I've been writing fanfiction for over 5 years now and this is the first time I've ventured into an After Hannah story. Okay, I did a one-shot on this, but not a full story, and not one that takes place so soon after the failed proposal to Hannah.

It's always bothered me that the whole Hannah debacle wasn't really addressed on the show, especially between Booth and Brennan. They talk about it later in the elevator, but so much time has passed since then.

On the show, they went straight from Booth's ultimatum after Hannah left and he was drinking with Bones at Founding Fathers and then on to the Valentine episode. It was like the whole Hannah thing had never happened, and everything was back to normal between Booth and Brennan. I couldn't really understand this. That wasn't normal after everything that had happened.

So my story takes place about two weeks after Hannah broke up with Booth. Booth and Brennan aren't really at a good place in their relationship. I know this is a long preface, but I feel I had to explain this.

Disclaimer: Bones doesn't belong to me, I just use the characters for my story.

My good friend 554Laura is the beta for this story again. So many thanks to her.

The couple in the counseling

As they drove along highway I 70 W towards Pennsylvania, Brennan looked left at her longtime partner Booth and studied his profile. His eyes were fixed on the road and he didn't even look over at her. In the past, he would've felt her eyes on him and turned his head to her, maybe even smiling briefly. It made her think of the many times they had ridden in the car together. Conversations, looks, sometimes a bit of bickering, sometimes glances that went deeper…all of them struck a chord in her. There had always been the feeling of connection and friendship between them.

But that was before Maluku, and even before that evening on the steps in front of the Hoover, when he'd asked for a chance and she turned him down. Since then, their relationship hadn't been as easy and casual as it used to be.

She deeply regretted that night in front of the Hoover. Her error in judgment had become crystal clear to her during the lonely nights spent in Maluku, but unfortunately the realization had come much too late. Lately, when she'd faced her feelings, driven by the Lauren Eames case, she'd finally found the courage to admit to Booth that she made a mistake. She'd even told him she didn't want to have any regrets, but this time he had hurt her by pointing out that he now had Hannah. That evening played over and over in her head often as she lay awake at night, and she'd cried herself to sleep more than once. She regretted it so much.

They had both made so many mistakes and she didn't see a chance to make things better now. When Hannah had called that night and told her through tears about the failed marriage proposal and that she had left Booth, a little bit of hope had come back in her heart. Maybe now they finally had their chance. Maybe now they were finally on the same page at the right time.

But the rebuff he later gave her at Founding Father's still sent a shiver down her spine. He finally slammed the door right into her face. She played his harsh words over and over in her mind like a mantra.

You want to know how this is gonna work? Okay, this is how this is gonna work.

Me and you are partners. That's what we do. We're partners, alright? And I love that.

I think that's great. And, uh, we…we're good people who catch bad people, right? Yeah, and-and …and we argue, we-we go back and forth.

We're partners. And sometimes after we solve a case we come here, and we celebrate. That's what we do, we celebrate. So, as far as I can see, that's what happens next.

Are you okay with that? Great, because you know, if you are, tell you what. You stay here and you have a drink with me, alright? Maybe, uh, we have a little small talk, chitchat.

And if you're not, well, then you can leave.. there's the door…and tomorrow I'll find you a new FBI guy.

She'd sat in silence for a few seconds, considering what he'd said. Those are my only choices?

Gulping his drink, he nodded. Yeah, those are your only choices.

She'd stayed, drinking with him for an hour or so, and then took Booth home and made sure he made it safely to his bed. She'd promised to continue being his partner so they could catch criminals together, but nothing more. He didn't want them to be anything more…just partners in crime solving.

She'd only fully grasped over the next few days how much his ultimatum would hurt her when she realized the many implications. They'd continue their partnership, solve cases and maybe have a drink after solving a case, but that was all. There'd be no more evenings together, no Saturdays spent with Parker, no days spent lounging by her pool.

