Dear all, thanks for the patience waiting for this last chapter. Yep, we are at the end.

Thank you to all of you who reviewed my story, your comments and encouragement have really made a difference. And thank you to the ones who just read (I checked the stats!). I have seen that this story has been mainly read from US, European countries but also Africa, Asia and down there in south Pacific. Love you all guys, you all made my effort to use English instead of my native language worthwhile.

I am not a physicist and not that smart as well. If in this chapter something is incorrect or I simplified too much, apologies and just take it for what it is. Fanfiction. No intention of writing a philosofical or scientific essay. Please take it as a poetic licence from my side.

Last but not least, they are not mine, they belong to Fox and Hanson and some other lucky guys.

Chapter 14

December 17th Washington D.C.

She had run, escaping from herself and those memories which didn't intend to stop haunting her. Until she had no breath left and had to stop, cold wind freezing around her, and she had realized she was out without her coat. Her bag, keys.. everything was still at the lab. Damn.

Think Temperance, think. She continued to move at a fast pace, trying to retain some idea of warmth and she started looking. At a corner, she saw one in the distance and she hurried. A public phone.

With shaking cold hands, Brennan picked up the receiver and dialed "I need to make a collect call…".

Once the line was connected to the man she had called, she let a breath of relief.

"It's me, Temperance. I need you to come and pick me up" and to answer the questions from the other side "yes, something happened, but I can't explain now."

She wrapped her arms around herself hoping to remain warm enough until he came to pick her up. Soft and delicate flakes were starting to fall. She looked up: everything was so silent, so peaceful. Booth was going to love it. He enjoyed this period of the year, and the festivities. He would go to the park and play with Parker in the snow.

She was broken, in her mind and in her body. Booth deserved a woman who could love him, and share her happiness and joy with him, not a cold scientist haunted by her ghosts, old and recent. One that was not even capable to do her job anymore because anytime she held a bone she would be reminded she was a murderer.

Her hot tears were burning her frozen cheeks, but the pain she felt was somewhere else, a bit lower, in her heart. Booth had been right to move on and decide to work with a new partner. Brennan knew that he loved her, really. He told her and he had demonstrated it to her for years. She also knew she loved him. So much that she didn't even think possible. Yet she did.

But he deserved better. And at this stage, she believed he deserved better even professionally.

A sob escaped her, because the sole thought to have to let him go, for his own good, was unbearable.

A car approached her, and she recognized the man inside. When she sat and closed the door, his blue eyes read in hers everything that he needed to know, and without a word he started the car again and drove away with her.

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Booth was walking, feeling warm in his heavy coat. And only thinking of how cold she must be. It had started to snow, it was so beautiful, so candid with these white flakes softly falling down, covering the dirt and the ugly with its candor and fluffiness.

How much he would have enjoyed being out here now, with her, keeping her warm and just watching the flakes in her hair. Letting her know that all the good things that life could ever bring to him, they were worth only as long as he could have her with him. Because without her brilliant mind, her amazing heart and her wonderful body, there was just emptiness awaiting him.

He knew that she was in pain, that somehow all the desperation boiling within her in the past weeks had exploded on that platform. That she might feel lost and confused about everything now.

And he needed to find her, and fast.

All of a sudden, in the silence of this winter wonderland, his cell buzzed. And noting the name of the caller he picked up.

___________________________________________________________________________

Max opened the door and Brennan rushed in, still shivering.

"I think you should take a hot shower to warm you up. I'll fix a soup, honey".

Brennan was looking at him in a very hostile and angry way. It scared him, he has always been terrified at the idea that his daughter, whom he loved deeply, hated him. Not that he would have blamed her, but still, he was hoping that somehow they could rebuild the wonderful relationship they had when she was a child, and if there was a way to help her sorting out her current difficulties, he was there for her.

It was obvious that she wanted to talk and spit out some venom at him, but he insisted that she had to warm up first. They had the whole night to talk, if they needed to.

Brennan accepted silently his logic, and locked herself in his bathroom. When Max heard the shower run, he called Booth.

"It's Max. I think something has happened to Tempe."

"Yes, I'm looking for her."

"Stop looking, she is here with me. She is ok, physically, just a bit cold. But she looks desperate. Do you know what happened?"

"Not the details, Max. I know she had a crisis at the lab. I think it is related to what happened when she was a prisoner. But she never talked to anyone about it… maybe I should come over.."

"If I may make a suggestion, I think it would be better to let her take her time and come to you when she feels ready. I would not add extra pressure right now".

Booth agreed with Max but it took him an extra effort to relinquish his impatience to get to her and just wait. Again.

