*In the diner, lunchtime*

"Ok, so I will be leaving tomorrow. I should be back soon, though. Ok, buddy? Ok, I gotta go. I will talk to you soon. Bye buddy." Booth hung up the phone, going back to his pie and hoping Parker would understand.

"Booth, he'll be fine. He's old enough, he understands," Brennan told Booth, knowing he was worrying about how Parker would react.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure he'll be fine," Booth said, seemingly still deep in thought. Brennan waved a fry in front of his face.

"Hey, Earth to Booth. He will be fine. You know that. Just quit worrying, ok?" The expression on Booths face told her he wasn't going to stop worrying any time soon.

"Ok, TRY not to worry AS much, ok? If you want, I could call him or check up on him every once in a while, make sure he's ok. Would that help?"

The thought of his Bones helping Parker out and reassuring him made him feel a lot better.

"Yeah, Bones, that would be great. That would be really… great." Booth leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, a little smile on his face.

Booth and Brennan shared a "moment," which lasted almost a minute, until a voice interrupted them.

"Hey, Tempe, we got a case," Sully said, far too cheerfully for Booth's taste.

"Ok, well, I'll see you later, Booth. Dinner tonight? About 8? We still have some paperwork to finish," Brennan said, getting her wallet out as she stood up.

"Yeah, I'll pick up some Wong Foo's, meet you at your house. Bye. See ya, Sully," Booth said as Brennan put some money on the table and walked out with Sully. Booth allowed himself a little smirk as he went back to his pie.

*The look on Sully's face… Priceless.*

Later that night, at about seven o' clock, as Booth was waiting for his order to be up, he noticed someone familiar approaching him out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey Booth," Max Keenan greeted.

"Hey Max, what's up?"

"I just wanted to talk to you for a minute. I know this mission is important to you, and you would do anything to make sure it would succeed. I also know that Tempe has let you in more than anyone else. She trusts you, and if you don't come back, it will break her heart. If you have to let your mission fail to come back to her, then that's what you should do."

"I know that. Don't think I don't. I also know that if I don't come back, she will most likely never open up to anyone. And I will do my absolute best to make sure I come back. But I cannot fail this mission. She knows that. I would NEVER intentionally leave her. The only way I would leave her is if I died," Booth said, very adamantly.

"You love her, don't you?" Max asked, knowing full well what the answer was. Booth hesitated, then decided he couldn't avoid the question like he had when Sully asked.

"Yes, yes I do. And the last thing I would do would be to hurt her."

Max nodded, getting the confirmation he needed.

"Ok. I believe you." Booths order was up, so he grabbed his food and left, headed towards his house to call Parker one more time before heading to Brennan's apartment.

Max took the voice recorder out of his pocket, and hit stop. He also took the mini camera pin that he had gotten (from a source not to be named [ok, it was stolen]) and turned it off also. He sat down and let Sid serve him while he waited for his "accomplice" to show up.

*Meanwhile, back at the ranch (AKA The Jeffersonian)*

"Hey sweetie, you got a new case?"

Brennan looked up from her paperwork as Angela walked into her office.

"No, it was pretty straightforward. It was a suicide. What's up?"

"Well, I felt like I should talk to you before Booth leaves on his mission. I just wanted to make sure that you're sure you want him to go. You know there's a chance he might not come back," Angela said, trying to soften the blow a little.

"Yes, Angela, it was something I weighed before making my decision. I know that he will come back," Brennan answered confidently.

Angela smiled a little, then asked, "How do you know? That sounds a lot like faith to me."

Brennan waved her hand in dismissal. "It's not faith. He's the best. Cullen wouldn't send him on a mission he might not survive. He knows he has a kid who loves him."

"Sweetie, no matter what you say, you have faith in that man."

"Faith is the irrational belief in something that is logically impossible. I know that Booth will try his absolute hardest to come back to Parker."

Angela started nodding at "irrational belief" and had a response ready at "Booth."

"You know he'll come back for you, don't you."

It wasn't a question.

"Ange, that's irrational. We're just partners," Brennan said, shaking her head.

"Brennan, are you saying you don't have any feelings for him at all? None, other than a platonic friendship? You wouldn't be totally lost, and feel completely betrayed and depressed if he died?" Angela watched Brennan start shaking her head again, but she stopped soon, an expression often associated with an epiphany on her face.

*Oh my god… When did I fall in love with Booth?* She looked up at Angela, surprise in her eyes.

"How did you-"

"Sweetie, absolutely EVERYONE who has EVER seen you two together could tell you that you're in love with each other. Think of the number of people who have assumed that over the years. Could they all be wrong? Plus, you know I know things like this. It's like a sixth sense."

Brennan ignored the fact that she could refute the fact that many people all sharing an opinion would be right, and that there is no sixth sense, and tried to absorb the impact of her epiphany.

"So, I love Booth. And you've known for FOUR YEARS? Why didn't you tell me?"

Angela laughed at this. "Sweetie, I DID tell you. Many, MANY times. You didn't want to hear it. There was something about a line, and "It's BOOTH," and various other lame excuses."

Brennan was speechless as she realized her best friend was right.

"Ok sweetie, I'll see you later. Don't you have plans in like, an hour?" Angela swept out of Brennan's office, satisfied with a job well done.

She turned off her voice recorder and took the mini camera in her necklace and turned it off too. After making sure Brennan was wrapping everything up, she headed to Wong Foo's to get some dinner and finish her part of the plan.