A/N: Hey, guys! Thanks for being patient with this one….I always underestimate how busy I'll be over break…or how lazy. But I'm back at school now, and the first week is always really boring and chill. Anyway, this is the next to the last chapter (AAAH) which is always sad. But, I'm already planning my next project, which I'm really excited about, so I won't be taking any lengthy fanfic hiatuses this time around.

Without further ado…song is "I'm About to Come Alive" by Train.

Chapter Fourteen: I'm About to Come Alive

In every frame upon our wall
Lies a face that's seen it all
Through ups and downs and then more downs
We helped each other off of the ground
No one knows what we've been through
Making it ain't making it without you

Maybe I'm not but you're all I got left to believe in
Don't give up on me
I'm about to come alive
And I know that it's been hard
And it's been a long time coming
Don't give up on me
I'm about to come alive

He went with Bones to her apartment. It was a few hours before sunrise, and nothing was open for the day yet, but he didn't want to leave her.

They didn't talk much in the car, a tired, comfortable silence hanging between them. But inside, Brennan could feel her exhaustion dissipating, and she turned to Booth, cautious. "You're really staying."

"I really am," he said without hesitation. "I'm sorry it took me so long to decide. That was stupid. Of course I'm staying."

Booth didn't know who walked to whom first, but suddenly she was in his arms, holding tightly like she could stop him from slipping away again.

~(B*B)~

"I was scared. That's why I was considering the transfer, I was just…scared of having to deal with everything I did, trying to fix it…I was scared I couldn't, that I couldn't start over."

They were sitting in her apartment, on opposite ends of the couch, their feet nearly touching in the center.

"But, you know, Jared said something…he said you can't start over…you can only go forward, you know?"

"it's logical," Brennan agreed. "Given that the past is unalterable."

"Yeah, that's basically what he said." Booth smiled. He paused, waiting until she looked at him. "I don't think I could have really done it, though."

As soon as Booth said the words, he knew it was true. The possibility of the transfer had worked as its own sort of bubble, just like staying at Jared's. It meant that, even when he got back to DC, he could put off reality a little bit longer, by not quite committing to dealing with all his mistakes.

"I was a coward," Booth said softly.

"Well you didn't take it." Brennan reminded him.

"No, I didn't." Briefly, he set his hand over hers along the back of the couch. "We're going to be okay, Bones."

"I know," she agreed, smiling at him. "I know we are."

He smiled back, and they sat like that for a moment, just looking at each other. After a moment, though, Booth felt a small prickling of fear that he had no idea what to say.

Brennan finally broke the silence, "You want to go back to the hospital?"

"Yeah, definitely."

~(B*B)~

Five days later, they sat in the diner together, eating lunch. Brennan was still a few days away from being cleared for field duty, so they'd come from the Jeffersonian and Hoover to meet every day that week.

And were eating in mostly silence.

There was a stiffness in their conversation, and though meals at the diner was something they'd done together hundreds of times, Booth couldn't for the life of him remember how they'd filled those hours.

The only real conversations they'd had for months were heavy, emotionally charged ones, and if they were going to get back to normal, they had to remember how to just talk about anything.

"How's your dad?"

"How's Parker?"

"You go see Angela this morning?"

These were the standard questions, the 'old friends catching up' questions, and they exhausted them far too quickly.

Still, Booth was glad just to be sitting across from her, even if they were smiling at each other in silence more often than not.

He missed the ease they had, but Booth had to believe they would get there. Otherwise, that old self-hatred would take him over, a reminder that it was his own fault that they'd gotten this far.

"Dessert, Bones?" he asked brightly, breaking another lengthy silence. He gave her a teasing smile. "Want to split some apple pie?"

Immediately, Brennan's face twisted in distaste, and she frowned across the table at him. "I don't like my fruit cooked, Booth. I've told you that numerous times, did you forget in the interim?"

Booth's face froze, and in the next second Brennan realized what she'd said and flinched.

"Yeah, I…I know it's been awhile since we've done this."

"We did this yesterday," Brennan reminded him.

"No, I mean…before this week." Booth's eyes darkened, and he leaned forward on the table. "That's my fault, Bones, and I can't apologize enough for-"

"You can," she cut him off gently. "You have. And I didn't mean anything by that-"

"I know you didn't, but-"

"Dessert would be good," Brennan continued firmly. "Just not pie."