"I'll call you later to update you. Ok?"

"Yeah, thanks Max."

The moment the conversation with Max ended, Booth immediately pushed other buttons to call off Brennan's search.

He then turned back to the Jeffersonian to collect her private stuff, mobile, bag and coat. They could be used as a good excuse to meet her early in the morning.

Brennan came out of the bathroom. She was wearing her trousers but she had stolen a pullover and a pair of thick woolen socks from her dad's drawer. Her face was not so pale anymore, but the circles around her eyes were betraying the fact that she was tired and preoccupied.

"Here honey, your soup is ready". She looked down at the food and raised her eyes again towards her father, remaining in her standing position.

Max looked back at her, questioning what were her intentions. "You are not hungry?"

She bit her lower lip and shook her head. Yet, she let herself fall on the chair and, elbows on the table, took her head in her hands.

And without raising her eyes and avoiding looking at him she just said "You'll be happy now. Your daughter has become a cold blooded murderer, like you". Her words were harsh and bitter, and hurt Max directly.

"I'm not a murderer, and neither are you. I have made many mistakes in my life, I have robbed and stolen. I will never forgive myself because my own children had to pay a too high price for my own faults" He paused only one second. "And of all the things I would do differently, if I could, I cannot regret defending you and Russ"

"You murdered two men, dad. You killed Kirby with my misericord, with you bare hands. How can you shake what you have done out of your conscience so easily?" Her voice broke, and it was clear to Max that she was not talking about him and Kirby.

"Listen to me, honey. Whatever you have done, you are better than me, you are a smarter and wiser person than I am. I know that you have a very clear definition of what is good and what is bad. Your old man may have made bad choices, but you didn't. You make good choices, you choose what is right."

Brennan not only had not lifted her face to look at her father, now she was even lowering it sobbing silently in her hands.

"It's not me. I can't choose what is right. I don't even know where to start. It's Booth, he's the one who can. If I have done something good with my life, it's since he has been a part of it".

"Well, then, ask Booth if he would have done otherwise. I believe that he would do anything to keep you safe. He would kill for you. He would die for you. If you believe that he can make the right choices, you have to trust him on that." And without hesitating, he whispered to her "Talk to him. He needs it as much as you do".

Brennan let her tears dry out and without touching the soup she asked her father if she could lay down, for a while.

"Sure honey" He opened the bed of his couch, and covered her with a warm quilt.

And once he was sure she was sleeping, Max called Booth.

When the agent arrived, Max had already prepared a bag.

"How is she doing?" Booth asked him.

"She is sleeping. Peacefully, till now. I get that it's important for you two to have some privacy, she really needs to talk to you. I'll spend the night at her place".

Max gave him a pair of his keys, and after lingering one second with his hand on Booth's shoulder, he left.

The apartment was quiet, tidy and, strangely enough considering that a single man was living there alone, homey. Sitting on the bed, Booth remained still, looking at her. Her breath was deep and even. Her face peaceful. Still he noticed that the signs of her ordeal on her jaw and cheek were faded but still visible. Her color was still pale and the dark circles around her eyes were confirming that the road to recovery and complete health was still long.

After removing his shoes, he slipped under the quilt and as delicately as possible, he reached for her and hugged her from behind. He noticed she was still cold and somehow her sleeping body welcomed the new found source of heat, relaxing against him.

He fell asleep thinking that he would be happy to stretch this moment forever and live his life just holding her.

When she started to wake up, it was early morning. The first thing her senses registered was his smell. And then his heat. And finally the sensation of his arms wrapped around her and her own crossing his chest. Booth was with her, and everything was fine.

A few seconds later the left part of her brain signaled that there was something wrong. Booth was not supposed to be in bed with her, she was sure she had fallen asleep at her father's.

When she opened her eyes, the moment of confusion persisted. She was indeed in her dad's living room.

Booth had not opened his eyes, and she would have sworn he was still asleep, but feeling her stirring and tossing he simply muttered "Your dad invited me to spend the night here, it was late. I didn't wake you up. Ah, he went to sleep at your place."

Not hearing any sound or reply from her, he opened his eyes. She was there, a few inches from his face, her crystal eyes transfixing his. Understanding her uneasiness, he tried to bring the situation back to normality as much as possible. "Are you hungry?" he asked with a winning smile.

She said no with the movement of her head, and kept the serious and intense look on him. Booth was starting to feel uncomfortable. This is it, he thought, this is when she has to spill out the pain she has inside. He wanted to help her, but didn't want to push.

Seconds of silence passed, maybe minutes.

Until the dam broke free.

"Booth.. I don't even know where to start..."

