Okay, this is most likely the penultimate chapter….wow, penultimate. That's a big word. A Brennan-worthy word, you might say.

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By the time Brennan had finished up a Q and A session with some graduate students, and listened to some suck ups rave about her book, it was almost eight thirty. As she drove home, she had trouble keeping her eyes open. She hadn't been sleeping well the last couple of days, and she had a feeling tonight would be another sleepless night. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw Booth's car parked outside her apartment building.

She sighed as she got out of the car. She usually enjoyed Booth's random visits, but tonight she really didn't feel up to seeing him. She was still very confused by Sully's comments about him and she was still reeling from their ended relationship.

When she got to her door, she was surprised to find Booth sitting on the ground outside of it. She had expected he would let himself in, as she had given him a key over a year ago, after he insisted it would be for "professional" purposes only. She hadn't bought it, but gave him one anyways. Sure enough, he now came in unannounced to her apartment at least twice a month, usually bearing food of some sort. She knew she should tell him not to, but she secretly liked that someone cared enough about her to want unlimited access to her house, even if it was just her partner.

Just her partner.Right.

Booth had always made sure he put very few social boundaries up on their relationship, which is why she was surprised to find him waiting outside her apartment like a normal person, instead of finding him inside with his feet up on the coffee table.

"Hey, Booth." She said, fighting a yawn. She opened the door and he followed her in, silently. Once she had flipped on the lights, he turned to her, a very serious expression on his face.

"Temperance," he said. She started at the use of her first name. Booth never called her Temperance unless he had something very important to say.

"I need to tell you something," he continued. She nodded, waiting for him to continue.

As he looked at her, the stony and determined look on his face immediately melted to one of fear. Damnit, he thought.

"Uh – yeah, I just wanted to – um – revise my previous statement," he mumbled.

Brennan's eyebrows shot up and a slow smile played across her mouth. He was nervous. She couldn't help but find that strangely attractive.

"What statement?" she asked him slyly.

"Oh, you know, the one about you taking that trip with Sully. I told you to go, but that was a lie. A really big one, a bad one, that I'd like to take back. Don't go. That's my opinion. The most honest one I can think of. Don't go. Ang told me you had made your decision, and I just thought you deserved all the facts before you finalized it. You haven't finalized it yet, have you?" he asked desperately.

"Yes, I have actually, I went over to Sully's earlier today to tell him that I –would not be joining him on his adventure," she told him, now feeling strangely excited by her decision. "So it doesn't matter that you lied, because I still knew what was best. Who would have thought?" She nudged him playfully, but he didn't smile.

"I'm not quite done yet, Bones. With the confessions. There's still one more."

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Thanks for all the reviews! There'll probably be only one more chapter, I'll have it up as soon as I can.