A/N: Uhmmm… this is it? I can't believe I actually finished this. I do have an Epilogue to post as well, but this is kind of a wrap on this story. Angst machine is powering down *whirrrrrrr*

Brennan woke slowly, feeling groggy and disoriented as the sounds and smells of the hospital filled her senses. A panic washed over her as she wondered if it had been a dream. How had she gotten back to the hospital when she'd been in the lab examining— her heavy eyes shot open at the feeling of a hand brushing her hair back from her face.

"Booth!" She gasped, trying to sit up, but he stopped her, and she didn't argue as she tried to fight the throbbing ache in her side. "Did you get Broadsky?" She gasped through the pain, and he nodded gravely. She couldn't read his expression. Had he been forced to take another life? "Is he—"

"He missed." Booth said simply, and Brennan watched his face, wondering what storm was brewing beneath his troubled eyes. "I didn't." He added quietly in response to her silent probing. "You were right about his hand. Saved my bacon out there." he told her with a half-hearted smirk, but there was no joy in it. He was never happy to have killed someone; he didn't take pride in it. It was heart-crushing to see him this way, and she hated that he had to carry yet another burden on his proverbial soul.

"Booth, I'm sorry…" she told him, unable to convey just how sorry she was; words were not enough. "I'm sorry that happened to you." she continued when he initially shrugged it off.

"Yeah, well… uh, I heard about your little jailbreak." He told her, changing the subject and offering her a chastising frown. She shook her head adamantly; undeterred by his obvious disapproval. How could he be upset with her for leaving the hospital after he'd just admitted that the information she'd provided had been invaluable; it had saved his life, and she'd do it all over again if given the chance.

"I had to tell you—" she started, but he interrupted her again. Pressing his finger over her lips.. She fought the urge to press a kiss to his finger, reminding herself that they were still taking things slowly. She was so grateful that he was alive, and she wanted to comfort him, hold him, remind him that he was a good man, but he was still with Hannah, and the last thing he needed to be concerned about was the status of his romantic social contract and the complicated triad they were currently involved in.

"I know, and I appreciate you finding that, but you know, you put yourself at risk. You could have torn your stitches or— look, it's not just your own health you've gotta think about now, okay?" He told her, and she furrowed her brow as a more genuine-looking smile played at his lips. "You gotta keep our little guy in there safe." He said, gently stroking his hand over the cool cotton hospital gown covering her stomach. It felt like such an intimate gesture, and she welcomed it despite herself.

"I— I was going to tell you, but I—" she stumbled as suddenly all of her reasons for waiting seemed to pale in their logic. She could have died without ever telling him. He could have died without ever knowing. His grave expression turned to one of sheer joy as he stroked in a slow rhythmic motion, back and forth over her belly, carefully avoiding her stitches. "You're… happy?" She asked, and he laughed out loud. She smiled, and started to laugh, but winced as her injury throbbed with the contraction of her abdominal muscles. Booth winced in a seemingly sympathetic nature as she took several slow breaths under his watchful worried gaze.

"Of course I'm happy." He told her finally, bringing the back of her hand up to his mouth. "We're having a baby." He whispered against her skin. "A little Baby Bones. I can't imagine anything better than that." His words were spoken with such awe, she didn't know how to respond initially. She'd expected… well, she wasn't entirely sure what she'd expected by way of his initial reaction, but she'd certainly worried profusely about it.

"I was hoping that we'd have reached a more appropriate time in our relationship before bringing it to your attention." She confessed. "I didn't want you to feel obligated to rush things, to end things with Hannah in an unsympathetic way, like a phone call or text message. Angela assured me once that text messages were an unkind method of terminating a romantic relationship, despite how efficient it was." She told him, recalling the near outrage she'd been subjected to following that particular incident. "I just didn't want you to force yourself to make a decision before you were ready, but I don't—" She stopped, logic and emotion waging a silent war within her. "Booth, I don't want to do this alone." She confessed quietly, meeting his kind brown eyes. She'd wanted him to move at his pace, of course, but she was also very aware that time was not on their side.