Booth watched her for a moment, his eyes softening, tension dissipating. "Let me guess…cheesecake?"

Her lips curled, eyes lighting up, as though it really was a surprise that Booth could remember her consistent dessert order after five years.

Smiling back, Booth waved the waitress over, and even as the silence returned, Booth took comfort in the fact that he still knew some things. He may not remember how to keep a conversation steady and simple from the beginning of a meal to dessert, but he knew what Brennan ordered when the time came.

He knew she started eating at the tip of the cheesecake, methodically working her way up. He knew the exact amount that would be left when she offered him a bite. And he knew every detail of the face she'd make when he offered her a bite of his pie in return.

These things had to mean something.

~(B*B)~

Instead of returning to the lab after lunch, Brennan went to see Angela and the baby, since it was the first day Hodgins had been back to work.

Angela lifted Brooke out of her cradle. "Hey, baby…" she cooed. "Want to go see your Auntie Bren? Yes, you do."

Brennan smiled as soon as the baby was in her arms, but said to Angela, "I thought I was her godmother."

"You are," Angela said, amused. "You can be both." They sat on the couch, and for a moment Angela watched her best friend and her daughter. "No dancing phalanges today, Sweetie?"

"She's still a bit too young to respond to the visual and auditory stimulation, Ange. There's no point."

"Interesting, because I saw you doing it yesterday."

"Maybe I was," Brennan admitted with a smile. She moved her gaze from Brooke to look at Angela. "You look tired, Ange."

She smiled wryly. "Yeah, turns out the no sleep thing isn't just a rumor."

"I can sit with her, if you want to take a nap."

Angela arched an eyebrow in her direction. "Don't you have to work?"

"I can take some time off," Brennan said, ignoring the exaggerated shocked expression on Angela's face. "I don't mind, Ange….after everything you did for me, I can help you anytime. Really."

Her teasing expression softening instantly, Angela smiled. "Bren, it was nothing. Really." She paused, "How are you and Booth?"

"We're fine," Brennan answered automatically. "Except…we've had four lunches now and…it's nice, it is. But we don't have a lot to talk about."

Angela raised her eyebrows. "You and Booth?"

"Mmm-hmm," Brennan murmured distractedly, watching in fascination as Brooke's tiny hand curled around Brennan's finger. "We never had this problem in the past but…there seems to be a surprising number of silent moments when we're together."

"Well, that's understandable." She smiled wryly. "You're out of practice."

For a moment, Brennan seemed to consider this. "So, by that logic, once we have had more…practice…it would be easy again?"

"Yeah, I think so," Angela smiled warmly at her. "Makes sense to me."

"Okay." Brennan was nodding, looking slightly more confident. "Good."

"What do you think, Brookie?" Angela asked laughingly, smiling down at her daughter, perfectly content in Brennan's arms.

"She's a week old, Angela, she hardly has an opinion…." Brennan's voice trailed off as she caught sight of the look on Angela's face. "You're joking."

"Very good, Bren."

"I told you, you can go take a nap. I don't mind."

Smiling, Angela stood. "Won't say no to that." She touched her hand briefly on Brennan's shoulder. "Thanks, Sweetie. You know where everything is…and don't let me sleep more than an hour, alright?"

"Sleep as long as you want," Brennan told her firmly, and Angela rolled her eyes as she headed out of the living room.

"Oh, hey, you know what?" Angela turned just before entering the hallway, and Brennan glanced up expectantly. "You and Booth need to do something together besides lunch. Like, where it's not just the two of you staring at each other across a table."

"We usually work cases."

"I know, and it sucks that you aren't cleared for field work yet…but you could still do something different."

Brennan thought for several seconds, and then her face lit up. "Parker asked me recently if he and Booth could come back to the pool."

Smiling encouragingly, Angela nodded, "See, there you go. Sounds perfect."

"Thank you, Ange," Brennan told her with a smile. "For helping."

Angela lingered in the doorway for a moment, her eyes on her daughter and her best friend. Her smile widened, "Always. You know that."

