A/N Good evening all! Here is a short little blurb that I wanted to stand on its own as a chapter. I could have incorporated it into a longer chapter 22, but I felt that it was sweet enough to be independent in its own context.

No, we don't address the whole Hannah-scenario yet, but fear not, I have received your messages! It will soon be coming up! We will have to compare her side of the tale with his side… But just not in this chapter!

Disclaimer: Unless some genie came to me in the middle of the night, unbeknownst to me, and granted my wishes, I still don't own Bones…. But yes, this story is still all mine!

"Booth, why are you here? What the hell is going on?" She spoke the words harsher, and louder, than she had planned. Her voice was angry. She was trying to understand his motives and she wasn't getting it. He was not making it clear to her, and she was getting anxious to know what was happening. "Booth, I don't understand, please, will you help me out here?"

Booth was taken aback by her tone. "Why am I here? Bones, this is my place. I am here because we're at my apartment."

She was shaking her head, "No, Booth, I know this is your place, I am not that out-of-it… That's not what I meant." She sighed in exasperation, before she began firing off sentence after sentence without breathing. "Booth, why are we here? What are we doing? Why did you bring me here to your apartment? I have no place here... no right to be here... What's Hannah going to say when she comes home and finds me, here, with you, like this? You should have taken me to my place, so I wouldn't be in the way. I don't want to interfere with your life, now, Booth. And I don't understand why you're… why you're being so… so affectionate towards me." Her words grew softer and less confident, her voice was deflated. "I don't understand what's happening, here, Booth. I don't understand why you're asking me to forgive you. I feel like I don't understand anything right now. And I am feeling…. Well, I am feeling lost, Booth. And usually when I am feeling lost, I turn to you to help me find myself, but I don't know how to do that now… I don't know if you want to really help me or if you're just here out of obligation or guilt or… I don't know… I just don't know." Small tears began forming at the corners of her eyes, and she willed them to disappear, but she knew they would not obey. She was feeling so frustrated that she couldn't control her emotions and she couldn't voice what she was actually feeling – her words were failing her. A best-selling author and she couldn't even put into words her own feelings… God, what a failure I am! What the hell is the matter with me?

He tucked his head back and tilted down, hoping to look into her eyes, but she wasn't looking at him. "Bones, I am here because you need me here. I am here because you asked me to be with you, and I would never say no to you; I could never say no to you. I am here because I need to know that you are going to be alright, and in order to know that, to truly know it, I need to be by your side. I brought you to my apartment for a couple of reasons, Bones. First, I thought that going back to your own home, being in your own bed, might be a little traumatic for you, seeing as how you were just abducted from there. I was trying to make it easier on you. Second, I figured that you would be out of commission for at least a few days, and if I was going to be of any help to you at all, I needed to know where everything was; I need to know that I can put my hands on whatever you might need. I don't know where everything is in your place, but I do know my own place." He still looked down at her, wishing she would look up at him, but she kept her eyes trained downward.

"Listen, Bones, I am not here out of obligation or guilt or anything else your mind may be conjuring up. I am here because I want to be here. I want to be with you. And I think you want me here, too, Bones. I don't think I'm wrong about that…" Booth reached his hand up and tipped her chin until she was practically forced to make eye contact with him, and he looked deep into her eyes, his own pleading that she would understand. "Bones… I ask you to forgive me for everything. Everything over the past 5 ½ months has been, I know, not easy on you. I know, because it has not been easy for me either. I've been an ass; and a jerk towards you when you didn't deserve it. I know that I can't expect you to forgive me immediately; I don't deserve your absolution that quickly, but if you can, somewhere in your metaphorical heart, eventually find a way to overlook my idiocy and accept my apology, I would be eternally grateful to you."

She looked at him in disbelief.

"Booth, you've done nothing that requires my forgiveness. You don't need forgiveness. I don't understand what you're saying when you ask me for that."

He took a deep breath. This is it, he told himself, go for a different outcome; he hoped he wasn't making a bigger mistake than he had the year before when he poured his heart to her on the steps of the Hoover.

"Bones, after we got back, you know, me from Afghanistan and you from Maluku, things changed." She nodded at him, knowingly, and looked like she was about to speak, so he put his finger to her lips. He needed to speak what was on his mind, and he couldn't do that if she was going to interrupt him. "Bones, the changes were not good. Not good for either of us. And I'm at fault for that. If I hadn't come back with - - with Hannah - - things would not have dissolved the way they did. I was not fair to you over the past 5 ½ months, Bones. I lost my temper with you a lot; we were not as proficient at solving cases, I didn't spend time with you like I should have – like I wanted to – like we used to."

