Chapter 10... 'Together'

Booth had been putting it off for so long, now. He'd been with Jennifer for almost four months, but by far, this last month had been the toughest for him. Hurting Brennan like he did, toying with her emotions, the kisses they shared, the lies, the passion. He had to try and make it work with Jennifer, but was hesitant to take the physical step with her, in fear of Brennan never wanting him. He knew how she felt now, and that would've made a difference a year ago when they both went their separate ways. But he promised Brennan that he was going to give Jennifer the chance that she deserved.

They'd been to dinner at a quaint little restaurant on the east side of town and were now making their way back to Jennifer's hotel room.

Jennifer had insisted that she stay in a hotel in DC instead of at Booth's apartment. Let's not rush things... she'd insisted. Booth could understand. He'd never had a woman live in his apartment before, and seeing as how the bulk of their relationship had been in Afghanistan; if things didn't work out in DC it would be much easier on the both of them – no difficult reminders of blissful memories, and no elongated 'move-out' period.

Booth was pleased with how things were going between him and Jennifer. They hardly saw each other during the day - out of Booth's fear of seeing Brennan's heart being crushed. His date that night with Jennifer was going smoothly, and Booth wanted to see how things were going to turn out once they got to Jennifer's hotel room.

There was only one more block left. Booth was starting to get nervous, but kept his game face on. You've gotta give this a chance. Think happy thoughts. You can't let your past ruin your future.

Jennifer dragged him by the hand, rushing towards her hotel. They passed the check-in desk, and Jennifer dragged Booth into the elevator. Booth could see that Jennifer was anxious to get upstairs, as though she knew there was a surprise waiting for her. She kept bobbing up and down every few seconds. Booth chuckled.

"What?"

"Nothing" replied Booth, admiring her girlish behaviour. "You just look so cute bobbing like that."

Jennifer gripped his hand as the elevator reached her floor, and led him down the hallway to where her room was.

It's now or never, Booth.

Booth pinned her to the door, kissing her feverishly. She responded and ran her hands through his hair. She let out a moan as Booth nuzzled into her neck, kissing it, and gently sucking. His left hand still leaned against the door, trapping her beside the door jamb. His right hand slowly made its way down her cheek, then neck, gently brushing past her breasts (to which she let out a moan), then slid down her hip and stopped at the hem of her dress. He kissed her on the lips as her hands made their way to Booth's chest. She started to unbutton his top, and getting lost in the moment she scraped his chest with her nails, going from his shoulders all the way to the top of his pants. He let out a gentle moan. "Jenny!" he gasped.

He took his left hand off the door and tangled it in her hair, and almost without thinking, he started to lift his right hand, dragging her dress up with it.

"Seeley" she moaned. But it wasn't the moan he was expecting. It was filled with hesitation and reserve. Booth dropped her dress and placed his right hand on her hip. He tried to nuzzle her neck again, but she pulled away.

"Seeley, I can't."

Booth stood there shocked. She'd dragged him from the restaurant to the hotel and into the elevator, desperation practically screaming at him.

"Why?" he asked, his heart almost broken and his ego definitely shattered. He looked her deep in the eyes, trying to read what she was thinking. She looked away from him, trying to squirm away from him.

"There's someone else, Seeley."

He now knew how Brennan had felt that day he tried to introduce her to Jennifer. It panged, deep in his heart, even though he didn't actually love Jennifer. Booth took a few steps back, releasing Jennifer from his hold.

"You were never there for me... physically," she began. Booth knew she was trying to make it his fault. "A few nights after we got back to DC, I hooked up with him. I didn't mean for it to happen, but it did... again and again."

The colour drained from Booth's face. He had felt desperately guilty about the kisses he'd shared with Brennan, yet she felt almost no remorse for what she'd done... again and again.

"I'm leaving tomorrow for New York, Seeley. I'm sorry." Jennifer turned, opened the door to her hotel room and slammed the door in Booth's face. He stepped backwards until he hit the wall, and slid down, resting one arm on a propped up knee, that hand rubbing his forehead. He was defeated.

Brennan was enjoying a quiet night at home with a good book and a glass of red wine. Actually, it had been three shots of tequila, five shots of vodka and a glass of wine. She'd been trying to numb any pain she was feeling using the weekend and the lack of alcohol over the past year as a reasonable excuse to indulge.

It was almost 11 at night. Brennan was on the couch, curled up under a blanket, fast asleep. She was having a wonderful dream, one that didn't fill her with heartache. He came running to her. All of her emotions washed over her, and the tears started to fall, soaking her bright red cheeks. 'Was this a dream' she thought to herself as he embraced her, kissing her passionately as he spun her around. The tears streamed down his face. 'I love you Temperance.' The words rolled off her tongue, 'I love you too, Booth!' They held each others' faces in their hands, kissing and laughing in between sobs. It had taken them more than six years to realise they belonged together.

There was a knock at her door, and Brennan sat bolt upright. It was now well past 11. Who would be knocking on my door at this hour? She thought as she wrapped the silk dressing gown around her, fastening the tie around her waist.

As Brennan made her way around the couch, the person knocked again, this time more weakly. Half asleep, Brennan didn't even bother to check and see who it was. She swung the door open.

"Booth?"

As though he'd just invaded her dreams, Booth was standing there in front of her. His head was hung, and as he lifted it, Brennan could see the tears welling up in his eyes. He was in pain.

"Bones!" It was barely a whisper, but the pain screamed at Brennan.

Booth took a step forward, and collapsed into a hug with Brennan. She hugged him back, not understanding what was going on.

"Shh, it's alright" she soothed, rubbing his back as she nestled her head into his chest. Booth rested his head on Brennan's shoulder, and feeling the comfort of her warmth, he let the tears flow, knowing that she was there for him.

After a while, Booth pulled away. Brennan looked into his deep, brown eyes, searching for the source of his pain, which in turn caused her heart to ache.

"I'm sorry" he said, and he reached for Brennan, pulling her in for a long, passionate kiss. Brennan reciprocated the kiss, taking comfort in his tenderness.

"I don't... I don't understand, Booth." Brennan was surprised by what was happening, though she didn't mind the attention from Booth.

Booth pulled her in for another kiss, trying to build up the courage to finally tell Brennan how he really felt.

"I love you, Booth!" explained Brennan when they pulled apart, a tear trickling down her cheek. Booth gently rubbed it away with his thumb.

"I love you too, Temperance." He had waited so long to say those words, and now, with the love of his life in his arms, kissing him, Booth couldn't understand why it had been so hard to say them.

"I love you" he repeated in a whisper as Brennan started towards the couch, kissing him tenderly.