Disclaimer: I don't own Bones, but I am obsessed.

Author's Note: OK, I think we've gone into full on cliche in this one. I have no idea where this one-shot came from. Honestly, I was driving to work and one line from this fic jumped into my mind, and from that line and the inspiration word, this one-shot was born. Enjoy.

Chapter Eighteen: L'appel du vide

L'appel du vide: French: "The call of the void" is this French expression's literal translation, but more significantly it's used to describe the instinctive urge to jump from high places.

"Honey, I'm ho-oome." Booth called out to Brennan as he closed and locked the front door, tossing his keys into the the bowl on the nearby table.

Brennan's head popped into the hallway. "How was your meeting?"

"Fine, the prosecutor says that we have a firm case. Seems like a good guy, for a rookie. Thanks for sending the files over."

Brennan nodded. "Well, I would have liked to have been there myself."

"It's OK. We were fine. You'll be at the next one." Booth removed his trench coat and slung it on the banister. Brennan frowned at the careless toss; the coat closet was across from the staircase, but Booth rarely used it. Sensing her frustration, Booth flashed a smile and leaned over for a kiss. She gave him a playful shove and then immediately grabbed his tie and pulled him in close, welcoming him home with a deep kiss.

Several moments passed before they separated. Finally, Brennan pulled away. "Dinner will be ready shortly."

"Great, I'm starving." Brennan smiled and released Booth's tie. She walked over to the kitchen, Booth following in her footsteps. He watched her as she fiddled with various items on the stove. He lost his playful tone as he watched her bustle around the kitchen. "So, Bones. I got some news today."

Brennan replaced a lid on a pot and set her slotted spoon on its rest. She turned to face her partner. "By your tone, I'd say you have something serious to tell me."

"Not serious. Just interesting." When Booth didn't elaborate, Brennan raised an eyebrow. Booth had seemed to forget that she was in the room. He was simply staring out the window, and Brennan repeatedly called his name before he snapped out of it. "Sorry, just spaced out a minute there. Anyway, Hannah's engaged."

"Hannah Burley?"

"Yes, Hannah Burley."

"Your ex-girlfriend, reporter, Hannah Burley?"

Booth huffed in exasperation. "Yes."

"I didn't know that you kept in touch."

Booth shrugged. "We don't"

Brennan frowned as she processed the information. "How did you come across that piece of information?"

"Got an e-mail from an old CO of mine. He was around when Hannah and I first met. Anyway, he's the big cheese of the unit that Hannah's currently embedded in. Apparently, she and her new camera man hit it off. He knelt down in the middle of the mess hall and pulled out his grandmother's ring. And she said yes."

Brennan turned down the burners on the stove and then stepped closer to her partner. "Are you alright?"

Booth took a moment to think, running his fingers through Brennan's hair. "Yeah, of course, why wouldn't I be?"

Brennan's response was to stroke her hand up and down his tie fabric. "Because you wanted to marry her, and she said that she wasn't the marrying kind and then she left you. And you were very angry. I can imagine that you would be upset that she moved on and is willing to marry someone who isn't you."

Booth closed his eyes for a moment, "Yeah, Bones, I didn't really need you to explain it to me."

Brennan's lips pursed. "I'm sorry, but you seem upset."

"I'm not upset, really. It just came as a little bit of a shock, I guess."

Brennan pressed a kiss to his cheek, as her fingers attempted to smooth his furrowed brow. "Well I'm glad that she found someone that she finds compatible."

Booth grunted. "Just stings to know that she told me that she didn't want marriage with anyone, but that she found someone else. I wanted to marry her and she's wearing someone else's ring. She was supposed to be my one. I loved her. I wanted her."

Brennan twisted back to finish her dinner preparations, pots and pans clanked angrily on the stovetop. "Oh."

He stepped behind her and placed his hand on the small of her back. She stiffened and stepped away. "Bones, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm over it. I'm with you, one-hundred percent. It just took me by surprise."

