A/N: Are you guys ready for the last chapter? It's close to 2,500 words of pure flufiness and a bit of angst as well. I just want to thank each and everyone of you who read this story and most of all those who reviewed and accepted my change in plot without much complaining. This second version was so much more fun to write and I hope to see you all in my next story (once I find an idea for another story).

Booth felt something hard collide with his chest before he could realize what was happening. He felt a pair of arms wrapping itself around his neck, pulling him closer. It took him a few seconds to realize that Temperance had nearly just jumped in his arms. Instinctely, he wrapped his arms his arms around and hugged her closer.

He felt her shaking in his arms which made him wonder if she was sobbing. But no, he told himself, Temperance Brennan couldn't be sobbing. Could she? A quick flashback to a few years earlier brought back to the memory of his warehouse rescue. She had clutched to him like a lifeline and had attempted to cry but the sobs had gotten caught in her throat. But that hadn't been the same thing. She had just had one of the biggest frights of her life. So she couldn't be sobbing now. Could she?

"Booth." She whispered, pulling him closer if that was possible.

He heard the pain in her voice and his hold on her strengthened also. He could tell by the cracking in her voice and the rythm of her breathing that she was in fact sobbing. One hand went in her hair.

He finally pulled away after a few minutes to be able to look at her. A couple of tears had managed to fall from her eyes and Booth could see that they had already been replaced by new ones. He wiped the escaped ones.

"You're back." She said, more as a statement than a question.

"Yeah."

His voice was soft but Temperance could still hear the pain inside it.

"I really thought you had left me for good."

The words caught in his throat as he was going to answer. She had almost sounded like a little child and Booth was surprised at the way she had let her guard down, showing him once again her most vulnerable side. As he looked into her eyes, he could see right down into her soul. And what he saw surprised him even more.

He saw that same little girl who, at the age of fifteen, had been abandonned by bother her parents and her brother. Even though she now understood that, at nineteen, Russ hadn't had the maturity to take care of her, the little girl inside her still felt as though everyone had turned their backs on her.

Fifteen-year-old Tempe was used to it. She was used to being played. She had been more than unlucky in her life. That little girl who laid deep down inside Temperance had been pushed away even further by her until Temperance had made herself believe (and everybody for that matter) that she wasn't there anymore.

But today, as Booth stared into her eyes and saw all the fear mixed with relief, he knew better than to make that assumption. Fifteen-year-old Tempe was still there, just waiting for the day where she would get abandonned once again. At that second, Booth promised himself he wasn't going to let it happen. Little Tempe would never get abandonned in her life again... at least by him.

Another tear fell.

"I'll never leave you, Tempe." He told her as he wiped the escapee.

She smiled through her tears.

They were barely aware of their surroundings as they leaned in. All the hurt, the pain of seperation, the passion and most of all the love they felt towards the other was thrown into the kiss and, as Booth pulled her closer to him, he knew that he never wanted to let her go. A pang in his heart told him that it might be unrequited.

They both pulled away some time later, breathless. Looking up past his girlfriend's shoulder, Booth saw the squints gathered around on the examination platform, staring at the couple's reunion. Booth immediately looked away, back to Temperance.

"We need to talk."

She nodded.

"In your office." He immediately nodded, casting another glance at the Squint Squad.

He closed the door behind him and they stood, facing each other. The room was thick with awkwardness. Memories of a certain night flashed before their eyes. Booth cleared his throat as Temperance looked away, unable to maintain the eye contact.

"So."

Temperance looked briefly at him.

"So." She replied.

He took a few tentative steps towards her. She stepped back. He suddenly realized that the walls she had easily brought down back in the lab had now been brought up once again. She needed the space, he would give it to her. He perched himself on her desk as she sat down in her chair. He knew she hated these kind of talks. So did he. But, unfortunately, today, a talk was desperately needed.

"I'm sorry I left without telling you."

She nodded sharply.

"But I think you understand why I did it."

"Actually, no, I don't. When I ran into Cullen the day you left, he told me that I was supposed to go with you. We're partners, I work with you. I should have gone."

Booth sighed.

"I know but I needed some time away. What happened that night—"

"Don't." She cut him off, more tears appearing in her eyes.

She forced them back in. She wasn't going to let herself cry this time. Not twice in the same day.

"We have to, Bones. We need to talk about this since we'll only talk about it once. We can't just go on with our lives pretending it never happened because it did. It did happen, rejection did occur and both of us did get really hurt by all of that."

Temperance nodded.

"Okay. Let's talk about it then."

Her tone was sharp and Booth felt a twinge of anger towards her. Why did she always have to act so careless when it was obvious that she was far from it? Why did she always have to put walls, indestructible walls, around her that even him couldn't penetrate at times? Why did she always have to act so scared of him and their love when he had proven to her on countless occasions that he would always be there for her?

He looked up at her.

"Why do you do it?"

She looked back at him, surprised.

"Do what?"

"That." He replied, pointing at her. "Putting these walls up so you won't let me in. I thought you were past that."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh yes, you do. You keep building these huge fortress around you like you're preparing yourself for the day that I will hurt you. Come on, Bones, we've known each other for three years and have been dating for one. You should know by now that I would never ever do anything to hurt you. Fuck Temperance! Can't you see that I love you?"

"I..."

"No, let me talk."

Realizing his harsh tone, he immediately softened it.

"Please."

She nodded slightly.

"I really love you, Temperance, and I know that you do too. I don't doubt your love for me but I just don't understand why you keep hiding when there's nothing to be scared of now. I could understand at the beginning of our relationship but after a year? Most of your doubts about me should have been washed away by now. You think that if you keep putting these walls up that I'll eventually give up and go away. But I won't."