"Start from what happened the day you had been rescued" His eyes were warm, as usual, and so kind and understanding. They were welcoming her, they were loving her and swallowing the knot in her throat, she continued. "Her name was Hina, she must have been barely 20. She had beautiful eyes and a hurt expression. She hated me. I believe some of the human remains I was asked to identify for them were probably belonging to her family. When the camp was under attack, she meant to kill me and prevent me from fleeing".

Brennan hesitated only one second, just to get a longer breath and continue "We fought. I was dehydrated, and weak… I thought I was going to die there. Among human remains, scattered on the floor."

Her teary eyes turned to him "I just thought that if it was ok to live among bones, I definitely didn't want to die with them. Because my life it's more than that, it's more than bones, more than my job. I grasped a femur and hit her, I don't remember how many times… I kept hitting her even after I heard the crack of her skull breaking…"

She turned her shoulders to Booth, and sank her face and sobs into her pillow.

"Temperance, I'm glad you did it, if that meant that you could live".

She tossed suddenly, angry by his words "I massacred a young girl, Booth. I have broken her skull with a bone. I hear that crack every single second, I smell the blood and feel the pain of my stab constantly. I have become a monster".

"I know how you feel, I did it too"

"No" she was yelling now "I have also shot before, for defense. Killing from a distance, with a gun, it's different. You don't feel it in your hands, you don't look in the eyes the person dying, a few inches from you. She died because of me, because I decided to go on this mission, because.. I'm good with bones."

Her tone calmed down and became a whisper "I have always done good with bones, now it will never be the same. That's what happened last night. I realized that I'll never be able to do my job, I'll never be able to hold a bone again in my life".

And then added, cynically "You did the right choice to replace me already and get a new partner".

That snapped Booth out of his self control. "Wait.. what!? Who told you that I have a new partner?"

He was in sitting position now, and she came up to sit too and look him in the eyes. "Agent Perotta did. You were away with her, undercover, even while I was still away. Why haven't you ever told me that?"

"Bones, you were almost dying, you got a surgery. Do you think that the cases I followed while you were away, while I spent every night and day worrying about you were in the least as important? I just thought they were not even worth mentioning."

"Perotta told me she is your partner since. Also not worth mentioning?" She was angry too now. Booth thought that it was positive that he finally got an honest and direct response from her, walls down and no covers. But all those different issues were mixing now, and he had to find a way to put clarity in this whole situation. Their relationship, her trauma from killing the girl, her apparent jealousy and misunderstanding with Perotta, her inability to work. Different issues that required a separate handling.

"Ok, Bones, one thing at a time. First, there must have been a misunderstanding because Agent Perotta is NOT my partner. You are. I helped her on one of HER cases while you were away. And that's the whole story. If you want to know more, just ask me".

"You went under cover… did you two sleep together?" Her unaltered bluntness made him smile. "No, Bones, she was interested but I was not. And we just worked together on that case. That's it. More questions?"

Brennan sighed, not letting it show that a small part of her was just feeling so relieved and irrationally overjoyed that Booth didn't sleep with Perotta, and that he was not even interested in working with her. She shook her head to tell Booth they could close this discussion.

"Second point, then Bones" Booth continued "I DO know how you feel. You said that I never killed with my hands… but I did. You were there too, Bones. You even know how difficult it has been for me to come to grip with what it meant for me. Maybe you don't know for how long I have felt Epps' clammy hand in mine, the sensation of letting it go, how many nights I woke up seeing his smirk and look, just like he did when he fell… and as guilty as I feel now, I know I could have never let him hurt Parker or you. He gave me no choice. I prefer to carry this guilt for all my life than risking yours" He then looked at her more seriously, to convey how much he meant what he was saying.

"Like me, you also had no choice there. She wanted to kill you. You had to kill her to get out of there alive, barely alive. I am glad you did. If I were there, I would have fought for your life as well". She silently and slowly absorbed his words.

"Bones, there are people who can help you. I'm sure Wyatt would be more than willing to do it, and you like him right? If you can't work with bones now, you can do something else, research or a study. And I can ask to be assigned to some back office activities until you feel ready"

"Booth, I don't want you to warp your career because of me."

"Do you remember when you told me I'm the only FBI agent you want to work with? Well, you are the only scientist and partner I want to work with. And it will not warp my career since some more politics and less field will only help."

His look softened, and so did hers "I know it's hard Bones, but I also know that you are strong and if you let others help you, I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to cope and move on, and come back to your work. Don't forget how many lives you saved while risking yours, including that mother and his baby."

