List of reviewers I'd like to thank: JAG'ed Bones in the Casckett, kareneb (yes it was going back to when we really wanted B&B to get together already but they didn't), ZinaR, RobinAngelena (yup that is ALL that matters), mendenbar (hubby strives to be but I doubt any guy is really like Booth), yoshimi0701 (yeah I really miss the show too), Vmf447 (swoon indeed! That's a good analogy I didn't think of that), GalaxieGurl (oh yes I do, kiddo-squabbles are a common occurence in my household lol!), LoveShipper (they are adorable monsters), hushedgreylily (one of my faves too), FaithinBones (true), 554Laura, jsboneslover, alexindigo (agree, I can see your point of view too), Brandy, regbride12 (thank you), zats. Thank you everyone for the many points of view and reviews. I enjoyed reading them.

The following takes place immediately after "The Brother in the Basement". That two episode arc is one of my favorites.

Almost

She had almost lost him. That thought kept going round in loops in her brilliant brain. The word almost didn't even adequately describe the situation. When Booth had stumbled out of the basement and staggered into her arms, she had felt relieved that he was alive. That relief was soon replaced again rather quickly by worry. As they waited the five minutes for the EMTs to arrive, Booth had collapsed onto the pavement. It was then did she realize how pale he looked, how ashen his face was and how weak he was too. His wound had started to bleed again, and she had pressed Aubrey's headkerchief to the wound but her efforts had seemed futile. For those agonizing five minutes while they waited for help to arrive, she wondered if she was still too late. Wondered if she would watch him die in front of her. But the EMTs came and Booth had made it to the hospital in time.

Sitting in the hard hospital chair, Brennan watched the steady rise and fall of his chest. Every now and then the cuff on his right arm inflated automatically, providing a reading of his blood pressure. It was still low even after they had transfused him with blood. The reading was nonetheless still acceptable given the amount of blood loss he had suffered. Her eyes flicked to the screen, watching each beat of his heart. All these little reminders comforted her. It was a stark contrast to a day ago when she had been led to believe that her husband had died. She was immensely grateful he had not. Even after confirming that the charred skeletal remains belonged to Jared, she still felt as if she could not breathe. Not with the knowledge that the man she loved was still out there, bleeding to death. She had no doubt she would have become a widow if not for the fact that he had managed to stop the bleeding himself with the silver nitrate. That must have caused him unimaginable pain. Her heart ached to think how much he had gone through.

Booth groaned in his sleep. She stood, placing a gentle hand on his cheek. With her thumb she gently smoothed his cheek, leaning towards him to place a kiss on his forehead. She figured he was in pain, or dreaming of Jared, or a combination of both. Straightening she ran her fingers through his dark hair. Her actions seemed to soothe him and he was silent again. She sat back down to continue her vigil. Booth's wound had been infected. He had inadvertently injured himself more with the silver nitrate and the surgery had been difficult. She knew that although the surgeon assured her he would make a full recovery, it would be a long time before he was back to his old self again. She also knew there was still a slim chance his condition would take a turn for the worse.

She was optimistic that he would recover. Things would work out. They always did. She smiled to herself, musing that Booth's sometimes overenthusiastic optimism seemed to have rubbed off on her. They had talked, and they had agreed to go back to their jobs. That was before the medications in Booth's system had lulled him back to sleep again. For now she was content to just sit there and let the machines reassure her that he was indeed alive.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. It was late and Brennan wasn't expecting any visitors. Thinking it was a nurse coming to check on Booth she stood, looking towards the doorway to Booth's hospital room.

"Agent Miller. What a surprise." Not wanting to wake Booth she made her way towards the female Agent.

"I came by to see how he's doing."

"Thank you. Given the circumstances, he's doing well. He should make a full recovery."

"That's good news." Agent Miller paused. "You do understand that it's my job to question his actions during the course of the investigation. However, I will admit I was wrong about him. He has a good track record. He's a good Agent. His actions saved many lives."

"Our actions. Not his alone. If not for the series of events, and our investigation, we would not have stopped the list of undercover agents from reaching the wrong hands. Oh and your apology is accepted."

