A/N To all you wonderful reviewers/readers-you're my inspiration to keep this thing going. Never saw myself as writing and posting a multi-chapter story - just shows you never know!

Yet again-I don't own Bones or its characters (I wouldn't exactly need to be writing fanfiction if I did-as much as I've been enjoying writing this.)

I walked into the lab and headed for Bones' office. Not seeing her there, I frowned. I hope she wasn't lost in the middle of a set of remains in Limbo. She tends to forget things-like eating-when she does that.

I headed for Angela's office-I figured if Bones wasn't with her, she'd know where she was.

I stuck my head in the door. "Hey Angela, Bones around?"

Angela looked up from-whatever she'd been doing on her computer. "Booth! Yeah-she's with Cam. They're going over some squintern performance reviews or something. They should be just about done. You here to take her to lunch?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Great! Great!" There was something a little off in Angela's voice and face, so I took a closer look at her.

"Something you'd like to get off your chest, Angela?"

Her eyes widened. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah, I'm an FBI agent, Angela. I'm pretty good at knowing when people are lying or hiding something."

She sighed. "Yeah, you would think I would know better, especially after all this time." She took a deep breath. "Is everything OK with you Booth?"

I froze for a second as it occurred to me-she knew.

Apparently she read something like that in my face because she blurted out, "It's not like you think. Hodgins and I were at this little art gallery I dragged him to on Saturday. We saw you walking around-you looked-tense and wound-up. You didn't look like you would have wanted company, so we didn't bother you. I asked Brennan about it when she came in. Look she didn't give me specifics, OK? She mentioned some difficult conversations with family, especially your mom. She's worried, Booth. She's worried about you and about how she won't be able to help. You know how insecure she can be when it comes to the emotional stuff. I keep telling her she's better at it now than she thinks-especially when it comes to you, but-"

"You're her sounding board," I replied, smiling at her.

She smiled back. "Something like that. You have to know, though, she never goes into too much detail about stuff between the two of you. She just explains that you're a private guy and she doesn't like to feel like she's violating anything, And I don't really want her to-although I kid her that an extra detail or two wouldn't hurt. It's just sometimes girls need the girl talks, you know. "

"And you're her best friend. I know Angela. We both trust you not to blab what she tells you to anyone-well except maybe Hodgins."

"Well, we are married, Big Guy." She winked and I laughed. Sobering, she added. "But there are some things about what either of you tell me that I don't tell Hodgins, particularly if you ask. I hope you know that too."

"Yeah, I do. And we both appreciate it more than you know."

"Well you're both my friends, Booth. I may have started as Brennan's best friend, but believe me Hodgins and I consider both of you our friends now. So if you need another sounding board or two, you have it. Although we may have to pry Jack away from his bugs first…."

I threw back my head and laughed. "Or his experiments?"

"Oh, no." She shook her head "I'm not even sure that Michael Vincent and I are enough to pry him away from those. It's the mad scientist in him-I don't think he can help it."

"No, he probably can't." I shake my head, remembering some of Hodgins' more spectacular 'experiments.' "Has he blown up anything recently?"

"No, fortunately. He got a pretty big dressing down from Cam about the last one. He's kind of trying to keep a low profile for a while."

We shared a laugh for a minute-picturing Jack Hodgins in low profile mode.

I sighed. "My mom and I have been talking about the stuff that came up when she came back into my life. I assume Bones told you something about all that when it happened?"

Angela nodded. "Yeah, she did. She was hoping that your mom being back would be good for everyone-you, her. When it didn't work out it hurt you-and that hurts her."

"I know. I don't like hurting her, even indirectly like that, but I know it does."

Angela stared at me for a minute. "So can I ask why these conversations are coming up now? Don't get me wrong, I think that getting it out can only help you, but I'm curious."

"Mom called and said we needed to talk. And I guess It occurred to me-watching Christine and Bones-that they needed a guy who wasn't going to hang on to anger for the rest of his life. And there's a part of me that's still pretty angry."

"For what it's worth, I don't blame you. She didn't handle the situation at all well, at least as much as I understood of it, so I think you're entitled to be angry. Does Sweets have anything to say about this?"

"He saw my mom at my office and we talked really briefly, but I just don't think I'm up to analysis from him on this just yet. It's a pretty new thing, so-"

"Got it."

