Chapter VII

Bones had to get away from everyone but she couldn't abandon her work. She took her box of bones from the Machu Piccu project and retreated deep into the basement storage area of the Jeffersonian. She created a small work area, spread her bones out, and recommenced identification of her mass grave victims. She tried to forget about her conflict with Sully and Booth but she found herself re-living the incident in her head. She couldn't stop thinking about Booth. She knew that expressing raw emotion was a failing within her. Emotional reservation was so ingrained in her character that she found it impossible to push through it. "I have to overcome this." She thought to herself.

Bones contemplated as she worked; "If I do what I know scientifically to be the inevitable outcome I will hurt Booth because it will mean ending things. "We are diametrically opposed personalities and therefore we will always be at odds...in perpetual conflict so it's crazy to think it will ever work." Bones rubbed the gemstone in the ring Booth gave her. "He's attractive, strong, and intelligent and though I can't scientifically prove that he loves me, I feel that he's honest when he says he loves me and even though the idea of love is purely subjective and doesn't have any sound foundation in rational reasoning, I...think I'm experiencing love towards him as well."

She placed one of the bones under the dissection scope to take a closer look. She thought to herself. "Love is so paradoxical." She removed the bone and pulled out her magnifying glass to take a closer look at an anomaly. She suddenly had an epiphany about the Riddler case. "Oh my god! I have to call Booth!"

Sully paced the floor waiting for Booth to arrive so they could question the suspect, Edward Cove, at the headquarters of the FBI. Booth walked in and the two men exchanged glances that were neither friendly nor unfriendly. Sully offered a truce. "I didn't know the two of you were together Booth." Booth responded with uncertainty. "I'm not sure we are." Sully looked optimistic. Booth made his position clear. "That's not an invitation Sully." Sully tried to assuage Booth's fears. "Well I've been calling her for days and she hasn't responded so I think her choice is clear." Booth didn't offer that he had also tried to contact her with no success. He felt a knot develop deep in his stomach and his throat began to tighten and strain as he held back the raw emotion that threatened to surge with each breath. The thought of losing her was disassembling him to the core and he fought to hold his bearing. Booth replied, "Only Bones knows what she wants so she'll decide and that's that."

Sully turned to Booth. "You really think she knows what she wants Booth? She doesn't. When it comes to love, she's rather unstudied and a bit too rationale but she knows what I want and I love that about her. I know she didn't go sailing with me because she didn't want to leave you.

Booth looked at Sully angrily and wanted to beat the crap out of him. "She told you that's why she didn't go?"

"She didn't have to tell me. I know that's why she didn't go. It's obvious. I know her better than she knows herself because I can see vividly what she denies herself." Booth's anger was near the boiling point. "And what's that?" He asked.

Sully responded. "You. She denies herself YOU." Sully grabbed his jacket and files and walked towards the door. "I'll leave you to question the suspect."

Booth grabbed Sully by the arm. "I'm not going to push her and force her to be with me. I love her for who she is and I'm not going to force her to become someone she thinks I need her to be in order to love her."

"Are you sure you haven't already?" Sully yanked his shoulder away and walked out.