"Hiya, Bones. Sorry I'm so late." Booth gave his wife a peck on the cheek as she met him at the front door. "I guess I missed telling the kids good night, but I wanted to tie up all the loose ends on Jeannine Kovac's case before the weekend got here. Are you feeling better today?"

"I told Hank and Christine you'd go in and give them each a good night kiss and hug after you got home." Brennan moved her head from side to side, stretching her neck and grimacing slightly as she hung Booth's overcoat in the hall closet. "I'm still somewhat sore, but I suppose that's to be expected when a building crashes down upon someone. Other than that, I'm feeling quite well." Brennan smiled as she caressed her husband's cheek. "How are you feeling? It looks like your cuts and scrapes are healing nicely. I doubt that there'll be much scarring."

Smiling, Booth shrugged as he walked into the living room. "I'm fine. I think the force of the blast actually threw me clear of most of the big stuff that could fall on me." He draped his suit jacket and tie across the back of a chair before plopping down on the sofa. "So I guess your mini-vacation is almost over, isn't it? Back to work at the lab on Monday morning, right?"

"Yes, that's correct. I must say that even though I've enjoyed having the last few weeks off to relax and recuperate, I've found myself growing restless while I've been here at home for such an extended period of time. Even with starting a new book, I feel like I should be doing something more constructive." Brennan handed Booth a glass of Scotch before sitting down next to him. "After all, there are only so many times a person can clean out closets."

"Maybe you should've spent some of your time off finding a new home for all those books you still have lying around the house." Booth chuckled as his wife narrowed her eyes, glaring at him as she pretended to be annoyed. "Yeah, I know what you mean, Bones. It always sounds like fun to sit around the house doing nothing for a couple of weeks, but when you get right down to it, we're both too action oriented for that sort of thing, right?"

"Very true." Brennan nestled next to her husband as he put his arm around her. "However, I was quite busy today. I read through all of the new intern applications and have selected ten applicants to advance to the interview phase. Then Wendell came by after lunch with some forms he wanted me to see. He's going to apply for the doctorate in biomedical engineering program at George Washington University."

Grimacing slightly, Booth puffed out a small sigh. "Are you sure that's the best thing for him to do, Bones? It seems like it's going to be a lot of extra time and trouble for him, not to mention the expense…"

"I don't think the transition will be difficult at all. He already has an extensive background in how the human musculoskeletal system works, and I plan to meet with his new advisor at the university to ensure that Wendell's plan of study is designed to take his prior educational program into account so he doesn't have to do any more class work than is absolutely necessary. He should be able to finish in approximately two years." Brennan smiled as she thought about what she and her former intern had discussed earlier that afternoon. "Wendell has decided that he wants to focus on assisting paralytics such as Hodgins. He hopes to design and implement technology that may help other people learn to walk again after they've suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury. He was quite excited about this new program, Booth...more excited than I've ever seen him when he's been doing something involving forensic anthropology. He already has a proposal written out for his dissertation."

"But the money...his old neighborhood already ponied up the cash for his education, and now he's gonna need more…"

"Wendell will probably be receiving some grant money from several organizations, such as those which assist disabled veterans. The military is also interested in that sort of research, so they might provide some funding, and I'm in a position to assist him financially if necessary." Brennan blushed slightly under Booth's tender gaze. "I want him to be successful no matter what he chooses to study." She shifted slightly on the sofa as she changed the subject. "I also received phone calls from Finn Abernathy and Dr. Fuentes today. Both of them were quite concerned when they heard the news about the lab's destruction."

Booth nodded as he ran his fingers around the rim of his glass. "Dr. Fuentes went to work in Florida, right? What about Finn? That's the guy who used to be Michelle's boyfriend, right?"

"Yes, he's the one. He's married now and he and his wife are expecting their first child. He works for the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's office. Dr. Fuentes is taking part in a research fellowship at the University of Miami. The only person I haven't heard from lately is Dr. Wells."

