She had always said she was very good at compartmentalizing and now was the time to prove that, she thought as she sat at her desk reviewing her notes on the Doctor case. She had just confessed to Booth that she had missed the moment, and (of course) been told that he had moved on – just as he told her he had to.

Temperance quickly and accurately completed the after-case paperwork that normally she and Booth would do together. After what had happened he would probably not feel comfortable spending the long hours with her alone as they had in the past. Also, she rationalized, it would help her to "move on" and allow him the space he needed to continue his relationship with Hannah.

Glancing at the clock, Temperance finished signing the paperwork and placed it into an envelope. She had called the courier (fortunately a 24 hour service) to meet her at the front doors in 10 minutes so that the paperwork would be on Booth's desk for him at the FBI when he came in. After meeting the courier she planned to nap on the couch in her office for a few hours before starting a new work day.

A few hours later, Temperance opened her eyes to discover Booth sitting in the chair across from her, watching her sleep with an odd expression on his face. In his hands was the courier envelope containing her part of the after-case paperwork.

"Bones."

She winced at the sound of her nickname, "Yes, Agent Booth?"

His brown eyes flashed at being addressed so formally by her. "What the hell is the meaning of this?" He waved the courier envelope in her face.

"Well, I have to try to move on, don't I? After much consideration last night, I came to the conclusion that normal partners wouldn't spend all of their time together, especially when one partner is in a committed relationship. I thought you would appreciate my effort to get through the paperwork without you, without taking time away from you and Hannah." Temperance remembered, fondly, late night dinners in her office, his office, the diner, where hours would be spent rehashing the case as they worked their way through the final paperwork.

In a very controlled voice, Booth replied "'Normal' partners? We have never been normal partners. Even though I am with Hannah now, she understands that my job is not the normal 8 – 5, and expects that there will be times that I work late, even alone with you. She trusts me."

Blue eyes shining with tears, Temperance watched Booth and tried to process the tone of voice, look on his face, and words he just expressed. "Agent Booth, I am trying to move on, as discussed last night. In order to do so I am compartmentalizing my emotions and trying to separate "us" from "work". When you were moving on, you were able to remove yourself from the situation by going overseas. At this time I am unable to do that, so I am doing what I think is best."

"I see, Dr. Brennan," Booth sneered as he stalked out of her office, missing the hurt look on her face by his formal address – she hadn't realized how much it was going to hurt.

2 weeks later

For the past few weeks, Temperance had done very well at compartmentalizing – separating her painful personal issues from work. However, that could be due to the fact that there were no active cases with the FBI and she had talked to "Agent" Booth only twice over the phone to very briefly discuss points in the Doctor case that needed clarification. The calls lasted no more than 10 minutes each, and there was no talk outside the case. Booth had not been to the Jeffersonian once. Temperance knew that he had become friendly with the rest his Jeffersonian team, and resolved to let him know that it was okay if he wanted to come visit them. He shouldn't lose all of his friends just because the dynamics between them had changed.

Temperance had kept herself, and the rest of the team, busy the past few weeks with the bones in "Limbo". They had worked through them at an amazing pace, mostly due to the long hours Temperance had put in – working nights and weekends. In a rare moment of rest, she sat at her desk and idly gazed about her office. Something just didn't seem right without her little Brainy Smurf character and Jasper the pig sitting on the shelf. She had classified them as part of her personal life, and thereby banished them to a box high on a shelf in her bedroom closet. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, allowing herself a few minutes to remember when he gave them to her.

Booth stood in the doorway to her office, concern showing in his eyes and face. She looked so small and frail sitting there with dark circles under her closed eyes. Had she slept at all in the past 2 weeks? Had anyone in this damned place made sure she remembered to eat? She looked like a war victim, and it tore at his heart that he caused this. The last two weeks had been the hardest of his life, wanting to call her, stop by unexpectedly for lunch at the diner, generally just missing his friend. However, he was trying to respect her wishes and allow her the time and space she needed to move on (no matter how much that thought hurt him).

