The Change in the Story

I've never written one of these before soo... here goes...
I’ve been generally unhappy with the way the relationship between Booth and Brennan was handled since Doctor in the Photo. So picking up from there, here’s what I would have liked too have seen happen. Same crimes; different stories. Hope you enjoy.
This story picks up directly after Booth drops Brennan off after her big confession in Doctor in the Photo.

Brennan turned on the light and walked into her apartment. Her clothes and shoes were soaked with rain and mud—normally that would have mattered on the fine hard wood floors of her apartment—but now she was to tired. To emotionally drained. She smiled sadly at the thought and her lack of concern. Only a couple of years ago she would have been more careful—taking off her boots immediately and grabbing a towel from her kitchen to wipe up any water that might damage the floors. Who was this person she’d become? She felt like a stranger in her own skin.

The goodbye had been awkward. A little painful even. Booth usually didn’t drop her off on the sidewalk in front of her building. Normally, he’d come up or at least—especially in recent months with the new development of Hannah—walk her to her door. Tonight, however, was different.

Brennan had been silent the whole way back and Booth, as a courtesy to her she suspected, returned the favor. Pain was a very private thing to Brennan, she could think of a thousand classic torture techniques she’d rather endure than let this very private part of her be set on display. With Booth it was worse, though. He knew her to well and while it typically was comforting for her, at that moment sitting in the car—she felt emotionally violated. He knew the extent of her agony and the weight her confession carried. This all made her incredibly uncomfortable as she sat motionless in his passenger seat for those long twenty minutes until they reached her apartment. She stared out the window trying to hide her tear stained face and quite her breathing so that he wouldn’t have the urge to look over at her. The gig was up once they reached her place, however. She considered making a bolt for it—he wouldn’t have to see her and she wouldn’t have to see him. But, although her heart was crushed, she wasn’t heartless. If she left him like that, so suddenly and coldly, she knew she would just be giving him another reason to worry.

She opened the car door and stepped out before turning to finally face him. He’d seen her cry plenty of times, but he’d never been the cause of it. The sight of her puffy red eyes and nose sent shooting pain through his stomach as she gave a slight smile back at him. For the last twenty minutes he had been trying to sneak glances of her, and now there it was.

She made brief eye contact with him and broke it as she turned, “Goodbye, Booth”. The words made her choke and she moved to quickly get away. Screw politeness—she couldn’t let him see her break down again.

“Night. I’ll see you tomorrow,” the way she said goodbye had made him nervous. He was hoping that maybe she’d turn around or at least call back affirming that he would, indeed, see her tomorrow. He didn’t want this night to be the last time he’d ever see her.

Brennan gave no response back and swiftly hurried out of the rain and past her doorman. Booth unbuckled his seat belt and opened the car door—prepared to chase her down. He couldn’t lose her as a partner and he certainly couldn’t lose her in his life. Maybe they weren’t going be together in that way—but she had become such an important piece of his life he couldn’t let her just drop out because they hit a rough patch. He didn’t leave her when she had done the same to him. It wouldn’t be fair.

Booth stood outside of his car. The door was still open and rain was pouring inside. The chase had stopped before it began. Maybe it wouldn’t be fair of her to leave him after he had stayed by her—but he would understand it if she did. The situation was different this time. She had turned him down because she wanted to protect him, herself and their relationship. He turned her down for another woman.

Booth slumped back into his car and Brennan stood in her door way.

Alcohol was certainly the tempting option to end her night, but she figured opting for a shower might be the more beneficial choice. She walked to her bedroom; ready to peal off her damp clothing when she noticed her unmade bed. Another sign, like her wet hard wood floors, of the person she was now becoming. She didn’t like these new traits she had developed. They were careless and irrational—and maybe they wouldn’t be so bad if they had been a product of her finally not being alone—but she was. She was alone still. It hadn’t mattered that she had learned to be more open or to let things slide because in the end it was just her and a slightly messier apartment.

It was all so depressing and it was certainly not a productive use of her time standing their in her room staring and wrinkled sheets. Brennan turned on her shower and stripped down. The heat and the steam felt good as it washed the residue of the night off her skin. But as she stood in the down pour of warm water, she could not control her mind’s fixation on the previous events of the night.