~(B*B)~

Booth didn't have Parker until the following weekend, so a little over a week after Brennan's conversation with Angela, the two of them were knocking on the door of her apartment.

"Hey Bones!" Parker grinned up at her. He was wearing bright orange swim trunks and a T-shirt, and he was holding a long, foam purple cylinder, bent around his neck. "You ready to swim?"

"Of course," she told him, smiling down at the boy, who was practically bouncing with excitement. Her eyes drifted to Booth's. "Hey."

"Hi," he grinned at her. He had a large pair of goggles pushed up above his forehead, complete with a snorkel.

"Dad got me a new noodle, Bones!"

She gave Parker a perplexed look. "I don't know what that means."

Abruptly, he let go of one the ends of the foam thing he was holding, causing it to straighten as one end sprung forward and thumped against Brennan's arm. "This is a noodle, Bones," he explained patiently. "You can float on it. And also blow water like a fountain, which is hilarious."

"Oh." Brennan nodded, though still perplexed. "You ready to go?"

Booth tapped his snorkel with a grin. "Very."

Brennan grabbed her towel and a bag, then closed the door and followed them downstairs and out behind her apartment building.

The pool area was empty, as it often was, and Parker gave an immediate whoop when he saw they'd have it all to themselves. The boy immediately started ripping off his T-shirt, and Booth warned, "Sunscreen before you get in, Parks."

The put their things down on a cluster of chairs, and Parker grumbled but allowed his father to lather sunscreen on his back.

Booth cut his eyes at Brennan as she peeled off her black bathing suit cover up. She was wearing the red bathing suit, probably his favorite on her, and Booth let his eyes roam leisurely over his partner's body.

As he watched, Brennan rubbed sunscreen on her bare shoulders. Booth saw her hesitate for a nanosecond before craning her arm awkwardly to do her back. His eyes flitted away briefly; the other times they'd been here, he'd been allowed to help her, his hands sliding over the smooth, soft skin of her back….

This thought dissolved, instantly, as Brennan started to cover her legs in sunscreen…and Booth's eyes fell, for the first time, on the long, pale scar on her left thigh.

Brennan glanced up, and her throat tightened. Booth was staring at her, as she'd expected. She secretly liked the way he looked at her when they did this, liked pretending not to notice as his gaze lingered.

But now, he was staring at her with a pinched, tight look of guilt. Not even staring at her really, just her leg, the scar she hadn't even thought about.

She subtly turned slightly, crossing her legs and dropping her sunscreen bottle back in her bag.

Booth's hands had gone still on his son's back, and now Parker tilted his head back to look at Booth. "Can we get in now?"

Booth found his smile again, and quickly tugged his shirt off with one hand before seizing Parker under the arms. "Yeah, I guess we can…" Then, as Parker whooped with delight, Booth flung his son into the deep end of the pool, jumping in after him.

When he surfaced seconds later, he found Brennan smiling at them. With a wicked grin, Booth asked, "Wanna be next?"

Brennan slid into the pool beside them, and opened her mouth to speak, but Parker cut her off before she could say anything.

"Bones, I wanted you to do a cannonball in!"

She laughed easily, swimming instantly to the ladder near the diving board. "My mistake."

~(B*B)~

An hour later, Booth was throwing a foam football to Parker as he jumped off the diving board and Brennan was lounging on a float, a book with a ridiculously long title open in front of her.

Parker caught the football in midair, and when he surfaced, swam close to Booth and whispered, "Dad? Can we do it yet?"

Smiling slightly, Booth cut his eyes at Brennan and smiled, holding up one finger in Parker's direction. He swam over to Brennan's float, shaking water off his hand before gingerly plucking the book from Brennan's grasp.

Startled, she looked over at him. "Booth, wha-"

He put a finger to his lips. "Trust me." Booth gave her float a gentle push toward the center of the pool, then ducked underwater and swam back to Parker before Brennan could protest.

Two minutes later, he and Parker were swimming under Brennan's float and, together, they lifted it up and tilted, sending Brennan tumbling into the water.

She was coughing when she surfaced, gasping for breath, and Booth's smile fell away instantly to panic as he reached for her. "Bones? You okay?"

Inhaling slowly, her coughing abating, Brennan met Parker's eye and smiled. "You got me," she rasped, laughing. "Now I think protocol indicates revenge is necessary."