His dark eyes scanned the room quickly as he prepared to leave the office before she noticed him. He intended to have a little talk with CAM about Bones' work habits of late, and how they could get her to take better care of herself. Suddenly he froze, staring in stunned silence at the empty space on her shelves where Brainy and Jasper used to watch over her as she worked at her desk. Carefully he searched the rest of the room with his eyes… yes; every trace of him in this room had been removed. Had he hurt her so bad that she couldn't even stand the smallest reminder of him? When he told her there was a new case, was she going to refuse to work with him? Could they change the arrangement, even if she wanted to? He was, after all, the official FBI liaison to the Jeffersonian as determined by his superiors. She was the official Jeffersonian liaison to the FBI (well her & her team) as determined by her superiors.

He abruptly turned to find Cam, suddenly needing space between him and the office where he had spent so much of his time for the past few years.

"You know how stubborn Dr. Brennan is, Booth. Once she has determined a course of action nobody here at the Jeffersonian has ever been able to persuade her to change course." Cam stated the facts plainly as he tried not to explode. "As far as I am aware, YOU are the only one who has ever persuaded her to leave the lab when she didn't want to." Booth stared at her blankly… did she not have any control over her employees? He opened his mouth to say so, but Cam interrupted him "I know what you're thinking, and even though in title I am her boss; we all know that Dr. Brennan runs this lab." Booth sighed in defeat, he knew that. He remembered what happened after Bones accepted the Maluku position, and all of the valuable members of her team left at the same time, only to return when she did.

Dejectedly, he trudged back toward Bones' office, only to be stopped by Hodgins and Angela. "Booth, man, long time" Hodgins clapped him on the shoulder.

"What's up Booth, you look like you lost your puppy." Angela was upset at the defeated look in his eyes and slumped shoulders.

"More like my best friend" Booth muttered as he tried to get away. Angela grabbed his arm and dragged him to her office. "Okay spill it, what's going on? Bren is Ms. Workaholic lately and you haven't been around to see your friends in 2 weeks." Booth looked at her with utter shock on his face. He figured Angela, out of anyone, would know what was going on. "Didn't Bones talk to you a few weeks ago? The night we closed the Doctor case…"

"Just that she was relieved the case was over," Angela replied with concern in her voice "what happened?"

After a few minutes of silence, debating whether he should involve Bones' best friend if Bones herself hadn't said anything, he decided that Angela was his friend too, damn it, and he needed to talk to someone… Hesitantly, he looked up from the carpet to meet her eyes, "she told me she was ready, and I had to turn her away."

"Booth," annoyance evident in her voice "What were you thinking? No wonder she has spent the past few weeks building up her walls again."

"I love Hannah, Ange. It's nowhere near the love I feel, er felt, for Bones, but it's real and I have to try to make it work." Angela watched his face carefully as he stated that, realizing that all was not lost yet… he still loved Brennan. "Anyway, we have a case, so I better get Bones and get started," he backed out of the room.

Back at her office, Temperance sighed deeply and stood up just as Booth appeared in her doorway. "Agent Booth," she greeted him as she pointedly looked anywhere but at him.

"Hey, Bones…" he started, with a cocky grin on his face… "err, Hello Dr. Brennan. We have a new case, and we need to get started right away." He finished the statement in a more somber tone.

"Okay, you can fill me in on the way to the scene." She agreed in just as somber a tone. She took off her lab coat, and grabbed her jacket. Suddenly he was right next to her, his dark brown eyes staring deeply into her startled blue eyes. "Agent Booth?" she questioned.

"Bones, when is the last time you ate? You look like you've lost 15 pounds in the past 2 weeks." Concern was evident in his voice as he tried to pull her close into a hug.

She sighed as she felt his arms come around her, but before she could let herself accept the comfort from her friend her brain reminded her of why she needed comfort in the first place, and she abruptly pulled away. "I'm fine Agent Booth; please tell me about the case."

Clenching his fists, he growled "alright, have it your way. All business, but we will complete the after case paperwork together! Come on, let's go. I'll tell you in the car."

