A/N: Here it is, the second to last chapter. I will probably post the final one later tonight because frankly, I am bad at waiting. I would like to thank fortune kookie 91, brennanmars, ilovepeterpetrelli, Becca Hilpz, bb-44ever, a380fan, DBFan2005, Bellabun and Professor T for your reviews! Just to let you know I have started another fic called Accommodations, which is a sequel to something I wrote called Four Years. Check it out if you have a chance. And I hope you enjoy this one!

Chapter Four: Partners

She sat on the couch, waiting for him to come home. Usually it was the opposite; she was always the one staying late at the lab, him at home patiently waiting for her. But she figured a meeting with the Deputy Director was important enough to stay late. She took a sip of her tea and glanced around the room.

She loved their home, from the moment you stepped in, you knew it was theirs. The rooms were painted in dark, rich colours, there were mementos from the various trips they had been on scattered throughout the rooms. And of course there were the pictures. There were pictures on the walls, on tables, stuck on the fridge.

Smiling she let her gaze drift over them, fondly remembering each one. There were pictures of her and Booth with Parker when he was young, various pictures of her and Booth vacationing in destinations all over the world. Pictures of them with Angela, Hodgins and Zach and their respective families. Even after all of these years, they still worked together and spent time together. As Booth said, they were family of course.

Most recently, photos of their grandchild had appeared. Madelyn Temperance Booth was only three months old and yet tons of pictures had already been taken of her. She smiled when she thought about how excited Parker was when he told her that Sarah was pregnant. Currently, he was teaching at a local public school while working on his first novel anytime he got the chance.

She chuckled to herself as she thought about her life. Sometimes it was hard to imagine that she, Temperance Brennan had been married to her partner Seeley Booth for 19 years and that she was a grandmother.

'Fifty-two years old is too young to be a grandmother.' She thought to herself.

And yet she loved her little family, everything about it. Yes it was odd and unconventional, but that was her and Booth. She heard him coming up the steps and she put her teacup down in anticipation. Even after 19 years, she loved nothing more than to wrap her arms around him when they got home from work.

The door opened and as he stepped inside, she smiled. He was still devastatingly handsome and she wondered after all this time why she hadn't got tired of looking at him.

"Hey Babe." He said, flinging his jacket on the end of the couch as he sat down next to her.

"Don't call me Babe." She replied, her eyes twinkling.

"Sorry Bones, it won't happen again." He said, kissing her softly on the cheek. He tugged at her arm and she snuggled into his chest.

"How was the meeting with Meyers?" she asked. Immediately she felt him stiffen.

"Ahh, it was good. Cullen showed up." He replied.

"Cullen?" she said. "How's he taking retirement?"

"He's bored out of his mind of course." He said. "But he can't get around too fast anymore."

"So what did they want?" she asked.

He sat up and turned to look at her. She immediately felt nervous, something was wrong she could feel it in her gut. She almost chuckled as she thought about what he would say if she mentioned that.

"Look, Temperance, Meyers is retiring and…." He trailed off.

"Booth, you are making me nervous, what is it?" she said.

"They want me to be Deputy Director." He stated.

"Deputy Director?" she repeated. "How are you not happy about that? Seeley, that's fantastic, I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks." He replied. "But listen, you know what this means right?"

"Oh." She said, the answer suddenly coming to her. "We won't be partners anymore."

He nodded.

"I guess it makes sense." She replied. "I mean logically we are both getting older and the field work has been tough it's just…"

"I know." He said. "We have been partners for so long."

"22 years." She breathed.

"I don't have to take the job." He stated. "I mean we could just…"

"Seeley." She said, cutting him off. She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked him directly in the eye. "You should do this. Both you and I know you should. We couldn't be partners forever. I'm surprised we lasted this long. Besides you deserve this"

He brushed a hair away from her face and leaned forward so that his forehead was touching hers.

"Okay." He whispered. "I'm going to miss you though."

"I'm going to miss you too." She replied, blinking back tears. "But hey, you are the boss now right? That means you can still come and take me for lunch."

"That is true." He said, leaning back on the couch. She resumed her position, snuggling into his chest. "Oh no."

"What?" she asked.

"Now Hodgins is going to say that I'm 'the man.'" He said.

She let out a bark of laughter and his voice soon mingled with hers and they laughed and laughed as they thought about everything that had happened in their partnership and their life.

"I love you Booth." She said, kissing him softly on the lips.

"I love you too Bones." He replied.