Booth went to the bathroom to check on Brennan. "Babe are you okay"

"It stings"

"Just let cool water run over you."

"I need to get the bleach smell off me"

"Okay let me get something that won't sting." He held his gauzed hand out to her and when she stepped out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around her. Just relax." He called Angela and asked if she had any baby wash.

"Yeah there is some in the closet in the upstairs bathroom, why?"

"Soap is stinging Bones skin."

Once he had the baby soap he set the water at warm, removed the bandages from his hands and he climbed in the shower with her, using only his hands and the baby soap he gently washed her, then her hair. The shampoo stung his knuckles as is flowed across his wounds, he ignored the pain. He was going to make up for what she had to go through by taking care of her. After the shower he used the lotion the hospital recommended for her. He carefully rubbed it down her back, as he got to her hips, she stopped him. "Booth I can put lotion on myself."

"I don't mind."

"I am sure you don't." She smiled trying to lighten the mood, but he didn't catch on. "Booth, you couldn't have prevented this." She picked up his hands, his knuckles were oozing. "We need to bandage your hands back up."

"They're fine."

She looked into his eyes and held his gaze. "No they're not."

"Bones…"

"Make you a deal."

He set his jaw and just looked at her. "You can finish putting lotion on me and I will bandage your hands." She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at him.

"Okay." He finished putting lotion over her body and then washed his hands and allowed her to bandage them. He helped her into one of his T shirts and a loose fitting pair of sweats. Brennan stayed inside on an oversized lounge watching Booth who was catching up on sports. The pills the hospital gave her to help with her discomfort made her tired and she soon fell asleep. Booth turned then and watched her sleep; just looking at her face you would never know what she had went through. She was so strong that it made him love her more.

While she was sleeping Booth was going to cook her lunch when he heard a light tapping coming from the slider and looked up to see Angela waving at him. He motioned for her to come in and behind her was her cook. "Sorry, Booth, I figured you wouldn't be able to cook and didn't think Brennan would feel like it so Rosa here will cook up some meals for you so you just have to heat them up."

Booth smiled gratefully at her, "Thanks Angela."

Booth helped Rosa come up with menus for the next few days and then left her alone to cook. He went off to their bedroom and pulled out his phone and called Sully.

"Hey Booth, how are you two doing?"

"Getting by, having my hands stiff and sore is bad enough, but add these bandages to them and I feel handicapped."

"I am sure your hands will be fine in no time. What about Tempe?"

"She is doing amazingly well, better than I would have thought. She had a dream the first night back, but other than that she seems to be holding up."

"Booth you realize this could just be the calm before the storm."

"Yeah, I know."

"I have copies of my report and Ms. McClures statement. I will bring them by for you to look at… It might help…"

"And you and I will talk about what really happened out there."

"Read my report and Ms. McClures statement first."

"Hey have you seen Sweets around."

Booth could hear the chuckling coming from the other side of the phone, "The 12 year old?"

"The kid isn't that bad."

"He is around; I can have him call you."

"Tell him to come by later, when Ange can distract Bones."

Later that evening Sully showed up with Sweets in tow. Booth greeted them at the door and Sully handed him the report. "Booth we can record your report and I can take it down and have it transcribed for you." Booth looked exasperated at Sully. Sully ignored him and went in to greet Brennan. "Tempe how are you?" He held out his arms, but then wasn't sure if he could hug her or not. "How about a kiss on the cheek,? I don't want to hurt you." She smiled and nodded. Sweets on the other hand didn't always use his brain and he grabbed Dr. Brennan into a bear hug. She let out some grunts as both Booth and Sully pried him off. Brennan was working on breathing through the stinging when Booth returned to the room with her pain pill and some water.

Sweets looked so sad, "Dr. Brennan I am so sorry, I didn't realize just … I should have known better."

"It's Okay Sweets," she smiled at him, "but if you will excuse me I am going to leave the room for a while."

When Brennan was out of sight Booth turned on him, "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I didn't realize it was that bad."

"Error on the side of it being really bad next time." Booth glared at him.

"Agent Sullivan said you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah, let's go outside." Booth picked up the reports that Sully brought, "If you guys want something to drink, bar is there and beer is in the frig."

Booth sat back and read Sully's report and McClures statement then looked up at Sully with a mixture of emotions across his face. "Sully, this isn't right."

"Booth, are you calling me and Sally liars."

