It's finally here! The long awaited final chapter of Happening. I am a sucker for sappy endings, I'll admit.
Temperance Brennan stepped off the plane, and entered the busy airport. It had been a year since she had last set foot in DC, and she was glad to be back.
After everything that had happened the year before, Cam had requested that Brennan took a sabbatical. What had started as a three-month dig in South Africa had turned into a tour of various anthropological sites around the continent, which had stretched on longer than anyone had expected.
The trip allowed Brennan to come to terms with everything she had been feeling over the months. Without realising it, she had accepted the fact that she loved Booth, as more than just a partner or friend.
She hadn't spoke to him at all during the time she had been away. Communication was difficult, and the few times that she was able to call home, she called Angela. Now, walking down the tunnel into the airport, Brennan thought back to the last time she had seen Booth.
- - -
Brennan stood in before her team, waving goodbye. Booth stood with them, his eyes dark and clouded, not really focused on the scene before him. Without saying a word, he pulled Brennan into a hug, holding her as close as possible, as if afraid to let go.
She was stiff at first, surprised by her partner's actions, but she was soon relaxed in his arms. She listened as he murmured to her.
"I'll miss you Bones," He said, unknowingly pulling at Brennan's heart. "Things will be back to normal soon, I promise. I know that won't make you stay though…"
That was when Brennan realised that Booth though she was leaving because of him. He'd been almost shy since she got out of the hospital, and now that she was leaving, she noticed that he was more apprehensive.
"Don't worry Booth," She whispered back to him, pulling back so she could look into his eyes. "I'll be back soon. I'll miss you too." Booth smiled back at her, his fears allayed. In one smooth move, he bent down and kissed her lightly. It lasted only a few seconds, but it left Brennan breathless.
With a final wave to her team, Brennan boarded the plane.
- - -
Now she was back, and she could get back to doing what she loved –spending time with Booth, and Parker when she could. The thought brought a smile to her face, before a grimace wiped it away. Even though a year had past, her ribs were still painful in the cold, and it was snowing in DC.
Her smile returned quickly though, as she saw Booth leaning against the wall opposite to her. She knew he'd been waiting for her to return.
"Dr Brennan," He said in greeting, as he took her carry on bag from her. At first, Brennan was shocked by the use of her title, but she soon picked up on the glint of mischief in Booth's eyes.
"Agent Booth," she said, playing along. For a few seconds, the two were silent, until Booth's grin broke out and he swept Brennan into a hug.
"God, Bones, why didn't you call me?" He said, wrapping his arms around her waist. She ran her hands up his chest, and wrapped them around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder, revelling in his familiar smell.
"Missed you, Booth," She mumbled, and felt him chuckle. It was nice to hear him laugh. He hadn't since 'D' had barged into their life. Stuart Bronson, Brennan corrected herself. 'D' still terrified her, but giving him an identity solidified the fact that he had died in her mind.
"You too, Bones. I always miss you," He replied, pulling back slightly. Tears filled Brennan's eyes, but they were tears of happiness. Booth ran a thumb over cheek, wiping away the salty drops. He kissed away the trails they had left, and trailed his lips slowly down to Brennan's own.
The kiss was sweet, and everything that both partners wanted. They were relieved to know that they could return to the way they had been. When they finally broke apart, Brennan leant her head on Booth's chest.
"How's Parker?" She asked, and the silence returned. For a moment, Brennan panicked, thinking something might have happened to the boy. She moved back, and brought a hand up to caress Booth's cheek, returning his focus to her. "Booth?"
"Sorry Bones," Booth said, shaking his head lightly. He moved Temperance's head back to his chest, where his heartbeat soothed her. "Parker's great. Everything is great. I was just thinking again how lucky I am to have someone like you to look after him, if something was to happen to me."
"Booth, we both know where that conversation lead us last time," Brennan said. Booth was silent momentarily, before he smiled.
"It lead us here, Bones. It lead us to a place where I can do this," And with that, he dipped his head, and kissed his Bones with as much passion as he could. All thoughts of the pain that had dominated their actions was gone, and it was almost as if it had never happened.
- - -
Brennan had demanded that she was taken back to the Jeffersonian before going home, and Booth was happy to agree. The lab had seemed empty without her and he knew that once she got back, the lab would come to life again. As they walked hand in hand along the wide hallways that lead to the lab, Booth already felt happier.
Angela descended upon the couple within moments of them entering. Beaming smiles lit up the faces of the entire team, and the slight gloom that surrounded them was banished instantly. One by one, the squints greeted their returning colleague, and neither Booth nor Brennan was surprised to see that Sweets had been waiting for their return as well.
"Bren, sweetie, I'm so glad you're back!" Angela gushed, dragging Brennan away from Booth to her office so they could catch up. Booth wasn't surprised. He walked towards the platform, and swiped his card, granting access.
From where he stood, he could see the whole lab. Angela painting, Hodgins and Zack working on an experiment, Cam in her office busy running things. Everyone was where they were supposed to be. Brennan came and stood beside him, in the centre of the lab.
"We are the centre," She said, knowing as well as he did what his thoughts were.
"And the centre has held," He replied.
Everything happens eventually, even the bad things. We just have to wait and try to ride out the storm, wake up to our realities, accept painful truths and let go, so our hurt can be measured. Hidden away in the dark, death leads to comfort. The centre has held.
The End.