~Jeffersonian Parking Garage~

Agent Booth, with the help of the squint team, was able to determine the location of skilled and trained sniper, Jacob Broadsky. Booth ordered Bones to stay behind while he went to catch and arrest Broadsky once and for all; he could not risk Bones getting hurt during the operation. While he was made his way toward his SUV in the Jeffersonian parking garage, he heard someone come up behind him. Before he could react, a rough body threw him to ground and grabbed his gun. In shock, Booth stood up and found that he was standing face to face with his once friend now enemy, Jacob Broadsky and to make matters worse, he was unarmed.

~Meanwhile in Brennan's office~

"I can't believe Booth told me to stay behind!" Brennan stated in frustration to her best friend Angela.

"Sweetie, you know that he just wants you to be safe. Broadsky is very dangerous and it seems like he would go to any lengths to stop Booth from catching and arresting him, even if it meant targeting the people that he cares most about."

"I don't think that Broadsky would target innocent people Angela. It just wouldn't fit his profile. Besides, even if he went after me, I am well trained in martial arts. I am perfectly capable of defending myself."

"I know Brennan but you're forgetting that Broadsky is a trained sniper so he could shoot and kill you from over a mile away. So in this case, unless you are an experienced and trained sniper Brennan, you wouldn't stand much of a chance against Broadsky."

"I know you're right Angela. Martial arts training would not be the best defense against Broadsky but that doesn't mean I can't help Booth stop Broadsky. I am Booth's protector and guardian as much as he is mine. We are partners and therefore we should always look after each other no matter what. That's it, I can't stand it anymore. I'm going after Booth!"

"Wait, what! You are going to do no such thing. It's too dangerous and Booth would be very upset with you if you went out into the field without telling him first."

"Angela, if something were to happen to Booth that I could have prevented, I could never forgive myself. Trust me Ange, I know what I'm doing."

After looking at Brennan's determined face, Angela relented. "Fine but if you realize that you need someone to spit at Broadsky with deadly accuracy, call me."

"Um, ok Angela." After grabbing her purse and her car keys, Brennan ran out the doors of the Jeffersonian to head towards her car that was parked in the garage.

~Parking Garage~

'I hope Booth won't be too mad at me when he finds that I followed him to Broadsky's known location,' Brennan thought as she headed towards her parked car. Just before she unlocked the car doors, she heard a commotion coming from the lower level of the parking garage. Curious, Brennan walked down to the lower level and much her dismay; she saw Broadsky pointing a gun to Booth.

'Shit,' thought Brennan. Immediately, she crept behind a pole where she wouldn't be seen and dialed the F.B.I.

"Hello, this is Doctor Temperance Brennan. I am on the lower level of the Jeffersonian parking garage and I have a visual of Jacob Broadsky. He is armed and has a trained gun on F.B.I. agent, Seeley Booth so proceed with caution."

After hanging up the phone, Brennan remained in her hiding spot and anxiously listened to their conversation.

"Well, well, Agent Booth, I told you not to interfere with my plans, but now that it's clear to me that you will go to all lengths to stop me."

"Well I already told you Jacob at my apartment that I would be aiming for your head."

"Well then I have no choice now but to make you the collateral damage." Broadsky then released the safety trigger and directed the gun to Booth's heart. "Such a pity! Looks like that son of yours will be fatherless after all."

'WHERE IS THE F.B.I?' Brennan thought. Desperate and before she could decide whether or not what she was about to do was logical, Brennan jumped out of her hiding spot and ran towards them and shouted, "NO! STOP!"

Broadsky turned his head and when he saw who it was, he smirked. "Well Booth, if it isn't your partner, Doctor Temperance Brennan."

Brennan ran until she got between Broadsky and Booth and then she raised her arms in a protective stance.

"BONES! TEMPERANCE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE!" Booth yelled.

Ignoring Booth, Brennan kept direct eye contact with Broadsky.

"Well isn't this a twist! It's the squint coming to rescue. However, Temperance, you have nothing to do with this so I will ask you kindly to get out of my way."

"No, I won't. Booth is my partner and we stick together no matter what. You will therefore have to kill me before you can hurt Booth."

"Bones…" Booth whispered but Bones continued to ignore him.

"I don't kill innocent people Temperance, you should know that. However, Booth is trying to stop me from doing the right thing so I have no choice but to kill him. So if you don't move out of my way, I will have no choice but to hurt you."

After Broadsky said this, F.B.I sirens were echoing throughout the parking garage.

"Broadsky it's over and you have nowhere to go. So now, just please do the right thing and put down the gun." Booth pleaded.

"I'm sorry Agent Booth but that won't happen."

Broadsky then pushed Brennan out of the way and quickly retrained the gun to Booth. Booth tightly closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate. However, Brennan quickly got up and threw her arms around Booth as a single shot echoed throughout the parking garage.

"BONES!" Booth screamed.

Booth slowly opened his eyes expecting to see Bones wounded or dead in his arms but when he opened them, he saw Broadsky sprawled on the concrete floor with a bullet in his brain. It was finally over! After breathing a sigh of relief, Booth returned Bones' embrace by putting his arms around her and pulling her closer. Bones buried her head into his suit jacket and let silent tears fall from her eyes.

"Shhhhh Bones it's ok. I got you. Don't cry. It's all over."

Agent Cullen ran over to the partners and said, "When I saw that he intended to kill you Booth, I knew that I had no choice but to take action."

"Thank you Sir. If it wasn't for you, my partner would have been seriously wounded or worse."

"Anytime Agent Booth. I know that you both have been through a terrible ordeal so I'm going to let you both go home now and we will debrief you tomorrow morning."

"Thank you Agent Cullen." Then reluctantly Booth pulled Bones out of his warm embrace and simply said, "Come on Bones, let's go back to my apartment so we can talk. Ok?"

"Ok Booth." Then putting his hand on the small of her back, he led her to his SUV.

~At Booth's Apartment~

"Here you go Bones."

"Thanks Booth." Bones took the beer bottle from Booth's hands and together they sat down on his couch and drank silently. They barely spoke a word since they left the parking garage. Finally Booth asked, "Why did you do that?"

"Do what Booth?"

"You know exactly what I'm asking Bones. Why did you put yourself on the line to protect me?"

Bones knew the answer to this question. 'It's because I love you Booth,' thought Brennan. However, she knew that it wasn't the right time to admit this to him. She already decided that she would save that confession for the date that she wrote down on the piece of paper after they both got stuck in the elevator. So instead, Bones replied, "When I saw that Broadsky was holding a gun to you Booth, I immediately remembered the time when you took a bullet for me three years ago at the karaoke bar. I did not want the same thing to happen to you twice. During the confrontation with Broadsky, my only goal was to protect you from getting killed."

Booth pondered over Bones' response. 'If Broadsky killed her, we would have never gotten the chance to be together and I would have never gotten to say that I love her,' he thought. However, he knew that they just went through a terrible ordeal and it was not the time to confess his feelings for her just yet. So instead, Booth responded, "I know Bones but if Broadsky succeeded in shooting you, I would never stop blaming myself."

"It's the same with me Booth. You're my partner and I care about you very much and I would do anything to keep you safe, even if it meant putting my own life on the line."

Shocked and touched by Bones' words, Booth pulled her close and put his arm around her. Booth then whispered in her ear, "Thanks Bones. What you just said means a lot to me."

"You're welcome Booth."

They ended up remaining in the warm embrace all night long, enjoying each others' company and presence and both secretly knowing that they were getting close to starting a real relationship together.

-The End-