Author's Note: To be honest, I'm not really sure where this came from. Actually that's kind of a lie. You know the whole Comic-Con thing that happened this past weekend? Well, as it turns out I didn't get to go, but the videos made me wish I could have been there. Anyway, there was a slight spoiler involved, which my muse decided to latch onto and not let go. This is what happened. It's unbeta'ed so any mistakes are mine. If there are any, I apologize.

By the way, there's not a whole lot, but a spoiler warning is required. Even though it's probably not worth it, because I know this is probably almost exactly how it won't happen. You really have to love fanficland, don't you?

Disclaimer: I don't own Bones. It's a sad story, really. :(

Six weeks.

It had been six weeks since he'd seen her face. Six weeks since she took off in a plane headed for Guatemala. Not that he knew where she was headed at the time and it wasn't like he could chase after her what with just recovering from brain surgery and all, but the fact still remained that she left. The doctors as well as Booth himself assured Brennan that he would make a perfect recovery; the issue with his memory wasn't even that he didn't remember who she was, but that he had difficulty understanding what was real and what wasn't.

She didn't leave right away either. In fact, Brennan had been by his side for several days after he left the hospital. The only time she left his apartment was to get his medication and pick up their food, and once to go home and pick up some of her things. He found comfort in knowing that she was there, but Brennan dealt with things differently than he did. Like going on trips to foreign countries to sort through her thoughts about relationships that until that moment had been purely hypothetical.

The night before she left he'd let something slip. Maybe it was the medication they put him on, or perhaps just the fact he'd come to realize it was true for quite a while, but he finally admitted how he felt. And then she flew away.

Booth watched other people coming and going, and he stared up at the screen that announced arrivals. He couldn't really blame her even if he wanted to. His mind might have been groggy at the time when he first woke up in the hospital, but the one thing he could never forget was the look on her face. Scared, alone and confused, not to mention a number of things written in her eyes that told him everything he needed to know. It was what led him to the crowded airport, Styrofoam cup filled to the brim with coffee in hand, waiting for her to come home. He'd made his mind up weeks before. Whenever she came home he would be there. Of course, it hadn't been easy finding out where she had gone, but once his intentions were clear Angela couldn't help but break the news to him.

"I just need to know where she is, Ange. I need to know if she's okay. It's not like I'm going to follow her." Booth sat across from Angela in the crowded diner and nursed his cup of coffee. He caught the look of doubt from her about what he said. "It's the truth. I'm not lying, alright? Look, I know how Bones works, and if she were to leave of her own accord it's not like her to do so without telling someone first. She didn't tell me, so I'm assuming she told you."

Angela nodded with a sigh. She remembered the warning Brennan had given her, telling her not to tell anyone where she had gone. Of course Brennan had taken care of telling Cam, but aside from that no one else needed to know. The trouble was, as she sat across from Booth's defeated form, Angela couldn't help but think Brennan had made a mistake by not telling him. "What happened between you two? Something you can tell me?"

"You know where she is. You know where she is, and you're not telling me." Booth replied, his voice coming out stronger and with more force. He was trying his best to keep up his strength while still taking things easy, per the doctor's orders.

Angela's tapered fingers traced lines across the table as she debated her decision. It would be so easy to just let the word slip and be done with it all. "You're not gonna let this go, are you?"

Booth shook his head. "I think you know me better than that."

"Why all of this anyway? Can't you be happy knowing that she's fine where she's at? You know Brennan, probably better than I do, so you know she wouldn't do this for some stupid reason. She's working, Booth." Angela replied. She knew already, or at least she suspected, why he was pushing so hard to find out the answer. "You love her."

It wasn't a question, and Booth wouldn't have answered anyway. If he were to tell anyone, the first person it would have been to would be Brennan. The reason he was here speaking with Angela in the first place. "Could you please just tell me?"

"Guatemala. Bren's in Guatemala." Angela replied before taking a hefty gulp from her mug. "She couldn't tell me specifically why, just that the government required her assistance. She'll be back in a few weeks."

Memories from his own time in the country drifted through his memory. He shuddered at the thought. "So she's working? She's safe?"

"Yes, Booth, Brennan is safe." Angela grinned over her coffee cup. "But for the record? You should really tell her once she gets back."

Booth heard the voice over the intercom announcing the arrival of Brennan's flight. It would still be a little while before he saw her, but he was anxious enough already. Throwing away his emptied cup, he found a comfortable enough place to stand while waiting to see her. Maybe it was stupid. She could easily turn right back around and book another flight the second she saw him, but what if she reacted differently? Had Angela told her he would be there to pick her up? People started flooding the area, some met with bone-crushing hugs and others with quiet sobs and kisses, while others still walked alone to pick up their luggage. Then, just when he was thinking it had all been a mistake and that maybe she had missed her flight, just enough space in the crowd opened up for him to spot her. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her bare shoulders sun-kissed, and there was a quizzical look in her eyes as she searched the crowd for a familiar face. A smile crossed his as he saw her eyes latch onto him before looking away, only to dart back seconds later. She had seen him; she was beautiful.

The seatbelt sign above her head lit up, and the pilot's voice sounded over the speaker telling them the plane would be landing soon. Brennan sighed before tilting her head to look out the window, staring at the clouds that surrounded them, knowing that just below them was the city she called home. While she had thoroughly enjoyed her trip, coming back home was something she was looking forward to more than she wanted to admit.

