Well I updated my fic on the other site so I decided to update this one too. Are ya ready for some BB?

Brennan noticed the haunted look in Booth's eyes and tugged his hand.

"Let's go somewhere else Booth."

He didn't respond at first, but after a few moments finally tore his eyes off the little girl, who reminded him so much of someone he'd rather forget, and looked at Bones. He nodded.

Brennan led him back to the car, stopped by the door and stepped toward him to wrap him in a tight hug.

Booth smiled, his melancholy lightening bit.

"What's that for?"

Brennan clung to him for a moment longer.

"You're in pain. I just...I don't know, it felt right."

She pulled away and looked at him, hoping it was the appropriate thing to do. Booth smiled and kissed her on the forehead.

"To me too."

They got in the car and spent the whole drive back to the apartment submerged in a heavy silence.

Brennan pulled up in front of Booth's apartment and stopped in his usual parking spot. Darkness surrounded them, night had fallen an hour ago. She moved to exit the car when Booth reached out and touched her knee, stopping her.

She turned to look at him, his silhouetted profile looked black against the dark blue glow outside.

"It's all gone Bones." He began slowly and heard her clothing rustling as Brennan turned to look at him. He continued to stare straight ahead at the dashboard.

"What's gone Booth?" She prodded quietly.

"Everything. That warehouse existed three weeks ago, I was there. I had files in my apartment that had all my paperwork from the missions. I had a pen from the motel in Oregon and that phone number was connected! Those bones that are missing from the lab are real, I'm not crazy Bones." The words tumbled out of his mouth as if saying them faster would make her believe.

"I don't think you're crazy Booth, but I don't understand what you're talking about."

She watched him run a hand over his face as he sighed deeply.

He must be so tired.

Booth leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes.

Okay, obviously senseless ramblings will not get me anywhere. Start from the beginning Seeley.

"You remember two months ago when I asked you to watch Parker for me?" He didn't really wait for a response, knowing she remembered, "I told you I had to leave for an undercover case. That's not…exactly, true. The day your father's case ended, I got a phone call telling me to go to that warehouse, which was still very much not-barbequed by the way. It sounded military, so I went. I met two men, a General and a Colonel, I never got their names. They said they needed my…they needed me…it was a matter of national security Bones, I couldn't turn them down."

Booth's words were laced with desperation, pleading for understanding. Brennan reached for him.

"Okay Booth. Alright. What…why did they need you?" She resisted the urge to tell him to calm down, knowing it would only make him more hysterical.

"They needed…a sniper. They needed me."

Brennan caught her breath.

That explains a lot, especially his mood of late, his past as a sniper has come back to haunt him.

"They gave me a picture and a plane ticket and told me to go take care of it. Of him." He shook his head, "What was I supposed to do? Turn them down? I had to go. I had to."

She noticed the way he kept repeating himself, as if trying to make himself believe his own words.

"Then, later, when I was at the golf place with you and Parker, they called me again. Another picture and plane ticket and I was off to LA."

Brennan nodded, remembering that afternoon, the way his mood had so suddenly changed. Now it made sense. And she noted, with a bit of pleasure and a dash of disdain, that her 'gut instincts' had been almost spot on about the reason for his moodiness.

"Bones…I don't know what to do." He whispered, "I should be relieved. I lost my memory and got it back. Now, the one thing I'd rather forget…is the one thing that's disappearing without a trace. Only…I'm not relieved. I'm not done yet. I don't know who sent me to do this, I didn't think they were done. Now…I mean…if I was doing the right thing and those men really did deserve to die…why are they trying to cover it up? What do they want to hide?" Booth's throat felt like it was closing up.

He wanted so badly to be relieved. It was over. He could get back to his life, forget anything happened. But as badly as he wanted that, he wanted all his loose ends tied up more. He did want this to be over. Truly over.

"I don't know." She shook her head, her eyes glistening under the street light, "I'm just sorry they dragged you back into it. I'm sorry you had to go through this all alone." She rubbed his arm slowly.

"Is this why you were having nightmares? Why you weren't getting enough sleep?"

He nodded.

"I haven't had a flashback in years…and then, I started this and…" He shook his head slightly, "I can't make them stop."

Brennan sighed, his pain felt like it was ripping through her too. She wished she could take it all away.

"I wish you would have told me sooner Booth. You shouldn't have had to go endure this by yourself."

Booth shook his head. "I couldn't tell you, it's classified."

"But you're telling me now."

"Yea, well, with all the evidence gone, it's more just the ramblings of a traumatized soldier Bones." He said it with a hint of bitter teasing Brennan took note of and immediately disliked.

"You're not crazy Booth." She said sternly.

Brennan was afraid if he kept saying things like that he would start to believe them. She recalled the case they'd worked on a year ago involving the army, she'd visited one of the veteran's homes with him to speak with a witness.

