[Author's note: A big thanks again to everyone who reads and reviews this, I love your kind words and appreciate any advice! I write for fun but it's good to know it's being read and loved.

Oh plus, let's assume they had lunch while they were working. I forgot to write that in, so sorry.]

Uncharted Lands

6. Three Tiny Words.

'I love you,' she whispered to her reflection as a test run. 'Booth.. I love you.'

A few minutes later Brennan re-appeared in his office.

'Hey, you ok?' Booth asked. 'Baby bothering you already?'

She shook her head. 'I believe it's too early for that. Although it's a possibility.. I'm just still adjusting, Booth. I'm a little on edge.'

'Yeah, I understand. You know what? You go home. I'll finish up here, meet you later? We're almost done anyway.'

She shook her head. 'No, I'm fine. I'll help you, then I'll go home and call my dad while you tell Sweets, ok?'

'You wanna tell Max already?'

She nodded. 'I know it's early and it doesn't really.. Feel quite real, just yet, but yeah, I'd like him to know that there is a good possibility that he's going to be a grandfather,' Brennan said. 'Plus, he'll want to know about our relationship.'

'Really?' Booth frowned. 'Ok.'

'Yes, he always thought we would be together after I got back from Maluku. But anyway, he'll want to know.'

'Yeah,' Booth said softly. 'I'm glad it worked out this way.'

Brennan regarded him for a few seconds before answering. 'Although there are some things I would have liked to go differently, all things considering, I agree. I'm glad it worked out this way too.'

He smiled at her, knowing she didn't mean to be insulting. He knew she had hurt. And that she had been unsure about a lot of things, and so had he. But now, they had crossed the final line and it had immediately thrown them a curve ball, he was so glad. And sure. And in love.

A while later they had finished, in record time, but both of them were happy with the work they had done and Brennan was satisfied that the evidence was conclusive, especially with their combined efforts to make it look even better.

So they dropped the file off together before parting ways, Booth going up to talk to Sweets and Brennan going home.

As he walked her to the car, his car, she felt she was apprehensive of leaving him behind. She needed this man at her side, especially now. When she was around him, she just felt better. There was no explanation and she didn't need any, not now, not anymore. Not really.

'I'll see you in a while, ok? I'll take a cab, but don't leave the door unlocked,' he warned her, and she loved him even a little more for understanding she was going to her home and not his, where they had spent a lot more time.

'I'll lock the door, you have your key?' she asked. He nodded. 'Yeah, got it. Do you want me to call you when I'm done here?'

She shrugged. 'If you want to. I find I'm curious to hear what Sweets has to say.'

'Ok, I'll call. Make sure you're not in the bathtub, like last time,' he winked. She smiled, thinking back to when he had called her to say he was on his way with take-out and she had been in the bathtub as he came in, effectively leaving their dinner to get cold and not be thought of until at least an hour later.

'I won't,' she said. 'I'll work on my next book, it's coming along quite nicely.'

'Or you can just take a nap, if you want to,' he suggested, his concerned tone warming Brennan's heart but annoying her at the same time. 'Look, Booth. I really appreciate you trying to look out for me but it's not necessary. I'm not tired.'

'Ok,' he said, 'See you later then.'

She nodded and smiled, they exchanged a look that said more than a thousand words and she disappeared in the car, as he walked back towards the building.

He looked back over his shoulder to find her looking at him as she pulled out of the parking onto the street, and he raised his hand just to let her know he saw her. She did the same, focusing on the street and driving away, around the corner, out of his sight.

He walked back into the building and took the elevator up to Sweet's floor.

As expected, the psychologist was in his office, and after a short knock, Booth entered. 'Hey Sweets, can I talk to you for a second?'

Sweets put down his notebook and nodded, gesturing for the couch. 'Sure, agent Booth, come in.'

Booth nodded gratefully but didn't take a seat. Instead, he paced towards the window and back a bit.

'Something bothering you?' Sweets asked, regarding his friend and colleague with a sharp eye.

'Not really, I just need your opinion.. No, you know what? I don't. I just need to tell you something.'

'Ok,' Sweets said. 'Maybe if you could just sit down..'

Booth looked at him, back to the window and nodded, moving to sit on the couch. 'Yeah, that's a good idea. Listen, Sweets. I don't want your advice, ok? I just want to tell you this, give you a heads up, I mean people downstairs probably know something's going on by now, they just saw us.. Never mind.'

Sweets interrupted him. 'I think you do want my advice. But let's start by you telling me what the people downstairs saw. Who they saw.'

'Me and Bones, of course,' Booth answered, his tone annoyed. 'We're.. We're kind of..'

Sweets just looked at him, eyes big, pleading for Booth to continue.

'Let's just say.. The dam broke.' Booth finally compromised. 'We gambled and we won.'

'Wow,' Sweets said. 'That's.. Congratulations.'

Booth frowned. 'That's all you're gonna say? Congratulations? Really?'

