This is going to be a two-shot/songfic. Set at the start of Season Six. Hope you like it.

Enjoy!

(This is where the line break should be)

May 2011

I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house
That don't bother me
I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out

The saying that 'change is inevitable' is one that Temperance Brennan had always stuck by. Change is part of evolution, and as an Anthropologist, she went by that. People are always changing; the length of their hair, their weight, their health. To say that one does not change is lying.

When in Indonesia, she had changed. She had gotten a tan from the countless hours she had spent in the sun. Her hair had grown, which bothered her, prompting her to get a hair cut. She began to tolerate Daisy's presence, after spending all waking hours with her. Booth had changed also, in his time overseas. His hair was now kept short. He flinched more often at sudden noises than he had before. He valued his time with families and friends more, after not seeing them for such a long time. She had expected him to change; how could he not after being somewhere like that for seven months. What she hadn't expected though, was the extent to which he had changed. His physical changes, yes, but his emotional changes, no.

I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while
Even though going on with you gone still upsets me
There are days every now and again I pretend I'm ok
But that's not what gets me

Booth had always been the strong one, the sure one. Sure of his feelings for her whilst she spent hours trying to decipher what hers meant. He'd been strong enough, brave enough, to take it that step further, knowing only too well that he could get hurt in the process. She hadn't been that strong. She didn't take that step with him, because she knew just how much she could get hurt.

What hurts the most
Was being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away

Seeing Hannah, even just hearing of her, had been like a hard slap across the face; her own regret snapping back at her. He seemed so confident, so joyful, when he talked about her. It hurt her to know that that could have been her he was talking about. To know what she had unconsciously given up, shocked her.

All that she knew had betrayed her. She hadn't been taught what to do in such a situation. She didn't have a clue in the world what to do about it.

And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was tryin' to do

Everyone was so happy for him that it was hard to confide in anyone; even Angela. How do you tell someone who is so full of joy and happiness about the sorrow and regret you're overflowing with? You don't. She pretended to be happy for him; for his sake. For her sake. She needed to be. She was the one that had cornered him into this; given him no other choice, really. This is what she had thought best, for both them and their partnership.

Turns out she was wrong.

Turns out that the feelings they'd had, they'd held back, were the ones that had made 'Booth and Brennan'. Without that there, it seemed like they were just ordinary partners.

It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go
But I'm doin' It
It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone

She sometimes found herself scared of going into the lab in the morning, or going to The Founding Fathers for drinks, in the case that she might see them together. Seeing what she could have had, in the flesh, right in front of her, hurt like hell. It hurt to know that he had wanted that with her; when at the time, she had been completely oblivious to what she wanted.

Still Harder
Getting up, getting dressed, livin' with this regret
But I know if I could do it over
I would trade give away all the words that I saved in my heart
That I left unspoken

Hannah seemed nice enough. She tried to be her friend, but in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but think of her as the competition. It was stupid, calling her the competition; Hannah had clearly won. Not that Booth could be won; he offered himself to you, invited you. She had shut him down completely.

It was now, watching him with another woman, that she realised just how cruel she had been throughout their partnership, though it hadn't occurred to her before. She had known what Booth felt for her, but still didn't acknowledge what it meant.

What hurts the most
Is being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away

Not sure how she ended up there, Brennan found herself sitting on a barstool next to Hannah, her blonde her cascading down her shoulders.

"So, Temperance, what exactly is it that you do?" Hannah asked politely, taking a sip at her drink.

"I identify human remains, when they're only bones left," she replied.

"Oh, so that's why Seeley calls you Bones? He would never really talk about the reaon behind it," Hannah commented.

"Yes. How are you liking it in DC?"

"It's different, after being in Afghanistan. But it's nice," Hannah smiled, twirling the straw in her glass. "You and Seeley are really close, aren't you?"

"Yes, we have been partners for five years," she said, not wanting to burden Hannah with just how close Booth had once wanted to be.

And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do

"He mentioned once, that you and him sort of liked each other. As in, more than friends," Hannah brought up.

Almost choking on her drink, she replied, "yes, at one point. Though nothing actually happened, due to being in a professional partnership."

"He loves you, you know."

What hurts the most
Is being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away

"Pardon?" she asked, not sure whether she was hearing correctly.

"Seeley loves you. I mean, loves you. He tries not to show it, and I don't think he realises that I've picked up on it."

"Hannah-" she began.

"I know that I'm the rebound, Temperance. I'm smart, I may not be as smart as you, but I know quite a few things. I know that he's with me in an attempt to get over you. I also know that he didn't care whether or not the two of you were in a professional partnership, he would have dropped it all if you'd have allowed him to," Hannah said, though she couldn't tell whether or not Hannah was happy or said about it; her face didn't give anything away.

And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do

"You're right for him; not me," she said, looking Hannah in the eyes. "You both deserve each other. I had my chance. Now you can have yours. I'm happy for the both of you."

"Thankyou."

Not seeing that loving you
That's what I was trying to do

(This is where the line break should be)

The lyrics shown in this are from the song: What Hurts The Most by Rascall Flatts.

The second part will be up soon. Please review and let me know what you thought.

Em xXxXxxx