Thanks for the reviews. I appreciate them very much. I am a huge Bones fan and Sheryl Crow fan, i'm glad that I could combine the two in a way you would enjoy.

Disclaimer: Not mine, dangit, none of it. Wait! Something is mine! My idea for the story. That and a quarter will get me squat. Oh well, had fun playing and paying my respect.

Chapter 4: A Beginning

Before Brennan could even shut the door, she saw Booth sitting on the floor his knees drawn up with his arms crossed across his chest. He was staring at her with a small smile on his face.

"Hi Bones!"

"Hi Booth." She said with a small smile, she dropped her gaze to the floor and shuffled back and forth on her feet. She had been so eager to see Booth and now that she was faced with him, she was overcome with nervousness.

Booth got to his feet and crossed the hall to her. He reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Then he put his palm against her cheek. "You going somewhere Temperance, you're still in your pj's and slippers." His voice had teasing lilt to it.

"I was in a hurry." She raised her gaze to his and covered his hand with hers "I had somewhere I needed to be."

"Where could you possibly need to be in such a hurry that you didn't even put shoes on?"

"Right here." And with that she stepped into his arms and wrapped her own around him.

"Umm Bones, let's go back inside okay?" he backed her into the apartment and shut the door behind them, their arms were still wrapped around each other "so you were coming to see me huh?"

She nodded into his chest, still hold him tightly. "Booth how long were you gonna sit out there?"

"As long as it took. I knew that you had things that you needed to work out on your own and that when you were ready you would come to me."

"How can you be so sure of me, of us?" she leaned back and looked at him.

He pulled her arms from around him, took her by the hand and led her to the couch. He sat down and drew her onto his lap. He took her face between his hands and brought her face down to his. He placed a soft kiss on her lips and was pleased when she responded. The kiss went quickly from gentle to intense, both of them searching for answer from the other. Booth withdrew first, took a shaky breath and leaned his forehead against hers.

"I have faith in you Temperance. I know you better than you think I do. I know that when you make a decision you completely commit to it. And if you choose to commit to us, nothing can stand in our way." He gave her a smile "I know there will be certain issues that will need to be addressed, but we can face that together. We just have to get passed this first hurdle." He started placing soft kisses on one cheek, then the other, her forehead, the tip of her nose and then a small chaste one on her lips. He drew back to look into her eyes. He tried to convey all his love and strength to her.

"Seeley?"

"Yes Temperance?"

"Tell me again." She didn't elaborate, but then again she didn't really need to

"You make a family for yourself from the people that you love and from the people that love you. I love you Temperance, I'll be your family, Parker and I, we can be your family too. Choose us, choose me, I'm your family. Let. Me. Be. Your. Family." He recited his previous words exactly and just like then he let his love shine through.

"I've decided." She said on a whisper. Without looking at him she rose from his lap. His heart sunk for a moment until she looked at him. He saw the answer there in those gorgeous blue eyes and wanted to pull her back into his arms, but he gave her the time she needed to tell him. He gave her the time she needed to work through the last of her fears.

"I chose a long time ago I suppose, I just didn't realize it. At least I didn't realize it until today. Before I go any further I need to explain why I stopped you from taking my dad in."

"You don't have to explain.." he didn't get any further before she cut him off

"Yes, I do." She took a deep breath and continued, her voice barely a whisper as she stood before him wringing her hands. "When my dad told you to take care of me, he saw it too. He saw what was, is between us. He recognized it right away, before you got there he told me that if I ever found someone that I trusted, that I should hold on to them. He knew Booth. That's why I couldn't let you take him in. You would have felt guilt, I would have been upset. It would have come between us. My dad has caused me enough grief in my life, I couldn't let him take the one thing left in my life that I counted on, the one thing that I trusted and believed it. I couldn't let him take you away from me."

"That's when I made my choice Booth, I made it then and there, I chose you, I chose us. I chose when it was still just a dream I had." She took a breath and looked him in the eye "I know that at times it seems I've been oblivious to what's going on between us, but I haven't been. I was just scared, scared to ruin what we have already. But I'm not scared anymore."

"Why aren't you scared, I need to know honey" he pleaded with his eyes, he needed to hear the words, he was the one who needed reassurance now. He looked down as she held out her hand, he placed his hand in hers and rose to stand in front of her, he took of both of her hands in hers.

The words of the song rang through her mind once again.

WHEN I'VE SHOWN YOU THAT I JUST DON'T CARE
WHEN I'M THROWING PUNCHES IN THE AIR
WHEN I'M BROKEN DOWN AND I CAN'T STAND
WILL YOU BE STRONG ENOUGH TO BE MY MAN?

LIE TO ME
I PROMISE I'LL BELIEVE
LIE TO ME
BUT PLEASE DON'T LEAVE

"Seeley, you've shown me in little ways and in big ways that you are strong enough. You've been by my side through some of the roughest times of my life. You've never tried to change me, only to make me a better person. You've backed me up. You fought with me and against me. You've never left me. You've been with me through good times. You've held me when I cried. You've saved my life, more than once. You, Seeley Booth, have proven to me time and again that you are strong enough. I believe Seeley." She paused and placed a quick kiss on his lips.

"You told me that I can make a family for myself from the people that I love and from the people that love me. I love you Seeley Booth. I want you to be my family, you and Parker, I want you both to be my family. I Choose us, I choose you, I want to be your family. Please. Be. My. Family." Her voice had gotten stronger as she finished, tears running down her face.

She lifted her hands to wipe the tears that were on Seeley's cheeks, before she was pulled into his arms.

"I love you Temperance, you'll never be sorry you chose us, I promise"

"I love you Seeley and I believe." She had a grin on her face as she said "But Seeley, please don't leave" he recognized the lines from the song and grinned back at her.

"So how strong are you?" she teased

"I'm strong enough to be your partner. Strong enough to be your best friend. I'm definitely strong enough to be your man" he grinned down at her, with a wink and a flash of the famous Booth charm smile he added "Oh yeah and I'm definitely strong enough to be your lover."

"Prove it strong man" she flashed her own charm smile.

"You don't have to tell me twice." He laughed as he swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bedroom.

The End.

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I will leave you to imagine what happens upstairs. The mind is a very dirty thing so have fun. lol. Please review and let me know what you thought. Thanks.