He hugged her and she let him, hiding her face in his chest "You are good with bones, you are also good writing books and you are extremely good with FBI agents" They chuckled together. "Your life is not only about bones, but they are important to you, and even to me, in the end they are the reason we met" He kissed her head and she tightened the hug.

"I will call Doctor Wyatt" she said. He didn't move a muscle although he was very tempted to stand on the bed and make a dance of joy.

"And I'm hungry now". She lifted her face and her red eyes were now calmer and had the long lost sparkle back. Booth knew in that moment that they were going to be ok.

They passed at her house so that she could change and get warm clothes. Max was so happy to see that his daughter had lost that look of despair. She had hope and love in her eyes, and looking at her and Booth he suddenly miss his wife terribly.

"I'll get back to my place honey" He kissed her before leaving "live to the fullest. Life is short.. but you already know that" He winked "and don't forget the EPR paradox."

Brennan remained with open mouth watching her father leave.

"C'mon Bones, let's go! I'm starving!" He pulled her hand and then didn't let it go, entwining his finger with hers.

Outside it was another world. Everything was covered in white and there were few cars driving around.

They just walked in silence, hand in hand. Brennan's cheeks were turning red for the cold, strangely giving her a healthier look.

After eating breakfast at a very cozy café, they decided to go and have a walk in the park, to enjoy the snow.

"I would like to go out on a date, with you" Booth told her while still looking straight. But turned to look at her when he heard her chuckling.

"Is it so funny?"

"I thought we were already past the initial phases of courtship. I'm not an expert of relationships and the way people move from courtship to relationship, but I assumed you didn't need to court me since you already told me you love me" She was smiling. She was playing and he loved that.

"I don't know about anthropological studies about courtship Bones, I just want to go out on a date with you. I've wanted it since the day I met you".

She now stopped and looked at him surprised "I thought you disliked me when we met!"

"No, I liked you but I thought you thought I was an idiot.."

"When I met you I thought I wanted to have sex with you but I guessed, you being such a hot guy, that you would have been interested in more beautiful women than me and definitely not a squint."

"Well, you are the hottest squint ever. So, will come on a date with me?"

She remained silent for a few seconds, beaming. "Of course, Booth. And can we have sex, then?" She was still playing.

"No, but we can make love. If that's ok with you". He smiled, with mirth.

She took his face in her hands and dragged him down gently to her lips. Their kiss was so soft but passionate, warm like home and exciting like a rush of adrenaline.

She broke it just to look at him straight in the eyes, still remaining a couple of inches from his face.

"I love you, Booth. I really do. I know in the past I said that love it's just a rush of serotonin, which is part of it, of course. But with you it's more than that. I have the proof. I'm terrified at the idea of being together, because I lack some basic skills and I might hurt you and ruin what we have. But not acknowledging how I feel it's even a worse betrayal. To me and you."

"I know it's scary Bones, I just cannot think of my life without you. We can make of it what we want, taking it as slow as we feel like. And yes, I agree, we should not hide from each other ever again".

She hugged him, again, with a great sense of joy, something she had never experienced before in her life.

They resumed their walk, holding their hands, their heads spinning with so many thoughts of their new life together, starting just now.

"You said you have proof. What proof?"

"Have you ever heard of the EPR paradox?"

"Talk to me in English, will ya?"

"Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen in 1935 wrote a paper on a on a phenomenon predicted by quantum mechanics, known as quantum entanglement, to show that measurements performed on spatially separated parts of a quantum system can apparently have an instantaneous influence on one another."

"What?? What is tantum entanglement?"

"Quantum entanglement: it is a quantum mechanical phenomenon in which the quantum states of two or more objects are linked together so that one object can no longer be adequately described without full mention of its counterpart — even though the individual objects may be spatially separated. This interconnection leads to correlations between observable physical properties of remote systems"

"What?" Booth started to show some impatience. Was he going to survive with a genius squint girlfriend? Of course he would, but he had the impression he was never going to understand her anyway.

"It means that what happened to you and me, while we were separated and far away, still feeling so close and being influenced by what was happening to each other, it proves we have a connection, a bond, a link. I don't know if its name is love, but we have it, we are entangled".

"Entangled, eh? Sounds kinky, I like it.." They laughed. He didn't understand anything of what she said except the fact that she had recognized and explained to herself that they were tied together. By emotions, hormones or a quantum system, call it love or not, whatever it was, maybe all the above mentioned things together, it was true, it was real. To him and to her.

He had always hoped that one day she could accept the irrationality of love, but she has surprised him finding instead a logical and scientific explanation about the mystery of love, teaching him a valuable lesson: they were perfect for each other, just they way they were. She looked up at Einstein and physics, he had faith that the way of the Lord are infinite, but they both discovered that they had never been closer than when they were the most apart. And that was more than enough to begin a life together.