Parker's eyes lit up and he grinned. "What are you gonna to do?"

Brennan pretended to think about it. "Beat you in another diving contest."

"Yessss!" Parker was already swimming to the side. "You're the judge, Dad, come on, Bones!"

She looked at Booth, the slightly shaken look on his face, and under the water she tapped her foot against Booth's shin. "Okay?"

His face slowly relaxed. "I'm okay."

They smiled at each other until Parker's voice sounded. "Bones, you coming?"

"On my way, Parker," she answered.

"He's missed you," Booth told her quietly, his voice heavy with significance.

"I missed him, too," Brennan replied.

Booth hesitated, then said softly, "I'm so sorry, Bones-" Suddenly a wave of water hit him in the face, and Booth spluttered over his next words. When his vision cleared, he found Brennan watching him, her hands poised for another splash if necessary.

"Stop apologizing," she told him firmly, then swam away to where Parker was waiting. Over her shoulder, she told him, "I trust you'll be an unbiased official."

~(B*B)~

A few hours later, Brennan was cooking dinner for the three of them, while Booth bounced around the kitchen asking what he could do to help.

"You don't have to do anything," she repeated patiently. "It'll be ready in fifteen minutes, you can go watch TV with Parker if you want."

Booth looked toward the living room, where Parker was sprawled on his stomach watching Nickelodeon. "I didn't even know you got a TV," Booth murmured.

"You haven't been here in awhile," she reminded him neutrally, and Booth feel silent for a long moment.

"I'm sorry," he said finally.

Brennan rounded on him, her face solemn, and stared at him intently for a few seconds. "What I said in the pool…I meant it. You don't have to apologize anymore. You apologized when you were in the hospital, and at Jared's, and countless times since then…I remember." Her voice softening, she continued, "I told you I understood…you don't have to keep repeating yourself. It's really alright."

"It doesn't feel like enough."

"It is," Brennan insisted.

Their eyes were locked together, food preparation momentarily forgotten. Finally, Booth nodded once, then asked quietly, "Can I do one more really good one?"

She sighed, but gave him a tiny smile. "If you feel you need to."

"I do."

He drew a breath, and Brennan turned away from the stove to face him. He held her eyes for several seconds, then instinctively reached out and hooked his fingers through hers.

"I think…." He began, his words slow and deliberate. "I think I'm going to regret the last seven or eight months more than anything in my life. I'm never going to be okay with what I did."

Brennan started to speak, but Booth put two fingers over her lips, stopping her immediately. "Let me do this. You're only giving me this one last time, you have to let me finish, okay?"

He waited until Brennan reluctantly nodded before continuing, "It's just…I never wanted to hurt you. Or leave you, in any way. I was selfish, and I neglected you, for so many horrible reasons. I made myself stop noticing you, so I never had to care. And I'll never understand how I let things get as bad as they did. And I'm always going to hate that it took what happened to you to make me realize it.

"I'm so, so sorry that happened to you. I'm sorry for my part in it, for what I said to you before…it wasn't true, it couldn't be further from the truth. And when you were missing…I was terrified, Bones. I thought…I knew that if I lost you, I would die." Again, Brennan started to speak, and he hurriedly continued, "Don't tell me it's not scientifically possible. Because I knew. If the last words I said to you were…." He stopped abruptly, throat tightening, not wanting to repeat them. "…I wouldn't have been able to live with that.

"I kind of lost it, after that. Well, you know. I should have seen you in the hospital, Bones. I shouldn't have left your side until you got released, but…I was a coward. So I'm sorry I avoided you, that I didn't start trying to fix things. The transfer, I…I'm sorry I even considered it, and that you found out the way you did. I'm sorry it took so long for me to make the decision when it should have been…so, so obvious."

Booth's voice caught unexpectedly, and he cleared his throat. "I just…I don't know what happened to me, Bones. I turned into this….this person I never wanted to be. Screwing up all the time, and hurting everyone. I wasn't myself." He squeezed her hand once, softening his voice. "You brought me back, Bones. I can't….I can't thank you enough for never giving up on me. I don't see how you didn't. I would have. And just…I'd apologize to you every day for the rest of my life if I thought it would make it better, but it still wouldn't be enough so just…just know that I'm sorry. And I'm always going to be sorry."

