A/N: Dear and faithful readers, I realise this update is a little late, but it's not midnight yet so it's still Sunday. (Yeah I know; lame excuse.) The problem is that Magali is currently moving, so she won't be able to work on NSN until June 30. Actually, she probably doesn't even know I'm updating right now so it'll be a surprise for her ;) . Originally, there was going to be romance in this chapter, but since my dear friend and co-writer hasn't been able to read that part – let alone adapt it, so you'll have to wait a little while. I am aware we're asking a lot of patience from you, but we promise to compensate. Yeah, with BB romance; you're absolutely right. You are in the position to demand that kind of thing now. (Okay; we're going to regret saying this.) Anyway, this chapter is waiting to be read, so good reading!

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Chapter 25 – Breakfast at Booth's

This time, when she opened her eyes, she was not on the floor of an apartment, or in Booth's arms, or in a hospital bed. Nor was she in an almost unbearable amount of pain. She was in Booth's bedroom. Her head still hurt, and her arm and hand throbbed, but other than that, she felt fine. And a bit hungry. What time was it?

Booth had insisted she use his bed so she would have enough room to put her arm beside her, and a few extra pillows so she wouldn't have to lie flat, which would ease the pain from her bruised ribs. They weren't as badly bruised as last time, fortunately, but the sensations she got when she breathed deeply or turned her upper body were rather unpleasant nonetheless.

Yet, none of those things mattered very much to her. What mattered was that she was able to relax and let her guard down, for she was safe now.Her partner was in the same house—probably still in his own guest room, snoring a little in a way that she found endearing for such a tough FBI guy, and at her service. She didn't know how she felt about that last part, because he was treating her like a child and this would have made her uncomfortable, were it not for the fact that she just... wasn't! It seemed like a part of her surfaced that she had suppressed throughout her adult life, or just had never known was inside her– this sounded ridiculous— a part which enjoyed Booth being around all the time, taking care of her; a very, very lazy part that was content with the current situation and, quite shockingly, craved Booth's attention.

The sounds of bare feet on the wooden floors and the pushing down of a door handle told her that her partner had awoken, and was now most likely running his hands through his hair and ambling through the living room, on his way to the kitchen to make some coffee. However, after having crossed the kitchen, the steps were coming her way, and when the door opened, Booth's hair was wet from the shower he had to have taken while she was still asleep. In his hands he carried a tray with some light breakfast for the both of them, and he grinned at her, obviously pleased with the sight of her.

"Hi there, Bones, look what a wonderful breakfast I've made us."

It seemed like he'd never been happier to see her, and he couldn't stop grinning like an idiot.

Yup, there she is, bud; safely tucked under the covers of your bed.

The smile she gave him made his heart beat but faster, and he carefully sat down beside her after putting the tray on the nightstand.

"Good morning," she smiled and their eyes locked for much longer than would be necessary. There were bruises on her face, but he was going to try and not look at them, for he didn't want to ruin their first breakfast together with his anger and feelings of failure. He was glad to see the sparkle in her soft blue eyes again. They were definitely the mirrors to her soul, and right now, he could tell she was as glad to be back together as he was.

She sat up and he adjusted the pillows behind her back so she could lean into them. Then she pushed herself up on her good arm a bit and Booth sat the tray on his lap.

"There you go," he said as he handed her the cup of tea. "How are you feeling today?"

"Tea for the patient?" She quirked an eyebrow at him. "I'm fine," she answered his question and accepted the tea.

Somehow she didn't need to get used to the fact that he could walk again at all. After all, he'd been walking the entire time she'd known him, save for the relatively small amount of timehe hadn't.

"Yeah? Slept okay?"

In truth, she hadn't fallen asleep until three in the morning, but once she'd been able to kick and punch the memories, and the guilt that accompanied them in particular, to the back of her head, she slept like a rose and got the rest she needed. She wasn't fit enough to jump up and run a few blocks yet, but she felt she would be able to get through the day just fine.

