Thank you for reviewing my story. I really appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

The room dark and silent, Brennan felt Booth shift on the bed again. "Are you alright?"

Booth ran his right hand through his hair and sighed. "Yeah . . . I'm fine. Maybe this is a bad idea. Now I'm just keeping you awake too." Sitting up, Booth leaned back against the headboard. "I used to believe that everyone is meant to have someone. All you had to do was just wait and sooner or later you'd find that person . . . I don't think there is anyone for me after all. My father used to tell me that some people are meant to walk through life alone and I refused to believe him . . . I just didn't see how that could happen . . . Now I realize that he was telling me the truth and I was just too stubborn to accept it."

Hearing the deep sadness in her partner's voice, Brennan sat up and rested her hand on his thigh. "A wise man once told me that there is someone for everyone, someone you're meant to spend the rest of your life with. He said you just have to be open enough to see it."

His words coming back to haunt him, Booth shook his head. "That man was a fool."

Angry that he would say such a thing, Brennan grabbed Booth's arm. "Don't you dare say that. You have no right to say that . . . If that's true then how can I believe anything that man told me? I need to believe in him. I need you to believe in him."

Not reacting, Booth stared out into the dark room, the only light in the room spilling in through the partially open window.

Since she didn't seem to be getting through to him, Brennan tried a different tack. "Did you love her so much that you're willing to give up?"

Slowly shaking his head, her friend snorted. "The sad answer to that question is no . . . I didn't love her that much. That's not why I know I'm meant to be alone."

Confused, Brennan released his arm. "I don't understand."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth laughed with a tinge of bitterness. "Yeah, I know . . . You think I'm some kind of expert on the human condition, that I know how love works and I have to tell you . . . you've been taking advice from someone who doesn't know what the hell they're talking about. I've always had this idea about what love is, but it's just been wishful thinking on my part . . . I've never had anyone in my life love me . . . Not really. Well, okay, my grandfather loves me and so does my son, but that's not what I'm talking about . . . I've tried to . . . There have been quite a few times in my life when I thought I'd found someone that would love me, but it always turned out the same. I'd fall in love and then I'd find out that the person I was in love with didn't love me. Most of the time we'd just break up and we'd just be friends or try to be. Over and over, time after time. It's always been the same."

Curious, Brennan asked, "What about Hannah?"

Crossing his arms across his chest, Booth nodded his head. "Even Hannah . . . That relationship was never going to go anywhere. She wanted someone to have a good time with. She wasn't interested in marriage or even a long term commitment . . . She didn't even want to commit to me long term. She said she was a nomad and her career came first. She was already looking for overseas assignments when she died. So, you see . . . it was just more of the same. . . . I don't know how to find the one for me. I haven't got a clue."

Her hand gripping his arm, Brennan tried to understand. "So you're upset because Hannah died and because you knew you were going to break up with her? I don't think I . . . ."

Interrupting her, Booth shook his head. "I'm upset because I'm so desperate for love I was willing to let someone who didn't love me move in with me. I ignored everything she told me. I didn't care. I wanted someone to love me and I thought if I worked really hard at being what she wanted me to be then she'd learn to love me. It took her death for me to realize that I was just being an idiot . . . I was packing up her stuff to send home and I looked at her stuff and I realized that the whole time she was living with me, the whole time she was living in this apartment . . . she never bought anything for this apartment. Not one thing to show that she lived here . . . Nothing. What I packed up was the stuff she'd brought with her. She never made an imprint on this place because she didn't want to. She was just going to be here until she got tired of me and then she was going to leave . . . I didn't really mean that much to her at all. The only one in that relationship was me." Disgusted with himself, Booth shook his head. "I'm a fraud Bones. I've given you all that advice about love and commitment and it was all just wishful thinking on my part. It was a fairytale. There is no happily ever after. The hero doesn't always get the girl."

Sliding off the mattress, Booth stood next to the bed. "I'm sorry, Bones. I'm sorry I've been so stupid. I . . ." Abruptly turning, he walked out of the bedroom, into his living room and over to his couch. Sitting down on the lumpy couch, Booth placed his head in his hands and stared at the floor.

Ooooooooooooooo

The silence of the room pressing in on him, Booth continued to stare at the floor, embarrassed that he'd unloaded his bullshit on his friend. In his heart, he felt that he'd betrayed her with his nonsense and now that she knew the truth he waited for her to leave. Just like everyone else.

The night so silent, he thought he heard a sob from the next room. Worried about Brennan, he stood up and walked back in to the bedroom and listened. The sound of Brennan softly crying made Booth move over to the bed and sit down on the edge next to her. Reaching out, he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Bones, I'm sorry . . . I shouldn't have told you all that stuff. I was just mad and I shouldn't have said what I said . . . It was all nonsense. I don't really believe any of that stuff I said . . . Love is real and some day, you're going to find the one that's meant for you, I promise . . . Really, you shouldn't listen to me when I'm . . . You really . . . I'm really sorry. There is someone out there for you, I know there is, you just have to be . . ."

Throwing herself into his arms, Brennan cried out to him, "I know there is someone for me Booth. I know it because . . . I know it because he's you . . . He's you."

Stunned with her revelation, Booth rubbed his partner's back. "Bones, I . . . I don't know what to say . . . You love me?"

Weeping, Brennan clung to her friend. "Yes, I do. I have for awhile. I just couldn't tell you because I was afraid to . . . When we came back, when I saw you with Hannah, I realized that I'd made a mistake when I'd turned you down outside the Hoover. I was afraid when you asked me to take a chance and then when you came back and Hannah moved in with you . . . when you said you loved her, I was afraid I'd missed my chance. I knew I'd missed my chance . . . I know Hannah just died and I don't want you to think I'm glad she's dead because I'm not. I just . . . I just don't want to miss my chance again. When you're done grieving over Hannah, when you're ready to move on, I want to move on with you. Do you understand?"

Filled with love for her, Booth leaned his head against her forehead and whispered to her. "Oh, Temperance . . ." Tears filling his eyes, he placed his left hand on the side of her face and kept his voice gentle. "I've loved you for so long. I . . ." Unable to speak, he move his head and looked into her glistening blue eyes. "Bones, I want to give you that chance, but you see how I am . . . I don't know what the hell I'm doing. I try so hard, but I don't know what I'm doing . . . How can you want me, knowing that?"

Her mouth mere inches from his lips, Brennan assured him. "I want you, Booth . . . I do want you."

Closing his eyes, Booth moved his lips closer to hers. "I want you too, Temperance. I want you too."

Leaning closer, his lips met hers and their kisses turned into a passionate reminder that they'd always been there for each other and that their love for each other was just a another layer of their continuing friendship.

Ooooooooooooooooo

So what did you think of my story? Any good? Leave me a review. I'd appreciate it.