A/N: As promised, here's a new chapter - Thank you SO much to everyone is reading this story and especially those who have reviewed it!

I really hope you like this chapter! It was so much fun to write!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bones, just this storyline.

Previously:

Booth nodded; he already had a feeling Brennan would react this way. "I can't make you leave. I just wanted to tell you that I'm concerned. Honestly, I don't want to leave either."
Brennan looked at him gratefully and began to calm down. She sat back down and thought quietly to herself. "We can really make a difference here." She said slowly.
"And we will."

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Booth woke up the next morning feeling no more rested than he had the previous day. He sighed and rolled over onto his sore back and took a moment to regain his senses. Staring up at the top of the hut he listened to his partner's even breathing coming from the other side of the room. He sat up slowly so as not to strain anymore of his tired muscles.

He smirked when he saw his partner curled up into a tight ball with one of his shirts balled up into a makeshift pillow. Booth knew she'd kill him if he ever admitted it aloud, but it took this trip to make him realize how adorable she was when she was asleep.

Booth picked up a shirt from the scattered remains of their backpacks and pulled it gruffly over his head. Wearing the same shorts that he'd had on for nearly a week, he slipped into his shoes and stepped outside into the early morning sunshine.

It was surprising how intense the heat was considering it could be no later than 6AM. Booth stretched his muscular arms over his head and yawned. It was then that he heard a faint clanging sound coming from the distance. Knowing that he needed to find something for him and Brennan to eat anyway, Booth walked curiously down the small hill towards where the sound was coming from.

A very sweaty Menihau was staggering towards a pit carrying three very heavy rocks. He grunted as he tossed the clay rocks onto the ground and knelt to stack them upon each other. Booth watched the man carefully and couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Though they'd never really gotten along, Booth realized what it must be like for him to lose everything. All in a flash, the community that he had strived to protect had been compromised.

In ways, Booth could relate to Menihau's sense of frustration. He, too, had vowed to protect something and had failed to do that. Under his supervision, he and Brennan had been kidnapped and nearly killed. Though Booth was happy that they were safe, he knew that it would be a while before he'd stop thinking about the mistakes that he had made that could have cost them their lives.

"You need some help?" Booth asked impulsively. He watched as Menihau's startled eyes shot up at him and stared at Booth for a moment. Booth felt like he was being assessed by the man's scrutinizing stare.

Menihau didn't say anything, he just nodded. Much like Booth, Menihau was truly an alpha male and requesting help was seemingly not built into his skills. Satisfied with the man's silent answer, Booth walked closer.

"I'm building the huts to be stronger. My people will die if they don't have…" Menihau paused, as if searching for the right words. Booth just nodded his head understandingly and walked over to a pile of fresh clay rocks which likely had been sun baked the day before. Feeling the first rock scrape against his palms, he knew that staying here was the right thing to do.

Booth didn't have to be an anthropologist to understand the commonalities between this culture and his own. When someone is in need, you do everything you can to help.

Two hours later, Brennan awoke on her rickety wooden plank. She was surprised not to see Booth still sleeping, since usually he was the one who overslept. Brennan sighed and tugged the elastic band out of her hair and raked her hands through it.

It was then that she heard the sound of laughter coming from outside. Laughter? Was she still dreaming? After all the trouble that this tribe had seen in the past few days she was very surprised to hear the sound.

She peeled off her dirty tank top and tossed it on the floor, and pulled one of Booth's shirts over her head. She'd used it as a pillow the night before, and for some reason it was strangely comforting. She decided not to delve too far into the implications of her feelings for Booth, figuring that there'd be plenty of time for that on the way home and once they got back to DC. Instead, she got up from the bed and went outside to investigate the noise coming from below.

Once outside, Brennan held a hand near her face to block out the blinding rays of the morning sun. After her eyes had become adjusted to the brighter light she was astounded to see Booth talking to Menihau animatedly and helping him carry rocks toward the foundation of one of the dilapidated huts. Brennan couldn't help but smile widely at the sight. She couldn't quite make out what Booth was saying to Menihau, but every now and then Menihau would let out a bark of laughter and shake his head at her partner. Not wiping the curious smile from her face, Brennan walked down towards the men.

