A/N: Okay, guys, this is the last chapter for Torn, which is now finally complete! I enjoyed writing this fic, and I hope you all enjoyed reading! Thank you so much for those who read, reviewed, alerted and favored this!

Thank you so much to bertie for her wonderful beta work throughout this fic! You never ceaze to amaze me!

Disclaimer: Don't own Bones.

When she passed through the doors, the red and blue lights filled her vision as the sirens from the police cars and ambulances assaulted her ears. Searching from side to side, Brennan began to panic when she couldn't spot the familiar face of her partner anywhere, instead seeing one large blur of blue FBI and EMT uniforms as their wearers hurried across her path.

"Where is he?" she asked Cullen as he walked up beside her, an edge to her voice as she spoke.

"Right over there, Dr. Brennan. Nearly took a shot of sedatives to keep him from charging in there himself," Cullen said, lips quirking up at the memory.

Brennan didn't even bother to fake a smile as she looked in the direction he was pointing, and sure enough there he was, mumbling something to a paramedic who was wiping the remaining dried blood from the agent's forehead.

She bit back a sob at the sight of him, sitting hunched and pale on the back step of the ambulance, and quickened her pace to get to him, anxious to wrap her arms around him if only to reassure herself that he was there and that she wasn't dreaming.

"Booth," she called as she approached, and he only just turned in time to see a glimpse of her face before her body impacted with his, pulling him into a desperate and grateful embrace.

"Bones," he murmured in return, breathing into her hair as his arms encircled her small frame, gently stroking her back so as not to hurt her while her fingers gripped his t-shirt tightly.

"I was so worried about you," she whispered, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall. She refused to break down here, in front of Booth's boss and coworkers.

He chuckled against her shoulder, burying his face in her soft locks as she held on to him. "If anything, I'm the one that should have been worried, Bones. I woke up in the car and you weren't there," he said, pulling away to look her in the face. Smiling, he stroke her cheek with his thumbs, tempted to kiss away the slight pout on her lips, and only stopped from doing it so by his boss' presence. "I saw their car pulling away when I woke up. I knew I couldn't reach you on my own, so I called Cullen and asked for backup to be sent here."

"I know," she quickly reassured him, knowing that if it had been possible, he would have stopped them from taking her.

Cullen approached and they reluctantly broke away from each other, mindful of the need for propriety even when the fear and anxiety of the last few days meant they wanted nothing more than to stay in the other's arms. Swallowing her emotions down, Brennan turned to face the Deputy Director, hand still entwined with Booth's.

The older agent folded his arms across his chest as he looked at the pair of them, gaze falling quickly to their joined hands and a sigh escaping his lips soon after. "Tell me this isn't what it looks like."

Booth intentionally lowered his eyes to avoid his boss' stare and Brennan looked at him, asking in confusion, "What? There are no regulations at the Jeffersonian which prohibit relationships between colleagues."

Cullen did not look impressed. "That may be so, but it doesn't make it any easier to explain to the CIA why one of their agents was shot outside your apartment and you, his charge, were then allegedly commandeered by a Federal Agent who allowed you to be captured by the foreign nationals we now have in custody. They'll be raising issues of deliberate sabotage, incompetence, and jeopardizing the safety of a government agent, and that's only if the guy survives."

"I'm sorry, Sir," Booth said contritely, knowing that Cullen was reprimanding him more for the sake of protocol than for actual wrong-doings.

His apology seemed to assuage the other agent slightly, and his tone calmed as he instructed, "I'll need both your statements as soon as possible so that I can contact the CIA to try to resolve this issue together." The idea of a peaceful inter-agency cooperation was desired, but unrealistic. "Let me call an officer to take you to the Bureau."

Cullen began to signal to a young agent standing by, but Booth interrupted skillfully, "I'm sorry, sir, but is there any way that can wait until tomorrow? Dr Brennan and I have been through a lot tonight and as you said, we really should be checked over by a doctor," Booth finished innocently, glancing over at the doctor he had in mind as she leaned against the door of the ambulance, a paramedic still hovering over her while she insisted that she was fine.

