Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. Lauwy (yeah Monster in the Closet was Season 11, Max died in Season 12), mphs95 (yeah that was a creepy episode), 554Laura, MstgSzy, GalaxieGurl, RobinAngelena, FaithinBones, LoveShipper, MsNYC, Annarita, jsboneslover, mendenbar, regbride12, yoshimi0701 and guests.

Inspiration for this came after I recently re-watched The Wannabe in the Weeds.

Bullet

Brennan strode swiftly and purposely fully into the ER. It was as busy night and there were patients everywhere. She hurried to the reception counter as a frazzled looking desk clerk looked up at her wearily.

"My husband, Seeley Booth. A shooting victim." Her words brought back a distant memory. Sometimes having an impeccable memory like hers was a curse. She was transported back to that night so many years ago when Booth had been in a firefight with three Delta Force Agents. She had almost lost him then. She remembered not being able to be by his bedside then. She was confident she would be allowed to be with him this time round.

"One moment Ma'am," the young clerk said as he rolled his chair over to answer the ringing phone.

Brennan tried to be patient, but she was bordering on panic, barely able to contain her worry for her husband. He had not been in any serious incident since the one when Jared died, which happened a good two years ago. She had received a phone call from Aubrey, just as she was about to leave her office and head home. As he had tried to tell her what had happened and where the ambulance was taking them, she could conclude from the shakiness in his voice that what happened to Booth was serious.

She turned her head, trying to figure out where Booth could be. He had to be in one of the trauma rooms or already taken into surgery. She moved away from the counter, trying to follow the signs towards the trauma rooms.

"Ma'am!" She heard the desk clerk call out to her. She quickly made her way back to the counter. "Your husband, Mr Booth? They've stabilised him and taken him to the OR. I remember now because of his unusual name."

"Where can I find out more about his condition?"

"The waiting area outside the ORs. Take the elevator on your left to the third floor."

"Thank you." Brennan hurried to the elevators, following the clerk's directions. As she stepped out of the elevator, she immediately saw Aubrey, sitting on one of the chairs in the waiting area, his face buried in his hands.

"Aubrey."

Aubrey looked up, then stood to greet her with a hug. "Dr Brennan, I'm so sorry."

At his apology, Brennan could only think the worst. She noticed the blood stains on Aubrey's shirt. "Is he…" She mentally braced herself to receive bad news.

"He's still in surgery."

Brennan swallowed thickly. She had initially thought Aubrey was apologising because Booth was dead. Aubrey stepped back, falling back into the seat he had been in. Brennan sat down beside him, anxious to find out more.

"Has anyone come to update you on Booth's condition?"

Aubrey shook his head.

"Is that… is that all Booth's?" She pointed at the dark red stains on Aubrey's shirt.

"Yeah. I tried to stop the bleeding while we were waiting for the EMTs to arrive. He was conscious for awhile, told me to call you, tell you not to worry. I kept telling him to stay awake you know? But… he kinda just slipped into unconsciousness."

She noticed that Aubrey's hands were as shaky as his voice. She nodded, her brain processing the information. So far it didn't seem good.

"Where you hurt?"

"No. I could've been. Booth… he…" Aubrey paused, inhaling deeply. "This is all my fault. He's my partner, it's my job, my duty to protect him. But I was too late, I should've stopped him, I should've seen it coming… I don't know what went wrong… one minute we were talking to the suspect, the next minute Booth was shouting "gun"! We both reacted but the guy… he was aiming at me and Booth just stepped between us when the gun went off. I shot and killed the suspect but Booth…"

Although Aubrey was rambling, Brennan could now piece together what had happened.

"Where was he shot?"

"He um… he took a bullet to the chest. There was a lot of blood. I kept as much pressure as I could on the wound, but it didn't seem to be helping. He just kept bleeding. I can't remember much, just kept telling him to stay with me, then the EMTs arrived and they were pulling me away. That was when I called you. I rode with him in the ambulance here. They just wheeled him into the ER so fast, I didn't even get a chance to find out what's going on. Next thing I know they're telling me to wait here."

"I see."

"I'm so sorry Dr Brennan. It should've been me."

Brennan closed her eyes, shaking her head. She tried to calm herself, convincing herself that she didn't have all the facts so it was useless to jump to any conclusions.

"Booth would have done that for anyone. He would especially have taken a bullet for you without hesitation. Just like I'm certain you would do the same for him."

"I would."

"There's nothing to be sorry about."

"I should've reacted faster. I wasn't concentrating. Maybe if I just was faster…"

Brennan placed a hand on Aubrey's.

"It's not the first time I've seen an fellow Agent get shot but…" Aubrey closed his eyes.

"It's Booth."

Aubrey nodded.

"If anything happens to him…" Aubrey thought about how bad he would feel. Thought about how he would no longer be able to look Brennan, Hank or Christine in the eye again. "I can't imagine… "

Brennan couldn't imagine a world without her husband too. She understood how Aubrey had to be feeling. She understood the guilt he had to be feeling.

"I am in the unique position of understanding how you feel. Booth frequently risks his life to protect me. In fact, like you, he had once taken a bullet for me. For a time, I was misled to believe that he had died because of shielding me from that bullet. For a time, I bore the burden of that guilt."

"That case at the Checker Box. Pam Nunen."

"You know?"

Aubrey nodded, slightly embarrassed. "I read up on Booth, read every case he, you both solved."

