Author's Note: Slight spoiler warning with Gormogon storyline.

Some boys take a beautiful girl

And hide her away from the rest of the world

I wanna be the one to walk in the sun - BANG

Booth shot up from his bed. He blinked as he looked around. I'm in Bones' apartment, she's right across the hall. He slowly got up and put on his slippers. He felt his heart racing as he continued towards the door. I just need to check that she's okay. His shirtless form made its way into the hall.

He had told Bones to keep her door slightly ajar. Just in case she needed something. He thanked the heavens that she listened. Peaking into her room, he caught a glimpse of her. Her bed was disheveled, as if she was tossing throughout the night. The moonlight illuminated at the perfect angle for him to see the large bandage that covered the middle of her chest. She must have changed into a tank top after excusing herself for the night. But she was breathing. She was alive.

He was about to go back to his room when he heard the first whimper. It always starts with her whimpering. He could hear Hodgins say in his head. She's having a nightmare. He turned back toward her room and stepped in.

"No, no, don't leave, don't go." She mumbled, but each word broke Booth's heart. She was calling out to them. He slowly walked toward the bed. Her feet began to kick and her head moved. As he got closer, he saw the tears. Taking a deep breath, he crouched by the bed.

"Bones, I'm right here." He whispered, trying to wake her without scaring her.

"Booth?" She asked, her eyes shut tightly.

"I'm right here." He reached out to stroke her cheek.

"Don't go." Her voice broke and sobs began to wrack her body. She curled into herself and Booth worried about the broken bones. He gently shook her.

"Bones, baby, you got to wake up." He murmured, but she was beginning to hyperventilate.

"Don-Don-Don't le-leave." She struggled to get out. He felt his heart tighten in his chest. Bones always said a heart couldn't break, but rather be crushed. His was being crushed as he heard her small voice.

"Baby, I need you to wake up." His voice getting louder. "C'mon, Bones. Come back to me." He shook her a little more, still nervous of the bones and wound in the middle of her chest, but he needed her to open her eyes. He was losing her to the fears in her mind.

"Booth?" She whispered, her voice broken and her eyes heavy with sleep. "What - why are you here? Did something happen?" Her breathing was ragged and her eyes laced with confusion.

"There's my girl." He muttered as she started to sit up in bed. Her eyes scanning the room before looking at the clock. 3:12 a.m.

"Wow." She mumbled and Booth looked at the clock.

"Yea, you still have time to go back to sleep, Bones." But she eyes never left the clock.

"I woke up at 3:12 that night after my surgery." She murmured, as if to no one. Booth felt a lump in his throat. "I wake up every night at 3:12." She continued. Booth could feel the tears prick the back of his eyes. "I woke up and no one was there, the room was dark, the only sound was the beeping of the machines." A tear slipped down Booth's cheek. He wanted to take those memories away. Had he known she survived, he would have been there, holding her hand. So many times, she had sat in the hospital room, holding his hand until he woke up, or just sitting in the corner waiting, and he couldn't do the same for her. The bureau took that away from me. He thought.

"Well, I'm here, and Angela and Hodgins have been there." He responded, but she was still in her own thoughts.

"I told Dr. Saroyen when she came the next morning that I expected to wake up alone." Booth shattered, his lovely, beautiful friend and partner, she had so little faith in the relationships she built in the love others had for her.

"Bones, if any of us knew-" Booth began, but Bones finally looked at him, stopping him in his tracks, her eyes glittered in the moonlight with tears.

"I know, Booth. I just couldn't help but feel lost, like I had done something wrong. I didn't know about the covert operation until Cam came the next morning. I couldn't find my phone, the nurse didn't know what to say." Bones stared into Booth's chocolate brown eyes. Their warmth helped her, made her feel seen and heard. "I just thought that maybe you all forgot about me." She finally said and watched as Booth's eyes filled with tears. They were spilling down his cheeks.

He wanted to be strong for her, but what she said hurt him. She didn't think that she was worthy of their time. She didn't believe they would remember she had been shot.

"Bones, I would move heaven and earth to sit next to you. I would swim through hurricanes and walk through an ice storm to hold your hand when you woke up." His voice held so much conviction that Brennan gasped. His words brought a warmth to her chest. "That night, I felt like my entire world was ending. I couldn't look at anyone without seeing your face. I thought a part of me died with you, a large part of me."

