Beware!! SPOILERS are in this chapter! I'm sorry for not posting sooner, but as I mentioned in another story of mine, there is a family emergancy I am dealing with right now. My head is not in the right place at the moment so forgive me if something in this story doesnt make sense or if you think its crap all together... I'm sorry for that as well. I just felt bad for not posting, so I hope this chapter is ok. It takes place during The Cinderella in the Cardboard. Which is two episodes away. I'll try to post my next two chapters within the week if I can since we get three episodes in one week starting the week of April. 15th. Anyhow,enjoy my friends.

Chapter: 16

Wrong Timing;

It had been a few days since Booth and Bones had really spoken to one another. After what happened in her apartment neither of them knew what to say to one another. After Booth had left her apartment that night, Bones had a long talk with herself again. She knew for certain now that she wouldn't let Booth in anymore then she had. He destroyed her emotionally… walking out on her like he did in the middle of something that could have changed their lives forever. Bones knew that logically it could never work out; Booth was all about feelings and forever, whereas she was all about living for the now, the moment.

But then there was another part of her… like now, in the past four and a half years Booth made her realize that, sure things didn't last forever, not physically anyhow, but emotions went far beyond even after our bodies were put into the earth. She was more open now to the concept of long term feelings and relationships because of him and apart of her hated it. It interfered with her living style and believes. Every time she was willing to let those believes slip through her fingers and she was ready to take Booth's side on it all, he pulled back. He had done that a lot lately… when really it should have been her doing it.

It only proved her point that getting to close to him was dangerous. Emotionally anyhow. Although Temperance was in way too deep with her feelings for him at this point, she knew that she had to put a line on them somewhere if she didn't she would just be one of those ordinary woman who go their hearts broken and could never possibility heal from it.

Bones looked down at the body laying on the table, it was a woman in her mid twenties. They found her at the recycling plant smashed beneath a bale of compressed cardboard. After they found out who she was Booth went to speak with a few of her friends, Bones stayed back yet again. She was still finding it hard to be around him; they even took separate cars to the crime scenes. In the lab it was almost like someone had died, the silent's between them was deafening. Everyone had noticed that they weren't really talking to one another much less Booth making wise cracks and doing anything he could to touch her, everything was way off.

It threw her off a little, the daily routine they had going was stilled. She shook her thoughts off seeing Angela looking at her from across the table. It was just her and Bones now, Hodgins was there but he was too busy looking at particulates he found on the body.

"Alright… spill it!"

"Spill what?" Bones asked confused. She didn't have anything in her hands to spill?

"What's going on with you and Booth?" she paused for a moment seeing Brennan open her mouth before she interrupted her. "And don't tell me its nothing… because its obviously something… you two have been avoiding each other like the plague!" she said putting her hands on her hips with a light tap of her foot waiting for answers.

Hodgins looked over his shoulder momentarily before Bones gave him a glare. He smiled faintly and turned back to his work.

Bones removed her gloves and sucked in some air between her teeth. "We've been busy this week Ang, it's nothing." Total lie!

Bones started to unbutton her lab jacket as she started down the steps, Angela following after her. When they got into her office Bones went right to her desk and flipped her computer on.

"Alright… am I going to have to call Booth, have him come here so we can resolve this?" Her face and tone were serious.

Temperance pinched her lips in a hard line; she grunted and ran her hands over her face. "Booth just… he proved my point that nothing is permanent. That feelings are nothing more then chemical reactions that the body and mind feel in a moment of being happy or sad," she said softly and sighed.

Angela furrowed her brows together and stepped closer to the table and leaned on it, "what happened, Bren?" she asked concerned.

"Booth and I… we… we kissed."

Angela smiled brightly, "really?"

Bones nodded. "Yes. But when I was willing to take it further he stopped and he just left me there in my apartment. I feel like a fool…" she said softly with a frown looking down at her hands.

Angela reached out and squeezed her hands, "you ever think that he's scared, sweetie?" When Bones looked up at her she smiled faintly, "this thing between you and Booth… these feelings… the love you two obviously have…"

"I don't love Booth!" Bones interrupted with yet another lie.

"Keep telling yourself that." Angela was being sarcastic. "It was all bound to come up sometime… and maybe now… as cliché as it sounds, because he's sick he feels the need to tell you these things. But when it comes down to it, he can't because he's scared."

Bones sighed and nodded, she understood where Angela was coming from, yet still it didn't make her feel any better. Bones opened her mouth again to speak before she saw Booth outside her window on the platform talking to Hodgins.

Angela averted her eyes to where Brennan's were and sighed. She looked back at Bones, "just give him the benefit of the doubt… he's a man sometimes its harder for them to express how they feel."

"Not Booth!" Bones said softly, "he never has a problem with expressing how he feels… I do," she whispered and rubbed her eyes.

Angela looked behind her again to see Booth coming towards her office, "so…" Angela cleared her throat and sat up off her desk. "Our wannabe bride on the table out there had a lot of male friends?" Angela said to change the subject.

Bones looked up at her with furrowed brows, "oh! Yes she apparently was apart of those phone dating services…" She trailed off with another sigh sitting up in her chair seeing Booth walk in.

He took a moment to look at the two women seeing that there was tension in the room, "did I interrupt something?" Booth said quickly glancing at Bones then at Angela.