Brennan twisted away as Booth again tried to make contact. "I have to go check on Joy. I can hear her babbling in the monitor. Set the table please, I'll be right down." Booth's frantic call of her name went unanswered. They sat through a silent dinner, where Brennan focused on feeding their daughter her mashed carrots, while merely moving her own food around on the plate.

After dinner, Booth wearily cleaned up and watched some television, as Brennan still wasn't interested in communicating with him. The only time that he and Brennan were in the same room that evening was when he had come to kiss his daughter good-night. Even then, Brennan had tucked the baby in and brushed past Booth quickly, giving him his privacy. He hated it.

Usually, they spent the night as a trio, relieving the pressures of the day and enjoying the miracle that they had created, their family. They would read stories, and with enough coaxing, Brennan would sing Joy a lullaby as they rocked their daughter to sleep. But not tonight.

Instead, Booth had rubbed his daughter's cheek with his thumb and reassured her of his love. Joy had simply smiled at him, before placing her thumb in her mouth and closing her eyes. Booth watched her sleep for a long time, happy at least that she was oblivious to the tension between her parents. Sometimes he still couldn't believe how perfect she was, how happy they were as a family. How wonderful his life had become, and now, all he wanted was to restore the balance.

Eventually, Booth left his daughter's room and gently closed the door. He slowly made his way to his and Brennan's bedroom. Seeing that Brennan was curled on her side and apparently trying to pretend to be asleep, Booth switched off the main room lights and tucked himself into his side of the bed.

He reached over to Brennan, but she was still turned away from him. Usually, they slept entwined together, their nightmares soothed by the presence of the other. But apparently, that was another thing that wouldn't be happening tonight. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Bones, I'm sorry. You know that I didn't mean it like that. I absolutely do not want Hannah. I'm so happy with you, with the way our life is. We have Joy and Parker, and each other. I don't need anything else. I don't want anything else. What we have together, it's more than I could have even dreamed of. Now, I know that you are mad at me. But please, tell me that you know that."

Brennan rolled over to face Booth. She worried her lip before answering. "Of course I know that. I know that we are in a committed relationship, and that Hannah is in your past."

Booth nodded in the darkness. "But I hurt your feelings."

"Yes, you did."

He reached over and pulled her close to him. "I'm very, very sorry. I love you so much. Hannah is my past. And to be honest, she was a mistake. She never knew the real me, she never learned all of my secrets, and I never loved her with my whole heart. Even when I was with her, I couldn't forget you. I once told you that there was only person that you love the most. You're my person, Bones. You're it."

Booth was begging her with his eyes to understand. Even in the dim light, he hoped that she could see how much he needed her. He was hoping for forgiveness, but he wasn't expecting her response. "I think that we should get married."

Booth rotated a finger in his ear, testing his hearing. "What?"

"I want to get married," Brennan repeated.

"Hold up, Bones. Are you just saying that so you can keep up with Hannah?"

"No, of course not. Don't be ridiculous. When have I ever done anything just because other people were doing it?"

"Umm, never. But, uhh, why now?" Booth had pulled himself away from her body, confusion now etched on his face.

"Have you ever been sky-diving?"

Booth's confusion deepened. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Have you ever been sky-diving?" Brennan repeated.

Booth gave an unseen cautious nod. "Yeah, back in the day, during some training missions."

"Do you know that feeling right before you jump?"

"The 'I can't believe that I am going to jump out of a plane and possibly plummet to my death, but I want to do it anyway because it's a once in a lifetime experience and it will be incredible' feeling. ls that what you mean?"

"I wouldn't have put it quite that way, but, yes." She agreed, even as she reached across the bed to re-establish their physical connection.

"So, what does that have to do with marriage?"

Brennan considered her words for a moment. "The first time that I went sky-diving, I did a tandem dive. I was strapped to my instructor and I was so nervous. I wanted to do it, I did. But looking out of the side of that plane, where I could barely see the ground, I felt terrified and nauseated. I almost didn't do it."

"My Bones, scared? I don't believe it." He kissed the tip of her nose.

"Yes, but then I realized that I wanted to jump, I wanted to have that experience. And I had a certified instructor, who knew exactly what she was doing. She told me that I could do it, that we would do it together."

