A/N This story weighed on the heart strings and some1tookmyname was gracious enough to stick with me and beta. I'm glad you like me before this. There is no turning back.

This is the last chapter. Thank you for taking the journey with me.

Disclaimer: Yeah, right.

oOo

"Booth." He answered when picking up the phone.

"Can you come home? We need to talk." Brennan replied.

"Bones, what's the matter?"

"I went to the doctor today. I just need to discuss some things with you."

"I'll be there in 10. I love you."

"I love you, too." She disconnected.

She paced around the apartment waiting for Booth. It had been a long day at the hospital. Brennan's consulting physician had seen something irregular, she'd wanted run some more tests. That lead to more waiting. Brennan didn't like uncertainty.

The door opened and Booth appeared. "Seriously, Bones, what's with the cryptic phone call? What's wrong?"

"I had a routine doctor's appointment a few weeks ago. I had a chest x-ray. Today I went back. . ."

Booth didn't let her finish. "Something's wrong." When she nodded wordlessly, he whispered "Tell me."

"I have not exhibited any signs of illness. After being referred to an oncologist, I had a biopsy. It showed growth on my bronchi. I wanted to see it for myself so, I asked the doctor if I could look at it. I. . . I have lung cancer." She started to cry.

Booth was stunned. "Whoa, Bones. Why didn't you say anything?I would have been there. . ." He was trying to ask questions and say the right thing all at one time. "You don't smoke. How can you have lung cancer?" He tried to collect himself. "There are options, right? I mean treatments, chemo, that kind of thing." He stepped forward and he pulled her to him as close as he could. "Shhh, Baby. We'll get through this." She felt his body tense up. He went into protection mode.

Brennan leaned into Booth's shoulder. "I know."

oOo

In typical Brennan fashion, she didn't hide the truth from her children. Brennan, Booth, Parker and Hadley convened a family meeting. Booth and Brennan sat side by side and held hands. She explained what the doctor told her, her diagnosis and what the next course of action was.

It didn't take long for the cancer to metastasize. Brennan's appetite suffered, her voice changed and her body weakened. She lost her hair. Booth took a leave of absence to care for her. They had decided she'd be more comfortable at home. They considered how Hadley might not like going to the hospital, same for Parker. So, Brennan laid on a wheeled hospital bed in the room she shared with her husband. Though it was too difficult to look around, she remembered the exact layout of her favorite photos around the room and they brought her comfort. She had always made sure Hadley and Parker had the same number of pictures. She knew it was important not to favor one child versus another, and she honestly didn't. Her favorite picture, though, was right next to her. She couldn't turn her head anymore but she knew it was still there. It was Halloween. Booth was dressed as a squint, she was Wonder Woman. It was shortly after Hadley was born. Booth had his arm around her shoulders, their eyes were firmly locked on Parker while he held Hadley in his arms. Blissfully happy. That's how she remembered the day they legally became a family.

oOo

"I got the signal, Booth.. I don't want to have any regrets."

Brennan let her inhibitions go. She cried. She felt Booth's eyes gaze upon her as he gave her the facts. He asked her if there was someone he could call. She just let the tears fall. He was her center and the center must hold.

After all years they had been partners, she relied on him and she trusted him. He gambled, he lost. She took chance and she lost, too. No matter how fractured their partnership became, though, they never gave up. When two people share so much, eventually they overlap.

oOo

Brennan had been grown accustomed to listening for footsteps shuffled around the apartment. It gave her a sense of comfort knowing what time it was by the activities she could hear. Booth made sure Hadley was up, fed and ready for school. She knew he could handle it. After Hadley left for school, Booth would come back in the room and claim his familiar spot. Sometimes he talked, sometimes he just held her, sometimes he cried.

Brennan was a fighter. She held on for as long as her body would allow. There was stillness in the apartment indicating it was late, the children were asleep, and all other goodbyes had been said. It was time to say goodbye to man she loved the most. She felt his touch and was comforted by it. He clutched her hand, told her the story of the day they met. She remembered when he told her wished for her happiness, love, laughter, friendship, purpose, and a dance. Little did he know when he spoke those words, he would be the one person who provided it.

Brennan felt him squeeze a little tighter. She heard him whisper, "Everything happens eventually. I will see you again, Bones. I love you." His love gave her the wings to fly.

You love someone, you open yourself up to suffering. That's the sad truth.

oOo

And now the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend I'll say it clear
I'll state my case of which I'm certain

I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way

Frank Sinatra, My Way