A HUGE whopping list of thank yous coming up: LoveShipper, RobinAngelena, Nelapl, mei,bookwormlady (the Kovac issue will be addressed soon), Lauwy (if it wasn't the series finale this would have been an interesting story arc to explore), GalaxieGurl(agree, if tables were turned, she would do the same for him, children would be making an appearance soon too!), hushedgreylily (you're right there), YellowShadess, aadams00 (sweet moments ahead yes, but it'll take awhile to get there), FicFanofFanFic (your username is such a tongue twister! Lol! Clever), gatewatcher, wentzer, dms517 (yes quite the ride coming up), adorkablesalad (don't worry the center will hold), FaithinBones (yes Cam is a good friend. I like how she too had evolved as the show progressed), ZinaR, jsboneslover (true that), yoshimi0701.

Almost all of you have mentioned how sad and angsty this story could be, and you're right. But not all hope is lost. For this story, I had intended that Brennan's amnesia be based on this premise. She might have forgotten her life with Booth before her amnesia, but her life and marriage to him had changed her as a person. She's no longer the Brennan we know in the earlier seasons. As such, her changed personality and certain character traits are still there, despite her amnesia.

Anyway enough of that A/N, back to the story.

Brennan was silent for the entire journey home. Booth glanced over at her now and then but she remained deep in thought, staring out the window. He left her to her thoughts, hoping that she would remember. She spoke only as they pulled up to their house.

"This house looks nice."

"Yeah you were the one who chose it. You have good taste."

"You had no say in our choice of residence?"

"I was – " He stopped. If she didn't remember that they were married, then she wouldn't have remembered that he had been incarcerated for a time. Thinking back he marvelled at how much they had gone through as a couple.

"That's… another long story for another time."

Brennan blew out a breath in frustration. "You keep saying that but I feel as if there're so many gaps in my memory. How am I supposed to regain what I've lost if you keep withholding facts from me?!"

"You're right. You are. But it really is a long story and I'd rather not tell you about it while we're sitting out here in the car."

He knew telling her about his time in prison would involve telling her about Sweets' death. He didn't want to shock her with the fact then. He wasn't sure if she remembered that.

"Fine." She threw open the car door, hugging herself as she stalked towards the front door.

Booth killed the engine before climbing out to join her. He couldn't help but notice that she was distancing herself physically from him. He pushed the hurt aside. His cracked ribs bothering him and the stitches to his forehead stinging, he gingerly climbed out of the truck after her.

Opening their front door, he let her enter their house first. Closing the door behind him, he watched from a distance as she slowly made her way through the family room, then the kitchen. He hoped desperately that something would trigger a memory. She stopped at a framed photograph of Parker and Christine that was on the mantle above the fireplace. It had been taken recently when Parker visited for Thanksgiving.

"Parker's grown so much. He looks a lot like you." She observed. She ran a finger over Christine's face. "This little girl must be Christine. She looks familiar but I'm not sure if it's because I remember her or if it's because she resembles me."

"I'd like to think it's a little bit of both." Booth approached her slowly.

She replaced the photograph and reached for a framed baby picture of Hank. "Our son. Hank."

"Yeah."

"He has the same zygomatic arch as you." She ran a finger down Hank's face. "He's very cute."

"Yeah well he has good looking parents."

She put the photograph back in its place. She turned. Now face to face, she rested her palms on his chest. Booth thought he might cry. She was touching him with affection. The coldness he had felt from her seemed to have vanished.

"I wish I could say these objects brought back a memory, even a small one, but they don't! Photographs of my children don't evoke any reaction inside me." She was blinking back tears again. "I feel a sense of affection towards you and yet it feels so foreign. I feel like I'm not me."

"You're still the Temperance Brennan that I love." Booth offered softly, holding his breath. He had not dared to use the L-word until then.

"I've always known that you loved me."

"And I always will."

"That night outside the Hoover building, after we talked to Sweets, you asked for a chance."

"You remember that? That's really good."

She looked at him with tears glistening in her eyes. "I told you I didn't know how to change. I said no."

"Yeah you did."

"Rejecting you hurt."

"I know. Hurt both of us."

"Was that why you chose a new partner?"

"Who Aubrey? No, no, no. You're still my partner, but so is Aubrey. You had the kids and you stayed in the lab more. Sweets, he partnered me up with Aubrey. He's a good kid. Our children love him. He's a great babysitter."

She turned her head, surveying her surroundings. "Hank and Christine, they're not here?"

"They'll be staying with Uncle Aubrey tonight."

"Dad must be out of town. I assume he helps us with the child-minding while we work?"

Booth's heart seized. She didn't remember that Max was dead. Max was dead and it was his fault. She was already keeping him at arm's length, he feared she would leave him if she realized Max was dead because of him.

"Yeah something like that."

He couldn't believe he had just lied to her. After he had gambled, he swore that he would never lie to her again. And now, there he was lying to her. His next thought was that she had probably forgotten that he had gambled. Another strike against him. Their love had been strong enough to withstand his relapse with his gambling addiction. He had to believe that their love was strong enough to withstand this.