"And you believed her." Booth nuzzled into the space where her ear met her neck.

"I did. And we jumped, and it was incredible. I can't describe it. There was the cold and the wind rushing, and the Earth getting closer, so quickly. It was terrifying. And then we pulled the cord and everything just slowed down. I could take in everything around me, it was an entirely new world that I was seeing. I'd never experienced anything like it."

Booth pressed feathery kisses along her neck. "Yeah, it's a pretty awesome experience."

"I think marriage could be like that for us. It scares me, but I want it. I want to have that experience. I want to see the world in a different way. You're like my instructor, you are the one who believes in me, who tells me that I can do whatever I set my mind to. With you, I can do anything. Because of you, I know that I can do this, and that I want to do this. Booth, I want us to jump together."

Booth pulled her as close as he possibly could. His lips once again found her ear, whispering into it. "I want that too. Oh God, I've always wanted it."

Brennan smiled as she allowed Booth to pull her even closer against his body. "And you were willing to wait for me. Until I was ready. I'm ready now. So will you marry me?"

Booth's first response was a deep kiss and a fervent nod. "Yes, yes. Let's get married."

Brennan smirked, "I'm sorry that I took away the chance for you to propose. I know that your romantic side must be disappointed."

Booth cut her off with another kiss. "I'm not disappointed. Hold on." He pressed their lips together again quickly before swinging his legs out from underneath the covers. He rooted through his underwear drawer for a few moments before emerging with a small velvet box. "I've had this for awhile. I hoped maybe, someday, it would see the light of day."

Brennan flicked on her bedside lamp so that she that she could look at the ring, but more importantly at Booth's face. His eyes were twinkling, his smile was dazzling and his hands were shaking as he opened the lid of the box. Brennan couldn't contain her gasp as she glanced at the ring.

It was simple and practical, she could tell that he had picked out a ring that would not snag on work gloves. But it was beautiful. And although she had never imagined a diamond ring on her finger, nor had planned on wanting one, she found that she couldn't wait for him to place the band on her finger. In that moment, it was all that she wanted.

"Temperance Brennan, will you make the happiest man alive even happier by letting him be your husband?"

Brennan's words escaped her, tears sprung to her eyes, and she could only nod her acceptance of the proposal. Booth's smile grew wider as he removed the ring from its case and slipped it onto its rightful place.

After a moment of silence, Brennan regained the use of her voice. "I love you, Booth."

"I love you, too."

Brennan couldn't tear her eyes away from the ring. Finally, she looked up at her partner. "Angela is going to explode. Metaphorically, of course."

"So will your dad." Booth smirked.

Brennan chuckled. "Yes, he's been hinting at this for awhile. He brings it up practically every time that I see him. It gets exhausting."

"Well, he's our nanny, what did you expect?"

Brennan ignored the comment. Instead, she held her hand up to the light, the ring sparkling almost as much as her eyes. "So we are going to get married."

Booth breathed out his acceptance. "Yeah, but no rush. We can take our time. I'm not going anywhere."

"Neither am I."

"I know that, baby." His hand reached out to toy with her ring. It looked so right on her hand, and his throat tightened with emotion.

Brennan finally lowered her hand, turned off the light, and snuggled into Booth's side. "So do you think that Hannah is as happy as we are?"

"No way. I wish her the best, I do. I hope that she is happy. But whatever she has with her camera man, it doesn't compare to what we have. Bones, it is your happiness that I care about. You're the one. You will always be the one."

Brennan smiled into the darkness. "I think that maybe you are my one too."

Booth sought out her lips for another passionate kiss. "Of course I am, baby. Now, I believe that we have some celebrating to do. I feel like we should make a toast."

"We don't have anything to drink." Booth raised his eyebrow, and even in the dark, Brennan could read his expression. "We can open some champagne tomorrow night. But yes, I believe a toast would be appropriate."

Booth pressed his lips to his fiancée's. "To our next great adventure."

Brennan returned the kiss. "To jumping together."