She hadn't spoken to Booth since she left. It was a fact she tried to ignore, and Brennan felt certain he'd probably be upset if not angry with her the next time they met. She wasn't avoiding him in the least, though she knew it was probably what he thought. He meant what he told her the night before she left. There was no question about it, but even if she felt the same, there was no point in pursuing a relationship prior to leaving the she wanted was time to process and think things through. Her trip had been planned before she left and she'd pushed it off long enough to begin with; helping the government identify remains as well as helping to pass on the latest techniques to fellow anthropologists in Guatemala was something she looked forward to, but with Booth in the condition he had been required her attention more. As it was, she was coming home early anyway.

Angela would meet her inside the airport, and they'd stop for dinner considering how late it was before heading home. Once there, she'd have the rest of the weekend to recuperate before heading to work. Normally she'd love the thought of returning to work and it wasn't like she was dreading it, but the thought of what Booth would say upon seeing her made her feel a little less excited. Would he be angry? Upset? Or maybe he'd just be worried? Angela knew where she was as well as Cam, but she hadn't told him. She'd had the whole trip to think about that fact, though if she were being honest Brennan had to admit she wasn't quite sure why she couldn't tell him. Would he have stopped her? It didn't seem like a likely option. Whatever his reaction, Brennan knew he'd have something to say. She just wasn't sure she'd want to know what it was.

He said he loved her. She believed him now that she'd had time to think about the idea, but at the time it seemed like something that couldn't be true. What he wanted was the woman from his dream. Brennan wasn't that woman.

Brennan stared down at their hands intertwined, their fingers tightly laced, and she drew in a deep breath.

"I mean it, you know." Booth spoke, bowing his head and sharpening his gaze, trying to get her to look back at him.

Brennan darted her tongue out to moisten her lips. His words rung in her ears. "Booth..."

Booth shook his head before placing a finger over her lips. He gave her hand a squeeze, urging her to look back up at him. The blue in her eyes took him a little by surprise. "I do, Bones. I know it's...I know what you think, and I know what you wanna say. But it's the truth. You are one of the most important people in my life, Temperance." His voice faltered as his adam's apple bobbed up and down slowly. "I love you."

Thoughts swirled in her head of the few people who'd been able to tell her that and actually mean it as they did. She wanted to refute his claim, wanted to tell him love was just a simple chemical process in the brain, but when she was with him it felt different. "I-" Brennan began, though nothing else came. Instead, she moved the few inches closer, closing the gap as her lips brushed softly against his.

Before she realized what was happening, everyone on the plan around her was clapping and cheering, signaling a safe end to the flight. They still had a little while before they would see their loved ones or begin setting out to do whatever it was they'd come for, but for Brennan it was enough to know she was home. Within just a short time she would be with Angela on her way to a nice meal. They'd talk for a while and catch up, and she would go home after that. A nice bath or reading one of the books she had purchased while on her trip was what she had in mind.

She shuffled out of the plane with everyone else. Her mind was in a daze as she went through the motions, having done it countless times before. When she was finally free to search for her friend, Brennan noticed Angela was no where to be found. The chill from the air conditioning in the airport caused goosebumps on her bare arms. The weather in Guatemala had been exceptionally warm, which caused her to wear a tank-top. The denim capris that completed her look had been comfortable as well. Her eyes darted quickly through the crowd as she scanned faces, searching for someone she knew. The sight of the man leaning casually against the pillar that held the screen to announce flights caused her to double-check; this was someone she knew, even though it wasn't who she expected. Booth. She watched as he caught her eye, knowing he'd been caught, before he started walking in her direction.

"How-" Brennan began as she met him halfway. A light of recognition crossed her features. "Angela. I told her not to-"

"Don't blame Angela. I...kind of forced it out of her." Booth replied. He took in her appearance, all the while noticing the fact she hadn't yet closed the distance between them. Waiting for her to say something felt as if it took ages rather than seconds.

In retrospect, Brennan supposed she shouldn't have expected any less. Just as she realized just how calm he was acting it crossed her mind as to why. Of course. "I'm sorry, Booth. I should have told you. I should have said something."

"It's okay, Bones." Booth shook his head. This was obviously going to have to go her way and at her pace if anything was to happen between them. He noted that fact before smiling in her direction. "Just promise you won't take off like that again without saying something first."

The worry in his voice didn't surprise her. Neither did the look on his face, the one she knew all too well. Booth was the one who was always there, who understood her more than anyone else did, and who saw her for who she truly was.

Booth watched silently as the pieces fell into place. This was something she had to cope with on her own, and for a minute he started to wonder if coming after her had been a mistake. The last thing he ever wanted was to rush her.

"Booth, I-" Brennan began, the words already formed on her lips. She saw the question in his eyes. It was something she'd known for weeks; something she'd accepted before he'd woken up in the hospital, but experiencing the way even the possibility of how quickly that relationship could have been taken away shook her. The idea of losing him in any capacity scared her. She smiled at him and grabbed his hand to pull him closer.

It was all the explanation Booth needed. Even if she didn't say the words, he knew what she meant, and it was enough. Brennan would tell him when she was ready. Nodding, he pulled her in, wrapping her tight in his arms. In the midst of a crowded airport, he kissed her forehead tenderly and whispered in her ear, not even caring who might be watching. "I know, Bones." He said. "I know."

What he gave her was something small. It was simple even if it meant so much. There was still so much they had to go through, so much they had to discuss, but for that moment she was content in standing there in his embrace. Brennan was safe and secure; she was home.

The End. I thought about adding a small part from Angela's POV at the end there that had her watching them. I decided it would have been too much though, so I hope you don't mind. Reviews are welcome, so please let me know what you think!