DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, stories, or anything else related with the show, Bones.
NOTE: I wrote this I believe after the episode where Booth went out with the woman from the aquarium, so post-100th episode declaration of love. Obviously, this is irrelevant now, but I still kind of like it, so here it is.
"Don't."
"Don't what, Bones?"
"Sleep with her," Temperance Brennan whispered, tearing up.
Seeley Booth shook his head slowly. "No, Bones. You have no right to ask me things like that anymore!"
Brennan looked away quickly and wiped a tear away before it could fall. "I know."
Booth sighed. "I wanted to try, Bones. You didn't. I told you that I had to move on. And that's what I'm trying to do."
"That's not true."
"How is that not true? I asked if we could give this a shot and you said no!" Booth cried exasperated.
"But I wanted to!" Brennan burst out. "You don't know how much I wanted to. I still want to. But I know me and the thought of pushing you away and hurting you kills me inside. I couldn't rationalize…"
"But you did. You pushed me away and you killed me inside." Booth paused. "My date is waiting." He turned to leave, glancing one more time over his shoulder at Brennan who was silent.
"I love you!"
Booth stopped dead in his tracks and turned around slowly.
"I love you. I think I have for a long time, but I couldn't…I didn't know how…I wasn't sure if…"
Booth stared at her, slack jawed.
"I understand that you've moved on and I have no claim over you anymore, but I couldn't keep it to myself anymore. I was driving myself insane. That and Angela said if I didn't tell you, she would." Brennan tried to grin but it faltered.
Booth was still frozen when Brennan sighed with finality and began to walk back to her office.
"You love me?"
It was Brennan's turn to stop in her tracks and Booth took several hesitant steps toward her. "I think…Yes, I do."
"I thought you didn't believe in love."
"I didn't. Now I do. You've changed me Seeley Booth, in more ways than this."
Booth cracked a smile as he strode toward her, stopping just inches from Brennan. "Who's the gambler now?"
As he leaned forward to kiss her, he was reminded of the first time they'd kissed, when they were just two associates ending a one-time case together and he knew. He knew that the moment he met Dr. Temperance Brennan that his life would be changed forever. And here it was, almost six years later, and he was finally right.