i'm so sorry it took me so long to update! My muse kinda disappeared for a couple of days, but is back now.

Anyway, the usual disclaimers apply. I assume you know them; if not, check out a previous chapter.

Brennan had absolutely no idea how long she and Booth stood in the doorway in a guy hug. It may have been seconds; it might have been hours. Either way, it felt right. She had remembered what it felt like to be in his embrace, but the actual event was much more satisfying than the memories had indicated. Several moments ran through her head, all of which involved her holding on to Booth and many involving tears. He had always been there to comfort her with his guy hugs- which felt very different then when she hugged Hodgins, another male friend, she noted.

Eventually, reality crashed in. She remembered that Booth had Hannah waiting for him; that as much as his hugs comforted her, he was not hers to hold. This reminder caused her to pull away from his embrace. He resisted letting her go at first, but finally did. Though, she did notice that he kept his hands on her shoulders.

"How are you, Booth?" Brennan asked in a whisper, trying not to wake Dani up.

"You've been missing for weeks, and you're asking me how I'm doing?" Booth laughed quietly.

"Yes." She had been worried about him. He must have been under a lot of pressure since her disappearance; he had a tendency to claim much of the responsibility, especially when it came to her. Plus, Booth was more likely to have trouble with his back when he was stressed.

His response was just to smile his contagious grin. "God, I missed you, Bones."

"And I missed you." Her heart was beating faster than normal. Most likely due to my dream earlier, Brennan reminded herself, though no part of her believed it. Her mind came to another, more likely conclusion. It's not uncommon for pulse to quicken when attracted to- Stop! This is Booth. Your friend who is in a committed relationship with Hannah. You decided to let him have his own personal life, and you would have your own.

"What about you? I mean, you've got a broken arm. And did you say something on the phone about amnesia?" His questions brought her back to the present. She noticed his exhausted, brown eyes were filled with worry.

"Yes. But my memories have been returning to me. Angela and Hodgins reminded me of many things today. I believe that when I return to Washington more memories will return."

A flicker of disappointment might have flashed across his face, but was gone before she could confirm that she was not imaging it. There was nothing for him to be unhappy about. Maybe it was related to his lack of sleep. It suddenly dawned on Brennan that Booth had probably not been asleep since he woke up the previous morning, and had been stressed during the day.

"You should come inside and get some sleep," Brennan told him, stepping out of his way.

"I can sleep in my car," he said as if it was nothing.

"That will hurt your back!" she reminded him, trying not to let her voice rise above a harsh whisper.

"I'll be fine. I just wanted to make sure you were safe. Plus, I thought someone might call the sheriff's deputy if I just slept in their driveway." He gave her that stupid smile that made her heart beat faster than it should.

But she kept a straight face as she said, "If they were to call for you sleeping in their driveway, what would stop them from calling when you began knocking on their front door this early in the morning?" His logic was completely flawed. She knew Booth was not the logical part of their partnership, but even he had enough to see how his statement was irrational.

"Didn't really think about that. Believe it or not, Bones, not everyone is highly logical when running on four hours sleep for twenty-three hours," he joked.

"You should really get some sleep."

Booth's response was to grin and hold back a laugh. Brennan though over her words for a second, trying to figure out what she might have said that would be this entertaining.

When she was unable to find anything, she asked. "What?"

"I'm getting lectured on the importance of sleep from you, the woman who I've literally had to drag out of the lab so that you don't work all night."

"I don't work all night! I usually sleep for a couple of hours in my office!" Angela had reminded her of several times she had done exactly that earlier.

"Are you sure you have amnesia? Because you seem like the same ole Bones I've known and l- I've known for years." She glared at him. She had noticed his stumble, but was unsure about what word he had shied away from.

"Yes, I'm positive. There are still some gaps in my memory… Now, are you going to come in and get some sleep or stand out here all night?"

He sighed. His eyes flickered back to an SUV that had not been there when Brennan fell asleep. She noticed that it was visually identical to the one Booth drove in DC. "I'm coming."

Once he entered, Brennan quietly shut the door behind him. Booth stood a couple of steps within the door, his eyes scanning the room. They finally fell upon the living room, where Dani was still sleeping sound.

"You can have the cot," Brennan told him. Booth turned to look at her like she was crazy.

"Where are you sleeping? It looks like you were sleeping there."

"I was. But your back will be less sore if you sleep on it."

"I'm not taking your bed away from you!" The idea seemed to both anger and surprise him.

Brennan rolled her eyes. "If I didn't want you to sleep on it, then I wouldn't have offered it to you. Plus, it is not a bed. And it's not mine, either. It belongs to Dani."

"Seriously, I'm sleep in my car." He started to go back outside, but she stood in his way.

Brennan really didn't want to fight about this with Booth now. He was exhausted and she was tired. "It makes logical sense for you to take the cot. Your back will hurt tomorrow if you sleep in your car or the floor. My arm will still be broken whether I sleep on the cot or not."

"Bones, I'm not going to make you sleep on the floor!" he hissed. Dani made a quiet noise, and rolled over; making both the agent and anthropologist freeze until her breathing steadied, again.

"I don't want to wake Dani up. The cot is only big enough for one of us. You take it, and I'll sleep on the floor. I've slept in worse places than a carpeted floor," Brennan told him, thinking back to her dream. She knew if she told him about being in worse physical pain, he would begin to show his alpha male qualities.

Booth looked from the cot to Dani to Brennan before closing his eyes and sighing. "Fine. But tomorrow, you take the cot with no argument."

She made no agreement, but Booth didn't seem to notice as he moved towards the cot. Brennan grabbed a pillow from Dani's feet and a blanket that she had kicked off during the night.

After about five minutes, Booth was comfortably lying on the cot and Brennan was wrapped in a blanket about three feet away from him.

"Good night, Booth," she told him.

"Night, Bones," he mumbled, into his pillow.

Hope you guys liked this chapter. :)

Oh, and just out of curiosity, does anyone know which episode(s) Booth actually verbalizes that he won't ever leave Brennan? I remember hearing him promise, but I can't remember the circumstances surrounding it.