Thank you for reviewing my story. It lets me know if anyone is still interested in it.

A/N: This is a reminder that this story is taking place in season 5. Brennan's and Booth's insecurities were pretty much controlling them at this point. I'm just working around it and my goal is to get them together in season 5 not at the end of season 6.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooo

Watching Booth's head start to nod, Brennan reached over and placed her hand on his arm. "Booth, I won't be able to visit you tomorrow until the evening."

Suddenly awake, Booth turned to stare at her. "How come? You get a case?"

Shaking her head, Brennan watched his face carefully. "The Gravedigger trial starts tomorrow."

His gaze moving towards the dark screen on the television, Booth sighed. "Yeah, okay, I forgot. . . Uh, I . . . uh, good luck."

"Booth, I know you wanted to be there, but you know that's not possible." Standing, she leaned over her partner and placed her hand on his face. "She will be convicted, Booth. She isn't going to get away with the murders of those boys."

Turning his gaze back towards Brennan, Booth frowned. "And your kidnapping and Hodgins' kidnapping . . ."

Interrupting, Brennan reminded him, "And your kidnapping too, Booth. She's being tried for all of it. She's hurt a great many people and I will do my best to make sure she is punished for what she did."

He really wanted to be there, but he knew it was impossible. Swallowing, Booth smiled. "Yeah, I have faith in you Bones. Between you and Cam and the squints . . . that bitch is going down. I'm sure of it."

Leaning closer, Brennan kissed him. "I need to go home tonight. I have to be at the courthouse at eight. I will come to see you tomorrow evening as soon as I can."

Booth stared into her blue eyes and placed his hand on her hip. "Bones, you're the best . . . You're the best anthropologist in the country . . ."

"The world."

Chuckling, Booth continued, "Yes, the world. Taffet thinks she's smarter than . . . everyone but she's wrong and you're going to prove it to her."

Brennan straightened and captured the hand resting on her hip. She didn't want to go, but she knew she must. Staring at him, she squeezed his hand and released it. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Watching her leave, Booth frowned as the door closed behind her. After awhile, he picked up the television remote and flipped through the channels until he realized that he didn't give a damn what was playing. Dropping the remote, he leaned back and closed his eyes. Clasping his hands in front of his face, he prayed for Brennan and for himself.

Oooooooooooooooo

Sitting in the courtroom, Brennan listened to the preliminaries playing out before her. Staring at Heather Taffet, she felt a surge of strong emotion wash over her as the Gravedigger turned to look at her, giving her a knowing smirk.

Hodgins, his fury barely contained, clenched his hands and rested them on his thighs. Glaring at the woman who had kidnapped him and almost killed him, he fought the compulsion to attack her. Brennan, aware that her friend was in a great deal of stress, put her hand on his arm. "Jack, with the new witness going to testify against her and the retrieval of four more victims, it's safe to say she will not walk away from this."

Staring at Brennan's hand, Hodgins sighed. "Yeah, I know. She just makes me so angry. I'd like to strangle her for all the shit she's done. She's so evil."

Brennan lowered her voice and turned her attention back to Caroline standing before the jury. "Imagine how Booth must be feeling. He can't come to the trial, so he will not get the satisfaction of seeing her found guilty. He will have to learn of it second hand."

A feeling of guilt sweeping through him, Hodgins unclenching his hands. "I need to go see him tonight. I've been so busy helping Caroline get ready for this trial, I've only seen him once. He must think I stink as a friend."

Shaking her head, Brennan frowned at the thought. "No, I'm sure he doesn't."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Arriving at the hospital that evening, Brennan entered Booth's room only to find it empty. The flowers that had been sitting on the window sill were gone. The red balloon that said get well was also gone. The bed's sheets were gone and the room was clean. A feeling panic starting to swirl inside of her, Brennan rushed back out of the room and down the hallway to the nurses station. "Where is Seeley Booth?"

Startled, Nurse Robinson looked up at the terrified question coming from Dr. Brennan. "Dr. Brennan, I'm sorry, Mr. Booth was released by his attending physician this afternoon. I'm sorry if no one informed you, but we did try."

Shaking her head, Brennan snapped at the nurse, "I've been at a trial all day. No phones are allowed in the courtroom . . . Who took him home?"

Checking for Booth's records, the nurse saw they were not on the desk and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sorry, I don't know. He was released at around three this afternoon and I don't come on my shift until five."

Suddenly remembering she'd turned her phone off while at the courthouse, Brennan pulled the phone out of her purse and checked for voicemail. Finding a couple of messages from Booth, she walked down the hallway and stopped near the stairwell. Listening, she heard his message. "Bones . . Uh, they're letting me go home . . . I'm going to get Harris to come and . . . and get me and take me to my apartment . . . I know you're tired so go home and get some rest and . . . I'll see you when you can come see me . . . I hope the trial went okay. Well, I . . . uh, I love you. Bye."

