The Following fic is a work of fiction created by myself (Greysisthecatspajamas) and a wonderful friend of mine (JenMcDreamy). It is a multi-chaptered fic that will hopefully capture your heart, and your mind... Please keep an open mind while reading and understand that not everything is always as it seems... or as rational as Dr. Brennan would like to think. If you'd like to join us for conversation or discussion of the fic further... feel free to e-mail us... or join us on our newly created message board gormogonsvault(dot)forumer(dot)com. If you're a writer, feel free to contribute... so far, only my one story is in the long story section, and there are a couple of one shots in the 'oneshot' section... WE LOVE COMMENTS... and welcome criticism. We don't own BONES or the characters, but we do own a few of the originals in this fic... We hope you enjoy! :)

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Chapter 1- Leaning into the Light

The future, like the sun's rays, is immeasurable. Try as you might to capture them, it's impossible. The future can just as easily be snuffed out, just as quickly and just as unexpectedly as a sudden burst of light and heat from the sun could obliterate us as a human race. Life, like the future, is full of unpredictable things. But we move forward, regardless. We wake up every day and we plan our day, despite the unexpected changes that we will encounter. We wake up, get out of bed with an idea and a plan, and we continue to live those plans out, day after day, making our lives a worthy expression of leaning into the light...

People come into our lives as if they were the phases of the moon. You begin with just a sliver of trust and meaning, and with time, that trust can either become full, and bright... Or it can slide from view once again. Though for every orb of light that welcomes your attention, there are only a select few that are able to warm your face and spirit.

Sometimes, when you're staring up to the heavens, watching those phases, you notice that there are differences, nuances that you had never noticed before, like a person that you thought you knew through and through, only to find another secret. There are pockets of uncharted territory that if you were just brave enough, you would reach to the heavens for them, and if you were lucky, you'd find that the ball of light that you were reaching for isn't as large and as out of reach as you once thought. It's not cold or unwelcoming, but warm and inviting, like a good friend who not only treasures the trust, but gives you the gift of their own trust in return. With that, a bond is created, and a strong thread of friendship will pull you to that other person, and an understanding like no other begins to blossom and grow.

Those people, the select few; the ones that get drawn into your gravitational pull... they are the ones that are with you until the end. They remain a part of your life forever - no matter the distance, no matter the time passage. More often than not you will find that those certain people, or that 'one' special person, has somehow become something else entirely. They have become a part of you. And that, as they say... is everything.

Special Agent Seeley Booth stood with his back to the wall, hands shoved into the front pockets of his jeans, legs crossed at the ankles. His green, army issued duffel bag sat at his feet, waiting just as motionless as he. With his sniper eyes, he scanned the crowd carefully as the sea of people shuffled through the corridors of the airport. His ears only picked up murmurs of conversation as people passed him. Ever the observer.

She appeared, seemingly out of thin air, her auburn hair curled around her face, her clear, crystal blue eyes scanning the faces around her until she spotted him. Their eyes connected and the smile that stretched across her lips matched his. When she reached him, he could see tiny droplets of rain that clung to her face and hair; a fine mist that glistened under the harsh florescent lighting. Above the murmuring crowd, thunder rolled in the distance.

"You look nervous," Brennan said as she came to stand before him. "I don't think I've ever seen you like this."

Booth shrugged, "It's the weather. I don't like to fly in these conditions, Bones."

"You'll be fine, Booth," she assured him, shaking her head slightly as a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

A tiny drop of water fell from her hairline and onto her cheek. Without thinking, Booth lifted his hand and wiped the drop away with his thumb, his touch warming her skin as his eyes held hers. His hand lingered until Brennan cleared her throat and took a small step back.

"Where's your gate?" she asked him, her eyes darting around the crowded airport.

Booth gripped his duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder, "I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth, Bones. I get a very special gate."

"Impressive," she teased, falling into step beside him as they walked forward, the intimate moment that had passed between them now vanished into thin air.

