A/N: Yes, I was rather nasty leaving the last chapter on a cliff-hanger that way, huh? I haven't done it in a while though, and I must say it felt good. =) Hahaha. As for those interested in the preview… sorry, I didn't find it, it found me. I didn't even want it. It was on the TV commercial. Alright, next chapter… signed, sealed, delivered… read on!

You were gonna propose?" she asked, stunning him with her words.

Booth could only stare at her.

"I don't…" he couldn't find his voice.

"You were going to propose to HER?" she snapped, her voice suddenly rising to hysterical.

Booth felt his chest tighten, and he dropped the glass on the table beside him, before standing from the recliner, unsteadily, to say the least.

Hannah laughed bitterly. "Look at you. You can't even stand up straight. What happened to you Seeley, the past week you've been mental or something… slipped off the radar… have you been takin' too many hopping pills?" she baited him.

Booth rolled his eyes.

"What were you doing going through the box, Hannah?" he challenged.

"It was left on the ground," she snapped. "I'm sure that if you were trying desperately to hide it from me, you would have stashed it somewhere else, and not left it in plain view for me to find, would you?" she demanded.

Booth had nothing to say to that.

"You told me, that you and Temperance have never been in a relationship that was not strictly work-related!' she barked. "That's what you said!"

"It's true," he said regretfully. No, matter how much I wanted more…

"You can't fool me, Seeley!" she shook her head. "I'm not an average blonde bimbo, despite what you think."

"I never said you were," he protested.

"Then stop treating me like one!" she roared.

Booth winced. He felt a headache come on.

"Why would you lie about it?" she asked.

"I didn't," he replied.

"You have a RING!" she said waving it under his nose.

He winced again, but this time it wasn't from the headache.

"Explain this!" she demanded.

He pretended to be hurt. "What if I said the ring was for you…" he challenged.

Hannah's face dropped. "It was?" she whispered.

Booth only shrugged, not really answering the question. It was easier for her to believe that, than for him to admit the truth.

"Oh," she sighed. She lowered her head in embarrassment, and when she looked up at him again, a look of confusion was painted on her pale face. "I can't."

"What?" he frowned.

"I can't marry you, Seeley."

I didn't ask you to. "Why?" he asked for his own amusement.

"I move away. I don't stay in one place, you know that. I love you, Seeley, I do… but, you won't follow me, I know that. Your work is here, and mine is out there, I'm not going to pretend that if an opportunity arises, I won't take it," she admitted. "This is how I am."

"So what are we doing then?" he asked annoyed that it had come to this now, when Booth had said all of those things to Bones in the car, believing that at least Hannah was none the wiser about his false I'm-over-Bones certainty.

"Having fun," she shrugged.

"Yeah," he shook his head and picked up his glass from the coffee table, taking a swig. "That doesn't work for me. I don't do fun, Hannah. I think this was a mistake…"

"Don't make it sound like you didn't enjoy it," she looked hurt.

What was the point? He hadn't bothered to spare Bones' feelings, why should he stop now. "I…" he stopped himself. He didn't need to hurt her, it wasn't him, it wasn't the man he wanted to be, no matter what his heart was feeling, his mood was his issue, not Hannah's. "I have to go…"

He stopped at Hannah, and reached out to take the ring from her hands. "Goodbye, Hannah… I hope you're happy with your work. Maybe you'll find someone who wants the same things that you do." he leaned over and kissed her softly on the cheek. She had been his friend, if nothing else.

Without another word, he shoved the ring in his pocket and walked out of his own apartment.

YAY! Can I get a GLUG, GLUG, WOO HOO on the fact that Hannah is officially WIPED from my story… and that's the way the cookie crumbles… uh hu, yeah baby! Yeah, I'm smoking somethin' heavy, not sure what, or how it's taken… but I def got something strange happening to me. Think it might be lack of sleep… too much FF to write, thanks to STUPID HEAD HART… hahahaha! =)

Yeah, if I haven't already made you want to pull your hair out with my author rant, leave a review if you want… or not *shrugs* I'll still love you.