Yes, it's been forever, but I hate people who don't finish stories and I realized I had become one. So I removed myself from my hermitness and decided that this needed ending and rounding up and finishing and being finished and all other words to do with ending. I made it slightly longer and I hope you like it (: (It's nearly all B&B fluff)

Booth walked her home and then, when they reached the door, paused and took her hands gently in his own.

'Bones I want to tell you something.' She looked into his deep brown eyes and felt herself falling, her mind spinning and her heart racing, the pulse in her wrists seeming almost visible beneath the creamy white flesh. She forced herself to focus on what he was saying instead of what he looked like and then snapped into her rational persona with a practiced mental motion. She squeezed his hands and looked into his deep brown eyes, blinking slowly and letting him hold her tightly.

'Tell me.' She murmured, slipping inside the door of her building and crossing the foyer to the elevator, touching the button to go up and then turning back to face Booth. He smiled thinly, his eyes catching a distant look.

'When we get upstairs.' They stepped into the warm elevator and stood in an easy silence as they rode it up to her floor and disembarked, opening the door to her apartment and slipping inside the warm interior. She took his hands again and leaned forwards, placing a gentle kiss on his lips and then let go of his hands.

'You can tell me.' She didn't want to push him, she sat down on her sofa and he sat beside her, a sad look shining in his chocolatey eyes.

'I have told you this before.' He began, exploring for the correct words so that she would understand. She seemed to sense that it was difficult for him, so took his hand and squeezed it gently, staring at him with trusting gray eyes. 'My father… was an alcoholic. And… when I was younger, he used to pick on Jared and I. Usually Jared. And when he picked on Jared, I would get in his way...' Brennan looked at him, felt how tight his hands were holding her, and understood. He made to speak more but she placed a hand over his mouth and nodded slowly, her eyes tear-filled.

'I understand, Booth. I understand.' She raised her head and stared at him, tears slowly traversing her cheeks and rolling down over her chin. He was staring at her too, tears sparkling on his cheeks and welling up in his eyes. 'I'm sorry.' She whispered to him, hardly aware of what she was doing. 'I'm so sorry.'

'It's not your fault, you know, it's not due to you.' He smiled even though tears were still gathered on his eyelashes and when he blinked, a single tear rolled down his cheek. She leaned towards him and rested her head on his shoulder, placing her hand on his heart and kissing his cheek softly. He placed a hand on his back and she found it, sliding her fingers under the thin cotton and gingerly stroking the raised ridges that crisscrossed the usually smooth skin.

'I'm sorry.' She whispered, bowing her head as he held tight to her hand; anchoring himself in the present, not in the past, not where all the bad memories remained. Her breathing altered after a while and he realized she had fallen asleep, her warm body resting on his. He shifted slightly and found himself diving headlong into his memories.

'Jared? Seeley? Get down here now you worthless pieces of crap.' Booth's father roared; a bottle of whiskey held tight in one hand. Seeley held onto his younger brother and shook his head silently.

'Stay here, Jared.' Jared stared at his older brother in complete trust and nodded, silently climbing the stairs and slipping into their shared room. Seeley braced himself and turned around the corner, staring defiantly at his father, his jaw strong and set as he walked into the room.

'Where the hell's your brother?' His father roared at him, holding his thick leather belt in his other hand.

'Not here.'

'Don't take that defiant tone with me, boy!' Seeley stared at his father, gritting his teeth and shaking all over. He knew what was coming. His father staggered forwards and ripped the shirt off of Seeley's back, exposing tender skin with red lines running both faint and vivid across it. The first one was the worst, ripping at the skin and causing a trickle of blood to run over it and flick from the leather of the belt, the belt buckle stinging as it connected. Seeley made no move or sound as the belt hit him over and over, only scrambling away when his father dropped the thick leather belt on the floor…

Booth shuddered awake, waking Brennan in the process and she looked around in confusion, her gray eyes filled with sleep.

'Sorry.' He soothed her, kissing her forehead and hoping she wouldn't notice the tears on his face. She noticed and wiped them away with her fingertips.

'You were crying.' She stated simply, holding tightly onto his hand and stroking his face with her hand as he regained his composure after a few moments.

'Yeah. Yeah I was.' He didn't want to deny it, but she kissed his lips softly.

'Are you hungry?' She whispered, standing up and heading into the kitchen. He shook his head and stood too, following her to the kitchen and catching her around the waist before dipping her as if they were dancing and kissing her softly.

'No. I'm tired.' He told her, sweeping her back into standing. She nodded.

'I agree.' He smiled and took her hand as they walked into her bedroom, embracing in the center of the room and just holding each other, content with just standing and being in contact with one another.

'I love you, Temperance.' A blush rose in her cheeks and she smiled shyly.

'I… I love you too.' She held close to him and they smiled at one another, their eyes meeting and their hearts racing in unison.

oOo

Brennan stood on the podium in the lab, a smile on her face as she examined the remains of a world war one soldier that was in the backlog for identifying when the Jeffersonian was not pursuing murderers or solving heinous crimes. Angela was doing a facial reconstruction and Hodgins was doing something or other with some bugs that he had found in one of the exhibits. The lab was quiet aside from the occasional click and hum of the computers being run by the interns. Brennan smiled fondly as she remembered Booth's pet name for them, the "squinterns". There was a hiss as the door at the back of the lab opened and Booth came striding in.

'Booth? What are you doing here, we don't have a case.' Brennan asked him, turning her attention back to the ribs and spine of the soldier.

'I came to see you, silly!' She smiled and then frowned for a moment.

'I am not silly, Booth.'

'Bones, it's a term of endearment.'

'Doesn't sound as such.' He smiled at her logic, tuning out what she was saying.

'Bones?'

'Yes?'

'Be quiet.'

'Booth!' She smiled at him, already knowing what he was going to do. He stepped up beside her and kissed her, soft yet passionately on the podium. There was a clatter as Angela dropped her artist's implements and came running out and a gasp from Cam. Then a slow clap began, more and more people joining in until it flooded their senses. They broke apart and smiled at one another.

They had faced their demons together, and beaten them.

Well that's it, it's over (:

Thanks for sticking by me and I hope you enjoy this final chapter.

Much much much much love,

Erin~