It always amazed Brennan how, in the aftermath of distressing events, her heart would actually feel physically hurt. She knew she was in good shape and ate very well—her heart should not feel the way it did for all logical reasons. Although she never place much, if any, stock in phycology—emotions should not have the power to effect the body in such a way—but they do. If she metaphorically had her heart broken; she should not be feeling pain in her heart. They should not be inversely related. Yet here she was. It could be the stress of the situation—emotional stress has been proven to create physical stress on the body—but it all seemed like maybe a little more. True heartache.

She loved Booth. After all this time she could finally admit it too herself. She loved Booth and in more than just a platonic way. It was unconditional and sexual and confusing—it was all there and had been for longer than she knew. She could feel her eyes start to tear and her throat beginning to tighten the more she thought about it. It was ridiculous for her to be feeling this way. She was smart and successful—that should be more than enough for her to feel satisfied. It was selfish of her to want more. And selfish of her to want to take Booth away from Hannah when she was the one he loved. She tried to fight off the second wave of break down she knew she was on the verge of hitting, but eventually she just killed her defenses. She allowed herself to have this night to hash it all out with herself and in the morning she’d put it all to rest.

Is it selfish to ask for more????

Well done Ziggy. Especially for a first attempt. Being it is your first attempt I will give a single note - watch your word choices (i.e., to/too/two, it/its/it's, and there/their/they're) as it can be distracting when a writer boo-boos these, and you don't want anything to distract from your VERY good start!

Thank you for having the courage to share. All the best!

Very good. You captured the characters really well. Neither Booth or Brennan did or felt anything that was unlike them.

The only thing that bothered me was emotional pain can actually influence pyhsical pain, even the heart (Broken heart syndrome). It's like when you're nervous, your palms sweat and your pulse excellerates, only on a bit of a larger scale.

The story was still very good, but if you ever revise it, I would suggest having her focus more on why she feels like that, rather than how

Thanks for the feedback guys! I really appreciate it.

I'll be continuing it hopefully when I have time. More action will be coming in; for the first chapter I just kinda wanted to set up the emotional place they're at.

Chapter2

Booth had been sitting in her office for the last 30 minutes and was starting to worry. Brennan should have been at the lab almost an hour but still no sight of her. It wasn’t like her to be late, normally she was annoyingly on time and as every minute pasted he began to wonder if she was coming in at all. He resisted the urge to call her after he convinced himself last night that it would be better to talk to her in person. He was much better face to face than he was on the phone or with e-mail; he had a knack for reading people and intuitively knowing how to respond. But maybe he should have called. Maybe ambushing her with a long speech of what their partnership meant was not the way to go. The night before he had thought of several metaphors and anecdotes he planned on reciting to her—but as he fixated on his watch, they all seemed to escape him.

Last night had been sleepless for Booth. As he lied with his arms around Hannah, he could not shake the sight of Brennan leaving out of his mind. Part of him didn’t want to as he was afraid that it might be last time he would ever see her.

His thoughts were interrupted as Cam and Angela entered Brennan’s office.

“Morning, Booth, have you seen Dr. Brennan?” Cam inquired as she saw him Booth sitting nervously on Brennan’s couch.

“Uh… no. Have you heard from her, Cam? Has she been in yet? I’ve been waiting here for her,” he asked—edgy and hopeful.

“Nope, not yet. If you see her, though, let her know I need her report and notes on our brilliant deceased doctor by the end of the day,” Cam replied.

“Yeah. No problem, Cam. I’ll let her know,” Booth told her as she and Angela turned to leave.

But before they were out the door, Angela picked up a scent.

“You look tired, Booth. Long night?” she pried. Something was up.

Booth suddenly felt uneasy. “Yeah. Couldn’t sleep. Have you… have you talked to Bones?”
“Not today…” Angela responded slyly; now certain that something had indeed happen between the two partners the night before.

“Well if you do, tell her to call me. Please,” he asked.

“Oh, don’t worry. I will. I definitely, will,” Angela told him; now forming possible scenarios in her mind as she turned to leave with Cam.

Once they were out of Booth’s ear shot, Cam broke the silence. “So that certainly seemed like more than nothing back there…”

“God, I hope so,” Angela bursted. As far as she could tell the inevitable might have finally happened for the crime fighting pair.

