Thank you for all of the reviews! I'm really sorry for the big delay with getting this installment up. Life has been all kinds of hectic these days. But I'm trying to update and write as much as possible! Thank you so much for all of the support!

-Mac

Chapter 5

Booth walked into the restaurant and immediately saw his brother. He smiled and walked up to him, smiling warmly. Having Jared in town for the past couple of days had been nice. With no new cases, they'd actually managed to grab a drink – just them. Like old times. No Hannah. No Padme. Two brothers, shooting the breeze. After all they'd been through, they needed that.

"Seeley," he said, shaking his hand. "Great spot. Where's Hannah? I would've thought you two would come together."

Booth shook his head. "No. She had a hair appointment with her mother. She will be here soon."

"The mom, huh? The mother-in-law, I mean. Crazy to think you'll have one of those soon."

Something fleeting fluttered in Booth's stomach at that comment. Because it was true… all of these things he wanted were careering toward him now. And it was all so… so normal. Easy. Hannah's family was pretty regular, uneventful. No scandals. No… no heavy histories. And… that was good. He nodded. God knew that was probably just what he needed in his life. Something solid and secure to wrap his life around and surround his son with.

"How's your mother-in-law?" Booth asked.

Jared nodded. "She's a pretty free spirit."

Booth's eyebrows shot up. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Jared nodded and smiled. "She's just pretty… loose. Openly talking about 'lovemaking' and I think she hinted that she and her husband have had an open relationship on and off again, when things get 'stale'."

Booth laughed. "Yikes."

Jared smiled. "They are very protective of Padme." He looked at his brother for a long moment. "I like them just fine."

Booth looked up as he saw a few of his FBI colleagues enter, plus Cam, Sweets, Hodgins and Angela. He held his breath for a moment, surveying them to see… to look for someone. Bones. He was looking for Bones, wondering if she'd arrived with the other squints. She clearly hadn't. After the other night, he felt strangely disconnected from his partner. Without a case, and with Hannah keeping him busy doing wedding-related things, he hadn't talked to her at all.

"Looking for the woman you love?" Jared asked and Booth turned to his brother, his brow set and face dead serious.

"What?"

Jared laughed. "Hannah. Where is she?"

Oh. Booth breathed out and closed his eyes tightly for a moment. He needed to collect himself. All of this wedding planning business was beginning to make his head spin and his mind wander. Clearly. Because for a moment, he'd honestly thought that Jared was talking about—

"Hannah!" Jared called. And his fiancée walked over to them, looking sexy. Her long, blonde hair was sleek tonight, a black dress hugging her gorgeous body in all the right places. When she was close, he pulled her into him and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"Hey yourself." She smiled up at him. "I'm excited for tonight. Just a few more weeks and we will be married!"

At that, something tightened in his stomach. It really was all happening pretty quickly. She'd accepted his proposal a few months ago and wanted to get married quickly. That had surprised him. Mostly because she'd once told him she was not the marrying kind. He was hoping she wouldn't turn him down but…

He'd known there was a chance she might.

He'd braced himself to be rejected. Again. Disappointed. Alone. Angry. Even bitter.

But… she'd said 'yes'. And she'd jumped into wedding planning mode so quickly, he barely had time to really process any of it. Soon, they'd be married.

All those things he'd always wanted…

… they'd be his soon.

He'd have a wife. A family. Someone to love in thirty. Forty. Fifty years. It's what he wanted.

And it was happening.

So why couldn't he shake this… this lingering, vague and nagging feeling? Ever since Hannah had said yes, it felt like the corners of his mind were nudging him. His gut kept springing to life at odd times. Maybe it was cold excitement. Maybe it was just something like imposter syndrome. He finally had what he wanted and maybe some part of him couldn't quite believe he deserved it. Because he felt like he was constantly chasing that dream of the life he wanted. Constantly. And even as it sat right here within his reach…

… he still felt like he was chasing after it. Trying to catch that excitement.

And finally feel it.

Hannah rested a hand on his chest. "My sister just walked in. I'll be right back." With a quick peck on his jaw, she walked away.

When he looked up, he saw Jared looking at him – saw an imperceptible look in his eye.

"What?" Booth said, immediately on the defense.

Jared shrugged and smiled. "Just happy to see you happy, Seeley." He took a swig of his beer and looked over at the door. "Oh, there she is," he said and he walked away from Booth and to the entranceway.

His eyes followed his brother and he saw his partner walk in… and his breath caught. Butterflies sprang to life in his stomach and his heart began racing in his chest. She looked… incredible. She wore a dress in a shade of blue that made her eyes look like aquamarine pools. It was not a tight dress, like Hannah's. No. Bones' body was not on full display quite the way his fiancee's was. This dress though… it brought out every curve in a soft way, and went right down to the floor. He cleared his throat and looked down for a moment.