'Well no, I'm going to say that I'm very happy for you, that I think it's way overdue and that I think this is a great opportunity for us to resume couples therapy.'

'Ok, right. But Sweets, that's not.. That's not all,' Booth said, his face serious. Sweets' face grew serious too. 'Oh, what else is there? Is dr. Brennan having doubts, second thoughts?'

'Second, third fourth.. Sure, but that's not the issue. We kinda.. Overdid.. it, you see, the night after Vincent got shot.'

'You overdid what?' Sweets asked, not really following.

Booth gave him a look.

Then, Sweets understood.

'Oh, dude! She's pregnant? Wow, this will totally screw with both your comfort zones..'

'Can you just keep your voice down?' Booth asked, slightly annoyed but quietly amused at the shrink's enthusiasm.

'That's great, man. Congratulations! Again. This is awesome,' Sweets said, standing and pulling Booth into a hug.

A real guy hug.

'Thanks, yeah, it's great.. But I really need you to convince whoever asks that we're fine, you know, at work. We're solid.'

'Yeah, sure, no problem,' Sweets assured him. 'This is fantastic. Are you going to propose to her?'

'Wow!' Booth said. 'No, I'm not going to propose to her. What the hell do you think I want to do, have her run off immediately? She doesn't believe in marriage, she thinks it's archaic nonsense, or whatever she calls it. No, man.'

'I think you should,' Sweets said seriously. 'Or at least tell her you want to.'

'Yeah, she knows,' Booth answered. 'But she's not.. She's not ready. And I respect that. And even if she never wants to marry me, that's fine, as long as she knows I'm not going anywhere.'

'I'm sure dr. Brennan knows that,' Sweets assured him.

After having Sweets swear to keep it a secret from everyone for now, Booth left his office, feeling relieved and confused at the same time. Propose to Bones? Hell yes he wanted to. He had rehearsed it at least a hundred times in his head, but he was too scared. She would definitely say no and it would hurt them. So for now, she was enough. Being together was enough. Just as long as she knew.

He had told her immediately after their first night that all he wanted was to spend the rest of his life with her, so she knew that. She just didn't know enough or feel enough about emotions and love to completely trust herself to say the same. But he would wait for that moment to come, and he would know it if it was there. For now, he would just spoil her, love her and cherish her in every way he thought possible with Bones.

He called her to tell her he'd be home soon and to say that everything went ok with Sweets. He didn't tell her any details and she didn't ask.

He considered buying her a present on his way to her apartment, but he decided against it. She wouldn't like the implications. Flowers would also be too much, so he decided he would just have to be the gift and got in a cab towards her place.

Back home, Brennan had picked up the phone five times and put it back down five times. She couldn't do it. She couldn't call Max to tell him what was going on, she just couldn't.

She wasn't scared, she just felt it was still too new and fragile to expose it to her father. Angela had been easier, she would support and help her no matter what happened. But if her pregnancy would turn out not to be real, if her tests had all been false-positive, Angela would not be disappointed or wouldn't question either of them. She had a feeling her dad would be different.

Or really, she didn't want to let him down.

She realized she hadn't even thought about Booth's reaction if this would prove to be a dream. But she knew he would be sad but nothing would break. They would have more time and they could try again, and then it would be their choice. He wouldn't leave her. And she wouldn't leave him.

Suddenly her mind froze. Did he know that?

Did he know that she wouldn't leave him, not just like that, not ever? Probably not, and suddenly her test runs in front of the FBI-mirrors seemed terribly important. She had to tell him. He needed to know. And it needed to come from her heart, she needed to say it in a clear, peaceful moment, not in a post-coital haze or while inebriated by liquor.

And she needed to let him know fast.

Then, she heard his voice and his key in the lock. 'Bones, you there?'

'Yes, I'm here,' she answered from her place at the table.

He appeared in the doorway and she got up, approaching him. He closed and locked the door behind him and looked at her, simply watched her approach him. Her eyes were directed at his chest and suddenly he saw a sadness in her eyes.

She walked straight into his arms, her arms coming around his back to his shoulders.

'What's wrong?' he whispered, his hands stroking her back. 'Did something happen?'

She didn't answer and suddenly he heard and felt her sob.

'Bones, please talk to me.. Are you ok? Did something happen.. Is it the baby?'

'No,' she sobbed, 'everything's fine. I just..' Her emotions got the best of her and she buried her face in his shirt before putting some distance between them and walking to the table. 'I'm sorry.'

'No, it's fine, just tell me what's the matter,' Booth said, his hand on her back until she sat down, and he took the chair next to her.

'I.. I couldn't call Max, Booth. I just couldn't.' She looked at him, her clear blue eyes still awash with tears.

'That's ok, you can tell him later, there's no hurry,' he tried to reassure her.

'But what if it's all fake, Booth? What if it's just some illusion, and the tests were false-positive? It can happen, you know. It was very unlikely for me to get pregnant, so maybe it's just hormones?'

He took her hand.

'Hey. How many tests did you take?' He knew she'd taken more than one, he knew her.

