A/N: Yes! Last chapter! I hope you've enjoyed this tale, and forgive me for how bad I've been in updating it. The fanfic bunnies are bugging me about another story idea but I'm leery of starting another multi-chap fic until I know I can update in a more timely fashion. I will probably concentrate on updating "Return to the Black Hole" and "200 Themes" for now, but I owed you a finish here.

If you're looking for something else to read, let me strongly recommend Cheri Goodman's "By Any Means Necessary." Be warned: it's rated M and contains adult themes. But it is well worth your checking it out. Tell her I said hi. g

Thanks for traveling this path with me!

Disclaimer: I do not own the show Bones. That privilege belongs to Kathy Reichs, FOX, and Hart Hanson.

Finally Over:

They were behind him. Booth heard their bony feet clattering on the stone as he fled down a dark tunnel. He had to get away. He HAD to.

Suddenly the ground fell away beneath him. Booth clawed at empty air as he tumbled, landing with a painful thud at the bottom of a pit. Dirt began to shower on him as the dead above him threw handfuls of it on him, filling up the hole, burying him alive…

"Booth!"

He saw Bones above him, her hand reaching down. "Booth, come on!"

He tried to reach up to her, but felt himself sinking. The dirt was past his waist now, and he heard the laughter of his victims.

Howard Epps' voice rang out above the others. "You can't save him, Dr. Brennan! He murdered us, he's ours now!"

"He's NOT yours!" Brennan shouted. "Booth, remember what Andrew said! Come on, grab my hand!"

Andrew…yes, Andrew had said…said…

Booth reached up and seized Bones' hand. A light poured from their joined hands, and he heard the shrieks of pain from the undead.

Bones seemed possessed of tremendous strength. She hauled him out of the hole with no help from him. Before he knew it he was on his feet in front of her. "Bones…"

"Shh," she said, laying a hand on his lips. "Booth, it's time to wake up now."

"What?" he was confused.

She smiled, but he saw anxiety in her eyes. "Wake up Booth, please, wake up…"

"Booth? Can you hear me?"

He opened his eyes, squinting against the light in the room. Bones was standing over him, her eyes moist. "Booth?"

"Bones?" his throat felt as if someone had scrubbed it out with steel wool. He looked around. Monitors next to him beeped and an IV ran into his left hand. His right hand was bandaged.

She huffed out a sigh of relief. "You're going to be all right. We had to resuscitate you – Hodgins cracked one of your ribs, but the doctors say there's no sign of brain damage…"

He frowned at the memories her words awoke. The freezer…not being able to breathe…then seeing Bones and Hodgins giving him CPR…and something else…

"Someone…Bear! Taffet's assistant!" Booth struggled to sit up, and Bones grabbed his shoulders to push him back. The twinge of pain in his side attested to what she'd said about his rib.

"It's all right. Bear is in custody. And Taffet's sister…" Bones bit her lip, suddenly looking upset.

"Taffet has a sister?" Booth's hand went to his throat as it protested his attempts to talk.

Bones made an impatient sound and picked up a cup from the nearby table. She put the straw to his lips and let him take a long drink.

"We didn't know about her," Bones said. "Booth, you were right. There was someone else. If I'd trusted you, maybe we could've stopped her from taking you –"

"No," Booth said, laying a hand on hers. "You found me. That's what matters." He drank more water, and spoke again. "How did you find me?"

"We persuaded Heather Taffet to get Bear to take us to you," Bones said, squeezing his hand. "We were going to let her sister go, but…"

"What?" Booth's eyes widened. "Bones, you didn't have to do that!"

"It doesn't matter." Bones shook her head, shifting on the bed as she sat next to him. "She fought me…and, I kicked her away and a cinderblock fell on her head…"

"Oh, Bones," Booth felt a new pain. "She's dead?"

"No," Bones said, her gaze on her hands as they rested on her lap. "She's in a coma…her skull fractured and the damage was extensive."