If she wanted something else from Booth, he'd end their partnership. She'd missed her opportunity, and now that Booth was single again, he didn't want to give her another chance. Obviously, he had really moved on. He no longer had any feelings for her other than ordinary friendship. She was beginning to realize how Booth had felt after she dismissed him that night at the Hoover.

It was good that they didn't have an actual case at the moment. It allowed her to get some distance and calmly think about how they could continue working together. More than anything, she wanted to at least have their relationship back like it was before that tragic night on the steps of the Hoover Building. She longed so much for that time…a time when they could just hang out together without thoughts of a possible romantic relationship, but simply having a friendship instead. However, she knew that maybe this was just her perception of the situation. Maybe the whole time he'd hoped for more, but hadn't dared to say anything. Maybe he'd endured what she was going through now for all those years.

It was twelve days before they got their next case. Two deceased people were found buried in a sand pit at a construction site a few blocks from the Capitol Building. It took a few days to find out that they'd been a married couple. The strange thing was that there was no local missing person report. It wasn't until they broadened the search to include regions outside of the District of Columbia that they finally had a hit.

A missing couple from Pennsylvania fit the description and their identities were then confirmed by dental records.

An FBI team on site had questioned neighbors and searched the couple's apartment. Finally, a brochure in the house gave them a crucial clue. The brochure was from a resort where marriage seminars were held. The promise in the brochure was seclusion, with professional trainers in a luxurious setting.

According to the brochure, couples engaged in small groups and individual couples counseling, which led to a success rate of 95%. A guarantee was given that relationships would be saved and intimacy would improve. Pictures of the resort and the therapists in charge with their CVs were listed as well.

It was thanks to Angela that more details emerged. She had access to participant lists, so couples were interviewed and at some point there were indications of irregularities in the resort. It seemed that there might be some secretly recorded videos and a few blackmail attempts, but nothing the team could really grab on. There was no concrete evidence.

The resort itself seemed to be totally shielded, so that even Angela couldn't get any further in her investigation. After much back and forth, the suggestion was made to have some FBI personnel investigate there by going undercover. Neither Sweets, who had suggested this, nor Angela, with whom Brennan had never discussed what had happened between the partners, had any idea how uncomfortable the partners were about the plan.

Then there were the orders from their supervisors that they had to follow which put them in their current situation, in a car on the way to Pennsylvania. They were supposed to play a married couple who were in a difficult marriage situation. That shouldn't be too difficult then, because they weren't exactly in the best relationship in real life either.

Booth had picked her up early Friday morning and together they'd left Washington. That had been an hour ago and since then they had only spoken about the most necessary things. A real conversation never got going.

The journey still would take more than four hours. They hadn't spent such a long time together since they were back from Maluku and Afghanistan. They'd never had a problem riding in the car together before, because most of the time they talked animatedly or thought about the case quietly, but the silence had never been uncomfortable.

Now everything felt totally different. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts, not daring to start the crucial conversation of what to expect at the resort and what had brought them there as a "couple". She sighed briefly and then looked down the road again. He hadn't met her gaze.

Booth shifted in the seat, trying to get into a comfortable position. Somehow nothing seemed to work. He glanced at Brennen, but she didn't respond and continued to stare listlessly out the passenger window.

Ever since the day Hannah had left him, Booth had felt like Bones was avoiding him. He was trying desperately to remember what he might have said that evening that had unsettled her so much, but it was all a blur of snippets of words and partial memories. He knew he had talked about his relationships with women and that no woman seemed to think he was a suitable partner to spend the rest of their lives with. He remembered being very hurt himself and wondered if maybe he'd said something hurtful, but it was all just too patchy. She'd taken him home and somehow had gotten him into bed. That's all he knew for certain.

Since that evening, however, he'd felt that Bones had completely cut herself off from him. Usually he could read her thoughts and her gestures because he understood the way she communicated. However, at the moment not even their silent conversations, where they knew what the other was thinking by just looking into each other's eyes, were working. It was like they were blind to each other now.

