Thank you so much for the reviews and encouragement on the first chapter of this. Enjoy! – Mac

Chapter 2

Jared led the Jeffersonian team – the "squints" as Seeley always called them – into his hotel room. Because for this conversation, he needed complete privacy.

"You're starting to weird me out," Cam said. "And in my line of work, it takes a lot to do that."

Jared smiled as everyone moved to find a spot in the room. Angela leaned against the desk, her husband beside her. Sweets sat in the desk chair. And Cam stood rigid before him crossing her arms over her chest.

"What's going on with my brother?" Jared asked, taking off his coat and laying it on the bed. He sat on the edge of the bed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"What do you mean? Is something wrong?" Cam asked, a concerned look covering her features.

"No, nothing happened. I'm just… I'm concerned," he said, choosing his words carefully.

Sweets spoke up. "If you have concerns about your brother, why don't you talk to him? And why…" Sweets looked around the room at its occupants. "Why wouldn't you want to get Dr. Brennan's perspective? She spends a lot more time with him than we do."

"That's true," Cam said. "If you want to know anything about what he's up to or… or whatever this is… she has been with him all week. They just wrapped up a case."

Jared smiled. "I don't want her to know that I'm here, actually," he said.

"Okay, Jared… just tell us what's going on," Angela chimed in after being almost completely silent since arriving at the hotel. "I'm pregnant. I'm tired. And I'm hungry."

"That's true, you interrupted our dinner," Hodgins said. "What's going on man?"

Jared sighed. "You tell me. I haven't been around much. Granted. And Seeley and I… we've had our issues over the years. God knows I'm the last person on earth he'd open up to about… about anything. Especially this."

"Jared, spill the beans before we throw you out of that window," Cam said. "You're making all of us nervous that something is wrong with Booth and you are beating around the bush. Now, please—"

"Why is he marrying her?"

At that question, a stunned silence filled the room. No one said a thing. Jared threw a hand through his hair and stood up, beginning to pace around.

"I'm not around. I don't see what you guys see. But am I missing something? The last time I was here, he didn't even know this girl. And whenever Tempe was around he looked… I mean… was it just me? I honestly felt tension in the air when she was near him. From her. From him. It felt like electricity in the air. Was that in my head?"

Angela crossed her arms, looking angry. Hodgins leaned back in his chair, looking thoughtful. Cam looked at the ground. Sweets finally looked up.

"It wasn't in your head," he said quietly. "But… Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan… they couldn't make it work."

"They tried?" Jared asked. He stopped pacing and looked at all of them. "They dated and broke up? How did I miss that?"

"No," Sweets said. "They've never dated."

"Because Booth was selfish," Angela said, and Jared could see her protectiveness for Tempe seeping into her every word. "Sorry," she added. "He's your brother. I know."

He waved a hand dismissively. "In case you haven't heard, we aren't exactly best friends. Call him selfish. Call him an asshole for all I care. Tell. Me. What. Happened."

"Why do you care?" Sweets asked.

Jared looked at him. "I'll tell you in a moment. I promise. But right now, I don't have all the facts. And I want to know. What happened?"

Cam sighed. "It's what didn't happen, really. He told her how he felt last year."

"And Bren, she freaked out," Angela added, looking near tears. "And he should've known that he couldn't just demand a change to what they'd been since the beginning all at once. After everything she's been through, he just demanded a change in the game. Falling for someone is easy and exciting for some people. And for others, it's scary as hell. It's still falling. I could've told you that that would've sent her clinging for safety and a security net. Anyone who knows her knows that matters of the heart lead to her putting her guard up. They lead to her protecting herself at all costs. She didn't want to lose him. She wasn't ready for change. And he. Just. Gave. Up."

Jared sighed. He had been right. Seeley had been in love with his partner. He'd felt that one strongly. He wasn't surprised to hear that it was true. But he was surprised to hear that he gave up. "He gave up? On Tempe? But—"

"He was hurt," Sweets said gently, looking at Angela. "To protect himself, and get what he wanted out of his life, he moved on."

