One Year Later…

Brennan adjusted her earring in the mirror and sighed. She was not looking forward to this party at the Jeffersonian at all, and no matter how much cajoling and begging she had tried with Cam, she was stuck. Luckily, Hannah had been receptive to attending with her, and had even suggested a day out with Angela and Booth's girlfriend, Kirsty. The four women had ended up having a great time, and the shopping had been extremely successful, judging by the look Hannah was giving her as she bent to pull her shoes on.

"You look fantastic, Temperance." Hannah crossed the room and leaned in for a quick kiss as Brennan stood. "Maybe we should stay home tonight…"

Brennan laughed and shook her head, stepping backwards away from Hannah with her hands up. "Oh no, you don't! You made me get dressed up for this thing, we're going!"

"Fine." Hannah huffed. "But I expect you to make it worth my while later."

"That is an acceptable compromise."

B&B

"I can't believe you and Brennan still get along so well. I don't know what I would have done if I were in your shoes, Seeley." Cam sipped her champagne and watched as Brennan had a spirited discussion with Booth's girlfriend of seven months, Dr. Kirsty Reynolds. The beautiful auburn haired woman, a doctor of archaeology at George Washington University, had met Booth through his sister-in-law Padme, and they had instantly clicked. They shared the same religious beliefs, the same desire for a family, and the same sense of humor. They not only had a good time together, Booth felt like he could tell her absolutely anything. And he was convinced that had he met Kirsty a few months sooner, it never would have worked out.

Booth had been an absolute mess those first months after he discovered Brennan and Hannah's affair. He didn't drink or turn to gambling again, but he pushed most of his family and friends away. His ability to trust anyone took a huge hit, and it was almost four months before he could even talk to Brennan again, let alone spend time in the same room with her. He was still in a great deal of pain when he met Kirsty. But he found that the kind, funny, understanding woman was the perfect shoulder to cry on, and when their relatively new relationship moved to a more serious situation, it was Kirsty who convinced Booth to mend fences with the woman who was still, and would always be, his best friend.

In the end, despite Kirsty's encouragement and a few tentative steps in the direction of forgiveness by way of short lunches and honest, raw, revealing phone calls, the gap was finally and permanently bridged between Booth and Brennan by an unexpected source. Parker. Booth's son had repeatedly complained to his mother that he missed Bones, and simply couldn't understand why he wasn't allowed to spend time with her anymore. Booth was horrified to find out that Rebecca had explained things as simply as possible to Parker, and while he was understandably confused, in the end he only knew that he loved Brennan and that was all that mattered to him. Booth couldn't help but feel a bit betrayed by Parker's easy acceptance of Brennan and Hannah together, but the emotion was fleeting and he felt terrible for days afterward. Especially after Parker proudly showed his dad the science project Brennan had helped him with. In the end, Booth realized that he had truly missed spending time with Brennan, and after a long dinner between just the two of them, Booth found that forgiving her not only made her feel better but it soothed him in ways he could never express, as well.

Booth glanced at Cam, a genuine smile on his face. "Camille, you have a much more forgiving heart than you let on, you know. Don't tell me you wouldn't have tried to find a way to make things good, because I know better."

Cam rolled her eyes. "Don't call me Camille, Seeley. And…." She looked pointedly at where Booth's current girlfriend was chatting animatedly with Booth's former girlfriend. Hannah laughed at something Kirsty said and the two women nodded together in tandem. "you can't tell me that this isn't just a little bit weird for you."

"Not any weirder than you and Kirsty having lunch once a week."

"Touché." Cam laughed. "But you and I ended in a good place. You and Hannah…"

Booth shook his head good naturedly. "Yeah, well…she makes Bones happy. That's good enough for me."

"Jesus, you're a saint, Booth." Cam tapped her champagne glass against Booth's tumbler of scotch and walked away, smiling.

"If saints existed, of course, you would certainly be close."

Booth turned at Brennan's voice behind him. "Hey Bones. Lookin' good." He grinned, eyebrows waggling.

"Thank you. You look very handsome as well." She moved to stand next to him, both watching their significant others talking. "Could I ask you a question, Booth?"

Booth looked at Brennan sideways. "I like to think you can ask me anything."

Brennan gave him a delighted smile, warm affection spreading through her at Booth's words. She had been so terrified that she had ruined the best friendship she had ever shared when Booth discovered her and Hannah's relationship, but lately things had been almost back to normal and Brennan found that despite her extensive vocabulary, she couldn't find the words to describe how happy that made her.

"I was just wondering…what is it that you keep turning over in your pocket? I know it's not your poker chip, you never bring that to formal events like this."

Booth wondered briefly about just how well this woman really knew him, and chose to see the absolute pleasure in that fact rather than analyze it to death. "I, uh…well. Hmmm." He debated with himself briefly whether or not to share his secret with Brennan before pulling a small box out of his pocket and handing it to her.

Brennan's eyebrows shot up in surprise as she flipped the lid and gazed at the princess cut 2-carat diamond nestled inside. "Booth…" She breathed. "Is this…"

"Yeah. I'm going to ask her tonight."

Brennan shocked Booth by throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. "Oh, Booth. This is wonderful! Kirsty is going to love this!"

"You think so? I gotta say, I'm more than a little nervous about asking."

"Why? Because Rebecca turned you down? That was a long time ago and a different set of circumstances. Kirsty loves you completely, and I know you love her. She would be a fool to turn you down."

At Brennan's words, they shared a meaningful look…pain, sadness and resignation-filled. But without regret. The time for that had long passed.

"You think so?" Booth moved to sit on the bench along the wall, gesturing Brennan to sit beside him.

"I really do. You're perfect for each other, and I know you'll both be very happy together." Brennan smiled softly.

"And what about you, Bones? Do you think you'll be happy like that?" The question might have seemed odd considering the circumstances, but beyond everything else Brennan was his friend and he wanted only the best things in life for her, even if ultimately, that turned out not to be him.

Looking over at where Hannah was now chatting with Cam, Angela and Kirsty, Brennan smiled. "I don't know if I believe yet in loving someone forever, but I do believe in love. And I believe that anything is possible if we want to be. And, in the end, that's got to be enough. Right?"

Booth gave her a soft smile, full of all the affection and love he felt for her…had always felt for her in one way or another. "Yeah, Bones. I think it's definitely enough. For at least 30 or 40 or even 50 years."

Brennan hooked her arm through Booth's and laid her head on his shoulder, sighing when he rested his head on hers. "And maybe even longer than that."