He knew that his partner was attractive. Obviously. It was one of the first things he'd ever noticed about her, and as he'd fallen for her more and more for so many other reasons, her beauty made his heart race. All the time. Until… until he'd moved on from her. And he had moved on. So… this was fine. She was just… she was here. For him. For his engagement dinner. His engagement to Hannah. She was here and she was attractive. What else was new? This was not news – so why was his heart hammering like he'd just received a shock?

When Jared released her, Pops and Parker walked over and hugged her. Parker held her for a long moment, and something stirred in his heart – a warmth at the connection she'd been able to form with his boy. He could see, as Parker looked up at him – a joy on his face that he hadn't seen in a long time – even when he'd greeted him twenty minutes ago. And Pops… he had a fondness for Bones too.

And it seemed Jared did too.

As his family walked away, he took a step forward and raised a hand to greet her with. Bones hadn't looked up an noticed him yet. Before he reached her, Bones walked off, toward the other squints. The air left his lungs and he realized that he'd literally been holding his breath.

Hannah and her sister approached him and he turned back towards them. Toward his new life.

And – more to the point – away from his old one.

B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B

Brennan sat at the bar with Angela and leaned toward her. "I'm not sure about this dress, Ange."

"Why? You look hot. And take it from the pregnant girl, that's something to cherish. This dress, it should be given a pony. Because it is doing amazing things for you. Not that you needed it. But, you know what I mean."

Brennan laughed. "I lost you at the word 'pony.'" She leaned in to her friend. "It felt really weird not going over to talk to Booth, pretending that I didn't see him. Are you sure about this? I don't want to be rude."

"You're not being rude. You're protecting yourself because this is not easy for you. And you matter. What you feel… it matters, Bren. You'll say hi later and congrats and all of that. Besides. He's busy. He has to go and talk to all of these people and charm his soon-to-be in-laws. Believe me, he's not thinking about it. Bren, he sees you all the time. Most of these people he never sees and tonight he can catch up with them."

Brennan nodded. "That is true. And… I don't want to get in the way of that," she added, something inside of her sinking at the idea of being in the way of Booth and his… his new life. Because that is what tonight represented. Him taking a first step into the rest of his life. And he was on a path, honestly, that did not really include her anymore. Backing off was a good idea. It was something she needed to get used to doing. Because she would eventually back out of his life completely. She just hoped she wasn't consumed by regret. That she could figure out how to love and trust. And have something to make her smile again.

"I see some handsome men here that are eyeing you," Angela said, as if she could read her mind.

Brennan forced herself to smile and pretend to be intrigued by other men aside from Booth. But she knew that she was not quite there yet. Flirting, opening herself up to the idea of even dating… these things were of little interest to her right now. But… she'd promised Angela she'd try to put herself out there again and at least allow herself to have a little fun.

B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B

Booth was getting frustrated. Every time he went to go say hi to Bones, someone intercepted him to catch up. Angela and Hodgins. Cam. Sweets. Even his brother – asking to be introduced to Hannah's entire family. It was probably what he was supposed to do at his engagement dinner – make sure his family met Hannah's family. But… Bones was family, too. And an hour into this evening he hadn't even gotten within ten feet of her.

And the way she looked tonight – he kept seeing agents that he worked with, friends who he'd invited tonight, going over to talk to her. And…

He sighed.

It was fine. He had Hannah. And these men were good men.

But… dammit, that feeling was exacerbated every time he saw one of them checking her out and going in for the kill. He gulped at that choice of words, remembering the guy the other night, and his vice-like grip on her, the look on her face… and the fact that he'd left her there.

He scanned the room because this was getting ridiculous. This was a special night for him and she was his partner. He needed to go over and talk to her. Make time for her.

She was his partner.

But he couldn't even find her. And Hannah kept finding him – looping her arm through his, nuzzling him, and dragging him off to meet her friends who'd be bridesmaids. It was just about time for everyone to take their seats and he couldn't take it anymore.

He walked around the room, looking for that blue, but didn't see her anywhere. He walked toward the patio and finally he saw her, leaning against the wall, Agent Ben Coulson cornering her. She looked like she was smiling… but also maybe a bit uncomfortable. Or something.

"Everything okay over here?" he asked, walking up to them, watching Bones closely. "Hey Bones."

"Booth," Coulson said, leaning away from Bones and looking at him. "Great party. Congrats again."

"Yeah thanks," he said quickly. "Can I talk to my partner for a minute?"

Coulson grabbed a drink from a nearby tray and muttered something to Bones before walking away.

Now that he had her alone, he didn't know what to say. She blinked up at him, also looking at a loss for words.

"Congratulations, Booth," she finally said in her raspy voice, a small smile on her lips. "This is a great party."

He smiled back at her. "Thank you." He took in her appearance. It had robbed him of breath when she'd walked in before – but now, up close – he felt at a complete loss for words. He wanted to tell her how amazing she looked because… wow. She really did. But that hardly felt like an appropriate thing to say to her anymore.

She looked down at the little silver watch on her wrist. "I should go find Angela and sit down. It's just about time for dinner."

He laughed. "That's all I get, Bones? Five seconds of your time?"

