Then I was in the garage and starting up the stupid truck before Aaron filled the door.

He didn't look bad, per se, but he sure as hell didn't look good, either.

The burns he'd sustained were located on one side of his body only, meaning he looked bad on only one side.

His left side was completely...fucked up.

There was no other word for it.

It was all raw, rough skin.

Parts of his body were more healed than the others, and even the healed parts didn't look as good as his unmarred skin did.

He came up to my window as I sat in the truck fuming.

"You know he's just going to come get you in the morning, right?" He probed, a slight laugh lilting his voice.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What are you doing out of the hospital?" I asked, changing the subject.

I didn't want to talk about Booth right then.

Possibly not anytime soon, either.

"Got out this afternoon," he explained. "And I couldn't go home."

No, I didn't guess he could.

"How'd you get home?" I asked.

"Cab," he answered, making my lips thin.

"Why didn't you call your parents?" I continued.

He sighed.

"I didn't want to," he snapped.

I held my hands up and reached for the ignition.

Aaron stopped me by placing his hand on my shoulder.

"I've never seen him this happy in the last ten years," he told me softly.

I sighed and looked at my hands that were now clenched tightly together in my lap.

"Your brother scares the shit out of me," I said. "He has the power to break my heart like no one else on this earth."

Aaron ran his hand over my hair, messing it up and making the bun slip slightly to the side.

I smiled and looked up at him, my eyes staying pinned on his gaze.

"I'm glad you're okay, Aaron," I said. "You scared the shit out of me."

He smirked grimly at me.

"Not really sure you would call this okay," he shrugged. "But I'm glad I didn't get dead, either."

I reached my arm out the window and punched him in the good shoulder.

"Go to bed," I said. "I'm going home."

I looked up as the woman, now thankfully dressed, came out of the garage.

She had a fingernail in between her teeth as she stared at the two of us.

I narrowed my eyes and started up the truck.

I didn't care why Booth and the woman broke up.

She had what I didn't, and I couldn't ever like her, even if she was nice like Booth said.

She would forever represent a part of my life that I could never get back. A part where I cried myself to sleep every night. A simple slice of my existence that would've been forever better had he been there with me.

And she was pretty to boot, so no, I didn't fucking like her. And probably never would.

"Peace out, bitch," I said to Aaron and put it into reverse.

The woman flinched and watched with wide eyes as I backed the truck out and closed the garage after me.

I did notice, though, that Aaron smiled at me as I went.

It wasn't enough.

I was still pissed.

So what did I do?

I got piss roaring drunk, that's what.

Pulling into the only gas station that I knew would serve me beer this late in the night, I walked in with a purpose.

The bells jingled as I pulled the door open.

"What are you doing up this early, girl?" The man, my dad's best friend, wondered.

"Hi, Carlos," I beamed. "I'm out of beer."

Carlos' eyes narrowed.

"You don't like beer," he noted, crossing his thick arms over his chest.

Carlos and my dad had been friends since I could remember.

Carlos had a son my sister's age, and they'd always joked that Carlos' Junior and Daniela would get married and have lots of babies.

However, Daniela died. Then Carlos Jr. had died in Afghanistan two years after Daniela, due to a horrible mission gone wrong.

Now they only had me, and they let it be known that they were both my father, even though Carlos was by choice.

"I like beer tonight," I countered, walking to the back to grab a couple of silver bullets.

That was all it would take.

"That Booth's truck you're driving?" Carlos walked to the window and looked out.

"Yeah," I muttered, setting my drinks down on the counter and pulling out my wallet from my back pocket.

It was one of those cute little zipper pouches that was usually made to carry change. Except I used it as a credit card holder since it fit into my pocket really well.

"I didn't know it ran," he looked at me. "It looks pretty good."

It did.

"Why are you drinking?" Carlos pushed. "And your money's no good here, sweetheart."

I sighed and dropped my head, chin to my chest.

"You know, you were like this when you were younger, too," he murmured softly.

I inhaled a huge gulp of air and lifted my head.

"Yeah?" I asked, my eyes filling with tears.

I hastily wiped them away when a firetruck pulled into the parking lot.

"Yep," Carlos said. "All the time. Y'all fight, and the whole damn world has to listen to you do it. Then you make up, and everyone realizes just why y'all are together in the first place."

I laughed humorlessly.

"Yeah," I said softly, slapping down a dollar onto the counter.

"That doesn't even begin to cover the cost of those beers," Carlos said to my retreating back.

I shrugged and said, "I'll bring back what I have left."

He snorted but didn't say anything more as I walked out to the truck, mindful of the eyes I could feel on me from the firetruck.

My eyes, however, stayed on Booth who was leaning against the door of the truck.

I could barely see his face, but I could definitely see his eyebrows rise when they got a look at the two 32 ounce beers that were in both of my hands.

"Bad night?" He probed.

I lifted my lip at him in a silent snarl.

"Move," I ordered.

He didn't, of course.

"Now," I said as firmly as I could.

He laughed.

I sighed and went to turn around to head back inside the door, but he caught me before I could, looping his arm around my waist.

"What's your fucking problem," he questioned, pulling me until I faced him once again.

My mouth dropped open.

"My problem?" I shrieked. "You really need to ask me that?"

His mouth thinned as he clenched his teeth.

"Yes, or I wouldn't have asked," he shot back through gritted teeth.

"Fine," I said, pulling away from him and walking away, putting some distance in between us. "You really want to know?"

He nodded once.

I smiled, and it wasn't a pretty smile either.

"What would you have done if you'd come to my house, unexpectedly, and walked into my house to find a man who used to be my ex-husband naked in my bed?" I asked him.

"I would've understood that you didn't love him, and that she was getting married tomorrow," he growled, raising his voice.

I laughed bitterly.

"Bullshit," I snarled. "Bull-fucking-shit."

He growled at me in frustration.

"She doesn't mean anything to me, Masen. You've been it for me for the last ten fucking years. No one but you have had me since we met," Booth growled.

I crossed my arms over my chest.

"So you're telling me that you haven't fucked one single person since we broke up?" I asked incredulously.