“You don’t think it finally happened, do you?” Cam was shocked but altogether not surprised. Despite her history with Booth, she had seen early on the growing love between Brennan and Booth, and like the hopeless romantic she was—she couldn’t wait to see it finally come to form.

“Nervous Booth. Missing in action Brennan. They most certainly did the nasty last night,” Angela was already planning the wedding in her mind.

“Its not even 9am. Shouldn’t they still be wrestling around in the sheets?”

“This is Brennan and Booth we’re talking about. Brennan can’t just have a wild night of passion without putting up a little bit of a fight. Trust me, she’s hiding,” Angela knew her best friend all to well.

“I certainly do not envy that woman,” Cam laughed.

“Ain’t that the truth!” the two women split and went off about their work both giddy and excited for their friends.


Up high on the second floor of the Jeffersonian lab sat Dr. Temperance Brennan. She had nestled herself into one of several lounge areas that over looked her lab; paper work scattered on the coffee table and sofa round her. She had been at the lab since six thirty as result of a sleepless night. Brennan had always opted for not sleeping at the Jeffersonian rather than not sleeping in her bed. The paper worked soothed her and kept thoughts about the night before at bay. She had finished her report and organized her notes on the dead surgeon and was now in the process of fact checking a forensic TV show she’d never heard of. It was a job that would normally appear last on her to-do list, but had been given priority on this particular morning.

“So this is where you’ve been…” Angela startled her, but she was glad it wasn’t Booth.

“I’ve been working, Ange” Brennan knew Angela had a talent for reading her well and she thought if she kept her words short she might be able to dodge the topic of last night.

“You’ve been hiding, Sweetie,” After all these years, Angela had no problem calling Brennan out. It was good for her.

“I am not,” Brennan lied. “The desk light in my office went out so I moved up here to see. It has… why do you think I’d be hiding?”

“Maybe because Booth is down stairs in your office waiting for you and after last night you’re trying to avoid him.”

“How do you know about last night?” terror hit Brennan stomach hard. Last night had been enough for her. Knowing that she would have to eventually face Booth was enough. But having all of her friends and colleagues know the story of her painful rejection—it was just too much. How was she supposed to work when she knew that they would all be watching her? Wondering if she was okay and taking pity on her. Booth should have been more discrete. He shouldn’t have told anyone.

“Sweetie…” Angela started, but before she could finish Brennan was up and rounding for the stairs. The dejection she had been feeling had turned too rage within an instant. While sadness was difficult emotion for Brennan too express—anger had never been much of an obstacle.

Loving it! I really like the way you have Brennan catalog what she is physically feeling. It is so Brennan to get to her feelings through physical facts. It reminds me of the episode when Jared comes back with his fiance and Brennan catalogs her physical symptoms in order to conclude that she's anxious. It is actually a good way to ground yourself in what you are actually feeling. They use that technique in certain types of therapy...luckily, Brennan doesn't know that.

Finally, I like that she doesn't want to see him, AND that Cam & Angela don't even think about Booth's girlfriend when they think B&B have finally gotten together.

I love this story so far. I hope you post another chapter soon!

Ahh...misunderstanding leading to spontaneous exclamation! I'm always open to that scenario! At least that's the direction I think you're going in. Feel free to surprise me ...

Thanks for all the feeback guys!

Here's chapter 3:

Booth was so happy to see Brennan that he didn’t notices the fury in her eyes as she darted towards him. The relief he was feeling temporally blindsided him until he felt a sharp stinging slap hit his face. He may have been thrilled to see her, but the feeling was certainly not mutual.

“You had no right. No right!” Her words were shrill and severe.

“Bones, I’m sorry! I’m just so glad that you didn’t leave,” Booth was just trying to catch up and gain some feeling back into is cheek.

“Why would I leave? Because of you? That would be completely ridiculous, Booth. I’m a grown woman not a 15 year old girl,” Not only had he made public what had happened to her last night—now he was insulting her ability to be professional. “What happens between us is private! You told me that! You had no right to say anything to anyone!”