Two opposing alpha men cooperating towards a common goal? The anthropologist in her couldn't resist. However, the more Angela-influenced side of Brennan was more intrigued by the very muscular and very shirtless men who were now staring at her.

"Good morning" Brennan said, eyeing Booth with special interest. His heart couldn't help but jump a little at the sight of her wearing his shirt. He wanted to capture her lips in his right then and there, but he figured that might be a little too soon for their delicate relationship.

"Hey there, Bones" Booth replied, rewarding her with a knowing smile. He knew that she would be happy with him for helping Menihau, but that was only part of the reason he did it. He truly wanted to help these people out as best he could.

Menihau also greeted Brennan warmly before turning his back and walking towards the rock pile to give her and Booth some privacy.

"What were you two laughing at?" Brennan asked curiously as she handed Booth a bottle of water that she'd been carrying.

Booth chuckled. "I might have mentioned something about you stabbing that guy in the arm…"

Brennan shook her head. "That's not funny. You could have died."

"I didn't though. You made sure of that." Booth winked. Brennan swatted him on the arm and stole the water bottle back, taking a deep gulp. He caught her hand just as it was leaving his arm and he brushed his thumb along her long fingers.

Brennan felt a nearly overwhelming urge to move away from him, but she fought off the sensation knowing that running away from Booth was irrational. She'd denied her feelings for him for at least a year, and logically speaking denial is completely irrational.

With that logical argument in mind, Brennan allowed Booth's hand to continue its soothing motion on her hand. She smiled slowly and let her eyes trace the definition of his muscular chest. Her free hand gently graced the top of his shorts and Booth's pulse quickened.

"You like what you see?" Booth said, trying to lighten the mood.

Brennan pursed her lips and then looked up at him seriously. "I think I like the loin cloth better."

Just then Menihau returned with a huge clay rock in his hands. He grunted from the exertion, causing Booth to snap back to reality.

Brennan nearly laughed at the way Booth had reacted to her words, and she was intrigued by the effect she seemed to have on him.

Booth, on the other hand, was slightly more aroused than amused. He debated taking the water bottle and splashing the water over his head, but then decided that they probably needed the water for survival more than he needed it to cool off his attraction for his partner.

Brennan walked towards the pile of rocks to organize them methodically around the base of the hut to provide the most structural benefit. Menihau began to try to discourage her from the hard physical labor, but Booth waved him off. If there was something not to be messed with, it was Temperance Brennan's will. Though she may not have the same muscular advantage as the two men, she could certainly help get the job done.

And that's how it started. The three of them had worked tirelessly that entire day, moving from hut to hut and either bringing new supplies in or just tidying up the mess that was left from the raid. It wasn't long before the other tribe members clued in to the rebuilding that was going on in their community, and soon there was a huge number of people bustling around with supplies and clearing away any unnecessary mess.

For three weeks they followed the same schedule. Brennan and Booth would work all day, and in the evenings Brennan would scribble furiously in her notebook or simply lounge around and talk to Booth.

Their relationship had not yet been consummated, but Brennan was sure that she had never felt the same kind of connection with someone before. Their sense of closeness had only been strengthened by the past months, and of that she was sure. They'd silently accepted that their constant bickering was just an element of their relationship, and so it never really stopped.

"Bones, I'm telling you. The Star Wars movies were made out of order. It started with the last three, and then he made three prequels!" Booth reiterated for the third time that night. It was dark outside and Booth was lying down on his back with his legs lazily sprawled out. Brennan, on the other hand, was sitting up cross legged and was very intent winning this argument. Though their muscles were exceedingly sore, they still found the energy to entertain each other.

"Booth that makes no sense! Surely a director of Steven Spielberg's caliber would never construct a set of movies out of order." She countered logically.