Brennan let the silence settle for a moment before she took a step closer to him, slowly disentangling her fingers from his and lifting her hands. She wrapped her hands around the nape of his neck, making sure he was looking at her.

"Are you finished?" Brennan asked softly.

"Yes," Booth whispered back.

"It's okay. I forgive you, alright?" Booth could see the sheen of tears in her eyes, but she smiled slightly at him. "You understand?"

Throat tight, Booth nodded, and then Brennan was hugging him.

Booth tucked his face into her hair, the familiar scent assaulting his senses.

They stayed like that until they heard, "Um, Dad? Bones? Is the food ready or what?"

Drawing back suddenly, they both blinked at Parker, who was giving them a strange look from the kitchen door, then looked at each other and burst out laughing at the same time.

"Almost ready, buddy."

~(B*B)~

"Guess what?"

Brennan looked up from her desk and instantly smiled. "What?"

Grinning, Booth grabbed her coat and tossed it to her. "We have a case."

She stood up immediately, pulling on her coat and already moving to follow him. It had been a week since their day at the pool, and three days since Brennan's last physical therapy appointment, where she'd gotten the clear for field work.

"Really?"

Booth's smile widened, and as Brennan came up beside him, he held up his hand for a high five. "We're back!"

And they were. For the past week, the conversations had been getting progressively easier, the silences less frequent. It was no obvious thing, no conscious change either made. It was just as though they were slowly remembering how to fill the minutes with each other, and once again time began to slip by without them noticing.

The case, though, this first case back, cemented it. It was almost like before…not before Greg Thomas, though of course they'd worked together then, but the real Before. Before Maluku and Afghanistan. Before Hannah.

There were trips to the diner between interrogations and takeout at the end of the day. And when, after three days, they solved it and made an arrest, Booth stayed in the Jeffersonian with Brennan, eating Thai food over the paperwork, talking the whole time.

"To us." Booth said as he cracked open a can of soda and held it up to Bones.

She smiled, obligingly touching her own can to his.

Booth took a long sip, then heaved a contented sigh. "Is it okay to say I've missed this?"

Arching an eyebrow, Brennan glanced up at him. "Paperwork?"

"Yeah, paperwork. Well…" He shrugged, the amended, "Not really paperwork. I've still been doing paperwork. Just…us doing paperwork together. Eating Thai food." Booth smiled sheepishly. "Does that make sense?"

"Yes, it does," she agreed with a smile. "And I have, too." Brennan hesitated, then held her can up again, "We're back."

His heart caught, and Booth touched their drinks together again, repeating the toast softly, "We are back."

He was actually beginning to believe it.

~(B*B)~

It had been a month since Brooke was born, and thus a month since Booth and Brennan began moving forward, and Angela was coming back to work part time.

Brennan had asked her friend if they'd be having another dinner to celebrate her return to the lab. She'd intended the comment in jest, for the most part, but Angela's eyes had lit up and she'd begun to go on and on about how long it had been since she'd had dinner out, and how Michelle had been begging to babysit…

So they were going, to the same restaurant they'd been to for Brennan's 'back to work' celebration.

Except, this time, Booth was coming.

He knocked on the door at Brennan's apartment for the second time, bouncing nervously on the balls of his feet. For some reason, tonight had begun to feel like a test, a measurement of how he and Brennan were doing, specifically how he was doing…if he truly was worthy of being included this time around.

The door opened and Brennan stepped out, smiling apologetically at the delay.

"Wow," he breathed, staring at her. Brennan was wearing a red dress that made him think, fleetingly, of their case in Las Vegas. After a moment of gaping, he found his smile and, a second later, his voice. "I mean, hi."

"Hey," Brennan smiled back.

"You look….um…" His voice faltered. "You look perfect."

Flushing slightly, she told him. "So do you." She nodded at the car. "Ready to go?"

~(B*B)~

The dinner was fantastic, fun and easy, much more so than the last time they'd attempted this. Angela had nearly as much fun watching Booth and Brennan as anything else.

The two of them kept catching each other's eye and breaking in to smiles, even if they weren't actively engaged in a conversation. For the most part, though, they were talking, and it was the same as it had always been, sweet and teasing.

