The song I used for this chapter is I AM A ROCK, by Paul Simon. No copyright infringement intended...

I am alone.

Gazing from my window to the streets below

On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow….

I am a rock. I am an island….

The second day of January dawned clear and cold. A light layer of snow lay on the grass like a dusting of powdered sugar glistening in the sun, but Temperance Brennan didn't take as much time to notice it as she normally did. She wanted to get to work early today, away from the prying eyes of her co-workers. She needed to think...she needed time to sort through the emotional static that had invaded her mind. She had decided to spend the morning working down in bone storage to clear her head. Brennan smiled slightly...most people would be horrified at the idea of being stuck in a basement with boxes of old bones, but to her it was relaxing...a quiet place to focus her thoughts as she worked through her problems while studying the long forgotten skeletons.

As she had anticipated, there were very few people in the lab today. Almost everyone had opted to take January 2 off to spend with their families and friends. Brennan was relieved to find that Angela had chosen to stay home as well. Angela had noticed Brennan's sour mood at dinner last night, and had asked many pointed questions in an effort to find the cause. Brennan had managed to deflect most of them, even though several of them hit very close to home. Brennan grimaced as she thought about the discussion from the previous night. Angela had wondered about how dinner at Booth's apartment had been, pressing for all sorts of impertinent details, until Brennan had snapped at her, telling her to mind her own business. Not exactly the way for best friends to act….she knew she needed to call later today with an apology and some sort of explanation.

She carried a plastic storage box of bones to the stainless steel table and began to lay the bones out in the correct anatomical position. The sameness of the procedure had a calming effect on Brennan's swirling thoughts. She nodded to herself. This was where she belonged...away from the confusion of emotions that had chased her throughout her life. She paused for a minute as she looked at the humerus, wondering about the irony surrounding the events of the last few days. She knew she was brilliant...a world class scientist, a best selling author and a highly respected professor. She understood how all the parts of the human skeleton worked together on their own and as a unit, as well as all the intricacies of the bones themselves down to the cellular level. But when it came to understanding her own emotions she was completely lost...what other people thought of as easy and natural, like how to love someone, or how to accept love from someone….those things seemed to be frustratingly beyond her comprehension.

Brennan sighed as she catalogued the bones on the table. This was so much easier….adult male, mid-twenties to mid-thirties, Caucasian, well nourished, with significant damage to the back of the skull...most likely bludgeoned to death approximately 100 years ago during World War I. Based on the information and old photograph supplied with the box, this was indeed Cpl. John Henry Stansbury, US Army, killed in the trenches of France in 1917. He was no longer missing in action, and his remains could finally be returned to his family. Brennan could now move on to the next box that awaited her gentle touch in her quiet and peaceful sanctuary.

I've built walls,

A fortress deep and mighty,

That none may penetrate…

"I thought I might find you down here, Brennan." Angela smiled as she walked over to the examination table. "You're not hiding, are you?"

"Angela...Hello...Listen, about what I said last night...I want to apologize. I know it was rude to tell you to shut up." Brennan blushed slightly as she remembered the shocked look on Angela's face. "And no, I'm not hiding. I'm working. When the lab doesn't have a case to work on with the FBI I'm supposed to work on identifying these remains." Brennan looked up and saw Angela's wry smile. "But you knew that, didn't you? I thought you weren't coming to work today."

Angela pulled a stool over to the opposite side of the table, and sat watching Brennan work for a few minutes before speaking again. "I'm not working today. I'm on a mission of mercy…"

"What?" Brennan looked up, startled at the implication. "Is someone in trouble? Is Hodgins okay?"

"Yes, Hodgins is fine. He's not the one who needs help." Angela patted Brennan's arm gently. "You are."

Shaking her head, Brennan grimaced as she went back to laying out the bones. "I have no idea what you're talking about Angela."

"Yes, you do. You remember...tall, dark, and very well built, with cute dimples?"