"Look, Bones… I'm not gonna lie and say that we're where I thought we'd be before we, you know, took this step." he told her, his voice quiet and his eyes troubled. "I mean, Hannah and I ended things, what? Like 30 hours ago, and trust me, that was definitely not the way I'd hoped to go about that either." He laughed sardonically and shook his head, stroking his thumb absently over the back of her hand.

She bit her lip, trying not to smile at this new knowledge about his relationship status. It was not an appropriate time to smile, and she silently chastised herself. He was probably hurting ,and she should be supportive of his need for time to heal. She wondered if there was a story there to be told, but he didn't seem ready to elaborate. They'd already discussed his plan to have that particular conversation with Hannah when she'd returned to DC next; he'd even asked her if he could crash on her couch, so Hannah wouldn't be put out and would have an appropriate amount of time to vacate his apartment.

"You can still stay at my apartment if you need to." she blurted out, realizing he may still need a place to stay regardless of how his break-up had played out.

"Thanks, Bones." he said with a chuckle. Perhaps that was the wrong thing for her to say. "Look, no matter what happens, you're not alone. That's— that's my kid. I'm gonna be there every single day, every doctor's appointment, every- you know ball game or dance recital, graduations, skinned knees, mundane shit like breakfast and Saturday morning cartoons… I'm there." He assured her, and she nodded her understanding, murmuring a simple 'ok' as she allowed everything he'd just told her to sink in. "I know you think my religion is bunk, but there's this saying, you know, it goes, uh, people plan and God laughs. I think that applies to us pretty well."

She nodded, agreeing that it was an apt phrase for their predicament. It was understandable that he'd need time to adjust to no longer being involved with Hannah. She'd once told him that it could take three days for perceptions to change. Somehow, she thought he'd need more than that for this though. She wondered how long it would take for his perceptions of her to move from work partner and friend to romantic partner and mother of his unborn child. Three days seemed unrealistic.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm all in, okay? Cards on the table, chips in the pot, no holds." he told her, and she frowned as she processed his analogy.

"That's a poker reference?" she asked, and he nodded once, his face the epitome of seriousness. He had been heavily in the throes of his addiction when Rebecca was pregnant and even while Parker was a toddler, resulting in his limited access to his son in his early years. The thought made her stomach twist for him. "I don't think it's appropriate for you to make so many gambling references, but I'm, as you put it, all in too." she told him, offering a half smile.

Brennan felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders with Booth knowing about their developing fetus, and though she had been confident he would be there for the child, hearing him tell her he was "all in" had been a comfort she hadn't known she needed.

"Look, uhm, there's something else." He started hesitantly. "They're seeing Vincent off tomorrow night. He's going home to his mom." He said it like Vincent was simply catching a commercial flight home to see his family for the holidays, like he wouldn't be traveling in a coffin. "I thought maybe, if you're up to it, I could sneak you outta here for a bit. In a wheelchair this time."

She nodded as the tears she'd been fighting finally began to trickle down her cheek. She needed to be there.

Booth was reclining in the uncomfortable chair that had been his bed for nearly two weeks, flipping through channels on the crappy hospital room TV while Bones ate her lunch. She held up a forkful of whatever the hell vegan atrocity Angela had brought by toward him, and he grimaced.

"Thanks, I'll pass." he muttered, shaking his head as she brought the food to her own mouth, shrugging him off. She was clearly enjoying it.

"Did you mean it?" she asked him quietly, and he had to rack his brain. Mean what? What had he agreed to recently that she was now confirming? "The things you said when I was dying." she clarified, her tone so casual you'd think she was asking about the weather. The memory of her blood coating his hands made his stomach twist. "What you said about eating more kale and dying at 100 together?" she continued, and he chuckled. He'd been desperate, a begging, pleading, mess of man, willing to do anything to keep her.

He cleared his throat and nodded. "Bones, you know, I'd kill for you, and I'd die for you." he told her honestly. "But, I mean… I'd rather not eat whatever that is… I will if I have to, but, uh…" he continued hesitantly, eliciting what could only be described as a damn cackle from her. He watched her expression, she still winced, though he could tell she was beginning to feel a little bit better.

"I wouldn't hold you to that part of it. I was simply reminded of it." she admitted, and he sighed a breath of relief. "It wouldn't be remiss for you to improve some of your eating habits, though." she commented offhandedly just as Angela returned to their room.