In the car, Temperance read the case file Booth had brought as he drove to the site. She didn't even argue about who was going to drive.

"Wait, why were we brought in on this one? It looks like a straight forward suicide according to these notes… depressed victim, no witnesses, victim's empty prescription bottles next to the body."

"The victim is 13 years old; the Bureau just wants to make sure there was no foul play."

Temperance turned the page to see a photo of a healthy, seemingly happy 11 year old smiling up at her. Next to it was a photo of the same girl, about a month ago – sullen, glaring at the camera. She continued to read the case history. Three years ago the mother remarried; the girl apparently adored her new step-father. About a year ago the girl started acting differently. She stopped hanging out with friends, spent all of her time shut away in her room reading or drawing. She didn't laugh or smile, started wearing dark, unnoticeable clothing. Her mother had tried everything to bring back the smiling girl she once knew… shopping trips, special vacations, more one on one time, but nothing worked. Finally, about 4 months ago, her mother and step-father sought psychiatric help for the girl. It seemed for a while, that things were improving. Then last night, the mother came home to find the girl dead, her anti-depressant, anti-anxiety, and sleeping pill prescription bottles laying open and empty next an empty glass of juice.

"So, the mother is convinced that the psychiatrist was helping, and her daughter was no longer suicidal? You know I'm no good with psychiatry Agent Booth, you should have brought Sweets along," she observed as she read.

Booth glanced at her, startled that even though she addressed him formally, the young psychiatrist was still "Sweets" to her. He reflected that it might be a good sign…she was cutting herself off from him only, not to their friends as well.

He wondered how she would react if she knew that he had intentionally picked her up first, wanting to spend a few minutes alone with her for the first time in two weeks.

"Also, this file indicates that this was recent, she was alive yesterday morning. Surely she hasn't deteriorated to bone yet? Cam should be here, not me," Brennan continued, not noticing the pain on Booth's face at that statement.

"YOU are the liaison to the FBI, not CAM," he stated in an even tone.

"I accept that logic, Agent Booth, and concur that it should be me, not Cam," she glanced up at him to find them parked in front of the Hoover building. He was looking at her with a grin on his face. "What are we doing here?"

You suggested we bring Sweets along, it just so happens that I agree with that suggestion and have already asked him to meet us. We're a few minutes early though, so do you have any more questions about the case while we wait, Dr. Brennan?"

Later, in the lab, Temperance was carefully inspecting the body of 13 year old Savannah Wheaton while Jack went through the particulates on the clothing, pill bottles that were found at the scene, and drinking glass (with remnants of what appeared to be apple cider) when she heard a familiar voice near the door… Booth was back from talking to the parents. Her eyes momentarily shone with pride as she watched him swipe his badge and stride up the stairs before returning her attention to the body in front of her. Booth noticed that look, astonished that she was looking at him with something other than hatred, or fear. He made a mental note to ask her about it later… if he could get her to talk about anything besides the case.

"Oh!" a startled Brennan looked up from the images she was reviewing on a computer screen. "That can't be right" she mumbled as she started hitting keys and enlarging the image. Suddenly she was aware that Booth was right behind her, his hands protectively on her shoulders, peering at the screen, trying to determine what it was that startled her. Usually nothing in these examinations surprises her. Glancing at her face, he was startled to see the mix of emotions – her blue eyes were bright and shiny, like they held tears, she looked… lost even as she subconsciously leaned back toward her partner, grateful for his comfort and support. A split second later she regained her composure, "Agent Booth, would you please find Cam and tell her I request her presence."

He spun her chair around so she was facing him and held her in place with his hands again on her shoulders. Firmly he said "No, I will not until you tell me what happened, Bones!"

"Don't call me that," she mumbled quietly to herself as she fought to keep her composure. Struggling against him to stand she stated in a stronger voice "my reaction has nothing to do with the facts of this case, and they should not deter me from completing the examination. In order to do so I require Cam's presence. Are you going to get her, or should I?"