She interjected before he could stop her, "Booth, the changes we experienced were not your fault. I am the one to blame for everything that happened. I pushed you away. I forced you to 'move on', if you recall. You needed to have someone who could return your love in a way that I didn't think I could." She once again lowered her eyes, feeling shame and softening her voice, "I know, now, that I made a mistake, Booth, but I realized it too late. I should have given 'us' a chance…I missed my opportunity with you, and I have only myself to blame for that. I am glad that you're happy now. I am glad that you found love, Booth. It's important to me that you are happy and at peace, because you are my best friend…My partner… my - -" She stopped her thought before it materialized from her lips, then continued. "I don't ever want you to think that you did anything to me that I didn't deserve." She paused to swallow; Booth could tell she had more to say. "Booth, you are happy, aren't you? I mean, with your life now, with her, you're satisfied and at peace, right? You're feeling good?"

He avoided the question he knew she was actually asking – 'does Hannah make you happy', and instead diverted momentarily. "Bones, what I am feeling right now, is just worried. I am worried about you. I am worried about us. I am worried that when you get back on your feet, that you will run again. You might run from what I want to tell you; from what I need to tell you and what I am determined to tell you. I am scared that I am going to have to watch you leave again, and I will be powerless to stop you."

Her chest tightened as her imagination started to spiral into a proverbial tail-spin. She was afraid that he was about to tell her just how in love he was with Hannah. That Hannah was everything to him that she could never be. She had visions of having to wish her Partner congratulations on his impending engagement. Booth was the marrying-kind, and after all, Hannah was living there, so it was the natural next step in their relationship. She knew that he was afraid she was going to turn away from their partnership, their friendship, when he told her of his undying love for the beautiful blond who followed him from a war-zone to D.C. Hannah had followed him; Brennan had run from him… Hannah was the woman who could give him everything that she, Brennan, had once thought she could never give; Hannah was the woman who actually got the man that she, herself, so desperately wanted for her own. Brennan knew she had missed her chance with him forever, she missed their moment. It was entirely her own fault that he fell into another set of welcoming arms for comfort. He told her he had to move on if she would not give 'them' a chance to be together; stupidly and stubbornly, she let him, hell – she practically pushed him to do it. But he deserved her support now. He was obviously being so gentle with her because he was nervous about telling her the truth, and she was being unfair to him by not letting him just come out and tell her.

As more tears started spilling, she lowered her eyes and spoke quietly, "Booth, I won't run anywhere. I am done running. I'm done. Please tell me what is happening with you. Please tell me what you're stalling to say."

He palmed her cheek, forcing her to look back up to him. He let his thumb wipe away the river of tears that was coursing down the side of her nose, dripping over her lips. "Bones, don't cry. Please don't cry; I don't want to make you sad. I just need to be honest with you. I need you to know the truth. I wanted to tell you at The Founding Fathers the other night, after everyone else left; that's why I asked you to stay behind, to sit with me a bit longer. But we were having such a good evening, I hated to bring it up and ruin what we had going. It felt like old times, Bones; you and me sharing drinks and laughing, enjoying each other. We haven't had that in a very long time. It felt… well… it felt like it was supposed to feel. It felt like 'we' were back like before, only better, because we'd been missing it for so long." He took a deep breath and continued to stroke her cheek with his thumb.

Her beautiful blue eyes were filled with pain, and it was killing him. God, I'm making a mistake. She doesn't want to hear this. She doesn't want to know; but I can't hold it in, I need her to listen, to hear what I have to say…A different ending, that's what I need to try for... "Bones, I'm not with Hannah anymore. I told her to leave. She doesn't live here anymore; she has no place in my apartment or in my life anymore. She's gone, Bones. So I could really care less about what she would think about you being here with me." He looked into her watery pools and was baffled at what he saw. He saw confusion staring back at him. Confusion and misunderstanding.

"Wha – what? What do you mean? When did this happen? Booth -?"

"Three days ago, I told her to leave. Pretty much kicked her out, actually."

"Umm… Uhhh…I don't know what to say, Booth. Do I say 'sorry' or 'congratulations'? Normally I would ask your or Angela's advice for a socially acceptable response to such a revelation, but since Angela's not here, and it's actually happening to you, I can't really ask you what I should say…"

Booth smiled at her complete honesty and innocent awkwardness. He pulled her head to tuck under his chin, and spoke in a husky whisper, "Bones, you don't have to say anything. There is no obligation mandated by society in such a matter. But, I can tell you that I am not sorry it happened. And I hope, deep down, that you're not sorry either… Bones."

"I thought… I mean…You're not trying to tell me that you're engaged or getting married? That she's everything you ever wanted and she's the best thing to ever happen to you? That she's all the things that I could never be?" She was sobbing openly at that point.

