Thanks for the glowing reviews of the last chap and I hope this one is recieved just as warmly.

Max stood still for a long moment looking between his daughter and the man she'd chosen.

Booth had lowered his gun and now had an arm wrapped protectively around Brennan's waist. The way he held himself, tall and confident, it made Max wonder if maybe all of this had been a mistake. It was the look in his daughter's eyes that convinced him.

There was once a time when Max could read every shadow in her eyes, every minuscule adjustment to her face that told a books worth of information about what she was thinking or feeling. But in looking at her now, he realized she was right. He wasn't her father. Not anymore.

Back then he'd been her father. Now those eyes were closed off to him and he realized she'd built a new life for herself. One he was not a part of. One he'd forced her to create.

She was safe with Booth. At the very least, safer than he could ever make her.

Max blinked and nodded.

"Goodbye Tempe. I love you." With only half a second's hesitation he turned and started walking away, across the parking lot and disappearing into the fog with his men. All of them, except Russ.

Russ looked at his sister and felt his heart breaking, joining the trust he'd broken so long ago.

He nodded at his sister and Brennan half-expected him to say 'Marco'.

She was only half-disappointed when he didn't.

Booth squeezed Tempe's hip as her father and brother left for what would hopefully be the last time.

Brennan waited until she couldn't see them anymore and pulled away from her husband.

"Bones I…"

"Not now Booth. Lets get the kids and go home. We'll talk later." She said coolly, before turning and walking inside the lab.

Booth followed, not missing the fact that she'd just called him by his last name.

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The silence wasn't broken until they got back to the apartment after dropping Parker off at home. He, understandably, no longer wanted to go back to school.

After calming Angela, the small family left the lab. The children were unusually quiet the whole way home, though their parents didn't really notice. David and Madison could have been having a jam session with Metallica in the back seat and Booth and Brennan's thoughts would most likely not have been interrupted.

Brennan sat facing away from Booth, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared blankly out the window as a soft drizzle coverd it, the dark clouds finally beginning to drop their load.

I told him to leave…but he'll never really be gone will he? That's not the kind of man he is. He'll always be there, in the shadows, watching out for me. She shivered and pursed her lips. I should have had them arrested. They deserve to be arrested…I can't believe he actually tried to take us from Booth…Booth. He's keeping things from me. She glanced over at him, but his face was unreadable. I wonder how much.

Booth gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles and kept glancing in the rear view mirror at Madison and David in the back seat, as if he expected them to suddenly disappear. He'd never come that close to losing them…and Max's words kept ringing in his ears.

You did nothing. You let them be in danger.

Did I do the wrong thing? Should I have been more careful? He wondered. But what was I going to do, take them to work with me? Put them under house arrest? He shook his head at himself ever so slightly. I should have told Bones. She trusts me…I should have told her.

Understandably, both Brennan and Booth were apprehensive about the conversation they would no doubt be having once they got back to their apartment.

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"But Mommy I'm not even tiwed." Madison stated quietly, tears already gathering in her eyes. Her mother announced when they arrived at home that the children would be taking a nap.

"What are you talking about Sonny? You can barely keep your eyes open." Brennan crouched down to be on Madison's eye level and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

David stood beside his father, his arms crossed defiantly over his chest.

"I'm not tired either."

Booth smiled at him. "The sooner you go to sleep the sooner tomorrow can come and we can go look for a new house." He said cheerfully.

"We're getting a new house?" David looked up at him, eyes wide.

"Yup. You're finally going to get your own room buddy."

David's face brightened and he quickly kicked off his shoes and slid into bed, shutting his eyes tight.

Madison on the other hand, was now choking back sobs.

"No I don't want my own woom!" She wailed, and Booth crouched down beside Brennan, taking one of her small hands.

"Why not Princess?"

"Cause…cause I'm scawed." She hiccupped and wiped her eyes. "The bad men might come back and they bwoke my pwincess tiawa."

Booth's face darkened and he was glad Max was already long gone, or he might have reconsidered his decision to let him walk away without a few extra air holes in him.

He scared my daughter. The thought alone made his blood boil.

Brennan's face, on the other hand softened, guilt and affection painting her features.

She took Madison's small shoulders in her hands and waited for her to look up.

"Madison are you listening to me?"

The girl nodded and sniffed loudly.

"Okay. When we move Sweetheart, the bad men won't know where we are. I promise they're not coming back. And tomorrow we'll get you a new tiara okay?"

"A bigger one." Booth added, kissing her on the forehead.

Madison looked thoughtful for a moment, but not quite convinced.

"I still want David to shawe a woom wif me." She said quietly.

Booth thought for a moment before pulling Madison into his arms and hugging her tight.