"Yeah, I am, I blacked out."

"Then how the hell do you know if we are lying or not?"

"Agent Booth, from what Agent Sullivan stated was that you were involved in a fight with Hacker, it was a fair fight and Ms. McClure was only able to give her report when she and Dr. Brennan came around the corner. She said you had Hacker on the ground penned and you did have you arm drawn back ready to strike but they were able to pull you off of him. So it does not appear you did anything outside of policy."

"Booth, I am sure Tempe will say the same, she was there."

"Look I can't let you put your job on the line for me."

"Booth, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Have you seen his face and my hands lately Sully? I beat the crap out of him and except for my hands, there isn't a bruise on me."

"Booth you fought at one time, you have training. Hacker is not so well versed, you managed to avoid everything, but that one hit to the head that about knocked you out."

"If what you say is true, then why can't I remember it?"

"Agent Booth, I don't know..."

"Sully would you go check on Bones?"

"Sure Booth."

When Sully was out of ear shot, "The night we got back, Bones had a dream and I promised her I would be there if she had another dream. I could smell the bleach coming of skin and I remember my father taking my mother into the bathroom and her screaming and later she would smell like bleach. I remember her skin red and cracked. I remembered I couldn't protect her. I couldn't protect my mother and I didn't protect Bones."

"Agent Booth, there was nothing you could have done to change this. If you would have tried to go in there he most likely would have killed her and you know that. Agent Booth you know she would tell you …"

"She has… told me the same thing."

"I am worried about blacking out."

"Why?"

"What if I hurt her?"

"Booth" he heard Sully's voice behind him "You would never hurt her and you know it. But … if she loses you it would destroy her. So don't let her lose you. Trust me, trust what I saw, just drop it. She needs you, even if she gets her memory back, she needs you."

"Sully, I can't lie."

"Then don't, like I said in my report you took one good blow to the head, other than that he didn't touch you. That one blow might have rattled you enough to cause your black out."

"He is right Agent Booth, that one blow might have made you forget those few minutes."

They had been outside talking for a while when Brennan came running out of the bedroom "Booth, Booth?" She was frantically looking around; she didn't see him come through the slider with Sully and Sweets behind him.

"Bones, Bones, I'm right here. Look at me, I'm right here."

Her eyes slowly turned towards him. Her face was tear streaked. "Booth, don't let him hurt me again."

He moved towards. "He can't hurt you anymore."

She looked at Booth confused and looked around the room realizing she had been sleep walking. She looked at Sully and Sweets embarrassed. "Booth" her voice was barely a whisper "I had a dream."

"I know" he moved to shield her from prying eyes and carefully put his arms around her. "But I am here and you are safe. He will never hurt you again."

"Booth, Sweets and I are going to get out of here." He put his hand on Booth shoulder and leaned in. "She needs you, remember that."

He pulled Sweets out the door as Sweets was trying to be his usual helpful self. "Dr. Brennan, if you need to talk …" Sully closing the door cut off his words.

Booth moved them to a sofa and he silently held her for a long time. He never said a word just held her. She finally lifted her head off him and turned to look at his face. He definitely had something on his mind. "Booth, what is wrong?"

"Nothing just thinking."

"Partners don't lie to each other." He turned and looked at her. That is something the old Bones would throw in his face. Him hiding something from her upset her. She looked into his eyes for several more minutes and then got up and walked into the kitchen.

Booth watched her go, he didn't like keeping something from her and if he would have known what it would cause he might not have. He watched her move around the kitchen preparing herself something to eat and then she walked out on the patio. She quietly sat in a lounge and ate the salad she made herself and nibbled on the grapes in between the salad bites, while she stared out across the estate at dusk.

She couldn't decipher why he was lying to her, had something happened that day, had what happened with Hacker changed how Booth felt. Part of her knew that wasn't the problem, but she had a feeling Booth was hiding something from her and lying to her about it and that hurt. He was behind her and gently rested his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, come to bed."

"I'm fine here for now, not very tired." He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"See you in the morning babe." She nodded

As soon as he was out of sight, she went in search of his cell phone. She found it on the kitchen counter and she found Sully's number in it. Pushing the speed dial she headed out onto the patio.

"Hey Booth"

"It's me Sully."

"Tempe? What can I do for you?"

"Tell me what Booth is keeping from me."

"He is not keeping anything from you."

"I might not have my memory but I know he is keeping something from me?"

