Wake up at six, get ready, at the hospital by seven thirty, head to work at eight forty-five, bring lunch from Sid's or the diner, back to work, hospital from five thirty until Bones forced him to go home.

Booth followed their new routine for the next week and a half, glad his partner had made him go back to work, but counting down the hours until he could see her again. They watched movies, talked about life, debated everything—life was back to as normal as it could get.

Brennan for her part was itching to get out of the sterile room once and for all, despite the walks (or rolls as the case may be) that Booth had conned the nurses into letting them take in the evenings. When Dr. Norbury came in and announced that she could go home, as long as she came back for her regular therapy sessions, the smile didn't leave her face.

Booth drove to her home, helping her navigate the narrow hallways as they entered the building. The ride up the elevator had been in silence, though she could feel excitement flowing off of her partner (regardless of how irrational that was). They wheeled down the hall and she unlocked the door, pushing herself through the opening.

"Surprise!" Her head shot up as she was assaulted with the sounds of the animated crowd that now filled her apartment. Gaping momentarily in shock, she turned to the man behind her, who simply shrugged.

"We're glad you're home," he grinned before wheeling her farther into the room.

Brennan spent the next two hours receiving hugs from her friends and coworkers and enjoying the pleasant company that surrounded her. While Booth had been giving her room, she felt his eyes on her throughout the party, a fact that both thrilled and terrified her. She stored it away as Director Cullen approached the small group gathered around her by the sofa.

The party started winding down and after the last guest had left, she surveyed the room as Booth made his way to the kitchen with some dishes. She rolled herself after him, watching from the doorway as he loaded the dishwasher and then drew water for the rather impressive stack of dishes still on the counter. Pushing herself farther into the room, she positioned herself to his right, grabbing the towel on the counter to dry.

"I've got this Bones," he said with a smile, "Go relax, you deserve it."

"I want to help," she replied determinedly. Holding her gaze a moment longer, he nodded and turned back to the bubbles covering his arms. He understood that she needed to help, to be of use. They worked in a seamless tandem for the next twenty minutes before they finally retired to the living room. He lifted her from the chair and onto the couch before flipping on the TV he had convinced her to buy a few months back. They talked for a little while before lapsing into a comfortable silence, punctuated by the sounds of the show in the background.

"You don't have to stay Booth," Bones finally said a few minutes later.

"I want to," he said, the same determined look on his face. Dipping her head, she let her hair hide the blush that had grown on her cheeks.

"You're wrong you know," Booth stated after a few beats, grabbing her foot and starting to massage it gently. She looked back up at him with a questioning gaze.

"I do have to stay."

She started to protest but he cut her off. "Doctor's orders," he said with a cheeky grin.

Frowning, she couldn't bring herself to argue as he continued his soft ministrations on her feet. She settled into the pillows by the arm rest, watching him manipulate the weak muscles in her legs. As he continued to work, moving onto her other leg, she let her head fall back against the arm rest and closed her eyes. She considered opening the box of emotion she had stored away earlier, but his close proximity made that a dangerous option. She groaned as he hit a particularly sore spot on her calf.

"Easy Booth, that one hurt," she warned, her eyes still closed. He apologized and eased his pressure. The circles across her skin stopped as each took in a breath and Brennan sat up to look at his wide-eyed expression.

"Did you just?"

"Yes," she breathed out, shocked joy overtaking her features, "I could feel my legs."

"Move 'em," he persisted after a shocked silence and they both turned to watch her limbs. The appendages sat idle on his lap as she tried to command them to move, a wiggle of the toes, anything. Her face fell though she tried to mask it. Booth looked back up at her, his eyes dancing with delight.

"You can't move them yet Bones, but it's amazing," he gushed, grabbing her hands in his own, "you can feel them!"

His enthusiasm was contagious and she found herself joining in his laughter. She let out a surprised squeak as he leapt from the couch and grabbed her around the waist. He swung her in circles around the room, laughter bubbling up between them. He finally slowed their rotations, setting her back on the sofa softly. They grinned foolishly at each other, faces remaining close and Brennan felt the same feeling from before settle around her heart. As she looked into his twinkling eyes, the terror slipped away and she felt overwhelmed by this new calm, as cliché as she knew it sounded.

"That's really great Bones," he whispered, feeling the moment between them. She waited for her fear to come rushing back at her. Logically she knew it should, it always did in these moments, but the anxiety that seemed to stop her at this point in the past stayed alarmingly silent. She bit her lip in consideration as their gazes remained steady.

Then that box of emotion, so carefully stored away flew open as he finally closed the distance between them.

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Ok, ok, I know it was kind of a cliché ending, but I thought I'd finally give into a bit of BB love. Our story can start progressing again and we'll kick it up a notch. This was a shorter chapter, so expect a new one soon!

And to all who thought she was paralyzed for life—psh! I'm not that mean! Ye of little faith, keep reading, you'll be happy again soon enough :-)