Ooooooooooooooo

Knocking on Booth's apartment door, Brennan waited several minutes. After awhile, she knocked again. Worried when no one came to answer the door, Brennan fished the spare key she had for his apartment out of her purse and opened the door. Entering the apartment she found the silence unnerving. Walking rapidly down the hallway, Brennan walked in to the bedroom after finding the living room empty only to find that Booth wasn't there. After checking every room in the apartment, she became very anxious. "Where are you Booth?"

Worried, she pulled her phone out of her purse and called Booth's number only to find her call forwarded to voice mail. Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Brennan walked over to Booth's bookshelf and retrieved his phone book. Calling Booth's grandfather, she her heard him answer the phone on the fourth ring. "What?"

As calmly as possible, Brennan responded, "Hank, this is Temperance Brennan, Booth's partner. Do you know where he is? I dropped by the hospital to visit him and found he was discharged this afternoon. I checked his apartment and he isn't there."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Agent Harris took Seeley home with him. He was afraid to take Seeley to his apartment knowing that he'd be alone. I don't have a house anymore, so I thought that was a pretty good idea. Harris has a house keeper that comes in every day. She can make sure he's okay during the day and then Harris and his wife can look after him at night. Seeley really wanted to go home, but Harris told him that wasn't an option. It was a tough sell but he got through to Seeley that he wasn't going to win that argument."

After Hank gave her Harris' number, Brennan hung up and called the number.

"Harris residence."

Clearing her throat, Brennan responded, "My name is Dr. Temperance Brennan. May I speak to Seeley Booth?"

Harris, his mind partially on the game he was watching, glanced at the empty hallway and then back at the TV. "Sorry, Doc. Seeley is asleep. I'll let him know you called when he wakes up."

Oooooooooooooooooo

Early the next morning, Harris entered the guest bedroom, walked over to the bed and shook Booth's foot. Booth jerking away, gasped and grabbed his chest.

Contrite, Harris apologized to his friend. "Sorry . . . I'm going to work and my housekeeper is here. Her name is Randy. Now she leaves at noon to go to another job, so when she leaves park your ass on the couch and stay there until Susan gets home. She usually gets home around four. Your therapist will be by around ten . . . Oh and your partner called last night."

Trying to take in all the information, Booth latched on to the last piece of information. "Why didn't you wake me? . . . I wanted to talk to her."

Susan called to him from the living room and he knew he had to go. "You need to rest. Call your Bones after you eat breakfast. I left you a plate of pancakes on a plate in the microwave. Just heat them back up and you're good to go. Food in the fridge, no beer and leave my Milky Way bars alone."

Rolling his eyes, Booth grumbled at his friend. "Are you enjoying ordering me around?"

Amused, Harris walked across the room, stopped in the doorway and looked back at his friend. "Just making sure you take care of your self. I don't want your job and if you croak I'll be stuck with it. Now, behave and make sure you eat breakfast and lunch." Snapping his fingers, Harris smiled. "And don't eat the Rocky Road ice cream in the freezer. That's Susan's and she gets really pissy if someone eats her ice cream."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Hearing her phone ring, Brennan retrieved it from her purse. She recognized the ring tone and smiled. "You're awake."

Booth watched the melting butter sliding off his pancakes and felt happy to hear Brennan's voice. "Yeah, I thought I'd talk to you before . . . you go into court. I thought I'd see if you want a pep talk . . . Do you need one?"

Smiling at the sound of his voice, Brennan stared at the door near the Judge's bench. "No, I'm fine. The judge is in chambers with Caroline and Taffet's attorney. I don't know what it's about though."

Not sure he liked the sound of that, Booth started to cut his pancakes in to smaller pieces and tried to assure Brennan. "Don't worry about it . . . You guys have her dead to rights . . . She isn't going to get out of this no matter how much she tries . . . She may be a genius but your to the moon a genius . . . She won't win."

Observing Hodgins pacing up and down the aisle, Brennan sighed. "I just wish this trial was over."

The pulling on his chest muscles making him uncomforatable, Booth shifted his phone to his other hand. "I'm sorry I can't be there Bones. I would be if I could . . . Tell you what if you're not tired, come by and . . . tell me how your day went and we'll talk . . . I know I'm a little banged up, but maybe we can do something . . . boyfriend and girlfriend. Not a full on relationship thing, but something . . . like a first date thing. We have to start sometime and . . . and how else are you going to get used to seeing me as relationship material if . . . if we don't at least start dating? You like my hugs, I'm sure I could manage that if we're careful."

Watching the courtroom door open, the bailiff motion for everyone to enter the room. "I do like your hugs . . . I have to go. Court is being convened."

Booth rushed before she ended the call. "I love you Bones." Hearing the line disconnect, Booth turned his attention to his now cold pancakes.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Reviews would be great. Thanks.

A/n: Matt considering the deep insecurities that Brennan and Booth live with and the fact that we are still seeing some of that in season 9 leads me to believe I am not jerking them around in this story. This story is taking place in season 5 when their insecurities were pretty serious. I have no plans to rush my story. I need to tell it my way and that includes a few twists and turns. I don't believe I've written a story yet that hasn't zigged and zagged. It's how I write. I can promise that there will no trips to Maluku or Afghanistan.