He looked at her incredulously, "What? What the hell are you talking about, Bones?"

"I – I thought that you were nervous about telling me how well everything is going, now that you've moved on. That you are so in love with Hannah, and – and"

Her words were cut off by his mouth crashing down on hers. Hard and firm, yet soft and sensual at the same time. He still held her cheek in his palm, and looped his fingertips into her hair and pulled her into him while he kissed her like a dying man grasping to his last breath. She parted her lips and welcomed him as he was seeking entrance. There was no alpha male/alpha female fight for dominance here. She simply granted him what he was asking for; she submitted, allowing his tongue to explore her mouth, tangle with her own, to claim her as his. She willingly let him take control of the kiss and she felt him moan into her. She reached her left arm up and let her fingers curl into the short hair on the back of his head. She gave to him freely, and he kissed her like no other man had ever kissed her. Through just his lips, she felt him telling her so much more than any words could ever communicate. As the kiss softened, he brought his whole hand back around to her cheek, stroking it gently as he continued to suck and tug at her lips. He pulled her top lip into his mouth, sucking it hard, and then let it go to grab the lower one, gentler, taking care near her cut, but took it in between his lips all the same, then moved back to the top again. She couldn't stop herself from groaning in pleasure as she tasted him over and over.

Slowly, he pulled back from her, and she missed him already, although their lips, technically, were still touching, albeit very lightly. "Booth – Booth," was all she could manage to verbalize, her voice breathy and her mind high on Boothy-ness. Her open mouth rested lightly against his as she tried to gather her thoughts into a coherent statement, but she couldn't think of anything other than the air she was sharing with this man. The kiss they had just permitted each other to experience washed over her and made her feel delirious. Wonderfully delirious.

"Bones, God, Bones…I'm sorry, I couldn't help it… I shouldn't have done that, but I just couldn't stop myself." He looked into her eyes, again seeking a form of forgiveness that he hoped she would grant him.

"Why are you sorry, Booth? I'm not. Unless you are sorry because it wasn't what you were expecting, in which case, I can change my technique to match what you want it to be, if that would make a difference." Her voice was soft and airy and oh-so-sexy to his ears, and only slightly insecure.

"Huh? Change it? Oh, Hell, no, Bones, you don't need to change a thing. You kiss… wow… um… Your kisses are amazing…" He pulled back so he could look into her eyes. "Bones, I meant that I didn't mean to kiss you so suddenly; I had no permission. Look, I remember what you said - I know that you only wanted a relationship based on our friendship and our partnership, and I don't want to overstep those boundaries, but … but Bones, when I thought I was going to lose you tonight, I thought about all of our lost moments. All of the 'could have been' chances that we missed. All of the times I desperately wanted to pull you into my arms and just smother you with kisses; all of the times I wanted to wrap my hands into your silky hair and just get lost looking into your eyes. All the times I just wanted to hold you close, to breathe the same air and occupy the same space…" He looked at her hard, his eyes moist with emotion. "Please don't run, Bones, I beg you. If all you want is friendship, then I will go with that. I just need you in my life. I need you by my side, as my partner and my best friend, as whatever you want. I need to see you and talk to you every day; otherwise I think I will go crazy. I can't stand not spending time with you. And if the only way I can be close to you is to be best friends, then I will live with that. I've missed you so much, and I just don't want to lose you again. Bones, I never, never, stopped loving you."

"Booth, stop. Please stop." Her hand drifted from the nape of his neck to trace his jawline and she pressed her palm flat against his slightly stubbly cheek. "Listen to me, Booth, as far as I'm concerned, you haven't done anything that warrants my forgiveness, but if you feel that you need it, then you have it. I was not upset with you; I've never been upset with you. I've been upset with myself. Booth, there's so much I want to tell you. So much that I never said. I don't even know where to begin."

"You just did, Bones. You just did." He smiled down at her; now they were both shedding tiny tears. Tears of happiness, relief; tears that were 7 years in the making and were finally granted permission to break free. Their eyes locked on each other's and instantly, they both knew what was coming. They both knew this was their time, their moment; neither was willing to let it pass without reaching out and snagging it with all their might and hanging onto it for dear life. The Partners finally appeared to be not only at the same concert, but singing the same song. They smiled; the mirrored love they shared for one another was shining through like a lighthouse beacon on a dark stormy night. They had a lot to talk about, and for them, despite everything that had happened, the night was suddenly very young.

Postscript A/N

Ahh… My muse is finally allowing B&B to speak the same language! Whew!

Thanks for reading and as always, THANK YOU for the review… the one that I just know you're dying to leave for me…. You are planning to let me know what you think…. Right?