"So, are you really not going to tell me where you're going?" Brennan asked after they had been walking for a while.

"It's classified," Booth grinned.

"I hate when you say that," she frowned, shoving her hands into the pockets of her faded jeans as they stopped in front of a metal door at the end of the corridor. "You usually always tell me things. Even when you're not supposed to."

Booth sighed heavily. "I know I do, Bones, okay? I know I do. But, this...? This is one thing I can't share with you."

"Does Sweets know where you're going?" She inquired.

"No, he doesn't. And even if he did, he wouldn't tell you, so please don't even try to pester him about finding any information as to my whereabouts, okay?" Booth said sternly. "Promise me."

Brennan frowned again and then rolled her eyes. "Fine. I promise."

"Great," Booth grinned. "See, that wasn't so hard." He nudged his elbow against her arm playfully. "So, you're gonna miss me, right?" He asked. "You probably won't even work on any cases until I get back."

"Why would I not work on cases for the next two weeks?"

"Because, Bones. Face it. You can't work without me. You should take a vacation while I'm gone. A real one. Go to the beach, or something."

"That's ridiculous, Booth. I have en entire team at the Jeffersonian who are perfectly capable of assisting me in your absence. We might even solve a handful of cases while you're gone."

"Suddenly, I feel very insulted," Booth replied.

"Why should you feel insulted? I was just stating the facts. The Jeffersonian hires the best, Booth. You know that," She reminded him.

"I know Bones, just.... nevermind," he sighed. His eyes slid over to the window across the hallway. The rain was relentless, coming down in sheets. He could barely see out onto the runway.

Brennan placed her hand on his arm and he turned his attention to her again. "It's just rain, Booth. You'll be okay. I'm sure the pilot flying your plane is very capable. Have you checked his credentials?"

"No, Bones, I have not checked his credentials," he replied dryly.

"Oh," she shrugged. "Well, I'm sure he's well qualified."

"Thanks, Bones. Really. My nerves are so much better now," he stated sarcastically.

She smiled up at him, "Glad I could help."

"Yeah," He nodded, "If something happens to me... you already promised to come and visit me." He said, the words sort of trailing off on his lips, sounding a bit morbid at the moment, he watched her eyes narrow in denial.

"Booth, nothing's going to-"

"You remember, right?" He asked again, cutting her off.

"Yes," she nodded, "I remember."

He watched her eyes for several moments, the memory of that afternoon walk through the cemetery fresh in their minds, the promise that she had used more than just a mere word. It was a promise, and he could feel the pride swelling his heart at that moment, the only thing that was able to pull him away from his thoughts was the strong arm of a fellow agent, grabbing hold of his bicep, releasing it as he nodded toward the door. "I'll see you later, Bones." He said, his charm smile brightening the expression on his face as he felt her hand grab hold of his, almost as if she were trying to pull him back. "I'll be back before you even know I was gone."

"That's impossible, Booth." She said in a tone he was all too familiar with. She felt something cool pressing into her palm and she looked down at their joined hands. "What's-"

"Hold onto it. For safe keeping," he said to her as she peered down at the silver St. Christopher medal now resting in her hand. Her eyes locked with his for a moment. "Be safe. And when I get back, there's something important we should discuss," He whispered as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead, without thinking or caring of the implications, or who saw, and before she could react, he was turning into the driving rain and running toward the waiting plane.

"I'll see you when you get back!" She called, knowing that he probably couldn't hear her over the sound of the rain pounding on the roof, and the crowds of people in the terminal. They were common words of farewell, where to some people it meant goodbye. She wasn't saying goodbye, however. Her words were a declaration that she would see him when he returned, a promise. Also in those words, she was wishing him all of the luck in the world.

She watched as the metal door closed behind the two agents, sealing her away from the torrential rain as they braved it in order to run toward their plane. She hurried to the nearby window and saw the blurry outline of two figures as they ran through the heavy downpour toward the awaiting plane. If she believed in God like Booth did, she would have said a prayer for his safety in this moment, but instead, she tightened her grip on the round medal in her hand and promised to keep it safe for Booth, even though her brain said he was overreacting by giving it to her.