She shuddered at the thought of Booth being in one of those places.

Booth laid his head back again against the rest.

"I should tell this story to Hodgins. Boy would he get a kick out of it. A real life government conspiracy." This time his teasing tone was more genuine and she relaxed a bit, until an idea popped into her head.

"That's it! We'll talk to Hodgins. If anyone can find out who this General is, it's him."

"I was just joking Bones. I don't…"

"Booth, you want answers. Hodgins can help you get those answers." She interrupted, her urgency evident by the way she bounced slightly in the seat.

If Booth could have seen Brennan in the darkness he would have known she was giving him her 'don't argue' glare.

He must have heard it in her voice though and decided resistance was futile. He closed his eyes for a moment, which reminded Brennan how tired he was.

"Why don't we go inside huh? You'll feel better after a good night's sleep, okay?"

Booth complied and five minutes later he collapsed onto his bed, asleep before even hitting the pillow.

Brennan pulled off his shoes and coat, taking great pains not to aggravate his healing injuries, then tried to snuggle him under the covers.

She hadn't noticed Laura and Michael being inside when she and Booth entered the apartment so she set out to find them.

"Laura? Michael? Are you here?"

She went to the kitchen and found a note on the refrigerator.

Tempe and Seeley,

We didn't stay long, just stocked the refrigerator and cabinets with some food for you two. Seeley, please stay in bed and try to follow the doctors' orders. Tempe, thank you for staying with our son, take care of him alright? He's stubborn, so watch him close.

With love,

Michael and Laura

Brennan checked around the kitchen. The refrigerator and cabinets were full of food, everything from easy TV dinners to raw meat and vegetables for real meals. She smiled.

Booth is lucky to have such loving parents…I guess I am too now. She added, noticing that the note was addressed to both of them and signed 'with love'.

Brennan went through her bedtime ritual quickly, feeling quite at home in Booth's apartment and settled in next to him in record time. She didn't think she remembered her eyelids ever feeling so heavy.

---------------------------------------

Booth shot straight up in bed, cold sweat pouring down his back and he struggled to breathe.

It was just a dream. Just a dream. Just a dream.

He repeated the mantra over and over to himself silently but his eyes couldn't help but search the room for another presence.

The dream was obvious, one of those times when he knew he was dreaming, but couldn't pull himself out of it. His movements were sluggish and everything was out of focus, but the idea was crystal clear.

He'd been perched atop the roof again in LA, staring down the barrel of his rifle, waiting for the target to open the door to his apartment. The door had indeed swung open, but the target was not in sight, instead a little girl skipped out the door, blonde pigtails bouncing in time with each step. But, this time, instead of being dressed in a pink sundress, she wore white and she was soaked in blood. Then he'd felt a tap on his shoulder. When he turned around, a skeleton with a hole in it's skull stood staring at him. White and clean, just like the bones on Brennan's tables always were. It pointed a bone finger at him accusatorily.

"You killed me. Why did you do that?" It hissed. "She'll never forgive you. Why did you kill me?"

It leaned in closer to him…and that's when Booth sat up in bed, the skeleton's whisper still echoing in his ears.

"Booth?" Brennan sat up sleepily, noticing Booth's movement.

"Booth are you alright?" She saw his head in his hands and goosebumps running over his moist skin and the labored quality to his breathing.

Reaching up with one hand, she sat beside him and rubbed his back in slow circles.

Booth jumped at her touch but finally relaxed enough to breathe normally.

He turned toward her.

"I don't know why I did it Bones." He said in a hoarse whisper.

Brennan blinked at him, allowing him to continue uninterrupted.

"In the Gulf we didn't get a lot of details, but we knew what we were doing and why. We were saving lives. But…this time…" He shook his head, holding his breath to keep the sobs at bay, "The first was on a nature hike, the second on his way to work. I killed them and I have no idea why." He felt the tears rushing to his eyes and blinked. "I…I killed a little girls' father and I have no idea if he even deserved it."

He inhaled quickly and blinked hard, but instead of pushing the gathering moisture back, the action squeezed a few droplets out and they rolled down his cheeks.

Finally Brennan couldn't take it anymore and she grabbed him, pulling his body against her and she laid her cheek on top of his head.

"We'll figure this out Booth. We'll talk to Hodgins tomorrow and we'll figure this out. Everything's going to be fine." She heard her own voice tight with tears and found it slightly odd since she didn't feel any moisture in her eyes or on her cheeks.

They lay back down and Brennan kept her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders with his wrapped around her waist. Half an hour later, after she was sure he was asleep again, she finally allowed herself to nod off, the one she loved held securely in her arms.

Phew...man...you think it's all over and you find it's only the beginning. LoL. Well, you know the drill. Push the button, make the author happy.