It was the first time Angela had seen them together for longer than a few minutes since Brooke was born, and she marveled at the difference. She'd almost forgotten how amusing this dynamic was, but it was back in full force that night.

She thought briefly of the last dinner, of the news of Hannah leaving Booth, the way Brennan had departed from the table, sure that it was the explanation for Booth's returning attention, that she was a second choice.

Tonight, though, watching the way Booth looked at her…there was no doubt who he wanted.

~(B*B)~

Booth came back to Brennan's apartment with her after, and for the first time in a month he didn't ask if it was alright; he simply parked and followed her upstairs and inside, the way he used to.

Shrugging off her coat, Brennan walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, grabbing a beer. "Do you want-" She clamped her mouth shut abruptly, her cheeks reddening.

He could see her hesitation, what she'd almost offered him. Smiling reassuringly, he told her smoothly, "I'll take some water, if that's okay."

Nodding, relieved, Brennan grabbed him a water bottle, and then put her own beer back and opted for a water.

She dropped down beside him on the couch, handing him the drink and sighing softly. "Tonight was fun."

"It was," he agreed, watching her, a smile tugging at his lips. "I'm glad we did it."

Brennan leaned her head against the back of the couch, looking up at him and offered him a gift, as though she knew what he was thinking all night, "It was much better than last time we were there."

"Just so you know, Bones…I shouldn't have made you feel bad about last time. Not inviting me. I understood."

Her expression darkened slightly, though, and Brennan gazed up at him intently. "I know we hurt your feelings," she said quietly. "I never wanted…it was never about not wanting to see you. I missed you, all the time, even then, so that wasn't why."

"I know."

"Just….it was hard. Seeing you, it was hard, and I was just…getting a break until I could be okay with it." She touched his shoulder. "I just… I didn't know the others weren't seeing you either. I mean, they were seeing you. At work. But other than that….I just want you to know I would never have told them to do that."

"I know you wouldn't," Booth said quietly. "Thank you."

"I know it must have been…hard." Brennan continued, lowering her eyes. "I wouldn't blame you for being angry."

"I wasn't angry," Booth told her slowly, thinking about it. "It was just…lonely." He could feel himself flushing; this was the first time he'd admitted it. "But it woke me up faster, too. Because…I knew I deserved it. And it's pretty scary…having no one. It was pretty clear I needed to change."

Brennan frowned, her expression troubled."You never had no one, Booth. None of them ever stopped caring about you."

He quirked the corner of his lips into a grin. "Even Angela?"

"Even her," Brennan answered firmly. "Or me."

His eyes softened. "Thanks, Bones." He paused, letting silence hover before asking, tentatively, "Bones, can I ask something?"

"Of course. Since you just did."

He laughed once, then amended, "Something else, then." He paused, steeling himself. "You said….you said that it was hard to be around me. Is it okay to ask why?"

Brennan quickly pulled her gaze from his, and she stared down at the couch for so long that Booth nearly took it back, assured her she didn't have to say anything, but eventually Brennan spoke, her head still lowered. "It…had been hard for awhile, Booth. Things were so different between us, and…I missed it. So it was hard because you were there, but it wasn't the same. And it…" If possible, her voice got even quieter. "…it was hard to see you, knowing you were with Hannah. Seeing you with her."

Finally, she lifted her head and dragged her gaze toward him, expression pained. "When you saved me, in the basement…it was almost like we were back to normal. But then we got to the hospital and you weren't there and…well, it was even harder." She winced slightly, "I know that's not very logical."

"No it is," Booth answered, his voice rough. "I get it. And I'm sorry."

Brennan smiled wryly, lifting an eyebrow. "You aren't supposed to be apologizing anymore."

"Sorry, reflex." Booth paused, another question forming in his throat. What he wanted to know, really, was if Angela had been right, about Brennan wanting more with him, in spite of everything he'd put her through. Before he could stop himself, Booth blurted out, "Why was it hard to see me with Hannah?"

The question made Brennan's eyes widen in obvious panic, and Booth nearly regretted it. But he had to know…had it been hard because Hannah was such a big reason things had changed between them…or if it was, in fact, something else.

