Chapter Two

Booth gets to the diner 20 minutes early. His mind has been racing since he left the Jeffersonian. Was Bones in trouble? Why hadn't she told him? Maybe, Angela was blowing this something out of proportion.

When Angela finally walked in Booth jumped out of his seat to get her attention.

"Ange, what's going on? What is this all about?" Booth was tired of not knowing. It was driving him crazy.

"Look, Hodgins came to talk to me yesterday," Angela stated, sitting across form a very worried Booth. She needed to see his reaction to this. She needed to see that he cared.

"And it was so unusual that you had to bully me into this lunch?" Booth couldn't believe Angela was going to try and drag him into her drama with the bug guy. He always tried to stay out of it.

"He wanted my permission to ask Bren out. I thought you would like to know. Considering how close you two are."

Hodgins and Brennan. He had thought it was in his head. Now, having it confirmed, he couldn't help the wave of posesiveness But he couldn't show Angela this, Bones was just his partner, at least as far as everyone else was concerned. To him she was everything.

"Wow, so.. Uh.. What did you tell him?"

Angela just shook her head and looked out the window. "What could I say, Booth? I was stunned. I just sat there and nodded. I don't think I processed what he said until he was flirting it up in her office."

"Huh, so why are you telling me all this? Bones and I are just-"

"Do you really think now's the time to use the whole 'we're just partners' card. You and I both know better. And Im telling you,from experience, Jack.. He plays for keeps, Booth." Angela looked at him, with her large all seeing brown eyes and knew she wasn't the only one feeling like the world was spinning out of control.

"What am I supposed to say, Angela? If she wants to date bug man, she's a big girl, she makes her own choices." Booth tried to shrug this off, but even as he said it, his hands curled into fists. Thinking of Hodgins touching his Bones made his stomach turn.

Still staring at Booth. Angela knew he was lying but she knew that he wasn't ready to admit it yet. She just hoped Booth woke up before he lost his chance with Brennan.

Standing up, Angela looked him in the eye. "This time is different, booth. If you let this happen without a fight, you'll lose her. Forever. I hope you know that."

Watching Angela leave he could still hear what she said. 'You'll lose her. Forever.' Over and over. He felt like the room was closing in on him. He couldn't get enough air.

Booth stumbled out of the diner breathing heavily, like he was trying to run a marathon. He couldn't lose her. How could he stop this? There had to be a way.

Booths phone ringing brought him back to reality. Brought him out of his thoughts. He smiled slightly when he saw who was calling him.

"Hey, Bones." He hoped she wouldn't hear the stress in his voice.

"We got a hit of the missing person data base, James Avery, 32, liked in Bethesda, Maryland."

The case, of course, she was calling about the case. Booth tried to move his mind back to work.

"Who reported him missing?"

"His wife. Want me to go with you when you talk to her?" Brennan asked, not wanting ot be left out.

"Of course, Bones. I'll swing by and pick you up." He was smiling now, thinking that she wanted to go. He would have a few minutes alone with her.

Walking into her office he stopped when he heard Hodgins' voice. Knowing Hodgins was near Bones possibly making a move, sent Booth running through her door.

"Come on, Bones, Let's get going!'

Hodgins looked over at Booth and blushed a little. Booth had a knack for showing up at Brennan's side whenever another man was moving in. He now knew how all those other men had felt, it wasn't pleasant. To make the situation less akward for himself, Hodgins tried to start a conversation.

"Avery was killed ten days ago. I also found particulates that are not congruent with where the body was found."

"Well, thanks Bug boy. Come on Bones, we got a wife to break the news to." Booth knew he was being hostile with Hodgins but he was still trying to deal with knowing that Hidgins wanted Bones in more than a friend kind of way.

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After leaving Mrs. Avery with her family, thay still had very little to go on. Hopefully, his business partner would know more. So they were stuck until tomorrow.

Not wanting to just drop Bones off and lose her company, he searched for a reason, any reason to prolong their time together.

"Hey Bones, want to grab some Chinese with me?"

"Sure, Booth. I am quite hungry. I should have eaten lunch." Brennan looked over at him and smiled. While he was barely able to stop himself from yelling at her. She needed to eat, he should have brought her lunch, forced her to eat.

Booth beat her to open her car door an helped her out. Noticing the look she gave him, he knew that she was about to say something about his alpha-male over protective tendencies.

"Gentleman, Bones. I'm being a gentleman."

With his hand on her back he walked Bones to the chairs they usually sat. Booth couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was the most stunning person he had ever seen.

"So, Bones, anything new with you?"

"Um, yes actually, Hodgins asked me to go on a date this afternoon." brennan said casually.

Booth felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. "Really? So, uh, what did you say?"

Staring at her, silently praying Bones would tell him she turned Hodgins down or maybe just said she would think about it. That would give me a chance to talk her out of it.

"I told him yes. After all we have a lot in common, we get along and we have been flirting. From what Im told at least." She smiled shyly at Booth. She wasn't very comfortable with flirting. Sex she understood. But the subtleties of flirtin usually escaped her.

Booth was too late. She said yes. What was he going to do?

"Oh well. I hope you two have fun." They ate the rest of the meal in silence. Booth was thinking about loosing her. Yes, he had seen her dating other men. David, Sully, welder guy and gay Jason. But this, this was different. Hodgins would always be around. He would never see his Bones without seeing him. He would loose her. Angela was right. Having to see Bones with Hodgins would kill him.

When he dropped her off she turned to him, no longer able to handle his silence. "Booth are you alright? You've been quiet all night. That is very unlik eyou."

Booth couldn't really say, 'Don't date Hodgins. Be with me.' talk about needy, that wasn't him. So he told her the first lie he could think of. "I'm fine Bones, just really tired. Im just going to head home and grab some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

Brennan watched him leave wondering what he wasn't telling her. Booth had never sat quietly with her for that long. She was very worried. Booth was not fine.

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Booth sat on his couch, drinking his third scotch. Trying to numb the pain of picturing Hodgins' hands on his Bones. He could see it.

Hidgins hands touching her skin, his lips brushing over her neck. Bones calling out "Jack!"

Booth couldn't stop the thought. He threw the glass in his hand at the wall in front of him. Just to do something destructive, since he couldn't actually punch Hodgins.

Hearing his cell phone ring, he jumped to check it. Hoping it was Bones. Needing to hear her voice. The disappointment upon seeing he F. B. I. guy, Charlie, was salt on an already open wound.

"What?"

"Sir, There's a lead on your new body. But your not going to like it." Charlie could tell when to grovel. And it was clearly one of those nights.

"Spit it out, Charlie, now."

"With the time of death you gave us earlier, your vic was in South Carolina, no where near where he was found." Charlie said quickly.

" So what you're telling me is that I have to take a road trip to South Carolina to find out what happened to this guy.'

"I'm sorry, sir. I could go for you. But I know that you prefer to do your own interviews."

"I know. I'll head down tomorrow morning." With that he hung up. No need to carry out a conversation.

Booth was starting to have a great idea. If Bones was with him then there would be no date with Hodgins. Maybe, with enough time and the right game plan, he would solve the murder and get the girl.

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A/N: I know that at the diner Booth wasn't acting very Booth like. But hey what guy would truly break down in front of anyone. Especially a guy like Booth.

Reviews are always welcome. I tend to write faster when Im getting reviews, call it motivation.