A/N: December 14th: Farchester chose the word "Vicodin" and I knew exactly what snippet to pull from my notes folder. Yay! I'm always happy when Notes parts get put to good use, even after years of waiting. This takes place directly after the Sin in the Sisterhood. (Fair warning: this means Hannah makes an appearance for a few seconds.) I've always thought that it was the perfect time for Booth to make his move. He tells Cam that you can't let The One get away, he doesn't want to invite Hannah to drinks, he orders "The usual" and basically tells Brennan that they are going to be together forever and yet…HH still had to slaughter Booth's heart the hard way. Well no more. This ends now.

OOOOO

"Hello?" Brennan called out as she knocked on Booth's door. "Booth?"

"Yeah." She heard him moan. "In here." He called from the couch.

"Cam told me that your back was out. I stopped by to see if I could be of assistance." She said as she glanced around. "Are you alone?"

"Yeah. Hannah just went to get my prescription filled." He groaned as he tried to sit up to see her better.

"Booth! You shouldn't be taking pills. You have a notoriously low tolerance for pain medication." Brennan said truthfully.

"What?!" Booth said, outraged. "No I don't."

"Christmas 2005: we were stuck in the lab and you had a very interesting reaction to the anti-fungal medication. The last time you put out your back and the doctor gave you that Vicodin? You claimed that the furniture felt 'friendly'." She air quoted and Booth scoffed at the term. "And when you had your brain surgery, you were in a coma for four days because of your reaction to the anesthesia." Brennan pointed to each of her fingers as she ticked off all the times that she had seen Booth affected poorly by medicine. Booth closed his eyes.

"Okay! I get it." He said, holding up his hands. "But it's not like I've never seen you high either. What about you and Angela in the Meth-club case?" Booth pointed out.

"That was a total accident and anyone in our situation would have had a very similar reaction." Brennan justified her actions that night. "Now stand up so I can fix your back." She demanded.

"Easier said than done, Bones." Booth groaned as he reached out for a little help. Brennan assisted him in standing up.

"Is it in the same place it was before?" She asked as she felt her way down his spine.

"Oww…" Booth gasped as she hit the spot. "Okay, right there. You found it. Now make it go away." He grimaced, clearly in pain.

"It's your ribs again." She said, knowing his medical history a little too well. "Hold on," She wrapped her arms through his shoulders and placed her hands on the back of his head. With a quick snap, she adjusted him so that he was straight again. She released him and he turned around slowly, not wanting to move too much. He gave a lean and a twist, double checking that everything was in working order.

"You did it. Ha-ha! Look at that!" He said as he clapped his hands together and swiveled his neck back and forth. "You're a miracle worker, Bones." He said honestly as he gave her a hug.

"It wasn't a miracle Booth, it was simple anatomy." She told him, but she didn't mind the hug from a still shirtless Booth.

"Okay, but you're still my girl with the magic knuckles." He promised and she couldn't help the crooked grin that appeared at the old compliment. At the sound of the front door opening, they both quickly jumped apart and Booth headed straight for his t-shirt.

"Oh. Hello." Hannah said as she glanced over at her half-naked boyfriend standing with his partner. "Hey! You're standing!" She said surprised. "When I left you, you could barely move."

"Bones fixed me up." Booth said as he threw his t-shirt on. "Magic hands." He informed his girlfriend.

"Oh, so I guess you won't be needing these." She said as she held up the pharmacy bag.

"Not today." He said. "Bones here is better than pills any day." He said with a grin.

"If the pain comes back, please don't take anything until you call me first." Brennan requested. "As your medical proxy, I need to know if I'll be getting calls from the local authorities." Booth laughed at her teasing but Hannah didn't.

"Thanks, Bones. I don't know what I would do without you." He said as he gave her a wink.

"You manage just fine." She said a bit coolly as she took in Hannah still standing in the kitchen. Booth seemed to understand what was happening and he followed Brennan's gaze to Hannah, who even Brennan recognized was looking less than thrilled at the moment. "I'll leave you two alone but Booth, please be careful. The pills might make you feel better for the moment, but they really do a number on your head."

"Thanks, Bones." Booth replied and Brennan could hear something in his voice as well but she headed for the door, wanting to get out of the apartment as fast as she could. She wasn't sure what she had said that had upset Hannah but she hoped that it was only a temporary anger and not something that would make their relationship become uncomfortable in the future. Booth loved her and if things were awkward between them, it would hurt her relationship with Booth as well.

OOOOO

Brennan poured herself a glass of wine and was preparing to sit down and read over her students' latest assignment when a knock came at the door. She knew that knock; she had heard it thousands of times.