Again, Brennan was quiet for a long time before answering. "It was just…it hurt, Booth. And it reminded me…that I made a mistake."

He tipped his head close to her, so their foreheads were almost touching. "I'm sorry," he said again in a low voice, and for once she didn't tell him not to apologize.

"Me, too."

They looked at each other for a long moment, eyes locked, inches away. Then, Booth's eyes drifted to her lips.

They both moved forward slightly, minimizing the already small gap, and then froze.

Another moment passed, and they were suspended in the intensity of the other's gaze. Then, abruptly, Brennan leaned back, eyes snapping away.

"I should change out of this dress," she mumbled, cheeks pink. Brennan stood, leaving Booth alone on the couch.

Booth stood, too. "Yeah, I…I should go, anyway."

At that, Brennan turned. "You don't have to." She smiled a little. "You should try out the TV. See if it's satisfactory."

Booth relaxed slightly, smiling back. "That's a good idea."

He sat down again, biting back his disappointment. Real hope was sparking in his chest, and Booth smiled to himself as he waited for Bones to come back.

~(B*B)~

Three weeks later, they closed a case on Booth's birthday, and went to the diner to celebrate.

When he ordered his usual pie at the end, Brennan smiled at him. "I think the standard birthday dessert is cake."

He grinned, showily shoving a forkful of pie into his mouth before answering, "True. And I like cake. But nothing beats pie."

Brennan rolled her eyes. She had skipped dessert, but waited patiently for him to finish.

As they were leaving the diner, Brennan came to an abrupt stop just outside the door. "I got you a present," she told him hesitantly. "But I think I left it at my apartment."

Smiling easily, Booth placed his hand on her back as they walked to his car. "Sounds good. Unless you were hoping to get rid of me early tonight."

"No," Brennan countered instantly, smiling at him as they climbed into the SUV. "I wasn't."

Booth followed her up the stairs of her apartment, as he always did, a warm feeling of contentment filling him. It had been a low key birthday, filled mostly with work.

But he'd been with Bones. He had his partner, his best friend, back, and two months ago he hadn't thought that was possible.

He couldn't have asked for a better present.

Brennan opened the door to her apartment, Booth behind her. He reached out and flicked on the lights.

"SURPRISE!"

The word had never seemed so appropriate; Booth blinked at the crowd in front of him, his mouth hanging open.

Most of the people he knew were crowded in Brennan's apartment, which was adorned with streamers and black and silver balloons. The rest of the team was there, of course, and all the interns. But there was also Caroline Julian, Jared and Padme, many of his friends from the bureau, army buddies and friends from home he kept in touch with but hadn't seen for months…

Slowly, he turned to look at Bones, who was smiling at him almost nervously. "Happy birthday."

"You did this?"

"Well Angela decorated…and Jared helped with the invite list, but…" She stopped talking abruptly as he hugged her.

"Thanks," he murmured, close to her ear, before laughingly turning to the crowd, unsure of how to begin with so many people. "Hey, everybody…."

In seconds he was accosted by people, shaking his hand and hugging him, wishing him happy birthday and remarking on how long it had been.

Brennan had melded into the crowd, but after about ten minutes of greeting everyone, he found himself in front of Angela, smiling at him. "So were you surprised?"

"Completely," he told her honestly. "Bones planned all this?"

"For weeks now," Angela told him. She glanced around, then dropped her voice, "You know why she did this, don't you?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure," he answered, a soft smile on his face.

"Good." Tugging his arm, Angela raised her voice. "Let's do the cake, everybody!"

~(B*B)~

For the next hour and a half, Booth moved among groups of his friends, catching up and holding conversations.

He kept glancing around for Bones, but he never seemed to spot her when he wasn't in the middle of a conversation.

After awhile, he broke free of a couple of guys from the bureau and began moving through the crowd, eyes darting, only to be accosted by his brother.

"So." Jared said with a grin. "I guess you opted against transferring."

Booth smiled back, the twinge of guilt at the reminder surprisingly short-lived. "Yeah, I did. One of the best decisions I ever made." He clapped his little brother on the shoulder, his expression serious. "Thanks for everything you did for me, Jared. You were right about everything and you really….you really helped…even when you were letting me have it."

"It's no problem," Jared replied generously. "Had to return the favor."

