Bones had just finished testifying, a testimony that was sure to put the defendant in jail for murder. She had worked around the clock to identify the bones of a small child and identify his killer. Booth had testified earlier and was sitting in the back of the courtroom.

The jury had only deliberated for a short time when they returned with a verdict. The judge read the verdict silently and then addressed the court.

"Dennis Kincaid, the court has found you guilty of first degree murder. I hereby sentence you to..." The judge wasn't able to finish her sentence, when the defendant began shouting and pointing his finger at Bones.

"You will pay for this!" Kincaid shouted at Bones.

The gun appeared out of nowhere, pointing straight at her. Bang. An excruciating pain filled her body as the bullet penetrated her shoulder. She cried out in pain, and then fell backwards on the ground.

"Oh God, no!"

A man knelt beside her. Strong arms were wrapped around her, so as to let her head rest against his chest. She could hear his heartbeat. It was comforting and steady, lulling her to sleep.

"No, stay with me!" Booth shouted at Bones, instantly feeling guilty for shouting at her.

Totally confused she blinked her eyes, struggling to stay focused. Though her vision was getting hazy, she detected people standing around her, everyone talking at the same time. Someone was crying loudly, almost hysterically.

'What's going on?' Bones managed.

She wanted to sit up – to see what the fuss was about – but a blinding pain in her shoulder made her gasp for breath. The pain sharpened her though. It made her aware of what had happened.

'I've been shot.'

The horrible truth sank in. She tried to look at the wound, but the amount of blood turned her stomach. Her entire blouse was soaked in blood.

She gulped. Her mouth was as dry as dust, her throat burned. A groaning sound escaped her lips as the person holding her pressed something against the wound. She tried to move away from him, but Booth held her tightly.

"Don't move. You have to lie still or the wound will become worse."

She looked up to him. His eyes darkened and filled with concern as fear ran over her face.

"Booth?" Bones gasped.

She raised her hand and grabbed his jacket. Her grip was so firm that her knuckles became white.

"I'm here."Booth caught her bloody hand in his.

"How… how bad is it?"

"Pretty bad," Booth answered in all honesty. "But you will be all right. The doctors are going to fix you up in no time."

Bones conjured up a trembling smile. "Even the pope lies better than you do." The fear in his eyes had given him away; she already knew it was bad.

After a few minutes of silence, she asked in a husky voice: "Is this the end, Booth? Please be honest. Am I going to die?"

When he didn't answer – caught off guard by her question and unable to come up with a reassuring answer - tears welled up in her eyes.

"I don't want to die." Bones said in a shallow voice.

She took in shuddering gulps of breath, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not stop the tears from running down her cheeks. Her shoulders heaved as the sobs wracked her body.

Without saying a word Booth tightened his arms around her and rocked her gently back and forth, as if she was a little child. As if she was…

"Angela!"

"Ssh, you'll see everyone soon."

She shook her head despairingly. "Booth, will you tell them? Don't let some officer go to the lab. They know you."

Booth turned his head away. "No one is going to tell them anything. You're not going to die."

"Please, Booth. Promise me."

"I will," he gave in, "but only if you promise me to hold on. The ambulance will be here any minute now."

She nodded. 'That's okay,' she wanted to say, but a bad fit of coughing kept her from saying anything.

"Don't try to speak. You should save your strength." His heart missed a beat as Booth noticed the red substance in the corner of her mouth. She was coughing up blood. Trying not to show his concern, he gently brushed the back of his hand along the side of her face. "It's going to be all right. Everything will be all right. You are…"

Booth swallowed the last words as her body suddenly started to convulse. Her face had become deadly pale; her lips were blue and she was gasping for air. It was an awful sight.

"Bones… Temperance? Hold on! God, where is that ambulance?"

The convulsion stopped as suddenly as it had begun and she relaxed in his arms. Her eyes were closed, her head to the side.

"Temperance? Answer me!" She did not respond. A feeling of utter despair came over him as he felt her pulse. It was getting weaker, she was slipping away from him.

"Bones no! Fight! You hear me? Fight! You will not die! I won't let you die!"

Booth desperately tried to bring her round, but it was in vain. She was too weak. Too tired. She could not fight any longer. Giving in on her exhaustion, she welcomed the comforting darkness that was beckoning her. Within seconds all her senses went black.

"God, no!" Booth cried out in terror. A tide of panic surged through him. "Temperance, don't leave me." With one hand he cradled her closer, while the other fondled her face, her hair, as if he was hoping that somehow his touch would make her open her eyes again. "I need you. I...love you."

Those words were the last she heard.

