Happy New Year! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. FaithinBones (thank you. Yes you're right, it's a great weight on Booth to bear), 554Laura (yes it is very to her, especially since she's always so in control of things), gatewatcher, LoveShipper (her reunion with her kids isn't in this chapter but will happen soon), Felinxx (yes it's very hard on them both), Moniurek, Victoria (thanks! I get what's you're saying and I have something like that planned but not exactly), aadams00(true that), ZinaR, kareneb (yes, of course there's more), regbride12 (you're right the show could have gone on for many more years), yoshimi0701 (coming in later chapters), pauchacottle, Sofia (great idea, something I didn't think of, I haven't decided yet if I would add that in), lonelybacon, adorkablesalad (you're right on having theat faith), Becksbones and all other guests.
Booth held Brennan in his arms on their bed, waiting for her tears to stop flowing, allowing her to process the memory of Vincent's death.
"Thank you for being honest with me." She sniffed, noting that she had left a wet patch of her tears on his t-shirt.
"Yeah." Booth swallowed. He didn't dare tell her he was still withholding many other things from her. "At least you remembered something. Do you remember what happened after that? Like when you were pregnant with Christine?"
"No. I recall making love to you, the emotions, the sensations, the exhilaration. Just the events of that night. That's all."
"That's a start." Booth rubbed her back soothingly. "Why don't you get dressed? I'll make us breakfast."
Booth made her pancakes and waffles paired with her favorite fruits for breakfast. They ate in companionable silence. Their friendship had always been the cornerstone of their partnership and Booth was grateful that despite her memory loss, that was something that remained intact.
After breakfast, Booth retrieved the small bag the hospital had given to him the night before. Opening it he poured the contents onto the center island in the kitchen where Brennan was sitting at.
"The stuff you had to remove, cause of the scan."
"My earrings." She picked them up then put them back on the counter. "Mom's ring." She slipped it back on to her right ring finger.
She cautiously picked up the last metallic object on the counter. "Our wedding ring I presume."
"Yeah." Booth held up his left hand showing her his matching ring.
"I think I'll refrain from wearing this for now."
Her words felt like a stab to his heart. She noticed his hurt look.
"It's not that I object to being married to you. As I told you last night, I've come to accept the fact that we're husband and wife. If I were to be entirely honest with myself, given my current state of amnesia, if I had to be told I was married to someone… I'm glad that someone is you."
Booth grinned. "You have no idea how happy hearing you say that makes me feel."
"Although I still can't fathom how and why I agreed to get married."
"Hey like I said, I didn't force you. I mean it's not like I could ever make you do anything you didn't want to."
"I'd like you to tell me why soon. That is, if my memories don't return."
"They will Bones. They will."
She smiled cautiously at him. "When my memories return, you'll slip this ring onto my finger just like you did on our wedding day. For now, I'll wear it round my neck. I have a necklace I can use to attach it to."
"I really hope I get to put that ring back on your finger soon."
"Me too."
"I was scared that when you forgot that we were married, you'd freak out and leave me or something."
Brennan shook her head. "The memories are gone but the emotions, the feelings, this familiarity, they're bubbling at the edge of my subconscious. When I'm with you, I feel a sense of security, of affection and intimacy. So no. I'm not going to leave you. From what I can see, we had… we have built a happy life together. There's evidence of it all around me. It would be callous of me to throw it all away."
Booth reached for her hand. "I'm just…" He blinked back tears, the emotions he had been holding in threatening to overflow. "I'm real happy."
Brennan's face changed, betraying her frustration. "It's still not coming back." She pointed at her head, fighting back tears. "I had hoped the amnesia would be gone by now."
Booth made his way round the counter, taking her into his arms. He was grateful she had not rejected his hugs thus far. "We'll give it a couple more days."
"What if it never comes back?"
Booth rested his hands on her shoulders, demanding her attention. "Hey look at me. It will all right? It will. And no matter what happens, no matter how long it takes, I'm not going anywhere. I love you. Nothing's gonna change that. I wanna spend the rest of my life with you."
She offered him a small smile. He smiled back. He wanted to reassure her of his love so he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Thankfully she did not push him away.
After a moment in his arms, Brennan's face turned serious. "This case we had been working on, it's still unsolved? We have yet to catch the person responsible for the bombing."
"Yeah."
"Then I'd like to get back to working on it."
"No Bones, you need to rest. You trained your interns well. Let them do the job."
"Memories of my professional abilities are intact. Perhaps working on something familiar will trigger the return of memories I've lost."
What she was saying made sense. Booth had also wanted to check in at the FBI. He wanted to see their children.
"Right okay. I'll drop you off at the lab. Cam texted me to say they've got some equipment and you can get some work done there. I'll give you a ride then I'll head to the FBI. I – " Booth paused. He didn't want her to feel guilty. "Hank and Christine miss us. They're there with Aubrey now."
"I should imagine they do. Children would naturally miss their parents when separated from them."
"You're an amazing Mom, you know that? You really are. You may not remember it but our kids love you, very much."
"Perhaps you can bring them home tonight. Maybe seeing them in person would help me remember."
