"Bones. Bones, come on. I'm ok. See?" He held her hands in his and placed them firmly against his chest, his very warm and very alive chest.

"I'm so sorry Booth, I just, I just . ." as she began crying again. "I was so angry at you. So angry. You died for me and I was left with all this guilt and all this fear that my life would never be good again without you in it. And then I was angry at myself for letting you in, for letting you take up residence in every facet of my life. I was alone again. I had been alone for so long and you refused to let me continue on the same path I was on before I met you. You were everywhere: almost every meal, every one of my work days and then you even managed to become a part of almost every one of my evenings and late nights when you would just show up to my apartment unannounced. And then you died. I lived my life in such an orderly way and you were this big man with a cocky belt buckle and you literally dragged me out of my old life and then left. You left me in your world all alone. Your world is foreign to me still and without you there explaining to me when I'm being inappropriate or defining everyday colloquiums, I'm lost. So forgive my very inappropriate actions just now. I guess I was just afraid that I would lose you again. I apologize. I never meant to grope at you."

Booth was in shock. She loved him. Oh my dear God she actually loved him. "Bones, hey. You don't need to apologize, you can grope me anytime," he stated in a very earnest attempt to inject some humor in this very heavily emotional moment. He shone his full wattage charming smile at her and Brennan began to laugh and cry all at once. She was a vision, truly beautiful, and for a moment Booth actually believed his heart had stopped.

He forced himself up and stood. She continued to kneel on the ground until he hoisted her up by the arms and immediately hugged her. They stood there together and he waited until her tears subsided and breathing calmed.

She was unable to remove herself from him. She was enveloped in his scent, his warmth and she was stuck to him, seemingly paralyzed.

"Bones, I am so sorry. I know I've said it a million times, but I never wanted to hurt you. I had to step in front of that bullet because I'm your partner and I needed to protect you. I could not have lived with myself if that bitch had killed you. Bones, I have to say," he began rubbing small circles on her lower back and she began to feel a very warm sensation in her belly, "in a way I'm glad you broke down just now. For the longest time I thought you didn't care. When I realized that you hadn't been informed of my death, I remembered how unemotional you were at my funeral. It hurt me to think that you didn't care and . . ."

"WHAT!" She extricated herself from his arms and glared at him incredulously. "Are you serious Booth? What so all these months you just thought that I was the cold-hearted ice queen that everyone else calls me?"

"No, Bones that's not what I thought. I . ."

"I can't believe you. We've worked together four years and you somehow still believe that I don't have any fucking feelings? Fuck you, Booth. Fuck you and everyone else. I have been in this partnership a long time and we have spent so much time together and it kills me inside that you would think that your death meant nothing. You," she poked him hard in the chest, right where the killer's bullet had hit him to make sure he felt pain, "you, Booth are just like everyone else. FUCK OFF!"

Before he even realized what had happened, she had stormed off. Booth willed his feet to move but he couldn't move. What the hell had just happened, he thought. His chest was bruised and swollen and Brennan's poke hurt as well. He took a moment and breathed, and then he went after her.

She was waiting by the car and refused to look him in the eye. He tried to explain but she refused to listen and threatened him when he tried to get close. He didn't have time to deal with this at the moment, as he had to call back up and give his statement on how the killer was caught and eventually killed.

Hours later, it was time to go home. The other agents collected and documented the evidence and body. Brennan and Booth did their part and documented their accounts, minus the very obvious personal details that bore no relevance to the case.

She was sitting on a curb and he approached. They were both tired and worn. "Bones, we should get out of here. Let me take you home."

"No," she stated with a icy tone, one he had not heard from her since they first began working together. It was a tone of detachment and unwillingness to open up. If her walls were visible, she would be a fortress.

"Bones, please come on, we're both tired and we can discuss this later. I'll just drop you off and then you . . ."

"Agent Booth, I have no intention of getting in a car with you. Our case is closed. There is no need for us to fraternize any further. Please step aside so I may obtain my own mode of transport. Good evening." And she briskly moved past him and he stood still.