Isabelle watched intensely as Sweets attempted to open his eyes, the lids fluttering as he tried to open them. She could see the fatigue on his face already from the effort. Walkin was leaning over him, talking to Sweets. Isabelle knew he was doing his job but the struggle was real.

"Doctor Walkin, may I advise-"
"No, Miss Montgomery. Dr Sweets.. There you go. Can you squeeze my hand for me?" Sweets squeezed Isabelle's hand and Walkin chuckled. "Your other hand doctor... Excellent, excellent. Now can you wriggle your toes?" Sweets did as he was asked and sighed, moving his mouth in order to talk but no words came out.

"Lemme get you some water." Isabelle let go of his hand and grabbed a cup of water beside the bed and bent the straw down. "I'm going to need some help in sitting him up please." Isabelle positioned herself over his head, grabbing the bottom sliding sheet in order to pull him up. One of the other doctors came around Walkin and prepared to help, the two of them waiting for Walkins okay to pull.

Isabelle looked down at Sweets, who was looking up at her with glazed eyes. She smiled down at him.

"I'll getcha something to drink real soon, doc. Don't worry." She patted his arm and she saw him smile a little bit. Walkin nodded his consent for Sweets to be sat up and on Isabelle's count, they pulled him up the bed and she pressed the button that lifted the head of the bed. Once at a good height, Isabelle grabbed the cup of water and helped Sweets have a drink.

"There you go."
"T-Thank... You..." He rasped, his mouth still quite dry. With a little more encouraging, Isabelle got him to drink some more.

"Doctor Sweets, my name is Isabelle. I'm one of the nurses who has been taking care of you since you were admitted here. There are a lot of people who will be very happy to hear that you're awake." She smiled and Sweets gave a weak smile.

"Hannah? Booth?"
"Everyone."
"Oh goody." Hannah chuckled and have him a light squeeze.

"Miss Montgomery, you may return home now. I'll make sure the notes written up for you  with a detailed plan on the good doctors cares."
"You don't want me to write-"
"No thank you." Walkin turned to Sweets who, with half closed eyes, snorted.

"I'll be back in a few days, doc. Don't do anything I would not do." She gave his hand one last pat before leaving the room, removing her gloves as she went and threw them in the bin. Washing her hands, she scowled through the window at the back of Walkins head.

Before leaving the ward, Isabelle took one last visit to the room set aside for Booth and co. Tensions seemed to be running high in there when she popped her head in. Hannah's face was scrunched into a pained expression and Isabelle half expected her to say she was having contractions.

"No, I just stubbed my toe. It's fine. I've had worse." Booth snorted, his wife elbowing him in the ribs as payment for his response.

"Well I have good news for you guys. Sweets is awake." Voices started talking all at once, everyone suddenly excited and eyes wide as they talked at her. Isabelle put her hands in the air. "Technically I never told you that, okay? The doctors will give you and and all information they can but you need to act just as excited when they tell you." Brennan frowned.

"Why would you tell us then?"
"Because you deserve to know that he is awake. The doctors are going to be awhile as they run tests and assessments." Brennan contemplated that for a moment before her husband spoke.

"Thanks, Isabelle. We really appreciate that." A resounding chorus of thanks followed that and Isabelle shrugged.

"It's really no problem. Anyway I'm off but I'll be back in a few days. Take care of yourselves." Turning in her heel, Isabelle made for the door, desperate to get home. As she got to the elevator, someone cleared their throat and Isabelle turned around, eyebrows up expectantly.

"Oh good Lord, what do you want?" Munroe was standing behind her, cocky as ever with his arms crossed against his chest.

"Saw you coming in and had to see why you didn't answer my call!"
"Because I don't take calls from conartists." Munroe laughed.

"Come-on, Belle. You know you want to talk to me." The elevator door binged and the two of them stepped into the empty room, much to Isabelle's frustrations. If there were other people in the elevator, she would have less of a temptation to smash his head into the buttons.

