A/N: Hello! I haven't forgotten about this story, just waiting for the craziness of the holidays to pass before posting the next chapter. I hope everyone had a happy holiday season and enjoy!

Chapter 8

The Inadequacy in the Intervention

The knock on the door didn't trigger any reaction from him. All he could process were the last words that Hannah said to him. If it wasn't for the piece of paper still clutched in his hand, though, an address in New York City that she would temporarily calling home before moving on, he didn't know if he would think it was real. How could this happen so fast? Two days ago, he was an FBI Agent with a gorgeous girl in his bed that he was intent on asking to marry him and now, she had broken up with him and he was a suspect in the D.C. sniper case, stripped of his agent status and wearing an ankle bracelet like a common criminal.

Oddly though, he did not feel sad at Hannah's leaving. He felt a combination of grief and strangely enough, relief. The grief was at the loss of his stability, the stability of coming home to someone every day, knowing that they would be there for you. It had been such a long time since he had that feeling; actually, when he thought back on his life, he wasn't sure he ever had that. But he also felt relief. After his talk with Bones today, he realized there was so much about his life that Hannah didn't know, that she would need to know in order to have a long, successful relationship with him. And after she reacted to him tonight, he was more and more convinced that his initial instinct was right; that she would have run at the first mention of the hardships he had gone through. Unlike the woman who he had just called.

The opening of his door didn't even make him stir from the position he was in currently, sitting on his couch, staring at the floor with the piece of paper in one hand and his cell phone in the other. The last thing he remembered doing was calling Bones to come over here. He wasn't even sure why he called her; it was the only thing that seemed right at that moment. But now that he thought about it, maybe he should call her and tell her not to come over. He had no idea what he was going to say to her.

"Booth?" he heard and wondered where the noise had come from, only to look up and see Bones sitting on the coffee table in front of his couch. When did she get here? He thought.

"Bones? How did you get in here?" he asked her, genuinely confused as to how much time passed since Hannah walked out his door.

"Booth, your door was open. Why are you just sitting here? Where is Hannah?"

At the mention of her name, Booth felt himself getting angry, felt the itching he had previously felt underneath his skin that signaled his intense need for her turn to rage at the fact that she so easily dismissed him. There had been very few times in his life when Booth told someone he loved them; in fact, he could think of two other people he had told that to in his adult life, one was Parker and the other was Rebecca. He looked up at Bones, saw the questioning in her eyes at why he had called her and in that moment, he realized how similar they really were.

"Bones, why is it that everyone who loves us leaves us?" he asked out of the blue, voicing what he just realized about the both of them. He almost laughed at the predictable look of shock that crossed her face at his question and he was glad that some things never changed. If there was one thing that Bones didn't like, it was a change from her structured, ordered world of science and bones, where every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

"What?" she asked. Booth saw her squirm in her spot on the coffee table and he knew that even though she asked the question, she wasn't really sure if she wanted the answer.

"I mean, look at us. Both of our parents left us, granted underneath very different circumstances. Rebecca rejected me and took my son with her, Cam and I didn't work out, not once but twice, and now the woman who was living with me for the last seven months just left me," he said, not finished with his rant but stopping when Bones put her hand on his knee, not only stopping its nervous bounce but also his talking.

"Wait a minute, Hannah left? As in 'broke up with you' left or just 'leaving for a little bit but coming back' left?" Bones interrupted him, learning a thing or two from their interrogations together, as she made sure to get all the information she could, clarifying every last detail.

"The first one, Bones," he replied, leaning forward and scrubbing his hands over his face, still not believing the truth even though he just voiced it to her. He just wanted to go in his room, wash his sheets so they didn't smell like her and break his heart even further, and sleep for about two days. The last time he got a good night's sleep was two days ago, before all of this craziness started. When he felt her hand tighten on his knee, he pulled his hands away from his face and was surprised to see the barely disguised rage in her eyes. The last time he saw that look was when Taffet had challenged her.

"Was it because you told her your past like we talked about today? Because if it was, Booth, then she doesn't deserve you. Despite your past, you are a strong, kind, lion-hearted man that I am honored to call my friend," she finished. Booth wanted to stop her, to tell her that that wasn't the reason why she left but he couldn't help himself. Bones rarely ever expressed herself like this and he wasn't just about to deny her when she started. And when she finished her statement, he felt truly touched. He put his hand over the one on his knee and squeezed it gently, running his thumb over her knuckles in a move that he had been doing since the beginning of their partnership.