Epilogue

1 year later

She could hear his soft snore. She loved that about him, he didn't snore like a tractor. Well, unless he had a cold.

Their after love making was always sweet, holding each other, chatting a bit, sometimes just enjoying being in each other arms. He was always the first one to fall asleep, and she liked to think that she had the power to completely consume his sexual energy.

Since that day, a year before, when they had the most wonderful walk in the snow, they just simply started to share the same life. Their relationship, though exciting and always spiced by their usual tension, has been seamless. After two months of always desiring to share their free time and the same bed, every day and night, moving in together had been unexpectedly pain free. Not that she had had an amount of experience to judge the quality of their cohabitation, but she had always expected to be sort of traumatic, loosing space and freedom all in once.

But it did not happen. They just clicked, nothing more or less than that.

Going back to work with the FBI had taking longer than that, and it had been the real challenge of the last year. She had worked three months with Doctor Wyatt and in April under his suggestion, she went for three weeks to Peru for some excavations and studies on ancient mummies. To help her make up with bones, he had said.

She was doubting the efficacy of such "treatment" but despite her reluctance to be away from Booth for so long, she had been really excited at the idea of examining bones for the first time since her ordeal. And Booth had been so encouraging and supportive.

And indeed Gordon Gordon had been correct. She had spent the first days just studying documentations and observing others' examinations. Until at the end of the first week she took the courage to make her own analysis. The bones in her hands had lost the negative vibe, she was not looking for a murderer or cause of death. She was trying to understand how those people lived. The bones, finally were talking to her about the power of life, and not about death.

She spent the rest of her period in Peru extremely enjoying her work and spending every evening talking to Booth on the phone.

The last days, Booth had joined her making a surprise. She loved to take him around and showing him the results of her work. Not to mention that she could make up for the lost nights.

Part of his surprise was also a 10 day cruise at the Galapagos islands, directly from Peru. It was their first real holiday together and they both agreed that it was their actual honeymoon.

It had been magic.

Since May Brennan had come back in full force to co-operate with the FBI, Booth leaving his back office assignments and going back to the fields together. They closed all cases since then.

Brennan heard a cough from the other room. She got up and went to check. "Are you ok, Parker?" She whispered.

"Yeah.. cough cough..".

"Let me take you a glass of water". She came back from the kitchen with a glass full and sat on Parker's bed.

"Thanks Bones" He said after gulping the water down.

"Try to sleep now, if the cough comes back call me and I'll give you some syrup".

He nodded and turned his back to her, falling asleep immediately.

She walked back to the kitchen, putting the empty glass on the counter and switching the light off.

She liked the weekends when Parker was with them. Living with Booth made her happy. They always had fun together and she felt loved and supported. But Parker was adding something extra, making his father particularly happy, distributing tenderness and innocence to their busy lives. She was not feeling like a step mother to him, but they had developed a strong bond and a sweet friendship. She loved him like he was her son. And was grateful that she and Booth could be a family already.

They had talked about having children and they had both agreed that they were going to try, once she had the ok from her doctors. The chances of becoming a mother were not favorable, but who knew, maybe she was going to be lucky and both she and Booth were also open to the idea of adoption.

Russ and Amy were expecting their first child, a girl, and she had witnessed that Russ was as happy with his own biological baby as he was with his adored adopted girls.

One afternoon they had all gone to an amusement park, Parker and the girls getting wild and Max surprisingly having the time of his life with his grandchildren. He was really a great grandfather.

Her bare feet were getting cold, and she went back to her sleeping man. She slipped under the cover, and curled against him. Automatically, one of his arms stretched to hold her.

If this man was going to ask her to marry him, she would say yes. Brennan smiled, she was sure that day was coming soon. Booth had told her that he had never been happier before, and she believed him, it was the same for her.

But for now she just relaxed thinking about their Christmas holidays approaching and the surprise for Booth that she and Parker had planned together.

Life was good. And she fell asleep with a smile on her lips.

End

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Hope you liked it. I loved writing it, and loved your comments. So.. push the button there and let me know. I also accept anonymous reviews.. just be kind though, especially if I cannot reply ;-)

I know some of you are impatient to see Brennan having a child. But I live my daily life juggling childcare, diapers and temper tantrums. So, nope, let's have Brennan and Booth enjoy for a while without those cute little monsters. They deserve it!!

Time is tight, and I am shortly going on holidays. But a couple of ideas are really pushing and want to be written. So I'll be back. Hopefully soon.

You all take care, and all the best wherever you are in this wonderful world.

Ciao

Greveling