A/N: Yay, two days in a row I updated. xD This chapter actually came very easily to me. I also apologize in advanced, because it's kind of short, but I wanted to save them bringing home the baby for its own chapter. I'm pretty excited to write that one. =] Thank you everyone for your feedback as well. I love to read your thoughts.

Chapter Twenty-One:

"We Took An Oath, Temperance"

Booth wasn't coming back. She realized that after he was gone for forty-five minutes and she was lying alone in her hospital room, just looking at the walls. It was about an hour after he left when Angela came in, and Brennan had to force a smile, pretending everything was all right. When her friend asked where her husband was, she simply laughed and said he stepped out for a while, which wasn't completely false. He did step out, but it wasn't a laughing matter. And she had absolutely no idea where he went.

After Angela talked to her for a little while, she looked at her watch and realized it was late, and that she and Hodgins were going to head home for the night. Brennan waited another fifteen minutes after Angela left for her husband, who still didn't show. She had really upset him, and she wanted to apologize, but how could she when he left and wouldn't come back?

Feeling alone, Brennan turned over onto her side, closing her eyes, able to feel tears burning behind her closed eyelids. She wanted Christian, but he was sleeping in the nursery, and she wanted her husband, but he was mad at her. She wanted to go back and not say what she said about being committed to her partnership with Ricky. She wanted to work with Booth, but she didn't want to hurt Ricky's feelings by breaking off their partnership. If only she wasn't so socially awkward, she would have worded that the way she wanted to. She knew she should have never used the word 'committed'. That was what hurt her husband the most. When there was a knock on the door, she quickly dried her tears, sniffing before she answered.

"Come in," she called to them, sitting up and wiping her eyes so, when her guest came in, they wouldn't know that she had just been crying.

Booth stepped inside, for the first time in almost two and a half hours, a forced half smile on his face and a hand behind his back. He was no longer in his suit. He was now in a t-shirt and jeans, which made her come to the conclusion that he had gone home to cool off after the partnership incident.

"Hi," his voice was soft, his half smile charming.

"Hi," her voice was just slightly softer than his when she spoke back.

Booth approached her bed, his hand still behind his back.

"I've got something for you," he revealed the item he was hiding, handing her the zebra he had gotten Christian for Christmas.

Brennan reluctantly took the zebra from his hand, placing it next to her on the bed.

"Thank you," she thanked him quietly.

He smiled at her, but she could tell it was not genuine, and she tried her best to smile back, curious to know if they were going to address what just happened, or if they were just going to let it go.

"So," Brennan finally spoke again after a few minutes of silence, "are we going to...talk about this?"

"Yeah," Booth said softly, taking her hand in his, "I know you're tired, and worn out from everything that's happened today, but we need to have a serious discussion."

The words 'serious discussion' didn't fail to make her nervous, especially when he was acting so serious, his tone dark, and his face not lit up in it's normal, Booth-y way.

"Okay," she urged him to start with the single word.

"Bones," he started, looking down at their intertwined hands as he spoke, taking a deep sigh before he continued, "I love you-"

"I love you too," she cut him off to assure him of that fact.

"I know," he promised, "I know you do, but things haven't really been good between us lately. There's no denying that."

He could see Brennan shake her head out of the corner of his eye, looking up from their hands to find her looking at him intently.

"Booth-"

"Please don't argue with me, Bones, we both know it," he said, seriously, knowing she was about to spew a million reasons why things were fine, "and there's been something on my mind for a while now, and I think it's time we talked about it."

Brennan furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Are you breaking up with me?" She asked softly.

"No," he said quickly, with a small, nervous laugh, "God, of course not, Bones. We're married, and you just had a baby, and I do love you. There's just something I need to know, and I need you to be one hundred percent honest with me."

"Always," she promised, "I'm always completely honest with you," she touched his forearm gently with her free hand, the one that wasn't holding his, urging him to speak his mind, "go ahead, Booth. We've been together for a year now. You should know nothing you say is going to make me run."

Booth sighed, placing his hand over hers.

"I," he paused, unsure of how he wanted to word this, "I need to know if you have feelings for Ricky."

"What?" She asked, completely shocked by the question.

"I just need a yes or no answer," he told her, making sure that she didn't try to change the subject in order to avoid the question, or start to explain herself in full detail, "do you have romantic feelings for Ricky?"

"No," she assured him, "I don't. Ricky and I are just friends. We're just partners."

"The same way we were 'just partners'?" Booth had to ask the question, knowing that, before they were together, 'partners' was the word they always used to cover up their feelings.

