Chapter Twenty One:

Brennan stood staring at her door. She closed her eyes trying to think of the last time that she saw her apartment. Angela opened the door. Parker had made her a banner which read "Welcome Home Bones!" on it. Booth smiled looking at the familiar child-like handwriting.

"Parker wanted to make you something. Mrs. Booth stopped by the office today to give it to me to hang up. I'll leave the two of you to get settled in." Angela quietly let herself out of the apartment.

Booth stood quietly watching her move around her place. "Hodgins had his housekeeping staff come by and clean the place up for you." He informed her as Brennan looked around her place. It seemed that she was trying to get familiar with her surroundings again.

Brennan nodded moving slowly around, touching some of her familiar artifacts. "Temperance . . ."

"Booth . . ." Brennan started, holding up her hand to forestall him. He nodded, letting her have her go first. "Booth, I know that you don't like the fact that I am going to try to stay here on my own, but I have to try."

He nodded. "I don't think you should stay here on your own. At least let me spend the night." Booth insisted.

She stared at him, longing to let him know that she wanted him there, that she only felt safe with him. "But then I would learn to depend on you, and then what?" She asked him. "Miller stole so much from us. He stole what could have been a wonderful relationship. I don't know who I am anymore."

He looked at her. He understood what she was going through for he had gone through the same thing after his imprisonment overseas. Booth nodded, walking over to her. "You don't have to do it alone. I can help you."

"I have to try Booth." She told him.

"If you need me I can be here in 15 minutes, alright?" He assured her, as well as himself. Everything in him was telling him to stay, not to leave her.

"Booth, it's a thirty minute drive." Brennan smiled slightly. "And I don't have my cell phone anymore."

He pulled one out handing it to her. "I had it turned back on. It's your old number, I'm programmed in as speed dial 1." She accepted the device.

"Booth I think I will be just fine."

"Bones listen," He sighed. "Miller never named his accomplice. We don't know who he is. He is still out there. I have a car coming by to take sit out in front of your building for the next couple of days just to be sure."

She nodded. She walked him over to the door. As he went to leave, he turned around, engulfing her as well as he could with his arm. "We will get through this Bones. I'll be by tomorrow to take you to go see Connor."

She gave him a half smile as she shut the door. She immediately regretted her decision as she heard the echo of the door closing. Brennan was alone again.

--

Booth drove back to his place, half worried, half angry, mostly sad. Booth knew what it was like to have to reintegrate into society, and he knew that she would need help. He entered the door, slamming it shut.

"Seeley Booth the door didn't do anything to you." His mother scolded him from the kitchen.

"Sorry Mom." He apologized sheepishly. "Is Parker already in bed?" She nodded, pulling out his plate from the oven.

"You couldn't convince her to come back with you could you." Joyce stated.

"No." Booth sighed, digging into his food. "I'm just so worried about her Mom. I know how hard it is to try to get back to what your life was. People who know you just keep staring, waiting to see what is going to set you off; they walk on eggshells."

"Seeley, your father and I just didn't know what to do. I'm sorry that we couldn't be better for you back then. We did our best." Joyce informed him knowing that he was speaking of his own reintegration. It had pained her everyday to watch him struggle. She saw the difference that the war did to him in his eyes. It was like a totally different person.

"Mom that comment wasn't anything toward you. It was your support that help me find who I was to become." He explained to her. He heard the sound of thunder off in the distance. "I better run outside and put Parker's bike up before it gets all rusted."

"You never put your toys up either when you were his age." She smiled at her son, giving him a kiss on the cheek before making her way up the stairs. He sighed, hearing the rain pelt against the windows, knowing that he would have to go save a bicycle.

Booth ran into the unrelenting rain as he grabbed the bicycle off the front lawn. The rain was coming down in buckets now soaking Booth completely to the bone. He sat on the bumper of his car watching the rain come down in buckets. He moved to put Parker's bike up on the hooks, groaning as he put the bikes up on the rack. He stripped off his wet t-shirt that was painfully rubbing up against his stitches, he watched the rain for a couple more minutes, hoping that Brennan was okay. He pushed off the bumper, making his way toward the access door to his house. He reached up to hit the garage door when he heard someone approaching.

"I gave you that scar last Halloween." Brennan told him softly. She reached out and touched his side. "You must have been a great sniper, you didn't even hear me coming." She let out a small laugh.

"I knew it was you Bones." He turned around looking at her. She was soaked head to toe.

"How did you know?"

"You favor your left leg when you walk, you smell like lavender and vanilla." He waited a moment, touching her hair. "You use Aveda rosemary and mint shampoo. You have a tiny scar above your eye." He inhaled deeply. "I missed you so much." He saw a bolt of lightening streak through the sky followed by a clap of thunder. She jumped slightly toward him. "Hey are you okay?"

"The power went out over at my place. It was so dark, and the shadows were moving toward me, getting ready to engulf me. All I wanted to do was to be here with you. I didn't want to be alone anymore." The storm was worsening around them. He looped an arm around her, leading her into the house.

"Bones, you are home here."

--

Booth led her inside, setting her down at the table. He heard his mother upstairs, rummaging around, he heard Parker getting up to get his drink of water.

"Do you want some coffee?"

"Yeah. That would be great." She smiled at him. Booth turned to the pantry making himself busy. He heard Parker entering the kitchen.

"Bones!" He ran over beside her. "You're all wet."

"I just came over and it was raining." She explained to him.

"You need to get in the shower and get warm." Parker demanded over her. He reached over and grabbed her hand. "I'll show you how to get the water just the right temperature."

"Yeah Bones, go grab a quick shower. I'll find something for you to wear, and the coffee will be ready. Parker as soon as you are done helping Bones, come grab your water and go back to bed. You have school tomorrow." Booth told both of them.

He heard Parker groan but the tone he had used was one that Parker knew meant business. "Okay Daddy."

He smiled at his son and partner and quickly continued to fix a light dinner and coffee for the two of them. He knew it was going to be a long night for them.

AN: So I wasn't so happy with all of the times I wrote this chapter, so hopefully this will make up for the fact that I have waited so long to post this installment. I am trying to figure out where to go. I had everything planned up until the hospital release. I am planning on Booth/Brennan dancing around their feelings together, trying co-parenting, and an eventual case that will help wrap everything up, but it is slow going. I hope you guys like epic stories, and that there are people out there still reading this one!