'Four, just to make sure,' she answered, her face warning him not to laugh at her.

'Then I suggest you believe the outcome. It's scientifically impossible for all four to be wrong, right?'

'Improbable, yes,' Bones answered. 'One test could misread, but four tests with the same outcome.. That's pretty conclusive.'

'Then I suggest you stop worrying. And you don't have to tell Max. Not yet anyway. We'll work up to that one, ok?'

She nodded. 'Yeah. You're right.'

She looked tired, he noticed, and he remembered her comment about him not having to tell her when she was tired. But he saw it in her eyes. So since going against her wasn't really something new, he addressed the issue.

'You look dead tired, Bones.. Maybe you wanna lay down for a bit? No one's expecting us back at work, and it's still a little early for dinner..'

She shook her head. 'I'm not that tired. You know what though, a bath sounds good.'

'Great,' he smiled. 'Can I join you?'

'Certainly,' she smiled at him. 'But I do intend to relax, Booth.'

He nodded. 'I can massage your back if you want.'

'I didn't know you could do that?' she said, slightly surprised but already looking forward to his strong hands softly working her muscles.

'Well, my knowledge of the muscles may not be as good as yours, but I can work some magic, you'll see,' he teased, and suddenly she needed him to show her.

Ten minutes later they were in the bathroom, she was running the bath and Booth was undressing himself behind her. She felt hot and the knowledge of a naked Booth just behind her made her insides tingle. She curved her back just a little more than usual as she bent over to increase the flow, and immediately his hands were on her back, stroking up and down before coming to rest on her hips. 'I thought you wanted to relax,' he whispered into her ear. 'I'm telling you, this is not the way.'

She smiled and stood up, turning towards him, her eyes challenging him to kiss her but she pulled away when he leaned in. He didn't take no for an answer and his hand came to the back of her head, softly but insistently holding her to him as his lips covered hers and his tongue came out to trace them.

She melted into his arms, loving every move he made, every decision being the right one, every touch placed just right.

His hands came up to unbutton her blouse and soon, she was naked as well.

She broke from his lips, turning and getting in the bath, sitting down in the warm water before gesturing him to follow. 'Come in,' she said, and the softness and tenderness in her voice startled even herself. He smiled and followed her, splashing water in her face as he got in. 'Move, I want to sit behind you,' he said, and she obeyed, rubbing the water from her eyes. 'You'll pay for that.'

'I'm sure,' he chuckled, finding a comfortable position with her between his open legs, her back against his, his back against the wall of the bathtub.

'You knew this would happen when you bought this thing, didn't you,' he joked.

'I enjoy a spacious bathtub,' she answered seriously. He kissed her shoulder. 'I enjoy it too.'

Even though they were both naked, the air between them was electric but not sexual electric. It was sweet, tender and softly electric, and Brennan found she had probably never been more at ease as she was now. Her brain wasn't working overtime, her heart was in neutral. Everything was as it should be, and still, something was very clear in her head.

She loved this man. Temperance Brennan loved Seeley Booth.

With every fiber of her being, and she had done so for as long as she could remember him in her life. And the fact that she wasn't being overwhelmed by emotions, but this was still so clear to her, made it real. It provided the evidence she needed to see this through.

So softly, she leaned her head back onto his shoulder. His arms tightened their hold around her a little and his thumb stroked the place where their little child was growing. She closed her eyes, put her hands on his to find some courage and whispered the words that had been so cursed for such a long time.

'Booth.. I love you.'

The silence that followed froze her heart and her brain. Had she said something wrong?

But then, she felt a tremble behind her. His arms loosened and his hands grasped hers, softly squeezing them.

'Really?' he whispered back, and his voice wavered. She opened her eyes, she wanted to look at him. Needed to see his eyes, needed him to see hers. Because she knew the truth was written there.

She had always said she didn't believe in that. But of course she did. She had seen it in his eyes, those three tiny words, almost every day for a very long time. And she needed to see them now. So she turned in his arms, her hands coming to his chest.

When she met his eyes, their worlds just fell into place. A sigh and a smile from both of them caused their lives to go from two separate lives to a single life shared. 'Yeah, really,' she said to him, her eyes piercing into his. 'I love you.'

The happiness on his face was almost too much for her to see, so she kissed him, and kissed him, and kissed him again to prove how much she meant it all.

'Oh God, thank you,' Booth whispered as they finally broke apart. 'I love you, Bones.'

Ever since they had met for the first time, Booth had known. He had opened that door and he had known. And yes, he had been handsome, and yes, she had been beautiful, and that had been all they saw at first. But working together, for so long, getting to know each other on so many more levels, saving each other's lives, seeing each other's goodness and kindness and everything else had just made the feeling stronger and stronger every day. Until today, when everything just fell into place. Their search was complete.

[Author's note: I have to tell you, I love writing this. I love it. Absolutely adore it. Next chapter will have another important moment, but maybe a bit of a sad one. Don't worry, I love these two and I would never harm them.]