She looked at up at him, and in her eyes he saw something… but he couldn't put his finger on it. But it twisted him up completely in knots.

"You have a lot of people here, Booth, who want your time," she finally said. "You see me all the time."

"Do I?" he asked, before he could stop himself.

Suddenly, Hannah walked outside with one of the agents he worked with. James Kennett's eyebrows shot up as he looked Bones up and down. Booth was becoming aggravated tonight. At everyone. At… at things he couldn't even place his finger on. Because Bones was right. He should be talking to a lot of people tonight. Not looking for her. She was someone he saw every week. And had seen for the most part multiple times a week for years. He should be mingling with literally everybody else tonight.

But he just kept feeling like not talking to her way saying something. Something about them. Something he was not quite ready to say.

"Temperance," Hannah said, looping her arm through his for the fortieth time tonight. Why did it always feel like she was claiming him, again and again, every time she got near him? He closed his eyes for a brief moment before smiling down at Hannah. His soon-to-be wife. "Great dress."

Bones blushed and swallowed, uncomfortable with that simple compliment for some reason. Didn't she know that she looked…

That she…

Didn't she know that…

Every available man in the building – and even some from different private parties – had all eyes on her. Didn't she see that?

"Congratulations, Hannah," she said quietly, smiling. "This is beautiful. I'm happy for you both. I was just telling Booth that it's about time to sit so I'm going to go find Angela, Cam and the others."

"Yes, that's exactly what I was coming out here to tell you, too." Hannah smiled up at Booth and then winked at Bones. "Great minds."

Bones nervously looked at her watch one more time and he saw something faint that made his stomach fall. Bruising on her wrist. Where that guy had grabbed her the other night.

He clenched his jaw and shook his head. Dammit. He should've thrown that man off of her. He should've punched him. And then, reservations be damned, he should have walked her home. She was his partner. His friend. She was… she was his family…

But as she looked over and smiled and waved to someone, he turned and saw all of the other squints. With a nod, Bones walked over to join them and they walked away. Away from him.

Away from him and Hannah.

And he suddenly wondered how much of that was true anymore.

B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B

Jared smiled as he watched Booth take his seat next to Hannah. This plan was working only too well.

Tempe looked gorgeous. And it was understated. It was perfect. Her dress was not the fanciest at this black-tie affair by far. But she didn't need that. She was a stunner. Her dress accentuated and softened in ways that Hannah's flaunted and hid nothing. Her eyes shone so beautifully against the blue – eyes full of vulnerability and strength, trust and hurt. Oh yes, he could see the hurt that he didn't used to see there on previous visits. His brother had put that there, no doubt. And Jared hated to see that look. Her eyes were full of self-doubt – like she believed that they weren't together because she hadn't been enough. And not because his brother had acted like a big gorilla.

He watched all night.

Every time a man went over and talked to Tempe, he could practically see his brother's blood boiling. He tried to focus on his fiancée and his obligations for the evening. But his heart seemed to tell the true story of exactly what he wanted to do tonight.

And that would be to punch out every man opening checking out Temperance Brennan. To stand by her side. His partner. His best friend. His family. Like before.

He watched and he saw.

His brother was struggling big time with his own actions. He'd made a move. And the gravitational pull in his heart was calling out to him, trying to move in a very different way.

The squints did a great job "acting". Interfering when he'd get close to her, pulling him away. Tempe was seated beside Angela on one side and Sweets on the other. When Angela got up, an agent walked over. This was an agent that Sweets knew. Jake Roman. This guy was a good guy. And apparently, he liked Tempe. A lot. But he'd stayed away because of Booth.

Well… Jared had clapped him on the shoulder before and told him to go for it. To at least talk to her. To take it slow. To start with friendship. To take any opportunity. An empty chair. Anything. Because you never knew if you didn't try. He was happy to see this guy taking his advice.

She knew him and that made it easier. Their conversation looked nice.

And that was good.

Because he was going to be her date to his brother's wedding.

If his brother was foolish enough to continue on this current path, his partner was not going alone to the wedding. Oh, no. She was going to have a date to her best friend's wedding. She was going to "move on." Like he had.

See if Seeley liked that.

One look at Booth, who was sitting at a table while Hannah's mom and sister seemed to be trying to engage him in countless questions. And he knew.

He would look at his soon-to-be-family. At his actual family – Pops and Parker – smile. Say a few things. And then every time… every. Single. Time. He'd turn his head imperceptibly and find her. Check on her. See who she was talking to. What she was doing.

And he'd be pulled back. To his new life.

And it looked like he hated it.

He felt like an evil little brother, honestly. Enjoying watching his brother squirm. But… he loved him. His big brother had always protected him. Had always tried to keep him on the right path. He'd even gone so far overboard with his protectiveness in his goal to help him, so many times. Tough love was not a foreign concept to Seeley Booth.

So Jared Booth reminded himself of that fact as he kept on with his plans to heap on a whole lot of tough love to a brother who seemed to desperately need help right now remembering who he was. And what he wanted in this life.