A coldness had spread between them, which unsettled him deeply and literally took his breath away. He desperately wanted to get through to her again, but somehow all his attempts seemed in vain. His partner had become a profound stranger to him and he didn't like that at all. He wanted them to be close again, so that, maybe after a while, they could be more than just partners, but that goal seemed too far away at the moment. It was like she had totally turned her back on him.

He gripped the steering wheel tightly as he considered their undercover assignment. Maybe they'd finally have the opportunity this weekend…time to really discuss what was going on between them or, more accurately…not going on. He desperately pinned his hopes on it.

Finally, he turned to her and addressed her directly.

"Bones, don't you think we should have a chat about what to expect at the resort and why we're there? We should at least have a backstory ready to keep our cover from being blown right away, don't you think?'

She slowly turned to him. He had briefly seen a deep sadness in her eyes, but she quickly got herself under control and he was no longer able to read anything in her expression.

"Do you have a suggestion? You've probably already thought about it, haven't you?"

He nodded slowly, glancing at her again as soon as the situation on the road permitted it.

"Okay, I thought we'd stay as close to reality as possible so that we didn't fall into any kind of trap. Luckily, we can use our real names, so the first hurdle has already been cleared. You work at the Jeffersonian and I work for the government, that's all we need to tell them about us. That's harmless, don't you think?"

She looked at him and nodded briefly. "Yes, so far I think this is quite satisfactory, but we have to agree on a few facts. After all, we'll be there as a married couple. Therefore, we should have some key figures." She looked out the window again, lost in her thoughts.

"Uh, I think we can stick to the truth about where we met, at American University. We don't have to talk about the case that brought us together. Then we just have to come up with something about our early relationship. I think we can bring up a lot of memories that we have together. We just need to throw in some romance and relationship stuff. What do you think?" He glanced at her again, trying to get her to talk to him somehow, but he really couldn't make any headway. Her answers were too short.

"I think that would be a possibility."

Again just a quick glance from her, but in this case he was able to return it. "Uh, I just think it's really important that we don't contradict each other. Even if one of us recalls a situation and then says, for example, that's when we kissed for the first time or that's when I proposed to you, then it doesn't matter whether this is in the right timeline. The important thing is that we both know which situation we meant. So if one of us says something, the other is not allowed to correct it and has to play along. Otherwise our cover will be blown immediately. Do you think you can do that, Bones?" He looked at her again.

"Of course, Booth. I think I've proved enough times that I can play along when we're undercover, haven't I?" She looked at him with an uncertain expression.

"Of course, Bones…of course. I have no doubt you will do it perfectly. I just wanted to emphasize it again." He focused on the road. "Now that we've figured out how we became a married couple, let's talk about what our problem is…you know…why we're even showing up there."

Another quick look in her direction, but this time she didn't return it. He noticed that she was becoming more and more tense, so obviously the conversation was making her uncomfortable but she still didn't say anything. After some time, he made another attempt to somehow get her attention, but it seemed to be in vain. She seemed deep in thought, as if she hadn't heard a word he'd said.

He cleared his throat, finally wanted to say something when she suddenly interrupted him and turned to him at the same time. Her gaze was fixed and he couldn't read anything in it, no matter how hard he tried.

Perhaps a little louder than she intended, she blurted out, "You cheated on me!"

"W..What?" He was totally surprised at the moment. Stunned by her outburst, he wondered what she meant by that statement. He wasn't sure if she was referring to their current situation, or if they were talking about their case and this was a suggestion of what problem they had. "What do you mean by that?" He gave her an uncertain, questioning look.

"Isn't this a typical reason why marriages fall apart?" She was now a little unsure. "I mean infidelity. Wouldn't that be a reason why we would need help with our marriage?"

He took a deep breath and shook his head. "Bones, I'm not a cheater! I would never do something like that!"

She grew excited. "Booth, we're not talking about real life here. I'm talking about our case! Why are you so angry?"

He shook his head violently. "Bones, no way! I'm not a cheater, not even when we're undercover. This is going too far!"