"No we were just talking about how relationships and marriage are foolish rituals." Bones stood proud at her words, she wanted Booth to know that she was hurting and by doing that she had to stomp on anything that he had believed in.

Booth rolled his eyes and looked at her finally; he could see pain written all over her face although she appeared to be strong. "Come on, Bones!" he started tilting his head looking at her, "even you must've dreamt about being a bride…before your heart turned to stone?" he said quickly.

Her face fell into a frown, Booth felt bad instantly until she shot back at him. "Just because I don't want to take place in a meaningless ritual doesn't mean I'm not a warm and affectionate person, Booth!" there was a crack in her voice. Her mind instantly going back to the past few times they were together… backrubs, kissing, comforting and coddling… kissing again –that one seemed to be her favorite. She held her head proud momentarily, "there are even some children that have taken to me!"'

Booth shook his head and walked closer, Angela stayed on the sidelines just in case Brennan needed her.

"Well marriage is important to a lot of people, Bones." He sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. He couldn't believe that they were having this conversation, they hadn't even talked about what happened a few nights ago at her apartment and already they were in an argument about something else. Typical.

"It's ridicules, no one can guarantee how they're going to feel about someone for life!" she huffed, "we are not a monogamous species!"

"Your impossible!" he said calmly yet with a hurt tone. "Marriage has been around since the beginning of time!"

"And woman from Amazonian tribes express their love by spitting in their partners face. I would hope that we've progressed past that."

"Sometimes love trumps logic!" he said seriously to her and softly.

There was love in his eyes and Angela could see it. She smiled faintly and looked at Brennan; she was having trouble with this now. She was closing up again, bottling her feelings, Angela could now understand Booth's frustration with her in the past and even now, with how much she pushed feelings to the back burner.

"Love is a chemical process that causes delusion. An intellectually rigorous person would never get married," she said quickly trying to deny the fact that she agreed with him.

Booth chuckled and shook his head once more. "Never say never."

X/X/X/

Usually their cases could take days or sometimes they even took longer. But on rare occasions they solved them within hours, much like they had today. It was almost seven in the evening and already they found Meriel Mitsakos murder. Bones stood by her office chair piling things into her bag so she could go home for the night. She needed to get out of the lab, after what she went through today with the case and with Booth; she needed the sanctuary of her own home. As she closed her bag she looked up to see Booth leaning against the door frame, he looked disoriented and confused.

"Booth?" she said softly seeing him look at her. She furrowed her brows together and put her bag down slowly walking towards him.

He walked towards her too meeting her half way, "I'm sorry…" he finally said, his voice soft in a whisper.

She sighed and blinked a few times, "sorry for what?" she said swallowing hard.

"For..." He sighed as well and pinched the bridge of his nose. He kept his eyes closed for a few moments before blinking away his blurry vision and looking at her. She looked at him almost helplessly; Booth reached out and put his hand on her cheek, cupping it carefully.

When Booth's hand came to her cheek she froze, this was what she wanted to avoid, any time of intimate touching. She pulled his hand away from her face and stepped back, "look I know what your going to say. You're sorry for what happened the other night… Just…. Just forget about it. I have." Lie. "It was a mistake anyhow… If you didn't stop us when you had, I would have anyhow." Another lie.

Booth frowned and closed his eyes again and leaned his hand on her desk and hunched over looking up at her.

Was he in pain? "Booth?" her voice cracked as she looked at him.

"Don't say that!" he whispered softly.

"W –what? I –I don't understand?"

"It wasn't a mistake and you know it." His face was serious and contorted now. "What happened… it was… I shouldn't have… I …" Booth closed his eyes again and jerked his head back. He brought his hand up and rubbed his eyes carefully, his words were getting jumbled together. "I'm sorry I left like I did."

"Like I said forget about it…" she said softly watching him carefully. "Booth? Are you alright?" she asked concerned.

His head shot up and his eyes stilled on hers, "I don't want to forget about it." He reached his hand out and put it on her shoulder.

Bones stood still and noticed he was using her for leverage, "what's wrong?"

Booth just looked at her, "I don't want to forget the way your body feels against mine," he said softly squeezing his eyes shut again.

Bones was trying to ask him what was wrong and he wanted to talk about them? What was wrong with this picture?

"Or the way I feel… when… when…"

"Booth!?"

The moment she said his name his body came crashing down against hers, Bones put her hands up under his arms to hold him as close as she could before she fell. Booth laid still, head against her lap as she called his name again tears flooding down her face. She reached up and knocked the phone off her desk before dialing out to security for help. She should have known the moment he walked into her office something was wrong with him! She rocked him carefully in her arms, her hands softly playing through his hair as she heard the EMT's rush down the hall towards her office.

This tumor was getting serious; Bones had seen things like this before she only hoped that the outcome this time wasn't death. She couldn't lose Booth –not now –now ever! Was this a sign that they weren't meant to be? Every time something potentially good happened or when they were going to possibly make up from an argument, something bad happened. Not to mention, now, he was being sweet- a little incoherent at times, but she knew he was going to tell her how he felt. But at this point, Bones didn't know what to think anymore?

Again sorry if its a crappy chapter. With the mind state I am in now, I tried my best for everyone. Please let me know what you all think so far! Thank you all again so much for being so supportive of me and my stories! It means so much to me!!