Booth was hesitant. What if she rejected them or kept her distance from them? He didn't want them to learn of their mother's amnesia. He didn't want them inadvertently hurt. As if reading his thoughts she replied, "If I don't remember them, I might behave differently from how I normally do when I'm with them. But I would most certainly not reject them. I remember how I felt when my parents left me. I won't be like them."
Booth nodded. "Yeah I guess a couple of hours home with you wouldn't hurt."
…
Booth strode into his office after leaving Brennan at the wrecked lab. The building had been certified structurally sound and the team were allowed to continue working there. He pushed the worry that Brennan would find out about Kovac, and how Max died while she worked there, aside. He chose to focus on his children. He had missed them just as they had missed him. Both children ran into his arms the moment they saw him.
"Hey you two! How was spending the night with Uncle Aubrey?"
"He let us have snacks before bed. Gummy bears!" Christine smiled at her father.
Booth glanced up at Aubrey.
"Extenuating circumstances. The little guy wanted his Mommy."
Booth nodded his understanding. "Just that once okay Christine?"
"Mommy?" Hank asked.
"She's workin' Tiger but you'll get to see her later okay?" Booth kissed Hank on the head. "Whatcha got here?"
The little boy took his father's outstretched finger and led him towards their toys. Booth sat down on the floor of his office next to the pile of Duplo bricks.
"We're building a city." Christine explained, sitting cross-legged next to her father.
"Can I help?"
"Yeah!" Both children replied.
An hour later, with his children engrossed in their block city, Booth slipped out of his office to have a word with Aubrey.
"So how's Dr Brennan?"
Booth shook his head. "She still can't remember. She's like lost a couple of years of our lives together. She can't remember we're married. Can't remember having kids."
"What?!"
Booth sighed. "Yeah. But she wants to see them. She figured maybe seeing them would help her remember."
Aubrey nodded. "Makes sense. You know I'm here to babysit for as long as you need."
"Thanks."
Booth's phone rang. It was Angela. They had a location on Kovac.
"Time to go catch the guy who is responsible for Max's death."
"I'll come with you."
"Thanks Aubrey." Booth nodded. "Let me go say goodbye."
He re-entered his office.
"Listen, Daddy's gotta go do some work but I'll be back okay?"
"Don't go Daddy!" Christine insisted.
"You know what? You and your brother, you're real important to me. But what Daddy's gotta do, it's important too. And what I really need you to help me do, is to be brave like I know you are okay?"
Christine nodded. "Promise you'll come back?"
"Promise. You two be good for Agent Lang all right?" He nodded at the female FBI Agent waiting outside his office. His children would be protected until Kovac was caught.
"Uncle Aubrey?" Christine asked.
"He's coming to help me with my work."
"Mommy." Hank said.
"I want Mommy too." Christine added, trying to be brave, just like her father told her to be.
"Mommy and Daddy are workin' real hard to catch a bad guy."
"And you won't let him hurt you right? I don't want you or Mommy to go to heaven like Grandpa."
Booth gathered his daughter into his arms, holding her tightly to him, his heart aching at how much she had been through.
"I'll be okay Sweetheart. I promise." He kissed her on her head. "I love you Christine."
"I love you too Daddy."
He reached for Hank, grateful that he was too young to understand much. He pressed a kiss to his son's chubby cheek. "I love you very much too Hank."
…
Angela went in search of Brennan as she got off the phone with Booth. She found her sitting in a corner of what used to be her office. Booth had explained the state of her best friend's memories to her that morning when he dropped her off at the lab.
"How are you holding up Sweetie?"
"Booth has gone off to arrest Kovac?"
"Yes. He's going with Aubrey and a team of agents."
Brennan nodded. She closed her eyes and sighed, folding her arms across her chest. "I should be going with him. I'm his partner. He needs me to back him up. I've always done so."
"He knows that Bren. But he's going with Aubrey. You may not remember but he'll gladly take a bullet for Booth. He's a good friend."
"I'm still worried for Booth's safety."
"He'll be fine..."
"How are you and the baby doing?"
"We're good."
"It must have been hard. Whatever happened to Hodgins such that he's confined to a wheelchair now."
Angela nodded. "It was very hard. But we got through it. You and Booth will get through this too. You guys always do."
"It's comforting being here. Despite the fact that my office is a mess and that the bone room has bones strewn all over the floor. It would take a long time to catalogue everything and put each piece back where it belongs. But at least here, everything is familiar. I know what is needed of me, I know how to do my job. I… " Brennan closed her eyes, a tear sliding down her cheek. "I don't know if I still know how to be a wife and mother, Angela."
Angela wrapped an arm round Brennan's shoulders. "I don't think there's a specific way to be. You've always done an amazing job at both by the way. Christine and Hank are very lucky to have you."
"This current case involving Kovac, it has something to do with Booth's past as a sniper. Kovac wants revenge for Booth taking his father's life. I've gathered that from my work on the case."
"Yes." Angela wondered if Brennan remembered that Max was dead. She decided not to probe her best friend about it. "He's worried you'll blame him for everything that's happened. You losing your memory, mostly."
Brennan shook her head. "I don't blame him."
"Then you should tell him that."
"I will. When I get an opportunity."