"Well, honestly, that's no great loss, is it?" Booth chuckled at his wife's annoyance. "I say good riddance to the jerk."

"I suppose you're right, Booth. Dr. Wells is truly a very unpleasant man." Brennan rolled her eyes at her husband's 'I told you so' look. "Has Aubrey made a smooth transition to his new supervisory position?"

"Yeah, it seems like it. I talked to him today...we had lunch together...and things seem to be going really well in his division. My guess is that he'll be an assistant director before we know it." Booth sipped his scotch and smiled. "Don't tell him I said this, Bones, but he's an excellent FBI agent. He never should've been under my supervision...he didn't need any mentoring at all, really. They should've moved him up to the supervisory level a couple of years ago, although I'm glad they didn't. I've enjoyed working with him." He groaned slightly at his wife's smug expression. "I know...you were right. Aubrey is a good man, and I should've trusted him from the start." Booth laughed quietly as he shook his head. "He's pretty brave, too. Did I ever tell you that he called me an idiot to my face?"

Brennan was shocked. "Why would he do that, Booth? I can't imagine…" She shuddered slightly, wondering how Aubrey had managed to escape Booth's office in one piece.

"I was shutting him out of the case, remember? The one we had about that murdered talk radio personality? Aubrey wasn't Sweets, and I was still grieving…I still missed Sweets a lot." Booth swallowed hard as he thought of his late friend. "Anyway, Aubrey told me that I was an idiot for refusing to work with a good agent like him, and if I treated him like shit, it was kind of like treating Sweets like shit, since Sweets had handpicked Aubrey to be his replacement. At first, I was stunned, you know? I couldn't believe Aubrey had the balls to talk to me like that, but you know what? He was right about everything he said. He earned a lot of respect from me that day…"

"I can see that, Booth. Has he recovered from Ms. Warren's ending their relationship?" Brennan eyed her husband quizzically. "I was actually quite surprised she chose to do that…"

"Yeah, I think he's finally on the mend. I was surprised that she broke up with him, too, but he'll probably be fine in another few weeks or so." Booth laughed as he took another sip from his glass. "Remember how persistent he was when me and him first started working together? He wouldn't give me a moment's peace until I saw things his way and began to take him with me while I was working on a case, right? He was so obnoxious, almost like a bratty little kid, you know? But guess what...it worked, and I got a good partner out of the deal. So if he really wants Ms. Warren back, I imagine he'll operate in that same way...he won't quit pestering her until she takes him back." Booth chuckled as he winked at Brennan. "Of course, now Karen Delfs is hot on Aubrey's trail, and it looks like he might be interested in conducting an investigation into that situation as well. Who knows? I guess he's got a thing for redheads. Anyway, he's gonna be real busy right now, what with starting this new job and all, and he might not have time for either one of them…"

Brennan giggled as she patted her husband's knee. "Or he may try to juggle both of them at the same time, or he may even pick out someone new to be his paramour. Just more fodder for the FBI gossip mill." She got up to pour herself a glass of wine. "Speaking of the FBI, have you met your new partner yet?"

"Yeah, I met her this morning. Her name is Valerie Smith. I think you'll like her. She's really smart, and she's open to learning new things. She's working on her master's degree in criminology..."

"Caroline says Ms. Smith is very attractive..." Brennan smirked as she sat down next to her husband. "...but I'm sure you didn't notice, did you?"

"Well, I guess if a guy likes young, tall, slender women with long blonde hair, big blue eyes and a well stacked figure, I suppose she's attractive." Seeing his wife's slight scowl, Booth snickered as he took another sip of his scotch. "She and her wife just moved here from Denver…"

"Her wife? Oh…" Brennan nodded as she sipped her wine. "I see…well, I hope things will work out well between you two."

"Yeah, I think they will. You know, things are changing everywhere right now, aren't they? I guess Hodgins has had a lot of fun buying all of the new toys for the lab…" Booth grinned happily. "He's finally King of the Lab for real, right?"

