Brennan retreated down the stairs of Booth's apartment building, stopping at the door. This might be your last chance. If you don't wait it will be too late, he will go to Baltimore. You will go back to who you were before him. She shook her head "I can never be that person again because of him."

The door opened just as she finished her sentence startling not only her but also the young couple entering the building. She watched as they giggled and clung to each other as they stumbled up the stairs. She continued to stare at the empty stairwell listening to their giggles fade and longed for the feeling they had. If you wait, you have a chance at that; she pulled her lower lip between her teeth as she stared at the vacant stairwell, all you have to do it go back upstairs and wait for him to come home.

She turned towards the door again and looked out into the increasing darkness. You don't want any regrets do you? Do you want him or not? Remember what he said 'Everything happens eventually, you just have to be ready for it'. Are you ready for it? Turning she hesitantly ascended the stairs and retrieved her emergency key. She seemed memorized by the key she was sliding into the lock. As she turned it, time seemed to slow down, she could hear the lock release its hold and as she turned the knob the mechanisms movement seemed amplified. These simple actions we do everyday seemed to be announcing to her that she was taking a step that would change her life forever. A change she was petrified of making, but not making it would be devastating.

Once inside she moved to the living room, placing her purse on the coffee table, she looked around the all too familiar apartment. How many nights had they spent in this very room sharing take out while working on cases. She turned and began looking at pictures on the wall. Her hand traced one, the one she took of Parker and Booth at the park. Neither knew she took it until it was developed, it was the perfect father son moment, Booth teaching Parker how to throw a football.

She continued to peruse the pictures when she came across one she had never seen before; it was a picture of her and Booth in her office. They were standing together their heads dipped as if they were looking at something. The picture could be considered a profile, although the angle was not that of a true profile picture. How does he have this picture when I didn't know it existed and why is it on his wall? She made a mental note to inquire about it later. She moved over to his bookshelf and glanced over his books, noticing on the shelf directly at eye level, or eye level for Booth, were her books, all of them in order that she wrote them. She let her fingers slip over the spines of the books as she moved on over and looked at his prize possession, drawing, stories, and molds given to him by Parker. The smile on her face when she looked at the framed science award Parker had received a year earlier at The Jeffersonian Science Fair. She couldn't have been more proud of Parker if he was her own son.

The smile dimmed on her face, what would Parker think of her and his father. The panic that raced through her system was only momentary as a memory quashed any reservations she had. They had spent the day at the zoo, Parker was exhausted and had fallen asleep in the car causing Booth to have to carry him. Once inside he laid Parker in his bed and turned to go. "Bones"

"Yes Parker"

"You should marry my Dad."

"Why do you say that?"

"Then he wouldn't be so lonely." She remembers watching his small face, so peaceful so trusting and so believing in something that didn't truly exist. "Night Bones" the small sleepy voiced pulled her back.

"Goodnight Parker" she kissed him on the forehead and quietly slipped from his room.

She had never told Booth of that little discussion, maybe if she could have opened her heart, maybe they wouldn't be where they were today.

"Booth man I'm sorry, please don't tell Angela. I will get my driver to hang around, I will pay him lots to drive you home, just please don't tell Angie."

Booth eyes fixated on one of the many bottles behind the bar as his emotions bounced around inside of him like a ball in a pin ball machine.

"Booth"

"She didn't tell me not to go" Booth continued to stare straight ahead "So why would Angela think ... why would she put us though ... All Bones had to do was tell me to stay and she didn't? We can't ... I can't ..."

Hodgins just watched his friend; he could see the pain in his eyes and watched as it started to etch its way down his face. "Let me just go to the john and we can get you home. I'm sorry." Hodgins squeezed his friends shoulder as he walked away to the men's room.

Booth stood up, threw more than enough money on the bar to cover their drinks and he walked out into the evening air. Raising his arm as a signal the nearest cab sprang to life and pulled up next to the curb. Booth fell into the back seat and mumbled out the address for the driver and then leaned his head back against the seat.

Hodgins returning from the bathroom noticed Booth was not in sight. "Hey, Hey" he popped his hand against the bar instantly getting the bartenders attention "Booth, where did Booth go?"

The bartender looked slightly annoyed with Hodgins "He left a few minutes ago."

"Oh" Jack started to reach into his pockets

"He left enough for both your drinks."

Hodgins swallowed hard as he looked at the bartender and was trying to think through the alcohol induced fog in his brain. "Yeah, thanks" he stumbled out of the bar and towards the parking lot where his driver was waiting all while rummaging for his phone. He had to call Angela and was rather scared of what she was going to say.

"Hey Angie How are you?"

"Fine"

"That's good, real good."

"Hodgins what happened?"

"What makes you think something happened?"

"Hodgins?"

"Okay, okay I lost Booth."

"How did you lose Booth?"

"I went to the bathroom and when I came back he was gone. I don't know where he went, but he was pretty upset."

"Why"

"I don't ..."

"Jack"

"It slipped Angie. I didn't mean to …"

Angela sighed heavily "its okay, I can't find Brennan either."

"So what do we do?"

"Go home, nothing more we can do right now."

"I'm sorry babe."

"Yeah me too."

Arriving at his destination, Booth paid the cabbie and got out, looking up to the window he knew so well and sighed heavily as stumbled through the door and slowly made his way up the stairs.

He put his head against the door and closed his eyes, God Bones, what have we done to each other? He straightened up and knocked on the door, then lowered his head while listened and waited for it to be answered. When no answer came he tried again "Bones"

He ran his hands over his face and stood swaying slightly looking at her door. This is crazy, if she had wanted me to stay she would have said something when I told her, right? He reached in his pocket and pulled out his keys, he pulled a single key up and looked at it, his emergency key to her apartment.

"Brennan"

"Hey Bones, I need a favor"

"What"

"I need you to go to my place and grab a bag I have there for stakeouts."

"Why can't you go?"

"I have some planning to do here and could you please …"

"I need a key"

"There is a fake rock by my front door."

"Booth you live in an apartment, I am sure anyone would know what the rock was for."

"Bones …"

"Okay, I'll do it."

"Thanks … and Bones … why don't you just keep the key … you know … in case of emergencies." Shortly after he gave her the key to his apartment, she gave him this key now in his hand.

He let himself in to her apartment and sunk down on the couch. He knew she was probably with Gibbs and that twisted his heart into a knot. But he was going to wait; he had to see her at least once more to see if Angela was right. He had to know if not Today, maybe Tomorrow.