The nap lasted about thirty minutes in Booth's estimation, before her sudden jump in his arms woke him.

Alarmed, he attempted to pull her closer, but she fought him blindly and Booth pulled his arms back.

He knew how easy it was for outside sensations to get pulled into nightmares.

She settled down after a minute or two and Booth breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this one hadn't been too bad.

Until her eyes snapped open in panic and she pushed herself violently away from him.

"Bones," he said, making a grab for her before she fell off the bed. "I'm here. You're okay."

Gasping for air, Brennan finally recognized where she was and allowed Booth to pull her towards him.

"I don't want to complain about regaining my memory," Brennan said, "but it was nice to sleep without the nightmares."

"They'll fade again," he promised, kissing the back of her neck. "Your brain just needs to adjust."

Nodding, she allowed herself to relax into him. "Can I ask you a question?" she wondered.

"Of course," he said with a laugh. "You've been asking plenty of them the last several weeks."

Smiling at the truth of that statement, Brennan continued. "How long have you been in love with me?"

"How long?" he repeated to give him time to consider his answer. "I think I felt something for you that first time I ever saw you," he said, thinking back to his prayer in the quiet chapel that first afternoon after she'd come back to them. "It took me a little longer to put a name to it, but you never left me, even the years we were apart."

Rolling so she could see his face, Brennan put a warm hand on his cheek. "And how long do you plan on loving me?"

"Eternity," he said softly. "I will love you for eternity. No matter what happens between us, I will love you forever, Bones."

"Good," she said, pulling his head down toward hers. "I feel the same way."

OoOoOo

6 weeks later…

Brennan swiped her way onto the platform, clipping her id card back to the pocket of her coat. "What do you have for us this time?" she asked, grabbing a set of gloves from the box closest to her.

"No idea," Booth said, looking down at his notecards. "Guy found the garbage can in a storage unit he was cleaning out. Loaded it in his truck and took it home before he opened it. Then he drove it to the local police station, who called us."

"How does that make it an FBI case?" Brennan asked, walking slowly around the can. The lid had already been removed and the top of a skull was visible among the debris.

"Storage unit was rented by a former Senator, apparently. He died about six years ago. It went up for auction when the fees weren't paid. I haven't had time to check into any missing assistants or anything like that yet."

Nodding, Brennan took a moment to shoot him a smile before focusing back on the can.

The last six weeks had probably been the best of her life, not that he didn't already know that. If anything, the friendship she'd always worried about losing if she crossed that line, only made their relationship stronger.

Noticing the look on her face, Booth stepped closer to her. "You okay, Bones?" he asked quietly, running a hand down her arm. No one else had joined them yet, but he could hear Angela and Cam coming toward the platform.

"Fine," she said. Noting the people walking toward them, she decided to make him just a little uncomfortable. "Just thinking about what we did last night, and the variation I've come up with for tonight."

"What?" he choked out as she stepped away from him. "Variation?"

"Variation on what?" Cam asked, coming up behind the pair. Glancing back and forth between the two, she noted Brennan's smug and Booth's slightly dumbfounded look. She shook her head. "Never mind, I don't want to know."

"There isn't much we can do here, until the garbage can is drained," Brennan said, reverting back to professional mode. "I have some reports to work on in my office. Call me when the body is visible."

Booth watched her walk away and then looked toward the women watching him. "What she said," he muttered as he followed her off the platform.

Following Brennan into the office, Booth closed the door behind him. "What sort of variation?" he asked, unable to drag his mind away from that simple comment.

"Anticipation can heighten sexual experience," she said with a teasing grin."I think I'll let you wait until tonight."

Brennan had never left his apartment. Each week, a bit more of her stuff would appear until the line between his and hers blended and merged. She discovered that giving up that metaphorical piece of yourself didn't mean you became weaker.

If anything, it made her stronger.

"Come on, Booth," she said, grabbing her coat. "Let's get some lunch. I'll probably be here late after the body is exposed."

Nodding, Booth held open the door for her, placing his hand in the small of her back to guide her through. "Maybe you can tell me about that variation on our way."

Her laughter had several people turning their way as they walked out of the Jeffersonian.

Together.

A/N: This is the end. At least, it feels like the end. Thank you for all of the reviews and follows and likes and all of those things that makes me keep writing. I hope you enjoyed the journey.