I'm tired of disclaimers, so just insert your own.

Chapter 8

She pushed the button and watched as the bed began to rise until he was sitting at about a forty degree angle. She put the control back down and sat beside Hodgins. He immediately grabbed her hand and let their fingers intertwine. She noticed that the rest of the group had already taken their seats. Sweets and Cam sat on Booth's left, her and Hodgins on his right. Brennan stood at the foot of the bed, staring at Booth with a blank face.

"You okay there Bones?" he asked. She nodded, not looking away from Booth. He could see unshed tears, forming in her eyes. He felt the need to hold her, to make sure she would never feel or look that scared again, but it wasn't his place. It never was, especially now that she was engaged, and to Hacker, no less.

"Booth?" he heard. He turned to see Cam looking at him, concern glowing in her eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"You okay?" Ange asked. "You kinda zoned out there." Booth laughed.

"Seriously? Wow, must be more hungry than I thought."

"Sure Booth," Angela said. He could hear the doubt in her voice.

"Well excuse me, but you at least had a salad. I've been without food for a week, and for a man that likes to eat, that is far too long." His excuse was answered with laughter. He even saw Bones give a slight smile. With that bit of triumph, he relaxed against the bed.

"Go ahead," Booth said.

"What?" Hodgins asked.

"Talk, ask questions, squint it up!" Booth exclaimed. He saw the unsure glances between them. He knew what they wanted to ask. He would've wanted to know to. He sighed.

"Come on guys! I'm bored. I've had nothing to do all week. We ran out of good conversation topics around the second day that we were awake," he explained. "I really just need to hear another voice besides Ange or the one inside my head." There were a few chuckles after that last statement. Booth looked up at Bones, her eyebrows were scrunched together.

"What's got you so confused Bones?" he asked.

"I don't know what that means." Booth smiled. She was back. The Bones he knew and loved.

"Of course you don't," he laughed. His eyes suddenly widened.

"Ange," he said. "Did you call the FBI and tell them about Fletcher?" She shook her head as she stood up.

"Hodgins, give me your phone," she demanded. He obeyed. She grabbed the phone and stepped out of the room to make the call. Booth watched as she crossed the room, phone in hand, already dialling. He prayed that they weren't too late. He watched her quickly speak into the phone. She was nervous, but then again, he was too. If they had waited to long, Nathaniel might have gotten away. However, if he did, there wouldn't be a single corner on Earth that Booth wouldn't search to find him. He would be caught, even if Booth had to die trying. Ange walked back in the room.

"They've put out an APB on Nathaniel Fletcher."

"The victim's father?" Cam asked. Angela nodded while sitting back beside Hodgins.

"Booth and I figured it out after we woke up," Angela explained. "I saw his reflection in the car mirror when he took me." Hodgins grabbed her hand and held it tightly. Angela put her other hand on top of his, to let him know that she was okay. Booth smiled, she deserved happiness.

"Booth?" He heard. He turned to his other side. Cam was nervously playing with the zipper on her jacket.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"What happened to you two?" she whispered, not meeting his gaze. As those words were spoken, Booth could feel the tension in the room return. He sighed as his gaze lowered to his lap.

"You don't have to tell us if you aren't ready to Agent Booth," Sweets quickly said. Booth shook his head.

"No. You guys deserve to hear it. So," he cleared his throat, "let me start at the beginning."

"About three or four days ago, I woke up in a room. It was small, cold, empty, incredibly dirty, and just terrible. I had a headache that you couldn't even begin to imagine, and there was a bump on the back of my head that was bleeding. That being said, I was alone."

"What about Angela?" Sweets interrupted.

"I was getting to that," growled Booth. Sweets put up his hands in defeat.

"Anyway, I heard a door being opened and the sound of something hitting the floor. I opened my eyes to find Ange up and banging on the door for her life. She didn't see me at first, but that was okay, considering I wasn't looking my best."

"How long was it until she noticed you?" Cam asked. Booth opened his mouth to answer, when he was beaten to the punch.

"It wasn't until I heard him groan that I realized I wasn't alone," Ange answered. "Booth, being the idiot he is, tried to sit up by himself. Of course, this was before he knew about his injuries."

"Long story short, we were trapped, Ange picked the lock, we escaped," Booth summarized.

