A/N: You are an angel for coming back… I knew you couldn't resist me. It is me you come back for isn't it? *person pulls me aside and whispers NO and I pull a sad face* Oh, I get it… you don't care about me at all, you just want the dirty details about Booth and Bones… and HER, don't you?

Very well… I can take a hint. :)

"I'm thirsty," Seeley announced.

From beside him, Bones frowned, looking rather impatient, but she rose from the chair and disappeared into the kitchen to fetch him his request.

Come on, man, get a grip on yourself.

He shifted uncomfortably on the couch. He was still getting used to the way his body moved with the prosthetic leg. It hurt like hell sometimes, especially when he shifted awkwardly. But he was getting used to it. There were fates worse than his, he knew, and he held no regrets, not about that!

Bones returned to the loungeroom with a glass of soda, and handed it to him.

"Thanks," he sipped it and set down on the coffee table in front of them.

She took her position beside him and leaned back against the fabric of the couch, waiting. "Well…"

Seeley took a deep breath and watched her with careful eyes. She was beautiful, still, as much as she ever was. It hurt sometimes, knowing that she never wanted him. Had there been a slight indication on her part, that she would EVER look at him the same way as he saw her, he might have changed his ways… he might have made different choices. But she had been firm with him, she had told him no when he asked for more, she had taken the job in the Maluku Islands when he was more than willing to pass up an opportunity of his own to savor their partnership. Yes, in her own subtle way, she had been clear as day in her own feelings for him. He was her friend… and nothing more.

"I was working late one night, the sun had set… it's harder to train the men when the sun sets because there were no lights where we were, it was pretty much bush and… scrub. No big flashy lights or posts or…"

She nodded listening intently.

"One of the boys, Mike, he was- he was kinda hot-headed, you know. I was teaching them combat with weapons and… Mike was arguing with another young man, he pushed and prodded, and the other guy bit."

"He sunk his teeth into his flesh?" Bones asked with shock surprise.

Seeley laughed at the image in his head. If only… he thought. He adopted a more serious expression. "No, he was verbally pushing the limits," he explained. "He was pushing the wrong buttons, making Mike argue with him… anyway, he- Mike pulled his weapon, his gun, and retaliated."

Bones shoved her hand over her mouth letting out a deep gasp. "He shot you!"

Booth nodded. "It was an accident."

"An accident?" Bones looked livid. "He shot you, Booth!"

Seeley didn't feel angry about that, he should have, but he had discovered something else, something more painful in his eyes. "It was stupid and- I realized something out there, Bones… I realized that those men were there to FIGHT, they were trained to KILL men to protect their country. How could I be angry when Mike was fighting to defend his honor? I know it's stupid, I know that… that it's irrational and- and I don't care. The only difference is that when they fight for their country, they don't understand what they're fighting for… I couldn't be angry with them, but I was actually angry with my country."

Bones reached out to him and brushed a hand across his arm.

It felt good, it felt right, like everything had been wrong until she touched him, a simple gesture and he forgot about the rest of the world. He looked up to meet her eyes. She was crying.

He touched her face, where the tears had fallen and wiped them away. "What is it, Bones?"

She lowered her had as if she had something to feel ashamed about. It made his heart ache. "I'm sorry, Booth… I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop it."

"To stop what- to stop THIS?" he asked pointing to his leg.

She nodded refusing to look at his injury.

He smiled and stroked her cheek with his finger, she seemed to tense under his hand.

"Bones… and you say you aren't heart."

She frowned at him. "I'm NOT!" she denied.

He laughed and brushed her fringe away from her eyes, and then like a sledge hammer, his son's words echoed in his mind, are you gonna tell Dr. Bones about her?

He withdrew his hand.

Mmmm, yes, I expect reviews for this chapter too. You know the drill… do you like it so far? Do I keep going or wrap it up here? Opinions would be GREAT! :)