"Bones, Bones, Bones…" he muttered tiredly, "George Lucas made Star Wars, you're thinking of ET."

"Don't tell me what I'm thinking." She scolded.

"Look, have you even seen the Star Wars movies?" He asked, knowing that his victory with regards to this argument was in his grasp.

"Well… no. I saw the first one with Russ, but I've never really been into science fiction."

"I rest my case." Booth said with a satisfied sigh. He opened his eyes and peered over at Brennan who was fiddling with her broken sandal. She could feel his eyes on her and she felt her heart jump a little when she saw the smile on his face.

"What?" she asked, unable to help the smile that grew that mirrored the one on Booth's face.

"Oh, nothing." Booth said, knowing that the curiosity would only heighten her interest.

"What?" she asked again, as Booth's smile only grew. His whole body was browned from the sunlight after all of the time they'd spent working outdoors which only made his sparkling smile taunt her more.

"Come over here and I'll tell you." He said playfully, patting at the spot next to him on his makeshift bed.

Brennan rolled her eyes and put the sandal back on the floor, knowing that fixing it would be a lost cause. She crawled over the few feet to where Booth lay and then sat down again.

"Nope. Closer." He said, shaking his head.

"You're like a baby." Brennan said, rolling her eyes again.

"Did you just call me baby, baby?"

"What? No!" Brennan said, shaking her head vehemently. He laughed at her reaction and watched as she leaned in closer. "What is it?" she asked.

Booth, still lying down, peered up at her and pursed his lips, pretending to decide whether or not to quench her curiosity. He reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear and whispered into it.

"You're beautiful." He said.

Brennan's eyes widened and she looked down at him like he was crazy. After nearly two months in the desert, she was very doubtful that that statement was true. She opened her mouth to refute his comment, but she didn't have it in to do it. She had no idea what to say, so she very slowly brought her face even closer to his.

Without giving it more than a second thought, which was very unlike Brennan, she lowered her mouth to his and kissed him gently. Her fingers traced his cheekbone and she could feel his hands rub their way from her lower back to her shoulders. He pulled her body closer to his as he deepened the kiss.

Booth had resisted the urge to further their intimate relationship over the past few weeks because he didn't want to freak Brennan out or ruin the special connection that they had. It was becoming almost impossible to watch her sleep on the other side of the hut and not walk over there and take her in his arms. But now that Brennan had taken a step, it was like she was giving him her permission to fuel a fire that had been lit long ago.

The kiss quickly grew from being tender to being extremely passionate. It was as if all of their pent of sexual tension was being released all at once. His hands still on her shoulders, he moved her body on top of his own. His breath hitched as her legs straddled him, and their lips never parted.

Stopping only momentarily for air, Brennan pulled away and looked at him worriedly. "What happens when we go home?" she said breathlessly, finding the need to vocalize the words that had been on her mind since that day at the waterfall. What were they doing? Would this ruin their working relationship when they returned home? Would Cullen split them up? Would they keep it a secret?

It took a moment for Booth to retain his ability to speak. He was so caught up kissing her, but he knew that she needed reassurance that he wasn't going to just dismiss this as a vacation fling, or anything else.

"Bones, what do you think happens?" Booth asked, already knowing the answer. Unable to resist any longer, he began to trail kisses down her throat and made his way to her lips again.

"You can't answer a question with a question." She said, before gasping slightly at the feel of his tongue teasing her lower lip.

Booth smiled at her comment and brought her head to his chest, rubbing circles along her back. "Promise me you won't get mad?" he whispered into her auburn hair.

"Promise" she nodded into his chest, feeling so secure with his arms around her.

"I really, really need to be with you. And if going back to DC means that things will go back to the way they were, then I'm never going home."

Awww… what a sweetie! They'll be on the way home soon :)

I'm really sad to see this story end, but there's still exciting stuff to come!

Think of it as a finale! Are ya ready?

Thanks for reading, guys!