"Yeah, of course the escape would've gone a lot better if you hadn't gotten shot," Angela said.

"You know, it's not like I tried to make the bullet hit me. Fletcher just happened to have a gun when we went to steal his car."

"Whatever," Angela remarked. She rolled her eyes, but left a smile planted on her face.

"So there you have it squints. That's what happened," Booth stated.

"Are you okay?" a quiet voice asked. Booth realized Bones was talking to him. He turned on his charm smile and whispered "I'm fine." She nodded.

"Well I'm hungry!" Angela exclaimed. She got up from the chair with Hodgins following her example. "Not to be rude or anything Booth, but I think I'm gonna go to the Cafeteria with Hodgy and find some food. Anyone want to come?" Cam and Sweets got up from their seats and headed towards the door.

"Stay strong, big man," Cam said as she passed him.

"Be back in a minute G-man!" Hodgins cried as they left the room. It took Booth a minute to realize that he wasn't alone. Bones was standing at the end of his bed. She looked as if she hadn't slept in weeks, and with her track record, he would be surprised if she had.

"Bones, are you okay?" he asked.

"I should be asking you a similar question Booth. You almost died today, several times throughout the past two weeks. How can you be so calm about this?" she cried.

"Because Bones," he answered. "I didn't die, and I don't plan on doing it anytime soon. What happened was very unfortunate, and I'm sorry that we worried you so much, but you had Hacker to keep you company and to help you through everything."

"Hacker?" she yelled. "What does he have to do with this? You almost died Booth! And if you had, I don't know what I would have done. I need you Booth. The past two weeks I've experienced life without you, and I hate it! I hate everything about it!"

"Well what am I supposed to do about that Bones? I can't just wave a wand and make everything better!" he screamed.

"I don't know Booth," she said softly, her earlier anger gone. "Staying alive might help."

"Besides the fact that you had no clue were I was, how were the past two weeks any different than the past few months?" he asked.

"What do you mean, Booth?"

"We hardly spend any time together Bones. We used to hang out after work and be the ones that each other would call when we were bored, or alone, or just needed to hear someone else's voice."

"What's your point Booth?" she interrupted.

"MY POINT IS..." he screamed. He caught himself and quieted down. "My point is that I miss you. Ever since Hacker came into the picture, you've been distant, and I hate it. I hate everything about it. To be honest, I'd love to leave it all behind. I've got cousins all around the country I could stay with, but that wouldn't be fair to Parker, and that wouldn't be fair to you. I can't leave you because you finally found happiness. Because you finally found love."

"I haven't found love, Booth. Love is a combination of chemicals..."

"NO! Bones, that's not what love is. Let me put it into simpler terms," he sighed.

"Since when do you need to put things into more understandable terms for me?" Bones asked. He smiled.

"Just listen. Love is not chemicals. Love is...well," Booth took a deep breath and motioned for her to come closer. She walked around the side of the bed and gently sat facing him. He grabbed her hands and held them tight, his thumbs brushing her knuckles as he continued.

"Love is who you constantly think about. First thing in the morning, last thing at night. Even in the darkest times, you're surrounded by thoughts of them. Whenever you hear their name, a smile comes to your face. If you have the worst day in the world, it's instantly better, the moment you're with them. Love is simple, yet complex. It's finding enjoyment out of doing the simplest things, just because you're doing it with them. Even when you argue with them, you know that everything's gonna be okay, no matter what the topic is or how angry you are at the time, everything will be fine because you love that person so much it's impossible not to forgive them." Booth dropped her hands as he rested back against the risen bed. "So there you have it Bones. That's what love is. At least to me." He watched, as Brennan thought it over, dissecting every word he said. He wondered what was going on in her mind, but he knew he'd find out soon enough.

"So that's what you believe to be love?" she finally asked. Booth nodded. "Well then, Booth, I've come to the conclusion that I'm in love with you."

Author's Note

I'm so sorry for the long wait! We've had projects and tests every week so far, and that was just the first month. I hope that this holds you down until the next post. Sorry for ending on a cliff-hanger type of thing, but I thought it was a good ending to the chapter. Major Brennan/Booth stuff this chapter, so for those of you who had asked...there you go. I shall rid her of Hacker soon enough! Thanks for the reviews and support so far!