Special Agent Seeley Booth was having an incredibly frustrating week.
First, he gets assigned a highly publicized case concerning yet another United States senator. He went to collect his partner only to find her crying hysterically before sending him off with this week's squintern. He had to admit, these people were smart. But, they were inexperienced at best. He could not have inexperience concerning this case. So, the remains were transported to the lab.
Then, if Booth had thought the intern's fumbling at the crime scene had been frustrating, then he was entirely unprepared for what awaited him at the lab. He'd barely had time to swipe his key card before the lot of them started in on him.
First came Hodgins. "Booth, man. Come on! You've been on what… 200 cases now? You should know I need more samples and particulates than the ones the FBI collected. Rookie at best bro! I had more information in my eighth grade science project."
Booth tried to defend himself, tried to point out that it was the Forensic Anthropologists job to determine what is relevant or not at a crime scene.
"I mean really guys! I'm the agent, you're the scientists. Shouldn't you be blaming what's his name? Nosferatu?"
He barely got the words out before Cam was at him. "His name is Arastoo. You've met him multiple times and I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate you speaking of him in reference to a 1920's vampire movie. An awful one at that!"
"Ok. But Cam, seriously…"
"Booth!" Bones shouted at him indignantly. "Mr. Vaziri is an intern. He needs to learn and I thought at the very least you could help him. I had more pressing matters to attend to!"
Booth did little but hold his head in his hands. He took a deep breath, collected himself, then faced them.
"Ok, right, whatever. What have you got for me? Details? Weapons? Identity?"
"I can help you with that." Angela shouted from her office, before muttering, "not that you deserve it."
She pulled some windows up on the computer screen before continuing. "Her name is Meredith Dorsey, the 32 year old wife of Senator Robert Dorsey. He reported her missing three months ago."
"Alright, well we'll bring him in. Let's go interrogating Bones!"
Booth watched as everyone turned to look at her expectantly. But all she did was stutter out. "Oh! I-I uh can't go with you today either Booth. I-I have a meeting!"
"A meeting. What meeting? With who?" He asked skeptically.
"It's just book things. Just… things to do with my new book. "
Seeley Booth had never before heard Temperance Brennan refer to anything with a word as vague as 'things'. She's lying to me. He thought with a pang of betrayal. Bones didn't lie. Ever. And she wasn't very good at it anyway.
"Ok Bones, I'll bite. What is going on with you? You were crying. You won't go out into the field with me. And now you're lying. Don't deny it, you are the worst liar in the history of lies. What did I do?"
"I can assure you Booth, I am not lying. Absolutely not! I had a moment of weakness the other day, and I've simply been too busy with my book and identifying remains to leave the lab. As for the other things, I am fairly certain that there is no chronological history of liars. And I certainly don't want you biting anything! So, if you'll excuse me, I'll go get ready for my part- I mean meeting!"
And just like that she left. Booth stood on the platform, mouth agape as he watched her retreat to her office. He tried to ask one of the squints, but they had all nonchalantly turned back to their tasks at hand.
"You know what? Fine! No one tell me anything. I'll just do all of the field work myself then. No more interns, no help from my partner. I'll be just fine on my own!"
Booth hurried out of the lab in an angry huff. Something was up, and he really did not appreciate being kept in the dark.
Brennan sat in her office, staring at the boxes she had packed so far. She had organized them neatly in a corner of the room, each labeled accordingly and ready to be shipped. There had been a lot of things to pack. Anthropological books and journals, awards she had won for her work, trinkets and baubles friends, students, and coworkers had given her over the years. There were even some pictures of her and Booth. She'd packed those too. But now, hours later, she couldn't remember where she'd put them. And she desperately wanted them out.
This afternoon, Booth had made her a little more certain that their partnership was over. Okay Bones, I'll bite. Once Angela had explained what he'd meant, Temperance had been insulted. Like pretending to care about her feelings was some sort of obligation, like he had to ask what was wrong, when really he couldn't care less. They used to be best friends. He had known her better than anyone else ever would, but now he'd hardly noticed her sadness. And when he had, he'd acted as though it was inconveniencing him. She wouldn't be an inconvenience or an obligation. Not to him, not to anyone.
When she left, she would miss the family she'd created here. She would miss Angela, and all her good advice. She would miss Cam, with her sarcasm and humor. She would miss Hodgins, they'd been through so much together. She would miss all of her interns. And, although she didn't want to admit it, she would more than likely miss Booth. But only for a minute. Brennan had to let go of their friendship, their partnership, and everything else they had missed out on. He had moved on in every sense of the word, and she would too.
Later that evening, Booth came grumbling back into the Jeffersonian. He knew she would still be here. She always was, unless he forcefully dragged her out of here. Which, he noted a little guiltily, you haven't been doing much of lately.
Sometimes he felt culpable when he thought of how it used to be. Booth missed their late night take out, all of their meals at the diner, all of the funny and totally confusing conversations that went with them. Sometimes, he missed how it had been when it was just the two of them.
We still go to the diner, just with Hannah.
Maybe he had been neglecting her lately. Booth knew he'd been incredibly wrapped up in his new girlfriend. But it didn't mean they weren't still best friends right? There were just some things he couldn't do with her now that he was a committed man. She was logical. They would talk, he'd apologize, and she would forgive him. He'd find more time for her, and everything would be almost back to the way it was.
Booth's frustrated mood had lifted considerably by the time he reached Bone's office. He came to the door just in time to hear the tail end of a conversation between her and Angela. And what he heard stopped him dead.
"Oh sweetie. It really won't be the same here when you're gone. I mean, Clark is smart, but he really won't compare to you."
"I know, Angela." Brennan replied with sadness in her voice. "Clark of course won't compare to me, his IQ is considerably less than my own. But he will be sufficient. And, I of course will miss everyone here as well. But I really can't do this anymore. I need to move on."
Booth stared wide-eyed at the two women. "Bones…what?… Are you leaving?"