Just not lately.

"Come in!" She called out, giving him permission to enter. The door opened and he stepped into the apartment.

"Hey Bones." He said. She knew immediately that something was wrong and she stood up, waiting for an explanation. "I, um…I'm sorry if I'm bothering you but I just…"

"No, no. Come in." She said, motioning him towards the couch. "What's wrong?" She asked as he sat down, her eyes searching his.

"Hannah and I broke up." He said in a daze and Brennan felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Her knees gave out as she sat down slowly next to him on the couch.

"What…what happened?" She asked, trying to find the words to speak.

"After you left, I just kept thinking about what you said about the pain pills: how they make me feel better in the moment but they mess with my brain." He started. "It dawned on me that maybe I was killing the pain of losing you with Hannah, which felt good, but only because I was numb and a bit delirious." He admitted. "And Hannah, well, she just kept thinking about how she was in a relationship with two people instead of one." He confessed. "And then we both stewed over it for a couple of hours and then we finally found a way to pick a fight and before I knew it, she was storming out and I wanted her to." He got a look of confusion on his face, as if he still couldn't believe it had actually happened and Brennan stayed absolutely still. "It was all a blur." He told her.

"I'm so sorry, Booth." She said quietly, feeling like this was all her fault. "I shouldn't have come over this afternoon. If I had any idea of what…"

"No." He said, cutting her off. "I'm glad that you did. Really. It was a good thing." He said. "Because the truth is, Bones, I haven't been entirely honest with you." She frowned. "Do you remember last week when you asked me what happened if you let the one you loved the most get away and I told you that that person wasn't going anywhere?" Her breath caught in her chest at his question. "Well, I let the one I loved the most get away." He informed her. "And now I'm wondering if I was right." He asked as he finally turned to look at her. "I'm wondering if she is still around."

"You mean me." She said knowingly.

"I mean you." He confirmed hesitantly. Brennan exhaled. "Look, Bones, when you told me that you loved me, I froze, okay? In that instant, all I could think of was that Hannah had moved all the way across the world to be with me and that must mean that it was love, right? I mean, you and I are so different and you had already broken my heart and I just, I needed to be with someone who would be there for me." He sighed. "So I did something stupid and I said that Hannah wasn't a consolation prize."

"I remember." She said, the pain of that moment still searing through her chest even now.

"But my heart, it wasn't satisfied with that answer." He confessed. "And last week, I had a conversation with Cam about not letting the love of your life get away and I had a passing thought that maybe… maybe I had let mine get away." He said reluctantly. Brennan bit her lip as her stomach turned over. She suddenly found herself very anxious but Booth continued unaffected by her nerves. "And then during the case, you and I, we were getting along so well and it felt like we were on the same page for the first time in a long time."

"We were." She agreed. She had enjoyed working with him on that case very much.

"Then afterwards, you asked me how we were supposed to know who we loved the most and I said 'You just know'." Booth paused, half-expecting her to run away at the phrase. "And as soon as the words were out of my mouth, I thought 'That was stupid. Those are the words that got you in trouble last time!' but you didn't even flinch. They weren't a problem anymore. It was just the truth." He said with a shrug.

Brennan had felt the small flicker of hope in the air that night. Something had changed between them with his unspoken vow: the person you love the most wasn't going anywhere. He wasn't going anywhere. They were the center and the center would hold.

"I'm still that guy, Bones. I just know. And even though I had a foolish way of trying to tell you the last time around, I know now that's never going to change." He informed her. "You're always going to be the one I love the most." He said simply.

Brennan felt her heart metaphorically melt at his words and her hands began to shake. She interlocked her fingers and placed them in her lap, not wanting Booth to notice.

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything if you're not ready." He said. "Last time, I expected too much. I expected you to just fall into my arms and everything would be perfect but I don't want that anymore." He told her. "I want something real." At his words, something inside of Brennan clicked into place as if she had been waiting to hear those words from him for years and she hadn't even known it.

"What happened to 30, or 40, or 50 years?" She asked.

"I used to think that was the goal." He admitted. "But now I know that it's just the byproduct of something stronger." He reached out and placed a hand over her trembling hands. "Look Bones, I'm serious. I want this to be real or I don't want it at all. Think about it and when you know what you want, come find me." He said as he stood up, preparing to leave. Brennan looked up at him from her place on the couch, clearly confused.

"Wait. That's it?" She asked. "You just walk in here, tell me that you're in love with me and then you're gone?" Booth stared at her.

"I know you, Bones. You need time to process. I forgot that last time so I'm giving you the space to do it now." He said. "You know where to find me when you've made your decision."