“What are you talking about? I haven’t said anything to anyone.” Booth suddenly realized that whatever this was, it wasn’t about him rejecting her.

Brennan, however, was dumbfounded by his lack of awareness. “You told Angela. You told her. Who else have you told?”

“I didn’t say anything to Angela. I told her that I’d been looking for you and to tell you that. That’s all,” The situation was finally starting to be come a little less cloudy to Booth.

“You didn’t tell her… about…”

“Last night? No. I wouldn’t do that. Whatever conclusion Angela got to she got there on her own.”

Brennan’s face was suddenly turning several shades of red. She was suddenly aware of the spectacle she was putting on for the whole lab. If people didn’t know her business before—they did now. “Oh,” was all she could manage.

“Wait. You’ve known this whole time I was waiting for you in your office. Talk about acting 15,” Booth regretted the words the moment they fell out of his mouth.

“I was working. If you needed something you have Cam and several perfectly qualified interns to assist you. You shouldn’t need me. Unless it was something else and in that case this is not the place.”

“Bones, I…” He was no longer looking at the Brennan he knew. It was like the last five years had never happened. She was building her walls back up.

“I’m busy, Booth,” Brennan huffed. “I’m sorry if you feel bad about what happened, but it’s really of no significance. Excuse me.”

With that Brennan was gone. Booth looked around to all the eyes that were on him and watched as they awkwardly tried to causally resume their work.

He knew she didn’t mean it. She was hurt and just trying to hurt him back. Booth still felt guilty, though, he had broken her and all the progress she had made.

Hodgins, Angela and Cam were suddenly at Booth’s sides.

“So what, exactly, did happen between you too last night?” Hodgins was the only one who had enough courage to just say it.

Booth looked at them. After all that, what could be the harm in telling them now? “Brennan, told me she loved me last night. Well not exactly love but… that was sort of the idea.”

“And what did you say back?” Angela could tell this wasn’t the happy ending she had been imagining earlier this morning.

“I told her I was with Hannah. That I loved Hannah. Love Hannah.”

“I didn’t know you guys were that serious,” Cam said.

“Apparently neither did, Bones,” Booth didn’t understand how he could feel so ashamed for doing what he felt was the right thing. “She took it pretty hard.”

With that, Angela rolled her eyes and left in Brennan’s direction. She wasn’t about to stand there and pretend to feel sorry for Booth.

“Don’t worry about it, man,” Hodgins could see Booth was about to call after Angela. “You just broke her best friend’s heart. By the woman code, she has to hate your guts for a little while. She doesn’t mean it.”

“Uh… thanks, Hodgins,” Booth appreciated the honest. At least he thought he did. “I guess I should start looking for a new FBI agent for her.”

“Oo… I wouldn’t do that,” Cam interjected. “You think that first slap hurt—you sure you want to insinuate that she’s not rational enough to work with you?”

“Well I don’t know what else to do.”

“You’ve just got to deal with it, Seeley.”

Cam and Hodgins walked away leaving Booth standing alone outside Brennan’s office. He thought he had done the right thing. He loved Hannah, he really did. He couldn’t just kick her out after she moved all the way to Washington to be with him. That was the right thing to do, but he still felt crappy and guilty for it.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated. They had a case… or maybe just Booth had a case. She told him too use her interns so that’s what he’d do. If he gave her some space maybe she’d come back. At least that’s what he hoped.

Meanwhile, Brennan had returned upstairs to her work. She was agitated and embarrassed of the show she had just given the entire lab moments before. Booth hadn’t done anything wrong—and she knew that—but for whatever reason she still felt the need to try and hurt him down stairs. It was childish and groundless—and not nearly as satisfying as she was hoping when the words flew out of her mouth. She had planned to start over today. To get new perspective and move on—but she was off to a pretty horrible start.

“So you didn’t sleep together,” Angela had tracked Brennan down again.

“Nope. I really would rather not talk about it, Angela. Sorry. Go find something else to entertain you,” It was harsh and Brennan knew it.

“I’m just going to take that as misplaced anger and ignore it,” Angela paused. She was trying to find the right words to leave her with. “I’m… I’m really proud of you, Sweetie. You put yourself out there. And while I know your hating yourself for it now, it was a good thing. Opening your heart up is never a bad thing—it proof that you’re a more highly evolved species”

Brennan smiled. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“No. I was just trying to give you a sciencey example. Keep your heart open. It’s worth it. Trust me.” Angela turned to leave. She hoped that what she had said landed somewhere in Brennan.