"Don't call me that" he thought, stunned. Were they really back to that? Was this partnership, this friendship, truly over? He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward her office without saying a word. Once there he shut the door and locked it. "We need to talk" he stated plainly.

"If this is about the case we could have talked out there, and I'm not sure I want to talk about anything else at this time." She replied in an even tone.

"I need to talk about something else at this time. I know you're trying to move on, but, Bones – and yes I will continue to call you Bones because that's who you are to me, don't take it too far. We can continue to be partners, we can continue to be friends… just like after you told me no. Don't get 'moving on' confused with 'shutting down'. Why did you take down Jasper & Brainy? Those were tokens of friendship, a friendship I don't want to lose. Why do you call me "Agent Booth" now, instead of just Booth? Why won't you look at me when I'm looking at you, but when I'm not you look at me with such… pride that you could burst?" Exasperated, the words rushed out before he could stop them as he watched her carefully for any reaction.

"I don't know what you're talking about; a person cannot actually burst because of how they look at someone. I am just trying to compartmentalize my feelings, keep personal separate from private; and provide you with some sort of working partnership where you won't feel so responsible to protect me."

"Bones, you know that before you, I didn't do partnerships. Do you want to know why? Because the few I had been forced into since joining the FBI were exactly like you just described them… all professional, they didn't care for me, I didn't care for them, and we didn't work well together. I didn't even want to partner with you at first, because I thought it would turn out the same way. But, it didn't take me long to realize that I loved having a partner, having you as a partner, because we got along so well, because we allowed some of our personal selves into the partnership. I know, up until a few weeks ago, you'd have died to protect me…"

"I still would" she muttered quietly under her breath, weakly sinking onto the couch as she processed what he was telling her.

He heard, but continued, "You know that even now I would die to protect you. You are my partner, the only partner I've accepted since the Army, the only partner I ever want to work with." A little embarrassed by his outburst, Booth nervously watched for her reaction as he sat on a chair facing Brennan on the couch. How is she going to react to this… did I just drive her further away when I meant to bring her closer?

She was quiet for a long time as she stared into his brown eyes, processing what she had just heard. "I work well with Angela because she's my best friend, and there is a lot of personal in our working relationship. I work well with Hodgins not only because of his intelligence, but also because of his relationship to Angela, and the fact that we were both trapped by the Gravedigger..." she was speaking so softly that he strained to hear, even though he could tell that she was not speaking to him, she was working through the assault of words he had just placed on her, and was trying to make sense of them.

Just then, Booth's phone rang. He looked at it and groaned inwardly, he loved the woman but she surely had a bad sense of timing, "Booth… hi sweetheart, I'm kind of in the middle of something, can I call you back later?... Thanks, love you, bye." And he carefully turned the phone off and put it on the coffee table between them. No more interruptions until this was hashed out.

Clearing her throat, Temperance began to explain to him, "Until my partnership with you, and the formation of this team, I worked alone. I worked with Hodgins & Zach when I met you, but I had nobody at work I considered friends. I compartmentalized very well back then. After our conversation 2 weeks ago I realized that in order to move on I needed that type of environment back, at least between you and me, at least for a while as I adjusted. I am sorry if it hurts you, but I need time… time to get over what I feel for you so that I can get back to our friendship. I sincerely hope that our friendship survives until I get to that point. Calling you "Agent Booth" is one way I separate you my friend, from you the FBI agent I work with. I don't know how you know how I look at you when you're not looking at me…"

"You're not a subtle as you think, Bones, I saw you as I was coming up the steps to the lab tonight. That look on your face… I thought we were back to normal." Booth sighed as he explained, rubbing his head. At least she's not shutting down… she's trying to work through it. The partnership, the friendship, may survive after all.

"Booth," her face and voice softening as she said his name, "I am always proud of you, of who you are, what you did in the Army for your country, what you do in the FBI, your ability to overcome your gambling addiction, your connection with your son, and even your relationship with Hannah. You are a strong individual who meets every challenge that comes his way and overcomes."