They ate their modest breakfast quietly. She could bring up how happy she was to be back, but that would lead the conversation to what had happened, and for the same reason, Booth decided not to push the matter of talking to the FBI about the events, or talking to him. Those things could wait. For now, he just wanted to enjoy her company, and she his.

"Better than I have in a long time," she finally replied.

"Well good. That's good. All right Bones. I'm gonna change your dressing after breakfast. Got instructions from the doctor. He also gave me something to put on your bruises. Said it would help. A salve of some kind," he shrugged.

"Yeah about that—" she began to say.

"'Bout what?" he asked with his mouth full of bread, and earned himself a laughing shake of her head.

"The doctor referred to me as your wife. I wonderwhere he would have got that idea?"

She looked at him questioningly and he swallowed hard.

"Well, I kinda had to tell him, you know, that we were married, because otherwise they wouldn't let me into your room outside visiting hours." Might as well tell her the truth now that she'd already figured out what he'd done.

"Booth, haven't you gone home? You didn't need to sit around and wait for me to be discharged," she scolded him, but felt a warm feeling spread through her body. He really did care a lot about her.

Thank God she dropped the subject.

"It wasn't like that. And it was not a problem, so you're welcome Bones," he went back to their good-natured teasing. Of course he hadn't merely been waiting around for her to sign a piece of paper so he could grab her and take her home as quickly as possible. He just didn't want her to be alone, and quite frankly, he wanted to be the one to stay with her.

"I guess I can forgive you," she said and put the last piece of bread in her mouth. It was a simple breakfast, but it tasted better than anything she'd eaten in weeks.

"Like I said: You're welcome. It was not a problem."

They shared a conspiratorial look and smirked at each other.

Ten minutes later, Booth had put the breakfast tray in the kitchen and retrieved the bandages and gauzes he would need to change her dressings. He'd already helped her get them off so that she could clean up a bit in his bathroom. Now, she was waiting for him on the edge of his bed, dressed in a strap top and a pair of comfortable pants.

"I already pulled the gauze off my stitches," she informed him.

He scrunched up his face.

"Ouch. Well that had to hurt."

She shrugged.

"I can handle it."

Gotta give it to her; taking everything into account, that woman's tougher than some of the men in the army.

"Are you gonna do my dressing?" she inquired impatiently, nodding towards the supplies in his hands.

He sat down beside her and took her arm in his hands carefully, studying her wound. It was going to leave a bad-ass scar on her, for sure.

"You don't need to be so careful, Booth, you're not going to hurt me," she criticised how loosely he was wrapping the bandage around her arm. The moment the words left her mouth, though, she regretted them, for the infamous smirk of Seeley Booth appeared on his face and she just knew he was up to mischief.

"Ouch!" she shrieked as he pinched her side. "Booth!"

"See? I can hurt you."

She looked at him disapprovingly and shook her head at his childish behaviour. Then her expression became more serious.

"Yeah, but you're not going to. Are you?" she asked quietly.

"No," he assured her. "You're safe with me, Bones."

"Right." She needed this conversation to continue on a lighter note, because she might just start sincerely believing him.

"Of course! Bones, I'd take a bullet for you. You know that, right?"

"I'd give you a kidney."

"I'd give you half my brain."

She laughed dearly.

"I don't think that'll do me much good, Seeley Booth."

He started laughing as well, couldn't help it.

"You might just be surprised what's in there, Temperance Brennan, you just might."

Yeah, he mused, she just might... He finished dressing her arm and continued to put a pressure dressingon her right hand. Next, he screwed the top off the tube containing the salve for the bruises, and squeezed a little onto his finger, proceeding to smear it on the bruise under her eye. She recoiled from his finger though.

"It's green!"

"Yeah I can see that Bones. Sit still now, will ya? Don't be so damn vain."

"I am not vain," she insisted, but held still so Booth could gently apply the salve.

"Of course you aren't," he replied with a grin.

"Do you have any more bruises?" he inquired when he was done with her face and arms.