“I told him how I felt,” Angela turned back and went to sit on the couch next to her. “I don’t really know why I did it. I think it was just a result of lack of sleep and the case. I told him that I didn’t want to have any regrets and that I should have accepted when he offered the choice of us being more than just professional.”

“Whoa whoa whoa, Sweetie,” This was news to Angela. “He told you how he felt? When?! Why am I just now hearing about this?”

“It was last year. And I told him no, but I had very good reasons,” Suddenly that whole night was silently running on loop in Brennan’s head. The kiss. The tears. Everything.

There wasn’t much Angela could say. She threw her arms around Brennan and they sat there in silence for a while. Brennan had enough words. Right now she just needed someone to let her know she wasn’t alone, and Angela knew that.

Why is it when I read this sectionI get P.O. all over again? Like Angela said, I have no time to feel sorry for him. None.

I've been writing a lot today!
**Disclaimer. Hannah is in this chapter. Booth may say things you don't like. But I promise I am a firm believer that he doesn't/never loved Hannah. Just Brennan. So keep that in mind!

Chapter 4!

Booth was at his kitchen table going over the facts. There had been a body found in a decomposing shower earlier that day. It was female, mid twenties and of Asian background. She’d been decomposing in a hot shower for a while and was starting to look like Swiss cheese. Booth wasn’t good with the forensic details—never had been. That’s what Brennan was there for. Booth had the aid of the interns and the whole squints squad—Brenna was probably looking over the remains at that moment—but not have her there with him to sift through the specifics made his job much more difficult. He was beginning to wonder how he ever solved cases with out her. He was also distracted and that didn’t much help.

Maybe he was just uncomfortable. He’s kitchen chairs had never been particularly comfy—moving too his couch seemed to be a better option. Booth grabbed the case files and set them on the coffee table. He went to his bookshelf and grabbed a random book he could use to write against while he took notes. It was a random selection, but it shouldn’t have been such a shock to Booth. Brennan’s book was suddenly in his hand; one of the many she had dedicated to him over the years. He couldn’t get a way from her. Despite the fact that he was living with an entirely different woman, Brennan’s presence had made a much bigger impact on his apartment. Looking down at the book, he was suddenly becoming very pissed off. He remembered the way he had felt when he had seen the dedication. He remembered before he went to Iraq and how he used to read her books at night when he felt lonely. The racy scenes, in particular, he’d given frequent attention too. Even after Brennan had told him that they were inspired by Angela’s escapades—he still had always felt that there was more of her in there than she’d ever let on. And a lot of him in there as well.

Now the sight of the books charged him with agitation. If she had just let him in that night, they wouldn’t be here. He put his heart on the line and she rejected him—and he told her that he was going to have to move on. She knew that and seemed to accept it—but last night she was staring at him doe-eyed and hopefully like she had expected him to been waiting on her this whole time. How did this all add up to him being the bad guy?
Suddenly he heard the lock on his front door open. Hannah was home. He put the book back on the shelf; thinking maybe tomorrow he’d box them away. He didn’t want Hannah suddenly getting curious and uncovering the contents of Brennan’s books. Especially the extra attention he’d given the more explicit pages.

“Hey, babe,” Hannah came through the apartment with bags of take out. They’d been eating take out practically every night since she had moved in. Cooking was certainly not one of her talents. “I picked up some food, are you hungry?”

Booth was suddenly snapped back into reality, “Uh, hey! Yeah, I’m starving. I haven’t eaten yet.”

They went to the kitchen and began unpacking the to-go boxes. Indian food. Third time in the last week. It was sweet of Hannah to pick up the food but Booth was getting tired of the same old thing. He looked down at the food; it’d be another night of indigestion. Great.
“Seeley? Something wrong?”

“What? Oh, nothing. Hey… why don’t we go out to eat tonight? We’ll go some place nice. How’s that?” A night out might just be the cure.