"I appreciate it, Bones, but that wasn't the reason why she broke up with me. Apparently, my being a suspect in this case had a detrimental effect on her work. She got reassigned to a story in New York City but she felt like I wasn't being honest with her so she left," he finished, looking her in the eye while he spoke. After a pregnant pause, with both partners not wanting to break the spell, the silence in the room only ended with her statement.

"Well, she was right that you weren't honest with her," Bones said, and Booth only laughed out loud at her blunt statement. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, Bones, I am. Like I said, I'm used to the people who I love leaving me," he sighed, taking his hand away and getting up from the couch, offering his hand to help her up. He was surprised when she took it, and they stood facing each other, only centimeters apart.

"You know, Booth, not everyone who you love and who loves you, leaves you. I'm still here," she said softly, so softly in fact that he wanted to ask her to repeat it but he knew she never would. He knew he looked like a deer in the headlights but he couldn't help it. Did she just admit that she loved him? No, that couldn't be it, he told himself, now convinced that he heard her wrong. But when she didn't move, definitely invading his personal space and crossing a line of what she was normally comfortable with, he wasn't so sure.

"Why are you still here, Bones, when I have made it so hard for you this past year?" he asked her, truly surprised that she was letting him back in her life so readily and without any malice or ill-will. And he was even more surprised when she adopted her 'squinty face.'

"Why wouldn't I, Booth? You were always there for me before we left. You are my best friend even if I'm not yours anymore. Besides, I never understood why people hold grudges. It never seemed rational to me," she answered in her typical Bones logic.

"You'll always be my best friend, Bones, no matter what," he reassured her.

He felt in that instant that even though neither of them moved, they somehow got closer together.

And just when he was going to tell her that, her phone rang, effectively ending their moment.

"Brennan," she answered into the phone as he went in the kitchen and downed a glass of water. His ears were ringing and his hands were trembling, the events of the last two days finally catching up with him and honestly, it felt like a 2x4 smacked him upside the head. And when Bones came into the kitchen, he knew his night was about to get a lot longer.

"That was Cam. Sweets is back from vacation and they both want to see us at the lab ASAP."

The drive over to the Jeffersonian was done in silence, Booth looking out the window of Bones' car at the various monuments lit up against the night sky. These were all the symbols of the country he had spent so much of his life serving and now this city, the very heartbeat of all these united states, was under attack from someone who seemingly was targeting him. Well, not him, exactly, but wanting to make it seem like he was the one was causing all the chaos.

And that is where his life was right now: chaos. So much so that it made him dizzy just thinking about it, so he didn't, choosing to look at the city and get lost in the lights instead. But thankfully, something went right today and they missed traffic, making it to the Jeffersonian in record time.

Entering the building, Booth was surprised to realize that he couldn't remember the last time he came here. He knew that he came over here for case material but since he started having Bones fax them over to his office, his time in the Jeffersonian decreased down to pretty much nothing. And while he saw Bones a couple of times a week, he realized that he hadn't sent the rest of the squint squad in some time, wincing as he realized that the missed pregnancy announcement was the last time he was even invited out with the team. Looking around, he was grateful to see that the lab was empty, the only lights coming from the lounge. The very last thing he wanted to do right now was face a pregnant Angela.

"Dr. Brennan? Agent Booth? Come up to the lounge. Dr. Saroyan and I are up here," Booth heard the young psychologist say. As he looked up, he saw the young man at the railing in the ridiculous plaid board shorts that he insisted were stylish. Not any style located outside the state of California, Booth thought with a smirk. Bones caught his look though and narrowed her eyes at him as if in warning. While she may be sticking by him, he knew the attitude in the lab was probably a lot different and schooled his features.

When they reached the last step and walked onto the landing of the second floor, Sweets and Cam were sitting on the couches, obviously having been there for a while if the used coffee mugs and the take out boxes were any indication. But as he walked forward, Bones stopped for a moment and she got that squinty expression on her face.

"Dr. Brennan, is something wrong?" Cam asked, obviously seeing her look as well.

"Is this an intervention? Because the last time you did an intervention, you said it involved the person's loved ones and if that is the case, maybe Parker should be here…" Bones said and not for the first time, Booth had no idea what she was talking about but seeing the matching winces on Cam and Sweet's faces, he had a feeling he was the only one left in the dark.

"An intervention? Bones, when did you attend an intervention?" Booth asked, ignoring the look of panic on Sweets' face.

"When I was considering having sex with Jared and was unaware that your father was a physically abusive alcoholic, Cam and Sweets did an intervention on me although I am still unsure as to the effectiveness since they described it as an event with the person's loved ones. And since they are not my loved ones, I do not believe it was an actual intervention," she finished and Booth was sure he looked as uncomfortable as he felt.

