DoctorSweets, booothandbones4ever, TLmitton thank you for reviewing.

Decided to move the story along a little faster in this chapter.

It was their first night home since the attack. For Brennan it felt good to be home, to be wrapped up in Booth's arms in their bed. It was mind boggling how the action of a complete stranger had changed everything.

She felt Booth's fingers tracing the outline of her body. He ran fingers through her hair, traced her jaw line with his index finger, then down her neck, along her arm down her sides and her hips and thighs.

"I could have lost you." Booth breathed into her hair. She felt him inhale, taking a deep breath. When she looked into his brown eyes she saw that they were red, he looked like he might cry.

"You didn't." She tired to reassure him.

"You know what we do, our work is dangerous, that's a calculated risk we take, but this, this is completely random. It had nothing to do with our job."

She didn't want to talk about it, but Booth had started it, against her request to not talk about it.

"It's hard to logic this one away Bones." He continued.

"Booth I told you – "

"I know Bones," Booth replied, his hand absently running up and down her side, mindful of her bruises.

"I just – "

"I know I can't force you not to talk, it's quite a paradox."

"It's ok, when you're ready."

He pulled her closer to him and she felt his arousal against her.

"I'm sorry I know you're not up to it, and I'm honestly not thinking of it, I just can't help myself, damn those male urges."

Brennan's lips quirked a smile. "I'm rather flattered actually."

"I just want to hold you."

"And I just want to be held."

Booth smiled, pressing a light kiss to her lips. "Sleep well Bones. I'm gonna be right here. Not going anywhere."

Booth held on to his wife as she fell asleep. She slept fitfully in his arms, he knew she had bad dreams, she whimpered in her sleep. His heart ached, not sure when this would all end. He managed a few hours of sleep before waking to get ready for the early morning meeting. He wanted to be there. Had to be. It was early still and he didn't want to wake Brennan, yet he didn't want her to be alone. Fortunately he had convinced Angela to come over and he was able to leave the house while Brennan slept.

Booth got to the meeting room in the Hoover Building before everyone else. The three other agents who arrived after him cast him surprised looks but none said anything. It was only when Assistant Director Hacker walked in with the same surprised look that Booth knew he was in for a fight.

Hacker jerked a thumb towards the door to the room. "Outside Agent Booth, now!"

"I want in." Booth said the minute the door closed behind them.

"You know I can't let you. You're too personally involved."

"I'm a good agent."

"No doubt but your wife was a victim."

"Sir this man has to be caught, before he hurts anyone else."

"I understand that, that's why we're working closely with Metro police on this."

"I can get this guy."

"So can your fellow agents. You're good Booth, exceptional at times but the FBI has other agents of your caliber as well."

"Sir I just wanna – "

"I've heard enough. You're not to work this case period. Agent Jennings has a double homicide. He's rather new, the advice of a senior agent like you would be helpful."

Hacker walked back into the meeting room, closing the door in Booth's face. Booth clenched his fists in anger. Taskforce or not he had his ways.

Booth spent the morning as Hacker had told him, working on the double homicide. By late morning he called Det Burke on his cell.

"Burke."

"It's Agent Booth."

"I told you I'd call if I had anything new."

"You didn't tell me you guys requested FBI assistance."

"You know now."

"ADA McFee. You questioned him. He's your prime suspect right now."

"Everything we had was purely circumstantial, nothing that would hold in court. We're watching him don't worry but he's not the only suspect we have in mind."

"You talked to him and his family. He's missing an alibi on some of the attacks."

"Come on Agent Booth you know I can't share information like this with you. Listen I gotta go, but we'll talk again. And trust me when I say we're watching the ADA."

Stonewalled. Booth felt as if every direction he turned he hit a brick wall. His gut told him McFee was the man. His gut was seldom wrong.

Just before lunch, Angela called to say Brennan had insisted on going to work. In fact that was where she was then. Things were getting better by the minute.

Booth stormed into the Jeffersonian, his stomach growling but he wasn't feeling hungry.

"Bones."

Brennan looked up from her desk.

"Booth. Do we have a case?"

"No."

"Lunch?"

"You're not supposed to be at work."

"Why not?"

"You know why not."

"Booth I'm perfectly fine."

"Right like you don't have those huge bruises on your body, like you don't have cuts on your wrists where you were restrained."

"I was there Booth, I don't need a reminder of what happened."

"You need to rest."

"I feel fine."

"Bones please."

"I've got a lot of work to catch up on, if we don't have a case, I'd appreciate if you let me get to it."

"Fine Bones. Fine."

Brennan watched as Booth sulked out of her room, disappearing from view. She hated this. He had promised nothing would change between them but it felt as if they already did. She didn't like this constant fighting with him. She didn't want to think about what happened and didn't understand why he would make such a big deal out of it. She felt tired and just want to move on.

Booth did what she had told him. He left her alone the rest of the day. It was close to nine when she decided to call it a day. She walked to the parking garage as she always did. She didn't like this, she was feeling jumpy. Every little sound made her turn round to look, half-expecting a masked man to be behind her. She quickened her steps to her car, grateful when she got to her car door.

A figure stepped out from behind a pillar and she jumped.

"Who's there?" She suddenly wished she had her gun with her.

"Easy Bones it's me."

"Booth what are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you."

"Why didn't you just come out and talk to me instead of lurking in the shadows."

"Thought you might be angry if you found out, you know say I was being over-protective. But you looked so nervous and jumpy."

"I was merely anxious to get home."

"You can't fool me baby."

Brennan sighed. He was right. Booth slung an arm round her shoulders. "I'll drive us home."

"My car."

"Will be fine here. I'll drive you to work tomorrow, promise."

That night after Brennan was asleep, Booth slipped out after making sure the doors to their apartment were locked. He resumed his vigil opposite McFee's house, with his old sniper rifle. Looking down the scope of the rifle, Booth settled down for what promised to be another long night. He would wait for the ADA to make a move and when he did, Booth would be ready.

The next couple of days passed with Booth spending every night watching McFee. The FBI and MPD released a composite and description of the Park Snatcher. The artist sketch bore little to no resemblance to McFee. Brennan commented that they got it all wrong. Even thought she never got a good look at her attacker, she pointed out that by all indicators of what she remembered, the description of him was wrong.

A week passed, then two. Brennan was due for her review with Dr Gareth and her ObGyn. They told Booth and her nothing they didn't already know. She had all but healed form the attack. Conceiving again would not be a problem, since there was no permanent damage. Booth thought to himself that she couldn't conceive if they weren't having sex. But he didn't want to pressure her or bring this issue up. He would wait till she was ready again.

Brennan continued to bury herself in work, as Booth continued his watch on McFee. The invisible chasm between them deepened. Booth's initial attempts to get Brennan to talk only made her more silent, and it came to a point where he decided to give up. She would talk when she was ready. Him waiting for her to be ready for most things in life seemed to be the running theme in their relationship.

Three weeks after the attack, the Park Snatcher hadn't struck again. Perhaps he was worried the police were on to him. Three weeks after the attack, Max had asked Booth to meet him at the Royal Diner for lunch.

"So why haven't you caught the guy who attacked Tempe?" Max asked as Booth slid into a chair opposite him.

Review please. It's late and I'm sleep-deprived. This chapter sounded better in my head.