A Bride for Booth

By LizD

Written May 2010 - June 2010

Chapter 6

Early August

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The next morning Brennan was still at work. Cam knew that it was another all-nighter for her but from the looks of her it looked like it wasn't all about work.

"You shouldn't work this hard, Tempe," she said. "Why don't you take the day off? You're exhausted."

"I am pretty tired. Maybe just a nap and shower."

"Take the day, T," she repeated. "From your boss."

Brennan nodded and reached over to shut her computer down. "Cam, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"You have known Booth for many years."

"Well, I used to know him … he is not talking to me much these days."

"You know some of what happened to him over there, right?"

"Some."

"I am not at liberty to discuss the details – National Security and from Booth himself," she explained.

"I understand."

"He can recover from this, right?"

Cam smiled slightly. "Yes," she assured the good doctor. "He is the strongest man I know. I suppose what happened was pretty bad, and that he suffered physically pretty badly, but he will find his way back. Booth doesn't know how not to." Brennan nodded trying to find faith in Cam's words. "And for the record, whatever Booth is going through right now is not your fault."

Brennan thought for a long moment before she responded. "I accept that … intellectually." But he had seen her face, he had hesitated, he willed himself to live, he wouldn't have been there at all if she had not gone to Maluku. Was she really innocent?

"We all have regrets, Tempe. We all wish we would have said or done things differently at any number of times in our lives. And we all like to think that if we had made different choices things would have turned out differently - better. But it's not true, not necessarily true. Things could be so much worse. Booth could have died over there."

"Don't say that," Brennan protested.

"Anyone of us could get hit by a bus … we don't know what is around the next corner. All we can do is the best we can do at the time."

"I understand that … intellectually."

"We all do that too." She smiled warmly at Brennan. "Have you talked to Booth - recently?" Brennan looked down. Cam knew immediately that they had spoken and it didn't go well. She couldn't believe that Booth would blame Brennan for anything, but she did know enough to know that when someone is grieving they often lash out at anyone standing near and more often at the people they love. Booth was most certainly grieving and probably guilt ridden, and it makes some odd twisted sense to blame Brennan, but it was still wrong. Dead wrong. "Get some sleep. We will see you tomorrow, OK?"

"Thanks, Cam."

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Booth got out of the shower to find Elizabeth in the bathroom blow drying her hair. He had discovered that she did not need as much personal space as he did and it was something that was beginning to really bother him. Couldn't he get just 20 minutes to himself in the morning? Just one more thing that he had to keep from her.

Since they had been back, the old stuff, the stuff he didn't want think about had been weighing on his mind. He didn't talk to her about it; he couldn't talk to her about it, but it was consuming his attention. It was getting harder to put any number of things out of his mind and focus on her. She clearly had noticed. Her constant question of: "you Ok?" was getting to be really tedious. She didn't push to know what was going on, but she always pushed to get confirmation that things were OK.

Things were decidedly NOT OK.

"You going to be late again tonight?" she asked casually.

"No, regular time." He stepped out into the bedroom to dry off.

"I was going to go out with some people after work, you OK with that?"

"Sure," he wasn't really listening.

"Do you want to meet up with us?" She came into the bedroom and struck a pose in the door way. She wasn't dressed for work yet. "I would really like you to meet the people I work with. They're a lot of fun."

"Let's see how the day plays out, Ok?"

"Sure, babe." She stepped seductively up to him and slid her hands up his chest and linked them behind his neck. He was clearly not interested but was forced to look her in the eye. "I don't need to be at work for another two hours," she purred seductively.

He kissed her hard and made an attempt at being responsive. "Nothing I would like more, but I am late already." He released her and turned away wiping his mouth. He didn't even realize he was doing it. She did.

"Maybe you can call in sick," she stretched out on the bed showing him her best side.

He was pulling clothes out of the closet. "Sorry honey, but I have a meeting in 20 minutes." There was no meeting, at least not a meeting that he needed to be on time for.

"Ok." She sat up. He normally never refused her. He was rarely the one to initiate sex, but he hadn't ever flat out refused her in the past. "I'll be sure not to be late tonight." She said hoping he would somehow understand that she was just putting a pause on her desire.

"As late as you like, honey." He slipped on his shoes. His shirt wasn't completely buttoned and his tie was not tied. "Gotta go, talk to you later." He left the room.