When the feelings would become to strong, they hid behind that word, because having feelings for each other was not okay. Being partners was. And Booth couldn't help but fear that maybe she was now hiding from her feelings for Ricky behind that very same word. Because, again, having feelings for him was not okay. Not when she was married and had a baby.

"No," her voice was pleading, "Booth, please, look at me," she waited until they were making eye contact before she continued, "I do not have romantic feelings for Ricky Hernandez. I love you, and you're the only person I want to be with. Ricky is kind, and he's a good friend, but you are so much more than that. You're my best friend, and my husband, and the father of my child. I could never feel for Ricky the way I feel for you."

There was a long pause between them as Booth just looked at her with love and admiration in his eyes.

"Do you believe me?" She asked.

"Yes," he promised, leaning down to capture her lips in a gentle kiss, kissing her softly for only a few seconds before he asked his next question, "I believe you, Bones, but there's one more thing I have to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"I still need you to be honest though, okay?"

"Okay."

"Even though you don't have feelings for Ricky...do you think he has feelings for you?"

Brennan's knee-jerk response was going to be 'no'. She wanted to defend her partner, and swear to her husband that Ricky was only nice to her because he was a good friend. But she promised him honesty, and that was what she was going to give to him.

"I think," she paused, looking up into his eyes once again, "I think...he might."

"You do?" Booth asked, not expecting that response to come from her.

"Yes," Brennan sounded slightly ashamed, "Angela says he does...and he is very kind, and, truth be told, he flirts a little. I think he may have feelings for me, but I don't think they are serious. And I don't think he would ever try anything," she paused, "he has too much respect for me to do that. He knows I'm happy with you."

"Are you?" He asked, "Are you completely happy and satisfied... just being with me?"

"Booth," she laughed lightly at the ridiculous question, "yes," she moved her hand to stroke the side of his face gently, "I am one hundred percent satisfied with you. I know I've made my comments about monogamy, and how there is no way that one person can satisfy all of my needs, but I am comfortable admitting that you proved me wrong on that subject."

He finally smiled fully for the first time since he entered the room, causing her to smile as well.

"Yeah?" He laughed lightly, "Did you just say I was right?"

"I believe I did," she smiled, running her fingers gently through his hair, sitting up as much as she could in order to kiss his cheek, "I love you, Seeley Booth. You are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. That is why I married you."

Booth smiled and kissed her again, having this conversation making both of them feel like there was a huge weight lifted off their shoulders.

"Bones, I have to be honest," he tucked her hair behind her ear when he spoke to her, "I know you said you wouldn't mind if I cheated on you, but, if you cheated on me, I would mind."

"Well then good thing I have no desire to cheat on you," she told him honestly, "and if I am going to be completely honest, I'll tell you that, despite what I said a few weeks ago, I think if you actually did cheat on me, I would care," she smiled when he laughed, "I wouldn't be able to help it. I feel...very possessive of you."

"Well I am your husband," he reminded her, "I'm pretty much your property."

Brennan simply smiled and pulled him into a tight hug by the shoulders, burying her face into the crook of his neck. She felt his hands move to stroke her back gently while they hugged, her cheek pressing against his shoulder as she sighed.

"I didn't know if you were going to come back after you left," she admitted.

"I'll always come back," he assured her, kissing her temple softly, "no matter what. I would never leave you like that."

Brennan closed her eyes to keep the sudden tears from escaping, lowering her voice.

"Please don't ever walk out on me like that again," she whispered, holding him close, whispering into his ear, "please."

"I'm sorry," he whispered back, "I was upset, but I shouldn't have done that," he put a finger under her chin, tilting her head up so he could look at her face, which now had a few tears trickling down her cheeks, "I will never walk out on you, Bones," he promised, looking her in the eyes as he wiped away her tears, "ever. Do you understand me? I'm never going to abandon you. We took an oath, Temperance. 'As long as we both shall live'."

Brennan nodded in agreement, feeling him let go of her, only to take her hands in his.

"Do you remember what we said to each other that night? When we exchanged rings?" He didn't wait for a response before he continued, "I offer you my hand and my heart, for I know they will be safe with you..."

"All that I am, I give to you, and all that I have, I share with you," she finished for him, cupping his cheek affectionately in her palm, "as long as we both shall live, Booth," she leaned up to kiss him softly, "I love you. You're the only man I have ever loved. Ricky Hernandez doesn't hold a match to you."

"Candle," Booth corrected her, with a small laugh, "but I got the gist. And I love you too, Temperance. Every single part of you. Even the parts that piss me off."

Brennan tugged him down once again so their lips could meet in a gentle kiss, their lips parting against one another's, their tongues tangling just the way she liked it, and she knew that there would never be another man that she wanted to kiss like this. She could only hope that Booth understood that, and had no more doubts.