Oh wow- THANK YOU for the comments/reviews/messages on the last chapter! And here's another update because even I couldn't just leave it like that! Enjoy! – Mac

Chapter 30

Thirty Minutes Earlier

Booth and Carlisle finished questioning the suspect and left the set, which was not too far from the hotel where the crime took place. It was looking more and more like the reality TV stars, the husband and wife duo. One thing was for sure, he couldn't wait to say goodbye to Hollywood for once and for all. These people left him with a bad taste in his mouth. He remembered going to Los Angeles with Bones, earlier on in their partnership. She bribed him to drive the car, looking so snarky to have beat him at his own game, and she'd done that thing she'd always done, that always struck him in the early days of knowing each other. She'd pushed her honesty, her disapproval about the work the plastic surgeons were doing to cover up who these people really were. She called into question the very ground that Hollywood seemed to stand on.

Sometimes there was just not room for her honesty in their investigations. It put off the people they were questioning and their desire to work with them and remain cooperative. But she never stopped. Her passion and integrity always won out. He winced, remembering the times he'd tell her to keep her thoughts to herself, shut her mouth or let him do the talking – and even moreso the times he told her she was not good with people or lacked social awareness.

When he thought of her life as a whole and everything she'd been through, she made sense. She made complete sense. And even though he always respected her for exactly these reasons, he sometimes went to great lengths to cut her down to size when it came to her blunt honesty and her approach. And once in awhile, he caught a flash of hurt in her eyes because he did that.

Mostly, though, he'd smile at her. She took him by surprise. Because she really was not like other people. When they were looking into Howard Epps' trial before he was scheduled for death, she pushed out her vehement support of the death penalty to the very lawyer who was trying to save him. She didn't care if she offended anyone. She always told people what she really thought.

Good partner, though. What you see is what you get. It's a rare quality. That's just between us.

On some level, he always loved that about her. He just wished he'd voiced that more, and did flood her with those assertions, so she wouldn't have had any doubts, rather than constantly chiding her for just being herself.

Especially since being herself was exactly what made her the best partner, best friend… and what made him fall in love with her in the first place. All those ways she was different, all of those ways she stood out from the rest… they were all the very best parts of her.

They pulled up to the Hoover building and Booth got out of his car as Carlisle took a call.

"Okay," Booth said, checking his own phone for an update from Bones. Nothing. "Let's regroup in—"

"Wait." Carlisle's face dropped and he looked at Booth seriously.

"What's wrong? Did something happen with Harry and Gloria? New evidence?" Carlisle said nothing, just listening intently to his call. "What happened?"

"Thank you," Carlisle said, and snapped his phone shut. "Agent Blake's case took a turn," he said, slowly, looking a bit at a loss for words.

Booth felt his heart rate begin to speed up. Blake… as in Bones's new partner. "What do you mean?" he demanded.

"That was Blake. He's looking for you."

Why would Agent Blake be looking for him, unless… oh, God, Bones. "What happened?"

"There's a bomb in a warehouse that Dr. Brennan stepped on and activated."

Booth's eyes went wide, the implications of those words rushing to him with such a force he felt like he might fall over. Activated, as in…

"She's fine," he added, quickly. "But the timer is running down right now. She can't move from the mat. The bomb squad is there right now, working to deactivate it. He just… thought you should know." He looked down at his phone and tapped a few buttons.

Booth grabbed his keys from his pocket and looked at Carlisle. "Where is the warehouse?"

"I just texted you the address. Booth, she will be okay. You know our guys are the best. He just thought you should know. But… go. I'll keep working this. You go. Just, stay safe."

Booth felt like his heart was in his stomach as he ran off, muttering a quick 'thank you' to Carlisle. He reached his car and jumped in, quickly punching the address into his GPS.

He put his siren on, and broke every law going there. It was ten minutes away and it felt like forever. His phone chirped and at a red light, he looked down at it. His heart gave a hard thud in his chest when he saw her name flash on the screen.

Booth… I am afraid that I need to cancel dinner. I'm so sorry. You have no idea how much I'd rather be doing that tonight. I want you to know that you were the best partner and best friend I've ever had. I know I didn't always make it easy. But… our time together meant the world to me, Booth.

"Dammit, Bones," he said, pumping the gas the moment the light was green and the traffic at the intersection came to a stop. He sped off, closing in on her. "Don't do that. Hang on. Just… hang on."

After a few more minutes, he pulled up to the warehouse, seeing sirens flashing, an ambulance ready, and the trucks from the bomb team – some members taking boxes and new tools into the warehouse.

"Booth," Agent Blake said, and Booth's fists curled until his knuckles were white.

"What happened?" he forced out.

"She got here before me and started looking around. She should've waited for me. I knew right away something was off about this place. I was honestly like two minutes late."

Booth squeezed his eyes shut. "You have her coming to places like this alone? You're chasing down killers. That is your job. She helps us do that job – but she is unarmed. She's not FBI. I literally just told you that yesterday. She should never be just poking around places without you!"

