A/N: Thank you for all the followers, favorites and reviews. I'm glad everyone is enjoying this story. I'm having a lot of fun writing it.

A slightly earlier update because I've tweaked this chapter too much and I need to move on.

This chapter is a little (a lot) longer. I'd apologize, but I'm hoping no one is actually going to be upset by that. Some details from their first case may be slightly altered

"You okay, Brennan?" Angela asked. Camera in hand, she stood next to Brennan on the platform, waiting to take more pictures.

"Fine," Brennan said. She continued to catalog injuries on the victim, not looking up. "Why do you ask?"

She hadn't spoken to Booth in two days. They hadn't met for lunch or exchanged the random emails and texts she'd come to look forward to. She feared he was waiting for an answer she didn't know how to give.

It bothered her that he appeared to be pulling away from her. Forcing her to see what her life would be like without him in it.

Not knowing the next step, in a life she'd planned out meticulously for years, was terrifying. She hadn't been this lost since her teenage years.

Could she love him? Was there a chance she did already? More confused than she'd even felt, Brennan wasn't sure how to untangle herself.

Considering her friend, Angela looked off to her left, where Booth stood talking to Cam. "Do you see Booth over there?" she asked.

Brennan nodded. "I know he's there, Angela," she answered. She always seemed to know when he was near, both before and now especially after this marriage. But she didn't look up to check. "He arrived not long after this body. You know, the cold case he mentioned." But he hadn't come to talk to her. Instead, he'd gone to find Cam.

Brennan wondered if he'd found something to work on just to have an excuse to come see her at the Jeffersonian.

She tried to ignore the excited flutter in her stomach at the thought of Booth wanting to see her that badly. Brennan feared that it was already too late. That there was no way to untangle her life from his, even if she wanted to.

And that was the question, wasn't it? Did she want to?

"I need you to look at him, Brennan."

Keeping her face carefully neutral, Brennan looked over and then back again. "He looks like he usually does. Standard FBI uniform he always wears. Crazy tie and socks if previous clothing is used as evidence."

Which bothered her. She could feel the tension in her shoulders and it was hard to hide the circles beneath her eyes. She hadn't slept more than a couple of hours at a time in the last several nights. If it wasn't nightmares, it was thoughts of Booth swirling in her head.

He looked like he wasn't bothered at all. How could he possibly love her? She was twisted in knots. Wouldn't he feel the same if he felt what he claimed?

Brennan wanted him to look at her. To see what this marriage and his demand that they not divorce was doing to her.

It was making her long for things she'd never thought of getting. Of nights not spent alone and mornings with someone to eat breakfast with. Knowing Booth was worried about her, or thinking of her, even when he didn't need to.

Angela sighed and snapped several pictures before straightening again. "You've really never noticed, have you?"

"Noticed what?" she asked. She thought she'd noticed everything about Booth. The way his eyes lit up when he talked about his son. How he liked his coffee in the morning. That when he teased her it was a sign of affection and not another person being cruel to her. Booth had taught her there was a difference.

She was ignoring other things. The way his entire face lit up when he saw her. The way he always put his hand at the small of her back when she walked in front of him. How there was always warm food waiting for her before she even knew she was hungry.

"Booth watches you, Bren. Not in a creepy, stalker sort of way, but when you two are together, he always knows where you are. He stands so he can see you. Even when he's talking to other techs or the local cops, he never stands with his back to you."

Stunned, Brennan straightened and stared at Angela. "I don't think that can be true. It's not practical."

"Oh, it's true. He never stands so he can't see you. But today, his back is to you. He hasn't turned once to make sure you haven't left the platform. Something is up between the two of you."

"Angela." Brennan said her name with just a touch of impatience. She'd been afraid this would happen; Booth had warned her it would. So she'd spent some of her sleepless nights coming up with stories that might explain any unusual behavior.

"Hodgins and I were buried alive less than a week ago. We, as I'm sure you two are, are still tired and attempting to recover. I'm sure the stress of that event has something to do with Booth's unusual behavior."

Her friend's eyes softened. "Yeah," she agreed. "Hodgins is still having trouble sleeping. I have to be careful not to leave him alone after dark."

Brennan had only turned her lights off in the apartment one time since they'd escaped the car. It was when she and Booth had shared a bed.

They'd done nothing but touch hands and sleep. Yet to Brennan, it had felt more intimate than some of the relationships she'd had. It was part of the reason she'd risen early and left her own home. There'd been no time to think about everything that had happened and it didn't take much before she was overwhelmed.

Booth had overwhelmed her, making declarations she didn't understand. No one had ever considered her for a long term relationship, much less a marriage. What did he see in her that she didn't?

"Hodgins will be okay, Angela," Brennan reassured her. It was hard and getting harder, to turn her thoughts away from Booth and what he'd asked of her. But she needed to focus on Angela or she'd give away the secret she carefully carried. "And Booth and I are too." She threw a glance over her shoulder. "See, he's adjusted himself so he's facing this direction now."