"You mean Booth? I don't need help with Booth. I've completed all of the necessary steps to become his work partner again, and I think that will be a satisfactory arrangement for everyone concerned." Brennan grimaced slightly. After the emotional turmoil of the last two days, she was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea to be Booth's partner again...

"Your work relationship may be fine, but I'm gonna help you with the other part of the picture. Tell me what happened at Booth's apartment on New Year's Eve that upset you so much. And don't give me that glare….I'm not leaving until I get the full story."

"Angela...I don't want to talk about it…." Brennan pretended to study the left femur of the deceased.

"Okay, then I'll just make up my own stories and you tell me which one is closest to the truth. He burned the spaghetti sauce. He's a lousy kisser. He couldn't perform sexually. He has a toenail fetish. His old girlfriend showed up…" Angela heard Brennan's little gasp of exasperation and realized what had happened. "So you two were getting it on and Cam showed up? Wow….awkward…."

"We were not 'getting it on', Angela. We were dancing, and then...Booth kissed me, and I kissed him….and then Cam arrived, and she was angry that I was there, and I was angry and embarrassed because she was there, and Booth was angry about something as well…it was all quite confusing."

Angela tilted her head as she studied her friend. "Which part was confusing, Sweetie? I don't understand. Was it Cam? Because I'm pretty sure Booth laid down the law and kicked her ass out of his house after you left. They did not part on good terms when they broke up. It wasn't mutual. He broke up with her. She was extremely jealous of his relationship with you."

"He told me part of that yesterday. Cam showed up without being invited…" Brennan's expression was wistful as she remembered talking to Booth. She sighed softly as she continued her explanation for Angela. "I was confused about what I felt about Booth. I was glad he kissed me, and I wanted to kiss him, but I'm not sure I want to risk falling in love with him...I was nervous about that and when Cam arrived I didn't know how to react...I wanted to yell at her, and I couldn't tell how Booth felt about her being there…"

"Sweetie, I'm sure Booth wouldn't want her there if you were there. He invited you over, right?" Brennan nodded as she stared at the bones. "So let's think logically for a minute. If he wanted to impress you and show you a good time, would he really invite his old girlfriend to show up at the same time?"

"You're right. That wouldn't be logical." Brennan examined the right humerus closely. "So he really wasn't happy to see her?"

"Correct. And as far as taking the risk to fall in love with Booth, Sweetie, I'd say that was a moot point, because you've already done that."

Don't talk of love.

I've heard the word before.

It's sleeping in my memory.

I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died.

If I'd never loved, I never would've cried….

"I'm not in love with Booth, Angela. Anyway, what we call love is…"

Angela held up both hands toward Brennan. "I don't want to hear that 'love is a chemical reaction' crap. And, yes, you are in love with Booth. Trust me, Sweetie. You love him, and he loves you."

Brennan's heart beat a little faster at Angela's assertion, but her logical mind wouldn't let her believe it was true. "Even if that was true, Angela, I'm not sure that pursuing a relationship with him is an intelligent thing to do. I thought I loved Sully enough to live with him on a boat in the Caribbean Sea, and that didn't work out well at all. Booth thought he loved Cam, Rebecca, and Tessa, and none of those relationships had successful outcomes." She looked up at Angela, shaking her head. "Relationships are ephemeral. A person can put a lot of effort into relationships, only to have them fade away or come crashing down."

"Some relationships do end badly, but many relationships last for a long time. People get married and have families…."

"Angela, do you remember the murder victim we had in the lab earlier this week? He was run over with his own truck by his loving wife, who was angry because he had forgotten to bring their lunches to the park."

"Sweetie…" Angela sighed. For every example of a happy relationship, Brennan would shoot her down with another fact or statistic. It was time to change tactics. "Let's talk about oysters."

"What?" Brennan stopped what she was doing with the bones and stared at Angela. "Why would we talk about shellfish?"