“Seeley. I just spent, like, 30 bucks on food. I’m tired. I’ve been running around DC all day,” Hannah was suddenly annoyed at his lack of appreciation.

“It was just a suggestion,” They were both becoming a little on edge as they sat down to eat.

“How was work?” That was loaded question for Booth. He wasn’t sure if he should tell her or if it was one of those things that are better left unsaid. He didn’t want to make her feel insecure about their relationship but he knew she’s probably find out. Hannah and Brennan had been developing a friendship— it was best if she heard it from him.

“It was interesting.”

“Interesting? New case?” Hannah assumed.

“Yeah, but that wasn’t exactly the interesting part, or I guess the bad part,” He knew it might be easier if he was just straight forward. “There’s something you need to know.”

“What is it, Seeley,” Hannah was suddenly a little nervous.

“Something happened with me and Dr. Brennan last night,” He knew the way he worded that—it could easily be mistaken. He didn’t need another misunderstanding so he back pedaled. “Nothing happened. Dr. Brennan just informed me…” The formal speak wasn’t working and felt awkward. “Bones, told me she has feelings for me. But I told her that I was with you now. That I loved you.” He reached forward and held Hannah’s hand.
Hannah was unimpressed and pulled away. “She told you that?”

“Yeah, but I told her I loved you.” Booth was a little hurt that she was unfazed by his declaration of love.

“That bitch!” Hannah got up from the table and began pacing around the kitchen.

“Woah woah!” He loved Hannah, but it wasn’t okay for her to call Brennan a bitch. It wasn’t okay for anyone. “Don’t call her that. She’s not a bitch. She’s my partner.”

Hannah went for her purse and began digging for her cellphone. “Are you kidding me? She pretends to be my friend and then she schemes to seduce you away from me? I’m dealing with this.”

Booth grabbed the cellphone from her. “Hey—she didn’t seduce me. She wasn’t trying to. She was just telling me how she felt. You don’t know how difficult that was for her. She wasn’t trying to hurt you or anybody. She’s not like that.”

“Seeley…”

“Temperance and I have history together—not like that… but she means a lot to me. Hannah… I used to have feelings for her. It was before you and I were together and I told her. She didn’t feel the same way. I was miserable. And then I met you. I moved on. You have nothing to worry about,”

“Who said I was worried? I was annoyed. Insulted. I never said I was worried. Do you think I should be worried, Seeley?” Her wrath suddenly narrowed to Booth.

“What? No. I’m not saying that. But you’re not going to call her up and threaten her. She doesn’t deserve that. She didn’t do anything wrong,” Just moments before Booth was pissed off at Brennan and now he was defending her. Protecting her. It was his natural instinct.

“Do you love her?”

“What?”

“It’s a yes or no answer, Seeley. You do or you don’t,”

Booth hadn’t been ready for that question. There was hesitation. “I’ve known Temperance for a long time. She’s not an easy person. She’s difficult, actually. She’s stubborn and… very honest,” He began to stare down at the floor. He was getting misty eyed. “She’s always been there for me. She’s saved my life. I’m always going to love her… but… but not in the same way as you,” Booth couldn’t tell if that was the truth. He wasn’t sure if he was convincing her or him.

Hannah smiled at Booth. She went to him. Kissed him on the cheek and held him. Convinced, or at least it seemed.

“That’s all I wanted to know.”

Booth didn’t return her hold. He just looked gravely at the wall behind them. Holding the person you love shouldn’t feel so bad. But it did. He looked down at the phone still in his hand. Before he had grabbed the phone away from Hannah, the phone had already dialed. He wasn’t sure if it was her machine on the other end or Brennan herself. He knew it didn’t really matter—one way or another she knew. He ended the call.

Still reading. Still appreciating. More please.

Chapter 4

A few days had past. The case was now closed. Brennan and Booth had been civil towards one another, hostilities had subsided but the tension was ever present. Brennan had chosen to stay in the lab on this case and to her relief; no one seemed to question her. No one had said much of anything at all to her that wasn't directly related to the case and for that she was grateful. Sweets, on the other hand, had been frequently calling and messaging her. He was eager to get her and Booth into his office to poke and prod. Brennan knew he didn't mean any harm; she just never wanted to be psychoanalyzed—least of all now. Ignoring his calls and blowing him off in the lab seemed to be the best option.

