(After The Donor in the Drink)

This story was requested by Debbie Stevens. I hope this is what you wanted.

I really don't own Bones.

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The picnic area was empty and Booth was grateful for that. The last thing he needed was an audience. Carrying a small cooler with him, he placed it on top of the picnic table and sat down next to it. Looking out towards the city, it seemed like a beautiful spot to rest in. The trees were green, the wild flowers peeked out of the dense grass and added a splash of bright colors to the whole scene. The wildness was much more interesting and a lot prettier than any cemetery he'd ever been in.

His mind on the day before, Booth thought about his wife and how their afternoon had been shattered with the beginning strains of a song. They'd finally had had time to sit down and talk. The kids were with Angela and Michael Vincent at the movies for the afternoon and that meant they had time to be alone without constant interruptions. The radio played softly in the background and each had a glass of merlot in their hand. Brennan had just explained an amusing story that involved Clark and how Hodgins had done an experiment that went awry leaving poor Clark covered in blood colored slime when the song 'Girls Want to Have Fun' started to play.

Shocked, Booth witnessed Brennan place her glass down on the coffee table, stand up and flee the room. Certain he had heard her cry, he placed his glass down next to her glass and hurried down the hallway to their bedroom where he found his wife lying on the bed, crying.

Kicking off his shoes, Booth lay down next to her and placed his arms around her. "What happened? What's wrong?"

Embarrassed that she had over reacted, Brennan dashed her hands across her face and tried to wipe her tears from her face. "I'm sorry, I over reacted."

"Over reacted to what?" Booth was worried about her. "Did I say something wrong or do something . . ."

"No of course not." Calmer, Brennan moved her hand up so she could touch his wrist. "I . . . I heard Cyndi's song come on and I . . . I let my emotions get the better of me."

Since he really hadn't been paying attention to the music, Booth wasn't sure what had been playing. "What song?"

Feeling foolish about the whole thing, Brennan sniffed hard and felt her cheeks heat up. "Girls want to have fun. That was the song I sang when Pam Noonan shot you . . . I thought you'd died and then you came back and I was so angry and . . . and a year ago you were attacked in our home and again you were almost killed. It was such a close thing and then . . ." Brennan sobbed, she couldn't help it. "And then just a month ago you almost died again . . . Booth I've almost lost you three times, well four times if I count the time Heather Taffet kidnapped you and placed you on that derelict ship . . . If you were to leave me . . . I'm not prepared for you to leave me."

He knew that she had been through so much because of him and he hated the idea that he had caused her enough pain to cry about him. "Bones, I'm sorry . . . I'm sorry that these things keep happening . . . I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Booth." Brennan shifted and moved enough so that Booth finally loosened his hold on her while she turned over to face him. Once she was facing him, she smiled a watery smile. "Sometimes I think about how happy that moment in time was when we were in the karaoke bar and I was singing my favorite song and then it all shattered when Pam shot you and I shot her. One minute you were so happy, laughing and smiling at me and the next minute you were lying on the floor, blood pouring from you, me trying to stop it and I thought I'd failed." Her arms moves around him and held him tight, her chin on his shoulder. "It only takes a moment, Booth. In a flash you could be taken from me and I might not even be able to say goodbye."

Booth moved his arms around her and struggled to think about what to say. "I love you Bones. No matter what happens, you have to know that I love you. I'll love you forever."

They had laid together for a while just holding each other when Brennan began to move and with his help removed his shirt. Her intent clear, he had removed her shirt and from there they spent the rest of the afternoon making love, slowly, patiently and with great tenderness.

Now here he was sitting in front of where Sweets' ashes had been scattered and Booth was feeling depressed. Oh how he wished he had someone he could talk to, someone that knew his history, all of it. "Sweets, Bones could really use your help. I try, but I don't know how. I just don't know what to say to help her. I keep telling her that I love her, but sometimes I don't think it's enough. She needs . . . she needs me, but the last couple of years I've been in situations where I was shot. You know about the one time in my home, but you don't know about me being shot trying to help my brother out of a jam. It all went wrong and Jared is dead. Now I don't have anyone left, but Bones and the kids."