"I am not as good as all that," Booth protested. "There are Field Agents at the DC branch who are better than me… maybe." He said with a crooked grin meant to make her smile.

She frowned. "You don't get it Booth, you are the best, even if you don't see it. Why else would they partner you with the world's foremost Forensic Anthropologist? Anyway, the point is, even as I'm trying to separate work and personal, I am proud of you – your work accomplishments as well as your personal. I just don't think my feelings, being proud, are work related at this time. Can we please get back to work? I don't want the remains to become compromised by sitting there too long. There's important information I think we could retrieve from the soft tissue… if I can get Cam in there to verify my findings it may prove not to be a suicide."

He was up in a flash, crossed the room and offered her his hand as she was rising from the couch. Pointedly, she got up without his help and said, "I'm sorry, but I'm just not ready. I will help you on the case, but please respect my need for space." She hurried out of the room in search of Cam.

He rubbed his forehead again in exasperation; it was going to be a long case. He dialed Hannah's number, anxious to see what she had wanted earlier.

"Do you see what I mean? Is it possible there's a mistake in the imagery?" Brennan asked Cam anxiously.

"No, you're right as always, Dr. Brennan. This girl has signs of sexual abuse." Cam replied, a little angry thinking about what Savannah had been put through.

"What!" Booth raged, "Somebody did what to this little girl? You didn't tell me that's what you suspected when you said we needed Cam!" Booth turned Temperance to face him.

"My specialty is bones, Booth. I wanted to verify before I told you because I knew you would react like this."

Booth instead of Agent Booth, Cam thought to herself, now there's a small sign of improvement. Cam certainly hoped the partnership survived because they truly were the best team out there.

Booth softened his grip on her, partially because she didn't say "Agent Booth" and partially because he knew she was right. He pulled her close for a quick hug and said quietly, "You're right, I should know better than to question your judgment."

She stayed in his arms for a few seconds, but made no move to return the hug before pulling away. "We need samples… see if there's any trace for a DNA test, find out how long ago, and how often if possible."

"Booth? Did her parents say how she took her pills? Did she swallow them whole with a drink, or did she dissolve them into fluid before drinking?" Brennan obviously had an idea of how the girl died, and Booth thought he knew what it was.

"You think whoever raped her, then killed her by dissolving the pills into the juice and added the pill bottles later to make it look like she took them willingly." Brennan smiled wanly at Booth… it was good having a partner who understood how she thought sometimes.

"That is a theory of mine. I will have Hodgins run tests on the juice, see if the pills were dissolved into it before she drank it. You find out from the parents."

Savannah had always taken her pills whole. The juice was almost more crushed prescriptions pills than juice. Not only was there enough semen to run DNA, but the girl was also pregnant; which was probably motive for the murder.

The DNA was in the system… it led directly to the step father. Brennan watched from the observation room as Booth questioned him, provided the evidence, and extricated a complete confession. He chose a woman with a girl just a little younger than he preferred. He married the woman and got the girl to trust him. Then when she turned 12 or 13 he started using her.

Brennan felt so sad for little Savannah, but she could not be prouder of Booth as she watched him silently through the glass. Every once in a while he would look up and their eyes would meet. Though Booth didn't know she would meet his gaze every time he looked up, he did know she was back there watching… he hoped he was making her proud of him.

It was once again time for the after- case paperwork. As promised, she waited for him before completing her share. It didn't go well. They were short with each other and argued over the smallest details. When they were done, he stepped out of her office to get them a drink and to call Hannah and let her know when he would be home. Hannah reassured him that she was fine, just finishing up a big story herself, and would be there probably around the same time as him, if not later. Smiling as he carried the drinks back to Bones' office, he didn't notice right away that she was distracted by a letter in her hand. It had come earlier that day, but she hadn't had time to read it until then.

She looked up at him, her blue eyes watching as he walked into the room and sat next to her on the couch. He handed her the coffee, and then noticed the letter. He thought he recognized the letterhead. "What's that," he scowled as he took a drink.

