It was quiet. Her sobs were no longer audible and from the way her eyes were closed and her breathing slow and steady on his chest Booth assumed Brennan had finally managed to fall back asleep. He hated seeing her like this, where there was little he could do to make things right. He was used to being the hero – the guy who saved the victim and caught the bad guy. But this time, there was no possible way to bring back a member of their team . . . one of their own. He felt like he was in Afghanistan all over again. He knew there was no way he could have prevented Vincent's death, just like he couldn't have saved Teddy Parker, but it didn't make their deaths any easier to take. As if on cue, Brennan stated the words that had been eating at him from the moment he realized Vincent had been shot.

"It could have been you . . ." she looked up at him with eyes still red from crying. "Does it make me a bad person because I'm glad it wasn't?"

His heart ached for her. For such a strong and independent woman there were times when her child-like innocence never ceased to amaze him.

"No . . . No, Bones – you will never be a bad person," he assured her.

"But I –" she protested.

"Are you still upset about Vincent?" he asked.

"Yes, of course," she answered.

"Then you're not a bad person," he maintained. "No one deserved that bullet – we both believe that."

"I-I just don't know what I would have done if it had been you," she confessed, a tear trickling down her face.

He gently caught it with the pad of his thumb.

"I'm not goin' anywhere, Bones. I promise," he vowed, turning on his side to face her.

"You don't know that, Booth. Statistically, you – you . . ." she trailed off.

"I know – I'm lucky," he admitted.

"I don't believe in luck," she reminded him.

"Well, luck . . . fate . . . skill . . . the point is that I'm not leaving, okay?" he promised.

"But Booth, scientific fact proves that that is something that is out of your control –" she objected.

He put two fingers to her lips.

"I'm not," he insisted, then spoke softly as he caressed her cheek. "I will never leave you."

They caught each other's eyes, simultaneously leaning in to meet each other's lips. As the kiss deepened, Brennan pulled back.

"Booth . . . should we be doing this? Are you . . .?" she questioned.

"I'm not angry anymore, Bones. I'm tired of fighting . . . and I think if we learned anything from Vincent it's that life's too short to waste it being angry at the ones you care about," he told her.

Brennan lowered her head in saddened agreement.

"I've changed. I . . . am no longer impervious . . ." she said. "I-I thought you should know."

Booth smiled, poignantly, and drew her lips to his, this time meeting no resistance. Without breaking their connection, he carefully turned her on her back, leaning over as he made a trail down her neck. Brennan let out a faint moan and pushed up his t-shirt. He sat up and pulled it over his head, then helped her remove her sweatshirt as well, as they proceeded to make love into the early morning hours.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A few hours later, Booth woke up to see Brennan sleeping soundly on his chest. He couldn't have asked for anything better at the moment. He wanted to stay like that forever – no criminals, no murders . . . just two people finding peace and comfort with one another. But he knew it wasn't possible. Broadsky was still out there and he had to take him down before he got to anyone else – especially Brennan.

He brushed Brennan's hair away from her face, careful not to wake her. They still had a few hours before they needed to go in and he wanted to let her rest as long as possible. Plus, he needed to clear his head. He couldn't afford to be distracted if he was going to nail Broadsky.

Booth felt Brennan stir in her sleep; a small smile appeared on her face as she mumbled his name and something about the Kama sutra. He silently chuckled. They would definitely have to have a talk about this dream of hers when all this was over . . .

He looked at the clock and realized he needed to get in the shower if he was going to have time to take Brennan back to her apartment for a change of clothes. He meticulously slid out from underneath her and kissed her cheek before heading to the bathroom.

Fresh from a shower, he walked in a towel into the living room to search for his keys. He noticed Brennan was up and dressed in her clothes from the past day and ready to go out the door.

"Bones? Where are ya goin'?" he stopped her.

"I was going to take a cab to my apartment. I need to go home and change. I thought it was more logical to use my own bathroom than to waste time using yours, when you needed to get ready as well. You need to prepare to capture Broadsky without any delays or distractions," she explained.

He smiled at her practical reasoning and walked toward her.

"Bones, why do you think I had you stay here last night? Broadsky is dangerous. I don't want you goin' anywhere alone," he told her. "Give me five minutes to get dressed and I'll take you back to your apartment."

Brennan nodded.

"Booth?" she followed him.

"Yeah, Bones?" he asked, turning around.

She gazed up at him fearfully, leaning in the doorway of his bedroom.

"Please be careful today," she begged.

He took her slender figure in his strong arms and held her. She squeezed him even tighter as if trying to hold onto him as long as she could, in case it was the last time. He loosened their embrace and cupped her chin.

"Promise," Booth vowed and tenderly kissed her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They were the last ones left in Founding Fathers after having a ceremonial non-alcoholic drink in honor of Vincent. It had been a very long day, with catching Broadsky and sending off a beloved member of their group. They both sat solemnly, recalling the events of the past two days.

"I wasn't lying when I said that he was my favorite," Brennan broke the silence. "He honestly was . . . He . . ."

"Reminded you of Zach?" he finished for her.

"Yes . . . and myself a little," she revealed. "He was very enthusiastic and always willing to learn and . . . his potential was wasted on a malicious man with a vendetta."

"We got him, Bones. He won't hurt anyone else," Booth told her.

Brennan lovingly stared across the table at him.

"What?" he wondered, grinning innocently.

"Nothing . . . I'm glad you're okay, Booth – that you knocked-up Broadsky and weren't hurt in the process," Brennan said.

"Knocked out, Bones. I knocked him out," he corrected her. "But yeah, I am, too.

I-I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been," she admitted.

"Hey – don't I always get the bad guys?" he remarked, cockily.