"Well, it's like this...when something irritates an oyster's body and they can't get rid of it, they coat the object with nacre and make a pearl, so something bad becomes something beautiful. Maybe instead of looking at all the painful relationships you've had in life, you should just ignore them and turn them into pearls…you know, let time cover up the bad memories so they become easier to deal with…."

Brennan rolled her eyes. "That's a ridiculous analogy, Angela. I don't dwell on my past…"

Obviously the pearl metaphor wasn't going to work. "Okay, well then….let's talk about experiments. Why don't we see who's point of view is correct? Maybe you should conduct an experiment."

"An experiment? About love? Ridiculous." Brennan snickered at the thought. "There are too many variables to consider when conducting experiments about human beings and their emotions, and anyway, psychology is a pseudoscience…."

"Just as I thought, Brennan...you're afraid I'm going to be right and you're going to be wrong. I know how much you hate that…." Angela smiled to herself. She had often used that ploy to get Brennan to try something new.

Brennan wrote down some information on the paper attached to her clipboard. "You're incorrect, Angela. However, I don't think I'm interested in conducting an experiment to see if I should have a romantic relationship with Booth."

"Come on, Brennan. You and Booth were made for each other. That's why you weren't happy with Sully, and why Booth wasn't happy with Tessa or Cam. You know you don't want anyone else but Booth…"

"It's unrealistic to think that Booth and I would only be happy with each other, Angela. There are several people I could be happy with…"

"That may be true, Sweetie, but right now, Booth is available, and you know you could be happy with him if you just give it a chance."

Brennan picked the bones up and put them back in the box. Another WW I soldier had been identified and could finally be returned to his family. "If I give a relationship with Booth a chance, and it fails, our work relationship would suffer tremendously, and I don't want to risk that. I think things will be better if Booth and I simply maintain a professional relationship."

Angela sighed as she watched Brennan pick out another box to work on. So much for her mission of mercy. Brennan was in denial about her feelings for Booth, and she was going to stubbornly cling to the idea that she and Booth were just friends in order to prove she was right.

"Hey, I'm gonna have lunch, Brennan. Do you want to join me?"

"No, thank you….I'm going to work on a few more of these boxes and then go finish some paperwork in my office. Thanks for coming to see me. I feel better since we talked."

"I'm glad you feel better, Sweetie. I'll see you tomorrow." Angela got up to leave, but turned back to Brennan. "If you're still confused about what you feel about Booth, you can call me…"

"I'll be fine, Angela, but thank you for being such a good friend, even when I'm disagreeable. I'll see you tomorrow."

I am shielded in my armor.

Hiding in my room, safe within my womb,

I touch no one and no one touches me.

I am a rock...I am an island.

Brennan opened the box and lay the bones out on the stainless steel table. This skeleton was severely damaged and in disarray…"Just like my emotions", Brennan thought. She paused for a minute, thinking over everything that Angela had said. Brennan knew she loved Booth, and it gave her a little thrill to think that he might love her, but giving in to the temptation to actually engage in a relationship with each other frightened her. She exhaled slowly, deciding it would be safer for her emotional well being if they remained friends instead of taking the risk of being lovers. In fact, it would be much safer if she avoided working with him altogether. She'd tell Booth that she'd changed her mind about being his partner. She could examine bodies in the lab and assist him that way. She'd be far less likely to be hurt when Booth changed his mind about what he wanted. It was the logical decision to make. She squared her shoulders and went back to work, trying to ignore the small tear that had escaped from her eyelashes. It might be the logical decision, but that didn't make it any less painful…..

And a rock feels no pain….

And an island never cries….

oooooooooo

Booth looked at himself in the mirror as he got ready for work that morning, giving himself another pep talk. A guy didn't get to be a decorated US Army Ranger or an FBI Special Agent by giving up when things got tough. If he wanted something bad enough, and if it was worth fighting for, he would do whatever it took to achieve his goal. The innate toughness of his character had served him well in the past, and it would be invaluable now. He was not going to give up on having a relationship with Bones just because of one simple misunderstanding.

