Brennan knocked on the door again fiercely. She had already called to say that she would be coming over, so honestly she was a bit annoyed that she had to be standing outside at 10 pm in the freezing cold while rain poured down. Luckily she was standing warm and dry under the porch, but still.

She should have been shivering, but the combined body heat of two 3 year old twins sleeping peacefully in her arms kept her warm. She wished she was able to just fall asleep that easily. With no care or worries in the world. They were completely oblivious to the pain that was engulfing their young lives at that very minute.

She stumbled slightly as the door opened abruptly. Angela looked like she had just woken up, her hair in loose ponytail which was falling out rapidly, while her jeans were rumpled from sleep.

"Hey sweetie, sorry I fell asleep watching TV with Jack."

"Its ok, can I come in?"

Angela smiled, opening the door wider so her friend could step in. "Of course you can sweetie, you don't have to ask."

Brennan stepped into the welcoming hallway of the house that Angela shared with Hodgins. After they had gotten married, Angela had wanted to start over fresh so that they shared the house instead of her living in space. It felt like both of them, with warm toasty colored walls, and furniture that begged to be sat on.

Brennan looked around, pulling Chloe and Sam farther up into her arms. She bit her lip, and started to speak, but spoke at the same time. They both laughed.

"Go ahead Angela."

"No its fine sweetie, you were first."

Brennan smiled, meeting her friend's eyes. "Ange I want to thank you for doing this. I just…I really need to fix this."

"Bren, you know I would take Chloe and Sam whenever you need me to."

"I know. This sounds stupid, but I'm sort of grateful that Booth found out today. It would have been so much harder for me to tell him on my own."

Angela grinned, shrugging. "Well you can just blame my big mouth for that sweetie. I know I already apologized, but I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have butted into things with you and Booth. It just made it more complicated, and you guys have complicated all on your own."

Brennan had to smirk at that, but her smile quickly turned to seriousness as she thought about what Angela was saying.

"Ange, I just…I don't know if there's a 'Booth and I' anymore. So much has happened, and he says that he wants things to go back the way they are, but I don't know if I'll ever trust him again…or if he'll trust me."

"Sweetie, you did what you thought was right. So did Booth. He moved to New York because he didn't want Parker to think that he abandoned him. He wasn't trying to abandon you in the process. Remember that."

Brennan smiled. "You make it sound so simple."

Angela shook her head, smiling. "Its never simple sweetie."

"I know."

Angela motioned to Sam and Chloe. "And you're not alone anymore Bren. You have 2 other lives to think about."

Brennan looked down at her children, touching their heads as to make sure that they were still there.

"It's a logical anthropological inevitability that I would care about my offspring so much. I never thought I would. I didn't think I would be able to But I do Ange, so much. I don't think I've ever cared so much about someone else before, except…."

"Except Booth."

Brennan looked down, and then back at Angela. "Yeah."

It was silent for a second, while they both thought. It was obvious who they were thinking about. It started with a B.

"Sweetie why don't we get Chloe and Sam to bed; its getting late. I made up the guest bedroom next to ours."

Brennan nodded, following Angela up the stairs, the weight of the twins making her go significantly slower. She wondered how she had ever survived with them inside of her.

Angela clicked on the lights revealing the pretty spring green room with its two twin beds, and big fluffy green pillows. Brennan loved this room, especially in the morning when the sun flooded the room from the huge picture windows.

She carefully lowered Chloe and Sam onto the beds, relieved that they weren't stirring. She lifted the covers over them, tucking them in, as they shifted slightly in their heavy sleep, adjusting to the new change in sleeping environment.

Brennan had told them they were staying at Angela's but she found herself already missing them. Leaning down, she kissed them carefully, smoothing out their hair.

"Goodnight Sammy. Goodnight Chloe. Sleep tight. I'll see you in the morning."

She knew they couldn't hear her, but she figured that it was for good measure. She stood up facing Angela who was smiling warmly at the twin mini me's of Brennan and Booth asleep in her guest room.

Brennan didn't think twice before throwing herself at her friend, hugging her tightly. Angela grinned in surprise hugging Brennan back.

"Thank you Angela, for everything. For being my friend. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd be fine sweetie, you always are."

Brennan smiled as she pulled away comforted by the embrace. "You're right."

"I always am. Now get out of here, we both know where you should be."

Brennan kissed Sam and Chloe quickly again, before dashing down the stairs, into the rain. It had taken her a long time to get where she was going, but hopefully it wasn't to late to arrive.

Brennan touched the cool little key she was clutching so tightly in her fist. The edges pushing into her skin woke her up, and as she released her hand she realized just how tightly she had been holding on to the key.

She fingered it gently, running her fingers over the grooves and channels of the metal, smiling weakly. This key seemed so symbolic. She almost had to laugh. Since when did she find things symbolic?

But this was painfully obvious. She remembered when the little old lady had given her this key. How she had hesitantly clicked it into the lock, knowing what she would see before her.

She looked over her shoulder at the door across the hall wondering if Rose still lived there. It had been 3 and a half years since she had set foot into Booth's building. 3 and a half years since she had stood here, wishing that he would be there when she opened up.

She felt haunted with the memories, as if she couldn't get away from them. All she wanted to do was run.

She had never gone back. After that night she had hidden the key by her bed, underneath pictures of her parents. Underneath the CD's Angela had made her. Underneath Chloe and Sam's birth certificate. She kept it hidden so she wouldn't feel the impulse to go back there.

That's what she had done after he had left. She had hidden anything that would remotely remind her of him. That summer had been filled with him. Because it had been their summer together.