Elizabeth didn't need to be a genius to know that something happened and it probably had to do with the reason he was late the night before.

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True to her word, Brennan ceased all communication with Booth. He had written an email which she did not read or respond to. He had called her office once, but she was not there and did not return his call. She was not offended by the turn the relationship was taking. She understood that Booth's ability to compartmentalize people and feelings in his life was not quite as adept as hers. She didn't believe he still had feelings for her, she believed that he was just lashing out and used her as a target particularly in light of what he had told her. It was best for Booth if she left his life entirely. She was committed to the Jeffersonian for another nine months, but hoped that the publication of the Maluku findings would provide her with speaking engagements away from Washington. Eventually she would take another position elsewhere or she would go abroad on another dig. She was always being invited or requested in various parts of the world, she just needed to fill her calendar with those either through the Jeffersonian or not. The chances of them running into each other would be greatly diminished. Or maybe he would move to San Diego. To anyone who didn't know her, she was productive and everything was fine. To the people she had allowed into her life (Angela, Hodgins, Cam) Brennan was decidedly NOT alright. They supported her the best they knew how - by allowing her to be and keeping her engaged.

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Five days after Brennan's last encounter with Booth, Elizabeth Darrow sought her out again. This time it was away from the lab and prying eyes. After some prodding Booth had told Elizabeth that he had been to see Brennan. He didn't say what had happened but it was clear that that meeting was on his mind. He was pulling further and further away from Elizabeth. He was working more hours. When he couldn't sleep – which was pretty close to every night, he would get up and move to the living room. For close to a month, their sex life was failing too; more about going through the motions, than any really desire. Since the meeting with Brennan, Booth was completely disinterested to the point of refusing her on several occasions without making an attempt at an excuse.

One morning she got up early, went to the living room and caught him in a very active dream state. It was so active he was talking in his sleep. She only caught some of what he was saying: "Do you want me to prove it to you?", "You're pregnant?", "Bones, just give it a chance!", "I'm that guy." She noticed that he was very aroused. Then he stopped moving. He got rigid and yelled out: "Intercept, GO! GO! GO!" It was then that he shot up out of his dream. He was anxious, sweating and terrified. He was grabbing at his lower back where he was hit with shrapnel. It hadn't completely scarred over yet. It took him a full minute to realize where he was and calm down. When she asked what the dream was about, he dismissed it out of hand saying that he didn't remember, but went quickly to the shower to wash it away. She could guess what woke him up, and it was pretty clear what he was dreaming about before. It was obvious to Elizabeth that Brennan did have an impact on Seeley and on their relationship. Something clicked in Elizabeth. It was time to have a real woman-to-woman talk.

"Ms. Darrow," Brennan said when she saw the woman approach. "Is Booth alright?"

"That is what I was going to ask you, Dr. Brennan."

"I don't have any interaction with Booth," she stated. "I would not be qualified to answer."

"You did the other night," she challenged. "What happened?"

"Did you discuss this with Booth?"

"I am asking you - as a woman - what happened the other night?"

"He came by to say that he could no longer be our consultant."

"Consultant?" She smiled weakly at her. "Is that what you people call it?"

"He was consulting on cases that we had a difficult time clearing - all via email."

"I see. Did he give a reason why he could no longer consult with you?"

Brennan didn't like her tone. While she couldn't disclose what Booth had actually said, she could paraphrase it for Elizabeth. "It was taking time and attention away from the things that needed his focus."

"Well that is the truth," she said snidely thinking about herself and not the work. "And that is all?"

"Yes," Brennan stated unequivocally.

Elizabeth had to pull out the big guns to get the reaction she was looking for from Brennan. "Do you think my fiancée is in love with you, Dr. Brennan?"

"No," she stated thinking it was a bizarre way to phrase the question.

"I know I asked for your help, but I wonder if that was a mistake." Elizabeth knew it was a mistake to bring Brennan back into their lives. She had only herself to blame.

"It may have been," Brennan agreed. "I do not believe that I can help him. I thought working the cases might be therapeutic; it always has been in the past. I sincerely hope he continues with Dr. Sweets."

So it was Brennan's idea to 'consult' Seeley about cases. Elizabeth had to figure a way to say 'back off, bitch' without those exact words. "Do you know why Seeley asked me to marry him?" It was a rhetorical question. She assumed Brennan would get the message that Booth was with her; no place for Bones any more. Any other woman would have gotten that.