Blake closed his eyes and clenched his jaw tightly. "I know. Okay? I know. You can beat me up later. Here's the situation. There's just about three hours left on the timer. She can't step off the mat. It's a smart bomb, it will know if pressure or weight is relieved. And it will know if anything non-human takes her place. She has to stay there. Her legs are getting stiff. The team is trying to figure out how to let her rest her legs a bit without lessening the weight on the mat. But everyone here has to help try to defuse it so…"

"So she's on her own. You… you left her in there. Alone." He could kill this man with his bare hands. He walked in and saw her right away, surrounded by so many men and women, frantically working to help her. Wires, books, protective gear were all strewn about the floor near her. And she was… on the phone. He sighed and walked closer. She did look stiff. She was holding herself in a strange way, a little hunched over, legs bent. But… he could see them shaking. Her legs. And determination in her face.

As he got closer, his heart swelled as he heard what she was saying on her call.

"Please focus on your current situation. Having a baby should be your only concern. I'll be okay. I… I promise." She listened, a look of calm patience in her expression. "Call me from the hospital please. Amy, don't forget to breathe like we talked about. In through your nose and out through your mouth—"

She was standing on a bomb and she was coaching her friends on having a baby. In a flash, he knew. He'd never stopped loving her. He'd never stopped knowing how amazing she was. She was not like everyone else. Not by a long shot. She had a warmth in her that most people just didn't have – but people who didn't know her didn't see it. In fact, they saw coldness. You had to look to see it. You had to know her. And he had. Dammit, he'd seen that all along. Except recently because he'd closed his eyes and made sure to not see any of it. His heart ached knowing that he'd left her. That he'd met someone else and just… walked away. Because he knew. Right now, he knew. Looking at her, he knew.

It was her. It was only ever going to be her. He'd never moved on. And he'd never stop loving her. So, when he did it, it was automatic. It wasn't even a choice to make. He just walked forward and stepped onto the mat. He already knew he could never live without her.

So he wouldn't.

But as their eyes met and she took him in, shock gave way to a shattered expression in her eyes as she whimpered, "Booth. No."

B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B*B

Brennan snapped her phone shut in shock and just stared disbelievingly at the sight before her. How could Booth be here? How could he do this?

She looked down, trying to get ahold of her emotions.

"Who told you?" she finally asked.

He took a deep breath. "Well, you sure as hell weren't going to. You were 'tied up' – possibly unable to make dinner. Really, Bones? You weren't going to tell me what was going on? And that last message. That read like 'goodbye.'"

She squeezed her eyes closed. "I shouldn't have sent that. It probably tipped you off and you probably—"

"Bones, you just sent it. I'm fast but I'm not that fast. I got that when I already knew. I'd say the one good move your partner made today was figuring out how to get ahold of me."

She looked to the doorway and saw Sam hovering in it nervously. She could kill him. Because if he got Booth hurt, or worse—

She'd grab a gun, any gun, and kill him herself. This was her case, her mistake, and her mess. Booth was working another case with another agent. He shouldn't be risking his life for her anymore! Their worlds were not supposed to collide like this anymore. If she was going to get herself killed, so be it. He had his own life. And his own work. And she could not bear to be his responsibility anymore. In any way. And to be the person he risked it all for…

She couldn't stand that at all. They had already been there. And the outcome was one she'd never go through again if she could help it.

She would not let him die for her. Not again. Not ever again.

"Bones… you can get off the mat and rest your legs. Benji- that's okay, right?"

Benji looked up from a book he was consulting, holding two wires from the black box in his gloved hands.

"Yes. It has to be 100 human pounds. Dr. Brennan, you can get off the mat since he… since he stepped on. Booth," he added, looking at him, his own eyes wide. "I don't know what to say, man. Wow."

Booth dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand and looked back at her. "You heard him. You can go. Sit down. How long have you been standing here?"

"About two hours," Benji offered.

Brennan shook her head at Booth. "Two hours is nothing Booth. I have stood on my feet for many more hours than this, as you know."

"Standing rigid and still is different, Bones. It engages just about every muscle in your body not to move. That's a long time to stand like that. You need to rest. Please… rest. I'm here now. And I'm not stepping off. Let me do this for you. Please."

She shook her head, her eyes filling with tears. "No," she said, her voice quivering. "No. I am not leaving either. Just… don't ask me again."

Her phone was going crazy with messages from Rob. They probably thought she exploded based on what they knew and the fact that she ended the call in the middle of giving Amy breathing advice.

Rob, I'm fine. I promise. I just had a shock. Booth stepped onto the mat, too.

Three dots. He was typing.

"Bones, please…"

Thank God. We were so worried. Booth… he stepped on the bomb?

Yes.

For you?

It would appear so.

I have a lot to say about this. So DO NOT DIE.

I will try. I have a lot to say as well. Because… you sounded pretty awful earlier when you couldn't find Amy. Panicked. And… a whole lot of other things.

Three dots.