"I really don't."
"I can deal with that. So I'll talk. We should get back together." Isabelle gagged, so much so that she couldn't hide the reaction and general look of disgust on her face. "Oh come on. You can't find me that repulsive."
"You flirt with everything and everyone. I'm surprised you haven't tried to get it on with the water cooler because of how much time you spend around it." Isabelle pressed the button that would take her to the lower ground floor. Which was twelve floors down.

"We were great together."
"You cheated on me five times. Once with my sister of whom I'm currently not talking to because of you." Munroe shrugged.

"And I'm sorry about that."
"No you're not." She said quickly. There was a small pause before Munroe replied.

"You're right. I'm not. She was much better in bed than you were." Isabelle scoffed.

"I do not need to be told that because it's not a competition. Besides, now that she's back in New Zealand, it's definitely not a competition."
"Sure it is. But thats not the point."  The elevator door dinged and opened, Isabelle stepping out and immediately started speed walking towards the exit. Munroe, curse his long legs, followed closely behind.

"Come on Belle, nobody will ever love you like I did."
"You did not love me, you utilised me for your own purposes. There's a difference."
"I've changed?"
"Into more of a selfish, scruffy looking lizard scratched turd blossom."
"You still have feelings for me."
"Of loathing." She got to the door and pushed it open, the cold air sharp on her face.

"Isabelle, nobody will EVER love you because you're a snotty, selfish, uncultured bitch who doesn't know what she could've had." Isabelle turned around so fast that she didn't even realise her first had connected with his face until Munroe was holding his nose fast.

"Don't you DARE talk to me like that. You controlled me the whole time we were together and you have not changed, Munroe. You flirt with anything that moves and screw whatever has a hole." Munroe stared at her, his face turning red from both pain and anger.

"I will ruin you for this, Isabelle. You are nobody in this country and I'll make sure you stay that way." He hissed. With a crack of his nose, he pushed it back into place and turned on his heel, leaving Isabelle where she stood, shaking from the adrenaline that was pumping through her. She didn't know what any of that meant but all she knew is that she would have to be on her guard from there on out.

*********

"....And then I punched him. Without  even thinking about it. Or the consequences." Isabelle was wrapped up like a taco on the couch, a glass of wine in her hand as Mel kept her glass filled. She hadn't quite stopped shaking and the drive home at almost taken twice as long because of how hard and fast her heart was going.

"Girl, you did the right thing. And you better believe that you are in the right." Isabelle took a sip and buried her head in the blanket.

"I'm screwed. He's going to get me for this and I don't know how." Mel could hear the tears in her friends voice so she put down the wine and shuffled her own taco blanket over so that she could wrap and arm around Isabelle.

"You won't have to worry because we girls look out for each other. I'll talk to Mabel so that I can match my shifts up with yours, okay? You go to work with me, you come home with me. You're my best friend and I would never let that son of a Holden get to you." Isabelle lifted her head and Mel could see that her eyes were red from crying. She nodded and Mel pulled her in for a tight hug.

"Now, imma get you some food because all this wine will just make you cry more, okay? And we're going to watch Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo AND Atlantis because you need a serious pick me up, okay?"
"Okay." Mel grinned.

"That's my girl. Now you get the movie ready. I'll be right back." Unfurling herself, Mel disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Isabelle to get the movie going.

Wiping some runaway tears away, Isabelle sniffed and sighed. The clenching in her stomach was beginning to die down and she knew that she was okay.

"At least Sweets is awake." She murmered the herself, a small smile appeared as she focused on the positives and not the negatives.

Authors Note:

And now we have some back story of Munroe and Isabelle. It's currently 00:00 on the 5th of April and LET ME TELL YOU! I wrote this chapter with no clue as to how it was going to go.

But now I'm proud, and slightly sad, to announce, I know where this story is going to go!

This is going to be quite an adventure, my dudes.

Bree xx