"We did not discuss his motives, but I believe he said that you and he could have a future."

Elizabeth was stunned by the answer. "He contacted you before he asked me?"

"Yes."

Elizabeth shook her head. "Why would he discuss that with you at all? Were you two involved?"

"Booth and I were partners for a long time, is it not reasonable that he might talk to a friend about something as life changing as marriage."

"Very reasonable - if you were a friend - but that fact that you cut out of his life at his lowest point means to me that you either don't care about him at all."

"Not true," Brennan protested.

"Or that you care about him too much." Brennan looked down. "I will go with that. So you were more than friends, more than partners. Lovers is my guess, but clearly something happened between you that has not been resolved. So how long were you two involved - sexually? And how far did it go? And who broke it off?"

"Booth and I were partners - that is all."

"Are you trying to make me to believe that you worked side-by-side with Seeley for five years and you never had sex?" Brennan shook her head no. "Never thought about it? Never flirted with the idea? Never had a bit too much to drink one night and let one thing lead to another? A kiss under the mistletoe at Christmas that lasted until New Year's morning? Never went out of town on a case for the weekend and shared a room? A Bed? Stayed an extra day wrapping up the loose ends. Didn't tell because no one asked?"

"Booth and I never had intercourse or entered into any type of sexual relationship," Brennan stated.

"Are you a lesbian?" Also a rhetorical question but designed to get a reaction.

"I am heterosexual," Brennan didn't react easily but she wasn't enjoying this confrontational Elizabeth that stood before her. Did Booth know this side of his soon-to-be bride? He wouldn't like it. He would view the entire conversation as betrayal. "I find men very sexually stimulating and satisfying."

"But not Seeley."

"We were partners, Ms. Darrow. It would have been inappropriate for us to ... cross that line."

"Well then, that is the problem. Right there. You refused him. There is nothing more attractive to a man than a woman who can resist him. It's a challenge; like waving a red cape in front of a bull. They can't help but want to charge it. But I am sure you knew that, being a genius." Brennan did not respond, but she didn't like the analysis. "Why don't you just do it? For my sake and for his. Just have sex with him, he will get you out of his system and we can move on with our lives."

"I am sorry, Ms. Darrow, but are you suggesting that Booth and I ..."

"Yes, I find I can be very practical when I need to be. You should be able to appreciate that," she said coldly. "And I would prefer you do it before we are married with children."

"Ms. Darrow -."

"Look, you are the one that got away. The poor bastard probably thinks he is in love with you – which couldn't possibly be true. I mean - look at you - cold, distant, passionless. You just aren't his type. It's just an itch that needs to get scratched. You want to help him? Scratch it! Trust me, you would enjoy yourself. Seeley is an excellent lover."

"I find this entire conversation very offensive."

"Good, be offended," she snapped. "How do you think I feel knowing that my fiancée is about to ruin any chance of happiness that we have because of a woman who has the emotional capacity of a toaster?"

"This conversation has ended, Ms. Darrow." Brennan walked away.

Elizabeth had her answer. Brennan was in love with Seeley and it was probably reciprocated. Where did that leave her?

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Lister wasn't expected to last the night. He had developed an infection, pneumonia and they couldn't get his heart beat back to normal sinus rhythm. She was forced from the room when they had to bring him back to surgery to repair ... something, she wasn't listening. She knew the words, she understood the procedure, but she didn't listen. All she knew was that her partner, her lover, her friend was dying and there was nothing she could do to prevent it. She had to go back to work.

"Dr. Reichs?"

She looked up at the scared little agent that stood in Lister's doorway. She had gone to his office to look through the FBI files. Normally she would not have been allowed, but there were a crew of agents pulling unpaid overtime, taking sick days and otherwise shirking their regular duties to find Jackson Salt. Lister was one of theirs and at the moment, so was Reichs. If management knew, they turned a blind eye.

"Dr. Reichs, we have something that you should see. We think we know where Salt is hiding out."

She was up and out of her chair following the young agent to the make shift war room that had been set up. It was a utility closet, but the size and lack of resources didn't make it any less productive. She reviewed what they had. It was an erroneous assumption. She knew Salt better than anyone. He would not have been found so easily. But they had found something that needed to follow up.