"Bullshit. If you love someone the way we all thought he loved her, he wouldn't have forced that moment that way and then 'moved on' because she wasn't ready. If he loved her the way it seemed he did – and now I'm not so sure that he did – he would've… he would have taken her out on a date. Slowly introduced how he felt. He would have kissed her at a romantic moment – a moment that was right for both of them – and not just grabbed her like some horny adolescent and then moved on because she wouldn't 'put out'."

"Well now, I'm not sure—" Sweets started.

"He wouldn't have given up. If she shared her fears, he would've kept showing up. Saying that he'd wait for her forever. Because if it was really her – and he really knew since the beginning that it was her, he would have tried harder. And it wouldn't have been possible to just have a new person to love. So quickly. Just someone to fill that spot. His words to her – they were meaningless. And they messed with her mind. And now we all have to go to this damn wedding. My best friend pretends she's fine. But I can see it all over her face. She feels like she missed her moment. She tried to tell him that she felt the same way but because he moved on in like a day, she was just too late. She has to sit there at his wedding – which I've told her not to go to – and smile and be the friend and think for the rest of her life that just because she wasn't ready at the exact moment he was, that she has to pay the price, like all of that was somehow her fault. She has to sit there with a crushed heart while he gallivants through life with… with someone who is nothing next to her!"

All eyes looked at Angela, shock passing through the room. Jared just nodded. He had a feeling it was something like this. Damn, Seeley. What did you do? What were you thinking?

"Honey—" Hodgins said.

"You dragged me here hungry and tired and pregnant. Sorry. This is what you get."

A knock on the door made him jump, but then he remembered and opened the door, retrieving a pizza from the bellman. He tipped him and walked back into the room. "I wasn't sure how long this would take," he said, as way of explanation as he placed the pizza down on the coffee table. Angela immediately grabbed a slice.

Cam's arms tightened around her own body and she just nodded, looking grim. "That's basically the gist, Jared. Are we good here?"

Jared shook his head. "No. No, we are not good here. Because I just sat with Seeley and Hannah for three hours. And—"

"And what?" Cam asked gently, when he said nothing.

"He's not the same." He looked at all of them. "Do you know what I mean?"

They nodded.

"No. He's not the same." Angela huffed out an angry breath. "He doesn't even look at her anymore. He doesn't notice her."

Sweets looked at her. "Doesn't notice Dr. Brennan?"

"Sweets. Yes. Come on. You must see that."

"They work cases every single week. They just wrapped one up this week. Certainly he notices her."

Angela rolled her eyes. "Professionally, yes, he knows that she exists."

"Honey, I know you're upset on her behalf. She's your best friend. But… don't you think you're being too hard on Booth?" Hodgins said.

Jared laughed. "Sounds like she's going easy on him, to me." They all looked at him, surprised. "I know. Worst little brother ever. We knew that," he said with a small smile. "I love my brother. But I know he can be proud and guarded. I know he can be sensitive. And I know that sometimes when he's hurt, he licks his wounds by pushing people away."

Cam looked at him. "Like he's done with you a time or two?"

Jared shook his head. "I'm not exactly innocent in any matters between my brother and me. But anyway, I'm not here to talk about us. I want to talk about them."

"What is it you think that you can do here, Jared?" Hodgins asked. "Angela's perhaps a bit angry about all of this because she loves Dr. B and she's protective of her – but her words are completely right. He moved on. Quickly. Found someone new. He seems content. He wants to get married. She told him how she felt and he's still on this path with someone else. None of us are exactly happy about this. I mean… we all thought this would turn out differently. We've been here since the beginning with those two. Them not ending up together never even crossed my mind. But… what are we supposed to do about it?"

Jared sat down. "You said he doesn't notice her – except professionally. I saw it tonight too, with Hannah. Something is missing with him. Can you see it? It's a look. In his eyes. Something… something is missing."

"I can see it," Sweets said. "I've been seeing it all year. He's on a new path, but he's changed, too. The man on this path with Hannah is not the same man we've known for all of these years."

"Sometimes I feel like he's in a trance and I want to shake him honestly," Cam admitted, a sheepish look on her face. "He has a plan and he's just… moving along, following that safe way forward."

