Dear readers,

thank you all for the wonderful reviews. Since I've been home sick, I'm able to keep the updates coming at a steady pace (that and my muse won't stop bombarding me with beautiful mental images that are so easy to string together I worship the ground the muse walks on!). Anyway, on with the story!

"You're Booth. My Booth. And I'm your Bones." Her words seemed to sear themselves into his heart and mind as his grip slowly tightened around her. No, this was not 'Temperance Brennan' the woman who was portrayed towards the world, but it was definitely his Bones. "Yes," he whispered back, his voice soft and scratchy. "Yes, you're my Bones." He leaned back slowly and smiled sadly with tears brimming in his eyes. "And you're absolutely right, Bones. I'm your Mac 'n Cheese guy. I love your Mac 'n Cheese," he whispered and smiled when her lips curled into that little satisfied smile that always found it's home around her lips when the evidence proved her right. "I don't want to overwhelm you," he whispered as he softly lessened his tight grip around her, "but you don't know how badly I've missed you."

The man in front of her was hurt, happy, overwhelmed, grateful, and in so much pain that it almost took her breath away. And yet, it didn't scare her the way Dr. Sweets sometimes scared her with all of his invasive questions and poking and prodding. No, instead of feeling overwhelmed or fearful or confused, she felt focused. This man was in pain and she could help him. She was as sure of that as she was of the fact that the sky is blue and the grass is green. "Do you want to come inside?"

"Yes," he breathed out immediately, taking her hand in his and gently bringing it up to his lips to press them lightly against her knuckles. "More than anything." He swallowed and when her arm snaked around his waist, he felt like he could breathe again.

He accepted and although it looked like he was certain, the haunted look didn't leave his eyes. Concerned for his well being, she wrapped an arm around his waist and offered him support which he silently took. When her father and Dr. Sweets approached them, she raised her hand and shook her head. "No. Neither of you is welcome inside this cabin right now. I know I'm safe with him. And so do you. I don't want to talk to either of you for now. You've both lied to me and tried to deceive me. I don't trust you right now. Leave."

"Joy, honey..."

She shook her head. "No, dad. I don't know who I am. I thought you knew, but now I don't believe I know who you are either." With those words, she pushed open the door and gently pulled Booth inside with her, who didn't resist.

The door closed behind them and Joy walked over to the kitchen and opened the fridge, getting everything out for hot chocolate. "Would you like some hot chocolate, Sir?" She asked as she turned to him.

They entered and she walked away from him, to the kitchen. Instinctively, he followed, a bone-deep satisfaction sinking into him now that he was reunited with her once again. When she asked him if he wanted something to drink, the reality of the situation sank in. He hadn't lost every thread of connection to her, but the few that were left were fragile and tattered. "Yes. But, it's just Booth. You," he swallowed, "you used to call me Booth."

She frowned. "Booth? But isn't that your surname? I'm - I'm sorry, I don't remember your first name."

Sitting down at the kitchen table, he fidgeted with his hands, rubbing them together. "It's Seeley, but..." Recognition lit up in her eyes and his heart skipped a beat.

"But you don't like that name. So I call you Booth." She tilted her head to the side. "I like my name though. Why wouldn't you call me Joy? Why do you call me Bones instead?"

Wasn't that just the proverbial minefield? There was no short, simple answer to that. Heck, there was no answer to that that was digestible enough for this late hour, so he kept it simple. "All of your friends have their own way of addressing you. It's a way we show our affection for you. Mine is just 'Bones'."

"Odd," she determined but accepted his explanations. For now. She heated the milk and added the powder. Stirring it with a spoon, she looked up when she heard the cars leave. "Looks like you'll be staying?"

He accepted the cup of hot chocolate and nodded. "At least for tonight. Tomorrow we'll see." He reached for her hand and gently covered it with his own. "I know this must be a lot to take in, so I'm not going to rush anything. If you have questions, feel free to ask them, but I don't need anything else right now. I'm just happy that you're alive."

Joy nodded and turned his hand around, tightly holding on to it. "Do - do I have many friends?" For the first time, she saw a true smile light up his face and it seemed to take years off of him.

"Yeah, Bones. You do. You really do."

"A lot of people must be sad then," she whispered, feelings of guilt and doubt taking over. What if her other friends wouldn't be as forgiving as this one? She couldn't imagine taking betrayal of this kind lightly. She didn't even know if she would ever be able to forgive such a horrible lie.

"A lot of people are, you're right about that. But they will be so happy to find out that you're still alive that they won't be mad with you. They will focus their anger on the ones behind this." He squeezed her hand and waited for her to look up. "And we know that's not you. You would never have done this, had you known all of the information. But you didn't. And they will see that, as do I."

"How can you know for sure?" she whispered, scared to lose the friends she didn't know she had, she didn't know she loved, but whom she couldn't bear to lose already.

"Because we are family, Bones."

She nodded. "And there is more than one kind of family."

Oooh, she is saying some stuff that sounds very familiar, could her memories already be coming back?

Stay tuned and find out soon!

WHAK (with hugs and kisses)

AbsyntheFather