"Okay, I found those fries you asked for, Booth. The lineup was insane. These must be something special." Angela chirped, handing him the greasy paper bag as Bones flashed a disapproving glare in his direction. Angela had amazingly shit timing.

"Don't gimme that look." he defended, flashing her his best charm smile. "C'mon, try these; they're the best street fries in all of DC. I bet the baby wants to try them." he told her, waving the open bag back and forth in front of her until she begrudgingly reached into the bag for a single fry and daintily nibbled the end. "It's amazing, isn't it?" he asked, and she shrugged with indifference.

"It's all right, I suppose." she told him, and he wanted to scream in anguish. "I could do without it." she added, spearing another piece of forest vegetation from her bowl. That was just fine by him, he thought as he popped two fries into his mouth before offering her another one, which she took without hesitation.

"Does Little Bones like fries as much as Mommy does?" he teased in a baby voice directed at her stomach, knowing how much she despised that particular action. "Wittle Bones is gonna steal all of Daddy's fries just like Mommy does. She's not as sneaky as she likes to think she is." he continued until Bones pushed him away with a shove to his shoulder.

"The baby had no idea what you're saying, and he or she will not get to partake in your greasy food obsession for years to come." she scolded him, but it lacked any real annoyance on her part. She liked it. He could tell.

"Okay, so what's the deal, huh? Are you or aren't you?" Angela prised, as she lowered herself in the chair on the other side of Bones' bed.

Booth rolled his eyes. Cam had asked him the same damn question, and his answer had been something along the lines of mind your own business, but he knew they'd be grilled again soon.

"Are we what?" Bones asked, absently as she moved her food around with her fork.

"Are you together?" Angela clarified, sounded exasperated by her friend's obvious lack of interest in the subject, and Booth sighed heavily. They weren't going to get out of this one so easily. They'd probably be better off just spelling it all out so everyone would get over it.

"Yes." He told her as casually as possible.

"No." Bones spoke at the same time he did, and his head whipped in her direction.

"What?" He and Angela both echoed this time.

"Bones, what do you mean 'no'?" He asked, glaring at her in disbelief. He thought they'd ironed everything out, deciding to move forward with their relationship. Had she been in a completely different conversation than he'd been in?

"Are we?" she asked innocently, looking at him with those beguiling blue eyes, and he tried to ignore Angela's chuckle from the other side of the room. He'd been sitting here almost two weeks thinking they'd decided to go there.

"What did you think 'all in' meant?" he asked her incredulously. He thought he'd been pretty clear in his words, even for his literal-speaking genius.

"I mean, I– I thought you meant with raising our child together–" she seemed to stumble, embarrassed by something. That was a change of pace, a bashful Bones. "You just broke up with Hannah. I assumed a cooling off period would be required. You once told me that people leave a mark on you and that mark required adequate time to fade. We'd already decided that eventually we'd be together prior to your learning that I was carrying your progeny. I understood that conversation as a further confirmation of the continued success we've been having in repairing our friendship before taking it further and entering into a romantic relationship. I assumed Hannah's mark on you was still fading, and frankly, I rely on empirical evidence. You haven't made any sexual advances toward me. You haven't even attempted to kiss me." she accused him, and he sat back in his chair, looking at her in disbelief.

"You know, first of all, I appreciate your concern for thinking I'd need a cooling off period." he quoted her in disbelief. "But Hannah and I haven't been a couple in a long time. Not since you and I– you know… We were going through the motions, but we weren't…it wasn't the same, okay? That mark had been slowly fading for a while." He lowered his voice, glancing at Angela's amused expression. Of course she was enjoying this. It had always been her favourite show. "And second, as for sexual advances, a ceiling impaled you. I've been respectful of your recovery. I've kissed you goodnight every night we've been here, by the way." he told her, shaking her head in disbelief. This woman was fucking unreal. Completely off her damn rocker.

"You kiss my forehead! It's like a– a grandfatherly kiss!" she defended, crossing her arms and looking ever the petulant child.

Insufferable, infuriating… irresistible woman.

