|| With this I give you my heart, my inner dialogue, and my long running google doc waiting to be published. I hope you enjoy.

Post ep. 100

Chapter One

"I am not a gambler. I'm a scientist. I can't change. I don't know how... I don't know how." Temperance exclaimed with tears in her eyes. The proclamation of love from Booth sent her stomach to her toes and she searched his eyes for a hint that he wasn't serious. All she found was love though and it broke her heart even more knowing she was breaking his. They stood staring at each other for a long moment before he retreated to the wall and leaned against it. "Can we still work together?" She asked selfishly knowing that it was once again the wrong thing to say but found herself wordless otherwise.

"Yeah." He said softly as he turned towards her and she noticed tears in his own eyes. "But" He added, causing her to take a sharp breath. Things were so intense between them, their feelings for one another had finally come to a head after so many years and she had never hated Sweets more for causing this conversation. "But, I'm not asking you to change." He added and she blinked at him confused as to where he was going with the conversation. She had just turned him down but it didn't seem like he was taking no as an answer.

"I'm not asking you to change." He said again his heart beating in his throat as he gently took a closer step towards her not wanting to scare her more than he already had. Cam had warned him when she found out he was in love, she had warned him to be careful and while he knew Bones better than the back of his hand, of course, he still hadn't figured it all out.

"I know that you're a scientist and that you're not a gambler, that you don't take chances without knowing one hundred percent certain what the outcome will be. That's what makes us work as partners. I am the more ambitious one and you are there to make sure I'm still grounded. I believe that makes us, us, both professionally and personally." Booth kept his voice soft to make sure she knew that he wasn't acting erratic. "I don't want you to change and you can't stand there and tell me you don't love me because I won't believe it for a second."

He stood there with his breath held praying she didn't walk away from him. "Bones?" He asked, waiting for a response trying not to push her but being terrified of too much silence between them. Booth watched as she held her middle with her arms folded, her walls higher than he had ever seen them. She was protecting herself, something that he understood but he hated that she felt she had to protect herself from him.

"I - I" She stuttered. "I feel as if maybe I would be open for us having a discussion about this." The words made him feel a million times lighter and he had to stop himself from smiling at her. "Would you like to get a coffee with me?"

They stopped by their usual coffee cart and climbed the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial, sitting near the top with their knees just touching as they stared out towards The Mall. The silence between them was oddly comfortable as they each thought of what to say next. "Have you really always known?" Temperance broke the silence first, looking over at her partner fear still in her eyes at his proclamation towards her.

"Yeah, Bones. I mean did I know what it meant to be drawn towards you and want to be near you outside of work? Not until recently but it all makes sense now, when we first met I asked if you believe in fate. You told me no, but I still knew." He said with a small smile as he held the coffee to his lips. "Why do you feel like you need to protect me from yourself?"

She sucked in a breath, her hands gripping her coffee like it was going to slide out of her hands. "I don't know how to love." She whispered. "I don't know if I'm capable and I'm afraid that if I were to agree I would end up hurting you. I can't bear the thought of causing you pain." A tear ran down her cheek that she quickly wiped clean.

"Bones, think about everything we've ever been through. The monster's we've faced, the terrible things we've seen. Yet you still remain fighting, you still see the good in people and do everything in your power to make sure our victim's stories get told." Slowly he moved a piece of hair out of her face. "I don't know how you think you're not capable of love when I see how big your heart is everyday. I don't think you're going to hurt me, I don't think that for a second. Because I know you and I know us."

Brennan blinked away the tears as she looked over at him and took his hand. "You have always been very good at words, Booth. However, I don't have the faith that you have." Taking a breath she squeezed his hand as silence fell over them again. Her mind was racing as she tried to process his words as she kept his hand in hers needing the comfort that he was still there. No matter how ludicrous it was to her to need someone. After a long couple minutes she looked at him again. "However, as always, I do believe in you." Biting her lip she then gave him a slight smile. "I trust your belief that we can do this but you have to promise me that no matter what we remain partners."

That charming smile spread across his face as he spoke. "I'm not making that promise because I know that if we do this that I'm in it for forever, there isn't a chance I'm going to let you go if you let me. But for the sake of this conversation, I promise that if we're together romantically or not, nothing will change with our partnership."

His promise helped her feel better as they settled in another comfortable silence, hand and hand watching the little bit of nightlife of the National Mall. "You know I love this city, I love this country. I feel nothing but peace sitting here with you watching the day end." Booth said softly. "It's everything to me."

Laying her head on his shoulder she hummed at his words. "Did you ever consider going anywhere else? When you joined the FBI, I mean. Did you always plan on being in DC?" She asked, curious to know more about him, though she felt as if she knew so much already. That was what made it easy for the two of them. Over the years they had done nothing but get to know, protect, and save each other.

"I don't think so, I think maybe at one point I thought I wanted to see more of the world outside of the Army but once I was here I knew I was home. What about you? You are a world renowned Anthropologist, why stay in DC?" He countered his head falling on top of hers.

"Like you, I knew it was home. I can travel all over the world and know that I have a place where I can regenerate and find peace again. The Jeffersonian was never going to be a long term job, but I can't imagine being or doing anything else." She sighed.

They talked until the sun was rising, about everything and nothing at all. They talked about why Booth loves Hockey and Bones' infatuation with music over all other means of entertainment. They asked random questions and laughed at little jokes. They made a pact to absolutely not tell Sweets that he was right.

Sharing a cab to their apartments, they stopped at hers first and he made a point to kiss her goodbye but she stopped him with a single finger to his lips. "Uh, uh." She grinned at his pout. "I want a date first and then I'll decide if you can kiss me." Her eyes twinkled in the morning sun and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Okay, Dr. Brennan. If that's how you want to play it then I'll play but I'm not just going to ask you out. You want to play hard ball, I'll play harder." With that she winked at him and leaned forward to kiss his cheek.

"I love you, Agent Booth." She whispered in his ear before exiting the vehicle and making her way to her home to start the day.