"Tempe, he doesn't remember the fight with Hacker. He blacked out and he is afraid he will black out with you and … and become his father."

"Booth wouldn't hurt me."

"We all know that, but Booth is scared and apparently what Hacker did to you brought back something his father did to his mother. He couldn't stop it then and he didn't stop it this time."

"Sully he couldn't have."

"I know, he just needs to accept that."

"What about him blacking out."

Sully stared at the corner of his office, took a deep breath, deciding how to word this next sentence to her, "He thinks he beat Hacker, which he did, but Hacker kept coming at him."

"Sully, he had his arm pulled back ready to hit him when I saw him. Yeah and that is the only time he would have been outside of policy if he would have hit him, but he didn't hit him, we didn't let him. Tempe I think he blacked out because Hacker was abusing you much like his father abused his mother, even if he hasn't put 2 and 2 together yet."

"So what do I need to do?"

"Do what you always have done. Be there for him, rely on him, let him take care of you, and above all else love him."

"Thanks Sully." She ended the call and put the phone back on the counter. She went over and looked out the window for a long long time. She turned and slowly made her way to the bedroom turning out lights as she went.

When she opened the door she found Booth sitting on the side of the bed just staring down at the floor. "Booth" he didn't move. She cautiously walked over to him, "Booth" he held out his arm and she sat down by him. "I couldn't stop him, I was too little and I didn't understand what he was doing to her. I knew it wasn't good, but I didn't fully understand it until I smelled the bleach coming off of you. She went through that for years and I couldn't stop it. I couldn't protect her and I couldn't protect you."

"Booth stop, I am alive, I am here, you can touch me, my skin will heal and no one will know."

"I will know."

"What are you trying to say? That you are going to leave me because things didn't go the way you planned. You realize what he could have done to me if not for you, Sully, and Ms. McClure, right?" Booth closed his eyes are the thought. "Do you think this is my fault?"

"Bones, I would never, no, this was not your fault."

"Just like what happened to Hacker is not your fault." His head snapped to her, how do you…?"

"I called Sully, he told me what happened. Why don't you believe him?"

"I don't know, maybe I am afraid I am my father and he use to claim he blacked out when he did some of the stuff he did."

She turned his face to look at her. "You would never hurt me, I know that." The tears threatened his eyes and he tried to turn away from her. Tears started down her cheeks as she shook her head at him. "Let it out" She rested her forehead against his he let out the pain that this case had dredged up. He cried and tightened his embrace on her, lifting her into his lap and holding her to him so tight, she could barely breathe. The stinging was enough to make her quiver, but she would not let him know, he needed her and she could handle some pain to give him some comfort.

When he cried himself out he realized just how tightly he had been holding her. "Oh my God Bones, are you okay?"

"Booth I am just fine, would you quit fussing."

"I didn't hurt you."

"Booth, I am fine, now stop let's get some rest."

As they lay side by side in bed she waited till his breathing was even before she slowly got up and made her way to the kitchen to find her pain pills. She took a pill and headed back for bed when she saw him standing in the door way. "I hurt you didn't I?"

"Booth, stop that, no you didn't."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Booth, I am fine, you needed me and I was there for you, by my own choice."

"I think it would be better if I slept in the other room."

"I … am … not … fragile, you can lean on me and you should lean on me, just like you want me to lean on you. Do you really think I didn't notice how much it hurt you to wash my hair? I let you do it because you needed to at the time, just like you felt you had to bathe me." He looked into her eyes, how did she know?

She moved into his arms, "We are friends, we are partners, and we are lovers. We don't keep secrets from each other. I love you and I need you with me; I need to be in your arms. I don't need you across the house from me. Unless … you … after what happened."

"Bones, NO, how can you even think that. NO," he cupped her head in his hands and his brown eyes bore into hers. "Don't ever think that, ever. I hate what he did to you, but it was not your fault and that does not make me love you or want you any less. You understand?"

She just nodded never taking her eyes off his. "If you will believe what Sully says happened out there."

"Bones, not the same thing."

"Really, you are asking me to have faith in you, to trust you, to believe in your gut, but you won't have faith in anyone else."

He released her and groaned as he walked across the room. "You are the most aggravating woman."

"I only aggravate you when I am right." He turned and glared at her. "At least try to believe Sully."

"Okay, I will try."

"Can we go to bed now?" She asked as she walked over and took his hand.