"You have this look on your face when you're talking to him."

Brennan looked up at Booth, and he nodded toward the phone. "Rob. You look very happy when you talk to him."

"He's been a great friend."

He nodded. "I can see that. And… I'm glad. So Amy… she's having the baby now, huh?"

She nodded, some of the shock starting to wear off from Booth's sudden arrival. "She is. The baby is one month early. So Rob was scared. But… the baby should be fine."

Booth nodded. "An army buddy of mine, Cooper… his baby boy arrived six weeks early. He had to be deployed. Nervous as anything. And after a few weeks, I got a letter from him and a picture of a baby that looked a whole lot like his daddy." He smiled at that memory, and Brennan immediately felt, for the first time in hours, truly calm. Almost able to forget everything that should be setting her skin on fire right now. Booth always had that effect on her. Since the beginning. There was just something about him. His willingness to risk himself for others. His reverence for the work. His love for the people he kept close.

He was a good man. The world had a lot of good men, but only one Seeley Booth. Because something separated him from the rest. And she always struggled to truly understand what that quality was. It was more than kindness, more than honesty, more than a protective nature, or a fierce loyalty. That purely Booth quality is what made her finally understand love – too late – and what she'd not been able to get over losing when he'd been shot.

Her phone chirped.

A different prompt for tonight. Talk to Booth. Full honesty. Dig deep.

She typed her reply.

Then you do the same thing.

Well… Amy's a bit preoccupied.

So am I, Rob.

Fine. I promise.

She pocketed her phone and looked at Booth. "Why did you do this, Booth? Because right now, I find that I'm feeling angry at you. Really, really angry!"

He looked down for a moment and then met her eyes. "I know you are. And I deserve that. I left. I was a horrible friend."

"I'm not angry about that."

He stopped, looking lost and confused.

And a tear slipped out of her eye. She didn't wipe it away, either. She let him see her feelings. Because my God, he'd proven that he didn't think she was inconsequential. And he didn't think she her feelings were silly. And he didn't think she didn't matter.

How could he when he was standing here, ready to die for her?

"Why are you angry?" he asked softly.

"Because. I've lost you before. You've already given your life to spare mine. And I was angry at you then. Because you really left me. I was all alone, wishing you hadn't done that. Wishing you'd let me die."

"Bones, I could never have let—"

"You should have! Because you killed me that day. And now you have the gall to stand here and try to, what, repeat it? Do you have any idea what it would do to me if you did that again?"

"And if you'd just cancelled tonight and I found out… if something had happened to you… what do you think that would do to me?"

She shook her head. "I'm not leaving. I'm staying until they figure this out, and if the timer runs down, I'll still be standing here. You don't get to play hero while I go free. And… you have a son. You have more reasons for living than I do."

"Do I?" he asked, his voice catching. "I know I have a son. I love him more than anything and you know that. And maybe I won't explain that well when that fact is always true. But I cannot walk away to live my life, if it means you die. I will never be able to do that. I've faced life without you. When you've been in danger. When you were buried alive. When you were kidnapped by my friend at the FBI. When you were gone. On the other side of the world. When you terminated our partnership, and I'd given up our friendship and we had nothing left. I've seen what life is like without you. And I'm not doing it, Bones. I can't live without you. Do you understand that? I've told you before, I'd die for you, and I'd kill for you. Bones, I'd lay my life down every day to keep you safe."

"But I don't want you doing that for me. And everything has changed, Booth. It's not the same. You can let go. You can! You don't need to pretend we have what we used to, or that you're my partner and I'm your responsibility. You are free to move on. You wanted to move on. You're free, Booth. Please… move on."

He nodded and took a deep breath. "Well… it's Friday. And we have some time, it seems," he added, looking down at the timer.

2:21:17

"This wasn't exactly the place I had hoped to talk to you. But… I've been waiting for awhile for this."

She wiped another tear and held his gaze firmly. "For this?"

"Sort of. Yes. For you to talk to me. Because I owe you an explanation about what happened between us."

"It's okay, Booth, that you moved on. You don't owe me anything."

He just stared at her, something in his eyes looking pained. "Before we get into it, come here, Bones."

"What?" she asked.

"You won't leave the mat? Then come here. Because you need to take a few minutes to take the pressure off your legs."

He held his arms out but she didn't move.

"Bones, I can see your legs shaking. Please. Do this for you."

She finally stepped toward him and he pulled her into his arms gently. He held her tightly against his chest and pulled her up a bit, and the relief of not standing on her legs for a bit was immense. She clung to Booth – hating that he'd done this, but somehow relishing in the comfort of his arms, as if time hadn't pulled them apart, as if they'd always been just like this. Partners, friends, hugging… waiting for their chance.

After a few moments, he placed her back down and looked at her. "You promised me."

She nodded. She did promise him they'd talk back in DC. And while this certainly wasn't the place he… he was risking everything for her. So… she'd keep her word.

"Okay," she said, her voice scratchy. "Let's talk."