"Bones, what do you remember about us?"

"I remember that night, when you asked for a chance for us to be togther. I remember us trying to move on, dating other people. I remember Heather Taffet's trial. We put her away."

"We did. Do you remember Maluku?"

"Does that Indonesian Island have significance in our relationship?"

The realization struck Booth. Her memories of them stopped at the point when she said that she needed time and space from him and what they did, that night after The Gravedigger's trial.

"I'm just trying to figure out what you remember." This fact he could tell her with ease. "There was some important anthropological find in Maluku. You went there with Daisy for almost a year."

"Did we discover anything of significance? And why of all my interns did I choose Daisy?"

Booth quirked a smile. "I think she was asked to be part of the team and you invited yourself to join. You returned not really finding anything."

"And you? I don't think you went with me."

"I went to Afghanistan to train soldiers while you were there."

"You went back to the Army?! I thought you hated being a sniper?"

"Yeah. I didn't really go back to being a sniper… I'm here now aren't I? Nothing bad happened to me if that's what you're worried about."

"That is what I was worried about, but you appear none the worse for your time there."

She didn't know about him and Hannah. Booth felt like he could've kicked himself. They actually got married and had two children together given how he had messed up their relationship in the past. He was again reminded of how lucky he was.

"I don't seem to be able to recall anything that happened after that time." Her hands pushed against his cracked ribs and he winced.

The expression on his face didn't escape her. "Your ribs are broken! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Cracked, not broken."

"Anything else I should know?"

"No, no. Just the stitches and the cracked ribs."

"Did they prescribe you anything for the pain?" She pointed at his head.

"I didn't want any. I gotta stay alert. Keep an eye on you. You know how I get on pain meds."

"Oh Booth." Brennan sighed.

"It's really no big deal."

"I- I'm grateful you're here with me now, helping me."

"You're my wife. I love you. I'd die for you."

Brennan nodded. It was a fact she had come to accept as the night wore on. That she was married to the man she had been afraid to admit she was in love with. She surmised that she must have admitted to the fact that she loved him, since they did get married in the end.

"It's been a really long day and the doc said you needed to rest. I'll show you our bedroom. Maybe everything would come back in the morning." If her memories came back he knew he would have a lot less explaining to do. He didn't like that he seemed to be piling lie upon lie to what he was telling her.

Brennan allowed him to take her hand and lead her to their bedroom.

"Your pyjamas are in here." Booth opened the drawers next to their bed. "I'll sleep in Parker's room tonight."

"Why?"

"I guess, cause you still don't think we're married. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable or weird."

"We've posed as husband and wife while we were undercover before. The circus remember?" She smiled, as if proud of herself for remembering.

Booth smiled back. "Buck and Wanda. I remember."

"We're married. It's a fact. A fact I find I am not that averse to. You can sleep on the same bed as me Booth. I won't be uncomfortable."

"Okay." Booth felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

…

Morning came and Booth almost instinctively reached for Brennan as his consciousness slowly woke him. Almost. His aching body reminded him of the blast and also of her memory loss. He waited for her to wake, hoping her memories had come back. He watched as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Mornin'."

"Good morning."

He waited, hoping.

"I know what you're hoping for." Brennan sighed. "It's still not coming back."

Booth sat up, disappointed. His ribs reminded him that they were still healing. He grimaced. "Look that's okay. Let's give it some time. Sleep okay?"

"Yes." She sat up, taking in her surroundings. Her voice hitched in excitement. "I remember your bedroom, in your old apartment! I came to you one night… I was dressed in your clothes… I was very upset. I remember that!"

"That's kinda a sad memory. I'm sorry that's the first thing you remember."

"Times of great emotional upheaval tend to be etched more firmly in our memories."

"Anything else you remember?"

"I know I cried, and you took me in your arms…" her cheeks flushed, bringing a rosy color to her pale face. She smiled shyly at him. "We had intercourse. Our first time together."

Booth smiled back at her. "Yeah. That's probably a good memory to get back. Us making love for the first time. That was probably the night you got pregnant with Christine. That night or the night after."

"Did we get married because I was pregnant?"

"Nah. I wanted to marry you but you still didn't believe in marriage then. We got married cause we both wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. We were… we are in love. We weren't together because you got pregnant. We got together because of what happened, what you were upset about. You told me you were pregnant after we had been seeing each other for awhile."

"Can you tell me why I was upset? When I went to you that night. The reason we started a relationship."

Booth sighed. "You sure you wanna hear this?"

"Yes."

Booth went on to describe Vincent's death. He told her about Broadsky and about how they had decided to get together after he had been killed by a bullet that was meant for Booth. The had lost a friend and were tired of holding back from each other because of their fears. Life was too short not to give themselves a shot at happiness.

After he finished talking, he held her as she wept for the intern she had lost. He hated that she had to relive that pain.

So FOX is giving the X-Files another new season after so many years. I still hanging on to the hope that Bones would get a chance to be revived. As always, don't forget to review and a Blessed Christmas and an awesome 2018 to everyone in FanFic-land!