'What a hell of a way to wake up.' She moaned as a sharp pain made its way through her entire body.

"Brennan?"

Brennan opened her eyes slowly so she could get used to the light that was pouring through the window. Her gaze wandered about the white room and then with a sigh of relief locked onto the familiar faces standing around her bed.

"Where am I?" she murmured.

"You're in the hospital, hon. Don't you remember?" Angela gently took hold of her friend's hand and gave it a squeeze. "You were shot in court and…"

"You almost died," Hodgins finished. "According to the doctor you will be fine. They did say that if the guy had been a better shot he would have hit your heart."

"Lucky me." She coughed. Her throat was sore and her left shoulder, professionally taped up, hurt like hell.

"Dr. Brennan, you're not going to die are you?" Zack's face took on an anxious look; Bones almost caught his bottom lip begin to quiver. "I don't want you to die."

"Zack…" Angela said with a warning tone.

"I hope I didn't scare you all." Brennan said.

Everyone glanced at each other and then back at Brennan. Angela was the first to find her voice. "No, not really. The doctors were very reassuring. It was just all of that blood that scared us."

Brennan frowned. "What do you mean? Did you see me at the courthouse?"

"No, Booth had blood on his clothes," Hodgins explained. "It was everywhere."

That certainly caught Brennan's attention. "Is Booth here?"

Angela and Hodgins exchanged looks. Before any of them could speak, Zack answered: "He's been here all night, holding your hand."

Brennan could not help but blush. "Oh, did he?"

"He's waiting outside." Angela pensively stared at Brennan's rosy cheeks. It did not take a genius to figure out what was going on inside her friend's head.

"You know what? Why don't we all get some ice cream? We certainly need a break. You guys coming?" Angela said, attempting to guide Zack and Hodgins out of the room.

The sound of her friend's voices faded away as they walked down the hall and Bones heaved a sigh of relief. No matter how much she loved her friends, there were times she…

A knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts. Booth appeared in the door. If she wasn't so weak, his presence would have made her burst into laughter. He looked as if he came right from the set of a horror film. His bedraggled clothes were covered in blood, her blood.

"You look like hell," she remarked, while a smile curled upon her lips.

"So do you."

"At least I have the right to look like this. I was shot, remember?"

His face clouded over. "How could I forget?"

They both fell silent, thinking back at the incident of the other day. Right now, it all seemed so long ago.

However, the pain in her shoulder, caused by her efforts to sit up, proved her otherwise.

"Should I get you a doctor?"

"No, I'm fine." She leaned back in the pillows. A sigh escaped her lips as the pain slowly decreased.

"Are you sure?"

Bones nodded. She looked up to him. The concerned expression on his face filled her with happiness. It felt good to have someone, other than her friends, worrying about her.

"Please, sit down," she said in a warm voice.

Booth took the seat next to her bed. Again a silence fell. They both did not know what to say or do. Just when the silence became really awkward, Booth tried to break it by asking the obvious: "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been shot," Bones answered soberly. She tried to hide a grin, because she knew it was meant well. This whole situation was difficult for him too. "What happened?"

"Obviously the man was carrying a gun. I have no idea how he smuggled it into court. There will be a thorough investigation."

"And the man?"

"He's in jail now. No bail. His arraignment will be soon."

"Let's hope I won't be there this time," she joked.

Booth smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes. Something was obviously on his mind.

Bones shot him a piercing glance. "Okay Booth, what's going on?"

Instead of insulting her by pretending nothing was wrong, Booth immediately popped the question that had haunted him the moment Bones had been taken away for surgery.

"Did you hear what I told you just before you went into cardiac arrest?"

Bones nodded a bit shyly. "Yes, I did. But I understand that it meant nothing."

"Do you want it to mean nothing?"

Booth kept on staring at her, which made her feel pretty uncomfortable. Nervously she fixed her gaze on her very interesting blanket. Her face was a flattering shade of bright pink. "You thought I was going to die. In the heat of the moment people often say things they regret and I will certainly understand if you…"

The last words died on her lips as Booth slipped his hand around her neck and pulled her into a kiss. It took her off guard, but she didn't pull away. She wanted this just as much as he did.

As they parted, Booth placed his hands around her face. "I don't regret anything I said. I love you, Temperance Brennan."

A wide smile came to her lips. "I love you too, Booth."

They kissed again, only this time with a passion that surprised them both. They had no idea what tomorrow would bring, no idea what was lying ahead of them. Difficulties or joys. It didn't matter. Yesterday all hope on a future together had been lost, now they could hardly wait for tomorrow and all the other days they would spend together. They had a future; they had today.