AN: I just love it when Sweets tries to help – hope you do to! Also, want to explain why Booth has been so aloof this season.

Chapter 12: Counseling

"Good to be home after so many days. Can't wait to take a shower-" Booth had just opened the door and taken a step into his apartment when he put out a restraining hand to stop Sweets from following him.

"Something's wrong," he whispered. "The apartment feels different."

Booth drew his gun and entered the apartment with his back to the wall, swinging from left to right. Sweets remained outside of the doorway, cell phone in hand, ready to dial 9-1-1. Booth disappeared into the kitchen area and came quickly back out, shaking his head to indicate that no one was there. He did the same in the bathroom and the guest bedroom. Lastly, he went into the master bedroom. Silence.

After a few minutes, Sweets walked into the apartment and closed the front door. "Booth? Is everything okay?"

"In the bedroom, Sweets. No one here."

Sweets followed the sound of Booth's voice and saw the FBI man sitting on the edge of the bed holding a piece of paper in his hands.

"She's gone Sweets. She took her few possessions and she left. What I must have noticed on some level when I came in was that her coats weren't hanging on the rack near the front door. She left a note." He toyed with the paper in his hands. "The odd thing is, I don't even know how I feel. Sad and guilty, sure, but perhaps a little relieved. I hate scenes, though one of the things I liked about Hannah, no - loved - if I am being honest, was that she didn't go in for histrionics, no matter what the circumstances."

"Booth, I would expect you are feeling a whole spectrum of emotions," Sweets said, lowering himself into a chair opposite the bed. "It has been quite an emotional week for you which, when added to your lack of sleep, would certainly cause hyper-sensitivity."

Booth snorted and looked up from the note. "So, since you are the expert, what should I be feeling? The last time I was in this apartment, I was in love with Hannah. But now, just a few days later..." He spread his hands wide in obvious confusion.

"Based on what I observed, Booth, I agree that you loved Hannah. I think it is only the depth of that love that needs exploring. There are some types of love that go so deep that they never go away. They can go dormant, but at some level they always exist. Other types of love are built on a more shallow foundation, sexual attraction, the exigent circumstances of war - there is real affection, sure, but the roots are not deep. In time, some find firm ground and others never do and at some point a strong wind will carry the love away."

"Very poetic, Sweets, but let's bring it back to reality please. I think you are saying that Hannah and I were just tested and we are failing that test. Our love, or at least, my love, was too shallow?"

Sweets leaned back in the chair and pressed his palms together in thought. "In this case, I wouldn't say your love was shallow, just that it could seem so by comparison." He took a deep breath. "You know that I have spent a lot of time observing you and Dr. Brennan. I know you have strong feelings for her, you've admitted that. In the past few months you have done a very good job sublimating those feelings, some of which was accomplished by detaching yourself from her as well as everyone in the lab with whom you used to be close. No hanging out at the Jeffersonian, skipping meals and get-togethers at the Founding Fathers."

Booth shook his head in denial even as a look of realization dawned on his features.

"By doing that, you were able to focus on Hannah without conflict, without feeling like you were splitting your affections. However, with this, uh, incident, your two worlds collided. Your need for Dr. Brennan, her importance in your life all came to the fore."

"If you call - putting her life in danger because I was having sex with someone else - having my two worlds collide, I'd think the explosion would have been heard in Alaska. I will never forgive myself. I can barely even look at Hannah."

"Well, there I think you are being a bit too hard on yourself and Hannah. Dr. Brennan understands. Sure, on some level she trusts that you will rescue her when you can, but she also has a strong sense of self. You weren't there in the Maluku Islands when she needed help and she managed to get herself and Daisy out of some sticky situations. You should not feel obligated to protect her."

"Unless I want to."

Sweets smiled. "And do you want to?"

Booth spoke slowly, as if to an infant. "Yes, Sweets. Big surprise. I do want to. It's all I want now. She is - how did you put it - that deep love that had gone dormant and is once again very much alive. No more "moving on" because, unless I abandon her completely, which I can't do, I have learned that I will always come back to Bones. She is my rock. The foundation of my life. Hell, she is my life. I am honestly not sure that I could live without her."

"And Hannah?"

"Part of me is heartbroken about that. We had a good thing..." He stood up and blinked, taking in his surroundings. "Yes, I will have to let Hannah go." He gestured around the room. "She's made it easy for me, and I am grateful for that. We'll talk when she gets back tomorrow. She deserves an explanation. Though how I'll explain this so it makes sense..."

Sweets stood up and slapped Booth awkwardly on the back. "Don't underestimate Hannah, Booth. She was here those first days after the attack. She saw what you were going through. Moving out of this apartment speaks volumes to her understanding. By all means, you should talk to her and get everything settled but I anticipate that conversation will go a lot more smoothly than you think."

Sweets would have been right in this assessment, except that he forgot to factor in a few things - screaming, guns, blood and death.

AN: Sorry about the cliff hanger but I didn't want to give a bit of warning that after days of talking we will have more action coming.