"It's not your fault," Booth said, trying to catch her eyes. "I know you did what you had to."

She glanced up at him, and nodded. "Thank you, Booth." She stood. "The others are waiting outside. Hodgins managed to persuade the staff to let us stay beyond visiting hours. Can they come in?"

Booth thought about it. There was something he had to take care of. "Can you have Hodgins come in? I need to talk to him."

Brennan nodded again. "Of course. I'll be right back."

While he waited for her to return, Booth assessed his injuries. He was tired and sore, and he was sure he'd be stuck on desk duty for a bit, but he'd work to make sure it was as short a bit as possible.

The door opened, and Bones returned, followed by Hodgins. The curly-haired man came up to the bed and then hesitated. "Booth! Man, it's good to see you awake," he said to the floor."

Booth grinned tiredly. "Hodgins. Look at me."

He saw Bones' look of apprehension turn to relief at his tone. The bug man lifted his head and met Booth's eyes, shoulders tensed as if for a blow.

"You know…being in that freezer, having to struggle to breathe…" Booth swallowed, the memory a little fresher than he liked. "I didn't get it before. I do now. And you helped Bones save my life, so…I guess we're square, all right?"

A broad grin spread across Hodgins' face. "Yeah, right!" He clapped a hand on the agent's shoulder. "Look man, you need anything – anything at all, just ask."

"I know," Booth answered, putting his hand over Hodgins'.

"Excuse me?" A blond man dressed in blue scrubs entered the room. "I'd like to check Agent Booth's vitals, then you all can visit with him some more."

"Sure," Hodgins said. "I'll go get you some pudding, Booth. Bet you'd like that."

Booth grinned. "That'd be great." Bones began to follow Hodgins out, and he called to her, wincing at the pain it brought to his throat. "Bones, you can stay."

The blond nurse smiled at Booth. "Hi. My name is Andrew, and I'll be looking after you for a bit."

Booth nodded, frowning. The young man stuck a thermometer into his mouth and began to check the monitors.

Bones noticed the confused look on his face. "Booth? Is everything all right?"

Andrew plucked the thermometer from Booth's mouth and smiled. "Your vitals are looking good, Agent Booth. I suspect you'll be feeling better very soon."

Booth shook his head. Something teased the his memory…"I'm sorry, do I know you? You seem familiar."

The nurse smiled at him as he placed a hand on Booth's shoulder, and the agent felt his aches and pains ease. "You may have seen me around. But right now, you just need to worry about getting well."

Booth stared into the man's eyes and a wave of peace washed over him. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks."

Andrew nodded. "Call if you need anything." With a friendly nod to Bones, the nurse left.

Bones looked from the door to Booth. "What was that about? Booth?"

Booth shook his head thoughtfully. "Dunno…but my gut tells me it's nothing bad."

"Well, I suppose I should trust your gut this time," she smiled. "I'll get the others, okay?"

"Yeah," Booth said. Before she got to the door, he called out, "Bones?"

She turned to look at him. He was already looking better than he had before. She shuddered inside as she remembered seeing him in the freezer, cold and breathless.

"Thanks," Booth said. "Thanks for finding me. For…you know."

She nodded, a smile lighting up her face. "I know."

Booth breathed a sigh of relief as she went to get their friends. Yeah, he was in the hospital, but he was all right. Bones was all right. The Gravedigger was finally stopped.

The next hour was filled with laughter and goodwill as the squints visited. Booth found his throat soothed from several cups of pudding and his spirits lifted by his friends. He tried to hide his fatigue, but Bones knew, and soon everyone was telling him goodbye and promising to visit soon.

Bones was the last to leave. "I'll come back tomorrow," she said, her hand on the bandage covering his cheek, "and I'll bring Parker."

"Thanks, Bones," he said, trying to hold back a yawn.

She smiled at his attempt. "Get some sleep. I need my partner back."

He nodded, closing his eyes as she left. In minutes, he was asleep.

And for the first time in weeks, his rest was peaceful.