A/N: I hope you all LOVE this chapter. But in the interest of saving time, trust me, you are going too… unless of course you don't want to hear about B&B love… *laughs hysterically* Yeah, like THAT is going to happen. *shakes her head in disbelief*

"Booth, may I speak with you in the other room?" Brennan addressed gesturing for him to follow her for a conversation that needed to be done in private.

Booth had no hesitation in following her, and ruffled Kali's hair playfully on the way to the living room. Brennan closed the door to drown out their voices if they raised high enough that Kali would overhear.

"What's wrong Bones?" he asked.

"I received this in the mail," Brennan said handing Booth the government letter, and he frowned as he read through it. His mind buzzed with thoughts and possibilities as his eyes scanned over the page. Once he was finished, he dared to steal a glance from Brennan, his eyes wide with worry.

"I'm sorry…"

"Pardon?"

"I'm sorry you have to go through this, Bones," he handed the letter back. "If there was another way, if we-"

"Booth," Brennan laid a hand on his arm. "I figured out a way to resolve this issue."

Stunned, Booth took a step back. Without testifying against him, her only other option was to break the law. She would be arrested and charged if she failed to do so. Booth didn't want that. His mind buzzed, with other possibilities, but he came up empty.

"Bones," he shrugged. "I don't see… I don't understand… I mean… how?"

"We get married!" she stated matter-of-factly as if it were as easy as all that.

Booth coughed, as the shock of her words registered.

"Booth?" Brennan asked. "Do you need a glass of water?"

Shaking his head, he managed to pull himself together. Married? Booth's head was spinning. It wasn't that he hadn't thought of this more than once on a daily basis, but marrying Brennan on a whim seemed like a dangerous move for their partnership to take. What if in a matter of months it came in the form of regret? What if Brennan found that her decision to marry him under obligation led her to feelings of resentment? Booth would have hated that, the thought of his Bones ever feeling that way towards him, made him feel like his insides were being crushed.

"Marriage?" he choked.

"Yes, Booth. The law confirms that a spouse isn't obligated to testify against the other in any court room, for any reason."

"What does that have to do with anything?" he challenged.

"I refuse to testify, Booth."

"Bones…" he warned. He had broken the law and he had to follow through on the consequences of his actions, but that didn't mean he had to drag Brennan through the mud as well, no ma'am, and had no intention of doing so.

"Listen to me Booth," she insisted.

"No," he interrupted careful to keep his voice at an even level so that Kali would not be frightened by the rising and falling of voices. "You listen to me. I took that kid, stole her if you will, and I have no regrets about that. NONE! But I won't drag you through this with me, it's MY battle, Bones. NOT yours. I won't make you sacrifice your life for me."

"It doesn't feel like a sacrifice, Booth. I want to do it. I want to help you. I want to help Kali."

"Good," he nodded firmly. "Because I want you to adopt her. I want you to make sure that Kali has a safe home, and someone to love her. If I got to prison, Bones-"

"You won't!" she confirmed. "I hired a very efficient lawyer to make sure that he gets you off of this charge."

"You can't be sure of that," he said. "We have to be reasonable here, Bones. We have to look at ALL the possibilities."

"STOP IT!" she barked. "I will NOT lose you. Do you understand me? I won't watch them lock you away for doing the right thing. I won't sit back and do nothing when I CAN fix this. I am on your side, Booth. This won't be the end."

He sighed heavily.

"I care about you more than I know how to express sometimes," she told him. "And that's why I will NOT testify and help them put you away. I won't have ANY part of that. So that leaves you with two options. One, I refuse to testify and I break the law too, resulting in an arrest. Or option two, you marry me, and we fight this together…"

He groaned in defeat.

"What's it going to be?" she baited.

Come on guys… what's it gonna be… a new chapter for reviews or what? Hehehehehe :D