[Author's note: I was watching old Bones episodes just now and I came across the scene that had me crying for a day when I first saw it, and I realized it was perfect for another chapter.]

'You,

You make me run,

You make me want to live.'

Sailing on the ocean of emotions.

Back at her place later that night, he hadn't planned on going in, but she had offered him another drink and he admired her liquor collection and ability to stay fairly focused even though she drank as much as he, so he had agreed. They both had a slow day tomorrow being a Sunday, all they had to worry about was writing up some stuff on an old case so another drink would do no one any harm.

Once they were inside, on the couch, Brennan turned to him. 'You know, what you did when you broke up with Hannah, I did the same once.'

Booth frowned. 'What do you mean?'

Brennan sighed, figuring out how to start. 'It's a long time ago but it's still hard to talk about.'

Suddenly he understood. 'With Sully you mean?'

She nodded, grateful to him for saying it for her. 'Yeah.'

'That was hard on you, I know, and I'm so sorry it went down that way, Bones. I kind of understood why you didn't go and truth be told, I was glad, but still, it wasn't what I wanted for you, another someone you love walking out on you.'

'Yes, it affected me more than I wanted to admit. It was hard.'

'But I don't see what you did that has anything to do with what I did, Bones,' he said, happy that she trusted him enough to talk about this.

'You.. You were right behind me when I went to say goodbye. Before I saw you I felt like the loneliest person on the planet, even though I know that is rubbish. I.. I hadn't expected it to hurt that much.'

'Seeing him sail away. I know, it's hard,' Booth said, putting his arm over the back of the couch, touching her shoulder.

She looked at him, at his arm and moved a little closer so he could put his arm around her shoulders. 'It was very hard. I hadn't felt that in a while.'

He nodded. 'I understand. I followed you there because I knew you would try to do it alone. But you are never alone, Bones,' he added on a whisper. She heard it and part of her melted, while another part froze. She cursed the latter.

'What I'm really trying to say is.. I never told you how much it meant to me that you were there behind me. To take me to breakfast. It meant.. A lot.' She met his eyes and he smiled at her.

'Glad to help.'

'But Booth, I never told you. I'm sorry. I should have told you, but instead I was distant and cold. That's exactly why people think I'm cold and I don't care, but it's not true. I care.'

'Hey, I know,' he said, looking at her, finding her eyes shining with unshed tears. 'Hey, it's ok. I know you care. I always knew. You don't have to say you care for me to know, Bones.'

She didn't really believe him and he could see it. 'You amaze me sometimes, Bones. For someone so smart you sure can be ignorant sometimes. I've known you for a long time now, so I know when to ignore your comments, because I know you're just protecting yourself. You were just abandoned by him, I know how much that hurt you, I told him not ever to do that to you but he didn't listen, so..'

She interrupted him. 'You told him what? Not to leave me? Booth.. That's not fair! It's wrong, Booth.'

'No, not that, before you two.. You know, got together, he came to me for advice or something, and I told him to be careful with you because you didn't deserve see another someone you feel close to walk out of your life when things get complicated. I told him to be careful with your heart.'

Bones was silent, looking at her partner, a tear falling from the corner of her eye. Finally, she found her voice.

'You said that to him.'

Her voice was soft and raw, and Booth tightened his arm around her a little bit. 'Yeah.'

'Thanks, Booth,' she answered. 'That's nice.'

'Yeah, well, didn't do you a whole lot of good, did it.'

'But it wasn't his fault, Booth. Sully is right, you know. If you do the work we do for too long, it gets to you. It got to me before I went to Maluku. I had to get away.'

'You sure that was the reason?' he asked carefully. She nodded. 'Yes, what else would be the reason?'

He didn't answer, just looked at her, implying she should know. Then, she thought of something. 'Oh.'

'Don't say it, Bones, don't talk about it, I'm not ready. But don't you think that might have something to do with it?'

'No, absolutely not,' she answered truthfully. 'Although I don't regret that decision. I wasn't ready,' she whispered. He nodded. 'I know. And I'm sorry. And that's the last thing I want to say about it right now, ok?'

She nodded. 'Yeah. Let's discuss that at a later time.'

'Yeah, let's.' He sighed and took another sip of his drink. 'But thanks for telling me. I wondered about that for a while, you know, if it was the right thing to do, follow you there.'

'It was. I didn't appreciate it at first, for a second, but then I found out it was actually a great help to me. But that scared me, you see. I didn't want to.. I didn't want you to see me that vulnerable again. I thought I was stronger.'

'And you were, because you tried facing it alone, Bones. I just wanted to take a piece of that away for you. You know, carry your burden. Now I know you don't want that but it's what partners do. And it's what friends do.'

She nodded again. 'That was it, you took the weight off my back. We carried it together, and I never thanked you.'

'Now you did. And I'd do it again, Bones, every time. Because it's.. What we do. As partners. You did it for me, and you did the same, you took a part of my burden and you carried it for me.'

'When you broke up with Hannah. You want to know why I came?'

'Not really, no,' he shook his head. 'I'm glad you did, but.. Don't dig that up again.'