His hand resting on the cooler, Booth let his head fall towards his chest and he stared at the ground at his feet. "Bones doesn't have a lot of family either. You and I both know she's brave and independent, but man, she needs her family in her life. She really does and someday when I'm gone and her Dad . . . I worry about her, I really do." Booth felt a tear fall down his cheek and that made him angry. "I'm not crying about me dying okay? I made my peace with that a long time ago, this is about Bones. I don't want her to be alone. She doesn't deserve that. She really doesn't and there isn't anything I can do about it. I'm going to die before she does and someday the kids will have lives of their own and I don't want her to forget the happy times, our happy times."

As another tear slipped from his ashes, Booth felt a hand touch his shoulder. Turning, he wiped his hand across his cheek to remove the tear from sight. "Bones . . . what are you doing here?"

"I know you wanted to scatter Jared's ashes by yourself, but I couldn't let you do that." Brennan moved around the table, stepped up on the seat and sat on the other side of the cooler. "I'm your wife and I need to share this time with you. You were alone in prison when Hank died and you were unable to be at his burial, I don't want you to be alone when you do your duty for Jared. I'm your family and you shouldn't be alone."

Actually grateful to see her, Booth sniffed. "Well, okay, if you really want to. I mean, I know you didn't like Jared . . ."

"I may not have liked him, but he was your brother therefore my brother-in-law." Brennan rested her hand on the cooler. "He did try to do the right thing and it didn't turn out well, but I think Hank would have been proud of him. I really do."

A smile appeared and Booth's burden seemed to lift from his shoulders, at least some of it. "Yeah, I think Pops would have really been proud of him. I just wish . . . "

Brennan knew that Booth blamed himself for Jared's demise, but then her husband often took on burdens not of his making. "I wish you would realize that Jared's death was not your responsibility. You tried to save him. He was definitely going to be killed if he backed away from the theft of the list of undercover agents. At least you gave him a chance to come out of the situation alive . . . you did the best you could under extreme circumstances, although I still think you should have involved me in the planning."

An argument wasn't what Booth wanted. "Do you think Sweets will mind if I scatter Jared's ashes here?"

Her first inclination was to remind her husband that Sweets was dead, but she knew that would just make the situation tense and it would not be helpful. "I'm sure he won't mind."

Unable to wait any longer, Booth opened the cooler, pulled out the bag inside, stood up on top of the table and opened the bag. "He wanted to be buried in a military cemetery, but . . . he had that dishonorable . . . I think his ashes should be scattered here. It's nice and peaceful here. He never really had a lot of good things happen in his life, he was just as messed up as me, but at least I have you and the kids and that's more than he ever had. He deserves a beautiful resting place."

"This place is very pretty, Booth." Brennan stood up on the table and placed a hand on his arm. "I think he would appreciate it if he could see it."

A nod of his head, Booth released the ashes into the brisk wind. For a few moments, Booth and Brennan watched the ashes float on the air and eventually start to fall to the ground.

His obligation done, Booth sat back down on the table, placed the now empty bag into the cooler and shut it. Once that was done, he moved the cooler so that it was sitting on his right side so it was no longer an obstacle to his Bones. Brennan sat down on the table and moved so that she was sitting hip touching hip with her husband. "Booth you don't need to worry about me. While I agree that you will probably die before I do, I don't think I will be as lonely as you fear. I have my work, my writing, our children and our friends. I can always find things to do and I will not forget. I will remember you and those memories will be more than enough company for me."

"Thanks Bones." Booth placed his arm around her and pulled her against his side. "I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy, Booth." Brennan also wanted her husband to be happy and most of the time he was. "When you are gone, I will not be happy, but I will be content. I have had an interesting life. You changed my life. You gave me your love and a family and that is more than I ever thought I would have. It was all because of you, Booth."

Booth kissed the side of her head. "You make me happy, Bones. If it wasn't for you, my life would probably be as bad as Jared's was. You changed my life too. You and me were meant to be together. Let's face it, when we were apart, we really didn't have much happiness, but together, man together we have more good times than bad . . . don't you think so?"

"I do." And Brennan really did believe that.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.