A giant thank you to everyone who is reviewing. Your encouraging comments keep me going. Since I had today off, I thought I give y'all an update, Enjoy!

Oh, a special thanks to loves2read2much you motivated me to get this posted tonight!

Chapter 23

"Are you sure?" his voice barely audible.

She gave a nod and tugged at his hand. Never releasing her grasp, she led him down the hallway toward her bedroom.

Once inside and the door shut, she voiced what had been burning in the back of their minds all day.

"We need to talk about this," her voice calm but tired as she sat on the edge of her bed.

"I agree," he replied sitting down beside her.

There was a moment of comforting silence as the pair sorted through the thoughts and questions that plagued their minds for answers. The silence shattered like glass as she asked the question neither knew the answer to.

"What are we?"

Wanting to lighten the seriousness of the situation, he answered, "People, Bones. We are people."

The straight lines of her lips curled into a smile at his literal explanation instead of indulging her hidden question.

Nudging him with her elbow, a small laugh escaped, "You know what I meant."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just not sure of the answer," he confessed.

"Me either, but I want to know," she prodded. "So let's look at the evidence."

He chuckled at her logical conclusion. To her the heart was an array of jumbled emotions that were to hard to decipher, but the evidence….the evidence was black and white. It never lied.

"Okay," he indulged, "what's the evidence."

"We were partners," she began.

"We still are," he added.

"Are, again," she corrected. "And this is going to be very difficult if we are constantly making corrections to each other's story."

"True, you go first," he gestured.

She considered arguing for a moment, but decided against it. It would only waste time and she wouldn't win the argument.

"So…we were partners, friends, and then decided we wanted more after our heated little kiss in my office," she began with accuracy. "We basically moved in together, planned on buying a house, but our plans…," her voice drifted off.

Reaching over, he placed his hand on her thigh and gave a little squeeze. He knew how hard it was for him to leave, but he had no idea how hard it was to stay behind.

"I really loved the house we picked out," her voice wavered. "It was perfect for the three of us, remember?"

All he could do was nod.

"I remember waking up in the hospital and Ange telling me Parker was dead and you were gone," she continued. "Two years…gone, but I still have you're clothes: a pair of jeans and pajama pants, couple tee shirts, and a couple sweat shirts."

"You still have my clothes?" he questioned. "Why?"

"Don't know," she shrugged. "I guess they weren't mine to get rid of. And now I have Ben. Who loves you more than words could ever express, and I think that feeling is mutual."

"But what about you, Bones?" he asked. "Do you love me?"

She tilted her head to the side as she thought about her answer, "I don't know. I'm not sure if I ever stopped. I know I don't want you to leave tonight."

"I'll take it," he answered with a grin. "So where does all the evidence leave us?"

"Not my area of expertise," she stated.

"Well I think….."

"TEMPE!" the shrill scream echoed through the house.

"Ben," the pair uttered in unison as they rushed from the bedroom.

Temperance knelt down beside the bed staring up at the little boy's face. Ben's legs were thrown over the side of the bed, his torso bent over his arms that were wrapped tightly around his waist.

"It hurts," he cried as he rocked through the pain wracking his body.

"Do you feel sick?" the calmness in her voice surprised Booth.

"No," he stuttered. "It just hurts. Please, Tempe make it stop."

"Okay, Ben," she soothed. "We'll fix it."

She turned her attention to Booth who was waiting in the wings for some type of instruction.

"Booth, grab some towels from the linen closet," she directed. "Then go downstairs and heat them up in the dryer, please."

"Got it," he answered already leaving the room.

Brennan sat down beside Ben as she wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Leaning into the embrace, Ben coiled into a ball with his head in her lap. Brennan began tracing the pattern of his pajamas on his back as they waited on Booth's return.

Booth raced up the stairs two at a time before rushing to Ben's room. Brennan had tossed her legs on either side of Ben and onto the bed while her head rested against the headboard, eyes closed. Ben's legs were still pulled into his chest as his head rested on her stomach. His protests had ceased for the moment, but the pain etching the deep lines in his face was still very evident. The movement of the mattress as Booth sat down triggered her eyes opened. He gave her a worried smile as he tucked the warm towel under Ben's pajama shirt.

"How's that, buddy?" he quietly asked.

Ben only nodded.

Sitting in Ben's room waiting for the pain to worsen or subside, not a word was spoken just the sound of Brennan's hand moving across the fabric of Ben's pajamas. When a soft snore escaped from Ben, the pair breathed a sigh of relief. Booth gently lifted Ben from the mattress as Brennan scooted off the side. Placing him back into the warmth of the blankets, Booth followed Brennan out the door and down the hallway.

As he shut the door to her bedroom, he knew exactly where the evidence left them, but would it be what she wanted to hear?

When he turned away from the door, he met her gaze. Her face filled with worry; her eyes glistened with tears. He did the only thing he knew to do. Crossing the short distance between them, he enveloped her into his arms shielding her from the world.

"I can't lose him, too," she admitted; her face buried into his chest.

"I know," he soothed.

"I can't go through that again," she said lifting her head.

"I can't promise you that Ben will make it through this," he began. "I have to believe that he will, but I can promise you whatever happens you won't go through it alone. You asked me earlier where the evidence left us. We're a family, Bones. You, Ben, and me…we're a family. That's were the evidence leaves us."

She finally allowed a tear to slip down her cheek as their lips met in a slow passionate kiss.

Sorry it was a little shorter than usual. I had planned on leaving a cliffie, but when I found out I also have tomorrow off (teachers love snow days too) I thought I'd save that little bit for an update tomorrow. That is if your interested in an update. Gotta let me know:)

Please forgive any errors, my current beta is on leave with her new baby girl. Even though I am a teacher I make my fair share of typos and don't always catch them when I proof myself. Hopefully my beta will be back soon, but I can't blame her if she isn't.