'Ok,' she answered and kept her word. But he was curious. Of course he wanted to know why she came to him that night. How she found him, what Hannah had said. But he couldn't ask her to tell him, not yet.

'You know the thing with Sully?' he changed the subject back to her.

'What makes you think you can talk about Sully when you don't want me to talk about Hannah?' Bones suddenly asked, sounding harsher than she'd meant.

'I.. I don't know, you started,' he countered. She nodded. 'Yes, I did.'

'The thing with Sully is.. He's unpredictable. He doesn't really know what he wants, ever. That's a problem.'

'Especially for me,' Brennan added. Booth nodded. 'And that's a good thing, Bones. But I don't understand how he missed that about you. How he thought you would take that leap for him, with him. Did you really consider it?'

'Yes, I did, but I came to the conclusion that I just couldn't change that much. That's why.. Never mind,' she stopped mid-sentence.

'No, tell me, it's ok,' he said, and she looked at him. 'But you just said you didn't want to talk about it.'

'Oh. That. Ok, well, I can handle it. Tell me.'

She nodded. 'Ok. Well, I.. I couldn't change for him, and I was afraid I couldn't change for you. You know, into who you wanted me to be. Because even though you didn't want me to change, that's not how I saw it, Booth. You want different things from a relationship than me.'

He shook his head. 'But I don't want those things if you don't want them. Come on, Bones, you know that.'

'That's not what I mean,' she said. 'I mean the reason wasn't you. I thought I'd screw it up because I couldn't change. I just don't know how.'

'I know,' he said. 'And I don't want you to change into someone you're not. And if you feel you have to change, and if you want to, then I'll help you, but I'm not Sully, you know. I won't take off without you just because you say no.'

She looked down and he realized something.

He had.

He had taken off without her, to Afghanistan, alone, leaving her to go to Maluku. He could have stopped her if he had tried. But so could she.

'Yeah, all right, I know I went to Afghanistan,' he added. 'But you didn't stop me. Maybe it was good for us, you know, some distance. From work and from each other.'

'Yes, I believed it was good, until we came back,' Brennan said softly, wanting to talk this out right now. It had been locking down her heart long enough now.

'With Hannah. I know, I'm sorry. But I didn't know what you wanted from me, and I was hurt, it just.. Kinda.. Happened, you know.'

'Nothing happened with me,' she said, almost accusing.

He nodded. 'I know. It's a guy thing, Bones. Honor. I won't do it again.'

Brennan shook her head. 'It's ok. I just.. I expected too much. Read too much in your promise to see each other at the coffee kart.'

'You know it had been my intention to take things forward, Bones,' he said, his voice also soft and warm, trying to reassure her as well as encourage her to say what she wanted. It worked.

'I thought that, but as it turned out, I was wrong because you had met Hannah. I was happy for you but it was the first time in my life I felt so alone and happy to see you at the same time. It's a strange feeling, coming home and finding that the one thing you missed the most is still not there,' she added, a new tear slowly leaving her eye. He saw it from the corner of his eye and turned to face her, his hand moving from her shoulder to brush away the tear.

'Hey, it's ok. That's the past. It's good to talk about it, though,' he added, and she nodded. 'I need to talk about it before I can move on.'

'I know, so do I. But it's hard, Bones.'

'For me too,' she admitted, and his hand found its reassuring place on her shoulder again. 'This will work, though. We can be honest with each other, and we are, and I like that. It's important.'

'It is, and I never realized how much I could tell you and how much it would have helped me, Booth. I didn't want to burden you with my.. insecurities, but now I understand that that's what this is about.'

He smiled at her when she used the word 'insecurities', knowing it took a great deal of courage for her to admit that, and he was proud of her. This would work, and it would be mostly because of her. Because she put in such an effort.

'Yeah, that's what it's about, Bones. Sharing pain and happiness, all of it. It's worth it in the end, I promise. I know so much about you, and I want to know even more. It's all ok, whatever you think you have to keep from me, for whatever reason, please don't tell me if you don't want to but share it if you can, because it will make us both better people.'

She remembered something that had been said to her a while ago.

'Yes. He knows the truth of you. And he's dazzled by that truth.'

He really was. He liked who she was, who Temperance Brennan really was. And she liked who Seeley Booth really was, for all his flaws, he was the most wonderful man she'd ever met. She had known right from the beginning he would change her life. And back then, it had scared the hell out of her. But now, so many years later, when they had shared life at its greatest and peril at its worst, she was finally ready to face the greatest fear she had. And she'd face it with him. Because that was what this was all about.

Sharing everything, the good, the bad, the unhappy and the beautiful moments life still had to offer them. After all, he wasn't Sully. If he was ever to sail away, he'd do it with her right next to him or not at all. If their boat were to capsize, he'd save her before saving himself. If the water got choppy, he'd be there to keep her safe and she found that after all these years, she wasn't scared anymore. She didn't feel guilty anymore. Her pride wasn't compromised and her independence unharmed. Imperviousness didn't seem like such a good idea anymore, because how could she ever enjoy her life if she couldn't let him share and love it with her?

'And you,

You make me want to live

For you.'