"I know you do Princess." He picked her up and set her on the pink Barbie bed sheet. "But if you share with David we can't paint your room pink and turn it into a princess tower."

Brennan saw what Booth was doing and followed his lead.

"Yeah, I don't think David wants a princess room…do you?"

Madison looked between her parents, trying to decide if it was true.

"Weally? I can have a weal live pwincess woom?" She asked, tears drying on her cheeks as she took hold of a fuzzy brown bear and squeezed it in excitement.

Both her parents nodded and she squealed, earning a glare from half-awake David, and she scurried underneath her covers, asleep in moments.

Brennan was first to leave the bedroom and Booth quietly shut off the light and closed the door.

He paused for a moment, his hand still on the doorknob.

Here goes nothing.

With a deep breath Booth turned and went in the direction Brennan had gone down the hallway to their bedroom.

He'd expected to see her glaring at him, arms folded across her chest, waiting for an explanation. Anger ablaze in her blue eyes.

So what he found was quite surprising. Brennan had simply gone to the basket of clean clothes on the bed and begun folding. Her pants. His shirts. Rhythmically and rationally she set each article of clothing aside while he watched from the doorway.

"Temperance?"

Finally she stopped moving and looked at him. He caught his breath because instead of seeing anger as he'd expected, the blue in her eyes was laced with hurt. Booth immediately regretted everything he'd done to put it there.

"How long have you known?"

Booth hesitated and went to his bag, pulling out a manilla file folder and handing her copies of the pictures and the note.

"These were delivered to our door on Friday."

Brennan took a moment to study the pictures, her face moving from anger to fear and back again.

"Four days Booth…why didn't you tell me?" None of the pain in her eyes was reflected in her voice. She put her hands on her hips and stared at him expectantly. All business.

Booth ran his hand through his hair and began pacing.

"At first it was because you hadn't slept nearly all week and I didn't want to burden you with something else to worry about, at least not until I was sure it was a serious threat. I got a couple agents to keep tabs on them at all times and then had Hodgins do his thing on the note. That's when I found out it had to do with the Mara Muerte. I was going to tell you then for sure, but then David fell down the stairs and it honestly slipped my mind. Then my phone was dead…the fire...I really tried Temperance…it just…"

Brennan looked at him, appalled.

"Slipped your mind Booth? How does this," She thrust the pictures into his face, "slip your mind? It's not your job to protect me, not like this and I think that's what you were doing. On some subconscious level whether you admit it or not, you didn't want to tell me. You wanted to solve it all yourself and you hoped I wouldn't find out. That's not the kind of protection I need Booth." She shouted.

"Look Bones I…"

"It's my fault!" She threw her hands in the air and started pacing. "I'm the one who beat up Ortez, you should have told me the repercussions of my actions! I can't believe you would try and keep that from me. I had a right to know that what I did put our children in danger."

Booth winced and looked away, fiddling absently with his poker chip.

Brennan noticed his sudden discomfort and stopped moving. "What?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Look the, uh, whole being beat up, thing, may not have been the only reason Ortez had a grudge."

Brennan's eyes narrowed and Booth took her by the elbow and sat her on the edge of the bed.

"I'm listening." She prodded, when she felt he'd stalled long enough.

"You, um, you remember when I was late to the Duarte funeral after the Mara Muerte case?"

"Yeah."

"Okay well…see, after you beat up Ortez he was a little…pissed I guess, and he put a hit out on you." He waited a moment and added. "He wanted you dead."

"I know what a 'hit' is Booth." She said sharply, causing him to flinch. "What did you do about it." She asked, knowing full-well that he had to have done something in order for him to look as guilty as he did right then.

"I…um…I cornered him in an alley and I …intimidated him." He waved his hand vaguely, hoping she would fill in the blanks for herself.

But Temperance Brennan doesn't do conjecture.

"How exactly did you intimidate him?"

Booth sighed and clasped his hands in his lap.

"I took out my gun, put it in his mouth and cocked it," Brennan's eyes widened while Booth's tone remained flat, "I told him to take off the hit or I'd kill him. I…didn't really leave any room for doubt."

Brennan was quiet for a moment and Booth didn't really want to know what she was thinking. He was pretty sure it wasn't good.

"Is that all?"

He nodded, swallowing what was left of his apprehension. "That's the general jest of it. The hit was taken off and a few weeks later he landed in jail so I figured it was a done deal."

Brennan jumped up from the bed and looked at him. "A done deal? You threatened a notorious gang leader…you did exactly what my father always does! I don't need anyone to kill on my behalf Booth! You put yourself in danger and now the kids too." Brennan was so angry she could hardly see straight. She brought her hands to her face and covered her eyes.