She watched for several minutes at the window as slowly, the small plane began to make its way down the runway. She waited, watching with her breath held until it disappeared into the hazy mist of the rain. She turned just then, to make her way toward the garage when she both heard, and felt the ground shaking explosion. She felt herself gasp, a near whimper of disbelief as she turned and slammed her hands against the window that just moments before she had been staring longingly out of.

In the blur of the rain pouring down the pane of glass, in the clouds of dank, depressing, fog and mist that rose from the tarmac, she was horrified by the fiery ball of flames that was only moments ago the airplane that was carrying her partner and his colleagues. She could feel her throat beginning to close up, her jaw open in stunned silence as her hands pressed harder into the glass. The only word she could force from her lips was the sound of a whispered and strangled "No!" that fell upon deaf ears.

And sometimes as swiftly as they came into your life, they are pulled from it. It can be tender and soft, a passing where the pain is shared. But it can also be blunt and horrific, where the pain of both is shared by just one person. However, the future is unknowing, unforgiving, and relentless, and where dreams have gone up in smoke, we have but simple objects, memories, and promises that live on in so many ways. Promises that will never be broken.

"When I inevitably drop dead before you. I'd like you come out and spend some time and talk to me every once in a while." Booth said, glancing to his partner as he watched her eyes flash to him momentarily, as they made their way through the cemetery grounds quietly.

"I'll feel foolish knowing you can't hear me." She said, sighing, their pace was in step and even, her eyes concerned, but showing the thoughtfulness within them.

"Promise." He said, his tone definitive.

She paused for only a second before she whispered her reply. "...I promise."

She smiled at his chuckle, glancing to him now and then as they walked. "Hey, there you go. Huh? You agreed. I didn't think you would agree. Now, why did you agree?" He asked in a sardonic tone.

"I believe that if I pretended you were still here. I would feel better for a moment. Also speaking to you would require me to figuratively look at myself through your eyes, again temporarily. And I think that would make me live my life more successfully." She said tenderly, definitively, lovingly.

One year later-

The April rain was relentless, cold and stinging on her skin, her hands bare as she stood before the gravestone of her friend. She held the hook of the umbrella tightly in her hand, his umbrella. For some reason it made her think of him, using something that he had owned, something he had used to shelter her from the cold rain, something that meant nothing to him, but she had kept as sort of a relic, to remind herself on these cold, lonely days that he was still there, even if she knew it was just an inanimate object with no value other than to keep her clothing dry, it was still part of him. Booth.

She could feel the tears on her cheeks, warm against her skin compared to the raindrops that fell around her, her loose hand moving slowly to her swollen belly as she stared at the stone before her. She wanted to say something to him, anything. She had sometimes even come prepared with the words that she wished to speak to him, but today she was silent. The anniversary of the accident, explosion, the anniversary of the day that her partnership ended, the anniversary of the day that the connection that she had with that one person was ripped from her grasp.

There were no words on this day that she could share with the stone before her, there was nothing that she could do to force the words she wanted to say from her lips. What would be the point now? What would it matter? Who would hear them anyway? There were too many questions that she already knew the answer to, and couldn't bear to hear. Too many answers that she had given that had broken her heart. She swallowed hard and opened her palm, her thumb and forefinger still holding the umbrella as she allowed the shiny chain to dangle from her fingertips.

The medal of the pendant seemed to glimmer in the light, even though the rain poured down around her. She stared at it for a moment, watching the tiny oval medallion twirl on its chain, stopping as the saint that adorned it stared back at her as she whispered the only words she was able to utter. "Goodbye, Booth." She whispered, her voice hoarse and soft. "I'll be back to see you again soon." She whispered, as she closed her eyes tightly and grabbed the pendant from her other hand, she turned and opened her eyes as she walked back down the grassy path toward her waiting car, unable to even attempt to look back at the resting place of her best friend and partner.