asked me to go away with him." Brennan said straight out.

"I guess a weekend away will do the two of you good." He replied, sounding less certain.

"Not for a weekend, Booth. Away on his boat, for many, many months." Brennan confided, not leaving out the worried tone in her voice.

"Months?" Booth said, almost disbelievingly. "That's… long."

"He told me to choose: him or you." Brennan sighed.

"What? Me? Why?" He asked, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

"I think he's jealous. He thinks…" Brennan felt embarrassed as she said it.

"Thinks what?" Booth pried.

"He thinks he has to compete with you for me, or something. I mean, that's crazy, right?" Brennan said, looking to him for the confirmation she both hoped for and dreaded.

"Right." He scoffed, inwardly his stomach twisted. For a split second, he thought he saw Brennan's face fall, though it was gone so quickly, he doubted whether he saw it at all.

"I'm just worried I'm going to lose him over this. He doesn't understand we're just partners."

"Right, partners." Booth repeated, unsure of what to say. It never occurred to him what he'd do if he ever lost Bones, but it wasn't a pleasant thought.

"He needs to know that how I feel about you is different to how I feel about him." She said, more ranting to herself now than asking Booth's advise.

A few moments of silence passed by, before Booth asked, "How do you feel about me?"

She turned to face him, no words coming to mind. "I guess you're my best friend. I'm comfortable around you, I can talk to you." She answered. Although it was the best answer he felt he could have heard, he felt disappointed, trying hard not to show it though. "If I stayed here, that would never change between us, despite the fact that Sully seems to think that –" She stopped abruptly, biting her lip and instantly regretting her words.

"Thinks what?" He pushed.

"Nothing. It's stupid." She shrugged it off, though his hard look told her to tell him the truth.

"Sully suggested, he told me that you're… well, that you have feelings for me. More than platonic feelings." She admitted, looking to him hopefully, not sure what answer she'd get.

"Wow, Bones, that's, er… that's a loaded statement." Booth exhaled, suddenly feeling quite warm and loosened his tie.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have put you on the spot. We work together, of course you don't have feelings for me –"

"I didn't say that." Booth cut in.

"So… you do have feelings for me?" She asked, confused and slightly scared at where this was taking them.

"I didn't say that either." He warned, looking her in the eye.

She blinked, annoyed by his answers. "Booth, it's got to be one or the other, it can't be both."

Booth needed to think: of course he liked Brennan, he'd been crazy about her for ages now, but she was with Sully. Besides, being with her would defy his no professional/ personal crossover relationship rule. Evidently, it was dangerous for her to be with him, no matter how much he needed her, which is why he regretted it as he said, "Bones, you're my partner and my best guy, but…"

"You wouldn't want to cross that line." She smiled bravely, not showing the disappointment she felt.

"But I don't want you to go." He added, locking eye-contact for a brief moment.

"They'll be others who can be your partner if I go." She replied.

"It wouldn't be the same, Bones." He sighed.

"Booth, I can't… I want Sully and me to work out. To do that, I think I have to go with him." She concluded, feeling as unsure as she sounded.

"Do you love him?" Booth held his breath.

Brennan bit her lip and hesitantly replied, "I could. I could love him and I want to try. Work will still be here when I get back."

Booth felt lie saying 'What about me? I don't want you to go', but he knew he had to put her happiness before his discomfort of having her leave him. No matter how deeply he felt for her, he knew he could never act on it. He could never build a future with her; his life was too dangerous. If anything ever happened to Bones he'd never forgive himself.

"When would you go?" He asked.

"Sully's leaving Tuesday, with or without me." She replied pensively.

He looked at her, realizing she'd already made up her mind. "You're going, aren't you?"

She made eye contact with him. "I have to. There's nothing but work keeping me here and I want more than work in my life."

Tell her how you feel, Booth screamed at himself. "But work is… you know, important. You could get rusty."

Brennan smiled. "You're the one always telling me to take a break."

"I meant find a hobby, like knitting." He said, half-joking.

Brennan just smiled. Knowing that Booth would never want anything more than friendship was painful enough without knowing that she would be giving up a real relationship with future for one than would never go anywhere. She couldn't hold out for him forever, it was time for her to stop trying. "I'm going with him."

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