"It's from the committee that headed the Maluku project," she responded candidly and honestly. "As you know I was supposed to be there a year, but didn't quite make my goal. They've found something they need authenticating, and they're requesting my presence down there for a few weeks, maybe a few months."

"What about our partnership?" suddenly he had trouble breathing, much less swallowing, and he put the coffee cup down.

"Booth, we proved not 30 minutes ago that our partnership is not back where either of us wants it to be. How often did we fight over paperwork in the past? I haven't decided one way or another yet, but I do need to consider this. In order to consider it I need to discuss it with you, my partner… and you, my friend. I want you to think about something though… shortly after you told me you were moving on we separated – you to Afghanistan, me to Maluku. This gave you the space you needed to move on and to find someone new. Don't you think I deserve that same opportunity?"

"To quote a certain brilliant Forensic Anthropologist I know, 'I cannot argue that logic'; but that doesn't mean I have to like it," Booth scowled darkly as he carefully watched her. "Have you discussed this with Cam?"

"Not yet, you are my partner… I wanted you to know of the possibility first. And Booth, I want to go…"

Silently, he scooted over so that he was closer to her. "I know you're trying to separate the personal from the professional, but me… your friend, needs a hug while me… your partner processes the fact that you're leaving me… again."

"We both left each other last time," she said quietly as she moved closer to allow him to hug her. This time, she even hugged back. "Is it going to be okay?"

"No, but I will let you go," even as he held her closer. "You need the same opportunity to deal with your emotions as I had… Will you look for someone else to love while you're away" please say NO! his heart screamed while he held his breath waiting for her answer.

"No, but I won't push it away if a chance comes up… just like you let Hannah in," she stated as she gently pulled away. "I'm going to tell Cam that if she can't do fieldwork with you then the interns can when you need it… at least you're familiar with most of them."

"You're gone, baby," he said with a grin on his face, as he hugged her good bye. Booth and Hannah drove Temperance to the airport and Booth had warned Hannah that he was going to say that… and not to get jealous as it was something of a reminder of their 1st case when he came busting into the lab saying "you're back, baby!" Hannah understood there was a lot between Seeley and Temperance that she didn't know, didn't understand, and frankly didn't want to. Seeley was hers after all.

"Tell Parker that I'll miss him, and you two better email me often!" Bones stated as she hugged them one last time and went to board the plane for a 2 month excursion in the Maluku islands.

He worked on cases in DC with the interns.

She was in on the biggest anthropological find ever. What they found would change everything, and give her even more prestige. She was very excited.

He loved Hannah more than he thought possible. He didn't even think about marriage to her though. Deep inside he knew that while Hannah wasn't a consolation prize, she certainly wasn't 1st prize… she wasn't the standard. But he accepted that.

She had emailed Sully regularly, so he knew where she was. She was still surprised when he sailed into port to visit her. He was there often.

Booth and Bones emailed at least 3 times a week… he was happy the dig was going so well, and jealous of the time Sully was spending with her. They both missed each other, but the time apart seemed to be healing their friendship. The emails became more friendly, more trusting. Both believed that once she returned, their partnership and friendship would remain intact, perhaps even stronger than before. Booth thought this might be because they could be completely honest with each other without having to see the reaction in the other one's eyes. He didn't have to see Bones hurt when he talked about Hannah; she didn't have to see the fear in his eyes (that she wouldn't return) as she talked about her triumphs at the dig.

Bones also regularly communicated with Parker, as well her team at the Jeffersonian.

3 weeks after she left

One afternoon Booth went out to the site of the murders, again. He must have been there 10 times in the past 2 weeks. He didn't know what he was looking for, but he knew there had to be something. He needed to bring peace to those children who died.