Agent Miller smiled. "Thank you for your help in finding my missing partner."

"I'm sorry we couldn't save Agent Bannerman and his fiancé."

"At least we now know he wasn't a crooked Agent. Simply forced by circumstance."

"We cleared his name."

"Yes. Well, I'll go now. If I ever need your expertise again…"

"You know where to find me."

The two women exchanged mutual smiles and Brennan watched as Agent Miller left. She turned to walk back into the room, realizing that Booth was now awake.

"So that's Agent Miller."

"You've never met her before?" Brennan asked as she took her place next to him again.

"Her stuff is Internal Investigations. You heard her, I'm a good Agent. Or I was. Me and her had no reason to cross paths. Though I've heard of her reputation before."

"From other Agents."

"Yeah. She was just doing her job." Booth reached for her. Brennan noted that he still seemed weak. She took his hand and squeezed.

"Listen Bones, it's late. You should go home, get some rest."

"You know that's not going to happen."

"Bones, I'm fine."

"We can't be a hundred percent sure yet. Though, you're going to be, I hope." Brennan cast her eyes downwards.

"I'm okay. I don't have your permission to die yet."

His joke caused tears to fall from Brennan's face.

"Hey, hey, look at me. I'm sorry okay?" Booth tried to sit up and reach for her face but groaned in pain.

"No, don't injure yourself."

"I know you said you understand but you're still upset. And it's okay. It's okay to be upset."

"They told me you were dead. Aubrey, Cam, Arastoo. I finally understood how it felt, when we inform the loved ones of victims, I imagine that is how they feel. For a time, as I examined Jared's remains that I thought was yours, I really thought I'd lost you. And then when we found out you were still alive but gravely injured, I was preparing myself for the worst. It was an unimaginable grief."

"And I'm sorry you had to go through that. But you're the strongest woman I ever met. If I died, you would have been okay."

Brennan shook her head, wiping away her tears. "On the outside. I'd carry on for our children, but you… you mean everything to me. I couldn't imagine a world without you."

"This experience wasn't just difficult on me. You experienced trauma too. You were shot, had to cauterized your own wound… Jared."

Booth sighed. "Yeah. You know what kept me going, what made me do all that stupid stuff with the silver nitrate, was the thought of you and the kids. I had to come home. I knew I didn't have much time. I could feel the life draining out from me. I couldn't stop the bleeding. The pain was nothing, I had to come home. Thank God I found out the old man who used to own the place was a photographer. I hoped Jared's remains would be found, cause I knew they'd call the Jeffersonian. I knew you'd find me, I just had to hang on long enough."

"I'm glad you did." Brennan stood, leaning in to brush her lips against his.

"Listen Bones, I was thinking about what you said just now, about us going back to our jobs…"

"I highly doubt your thoughts would be lucid, you've just had surgery and you still have sedatives in your system."

"Just hear me out okay?"

She nodded.

"Since we're both going back to our jobs, and you know how our jobs, especially mine can take a toll on us… if it ever gets too much… if the price we think we're paying is too heavy on you, me or the kids, promise me, you'll tell me. And I'll stop. Seeing you suffer because of me, cause you thought I was dead… I don't want you to feel like that again."

Brennan offered him a smile. "The same goes for you too Booth. If it ever gets too much, tell me, we'll stop. But for now…"

"But for now we're going back to the jobs we left behind."

"It is the right decision."

"It is. But remember this promise we made each other tonight."

"I won't forget." She pressed another kiss to Booth's forehead. "Now you should really get some sleep. Your body needs to heal."

"And you need to get some rest too."

"I'll go home to get some sleep in the morning after your surgeon has come to see you. Aubrey did offer to come sit with you. I'd like if he was here."

Booth closed his eyes. "You're an amazing woman. What did I ever do to deserve you? I love you Bones."

Brennan smiled to herself. "I love you too Booth."

As she watched the love of her life drift off to sleep, she again felt immense relief. She had almost lost him. She was thankful that she had not. Had not lost her anchor, her home.

Just some lose ends I thought I needed to tie. 554Laura's series titled "What Were They Thinking" also has a couple of good chapters dealing with this story arc. Check it out if you haven't.