"He doesn't pay attention to Brennan like he used to," Angela said, calmer now. "He used to notice everything she said. His eyes would look at her in such a… it was like this warmth there. You know? And we could all see it. It's like he would look at her with love shining in his eyes. He'd worry about her. Go out of his way to make her smile or laugh. They'd joke and banter and have fun. All the time. And they'd challenge each other. Share everything. Good, bad and in between. He'd make sure she wasn't working too many hours. He'd take care of her in a way none of us ever could. He was home. He was family. And now… now…"

"Now she's just like another squint," Hodgins offered.

"Except – you know that's not true," Sweets said. He took a deep breath. "She still matters to him – more than anyone in his life. I'd still venture to say that. He just… he hides it now. And I don't think he even knows he's doing it."

Jared smiled, chewing on his pizza. "Okay. So. The man needs to snap out of it. We need to help him snap out of it."

Angela laughed. "And how do we do that?"

Jared considered this. "What are some things that – throughout their history – have led him to really show his feelings for her. I mean, they never dated, but you all seem so sure how he used to feel. Why is that? What things made that clear? Certainly it wasn't just in how they worked their cases together."

"When she dated anyone, in the past, you could see his feelings all over him. He wore them on his sleeve. He'd be jealous and… and kind of an angry jealous guy, to be honest."

"Jealousy, okay. What else?"

Cam nodded. "Any time she's ever been in danger. He… he goes crazy. In those moments, it was beyond obvious what she meant to him."

Hodgins nodded. "Absolutely. He left the hospital to save her life when he could barely walk – back when he trusted that Agent Kenton to protect her. And then he turned out to be the one trying to kill her. And nothing could have kept him from getting out of the hospital and getting to her. I was there. He could barely move. Nothing would have stopped him.

Angela nodded. "Because it was her."

Jared nodded. "Jealousy. Danger. Anything else?"

Sweets nodded. "Her family."

They all looked at Sweets. "She has abandonment issues. Her dad left. Her mom was killed. Her brother gave her to the foster care system. She was in the foster care system for a few years. When her dad is around, if anything comes up to do with her family – with her past, the things she's usually so good at repressing – he protects her and is there and he makes sure that she understands her worth and her value – he makes sure that she understands that she does have a family. That she's loved."

Jared nodded, swallowing. These two… how on earth could his brother think about spending the rest of his life with anyone else? He could feel their love and he barely saw them. Just hearing snippets of what they mean to each other from those who know them best… it was enough to break his heart. Almost.

"Has Tempe dated anyone at all this year, since Booth began seeing Hannah?"

They shook their heads. "No. I think because she… she realized how she felt about him, she hasn't been seeking that out," Angela said. She grabbed another piece of pizza.

"Any particularly dangerous cases for her?"

They shook their heads.

"The cases have been really run-of-the-mill," Cam explained.

Jared smiled and they all looked at him, questions in their eyes.

"What are you thinking?" Hodgins asked.

"You said it's like he's in a trance. So…"

"So…" Hodgins said, his finger encouraging him to finish that thought.

"Let's wake him up. Snap him out of it. Before it's too late."

"What are you thinking?" Cam asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"That if we work together, we might be able to make him remember exactly how he really feels about the woman that's been right by his side, and right under his nose all this time."

"She deserves more than someone who will just love her when she's in danger or when someone else is hitting on her," Angela said, shaking her head.

Jared nodded. "She does," he agreed. "I don't think he's only loved her in those situations. But I do think those situations have served a great purpose in the past when he's tuned into his own feelings all the time. And right now – he's tuning out his feelings; he's quieting that noise in his head; he's pushed her aside; and he's not dealing. His mind needs to force his hand. And like it or not, situations like that do exactly that. They make it so those inconvenient little feelings you don't want to face make you face them."

"And what if he really loves Hannah and this doesn't do anything and we somehow hurt Brennan even more?" Cam asked.

Jared smiled at her. "Do you believe that? That he doesn't love her?"

She shook her head and dropped her arms. "No. No, I don't."

"So. Will you help me?"