"You're kidding me right? We're having a kid together! I assure you, nothing we've done has been… grandfatherly. I know you didn't have one of those, but trust me." he told her, suddenly finding this conversation so much more exasperating. "What part of all of that–" he asked, waving his arms at her as he tried to make sense of her confusion. "-screams single and ready to mingle?"

"Well you have a child with Rebecca, and you're not with her. In fact, you've engaged in several sexual relationships following the conception and birth of Parker, with women who were not the mother of your child." She defended, glancing at Angela as if for support, but even her best friend shook her head, declining the request to weigh in. For once.

"I have spent the last week and a half sleeping in this uncomfortable chair, killing my back. I love you! I told you– All right. You know what… that's it." Booth said standing up from his seat. He was done with words.

"What? Booth, where are you going?" she asked, looking panicked, but he didn't reply.

There was no use trying to use logic and reasoning apparently. A man of action had to be a man of action. He leaned gingerly over her, bracing a hand on the bed to keep himself from leaning on her body as his other hand slid up her neck to cup her cheek. He flashed a quick warning glance through the corner of his eye at Angela before closing the gap between his lips and her confused face.

If she was surprised, it was only briefly because she sighed into his mouth and opened hers to him. Accepting her invitation, he slipped his tongue between her lips, stroking her tongue with his. When he released her, she leaned forward, pulling him back by the front of his shirt for a succession of wet smacking pecks before she finally released him and licked her own lips.

"Wow… I mean… wow." Angela commented, reminding them that they weren't alone. "Wow." she repeated again, a knowing smirk playing at her mouth. "I thought you were about to relive the glory days of your bathroom bang just now." She said, fanning her face with her dramatically.

"I– I suppose that… I may have misspoken on the topic of our relationship status." Bones murmured, sighing with content. Yea, rendered speechless there, Baby? "Could you repeat that? I feel as though I may still be confused, actually." she said with a smirk. Angela nodded in agreement.

"Yea, nice try." he told them both. "Finish your rabbit chow." he told her, sitting back in his chair and trying to keep the smug grin from his face. Here he was counting down the days until he could take her home, romance her a little, maybe make a little love, and she was sitting there assuming she was a free agent. He scoffed at himself. He finally got the girl, and she didn't even know it.

As the women chatted, Booth dozed in his chair, only half watching the movie on the TV. A movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he smirked, crossing his arms and turning toward Bones. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked, watching as she pushed the end of a French fry into her mouth.

"What do you mean?" she asked, shrugging as nonchalantly as Bones could muster. He wasn't buying it.

"You just gave me shit for eating those." he argued half-heartedly, hoping his veiled attempt was even a little convincing. Really, he was glad she'd liked them. He'd spend the next several months fattening her up.

"I'm simply prolonging your life expectancy by decreasing the amount of the fried food that you personally consume, thereby also decreasing your risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke–"

"Nuh uh. You can't science your way out of this. You liked it." he told her with a flirty smirk. "Admit it, Bones."

"Fine, I… may have enjoyed the indulgence." She admitted begrudgingly.

"Hmm, I wonder what else you like." he teased her, wondering if she was reading his underlying meaning. Her devilish grin told him enough. She understood that he was referring to much more than a bag of greasy fries.

"I think that's my cue to head out." Ange said, hauling herself up out of the chair. "You two keep it PG in here." she warned them on her way out the door.

The companionable silence between them stretched for a time after Angela left, and he was just beginning to doze off again when she spoke almost shyly. "So, we're a couple now? Not just partners, but … partners?" she asked, feigning casual like he didn't know better.

"That's what you still want, isn't it?" he asked, looking over at her as she nodded, picking nonexistent lint from the hospital blanket draped over her lap.

"I just want to ensure that you don't feel as though you've been shampoozled into a relationship with me simply because I'm carrying your progeny or because we previously made a verbal agreement." she told him, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry.

"Bamboozled." He corrected her affectionately. "I don't feel bamboozled. I feel… ecstatic. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've been this damn happy, Bones." he told her, moving from his chair to sit on the edge of the bed.

"So, what happens now?" she asked, reaching for his hand and interlacing their fingers.

He smiled as he leaned in, brushing his lips over hers in a gentle kiss. "Everything that happens next." he murmured against her mouth.