He stopped wandering aimlessly and sat down, thinking back to a funeral where he told Bones that he wanted to stop as many murderers as people he had killed in the Army. And she had agreed to help him. Now she was gone… had been away for 3 weeks. She was talking about extending her stay because, even though there was nothing there for her anthropologically, Sully's boat frequented the area she was staying at. She was looking at a replacement for him in her heart. She didn't come out and say that, but she didn't have to. His heart clenched every time he read that she had went for a day trip with Sully on his boat.

Angry because she wasn't there to help him, because she was trying to replace him, he suddenly whirled around and hit a wall… hard. "Shit, shit, shit," he thought. "Here I am, at the site of a mass murder, alone, and I come across a hidden room." Unable to wait until backup arrived; he carefully entered the hidden room. Inside was all of the evidence he needed… He knew murders liked to keep souvenirs, but this room was amazing, he photographed it with his cell phone as he entered, making notes of what he wanted the team to collect, but being careful not to touch anything. Finally, he heard the sirens and went out to meet the team and direct them.

"What do you mean suspended?" Booth raged at his supervisor. "How can I be a suspect in this case? I knew none of the victims, had no knowledge of the area, and you know me. Some of those kids were Parker's age… can you see me killing my own son or his friends?"

"You were on an official crime scene, ALONE, and just happened to find a room with all of the evidence necessary to convict on what was otherwise on its way to being a cold case. I'm not saying you killed those kids. I'm saying we have to verify the authenticity of the evidence in that room to ensure you didn't tamper with, or plant it."

Booth very deliberately removed the poker chip from his pocket and played it between his fingers, trying to calm down. "So, now what happens?"

"We call in the forensics unit to investigate. Of course, we have your fingerprints and DNA on file, so if you touched anything in there it will look very bad. I need a complete report – what you were doing there, how you found the room, what you saw, what you touched. We need complete access to your phone, office, automobile, and home to check for clues that you tampered with or planted evidence. You cannot work, you cannot visit the Jeffersonian, and you cannot leave DC until I say so."

Defeated, Booth turned in his badge, gun, keys, and phone. "Am I free to leave?" Twenty minutes later Booth called Sweets from his office, asking for a ride home.

When Sweets appeared in the doorway, Booth was on the phone with Hannah, warning her that the FBI forensics team could show up at any time to search the house.

"What are you talking about Seeley," Hannah asked impatiently, "I'm trying to pack for the conference in Afghanistan I told you I had to cover."

"I don't know if you'll be allowed to leave DC right now. I'm under investigation." He proceeded to tell her most of the story… not why he had hit the wall in the first place.

"You planted evidence? You're going to ruin my career if I can't go to that conference." Hannah seemed more worried about her career than about what was going to happen to him.

They argued. He sought out his supervisor to see if she was allowed to leave. They said yes, as long as she left contact information. They argued some more. He wanted her to stay to help him through this. Bones wouldn't have left me at a time like this even if they had found a whole new type of human Booth thought glumly to himself as he watched Hannah pack.

Hannah packed every single belonging she had in Seeley's house. As she left she said, coldly, "You are not the man I thought you were. My Seeley would never plant evidence, much less be accused of it. I am sorry for your problems Seeley, but I cannot allow you to destroy my career with your mistakes. I won't be back." She walked out without a word, leaving him destroyed.

Word traveled like wildfire from Sweets to Daisy to the interns to the rest of the Jeffersonian Team. Booth was very adamant with them – not a word to Bones until it was all over. He didn't want her to worry.

Nobody mentioned that Hannah had left him, because nobody knew. He let them believe she was out on assignment and was coming back. After the Jeffersonian team found out about Hannah's abandonment Cam wondered if Hannah had really loved Booth, or if she had just used him for his security clearance and the high-level cases Booth usually worked – looking for that next big story. Booth & Bones were a high-profile team, known in several countries. Hannah could have recognized him & moved in on him to further her career. Cam wasn't the only one in the "Brain Trust" who had that thought.

Temperance was out on the boat with Sully when received a heartbreaking email from Parker "My dad won't play with me anymore. He keeps saying he's in trouble at work and cannot come see me. He cries when he's on the phone with me. He said I can't stay at his house on the weekends for a while. Please help my dad, Bones."

