Author's Note: Next chapter. I was going to have this end in another way, but this is what came out of me instead. Looking back on it, I suppose I should have just made this a one or two shot. But oh well. :P I am sorry this was late and I will post one last part this week to finish this storyline off.

I do not own Bones or any of its characters.

Thank you to everyone who is reading/following/reviewing this.

Seletua: Yeah, I suppose I should have known better than to just leave it at that. :) Thank you though for your reviews both now and in the past. I hope you enjoy how I (eventually) finish this off...

D: Don't worry, I don't tend to go that dark, despite my love of angst. :) But yes, I can imagine that the next conversation that Booth and Sweets have over this whole thing is going to be an interesting one...

Lives in the now: Thank you. And see, I agree that this could come up within canon: Booth still not being comfortable with Sweets being armed and Sweets struggling with using his gun. Thus why I wanted to get a taste of exploring that here. I hope you enjoy how I decided to continue this...

Shanabear: Hee, ok here is more. And you will get some answers to your questions in this chapter, I think.

Charlotte Thornton: Thank you for the review. I can easily picture Booth not wanting to seriously contemplate losing someone so close to him, even when faced with something like this, thus I could see him trying to "bargin" his way out of such a loss. I hope you enjoy this update as well.

Peanutmeg: Thank you for the review. I've heard that finals are stressful for all involved, so I'm not surprised. I am glad that you enjoyed both my fluffier rainstorm moment and this darker one as well. As you will see, we will be getting some more of this one here both now and in the next chapter...

Chapter Eight—Assurances—part 2

Booth paced back and forth in the hospital waiting room. He had called Brennan and Cam to let everyone know what was going on and was waiting for them to show up along with impatiently waiting to hear anything from the doctors. The last word he had gotten was that Sweets had lost a lot of blood, but was stable.

But Booth knew how quickly that could change and hated this situation of not knowing and not being able to do anything.

"Booth!"

The agent turned to see Brennan walking toward him, her face ashen. Her eyes kept darting between his face and the rest of him, and at first Booth wondered why she was doing that until he remembered how his shirt and sleeves had been stained with Sweets' blood.

"Do…have you heard anything?" she asked as she drew closer.

"No, nothing," Booth sighed, frustrated. "He's in surgery right now. That's all I know." Brennan nodded and handed him a plastic bag.

"I brought you a change of clothes," she said. "And I talked to Cam. She called everyone and they should be here soon…She said something about having Michelle watch Michael for Angela and Hodgins."

"Thanks," Booth said as he took the bag. "I'm going to go get changed and cleaned up. Are you going to be ok by yourself?"

"Yes," she nodded, resolute. Booth nodded back and was about to embrace her when he remembered his currently blood splattered condition.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," he said. "Let me know if you hear anything."

A short while later, Booth returned to the waiting area and found Brennan still by herself her expression pensive. He immediately went over and sat down next to her, leaning over to hold her as he did so. She responded by wrapping her arms around him and propping herself against him.

"No word?" he murmured at her.

"No," she said. "Nothing. The others should be here soon." Booth nodded and held her silently. Suddenly he heard her sniffle and looked down to see her eyes sparkling with tears.

"Bones…?"

"Booth…what I said to Sweets," she said. "When he told us that he was going to get certified to carry a gun in the field…I…I didn't mean…I never wanted….."

"What are you talking about?" Booth said as he shifted to look her in the eye.

"I said…I said that he could draw fire and get shot instead of you so I wouldn't become a single parent," she said. "I know it's irrational, but I…."

"Hey no, listen Bones, you didn't mean anything by that," Booth assured her. "Sweets knows that." Brennan's eyes and nose began to turn red.

"I was relieved to know that you were uninjured when you told me about the robbery," she continued. "And I was glad that Sweets had saved you from being shot…but then I realized that the reason I was able to feel this relief was because Sweets had been hurt instead and that he could die and…."

"No, don't think like that," Booth insisted. "Sweets is going to be ok, all right? And he knows that you wouldn't want him to get hurt. There is nothing wrong with being relieved that I'm ok. I know that if it had been you in that situation instead of me, I'd be on my knees thanking God that nothing happened to you. It doesn't make your concern for what happened to him any less meaningful."

"Thank you Booth," she sniffed. The agent then held her close again.

"We'll get through this," he said. "So will he. You'll see."

Two hours later, Cam, Angela, and Hodgins showed up, their faces downcast and the mood in the waiting room continued to be somber. There had been little word from the doctors on Sweets' condition and all of them were forced to participate in this tense waiting game.

Booth had been sitting next to Brennan, fidgeting and letting his foot tap the floor rapidly. Brennan could tell that he was anxious and knew from experience that he hated long waits and sitting about doing nothing. But something in his agitation seemed out of place to her and she wondered if perhaps she was missing something.

"Booth," she said, placing a hand on his knee to still his leg. "Stop."

"Sorry Bones," Booth said shaking his head. "I guess I just…I didn't even notice I was doing it."

"I doubt that," she said. "You always seem to be aware of your surroundings and your actions even if you do not actively state as much." Booth sighed and slumped down in his chair.

"I know that you are trying to help all of us with our worries about Sweets," she added. "But I believe that you are worried about him too."

"Yeah, I am," Booth said quietly. "That and I…I just keep thinking about he got shot. Bones, he got hurt because he was getting me out of the line of fire."

"He was scared that you could get hurt and wanted to protect you," Brennan nodded.

"But that isn't his job," Booth burst out. "It's my job to keep all of you safe, not his. I'm supposed to be protecting all of you and instead he gets shot. And now…."

"Booth, just because you normally protect us doesn't mean that we wouldn't want to protect you if we can," Brennan said. "You said that we were all a team, a family. Anthropologically speaking, members of a family unit do what they can to ensure the well-being of other members within said unit. In that context, Sweets' actions make sense."

"I guess," Booth sighed. "It's just…why didn't he just yell or use his gun? Why did he have to step in front of a bullet?"

"Perhaps he was afraid that you wouldn't hear him," Brennan offered. "Or perhaps he was uncertain if he would be able to hit the other robber from his vantage point. Or maybe, he just wanted to be sure that you wouldn't get hit."

"I guess that makes sense," Booth said. Brennan closed her hand around his.

"I concur with what you said earlier," she said with a slight smile. "We should stay positive and focus on Sweets' recovery as opposed to dwelling on what has already happened or what might have happened."

"You're right," Booth said. "You're right, Bones. Thanks for reminding me of that."

"I don't think you had actually forgotten it," Brennan said. "But I believe that we all need assurances about what we know once in a while, despite whatever evidence we use to build such knowledge."