"What if I don't want time and space?" She asked as she stood up to face him, pissed that he would assume what she wanted without even consulting her first. "What if all I really want is to kiss you until I can't breathe?" Booth's eyes dilated and she took a step forward. "What if I want nothing more than to peel your clothes off your body and make love to you over and over again?" She finally got close enough to nearly press her body against his and she stopped. It was up to him to take the last step. Her heart was racing as she wondered if he would do it but then, he reached out to hold her hips in his hand and he looked into her eyes. It looked like he half-expected her to disappear at his touch but when she didn't, he finally spoke.

"I'm willing to negotiate." He whispered before crashing his mouth against hers and kissing her like there was no tomorrow. She didn't hesitate as she tugged his neck down hard, wanting to taste all of him, all at once, no matter how impossible it was to accomplish. She had waited so long for this moment that now that it was finally here, she felt the need to make up for every lost moment. She reached down and pulled on his t-shirt, signaling that she wanted him to remove it but his wandering hands weren't leaving her body long enough to make this a reality just yet. She reached for his belt instead and fumbled with the buckle as he sucked her lip into his mouth. She finally managed to open his fly and push his pants around his ankles and he let go of her long enough to kick them aside. He pulled his shirt over his head in one smooth glide and she felt herself grow wet at the sight of his perfectly sculpted chest and shoulders.

Booth raised his hands from her waist, dragging her t-shirt up with them and she pulled it off. The yoga pants she was in dropped to her ankles and he sighed.

"Oh, Bones…" He murmured as he pulled her warm body against him. "You're beautiful." She flushed at his praise and he took her hand, leading her towards the bedroom. He lay her down on the mattress and she ran her hands over his pecs as he settled in above her.

"I want to touch every inch of you." She found herself confessing. Booth didn't think twice as he pinned her hands above her head, his own strong hands holding her still.

"I'd never survive it." He confessed. "My turn first." She nodded, liking the thought that she could get him off with just her hands on his flesh. He nestled his body between her open legs and she wrapped her legs around him. His lips traced her jaw and ear and she arched against him, subconsciously rubbing their hips together in a rhythm she knew he would respond to. Booth stayed on top of her, their hands stuck to the mattress. They both knew that she could wrestle free if she really wanted to but she let him lead, if only out of curiosity. His mouth found her clavicle before traversing the pale expanse of her skin. He kissed his way down the valley of her breasts, which were pointedly begging for attention, before laving at the taut peaks. He kept the pressure light, teasing her with his lack of pressure. Her clit throbbed for the same attention. Booth seemed to read her mind, one hand dropping down to her thigh and prying her clenched legs from his waist so that he could slide down her body and suck the throbbing bundle of flesh.

"Ohhhh…." She cried, unable to focus on anything but the idea that Booth, her Booth, was sending the most intense pleasure throughout her nervous system. She had a nagging suspicion that it wasn't just his talent that made it feel better than all the others before him. He pulled away and she unconsciously pouted.

"Another time." He promised as he kissed the corner of her frown. "But the first time I have to be inside of you."

"Yes." She murmured, her mind short-circuiting at the thought of being able to have him more than once. He kissed her as he entered her slowly, not wanting to hurt her. She gasped in pleasure and tightened her grip on his back. "Booth…" She whispered in wonder at how perfect he felt inside her.

"Oh Bones…" He sounded like he was about to cry. "You're everything. How could I have ever doubted this?" He asked as he began to move inside her.

Brennan honestly thought she was going to die from pleasure. Every stroke lit her up from the inside out and her nerve endings fired at will. Her body seemed to be chanting his name and her lips began to echo the hymn.

"Booth, Booth, Booth." She moaned, keeping time with the rhythm that was going to both drown and release her all at the same time. The call and response of her name came from him as they fought to occupy the same space. She broke first, his love washing over her, wave after wave until she was unable to be anything other than his but he followed quickly, calling her name as he fell over the edge and into her arms.

They were left trembling in each other's embrace as they tried to process what they had just done. He placed a gentle kiss to her sweaty temple and rolled onto his back, pulling her over top of him. She placed kisses on his chest, unable to express how she felt any other way.

"Bones…" Booth eventually spoke, tugging on her elbow. "Look at me." He requested as she finally looked him in the eye. "We just did something life-altering. You gotta tell me what you're thinking."

Brennan didn't know what to think.

But one look in his eye and she knew what he really wanted to know: the answer to his earlier question.

"You were right." She finally replied. "I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere." She felt his pulse quicken under her hands and she grew brave. "I think I would wait an entire lifetime for you." She whispered.

And she knew it was true.