"Yes, they're all over me, so where would you like to start?" she replied defiantly and lowered her eyes to the floor after a moment before raising her gaze and meeting his. He looked totally confused, much the same as she was by her own sudden change of tone. And if even he couldn't figure out why she'd said or done something she had, she herself was lost completely.

She hadn't meant to snap at him. She knew he wanted an explanation but wouldn't push her to give it. Somehow this was what made her decide to tell him anyway. It was frustrating not to know the truth, and the truth in this case was that she hoped if he knew about what had happened to her, maybe he could give them both the explanation for her strange behaviour. So it would be okay to tell him the facts of yesterday morning.

"I was waiting in an alley when he came up behind me and put a chloroform-soaked cloth over my mouth. When I woke up in the apartment, he explained everything to me. You're right by the way; I really don't know when to shut up. I made him angry. And paid the price, as you can see. My body was... weak because of the chloroform, so I decided not to fight back when he started to kick me. I was on the floor and protected my major organs to prevent internal bleeding."

Booth stared at her, his eyes filled with sympathy and protectiveness as she stood up from the bed and lifted the hem of her top, exposing her back and abdomen. His eyes turned wide as he spotted the bruised areas- as she'd said; all over her body. Cummings had to have kicked her around like a rag doll. Unwanted images drifted into his mind, igniting his anger.

He's dead, he's dead. It's over, she's with me, she's safe. Calm down, bud. Get yourself under control here and just take care of her.

"I'd have killed him for this," he finally spoke and started to apply the salve to the bruised areas on her skin. He was going to be as nice and complying as she would want. She needed to understand that he, or anyone else for that matter, would never blame her for sudden outbursts of emotion or changes of mood. Especially not after what she'd gone through.

He couldn't help thinking she was beautiful. And muscular. Her skin was tightly stretched over her abs and tiny waist, and seemed flawless but for the bruises. She brought up the gentleman in him in a way he didn't even understand how, because when he touched her, all that was on his mind was how he wanted to take care of her and make her feel better. It wasn't what he normally felt when he touched the woman he was in love with. Well, not the only things, in any case. He was still a man, of course. Bones used to say it herself; everyone has biological urges.

"I know you would have. It's what you always want to do when I get hurt, but you're going to get yourself in prison one day, so I'd rather you stick with incapacitating them."

His fingertips smoothed the salve over the largest bruise from where she'd been kicked in the stomach a couple times, and despite his extra careful movements, she flinched.

"Sorry," they said simultaneously, and smiled.

"Thank you for telling me that, Bones. I know it's hard for you to talk about these things."

"I know everybody thinks that, but in truth I just don't see how it can help me. What's happened has happened, and not any amount of talking is going to change that, so why would I dig up hurtful facts merely because of psychologists' insistence that it helps me deal with past events? I don't mind talking about it, I just don't see the point. But, if you'd really like me to, I am willing to share some facts with you, but only the facts, for I don't think it's necessary to tell you that I was very afraid for my life, and concerned about the well-beings of the people who are my friends and colleagues. I am aware that not everyone compartmentalises and deals with unfortunate events the way I do, so that it's harder for them. And I'd regret very much to cause you all pain."

Booth finished with the bruises on her back and turned back to her.

"You were scared. That's good, Bones, It means you have something to lose. It is proof of how much you care about us."

When he was finished, she tried to peel her shirt down with one hand, but he saw her struggling with it and smoothed it back over her torso for her.

"There. All taken care of," he said, and she had this light, warm feeling again. What was more, she felt like wrapping her arms around her partner and hugging him. Which would be very unprofessional on her account, of course. To her satisfaction though, her partner had already taken the initiative by placing his big, warm hands on her shoulders, and she stepped closer to him. Even though she wasn't cold, she welcomed the warmth of his body as if she were freezing.

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A/N: That was nice, wasn't it? Let's all cross fingers that Magali will be with us again soon, so we can go on with the show! Love you all