"He has enjoyed himself tremendously. I don't think Cam will recognize the place when she returns from her family leave." Brennan twirled the stem of her wine glass between her fingers. "Yes, you're right. Things are changing, and I'd say mostly for the better. Angela called yesterday to tell me that her ultrasound showed that their child is indeed a boy, and she's planning on taking at least six months to stay home with him after his birth. I'm going to miss seeing her every day, but I can understand why she feels that's necessary, especially with Hodgins taking on more responsibility at the lab." Brennan exhaled softly. "They're going to name their son after Hodgins' brother and her father…Jeffrey William."

Hearing his wife's soft sigh, Booth pulled her close as he spoke to her in a gentle tone. "What's the matter, Bones? Are you feeling a bit blue? You know things are gonna get back to normal real soon, right? The lab will be up and running just like nothing had ever happened. Things are gonna be fine, and we'll be back to solving all those unsolvable murders in no time."

"I know things will be fine eventually. I'm not feeling sad." She brushed away a stray tear. "I was just thinking about how lucky I am, Booth. Even after everything that has happened to us and to all our friends, we're all still happily living our lives. The fact that you love me no matter what happens...that you'd still love me even if I'd lost my intellectual abilities...it's difficult for me to explain how much that means to me, but I find that it pleases me very much."

"C'mon, Bones...even if your abilities, or whatever the hell you call them, had dropped off some because of your concussion, you'd still be the smartest woman in the world, and definitely a lot smarter than me." Booth shook his head at his wife's frown. "That was never gonna be a problem for us…I wouldn't give up on you for something minor like that. I'm never gonna give up on you ever."

"I know how intelligent you are, Booth, so don't try to make that excuse with me." Brennan swirled her wine around in her glass. "You do realize, don't you, that it was possible, and even likely, that the explosion might have caused me to have permanent brain damage? I was quite fortunate my cognitive loss was only temporary."

Booth nodded, blinking back a few tears before he spoke again. "Maybe you were lucky, but the way I see it, Bones, I'm really the lucky one in this relationship. Seeing you open your eyes and look up at me from the floor of your office after the explosion...Jesus, I was so scared, and then I was so thankful for that moment when you spoke to me, asking what happened...I was so thankful that I hadn't lost you." He sighed as he leaned back against the sofa. "So here's the thing...remember when I had my brain surgery, and you helped me relearn so many of the ordinary things I'd forgotten, like I want brown sugar on my oatmeal, and that I like my cocky belt buckle, and I wear crazy ties and socks? It never occurred to you not to help me, even when I was a pain in the ass while I was getting better. I was so blessed to have you help me through that rough time and the other rough times in my life...even when I was gambling again." Booth kissed his wife gently before he continued. "I'm always gonna be here to help you if you need it, and you're gonna be here to help me, and it's gonna be that way for the rest of our lives, okay? A lot of things may change at the FBI and at the Jeffersonian, but when it comes to me and you, things are always gonna stay the same between us, if I have anything to do with it. You're always gonna be my partner, my lover...and you're always gonna be my life, okay? I love you, Bones, and I always will. You know that, right?"

"I love you, too, Booth, and even through all of the changes and all of the evolution that's occurred between us and around us, I know you will be the one constant that I can rely on. I know our center will hold through all of the changes that occur in our lives." She reached up to kiss his cheek. "As I said, I've been very fortunate."

Smiling as he rubbed her shoulder, Booth pulled his wife into his embrace. "Me, too, Bones...me, too."

A/N: this is the last chapter in this series. Thank you for all the kind comments. They are appreciated. I will continue to write Bones fan fiction even though the series has ended. I plan to give this same treatment to some of the other episodes in my series called Thoughts on Being a Duck. I also have other stories in the works. If you enjoy bones fan fiction, check this site often. Many writers have plans to continue writing fan fiction for our beloved show as long as there are people willing to read it.

More soon.

Laura