"How could you Booth? You lied to me…for years you've been lying to me…"

"Temperance but…" Booth stood and tried to walk toward her.

She held up her hand to silence him and took a deep breath. Booth felt her suddenly get calm and it caused his own heartbeat to speed up exponentially.

"You know what? I told Max that I trusted you more than him…but I guess I don't."

Booth stepped back, feeling as if he'd just been slapped and he watched silently as Brennan picked up her purse and walked out the door.

After a second he followed. Down the hall and to the living room where she was putting on her shoes.

"Where are you going?"

"Out." She replied simply.

"Oh." The defeat in his voice surprised even him and he could only watch as she pulled on her coat and headed for the front door.

The incredible sinking feeling Booth felt in his chest was near crippling as she reached for the doorknob. Something told him he shouldn't leave it like this. Couldn't leave it like this.

Brennan took hold of the door, intending to whip it open and slam it shut behind her, but then Booth's voice filled the air.

"I wet the bed until I was six."

Brennan stopped moving and Booth clamped his mouth shut.

I can't believe I just said that. But now was no time for embarrassment.She'd paused, which meant he had a very small window of opportunity to stop her.

"We had a home break-in when I was eleven and I slept on the floor of my parents' room every night for two years because I was afraid to be alone." His voice remained quiet and his movements slow, not wanting to scare her off.

Brennan let go of the doorknob but didn't turn around, crossing her arms over her chest and waiting to see where he was going with this. Booth cautiously crossed the room toward her.

"I was late to 3rd period everyday my sophomore year because I wouldn't shower until all the other guys were gone."

Brennan almost smiled and was glad Booth couldn't see it.

"I cried myself to sleep every night after coming back from my first tour of duty in the gulf."

Booth laid his hand on her shoulder and she slowly turned to face him.

"I've never told anyone any of that. Not even my parents or Rebecca. I don't want, never wanted to keep secrets from you."

Brennan looked up and caught her breath at the sight of tears standing in his brown eyes.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you and that I hurt you…it was never my intention. I was only trying to protect you." He cast his eyes at the wall behind her and then at the floor. "I'm sorry I…broke your trust in me." His voice cracked and Brennan's face immediately softened.

"I know that Seeley." She said after a few moments, stepping toward him she laid her hand on his chest, hoping to calm him down just a bit. "And you didn't break my trust…just bent it a little."

She smiled up at him and Booth wrapped his arms around her.

"I don't need you to tell me everything about you, you're entitled to your privacy." She held his gaze to make sure he was listening, and wasn't surprised to find his whole attention devoted to her.

"Just promise me when it comes to our kids, there will be no secrets."

Booth smiled and leaned down to kiss her and thereby seal the deal, but she dodged him, looking straight into his eyes.

"Promise me." She said sternly.

Booth paused as a flash of lightning lit her face and heard the thunder rumble a long way off. "I promise."

Brennan smiled, that was all she needed.

"Good." The look in her eyes changed but in the darkness Booth couldn't see the desire that lay within them.

"Hey Seeley…what do you hear?"

Booth got a concentrated look on his face as his ears became sensitive to everything around him.

"Sonny's music box in the kids' room…the thunder rolling about twelve miles away…the people above us are watching Jeopardy and…a car alarm is going off in the next block."

Brennan smiled. She should have expected that answer from her ex-sniper husband.

"But no kids?"

Booth's grin turned devilish as he realized what Brennan was implying.

"No…no kids."

Brennan brought her arms up around his neck and fiddled with the hairs there.

"Mm-hmm. Now, what we can do to pass the time until they wake up?" She wondered aloud, Booth already working her out of her coat and sweater.

"I do have a few ideas on that subject as well." He said hoarsely, dipping his head to nibble softly on the skin covering her collarbone and shoulder as they stumbled their way back to the bedroom. She lay down on the bed and gasped when Booth pulled her shirt out of her pants and pushed it up.

"You know what's the best thing about getting a new house?" Booth asked, between the kisses he was planting across her stomach.

"No." Was all she could get out before gasping as he slowly unzipped and pulled off her slacks.

"I won't have to tell you to stop yelling my name." He stopped the pleasurable torture of kissing her inner thighs just long enough to throw her a charm smile.

"I…do…not." She protested weakly, already missing his touch.

"Oh really?" Booth raised an eyebrow. "I consider that a challenge."

A few minutes later the apartment was filled with a woman's voice screaming a man's name, before it was muffled and laughter replaced it.

It became obvious where David and Madison got their evident inability to keep their voices down, when a man's voice called out a woman's name later that night.

Buying a house was probably the best decision that family ever made.

This was originally the last chap, but there are still a few loose ends to tie up so there is one more.