Brennan thought about it as she sat dazed in her office. She'd been spending all of her time in the lab since the incident and was running out of projects to keep her busy. There were still hundreds of remains left to be identified in "limbo", but at this moment it didn't seem particularly appealing.

She missed working the field with Booth. Not just because of Booth, but because of the risk beyond the safety of the lab. The new discoveries. While she loved the Jeffersonian, she missed the feeling of existing some place away from bones and microscopes. Traveling the world as an anthropologist, she mostly observed the world—she had never really been a part of it until Booth came along allowed that opportunity. Going back to her life before seemed altogether disheartening.

Her train of thought was interrupted when Cam entered her office.

"I got your notes and report on the counterfeit purse case," Cam told her.

"I know," Brennan was unsure why Cam was here to tell her something she already knew.

"Good."

"Yes," Cam hadn't left. Obviously, this was more than just to inform Brennan that she received her case file. That was lost on Brennan, though. "I need to know if you're going back into the field with Booth."

This had caught Brennan off guard. No one had mentioned anything to her yet so she was surprised when it finally happened. "I haven't decided yet. If this case is any indication, it shows that my presence out side the lab is not necessarily required in the investigation".

"You can't keep avoiding Booth because of what happened, Dr. Brennan," It was a bold move by Cam.

"I fail to see why the personal details mine or Booth personal life has importance in a murder investigation," Brennan was slightly offended. She was a professional and it was none of Cam's business.

"Only it does. It took both of you four days longer than it usually takes you to put a case away, that effects me and it effects the lab," Cam knew she had Brennan there.

"It was a difficult case, Cam. The murdered was an FBI agent…" Brennan was suddenly getting defensive. "If the case took longer to solve than that's on Booth's end. I had the facts and I acquired them efficiently."

"I'm not saying you didn't, I'm saying things work better when the two of you aren't walking on egg shells and can communicate beyond five word sentences."

Brennan knew she had lost this battle. She couldn't defend herself. The case had taken longer than was necessary, but this still didn't mean that she would be returning to field work. "I don't know if I'll be working in the field anymore… but, I will do my best to be more proficient. Provided that the facts are not ignored."

"Thank you Dr. Brennan," Cam knew not to push her now. It was the most satisfying answer she was going to get from Brennan now. Not exactly what she wanted, but she could push for more later. Cam turned to leave but was press with the overwhelming desire to share her unsolicited opinion. She and Brennan had never been particularly close, but by now Cam certainly considered Dr. Brennan to be a friend. "Can I give you some advice? Well its not really advice and I'm not so much as asking as I'm just going to give it to you," Cam took a deep breath. "Booth is going to do what he thinks is honorably right…"

"Cam…" Brennan was attempting to cut her off.

"No. Just let me finish. Booth is going to do what he thinks is honorable and right because he is just that kind of guy. He doesn't leave one woman for another. It's a good quality if you think about it," Cam could tell Brennan was becoming increasingly uneasy. "It's just my thoughts. I've known Booth for a long time. He lives by a code of honor. It's a little stupid sometimes but so is Booth"

"I don't understand…"

"I think you do, Dr. Brennan. My point is, just… hang in there. Like I said, I've known Booth for a long time. I know when something is an obligation to him and when it's a little more." And with that Cam had left.

Brennan leaned back in her chair absorbing what Cam had said. She knew what Cam had meant although she pretended not too. It instilled in her a tiny flicker of hope that she would soon shake away. Nothing had really changed from the moments before Cam came into her office and the moments after she had left. Booth was honorable. So what? Brennan knew that, it didn't mean she should suddenly be optimistic. It wouldn't change anything and she would just find herself foolishly sitting around for nothing.

It was still nice to hear, though.

Brennan didn't want to think about it anymore. She'd only end up over analyzing things and would just make things worse. She turned to her computer. One new email. It was from Hannah.



So... I'm thinking its time B&B had a session with sweets. They're due.

So the one Fanfiction I'm interested in is cutt short...on a CLIFFHANGER?! GAH!

Please write more. PLEEEEEEAASE...?

For those of you who are interested... here's the continuation...

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6784552/1/Change_in_the_Story