Hundreds of pictures of them which had piled up in frames and on her desk and in her apartment were thrown into a box, shoved underneath her bed. She couldn't look at them. When he'd left she'd been so upset she'd taken the picture of him next to her bedside and smashed it until the shards of glass covered her bedroom floor. She hadn't cared. All she wanted was to be free.

She had switched her shampoo because she knew he loved how it smelled. She had stopped visiting the memorials because of the sunsets that they had watched there. She had washed her sheets and pillows over and over again, trying to get him off of them. Trying to force away the memories of the nights they had shared. It had taken 5 extra-clean cycles until she was finally satisfied.

The only thing she hadn't been able to force out of her life was the diner. She'd go and eat cherry pie there, wishing somehow that it would conjure Booth out of nowhere, but it never did.

So now, she was here. After everything she had tried to erase. After all the things she had promised she wouldn't do, after trying to remove him from her life, she was back here.

She knew he would be asleep. It was 11 o'clock, and she knew Parker never went to bed later then 9. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for comfort, and slid the key slowly into the small silvery lock.

She exhaled with relief when the door slid open easily. She had been afraid that the locks would have been changed. The apartment was completely bathed in moonlight so that everything had taken on a ghostly appearance.

Even if it was dark, she knew the way around his apartment unless he had moved the furniture to spite her. She slid off her shoes, trying to be quiet so she wouldn't wake up Parker. She knew what she was doing was probably verging on stalkerish, and she was probably invading his privacy, but after almost 4 years without him, she realized that was exactly what she needed. Him.

The apartment wasn't that big, and within seconds she was at his bedroom door. She breathed almost silently for a second, having second thoughts. Maybe she shouldn't be doing this. What if he hurt her again?

I've already broken into his apartment; it would be stupid to stop now. Right?

She turned the knob, wincing when it creaked loudly. Her heart pounded as the moonlit room and sleeping man was revealed. This room. It was like stepping back in time.

Booth immediately heard the door creaking, and the soft footsteps. His army instincts would always be there, and instantaneously his nerves sensed the presence in the room. He shot up in bed, turning to see the striking silhouette he knew so well.

"Bones, what the hell are you doing here?"

She looked down. This had been a bad idea. He was obviously still furious, and she didn't want to scream anymore.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have come."

She turned to go, but Booth's voice stopped her. "No…don't go. You scared me that's all."

"I didn't mean to…I just had to talk to you."

She sat on his bed cautiously, making sure to leave enough space between them. Even in the darkness she could see him staring at her curiously.

"How did you get in here? You're not picking locks again are you?"

She laughed softly, thinking about the lock picking tricks Booth had tried to teach her. She hadn't been very good at all.

Brennan lifted key out of her pocket, as Booth's eyes grew wide in surprise. "You kept my key?"

She looked down, maybe he hadn't meant for her to keep it. Maybe it had just been a facilitator to get his letter.

"Was I not supposed to?"

He wanted to reach out and touch her, to comfort her. But he knew he couldn't. They had to fix this first.

"No, no you were. I just didn't think you would."

"I know I shouldn't have done this. Used the key to break into your apartment…I never would have, but I had to apologize."

He could see her eyes shining with fresh tears, the moonlight reflecting off of them. He hated seeing her cry so much.

"No. Bones. I have to say something first."

She nodded, biting her lip softly. "Ok."

"I never knew that my leaving hurt you so much Temperance. I didn't mean it. I would never hurt you intentionally."

What did you expect Booth? I was in love with you, so yes it hurt like hell.

She looked up at him, sadness evident in her eyes. "You did."

"I know. Leaving you….was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. God, Bones I wish I could take it back. I wish I could take all of it back."

"But you don't really wish that. You would have never left Parker Booth, no matter how much I begged you. We both know that."

She smiled out of irony. "The funniest thing is you say that you regret it. You say you wish you could take it back, but you never once, asked me if I would move with you."

"Bones you know you would have never even considered moving with me. That's why I didn't ask you. You don't think that I didn't want you to move with me. I did."

"You don't know that Booth. You think you know me so well, but you don't."

"You're right. I don't. I would have never pegged you to lie."

She looked away. She didn't want to fight with him. She wanted to fix things.

"Booth I don't want to fight with you again."

He looked at her, and she had a hard time looking back, his gaze was so intense. As if he was reading her soul, and part of her knew he was. Like he always had.

"Me neither."

She ran a hand through her hair, sighing. "Booth, I don't know how to fix this. But I want to. I want to so much. I want Chloe and Sam to have their father. And most of all I don't want to hide from this anymore. I miss you."

She subtly scooted closer to him, a movement that wasn't missed by either of them.

"I would have never left if I knew Temperance. I wouldn't have let you go through that alone. I would have fought for Parker, and for you. And Chloe and Sam."

She let the tears that she had been diligently holding back spill out of her eyes.

"Why couldn't you fight harder? Why did you have to leave me? I was so alone…I needed you…"

Her voice broke with tears, and she turned away from him, covering her face in her hands, her body shaking with sobs she was trying to push down.

Booth reached out, rubbing her shoulder softly. It had been the first physical contact they had had since he was back. She felt the electricity run up her body even through her sobs.

"Hey Bones…please don't cry."

Her next move surprised him more than anything, as she turned collapsing her body into his, and wrapping her arms around him. He was so startled her didn't move for a minute. It had been years since he had held her, and it still felt the same. Some things hadn't changed.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, stroking her hair softly, her tears falling quickly onto his shirt.

"Bones, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry…"

He held her there, the sobs still wracking her body, until she finally became silent, and her breathing calmed down. Booth could tell she had fallen asleep. They hadn't been like this for so long. Booth was almost afraid that if he fell asleep, he would open his eyes to find that it had all been a dream.