Angela narrowed her eyes. "Yes, he has," she agreed. Even if she was sure something else was going on.

"Bones? You got a sec?" Booth called up. He'd seen the glances directed his way and knew the two women were discussing him.

"Yes, Booth." Brennan pulled off the plastic gloves. "See if you can confirm identification," she said to Angela. "We can continue after lunch."

Without waiting for a response, she descended the stairs and headed toward her office.

She didn't have an answer for him. Had tied herself in knots trying to decide what to do about their marriage. His crack about her lack of courage still bothered her. Was she really afraid to take a chance?

But the chance he was asking for was nothing but chemicals. A life built on things that faded over time. All of the scientific journals said so. But her journals hadn't been able to explain how some marriages made it for twenty or thirty years. Some a lot longer than that. Were the chemicals just what got things going and the rest up to the people involved?

And if that was the truth, was she made of that? Would Booth still be happy with her years from now?

Booth closed the door behind her. But when he opened his mouth to speak, she help up her hand.

"If you tell me we need to talk, I might scream."

Chuckling, he sat down on the couch she kept in her office. "Do we? Need to talk?" he asked.

Booth had no intention of pushing. He was in love with her, that was certain. Because he loved her he accepted that her brain sometimes needed time to think things through before she could move forward.

She looked tired. He saw all the signs she'd so carefully tried to hide. He hoped his wish to stay married was keeping her up at night. It meant she was at least considering it.

He wanted her to stay with him. Or at least give this a chance. But until she made her decision one way or the other, he couldn't plan his next move in the battle for her heart.

What he planned to do was support her in all the ways he typically did. To remind her without words that her life was better because he was in it.

Because he was so much better with her beside him. And he didn't want that to change.

She gave him a disbelieving look. "I called a lawyer," she said. "I have an appointment."

His stomach clenched, but he nodded calmly. "I told you to go ahead and do that." Adjusting his tie, he looked down at his lap. He wouldn't push, he reminded himself. But he was afraid of what she'd see in his eyes.

Remaining standing, Brennan looked down at him. At the man who'd held her hand while she slept. Who'd helped her when her entire identity and life was pulled from beneath her feet.

And knew there was only one path forward. "I'm free tonight," she said. "Unless something breaks with the case." Who was she kidding? She was free every night. "And is this really a case that needs such urgent attention? Or did you make something up to come see me?"

He widened his eyes and gave her an innocent look that fooled neither of them. "Do you like the idea that I'd make up a reason to come see you?" Booth asked.

Yes, she wanted to say. Yes, I want you to come see me. To not walk away from me. Because Brennan was sure that no matter what she did, she was going to lose him. He'd figure out they weren't suited to be married and agree with her demand for a divorce. Something she knew their friendship would not survive. But she also knew that their friendship wasn't going to survive if she didn't try.

Shuffling her feet, she didn't answer his question. "I don't think this is going to work, Booth. I don't think I'm capable of being what you think I should be."

He came to his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets to stop his reach for her. The blinds were open and taking her hands would lead to too many questions. "I think you should be you, Bones. I love you, not some image of a person you think you should be."

She waved her hand at him. "Don't say that to me again," she ordered. "I can't think, can't reconcile any of this is my head. Your declarations just make it harder."

He nodded but made no promise. "I'll try to wait until you say it to me."

Her eyes were sad as they met his. "That day probably won't come, Booth."

Booth refused to believe that. "Then why did you tell me you were free tonight?"

"You asked me for a date. Yet I fail to understand how tonight will be different as we've gone out to dinner many times before."

His heart beat faster with sudden hope, sure she'd been about to turn down his request to give them a chance. "We'll leave the city. At least the part we usually visit. Find someplace where no one will know us. I promise it will be different, Bones."

The weak smile she gave him wasn't happy. "It's already different, Booth. Angela said you weren't watching me. She said you were acting differently."

"I wasn't watching you do what?" he asked, pulling a hand from his pocket to rub the back of his neck. Bones was hard to keep up with sometimes.

"Watching me work. She says you always stand so you can see me. But today, when you were talking to Cam, you didn't."

Leave it to Angela to notice something like that. "She's right. I usually do."

Brennan tilted her head. "Why?" There was genuine curiosity in her voice.

Booth shrugged. "In the beginning it was because I was afraid you were going to do something crazy. And let's face it, I wasn't wrong."

A fleeting smile appeared on her face as she waited for his explanation. "And now?"

His eyes were serious on hers. "I am your gun and your shield, Bones. The one whose job it is to stand between you and whatever harm might come our way. In order to do that, in order to do a job I take very seriously, I need to know where you are at all times. So I stand where I can see you. Even if sometimes you don't listen and try to run in front of me."

"I don't want you to get hurt for me, Booth." She was angry that he'd ever consider sacrificing his life for hers. "We are partners. I can take care of myself."

"Of course you can," he agreed easily. "And you're taken care of even better when I'm there. That's why I stand where I can see you."

She shook her head. "I don't like that answer." But he did take care of her. Brennan just didn't want him risking his life to do it.

