(The Hole in the Heart)

A/N: this chapter is rated T for violence.

I don't own Bones.

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As soon as he saw the blood pumping from the hole in the shirt on the intern's chest, he knew the bullet had hit the man's heart and nothing he could do would save him. He'd seen fatal wounds like that before and he knew Vincent had moments to live. Brennan was kneeling next to both of them and he knew he had to try to do something for her, so he placed his hands on the intern's chest and pressed down as hard as he could. Vincent said it didn't hurt and Booth knew why. The boy knew he was dying and he was in a state of shock.

He could hear the desperation in his partner's voice. Booth could see she was afraid for her intern, but all he could do was press his hands against Vincent's chest while the blood poured out of the bullet hole onto the floor beneath him. There was too much blood on the floor and he knew it was just a matter of moments before there wouldn't be enough blood in the boy's body to keep him alive.

Vincent knew what was happening to him and he tried to stay. He loved his life and he wasn't ready to leave his body yet. He didn't want to go and he begged the universe to listen to him, but of course pleas couldn't save him and he died.

She was worried that Booth might blame himself for Vincent's death even though the situation had been hopeless and she tried to make sure he knew she knew that he had done everything he could. "You did what you could. You were very brave. I witnessed everything. You did everything that you could."

He felt sad that the intern was dead. He knew the bullet had been meant for him, but he wouldn't blame himself for what happened. Brodsky had killed the boy and Booth vowed the next time he had the assassin in his rifle sites, he'd end the man's life. A young man had been killed in a place that should have been safe and Booth knew that this was going to affect his partner deeply. He feared for her and hoped he could help her while she grieved.

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Concerned for Brennan, Booth had told her she was staying with him that night and surprisingly she had nodded her head in agreement. He needed to protect her from Brodsky and there was also her emotional state to worry about. He knew she felt things deeply but usually kept that hidden from others. He knew it was a lesson she'd learned while she was in Foster Care.

The intern's death was weighing heavily on her mind even if no one else seemed to realize that. It was important that she knew he was there for her and he knew she was going to need him. It was just a matter of time.

Grateful that he could keep an eye on her, Booth made sure the blinds were shut and the curtains were drawn across the windows in his apartment and that Brennan knew to stay away from the windows. By now, he knew it was likely that Brodsky knew he'd killed the wrong man and the assassin might try to kill him in his apartment. Afraid for his partner, he tried to make sure she was safe while she was with him. He knew that Brodsky wasn't done yet and someone was going to die in the next few days. He just needed to make sure it was Brodsky and not him or Brennan.

When Booth had told her she was going to stay in his apartment, for a moment she had considered declining his offer, but Brennan knew that he needed to rest to go after Brodsky. She knew he wouldn't get the rest he needed if she wasn't where he could protect her. Her alpha-male partner needed to protect her since he couldn't protect Mr. Nigel-Murray and she couldn't risk his life by demanding she stay in her apartment. He needed to rest and she was going to make sure he got it by staying nearby. Sleeping on his couch was a small price to pay to make sure Booth was ready to face Brodsky.

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Tossing and turning on Booth's couch, Brennan couldn't escape the memory of her intern's final moments before he died. She kept hearing Vincent ask her to let him stay. He had begged her to let him stay and she had been powerless to grant his wish.

"Please don't . . . just don't make me go." He'd said it several times, his eyes on her and she had known he was begging her to let him stay.

"No, you can stay here with us as long as you like, Vincent." But he hadn't heard her and he continued to beg her to let him stay until he'd died and he couldn't beg anymore.

Why did he think I was the one making him leave? I don't understand why he thought I didn't want him to stay . . . I don't understand.

She had finally sat up and stared at the bedroom door. Her partner was behind that door and she knew he could help her to understand what had happened earlier that day. Torn by Booth's need to sleep and her need to understand what Vincent meant, she knew she had to have answers and her partner would help her if he could.

She had knocked on his door. She didn't want to startle the man by suddenly appearing his bedroom. He kept a gun on his nightstand and he would use it if he felt threatened. Carefully opening the door, she found her partner pointing a gun at her and she knew it was important that he knew she was alone. Brodsky had broken into his apartment once before and she knew Booth needed to know that the murderer wasn't behind her. Once he was sure she was fine, he placed the gun down and she moved closer to the bed. Depressed and filled with remorse, she stared forlornly at her partner. "He was looking right at me and he was saying 'Don't make me leave'. Why would he think I was the one making him leave? What kind of person am I?"

Booth had known she might have an emotional crisis, but he hadn't realized just how bad it would be. "No . . . come here Bones." He took her hand in his. "No, no, no, Bones. You got that all wrong. Alright? You got it all wrong. He wasn't talking to you."

She knew Booth was trying to understand, but she had been there and she knew what happened. "I was the only one there . . . and you, but he wasn't talking to you."

Holding her hand firmly in his hand, he knew he had to make her understand that nothing that happened at the Lab was her fault. "He was talking to God. He didn't want to die." He didn't know how Brennan had decided that Vincent had been talking to her, but he needed to make her see that it wasn't true.

"No, Booth. Vincent was like me. He was an atheist." Since there was no God, clearly her intern had been talking to her and begging her to let him stay.

Using a soft but firm voice, Booth knew she needed to listen to him. "Then he was talking to the Universe. He didn't want to go. He wasn't ready, Bones. He wanted to stay."

She wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that what he was saying was true. She sobbed and Booth encouraged her to lay next to him on the bed. His arms around her, he knew she needed to cry. Vincent had been her favorite intern and she needed to mourn his loss. This was the second time she had lost an intern. Zach had been the first, but this time was different. Vincent had been murdered in front of her and it was a hard thing to accept.

He held her in his arms, speaking softly to her, hoping she would accept that Vincent's death had not been her responsibility. This was all Brodsky's fault and he intended to make the man pay for what he'd done, one way or another.

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Brennan had cried until there were no more tears, at least for the moment. "That bullet was meant for you. Brodsky meant to kill you."

He knew she was right, but Booth didn't want to talk about it. He couldn't change the past, but he could make sure this never happened again. "But he didn't. I'm right here, okay? Nothing happened to me."

She felt safe in Booth's arms. She had always felt safe when Booth was nearby, but this was different. "Booth . . ." She wasn't sure what to say and perhaps words didn't matter. She moved so she was free from his embrace. Carefully, she leaned over, kissed her partner and gave him a sad smile. "I think . . . I know that my imperviousness is gone . . . Is your anger gone too?"

"It's been gone for a while, Bones." Booth placed his hand on the side of her face and returned her kiss. "I love you . . . I've loved you for a long time . . . I made a mistake with Hannah . . ."

She placed her finger across Booth's lips. "We both made mistakes, but that's the past. This is the present." She removed her finger and kissed him again. "I missed my chance. I told you I'd missed my chance, but I think . . . maybe this is my chance now . . . our chance."

"Yes, this is our chance." Booth watched his partner remove her sweatshirt and stare at him. He knew she was waiting for him to react. "You're beautiful, Bones. So beautiful."

Encouraging him to remove his clothes, she smiled at the beautiful man now lying naked on the bed in front of her. "I have always thought you were the standard of male beauty Booth."

"Thank you." Booth smiled at his partner and knew this was their moment. "And you've always been my standard too." He watched her lay down beside him and he rolled over, his hands holding him over her body. "I love you."

She reached up and placed her hand on his chest. "I know." Brennan had stopped believing in love when her parents abandoned her and her failed sexual relationships in the past had proved that she wasn't wrong. It had taken a long time to discover she was wrong about love, but she could admit that now. "Love is real Booth. I believe that it's real."

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