He looked down the road again, his expression hard and determined. How could she have come up with such an idea? That was something he didn't want to pretend about, even while undercover. He actually felt a little bit hurt, thinking she should know him better.

"Booth, don't be silly. This isn't so unthinkable." She looked at him in disbelief. She hadn't seen him so agitated in a long time.

"No way, Bones! I can't play that even while undercover. This isn't a good idea." He glanced over at her, trying to get through to her, trying to get his reasoning across. How could she think that the people there would buy that at any time? It was too unbelievable as far as he was concerned.

"Bones, look at you, okay? No one would believe that I'd cheat on you. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met, not only on the outside but also on the inside. No one would believe me cheating on you with anyone…no way."

She gasped suddenly. What was he saying? Did he really mean it? Did he really see her that way? Then why was he still keeping her at a distance? She was totally confused. "Booth.," she sighed. She paused as she considered what she should say to him, but she realized she was at a loss of words.

Somehow he hadn't realized how much he'd touched her, since he was still struggling with the indignation that she could even suggest such a thing. "Bones, think of something else, okay? The cheating idea isn't going to work. Absolutely not."

She took a deep breath. "Booth, aren't you exaggerating?" She thought for a moment. "Okay, so you didn't really cheat on me, but maybe I suspected you did. Maybe we grew apart, stopped spending time together, stopped talking together." She hesitated. "No intimacies are being exchanged." She was painfully aware of how well her suggestions suited their current situation after speaking them out loud. Maybe that's why it was so easy for her to paint this situation, since it was how she was feeling right now. It should be easy to express this while they were undercover as well.

She looked at him again. He glanced at her as well, but then looked down the road. He nodded slightly. "Okay, that's something that could be possible. I think it could work."

He immediately ran through a few scenarios in his head. They still had to work out some details. "Give me some more ideas so we can coordinate our story."

He felt her relax a little. Somehow the ice was broken. They had something to work on…together.

For the next two hours, they went back and forth on how their story could make sense, considering various situations and points where problems had arisen in their relationship.

Somehow the mood in the vehicle was more relaxed now and any pauses in their conversations no longer felt so uncomfortable.

Then she remembered something else. "Angela said that many of the participants interviewed reported that they initially had to agree to everything being recorded, ostensibly for therapy purposes." She put her fingers in quotation marks around that statement. "But obviously this wasn't just related to the sessions, since it was also repeatedly reported that video footage of the hotel rooms had surfaced." She felt a little uneasy: "Obviously we have to expect that we will also be monitored in our room."

It had somehow slipped his mind, although he had heard about it, too. "Uh, that means we have to be undercover 24/7 then, right?" How would they be able to sustain this, and then how would they discuss the case and exchange information? How should they coordinate their next meetings, or their next steps? He sighed deeply. This wasn't going to be an easy case, and they absolutely had to figure out how to communicate in any way possible.

Brennan continued. "Therefore, I think we should expect that will occur. Angela told me that we should get on the WiFi at the resort as soon as possible so that she can use our phones to try to get onto their server and possibly get access to the surveillance videos. This could be very important in solving the case."

"Maybe we can communicate somehow by texting over the phone. We just have to be very careful." He looked at her to see if she agreed to his suggestion.

"Yes, and maybe we just have to go for walks more often. Little is known about whether the area around the hotel is also monitored, at least not definitely." She looked down at her hands. "I just hope there are no cameras in the bathroom. That would be a little awkward, don't you think?"

He agreed with her. "Yes, that'd be really uncomfortable. I hope that isn't the case, because that could also be a room where we could talk undisturbed. Angela needs to check that as soon as she has access."

By now, they had arrived in the town of Ellwood City and would shortly arrive at the resort, which was secluded in a forest. As Booth parked the vehicle in the parking lot, they exchanged a quick look.

The undercover work had begun.

AN: I know it's been a long time since I posted my last story. It took a bit longer than usual. I hope you like it and that there are still people out there interested in new bones fanfiction. Please let me know in a review.