Taking a brief look at the couple, tired, injured and worn from exhaustion, Cullen decided that maybe they could wait until the next day to deal with it. "I expect you both in my office tomorrow," he said, but after glancing at his watch, he corrected himself, "Better yet, I expect you today since the sun will be up in a few hours. See if we can straighten out this mess the damn CIA got us into without causing an international crisis."

Booth smiled at Cullen's annoyance, knowing that this dealt with the three things he found most irritating: the squints at the Jeffersonian, the CIA, and most of all, Dr Temperance Brennan.

After being reassured by the paramedic that Brennan's injuries wouldn't require a trip to the hospital, but rather a lot of rest and some painkillers, they left accompanied by a young agent who valiantly offered to drive the tired pair home.

As Brennan's apartment had been closed off as a crime scene in order to be swept for additional evidence, it was easily decided that she would stay with Booth for the night, and their night was soon made a lot easier by a phone call from a supervising CIA agent, who had informed Brennan that Matt was still in recovery, but that he looked likely to survive the gunshot wound.

Brennan leaned on Booth's shoulder as the agent drove them to his apartment. The comfort she got from his touch was impossible to describe but she snuffled into the warmth of his chest, letting the comfort of his presence wash over her like a calming wave. His fingers came up to stroke her hair, occasionally brushing her cheek softly as she breathed contentedly against his chest.

Soon the officer pulled into Booth's driveway, dropping the partners at the house and departing quickly in order to leave the grateful couple in peace. Guiding Brennan with a hand on her back, Booth unlocked the door and ushered her inside, both immediately soothed by the comforting surroundings and familiar scent.

Closing the door behind him, Booth watched as she took in every detail of his living room, avoiding the toys scattered on the floor as she wandered inside. However he knew what she craved, and needed the same himself.

"Bones," he called softly and she turned to face him. "Do you want to clean up?"

She nodded mutely, and after shrugging off his coat and dropping it heavily on the couch, Booth guided her towards his bedroom. "I'll get you some clothes," he murmured absently, words merely filling up the empty space between breaths, but busied himself with the task.

When he turned back to her, a black large shirt cradled in his hand, he watched quietly as she unbuttoned her blouse and dropped it on the bed, both their movements slow and almost dazed still.

"I'll give you some space," he offered instinctively, turning to walk back to the living room, but her hand on his arm stopped him.

"I don't want space, Booth," she said, her fingers tightening nervously on his arm as she spoke, "I want you."

"Bones," he whispered, taking the hand that was gripping his arm and lacing her fingers in his. "We can't do this tonight, not like this."

She smiled, some of the haze fading at his misunderstanding. "I didn't mean sex." Taking a step forwards, she placed her free hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat under her palm. "I just want to be close to you."

Booth swallowed hard, surprised at the admission but feeling an equal tug in his own chest at the same time. He nodded and followed her lead, pulling his shirt over his head and dropping it to the floor alongside hers, knowing that tonight he wouldn't deny her anything.

Pants, shoes and underwear followed their shirts to the floor, and Brennan wrapped her hand softly in Booth's, leading him behind her as she stepped into his bathroom. He opened his mouth to voice a warning, not knowing if he could control himself around her in this situation, but she silenced him with a gentle kiss, the fleeting touch of her lips on his letting him know that this would be about intimacy in a different form.

Temperance pulled back, reaching out to turn on the shower before stepping carefully inside the tub and into the already warm water. The spray washed over her body and she sighed, leaning her head back to let her hair fall heavily over her shoulders, dark curls against porcelain skin.

Booth stood beside the ceramic tub, letting his eyes roam over her body openly as she tried to wash away the events of the last few months. If only it could be that easy.