He'd spent a good deal of time yesterday thinking about what had happened in the previous 48 hours, and he'd come to a sort of epiphany. He smiled to himself, remembering his lunch conversation with Bones. In this case he was recognizing an idea. He realized that, while it was annoying and frustrating that Cam had broken up their little party, it was possible that Bones had used that intrusion as an excuse to leave so she could avoid the strong emotions they were both feeling. In fact, she was probably so nervous that she'd want to try to back out of being his partner again, but he was not about to let that happen. All he needed was a little bit of time….enough time to convince her that there was nothing to be afraid of...that she could trust him, and that he wouldn't hurt her.

Booth tried to read his paper as he ate his breakfast at the diner, but he couldn't concentrate. His mind kept wandering back to Bones. Poor little bunny….Yeah, little bunny...she'd kick his ass good if she knew he'd ever thought of her that way, as a fluffy baby animal...but she was just so damn cute…and so scared to love someone after being abandoned and hurt so many times. He knew she hated feeling out of control in emotional situations, and feeling like she was falling in love with him would definitely make her feel that way. He would just have to reassure her that he'd be there to catch her if she did fall...to keep her heart safe. She wouldn't be going on this journey alone. They'd be together every step of the way.

Later that day, as Booth drove over to the Jeffersonian, he hummed happily to himself. Things were gonna work out well. Booth wasn't above using FBI rules and regulations to serve his own purposes and to get what he wanted, especially in this case. He wore a self satisfied smirk as he walked into the Jeffersonian and took the elevator up to Dr. Goodman's office. Booth made a mental note to send Sully a case of his favorite beer...maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

He sat in the chair across from Dr. Goodman's desk and heard the tentative knock on the door. He smiled to himself as he thought just how surprised and annoyed Bones was going to be, especially when she tried to work her way out of the situation.

"Ah, Dr. Brennan. Come in." Dr. Goodman motioned to a chair. "Please sit down. Agent Booth and I have just been discussing a situation that's arisen suddenly, and we need your help."

Brennan threw a suspicious glance towards Booth, wondering what was going on. Booth gave her a slight wave before turning his attention back to Dr. Goodman.

"What sort of situation, Dr. Goodman? I really don't see how I can be of assistance to Agent Booth right now…."

Booth interrupted with a cocky grin. "I'm sure you'll be able to assist me tremendously, Dr. Brennan. You see, Agent Sullivan has requested and has received a transfer to the FBI office in Charleston, South Carolina, effective immediately. He's very pleased...they have a fine harbor there, and he'll be able to keep his boat with very little trouble. But that leaves me without a partner, and you know the regs...I have to have a partner when I go out into the field…."

Brennan's brow furrowed as she thought through what Booth had explained. "That's interesting for Sully, but I don't see how that affects me…."

Dr. Goodman cleared his throat. "Agent Booth has paperwork that says your application to work with the FBI has been fast tracked, Dr. Brennan. Instead of waiting six weeks to become his partner, you're to become his partner effective immediately."

"But I've changed my mind, Booth...I don't want to be your partner right now…" Brennan exhaled slowly as she tried to explain her change of heart. "I think it's too soon for me to start working in the field again...I'm out of practice…I'd be a liability. I'm afraid I'd be in the way."

Booth wasn't buying her excuse. "Sorry, Bones...it's gonna take at least two weeks for the Bureau to find a suitable replacement for Sully, you know, with the right combination of skills and experience, but the directors don't want me out of the field that long, so you have to fill in temporarily….just until they can get someone else. Okay? Please?"

Brennan sat back in her chair, rendered helpless by the lethal combination of sad puppy eyes and charm smile that Booth had deployed on her to get his way. Realizing she couldn't fight against Booth's determination to make her his partner, even if it was temporary, she sighed as she relented. "Okay. Two weeks...but only two weeks…."