A/N Thank you all soooooooo much for the great reviews and the massive number of story alerts that I have had filtering through my inbox over the last few days! It always makes writing more enjoyable when you know you have people reading. So yeah thank you all so much!

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this chapter, as some of you have pointed out I am a very angsty writer...and this chapter came out a little soppier than I expected. Ooops! :) I hope that it doesn't seem like Brennan is too out of character, or the Booth is too emotional. Let me know what you think!

Oh and I apologise if there are spelling/grammatical errors. I am trying to get this story out as quickly as I can along with the many assignments I should actually be writing. :P

Loza

They sat in silence for over an hour, and it seemed that his heart beat and her shaking had finally slowed down. Her hand was still naturally resting against his heart. He could feel her steady breathing against his chest, her other arm wrapped tightly around his middle. She had just fallen asleep, and she really was clinging to him. He had to admit that he kind of liked the way it felt. It put him at ease, knowing how much she needed him. It was always so hard to get Bones to put her guard down. She had been fiercely independent since they first day he met her. It was a new experience to have her so vulnerably curled up and sleeping against him. He let out a little sigh, wishing that they could have gotten to this point in their relationship under better circumstances.

He felt his own eyes begin to drift closed, and he subconsciously held her a little bit closer to him.

He felt her stir in his arms a while later, and she quickly removed herself from his hold. His eyes jerked awake at the lack of her touch, and he saw her figure heading towards his kitchen. He hopped up quickly after her, cringing as he realised his position on the couch had not agreed with his back. He followed her into the darkness of the room, staring at her as she stood unmoving.

She was leaning on his bench, her head dropped. Her stance made her look defeated, and broken.

'Bones" he called softly, stepping into the kitchen. She turned to face him, briefly smiling, but her bloodshot eyes were a giveaway. She had been crying again.

"I'm sorry Booth. I didn't mean to wake you." she sniffled.

"It's ok. I wasn't really asleep" he said, stepping closer to her.

"I should get going... It's really late..."

"No, please don't go" he said quickly , cutting her off.

"I don't want to impose on you anymore..." she began.

"Your not Bones. Please stay. It's way too late for you to be leaving now...:" he took her hand in his own, forcing her to turn and face him. "I don't want you driving around in the middle of the night ok... you can stay here tonight."

"I'm sorry Booth." she choked out. "I just feel like a real mess right now ..."

He brought a hand to her face, rubbing away the stray tears with his thumb.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, you understand me?" he said seriously, his eyes boring into her own.

They were dangerously close, and all he could think about was ow beautiful she was. How she didn't deserve all the shit that had happened to her. He knew deep in his heart that he would never leave her, and he would do anything to make sure she was safe.

He was so lost in his own head that he didn't;t notice her leaning closer to him. He was snapped out of his thoughts and back to reality when he felt her lips softly brush against his.

"Why do you have to be so good to me Booth?" she whispered against his lips.

"You know why Bones. You know how I feel about you."

She looked up at him, their faces remaining only inches apart.

He kissed her again, silencing her and smiling at her standard response for things that were jokes, puns or too emotional for her to deal with. He was hoping she had said it because of the latter option.

He felt her deepen the kiss, pulling his closer to her by the front of his shirt.

In a matter of seconds, he had her pinned against his kitchen wall, his body pushed against her own as he kissed her passionately.

"Booth..." she murmured against his mouth.

He pulled back slowly, keeping his arms firmly on the wall behind her.

"Did you mean what you said before?"

She asked it so quietly he barely heard her, but he could tell from her curious stare exactly what she was asking.

"I mean everything I say Bones. I really care about you, your my best friend. But the feelings I have for you, it's more than friendship. It always had been." he confesses, watching her face carefully for her reaction.

She just smiled, pulling him even closer to her.

"Me too" she said, placing a kiss on the side of his neck.

He held her tightly, her hand running up and down her back slowly. This didn't feel real. He was in shock that this was happening. Things like this never happen to him.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you Bones" he said into her hair.

She pulled back form him, looking at him incredulously.

"Booth, you have the kindest heart of anyone I have ever known. Why would you even think that?"

"Because... I wasn't always who I am today. I did some terrible things...and I just can't imagine..." he trailed off, a tear escaping down his cheek.

"You can't imagine what?" she asked softly, wiping away the tear and holding his face in her hands.

"I just can;t help thinking if I had succeeded when I was a kid, if I hadn't been found when I was... I would never have even got to know you Bones..."

He gazed into her eyes, watching as the electric blue staring back at him became glassy with unshed tears.

"But you did get found Booth. And we did get to meet, and you got to have Parker. All of what happened back then makes you the man you are today."

"But if I didn't... I would have..."

She placed a finger over his lips, and wrapped her arm around him again.

"I'm here for you Seeley. If you want to talk about it."

He pulled away from her, running a hand through his hair. He shook his head in a unconvincing manner.

"I can't. I don't want you to think of me like that." he began to pace the kitchen in front of her.

"look I;m not going to push you Booth. But you listened to me, and telling you was the hardest thing I think I have ever done in my entire life. You know I will never think anything different of you, no matter what you tell me right?"

He nodded, tears freely falling from his eyes as he slid down to sit on the floor, his back against the cupboards. Why couldn't he stop this? He hated being so weak and pathetic in front of her.

She cautiously stepped closer to him, sitting between his legs on her knees so she was facing him.

She took him by the hands, turning them over so she could trace the marks on the inside of his wrists. She ran her finger over each tattoo, studying the symbols carefully.

"Strength..." she said quietly, recognising the symbols immediately. "Do these have something to do with it?" she asked carefully.

He just nodded, gulping back the lump that had formed in his throat.

She kissed his lips swiftly, before making herself comfortable on the floor in front of him.

"Take your time Seeley, you can tell me when you ready. We do have all night..."

Hope you enjoyed! I appreciate all reviews and comments! :)