Hi all! So this is a short one shot about what I hope happens tomorrow. There's nothing else to say other than I don't own Bones.

Wouldn't Catch

The velvet feels soft as he runs his fingers across it before it tugs resisting the backwards motion as he tries to run his fingers back across the top. It's a small box, tiny really but is seems to carry with it so many implications that he's literally frozen in place, stroking the box as if it will tell him what to do.

He'd done it originally because he didn't want to be thought of a as a loser by the kid that he'd come to treat like his little brother. He wanted to show that he was a man. A man who'd moved on and was in a happy loving, long term relationship. That meant the next step was buying the right ring and asking her.

Finding the right ring turned out to be way more of a debacle that he would have ever thought. The store might was well have been a giant diamond from the amount of sparkle that poured from the counters, he found himself wishing that he could put his sunglasses on to protect his eyes. But he'd taken a deep breath and started studying the selection that was within his price range. There must have been hundreds of rings but he'd keep coming back to this one, and he couldn't figure out why. So he trusted his gut and bought the ring, he wasn't even sure that she'd like it.

The plan had been to be to take her to dinner tonight and ask her. She was going to say yes, they would start planning a beautiful wonderful wedding, and they could really begin the rest of their lives together.

That was until he'd flicked the ring box open one last time five minutes ago to reassure himself that it was the right ring when everything seemed to click into place as he was staring at it. A string of curse words fell from his lips as he snapped the lid shut and stared off the balcony. So much for the fantastical plan ending in happily ever after.

The feel of the velvet was the only thing that was anchoring him to the moment as he took in the city in all of its grandeur. "Hey Seeley." He could hear the smile in her voice behind him as he palmed the small box and slipped it into his pocket turning around to face her.

"Hey." He slowly answered, appreciating the fact that she'd dressed up for the evening and he was going to ruin it. He was going to ruin everything.

She cocked her head to the side, taking in his distraught appearance. "What's wrong?"

"Hannah." He stated calmly.

A small tear formed in the corner of her eye, as a sad smile blossomed. "This is it." She finished her nose wrinkling as she tried to keep her tears under control. She's not a crier, never has been and she's certainly not going to start now.

He lifts his shoulders almost as though he's at a loss for what to do now. "I was going to propose." He tells her lamely.

She nods afraid of what her voice will sound like if she answered him.

"I have a ring and everything." A distraught hand makes its way to his hair. "I just couldn't do it."

Shoving her hands into her coat pockets, she takes a deep breath in an effort to compose herself. "I would ask why but I already know."

"You do?" The statement legitimately shocks him given that he didn't even know the answer until a few moments ago.

She nods. "I thought it was one sided for a while but neither of you has moved on really. You've managed to continue on and while we were in Afghanistan you we making steps to move on but when we got back there were those moments when I wasn't sure if you really had moved on." She brushes her long blond hair over her shoulder. "They were fleeting and so I ignored them you guys were close and you'd mentioned that you'd basically been in a relationship with each other until you left."

"I'm so sorry."

She shook her head a little bit causing the curls to dance in the air. "Don't be… It was that case a few weeks ago when you told me about her feelings. That was when I didn't think that this was going to last for much longer."

"You've know for that long?" He's an investigator how did he miss his own behavior?

She shrugged slowly. "Her name keeps popping up in conversation more and more often. You spend more and more time with her."

He turns back out to the city that he's come to love. "I don't know what to say." It feels lame coming out of his mouth, but it's all that he can come up with.

She steps closer to him but he doesn't look back at her. "Thank you." She whispers barely loud enough to be heard over the traffic on the street below.

Now he's confused and he looks over his shoulder at her brow crinkling along well worn lines. "For what?"

Placing a hand on his back, "For proving to me that I can live in one place." She stretched up and placed a kiss on his cheek. "And that it is possible for love to endure all sorts of things." With that, she turned and walked off the balcony stopping at the door. "What made you realize?" Curiosity getting the better of her.

He didn't look back at her. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the box flicking it open to stare at the ring again. "I bought a ring that wouldn't catch on her gloves." He states slowly and sadly.

She doesn't respond, all he hears is the receding click of her heels.

Well what did you think? Do think it's possible?

Babyrose