She had been contemplating her relationship with Sully, wondering if she should take it further. She considered Parker's email a sign from the universe and was on the next plane out of there… without even explaining to Sully.

3.5 weeks after she left

"But I've been in the Maluku islands for the 3.5 weeks. You can check my emails, my files, anything. Booth didn't discuss the case with me. He doesn't even know I am back. I won't tell him I'm back until the investigation is over, you can keep me under lock and key if you want. I just need to help prove him innocent. I know he wouldn't do this." She implored to the Lead on the investigation.

"Well, you are the best, and if he weren't your partner you already would have been asked to aid the investigation. If your files check out clean, you're in. But, you have to stay under 24 hour surveillance. And no phone or personal computer."

She agreed. Booth would probably be hurt when she quit returning emails… probably would think the worst of her. But she had to help, she just had to.

Inside the hidden room, which was under constant guard and had not been moved yet, Bones carefully walked thru, touching nothing, video taping everything. Apparently there had been several guilty parties she observed. She wondered how they managed to work together, each knowing about this hidden room, the evidence here, and none of them turning on each other. She cataloged everything. FBI fingerprinted everything. Finally it was time to move stuff out. On her final inspection of the room, she noticed a weird crack in the wall and asked an FBI agent to come check it out with her. They found a closet, sealed off to look like a wall. There they discovered motion-activated cameras, video evidence, and tons of DVDs. The assailants kept constant tabs on this room, or had before they were jailed under suspicion. Nobody got in or out without being on tape. She spent hours watching the tapes; she saw the room being constructed, being filled with memorabilia from each kill, the assailants arguing, drinking together, sharing stories of their recent kills. SHE had found the proof they needed.

The Lead in the investigation validated the evidence, wrung a confession out of one of the assailants that Booth had never known them, never been in that room before falling through the wall. The assailant gave them enough detail that they knew he had created the camera room.

2.5 weeks later

Booth walked into his hearing, dejected, tired, and alone. He hadn't heard back from Bones in over 2 weeks. She was supposed to be home soon, but there was no word from her to anybody. His imagination ran the gamut of possibilities several times a day: she was in love with Sully and had forgotten him, she was hurt, she was sick, her empirical mind had finally had enough and she had disappeared to start over somewhere. He couldn't even go check it out because he was restricted to DC.

True to her word Hannah finished her assignment and returned to DC to finalize a few details, never once visiting him or the Jeffersonian, and disappeared off to the next big story. His son was angry with him. Nobody would give him a clue as to how the investigation was going.

He walked into the room and the first words he heard were "I'm back, baby." His heart leapt into his throat as he watched Bones walking toward him. She quickly hugged him and tried to assure him everything would be okay, but the Lead Investigator grabbed her hand and pulled her away. Booth darkly wondered if there was something going on between them.

The hearing went as expected… for Bones. And as a complete shock… to Booth. He had expected it to drag on for days, and conclude vaguely that they were not able to confirm or deny his involvement in the evidence, so it would be thrown out. He didn't know what that would do to his career. Booth sat stunned, watching her every move as he learned what she had done, where she had been, for the past two weeks. This amazing woman risked her career to save his, even while thinking he was still happily with Hannah.

The results, found by both Bones and the FBI, took about 4 hours to present. After Booth was cleared of all charges and Bones was allowed to hand him back his gun and badge, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a quiet room.

"You did this for me," he wondered quietly.

"You and Hannah… you didn't need this hanging over your head as you try to build a life with her. You're my partner; you'd do the same for me." She stated quietly looking at her hands.

"Hannah moved on," he stated glumly, his eyes shining as he watched for her reaction. She wasn't sure if they shone because of tears or because she was there.

Stunned, Bones became angry. So angry she wanted to hit something. How could Hannah leave him when he needed her most? If she ever found that woman… Suddenly Booth's arms were around her, hugging her close, trying to calm her down.

She looked at him and sighed as she laid her head against his chest. They held each other close for a long time.