Bring on the fluff! lol!

The night was quiet. Brennan stood by the window, looking out at the street below. It was after midnight, but she couldn't fall asleep. She felt his presence in the next room, calling to her. She had resisted so far. She had promised herself that she would tell him how she felt, but everytime she looked at him, the words wouldn't come. She was afraid. Afraid that he didn't feel the same way, and equally afraid that he did. Either way, everything would change.

She had dropped him off at her apartment when they left the hospital, then she had gone to the lab. She had brought home Wong Foo's for dinner, and they had eaten in comfortable silence, each knowing the other wasn't ready to talk. She had said goodnight an hour ago, but she hadn't been able to sleep. She had to tell him. She knew that. She would never be able to live with herself if something happened to him, and he didn't know. She sighed, and walked back to the bed. Tomorrow, she promised herself. Tomorrow she would find the words to say. She lay down and tried again to sleep.

BBB

Booth lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The events of the last 3 days were running through his head. Cullen had come to the hospital to fill him in., and he had brought the diary. Rage filled him as he thought of the words, the ramblings of a insane mind. If Temperance hadn't been good enough, if she hadn't found him... He shuddered to think what might have happened.

Angela had also come, and through her he had discovered just what Brennan had gone through, the denial, the conviction. The fear. She should never have had to go through that.

His thoughts turned to her, his friend, his partner,...his savior. He thought of her, the woman he loved, sleeping in the next room. His arms ached to hold her. He wanted so badly to go to her. He had to tell her, to show her how much she meant to him, but he was afraid. He didn't know what he would do if she didn't feel the same way. He had faced drug dealers, murderers, assasins, but it was this one woman who could bring him down.

He sighed and closed his eyes, praying for sleep.

BBB

Brennan opened her eyes. It was no use. She couldn't sleep. She had to tell him. It couldn't wait. She got up and walked out into the hall. She paused as she reached his door. Her heart started to beat faster. She took a deep breath, and opened the door.

"Bones?" He sat up and looked at her questioningly. "Are you okay?"

She stood there, frozen. Now that she was here, she wasn't sure if she could go through with it. She was afraid, afraid of her feelings, afraid of his reaction.

"Temperance?"

She shivered at the sound of her name on his lips. "I..." she stopped.

There was something in her eyes. He got up and moved toward her.

"I love you."

Her words stopped him, slammed into him like a physical force. He had expected her to bring up the kiss, to try to rationalize it. He had never expected this.

He was looking at her. She wasn't sure what she saw in his eyes. She forced herself to go on. "I promised myself when you were missing that if... WHEN I found you, that I would tell you."

He knew how hard this was for her. He wanted to stop her, to tell her that he understood, that he felt the same way, but he somehow knew she needed to do this.

She walked to the window. "There are a lot of things I've done that I regret, not the least of which was losing 15 years with my brother because of pride and anger. I just don't want to look back 15 years from now and regret that I didn't tell you how I felt."
It was done. She felt his eyes on her. She couldn't move, couldn't turn.

He took her hand, and turned her to face him. She wouldn't look at him. He reached out and lifted her chin. He looked into her eyes. He read the fear, the uncertainty. The hope.

"Temperance, do you know how much I admire you?" She just looked at him. "You had the courage to do what I couldn't, to say what was in your heart." He pulled her closer to him. "I love you, Temperance, more than I ever knew, more than I ever thought I could."

She looked into his eyes, eyes that could see past the coldness, the awkwardness, past the wall she had built around herself, to the real person she was inside. Eyes that could see into her soul.

He leaned down and touched his lips to hers. He caressed her face, then moved his hands up and ran his fingers through her hair. She put her arms around him, and pulled him closer, pressing her body against his. His breath caught. The passion that they had denied for so long overcame them. He lay her down on the bed, never breaking the kiss, and lost himself in loving her.

Later

He lay in the bed, Temperance in his arms. Her head was laying on his chest, her arms around him.
"Temperance?"

"Hmm" She was content, lying here in his arms, drifting off.

"I'm sorry" he whispered.

She sat up and looked at him. "What for?"

"You should never had had to go through what you went through. I should have been able to..."

"Seeley, you can't blame yourself."

"I should have known, I should have been able to spot him stalking you. If I had..."

"Please don't blame yourself. You couldn't have known. Besides, it's over, and I was really okay."

"Angela told me..."

"She shouldn't have. I knew you would be okay, that I would find you." She turned away. "You promised me that you wouldn't leave me. I know that you really can't promise that, death is inevitible, but I wanted to believe it."

He reached up and touched her face. "I can promise that. I meant every word I said. I will always be with you. You will never be alone."

"Booth..."

He took his hand, and placed it over her heart. "No matter what happens, I will always be with you, here in your heart."

"That's not rational. When you die..." She trailed off. "I want to believe that."

He pulled her down to him. "You can." He kissed her softly.

She pulled away, and looked into his eyes. "It's not rational, but somehow...I do."

The End

Thre you go! Hope you enjoyed it! I want to thank everyone, once again, for taking the time to read and review! I really loved all the comments, and I'm so glad you enjoyed the story! I have one more completed fic that I'll start to post tomorrow, it's called Choices, another angsty piece, but, as always, everything with me is happily ever after, and lots of fluff! lol!