He paused for a split second. His mouth felt dry and his hands were slightly shaking.

"When I proposed, it was exactly to show you that. To show that I love you, that I'll never leave and, on top of it, that I wanted to spend my whole life with you. A life is a long time, Bones, in case you hadn't noticed."

She looked up to see a small smile twitching at his lips. She chuckled softly. She got up and stepped in front of him. His strong hands reached out for her and pulled her closer.

"When I left for Philadelphia, I'm not going to lie to you. I had some doubts about us. I even thought about breaking up with you even though I didn't want that. That's why I left. I needed some time away to think, to reconsider my first decision because I was pretty sure that there was another solution to our problem."

Temperance swallowed, suddenly nervous. Had he found one? Was there even another one? Had he found the solution she had searched for herself without any luck?

"Did you found one?" she asked, her voice half-stuck in her throat.

"Yeah." He replied softly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

She looked up at him and saw in his eyes all the love he felt for her. She had seen that look before, especially at night but sometimes in the morning and at work, and that look had always made her feel a little scared. But today, as she looked back on these days, she was terrified of it.

"In Philadelphia, I met up with an agent. I have no clue how she got me to open up but she did. We talked a long time and she ended up consolling me. We hugged but when I went to pull away, she leaned in and tried to kiss me."

Horror struck Temperance's face and it took Booth a few seconds to realize what he had just said. He felt her begin to pull away but he quickly reached and pulled her back to him.

"Tried to kiss me." He continued. "I didn't let her. I wasn't going to let her. I've never cheated on anyone in my life, I wasn't going to start with you."

He stopped, examining her expression. Though she seemed to have relaxed a bit, Booth could still see she was suspicious. After his slip-up, he couldn't blame her.

"Anyway," Booth said, hoping to drop the subject, "the more I talked to her, the more I realized how much you mean to me and how much I didn't want this single incident ruin what we have. When I hugged her, my beliefs were once again confirmed. I do want to get married but if it's not with you, then I don't want to marry.

Temperance, I love you. With all my heart. And if you don't want to get married, it's okay. I won't force it upon you. Whatever our future holds, I'll accept it. But if you ever change your mind, and I'm not saying you will, then you'll know that I'm ready for it."

Temperance swallowed, unable to say or do anything else. She hadn't known Booth felt that way towards her. She had known about his love and respect for her, but never had she expected him to give up his life long dream of getting married and starting a family. And now, just for her, he was giving up all of that. No man had ever done something like that for her.

She felt her heart beat faster. She took a deep breath.

"Let's do it."

Booth's eyes, who had been resting on his hands on her hips, snapped back up to her face.

"What?"

Temperance took another deep breath.

"Get married. Let's do it."

Booth shook his head.

"No, Bones... I told you I wasn't forcing anything upon you."

"You're not. I'm taking a decision. I feel... okay with it."

She had hesitated at the word okay and Booth knew that she was lying. She wasn't feeling okay with this. He wasn't sure quite sure what was making her say this but he knew that she wasn't ready.

Letting go of her hips, he immediately grabbed her hands.

"You don't feel okay with this. I don't know what made you take that decision."

"You. You did."

She stopped, swallowed to moisten her dry throat before speaking again.

"Nobody, and I mean nobody, has ever given up something they truly wanted just for me. Here you are doing just that. You're giving up something that is really important to you, that is part of your values, what you believe in. You spent the last year giving me what I wanted. It's my turn now."

Booth sighed before chuckling softly and shaking his head.

"Temperance, you will never cease to amaze me."

Temperance felt herself blush under his gaze.

"But I could never ask that of you. You don't have to give me back everything that I have done for me. However..."

A small smile tugged at her lips.

"However what?"

Booth grinned.

"However, we could meet halfway on this."

"Really?"

Booth nodded.

Temperance watched as his hand disappeared into his pocket and reappeared, seconds later, with the small velvet box she never thought she'd see again. She was surprised that he kept that box on him.

"How about we move in together." He started, opening the little box slowly.

Then, taking out the ring, he added:

"That'll give us a little taste of what marriage could be like."

He looked up from her hand to her face and saw that she was smilimg. He took that as a good sign. Looking back down at her hands, he slowly slipped the ring on her finger. He watched as she twitched at the contact of the ring.

"And we could just get engaged. Don't even think of it as an engagement ring. Just see it as a... promise ring. There will be no date setting, no wedding talks, no nothing. We're just two people engaged into their relationship, who promised to love each other no matter what and be there for one another when things get rough. And, if one day you feel comfortable enough, we'll consider the whole ceremony thing. But that only if you feel comfortable enough.

What do you say?"

He looked back up at her and watched as her face broke into a grin. A few tears he hoped were of joy filled her eyes.

"Yes." She replied, her voice softened and cracked by the emotion. "Yes."

Booth replied with a grin of his kind.

"Good."

He stood up and immediately pulled her to him. Her arms snaked their way to his neck.

"It's a promise?" He asked.

She nodded.

"It's a promise."

Their lips met once again passionately. And as the kiss continued, Booth pulled her even closer to him.

Maybe he hadn't quite gotten what he had wanted in the first place but what he had settled for was going to be as good as the first thing. He just knew it. Of course, his feeling of rejection hadn't been completely erased. It would take some time but it would eventually go away. But Temperance agreeing to be promised to one another had already helped a lot. He had taken a chance once again and, this time, things had gone in his favor.

The End