"Booth, it doesn't work like that." She responded, and Booth sighed.

"No, but metaphorically, I died with you that night. I couldn't sleep without seeing you on the floor, I didn't know how I was going to move on." Brennan's breathing was under control and her brain began turning the cogs. Booth could see her mind at work as he watched her shift in the bed. He got up and sat next to her, his hand resting gently on her blanket covered thigh.

"Well, I would assume that the FBI would assign you a new partner -"

"I wouldn't have accepted a new partner, Bones. I've had partners before you, but I'll never have a partner after you. You're it." Booth knew he was professing to her all wrong. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, that she was it. Watching her on the floor, her reaching out for him, the way his heart shattered when he was told she was gone, the way he hated God for taking her, she was everything. She was it.

"But Booth, that would be unsafe." She continued, trying to rationalize an irrational thought.

"Bones, I don't care, I wouldn't be able to cope if you were gone. You being gone, I probably would've stopped going to work altogether." He shrugged and Brennan turned a little too fast to look at him. She grasped her chest and Booth's face distorted in concern. "Bones! Slow down, don't do that." He reprimanded her, but she continued to glare at him.

"No, you needed to live. I would take that bullet every time." Her voice was strong now and Booth felt his breathing hitch. "You … you have Parker and a life and you deserve to continue on."

"So do you." Booth said without hesitation as he looked at her. "I couldn't tell Parker you were gone because how do you tell a little boy one of their favorite people in the world is gone? He loves you, Bones. I couldn't tell Pops, because he loves you. They would be heartbroken. I could barely breathe. I didn't talk to anyone except the squints in the days before your funeral. I cried and drank and punched my pillow. My world didn't make sense."

Brennan simply breathed. She watched the fire in his eyes. She was confused why he was so angry. She wanted him to live, to be a father, to be around. Yet, he acted like she was wrong for taking the shot. He pulled her into his side, his arm delicately around her shoulders as she leaned into him. Even though they were just partners, she and Booth had always been comfortable with touch. A hug, a peck on the cheek, hand holding. Brennan always assumed it was because after their first case they shared a passionate kiss and they had almost had a sexual interaction. But there was something so innocent about their touches. Even now, it wasn't a touch to lead to a passion filled night, but rather they both needed to hold one another after coming to terms with what happened.

Booth could hear Bones' breathing becoming deeper and realized her eyes were growing heavy. He wondered if they should move, if he should go back across the hall. But who was he kidding? I want to be here. I've wanted to be here, in bed, with her, since the moment I saw her in that lecture hall. So instead of moving out of the bed, he repositioned them to be laying down side by side, his arms enveloping her small frame.

"I'll be right here when you wake up, baby." He whispered in her ear and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Her eyes were closed and her arms brushed over his chest. It felt right being here, with her in his arms. A week ago, this was his only wish, to have her back in his arms. Now, he sent up a silent prayer. Thank you.

-BB-

Booth felt the sun on his cheek and heard rustling outside the door. He hadn't slept that hard since the shooting, hell he hadn't slept that hard since prior to the shooting. Spicy vanilla engulfed his body. He slowly opened his eyes and felt around the bed, but it was empty. This caused Booth's breathing to stall. His eyes focused in front of him, the clock said 7:10 a.m. and he could hear pans. Bones is making breakfast? Pulling himself out of bed he put his slippers back on and made his way to the bathroom.

Brennan could hear the creaking of the floorboards in her bedroom. She couldn't remember the last time she slept so soundly. Her nightmares hadn't been as bad and waking up in Booth's arms felt … different. She liked the warmth and feeling so safe, but was uneasy about how her body seemed to respond to him. Yes, they had a physical attraction and surely having sex would be highly satisfying, but they were friends and partners. He was the most important person in her life and she couldn't sacrifice that. Could she?

Booth came out of the bedroom, still only clad in his pajama pants and slippers. His bare upper body holding Brennan's attention for a couple seconds longer than usual. She then looked back at the omelets she was making.

"I made sure to put some bacon, onions, and peppers in your omelet. Would you like toast?" She tried to remain calm as she felt Booth approach her from behind. Reaching above her head, he grabbed a mug from the cupboard.