"I had no idea you did that."

"It was always an aspiration of mine to become as good an Agent as him. So I kinda studied him, mostly his cases, tried to put myself in his shoes, think like him? Imagine what I'd do. But please don't tell him that, he'll just tease me about it."

"I promise this is between you and me. And you're a very good Agent yourself."

"But apparently not a very good partner."

"Booth is very fortunate to have been partnered with you. When he had just been released from prison, he lost faith in the FBI. In working with you, he regained that faith in time."

"I can't believe you're sitting here telling me this. I'm the guy your husband took a bullet for. I'm the reason you could lose him."

"I am very well aware of that. But I am also aware that you did not pull the trigger. You did not shoot Booth. We don't know all the facts yet. Booth will be fine… he has to be."

"He has to be." Aubrey said, as if in echoing her words, it would become truth.

"Thank you for staying with him. For trying your best to keep him alive while waiting for the paramedics to arrive. It comforts me to know you were with him."

"I just hope it was enough."

"Me too." Brennan nodded.

The minutes turned into hours and then the surgeon appeared. "Relatives of Mr Booth?"

"Yes." Brennan stood up immediately. "I'm his wife. Is he alive?"

"Yes. The bullet nicked the subclavian artery, there was significant blood loss. He also has a collapsed lung. He's still critical but stable for now. We'll be keeping a close eye on him for the next couple of days. Barring any unexpected complications, I do expect him to make a complete recovery in time."

"Thank you doctor. Can we see him?"

"Yes. But he's very weak and still drowsy from the anaesthesia."

Brennan moved to follow the surgeon to Booth's room. She noticed that Aubrey wasn't following her.

"I'll just wait here. Tell Booth I said hi."

Brennan nodded. At the entrance to Booth's room, Brennan caught sight of her husband and her heart broke. His chest was heavily swathed in bandages and there were numerous tubes running in and out of him. The sight again reminded her of that night years ago. She reminded herself that there would be no one who would forcefully make her leave this time. She slowly made her way to Booth's side, gently taking his hand in hers. It felt warm to the touch and she drew comfort from that.

"Bones?" He groaned, opening his eyes.

"Booth." The tears she had been tried so valiantly to stop from falling spilled out, rolling down her cheeks.

"I'm fine." Booth inhaled, wincing. "It's just – "

"No." She stopped him, her voice trembling. "It's more than just a scratch."

Brennan swiped her tears away. She gently palmed his cheek, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"Don't worry baby, I won't die. Promise."

Brennan nodded. "I'll hold you to that."

"Aubrey?"

"He's outside."

"He's okay?"

"Yes. Do you remember what happened?"

"I remember getting shot… gets fuzzy after that."

"You took a bullet for him. He's okay."

"Good." Booth closed his eyes, as if staying awake took great effort.

"Aubrey's outside. He's been waiting to make sure you're okay. I know you're tired but I think perhaps you should assure him yourself that you're alive. He's feeling guilty. I know how that feels."

Despite the pain and drowsiness Booth smiled, remembering the incident at the Checker Box and how that had led to her barging in on him in the tub. "Get him in here."

Brennan kissed his cheek, then squeezed his hand. "I love you Booth. I'll be back shortly with Aubrey."

Brennan returned soon with Aubrey in tow. Worried that Booth was asleep, Aubrey whispered, "We should just let him rest."

"C'mere Aubrey." Booth grunted as he cracked open an eye.

"How you feeling Booth?"

"Chest hurts but… it's not my first rodeo."

"I'm just glad you're okay."

"Bones said you're feelin' bad."

"Yeah I'm sorry. I really, really am. It should've been me. You're married, you have a wife and kids - "

"That fact doesn't make your life any less valuable than Booth's." Brennan interrupted.

"She's right. We're partners. Next time, it'll be your turn."

Aubrey couldn't laugh. He simply nodded. "You betcha."

"Quit beating yourself up. Go home, rest. Wash my blood off your shirt."

"Or if you'd like me to call Miss Warren…" Brennan offered.

"No, it's late. I'm fine. I'll come visit tomorrow. And I'll babysit Christine and Hank, for as long as you guys need."

"Thank you Aubrey. The children are currently with Angela and Hodgins but I can envision we will need your help in the coming days."

Aubrey hugged Brennan, then left, leaving the couple alone.

"Can I make you go home?" Booth asked drowsily.

"You can't."

Booth closed his eyes. "Figured."

"Your surgeon said you're stable but still in a critical condition."

"I'll be fine."

"I'm staying here with you Booth until I am satisfied your life is no longer in any peril."

Booth closed his eyes, too tired to argue.

"Get some rest, I'll be here when you wake up."

"I love you too Bones."

Outside as Aubrey headed for the elevators, his hands that had not stopped shaking since Booth was shot stopped trembling. He was thankful his partner was still alive. He vowed never to let Booth take a bullet for him again. As he stepped outside the hospital, he realised that dawn was approaching. He knew he had many forms waiting to be filled and the Deputy Director had demanded a report on the shooting later in the day.

As he fished his cell phone out of his pocket, he realised that it hadn't even occurred to him to call her to inform her that he had been involved in a shooting. He was sure she would be pissed when she found out. He wondered if he should wake his girlfriend at this time of day. Pushing the doubts aside he made the call. He didn't feel like going home. He knew where he wanted to be.

A little more Aubrey in this one than B&B. Hope you all enjoyed this one nonetheless.