"Then don't ask the questions," he said. "In case you haven't noticed, or haven't been paying attention, I want this, Bones. I'm not going to lie to you to get what I want. So if you don't want the answers, don't ask the questions. You aren't going to get to say that you didn't know what you were getting into."

Brennan wanted to take a step back. To protect herself from a man she never thought of as dangerous, at least not to her. Now she was starting to realize he was dangerous in ways she'd never imagined.

"You won't lie?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "Is there something you want to know?"

"Lots of things," she admitted before shrugging.

"Ask me one," he encouraged. "You don't have to go for the intense stuff. Don't be a chicken, Bones," he teased. "Take a chance."

"I already am," she mumbled, and decided to take another. "Do you want me, Booth? You had a chance, several years ago. Had a chance but changed the rules so that chance went away. If you didn't want me then, why do you want me now?"

If his desire for her had disappeared so quickly during that first case, what would prevent the same thing from happening again?

Is was so far outside what he expected that Booth blinked several times in shock. He glanced behind her, relieved to see they'd closed the door to her office when they'd entered. "Do I want you?" he asked. His voice had dropped to a harsh whisper as he repeated the question back to her. "What do you think happened that night? I still wanted you when I put you in the back of that cab. But you said you wouldn't be with me because you were drunk." He snorted. "Maybe we shouldn't drink together anymore."

Brennan pressed her lips together, wondering what she'd been thinking. "I wasn't drunk the next day. Neither were you. But you hired me back so there was no chance we could pursue a relationship. Evidence showed you sobered up and changed your mind." She shook her head. It hadn't been where she'd intended this conversation to go.

"Never mind," she said quickly. Trying to move past him, Booth shot his arm out to stop her. She looked down at it and back up. His eyes had turned dark and intense. "I didn't mean to make you angry or uncomfortable," she apologized.

"I'm neither," he said. "I'm just trying to understand what you've been thinking, Bones." His hand rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm afraid," she said softly. "Of saying yes and still losing everything. Of not being able to figure out what you see in me that makes you think this will work. I'm still the same person I was then, Booth. What makes now different? We were drinking this time too."

Her confession and the honesty beneath it startled him. It was more self-aware than Bones usually was about her feelings.

"Okay. I think you misunderstand what happened that night. We'll get to that in a second. But as for the question of wanting you, do you think that I don't? And I'm assuming we're talking about sex." His voice returned to a whisper so low, Brennan barely heard the last word.

Nodding, Brennan felt a bubble of panic try to rise in her chest. She hadn't given the question much thought before it came out of her mouth and she'd assumed the answer would be an easy yes. If he wanted to stay married to her, he had to want everything that came with it.

His eyes drifted down to her feet and back up again with a look that made her skin tingle. "I have wanted you from the first moment I saw you," he admitted. "When I kissed you outside during that first case. When I rehired you to save you from me, not because I didn't want you. I wanted you too damn much. The year you refused to talk to me when I couldn't quite get you out of my thoughts. When I wake up in the morning and fall asleep at night," he continued, holding up his hand to stop her questions. "Yes, I want you. Did you really think the answer would be no?"

"You rehired me so you didn't have to sleep with me," she corrected. "And I needed to hear you say it," she added quietly at the end. "I just needed to hear it."

He shifted, breaking the intensity of the moment. "I figured that's what you thought, what I let you think, because it was easier for me. And I was pretty sure you weren't interested in me that way, not anymore. So I let you continue to think it. Easier to hide the truth if only one of us knows it."

"Then what is the truth?"

He looked past her, to make sure no one was walking past the glass that made up the outside wall of her office. "You really need shades," he mumbled. But he took a chance, reaching out to brush his knuckles down her cheek. "The truth is that I want you with every breath. I'm not doing anything to keep that from happening this time."

Brennan stepped back from his touch. "So why did I need saving from you?" she asked.

He shoved his hand back in his pocket, knowing she made the right move to step away. This was too fragile for anyone other than the two of them to know what was going on. "I wasn't good enough for you. I was a gambler who was going to lose control of his life. Probably already had. I lied when I said I was taking care of it. Denial was pretty strong until that night. If something didn't change, I would probably have lost my job. And you were the future I could have if I got it together. Maybe not as a couple, even if I wanted that. But you were the best in your field, still are. I wanted to be with the best."

"So you rehired me?"

"It was the best away to avoid a path I wasn't ready to walk."

"And did you get it together? Are you ready to walk it now, to use your creative terminology? "

"You tell me?" he challenged. "Did I get it together enough for you to give us a chance, to give me a chance? Or a second chance, if that's how you want to see it."

Booth was pushing her and he knew it. And not five minutes after he told himself he wouldn't. But one simple question about his desire for her had given him hope. Hope that Bones saw him as more than just a friend.

"Pick me up at six, Booth. I'll be ready."

"Does that mean your answer is you're willing to try?" he asked again.

"Pick me up at six," she repeated, opening the door to leave her office, "and we'll go from there."