He took in every curve of her body, from the swell of her breasts to the gentle flare of her hips where water began to trickle down her thighs. Her skin was pale and almost glowing in the dim light as the glistening water marked every inch of smooth flesh. She was beautiful, so much more than his imagination could ever grasp, and he drank in the sight of her gladly.

But as he stepped under the flow of water behind her, his urge to map her skin with his hands was tamed when he saw the faded bruises coloring her back and the newly forming mark across her chest where she had been held back by the seatbelt, acting as a reminder of pain for the whole time it would take to heal.

It wasn't until his eyes returned to her face that he realized something else wasn't right. Her brow was furrowed slightly as her eyes were closed, a hand reaching over to the side of the wall for support. He moved nearer, taking her hand in his as he pulled her body closer, the contact of skin on skin lighting a fire within him.

He felt the light shakes of her shoulders and the muffled sound of her sobs mixed with the water cascading onto the tile ground beneath them, and his heart broke when he felt her slowly sink to her knees in the tub, her body giving out with exhaustion and emotion. Without stopping to think, he followed her down, keeping her trembling body cradled in his arms as they rested together against the cool side of the tub.

Her breath came out in short gasps against the now wet skin of his chest, filling him with a strange sense of comfort when a memory from earlier that night assailed him, outside of the Jeffersonian, waiting for her to emerge while the thought of never seeing her take a breath again left him gripped with fear.

Drained by everything, she almost collapsed against him, no energy left for her to even cry. Movements stilling, Booth felt her breathing coming out slower as she managed to control herself and despite being that glad she let something out, he was fully aware there would be more where that came from. Wrapping his arms tighter around her shoulders, he planted a soft kiss on her damp hair. He could deal with it as it came.

Glinting blue eyes suddenly met concerned brown ones. "I want to lie down," she said quietly, her muscles throbbing painfully at being pressed against the side of the tub.

Booth simply nodded, offering her a hand as they both pulled themselves up to their feet, and wrapped her in a towel which swamped her slim frame before reaching back to turn off the shower.

They dried and dressed in silence, the feeling of disorientation and uncertainty unknowingly consuming them both again as they missed the simple physical contact of earlier. As though acting on instinct, Booth slipped his arm round her shoulders, gently shepherding her from the bathroom and into the bedroom, pulling the sheet back for her to lay under it.

Almost in a trance, she slid inside the comfortable security of the bed and he followed, covering their bodies with the sheets and comforter and shutting them out from the rest of the world. Craving contact, they unconsciously intertwined, her head resting on his arm and bodies cradled in each other as their eyes met, providing warmth not supplied by the blankets.

Leaning forward, Brennan carefully touched her lips to his, the kiss soft and tender as they enjoyed the unique taste of their combined essences. That was exactly what they were together: unique.

She pulled away from him slowly, her hand now reaching for his cheek as she cupped the side of his face, brushing a damp lock of hair off his forehead while keeping his eyes focused on her as she whispered quietly, her voice so soft that he would have missed the words if not for their close proximity, "I love you."

A surprised smile spread over his lips before he stole the air from her lungs with a soul-searching kiss, feeling the desperate need to be closer to her in whatever way he could.

"I love you," he echoed in a whisper of his own, tracing her lips, eyes and cheeks with his fingers as he memorized every line of her face.

As she looked into his eyes, Brennan could see the 'forever' that she had once never believed in reflecting back at her, now knowing it to have been true from the first moment she'd felt his lips against hers. She wanted that now, to feel love in a way she never knew existed.

And as their lips met again, carrying comfort and love, they realized the bond between them was finally mended in an unbreakable way.

So... I hope you all enjoyed my little ending, I tried to make it as sweet as possible, so let me know how that turned out! Any questions you might have about the plot, please let me know, I'll be happy to answer!

I might disappear for a little while to concentrate on my studies, but I already have a fluffy fic on the way, so I'll see you all then, hopefully!

Kisses, guys! Love you all!