"I can make the toast, do you want a couple slices?" He asked and all she could do was nod. He poured them two cups of coffee and placed them on the dining room table, before grabbing the toaster out of a lower cupboard.

He knew her entire kitchen as well as his own. He knew that she liked to use the wine glasses with the longer stems because it felt better in her hand. He knew that her favorite mug was the ones with dolphins on it because it reminded her of her mother. She had a picture that Parker drew hanging on her fridge. He knew she preferred to eat sourdough toast when she was having just eggs, but whole wheat toast when she made an omelet. They moved throughout the kitchen like dancers in the midst of a ballet. Silent and in-sync.

She plated the omelets and he grabbed the slices of toast. She pulled the butter out of the fridge and placed it in the middle of the table and he grabbed the utensils. They dug into their breakfasts. Halfway through eating, Booth began to study Brennan. Her movements were more reserved. She was careful not to stretch her arms out too far and he knew the pain she was feeling.

"Do you need help with redressing your wound?" Booth asked, breaking the silence. Brennan blinked at the question.

"Oh, well maybe, I have noticed that trying to clean the area causing some pain. I can always ask Angela to help if you would feel uncomfortable." She averted her gaze and he shook his head.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to help." He replied and took another sip of coffee. "What would be nice is a large slice of pie right now." This earned him a small giggle from Bones.

"Booth, that's not healthy for 7 in the morning."

"It's got fruit in it." He shrugged and she shook her head.

"I was wondering if you would drive me to the lab." She kept her gaze on her coffee mug, she knew she was in for a fight.

"No." Booth set his mug down and leaned back in his chair. "No lab. No work." He pointed at Bones. "You are resting."

"Booth, I've been resting. I just think going into the lab will be helpful."

"There's germs there! Hodgins tests for germs!"

"He tests for various particulates that sometimes contain bacteria, which we have used to help us solve cases. But there are bacterial organisms everywhere, Booth." She is now looking directly at him. She can handle this Booth, the one who fights her on science.

"Still, there's more bacteria there than here. I can call Cam and she can send over whatever you want to look over."

"I will not have her send over remains, Booth."

"You - I'm sorry, you want to look at remains?" He looks at her incredulously. I swear, she's going to kill me without a second thought. "Dr. Tamin said-"

"He said it was fine so long as I had a place to sit if I got tired."

"You know he felt cornered when you were questioning him. He was intimidated."

"I thought you wanted me to listen to Dr. Tamin's advice? Plus how could you tell he was intimidated, you weren't even in the room to witness body language. From my perspective, he seemed fine."

"UGH!" Booth groaned and Brennan smiled. She had won the battle. Booth had resigned himself to her argument, but she was going to hear an earful from him and everyone else. She just needed some normalcy in her life.

-BB-

It took Brennan longer to get dressed and before she put her shirt on, she walked into the living room. Booth was in jeans and a pullover sweater. His eyes scanning the newspaper.

"We ready to g- Bones, you're not wearing a shirt." He looked up mid sentence and felt his jeans getting tighter. This is not good. He thought to himself as he discreetly tried to adjust himself.

"You said you would help redress my wound site." Bones stated matter-of-factly and Booth nodded, while trying not to blush.

"Yes, let me grab the ointments." He mumbled and ran to the hospital bag. He pulled out new bandages, ointments, and the handwritten instructions from Bones' nurse. Brennan only had a lacy black bra on and began to gently pull at the adhesive tape around the bandage. "HANDS!" Booth shouted. "I - sorry -" He cleared his throat. "I need to wash my hands." He mumbled and ran to the kitchen. Brennan looked at him bewildered. "Here let me." He said as he returned and began to slowly pull the bandage away.

Brennan's eyes watched the tenseness of Booth's jaw as he focused on the task at hand. Reading the instructions, he went step by step. Cleaning the area. Placing the medication on the site. Observing for any abnormalities. Then finally putting a new bandage on. It was incredibly intimate and he was gentle with every movement he made. Finally, he looked up at her, and his breathing caught in his throat.

"Thank you, Booth." She murmured. He could smell her minty breath and his eyes flickered between her gaze and her lips. A couple inches could change everything. They both feel the magnetism as the lean forward.

Buzz. Buzz.