"But, Dr. Brennan, it did stop you from sleeping with Jared," Cam added and now Booth knew she was torturing him. He sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair, figuring he deserved some of it.

"That is true," Brennan continued, oblivious to his silent cues for her to just stop talking. "Although I am still not convinced that Jared is 'Booth-light' as you and Angela put it-"

"Enough!" Booth interrupted, thinking this day couldn't get any worse but it was getting pretty close. The last thing he needed to hear about was the play by play about Bones' decision on whether or not to have sex with his little brother. "Can someone please clue me into why we are all here right now?"

Cam and Sweets looked at each other, as if gauging who should be the one to speak and Booth knew from experience that this would be a battle that Sweets would loss. So he sat back on one of the couches in the lounge and waited for the young psychologist to stop looking so nauseous and tell him what they brought him here for. As he went to cross his legs, he saw the ankle monitor out of the corner of his eye as his jean leg rose up a little bit. Even though the people in the room knew about the device, he still felt shame at the fact it was there and tried to discreetly put his foot back on the ground but Bones caught his movement.

"It's okay, Booth. We all know you didn't do this," Bones said to him as she sat down next to him. Apparently, that was the opening Sweets was looking for.

"She's right, Agent Booth. While none of us are here judge any of your actions, we feel that it's time that certain issues be brought to light so that you can more effectively live your life," Sweets told him and Booth stared down the young man, daring him to outright say what he was implying.

"Pretty much, we are here to wake you up to your own reality, Booth," Cam said, apparently finding the balls that Sweets had somehow misplaced. Booth hid his reaction, wanting to feel intense anger at these people for thinking that they knew what was going on in his life. But for the first time since he got back from Afghanistan, he felt some feeling of self-control. It wasn't nearly as much as he had before he left, before Hannah came into his life, but he found that it was just enough to not lash out at his friends like he really wanted to. And he was very saddened to see that when he looked around at his friend's faces that they were expecting him to lash out at them, waiting for him to say something hurtful to them.

"Okay," he said, settling in and steeling himself for what was sure to be a long couple of hours.

And he was right. After listening to Sweets and Cam tell him that they thought he had some sort of morphed post traumatic stress disorder and had transferred his gambling addiction to his now recently ex-girlfriend, he was surprised he hadn't seen it before. The itching and the need were exactly what he felt all those years ago in the Las Vegas Sands when his original addiction began.

He left the Jeffersonian that night feeling emotionally bankrupt and exhausted but he had gotten more out of it than he thought he would, including a business card for a psychiatrist that Sweets recommended who specialized in veterans with addictions. Walking down the front steps, he was looking forward to going home; taking a shower and then getting some much-needed sleep. But he should have known they wouldn't let him go without a fight.

"Booth!" he heard Bones call out to him. He stopped for a moment, knowing he owed her that much even though his body was telling him to keep going.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she caught up with him.

"You know, Bones, I just need some time," he said, echoing a conversation they had during an earlier crisis he had.

"Do you need time and space?" she questioned, apparently remembering the same conversation.

"This time, Bones, I think I do," he answered, changing the outcome of the last time they did this. "I'm just going to walk back to my place and fall asleep."

She seemed to study him for a minute, her eyes studying every single detail in his face and eyes. He tried not to flinch under her examination. When she stopped and looked away, she put her hand on his shoulder.

"Okay, Booth. Text me when you get home."

He watched her walk back up the steps and back into the Jeffersonian before putting his hands in his pockets; one gripping the card Sweets had given him and the other playing with the poker chip he always kept there, as he walked back to his apartment.

Jacob smiled as he saw Booth begin walking out of the Jeffersonian alone. He had been waiting for this opportunity for three days now, for Booth to be alone so he could carry out his next kill when he knew the man wouldn't have an alibi. While the ankle bracelet complicated his plans for setting up his old rival, it did not stop them completely. He knew that technology well enough to know that all he had to do was be in the same four-block radius as the man and the FBI wouldn't be able to know the difference. The only thing that complicated things was his stupid friends would not leave him alone. But now, he was alone.

Jacob already felt the thrill of the next kill racing through his blood. Quickly, he put his sniper rifle back in the case and started mapping out in his head his next move as he went into the building whose roof he had been on and down the stairs.

Tomorrow, he would regret his impulsiveness, as he would realize that in those minutes that he was in the staircase, Dr. Temperance Brennan trusted her gut for the first time, ran back out of the Jeffersonian and caught up with Booth, linking their arms as she joined him for his walk home.