Booth shrugged, grinning. "I guess I have saved your ass a time or two."

Laughing, Jared shook his head. "Yeah, you have, but I wasn't talking about you." At Booth's questioning look, Jared nodded behind Booth, who turned and saw Bones, standing just outside her kitchen door, talking to Angela and Cam.

"Right," he murmured.

"She really cares about you, you know," Jared told him seriously. "All this…" He waved his hand at the party around them.

"I know." The words had barely left his lips when, without saying anything else, Booth left his brother and headed toward Bones.

She and Cam were crowded around Angela, looking at what he assumed were photos of Brooke.

"Hi."

All three women looked up when he spoke, but it was obvious from his gaze that he was talking only to Brennan. Exchanging smiles, Cam and Angela muttered excuses and instantly disappeared, leaving the two of them alone at the edge of the crowd.

"I was wondering where you disappeared to," Booth told her.

Brennan smiled, shrugging slightly. "I wanted to give you a chance to enjoy the party…see everyone you don't get to see every single day."

He nudged his shoulder against hers. "I'm glad I see you every day." Booth smiled, "But it is nice to see these guys."

"I just…" Brennan trailed off, biting her lip and looking away.

"What is it?"

Looking up at him again, Brennan admitted, "I didn't like you saying you thought you had no one. I wish you had never thought that." Slightly embarrassed, she indicated the crowd in front of them. "I thought maybe…this would be a good way to show you it isn't true."

Instantly, Booth's throat constricted, and he could feel the beginnings of tears threatening him. Quickly, he pulled Bones to him, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you," he said softly when he was confident he could speak. "What did I ever do to deserve you."

Brennan drew back so she could look at him, her heart in her eyes as she told him firmly, "Plenty."

Smiling clumsily at her, Booth marveled at how, when Bones looked at him, he could almost believe her. After a moment of silence, he held out his hand. "Dance with me, Bones."

Her eyes widened, and she glanced around the living room, where clusters of people were sitting or standing, talking and eating plates of refreshments. "No one's dancing, Booth…."

But he was already pulling her close. "So we'll start it."

Hodgins had hooked an iPod to a speaker system in the apartment, and they could just hear the soft, slow music swelling around them as Brennan obligingly wrapped her arms around him, unable to contain her smile as they began to sway slowly.

They danced for the next few minutes, unaware of the knowing smiles and glances of the crowd around them.

Booth pulled back slightly, keeping his arms around Bones but leaning back enough so he could look her in the eyes. "Thank you."

"For the dance?" Brennan asked, her eyes sparkling.

"For everything."

They stared at each other, the rest of the world fading. Then Brennan's lips were on his, taking him by surprise.

It was quick, a fierce burst of longing. Booth had just registered the taste of her when Brennan pulled back, her eyes wide. She glanced up, looking almost fearful, and then he leaned into her, encasing her lips in his.

She sunk into it immediately, and Booth wrapped his arms more tightly around her, sparks bursting behind his eyes, his heart pounding. Brennan wrapped a hand around the nap of his neck, stroking his skin in an easy, gentle manner that contrasted to the fervency of the kiss.

Time fell away, and Booth had no idea how long they kissed. Someone stumbled against him from the crowd behind him, and Booth pitched forward slightly.

In the next second, they were staring at each other. Booth felt dizzy and lightheaded with disbelief, and slowly a smile split his face.

But her smile was fading fast, and in the next second, Brennan's eyes were wild with quickly descending panic.

"Sorry about that, Seeley," said the voice from behind him, whoever had hit him, and he turned instinctively to wave them off.

In the next split second, when he turned back around, all he saw was Brennan's back, moving away from him through the crowd.

A/N: So, yeah. Couldn't make it completely shiny and happy QUITE yet….but hopefully this chapter was a good respite from all the angst. The light at the end of the tunnel has never been closer.

Let me know what you think! I'm probably going to be able to post the final chapter soon, and reviews never hurt (it wouldn't be one of my author's notes without a shameless plug, right?)

Also, I finally broke down after months of convincing from my beta, biba79, and joined twitter. So follow me if you're on there…the name is Brainysmurf06. My name here was taken with the 0, so hopefully it's not too confusing haha.

Thanks for reading!