And the thing is-Angela does get it. As much as I like Sweets, occasionally he pushes a little too hard which doesn't give a person much breathing room. And maybe that's the way to do it in therapy, but I'm not in therapy with him anymore. Angela seems to have an instinct for when to push something and when to back off. I think this is what makes her such a great friend in general, but especially to Bones. She'll call Bones out on some of her behavior, but she'll also reassure her when she needs it.

"Thanks for being a fantastic friend to her, Angela. To both of us."

She looks startled for a minute and then just beams at me. "Hey, that's what I'm here for. You think my only talents are computers, or what?"

We're both laughing when Bones' voice comes in from behind us. "Am I missing something?"

"No, Brennan," Angela turns her smile onto her friend. "The big guy here was just paying me a compliment."

"Well, I'm quite sure it was well deserved, whatever it was. Given your artistic talents as well the ability to-"

"And that's our cue for lunch. Talk to you later, Angela. Thanks for everything-and tell Hodgins thanks as well. As long as it isn't interrupting an experiment."

Bones frowned. "Dr. Hodgins has an experiment planned? Is Dr. Saroyan aware of this? Perhaps I should-"

Angela rolled her eyes. "Go to lunch, sweetie. Hodgins is not in the middle of an experiment. It was a conversation you had to be there for."

"I don't know what that means. "

I sighed. "I'll explain later, Bones."

Arriving at the diner, we sat and looked through the menus, although we've probably both memorized the thing by now.

I cleared my throat. "Bones?"

"Yes, Booth? "

I try to decide how to tell her, and then decide-it's Bones. Direct tends to work best. "My mom came by the office today. We talked for a little bit-"

"About her talking to Jared?" Her voice is quiet, and frankly a little cold. I suspect Bones feels something of the betrayal I felt about hearing about Mom talking to Jared about our conversation.

"Among other things. Here's the thing, Bones, I sort of suggested she have dinner at our place so she could see Christine, and then we could talk."

Now I can practically see the wheels spinning in Bones' head "You want me there for this conversation, correct?'

"Yeah. There are some hard questions I need to ask, and I just-I don't-"

"You believe that if I am there either I will give you the courage to ask it-or I might ask it myself."

"You can very direct." At the hurt look that passes across her face I hurry on, "But I think that's what I need here. You're better at that than I am."

"Perhaps." She thinks for a moment then nods. "But Booth, it is possible I might have questions of my own for her. Will that be acceptable?"

I slowly nodded. "We're sharing a life Bones, You're entitled to know questions to your answers as much as I am to mine."

After we'd been served our lunch, I dove into my food. I looked up and saw that Bones was pushing her food around the plate and staring at me.

"Something wrong there, Bones? Food not okay?"

"There is nothing wrong with the quality of the food, Booth. I-" She hesitated, looked down briefly, then looked back up at me. "I have done something I believe you might disapprove of, and you might become angry."

I put down my fork. "Okay, Bones, let's hear it."

She stared out the window for a minute, as if gathering her thoughts. "I told Angela that you were talking to you mother about the issues the two of you. I did not reference any actual conversations or topics, but I-"

I reached across the table and took her hand. "Bones, it's OK. I'm not mad. I sort of figured you might. Plus I know because she said something at the lab while I was waiting for you."

"I'm sorry. I know how much you resented your mother calling Jared. I know you dislike having your private life being a topic of conversation-or worse, gossip. I did not think she would repeat it."

I shrugged. "Apparently she and Hodgins saw me when I walking around after talking to my mom. She was worried-that's why she asked you. I look at it this way-she's enough of a friend to both of us to want to help. That's a pretty amazing set of friends you have there, Bones."

She smiled at me. That we have, Booth. They are ours now, not just mine."

"Ours."

We sat there smiling at each other for minute, reveling in the fact that after all the time, issues, obstacles, and heartache, this life was finally ours.

To me the main difference between Brennan telling Angela and Booth's mom telling Jared is trust. Angela's been Brennan's best friend for years, and she's known Booth the entire length of the partnership. Booth's mom sort of magically appeared out of nowhere after decades and dropped a bombshell about a wedding and a second family. That's not the sort of thing that builds any kind of trust. Bottom line-Booth trusts Angela and her friendship with Brennan, he doesn't trust his mom, or Jared all that much-given their shaky history. At least that's my thinking on it.

As always reviews and suggestions are more than welcome.