Spoiler Alert Contains plot lines from Season 5 Episode 22. Season Ender

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Chapter 26 July 4, 2010

The organizers of the dig at Maluku decided to throw a nice 4th of July Party for the Americans. They had taken the afternoon off, bar-b-qued, swam in the ocean and as a special treat they had set up a satellite feed for them to see the 4th of July Celebration with the Boston Pops, Toby Keith and Craig Ferguson. She had done as Booth had asked her and celebrated with her co-workers until Toby Keith sang his second song.

She had been talking to one of the other researchers when she heard Daisy say "oh I love this song. Listen Dr, Brennan he is singing about Booth."

At the mention of Booth's name she turned to the video output and was enthralled, unable to move or think, barley able to breathe as the words washed over her.

I'm just trying to be a father,
Raise a daughter and a son,
Be a lover to their mother,
Everything to everyone.
Up and at 'em bright and early,
I'm all business in my suit,
Yeah, I'm dressed up for success from my head down to my boots,
I don't do it for the money, there's bills that I can't pay,
I don't do it for the glory, I just do it anyway,
Providing for our futures, my responsibility,
Yeah I'm real good under pressure, being all that I can be,
And I can't call in sick on Mondays when the weekend's been too strong,
I just work straight through the holidays,
And sometimes all night long.
You can bet that I stand ready when the wolf growls at the door,
Hey, I'm solid, hey I'm steady, hey I'm true down to the core,
And I will always do my duty, no matter what the price,
I've counted up the cost, I know the sacrifice,
Oh, and I don't want to die for you,
But if dying's asked of me,
I'll bear that cross with an honor,
'Cause freedom don't come free.
I'm an American Soldier, an American,
Beside my Brothers and my Sisters I will proudly take a stand.
When liberty's in jeopardy I'll always do what's right.
I'm out here on the front lines, sleep in peace tonight.

When it ended she ran, and ran, and ran hit the beach and ran some more. She ran until her lungs burned, till her muscles screamed, till she fell screaming in the night "NOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooo" and she lay there crying harder than she had ever cried before. She had asked him not to be a hero not to be himself. He had agreed. She had asked him for the wrong thing she should have asked him not to be a Solider. It was her fault he was there, if she had just not been so scared of taking a chance just tried, they'd still be in DC and he's be safe. Phone, SAT phone she had to call Angela, Jack might have his number and she had to talk to Booth now right now. She ran back to the dig site.

After waking a very cranky Angela and getting Booth's contact information she dialed before she had a chance to change her mind. The young private who answered the phone did not know where the Sergeant Major was, yes Ma'am he was still on the base but it was after hours. Yes Ma'am he would send someone to find the Sergeant Major and have him return her call at the number she had given him no matter how late is was. Yes Ma'am he understood the gravity of the situation she needed to talk to him about bones no Ma'am his bones. He sent one of the guy's to go over to the NCO Club to see if Sarg was there and if so tell him that a very strange lady had called and told him to get his butt to a phone.

Ten minutes later Booth was sliding to a stop "Hooper you got a message for me to get my butt here to call about a bone?"

"Yes Sir" he said handing Booth the note and deciding it was safer not to comment about the Sergeant Major being out of breath.

Booth looked at it. Yeah it was from Maluku alright so either it was from Bones or about her. Judging from the time of night and the fact she had never called him and to his knowledge didn't have his contact information, it was most likely about her. He went into his office and sat down hard gathering his thoughts ready to hear the worst and dialed the number.

She saw the identifier and picked up on the first ring "Booth, Booth is that you?"

"Bones, are you ok? Bones what's wrong?"

She let out the breath she hadn't known she had been holding and started crying softly again. "You're ok right Booth your ok. I mean everything is alright, you haven't been hurt or anything…"

"Bones, BONES" he stopped her rattled questioning "Yes Baby I'm fine why are you calling? What's happened? What's wrong Baby."

"I'm sorry this is all my fault, if I had just been willing to try we would be home now safe in DC watching fireworks with Parker."

"Bones you aren't making any sense what is your fault. Wait do you think it is your fault I'm here?"

"Yes" she whispered.

"No way in hell Baby, I'm here because I needed to do this for me, for you too but mostly for me. Bones are you in Maluku because of me?"

She thought for a moment "Yes Booth I am. At first I want to reclaim a part of me I thought was missing. Then when I knew you were going to Afghanistan I knew I need to come here so you could feel free to go. Tonight I found the missing part of me and in one terrifying moment I thought I might lose it. I might have already lost it. The missing part I came out here to find is you."

"Bones what makes you think you would lose me? I have told you many times I'll never leave you."

"Booth you are in a war zone and I had asked you to do the wrong thing. I thought I would lose you to your need to be a hero. Tonight I heard a song called American Soldier and it was then I realized there were many ways I could lose you there and only one of them was being a hero. I know you will remain for the rest of your tour. I know you may still be a hero, but you could also die in any one of a hundred other ways. I need you to know that I know you are my missing piece and that I love you."

Her rushing words brought tears to his eyes, all the fighting to get to this point had been worth it. "I love you too Bones."

"I need to give up the SAT phone so I guess I had better go. Oh and Booth don't think I didn't hear you call me Baby we will discuss it later and e-mail me a picture of you to put under my pillow. Love you Boothy."

He laughed "I'll email you a picture of me only if you send one of you. Bye Baby love you sleep tight." Boothy he thought I don't think so Bones. "Hey Hooper grab the digital camera and come here."

She thought about her conversation with Booth as she walked back to her tent. She smiled thinking about how good it had felt to tell him she loved him that he was the missing part of her as for the Baby well it had kind of grown on her as she thought about it. Opening up her computer she decided to see if she had a picture of herself she could send to Booth and found two to send. One showing her up to her elbows in mud and bone fragments he could show around to friends and one of her sunning in a very tiny micro bikini Daisy had taken of her at Angela's request.

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This was inspired by Toby Keith's performance of American Soldier with the Boston Pop's. American Soldier – songwriters Toby Keith and Chuck Cannon
Hoped you liked this one.

Nyre