STICKS AND BONES
Prologue: Parting Ways Summary: They say an author's true thoughts and feelings are revealed through their writing. Dr. Temperance Brennan is no exception. "Flesh of flesh, Bone of my bone thou art, and from thy state Mine never shall be parted, bliss or woe." - John Milton The thunder clapped loudly outside of her modest apartment, she could hear the glass windows tremor ever so slightly, the rain mercilessly pounding the city. Yet, in spite of this great clamor raging on just outside, it could not compare with the drumming of her racing heart. "Kathy. Kathy!" He yelled once more, reaching out to shake her shoulders and jolt her back to reality. She blinked. Once. Twice. "Are you even listening to me?" He yelled, fury evident in his eyes but not nearly as obvious as the pain he was attempting to conceal. She nodded quickly. "Yes" she whispered, her voice hoarse and foreign to even her. He sighed deeply and took a step away, releasing her from his grip. She looked up at him, meeting his eyes as he continued to walk backwards until his back came in contact with the wall. He sighed once more, running his long fingers through his messy brown hair. It wasn't meant to happen like this he thought to himself. He, Andy Lister, was meant to be happy. Happy and in love. She was meant to love him back. But she didn't. "I can't do this anymore," he told her, keeping his voice firm and eyes down, not allowing himself to reveal his inner turmoil. He looked up after a moment of agonizing silence not quite sure what to expect. She was always a mystery to him, a constant surprise; it was one of the things he loved about her. That unpredictable nature of hers. She could go from blazing hot one moment to icy cold the next, before becoming temperate once more. She didn't say anything, for once she was left speechless and could do nothing but stare. He took in her unwavering stance, her cold lifeless blue eyes, and tightly lipped mouth before reaching his conclusion. He had all of the facts in; it was obvious and painfully clear to him now. She didn't care about him. He was nothing to her. All those years ago he had promised her one thing, one thing only. That he would never leave her. That he would never abandon her like so many others before him had. He was there for the long haul, no matter what. Now five years later as he stood before her in the small hallway of her apartment he was breaking that promise. Not because he was afraid to love her or that he saw her as damaged goods. No, it was because she was afraid to love him and he didn't know how much longer he could take being around her every day. Loving her silently while she could make or break his day with a mere smile and no form of promise. That was no way to live. Without another word he pressed his back off of the wall and walked towards her, not stopping until their bodies were mere inches apart. His mind wandered back to a time, when they first started their love affair, when they could be this close without it being nothing but promises. Promises of a good time, of happiness, of the warmth of the other. Now it was the opposite, this was the end of all promises made to one another, this would be the last time he would stand this close to her for a long time. Her eyes had locked themselves to the ground beneath them, as she absentmindedly counted the scratches on the oak wood floor. He reached out tantalizingly slowly, taking the time to enjoy this final moment between the two of them. His fingers met the bottom of her chin and slowly titled it so that her eyes met his and she was angled up towards him. Her breath caught in her throat as her pale blue eyes met his usually warm brown eyes. His eyes were dark now, almost black, and seemingly soulless. His hand cupped her face as his thumb glided smoothly over her skin to trace her slightly parted full lips. He watched her carefully now, watched her eyes as they remained on him, watched her body as she shook ever so slightly beneath his gentle touch, and watched as her right hand went out to grasp the bottom corner of his black suit jacket. Once his thumb had thoroughly traced her lips, forever engraving them into his memory, he lowered his head. His face moving closer to hers with each passing second. His warm breath on her lips causing her eyes to flutter shut without a conscious thought. Softly he pressed his lips against her in a feather light kiss. She parted her lips almost instinctively, giving him silent permission to taste her. For a moment he was tempted, tempted to give into her sweet taste as he had done countless times before. But he refused, knowing if he did so he would lose himself once more and after a moment he pulled back and looked at her. Her eyes remained tightly shut, her lips parted, and her breathing heavy. She looked beautiful and for a moment he couldn't tear his eyes off of her. That moment however quickly passed as the pain in his heart reminded him once more of why they were here, why they were in this position in the first place, why he would be leaving and why he could not kiss her again. She couldn't move, she struggled to catch her breath, her entire body reacting to his simple caress as it had done a thousand times before. Every time, without fail, he would leave her breathless and wanting more, more of him, her partner in more ways than one. The sound of footsteps followed by a door closing broke through her revere. Her eyelids snapped open as her eyes desperately sought him out. But it was too late he was nowhere to be seen. He had left her. Her back found the wall behind her easily, her body sliding down it until she reached the cold hard floor beneath her. Only now, did she begin to let herself cry. For only now did it register that not only had her partner and best friend just abandoned her. The man she loved was gone with him.
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