Sorry for the huge delay in chapters. I am in the middle of my first teaching placement and lesson planning/marking is taking over my time. I was listening to "Broken" by Lifehouse before I wrote this and I think that song really sets the tone for this chapter.

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Brennan gaped at her mother, "My guardian angel? I have a guardian angel? But that is…"

"Impossible," her mother finished for her, "Not entirely Temperance. You are so quick to dismiss these notions of faith, but have you ever stopped to consider it, just for a moment?"

She had, with Booth several times, she just wouldn't admit it.

"So you're saying I have a guardian angel and whoever it is saved my life today?"

Her mother nodded.

"Mom, is it you?"

Her mother smiled, "I was your guardian angel for awhile Temperance, but then you were assigned someone new, a very special type of angel who I knew would do a better job then I ever could of taking care of you."

Brennan raised her eyebrow at her mother, urging her to go on.

"Your angel is a very special and unique type, mainly because they are human still and are unaware of their status as a guardian angel. These angels, they are people who have gone through a lot in their lives but have still kept their faith and never given up on themselves. They are led to people who need them the most and when they find the person they are supposed to care for and help, they are drawn to them. A guardian angel and their person have a very deep bond, an unspoken connection which can only be described as their souls speaking to each other. Temperance, you should be honored to have this angel watching over you."

"But if my angel is human, how did they save me today? If they don't even know about their power then how could this divine intervention happen?"

"Even if they are unaware of their status, they still hold power. Your angel willed you to live today. Your angel used all the power in them to save your life today. It was because the angel thought of you first and not of himself or the danger he put himself in that he was able to save you. It was because your angel would have given his life for yours in a second that he saved you."

Brennan's eyes widened, "He?" Realization washed over her, "My guardian angel, he's…he's Booth?"

"I think you knew that all along Temperance."

Realization dawned on her as she thought back on the times Booth had been there for her even when it had seemed impossible. She had had a moment of clarity when she told him she loved him, there had been no other explanation as to why, nor was one needed.

"But why am I here if he saved me?" she suddenly asked.

"Booth has power but it only extends so far. He was able to give you a chance to live but not save you entirely, he is only human, as are you. The damage to your body is bad, Booth could only change your fate enough to give you a choice to stay alive, but that choice is yours still to make."

"What do you mean it's my choice? I thought you said it was divine intervention? You mean I could choose to go back anytime now? How do I do it? How do I get back to him?" Brennan cried.

"Temperance, the time to make your choice hasn't happened yet. When a situation like yours arises it takes time to make a final decision and it is not to be taken lightly. You needed to be here to hear this and then to consider your choices."

"But I want to live mom, that's my choice!"

Her mother waved her hand towards the white wall again and suddenly Brennan saw herself lying in the hospital bed on life support. She gasped.

Ruth put her arm around her daughter, "You nearly died today. Right now you are barely clinging to life; the doctors can only wait right now. You still need to undergo more surgery once you are stronger. Your injuries are extensive and it could take months, even years to fully recover from them. The emotional and physical damage to your body will take its toll on you and there is no guarantee that you will ever lead a normal life again. Temperance, you will go back to your human body and there is no guarantee that it will be able to handle all the trauma."

Brennan was visibly shaken by her mother's words. She wrapped her arms tightly around her body, shaking her head.

"I don't mean to scare you Temperance, but you must think about your choice. If you choose to go back, that is what awaits you."

"What if I choose to stay here?" she whispered.

"If you choose to stay here you choose to accept your original fate, you will die."

"And what happens then?"

"I can't tell you that, but I know you will be taken care of."

She stared at herself on the wall.

"You don't have to make a choice yet, I will wait," her mother said quietly.

Brennan nodded slowly and sat down on the table to think.

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It was late into the night when Booth snuck back into the ICU. He had been kicked out by the nurse earlier in the evening but had figured out the shifts well enough to know when and how to get back in. He hated leaving her alone in there. Booth walked towards her bed following the steady sounds of the machines keeping her alive.

It didn't matter how many times he had seen her like this, it still made his heart stop and his stomach sick to see her so fragile, so broken.

In the morning the doctors would test her again to see if she could breathe on her own. He could still here the screaming machines as she crashed each time before. They would try again but this time there would be little hope if she failed.

The choices loomed before him: keep her alive to wait for a miracle or let her die as he watched. He didn't know which option he hated more. All he wanted was to turn back time and prevent the whole mess from happening. He knew he would have traded his life for hers in a second if it meant she would live.

He sat down beside her and took her small hand in his.

"Bones," he breathed her name as he rubbed her hand, "I hope where ever you are right now that you aren't in pain. I hope that you're resting well and gathering your strength to get better. I know you've been through a lot, I know it's tough right now, but you need to be tough, tomorrow is going to be another hard day," Booth took a deep breath, "I need you to do something for me Bones, I need you to fight tomorrow. When they turn off those machines I need you to breathe, show them you can do it, I know you can. You probably just needed time before, but tomorrow you need to breathe," he fought past the lump in his throat.

Booth caressed her cheek, "I need you to come back to me Bones, life isn't the same without you, I've got no one to argue with, no one to tell me when I'm wrong or to eat pie with," he tried to smile but the lump in his throat was growing.

He leaned closer to her, "I need you to live," his voice cracked as he continued, "I don't know if I can make a choice about your life if you don't, I don't want to. Temperance, I need you in my life, without you I wouldn't be the same. The thought of losing you kills me, it makes me wonder if I'd ever be happy again, if I'd ever be able to feel the same way I feel when I'm with you again. The truth is I love you too. I've loved you for a long time now and I should have told you before, I just hope it's not too late," the tears were streaming down his face, "I need you to live Bones…"

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Ruth watched Booth as he cried in the dark. She hoped her daughter would make the right decision, but she couldn't influence her anymore. There was one piece of information that she had withheld from her, one piece of information she was forbidden to reveal. If it was told it would hold to much weight on Temperance's decision. Ruth hated not being able to tell her daughter. She hated knowing this awful piece of information but she knew she could influence her no longer.

Ruth knew that if Temperance chose not to live it would kill her guardian angel.

To be continued…