"Booth . . . I'm being serious. Broadsky was a sniper – a bad sniper – not good like you. And he had already killed Vincent, while meaning to kill you . . . weren't you a little bit terrified of the consequences if something went wrong?" she asked.

Booth hesitated. The last thing he wanted to confess to Brennan was his fear. He prided himself on being the hero – unafraid of anything. But he knew she'd get it out of him eventually.

"Yeah, maybe a small part of me was sweating things a little. But I knew I had you and the Squint Squad to back me up . . . You saved my life," he admitted, leaning in to kiss her forehead, then sliding his head down to hers, meeting her eyes. "Really, Bones, thank you."

"That's what partners do," Brennan said, heatedly staring in his eyes.

"Yeah, Bones, that's what we do," he smiled, sexily, and discreetly rubbed her leg under the table. "Come on, let's get outta here."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So, I've got beer . . . and . . . some sorta crap that – whoa! That's gettin' pitched . . . Ooh – pudding! I got pudding – chocolate or banana?" Booth offered, rummaging through his practically bare refrigerator. He looked up and saw Brennan timidly standing in the middle of his living room. "Bones? Why are ya still standing there? Take off your jacket, have a seat, stay a while – the night would be even better . . ."

"I apologize . . . I'm slightly unsure of what the status of our relationship is right now . . . I'm uncomfortable with assuming more than what it actually is. Therefore, I was waiting to make myself at home without a proper invitation," she explained.

He put down the pudding and guided her toward the couch.

"Bones, it's not like this is the first time you've been in my apartment. Hell, a few years ago you broke into it and barged into my bathroom," Booth shook his head, remembering. "What's goin' on with you?"

"What happened last night . . . what does it mean for us?" she asked.

"Bones, we're good," Booth promised.

Brennan nodded, unsurely.

He sat down beside her and took her hand.

"Hey . . . I love you. I'm not angry anymore. And I was – I was pissed . . . I blamed you for a lot of stupid things . . . like not giving us a chance or forcing a relationship with . . ." he couldn't say her name. Regardless of the fact that he was completely over her, the sound of that name made him cringe.

"Han-" Brennan tried to finish for him.

"Don't say it, Bones! Just don't say her name!" he snapped, running his hands through his hair in frustration. He didn't mean to, it just came out that way.

Brennan stiffened a little, but it didn't stop her from speaking her mind.

"If you are unable to say or hear her name, then you clearly have unresolved issues concerning your relationship with her. Maybe it's best if I leave. I will talk to you on Monday – Cam gave everyone the rest of the week off," she suggested, getting up to leave.

"No! Bones – wait! It's not what you think – it's not about me and . . . Hannah. It's about me and you . . . what I did. Just sit down," he pulled her back on the couch.

"I still think it would be best if I give you more time. Perhaps last night was a mistake," Brennan said.

"No, Bones – last night wasn't a mistake – we aren't a mistake! Hannah was! I wouldn't admit it, but it's true. I made myself feel something that I really didn't. I thought I was in love with her because I needed to be. I needed to find someone who would love me back," he confessed.

"But Booth I –" Brennan tried to speak.

"Let me finish. Hannah didn't want what I needed either. You saw how she lived when she moved in – just a couple of duffle bags. She never was the type to settle down – at least not with me. And I think she eventually saw how we were together . . . how much I still loved you . . . how much you cared for me. She didn't want to marry me and I don't blame her. Who wants to marry a guy who's in love with someone else?" he lowered his head in shame. "I used her. I didn't mean to - I thought I loved her. She was pretty and fun and kind and smart . . . But it was always you, Bones."

She gave him a bittersweet smile.

"Seeing you with Hannah was very difficult. It made me re-evaluate my past decisions and have a more open mind. You were so happy with her . . . happy and in love. I was happy for you . . . I truly was and I didn't wish you anything but that. You deserved someone who could make you happy . . . But I also envied her. Hannah had the life with you that I had rejected. It made me regret my choice to not pursue a romantic relationship with you, because I finally understood that there were times when taking that risk could be worth it," Brennan admitted.

"I shouldn't have pushed you. I knew you had struggled with forming serious relationships. It wasn't fair to you to give you an ultimatum. But after you turned me down and I found Hannah, I wanted so badly to prove to you that I was fine . . . that I didn't need you . . . that I was in love with someone else. And that night you told me you had regrets . . . a part of me wanted to take you in my arms and never let you go. But most of me wanted to commit to Hannah even more. I did everything for you, Bones – I would have died for you - and you tore my heart out and you stomped on it! Not literally – but it might as well have been. I wanted to hurt you like you hurt me. I'm not proud of it, but that's how I felt," Booth revealed, tearing up from thinking about it.

Brennan took his hand in hers.

"Booth, I never meant to hurt you - I loved you . . . more than I could even admit to myself. I would have died for you, too. You were my partner and one of my best friends and so much more . . . I just couldn't love you the way you needed to be loved – not the decade kind of love – not back then," she told him, her voice quivering. "I was scared to take a risk and make it worse. All you asked for was a chance. But at the time, I felt overwhelmed with your speech about couples in their geriatric years and I didn't see that all you wanted was for us to try. I felt that I would not be able to live up to your expectations and that I would hurt you even more so than I had that night. I honestly thought that I was protecting you from myself - from someone who couldn't make a long-term romantic relationship work."

"And now?" Booth asked.

"Now I am ready . . . to try," she said, confidently.

"That's all I ever asked for," he smiled.

"I can't promise what will happen later on," Brennan clarified.

"No one can, Bones. No one can predict the future," he told her. "But we make an effort for one – a long and happy one."

"I can do that," she agreed.

"So we're giving us another shot?" he asked, making sure they were on the same page.

"Yes. I would like another chance with you very much," she smiled.

"Good," he caressed her cheeks and slowly captured her lips with his.