Their phones both begin ringing and they spring apart. As they answer, Bones quickly runs to her room and grabs a sweater with a high neck. A package had been delivered to the lab that needs Dr. Brennan's attention.

-BB-

A mandible with two silver screws. Gormogon. Booth is cursing as he walks into Cam's office.

"Really? This needed Bones' attention?" He asks and notices his friend's state. Her shoulders are slumped, she has dark circles under her eyes. "Cam, what's going on?" He asks and watches her take a breath.

"The package was addressed to Dr. Brennan." She responds and Booth nods, but continues to stare, egging her on to speak. "Seeley, I swear, every time I close my eyes, I'm back watching her get shot." She whispers and Booth nods.

"Me too. But she's here, she's right there." He points at the platform. "Even though I would prefer she were in bed for a few more days." He mutters more to himself than to Cam, but she chuckles.

"Patient not being super cooperative?"

"Like pulling teeth. She finally let me help her redress her chest wound, but this? Bringing her here? I'm so scared of infections, what if something happens? Bug boy loves to blow shit up, what happens then?" Cam can only continue to chuckle. Seeley has it bad. She always knew he loved Brennan, but this just sealed it.

"She can't be kept under glass. You don't think any of us would be putting her in a bubble if we could?" Cam watches as Angela, Hodgins, and Brennan leave Zack to work on the mandible. They are talking and walking when an explosion is heard throughout the lab. The lock down procedure commences and Cam's office doors lock automatically. Booth jumps into action and begins clawing at the doors.

"THE FUCK HAPPENED?! CAM, OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR!" Booth screams as he looks out to see Angela and Hodgins holding each other and Brennan laying on the floor. "BONES! BONES!"

Brennan can't seem to hear anything, her head feels foggy as the blast shook her. She's trying to remain calm, while she could feel her body shaking. She was going into shock. She tried to breathe. The bomb squad had been called and emergency personnel were on the scene within minutes. She could hear Booth's muffled voice. She looked up, searching for him, like a beacon of light in the darkness.

He was standing behind the reinforced glass of Cam's office, pacing like a caged animal. This was the second time something had happened and he wasn't by her side to protect her. He was losing it. He made eye contact with her and she could feel his eyes searching hers. She touched her chest as she felt warmth.

"Sweetie, Brennan, are you okay?" Angela's voice was right next to her, Hodgins had crouched on her other side.

"I think a stitch popped." She mumbled and Hodgins looked at her sweater.

"Yea, there's some blood coming through your sweater." Hodgins' voice was calm, but his eyes were frantic. "We should call over a medic." Brennan looked up at Angela, who seemed dazed with tears in her eyes. She turned and ran to the medical staff. Within seconds, a couple emergency personnel were placing Brennan on a gurney. The bomb squad had turned off the lock down and Cam's office door opened. Booth was sprinting toward Bones.

"What's going on? Why is she bleeding? Was she hit?"

"Sir, only family can accompany us." But Booth didn't like that answer, showing his badge and making his way into the ambulance, he looked at Brennan.

"You're going to be okay and next time, no lab work until I say so." He spoke sternly and Brennan simply smiled. She knew he was angry, not at her, but at the situation.

"Had I known a bomb would go off in the lab, I wouldn't have asked to go." She tried to joke, but Booth's jaw was set, his brow furrowed. "Booth, I'm fine, I promise. It really doesn't hurt that bad, just a stitch popped."

But he just stared at her, lowering his head to place his forehead against hers.

"I'm the protector. I haven't been doing a good job the past couple times. Just please, let me protect you." He whispered. The tears welled in his eyes and his voice cracked. She saw the sincerity and she didn't know what came over her, but she leaned forward.

Their lips met, it was a quick, chaste kiss. But it was still full of understanding and hope. They were forced to pull away as the ambulance moved and personnel began cutting Brennan's sweater to assess the wound. Booth stood back and watched as she answered the question, but he didn't miss the light tint of pink on her cheeks. The next time they kissed, he promised himself that he would leave her breathless, that those cheeks would blush, that there wouldn't be an audience, that it would end in them tangled in each other.

Author's Note: Oooooooh they kissed! Can you tell I like when Booth is super worried about Brennan? I just can't help it, the alpha male protectiveness kills me lol