Brennan woke with a start. She had been back in the country for little over twenty-four hours, and the day had been obscenely long. After Booth had picked her up at the airport they had rushed back to the Jeffersonian to help solve a crime, and she had spent the last day searching for a killer. After a putting a few pieces of evidence together, they had managed to catch the asshole. All she wanted to do was sleep, and now there was someone in her apartment. Quietly reaching to grab her phone of the side table, she texted Booth.

DrB to SAB:

Booth. Someone is in my house.

Booth heard his phone bleep at him through the fog of sleep. He was exhausted. After picking Bones up at the airport yesterday they had been going straight for almost a whole day, and now all he wanted to do was sleep. Picking his head up off the pillow, he groped for the phone beside his bed. Flipping it open, he saw he had a message from his partner. After reading it he jumped from the bed and grabbed his pants and his gun and ran out of the house.

Brennan wasn't scared, exactly. She was mad, that's for sure, and she was also sure that if she wasn't so tired she could easily take down who ever had broken into her house. And so she stayed in bed, being as still as possible until Booth got there, probably five to ten minutes, if he used his siren. In the dark she strained to hear anything else from the main part of the house. Whoever it was, she didn't think that they thought that she was there, which made sense as she was suppose to be in Canada's deep north helping to identify ancient remains found along the Northwest Passage. And so, she listened as the person ruffled through what sounded like her desk, and then, from the sound of it, start in on her book shelve. Just as she was starting to wonder where the hell Booth was she heard his voice.

"FBI, hands up!" He hollered at whoever had broken into Brennan's house. "Turn around with your hands on your head" he continued on, glancing to the hallway to Bone's bedroom was. As the guy turned, he saw her out of the corner of his eye, standing there in a robe.

"A-a-ge-ent Booth, what-a-what a surprise to see you here" Oliver Laurier stuttered as his eyes fell on his least favourite cop.

Dropping his gun and holstering it, Booth rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Oliver, what are you doing here, and you know that you are under arrest this time, right?"

"Oh, ahhh, well," he stuttered on, until Brennan came fully into the room. "Dr. Brennan! I, you, what are you doing back? You were suppose to be gone for another four weeks."

"Oliver, how do you know my schedule? And what the hell are you doing in my house?" she asked tiredly.

Oliver looked from Brennan to Booth, and then back to Brennan.

"Well, umm..."

"Oliver, if you don't tell her why your here, I will shoot you." Booth told him in a menacing voice.

"Oh, ahh, well, you see... I umm... I lost my job and..."

"And you decided to break into my house, steal my stuff and sell it online for a profit?" Brennan asked him.

"Well, yes, but I didn't think you would notice..."

"What did you take Oliver" Booth asked him as he pulled out his cuffs "and how did you get in?"

"Oh! I ahh, I took a course online to be a locksmith..."

"What did you take Oliver?" Brennan asked him this time.

"Oh, just some papers with your signature, and a few of your necklaces..."

With that comment, all the colour drained from her face and she turned and ran into her room.

A few minutes later, she came running out. Grabbing a still unrestrained Oliver around the neck, she pushed him up against the wall, practically yelling into his face.

"WHERE IS IT! Oliver, where is it! Tell me who you sold it too, now or i will kill you."

"Whoa, whoa, Bones, calm down. What did he take Bones?" Booth asked as he pulled Brennan off the man that was now shaking and gasping for breath. When Bones didn't answer, he turned to Oliver. "Oliver, what did you take?"

"Well... Just some necklaces..."

"The heart one, Oliver. Where is the heart one?" Brennan asked, her voice full of sadness and hatred.

"Oh, the one with the bullet in it?" He asked with a confused look in his eyes.

"Yes. Where is it. Who did you sell it too, you need to tell me now. Now Oliver!" Brennan said, taking a step forward.

Just then two uniformed cops came into the apartment, Booth looked over at them and told them to take Oliver in, and he would be by to question him. As they were cuffing him and talking, Brennan had retreated to her bedroom, where five minutes later Booth came in to find her silently crying sitting on her bed.

"Bones, what is that necklace...what does it mean?" He asked gently as he sat beside her and put an arm around her.

"It means everything to me Booth" She said as she turned her head to look at him. Continuing on she said "I...I had it made after you were shot Booth, after i thought i lost you. I managed to get the bullet from Caroline, and i had it made into a necklace."

Stunned Booth asked "Why Bones?"

"Because Booth, i thought i had lost you, i thought i had lost my heart the day you died, and...i just felt like if i had that bullet, the bullet that took my heart, if i wore it everyday, i could be close to you. I know its irrational, and that items have no real value or anything, and that it was just a bullet, but..." and with that she broke into sobs that she had held in since that day so many years ago.

Leaning over and wrapping his arms around her, Booth was amazed and confused.

After she had calmed down a little she went on "The only reason i took it off was because our bags were being searched coming and going, and i didn't want anyone to see it. I'm sorry Booth, i shouldn't..." and with that she stood up and started pacing.

"Bones."

"What?" She stopped pacing and looked at him.

"Bones... I love you too."

She stood there frozen, looking at him. Booth slowly stood up and closed the distance between them.

"I love you too Bones, I always have. Not seeing you, and now talking to you for those two weeks, drove me nuts. That's why we talk everyday, even when your gone. And i know that you love me too, you just have to face it, to say it. And what you just said to me... Bones, are you ready to face it?"

Looking up into the reassuring brown eyes of her partner, she realized something. This man, he was her partner for more than just work. He was always there for her, always had been too. For the first time in her life, she put her love out there for him.

"I love you Booth."

And with that statement, he leaned down those last few inches and kissed her.