Timeline: Set in the future. Booth & Brennan are in an established relationship

A/N: Might be a bit OOC, but I think it rings pretty true. Besides, the idea was hounding me and I found it was either write it or go crazy.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own them

Seeley Booth was tired. No, he was exhausted. The chair he was currently sitting in didn't help much either. He sighed, ran his hands through his hair, and watched the steady rise and fall of his partner's chest.

Partners. They satisfied almost every definition of the word. No, they exceeded them. He smiled as he heard her sigh in her sleep. It was a familiar, comforting sound by now and yet it still filled him with such warmth. A quick glance at his watch informed him that he'd been in the hospital for over four hours now. If he shut his eyes he could still see her tripping over the box before hitting her head off one of the lab tables. Had his reflexes been just a fraction of a second quicker he wouldn't even be stuck in this awful chair right now. It was like it had all occurred in slow motion though. Truly one of those "time stood still" moments and all he could do was close the little remaining distance and help her up off the floor.

As usual, she wanted to continue working. It was just a scrape on the head and, sure, her ankle hurt but it wasn't anything she couldn't walk off. Finally, he bullied her into his Tahoe and here they were x-rays, blood tests, and hours later. Her doctor had been in several times since then - once to confirm her suspicion that it was, in fact, only a sprain and then again, only an hour ago, to share decidedly more surprising news. She had been asleep the second time so Booth sat there in the darkness taking the news in by himself. He didn't know how he was going to tell her. He knew her position on the matter; practically the complete opposite of his own. Then again, he'd thought he knew her position concerning that damn line, too.

"How long have I been asleep?" Her voice, softer than usual, startled him out of his thoughts and he smiled up at her.

"A couple hours." He pulled his chair closer to the bed. "How are you feeling? That was a pretty nasty fall. I think it's the most uncoordinated I've ever seen you, Bones."

"I'm fine." She crossed her arms across her chest and shut her eyes. "And it's not my fault someone left a box out in the middle of the platform!"

"Right..." He reached out and took her hand knowing that he was going to explode if he didn't tell her soon. The excitement of it was beginning to choke him. "Listen, Bones..."

"Yes?" Her eyes opened and almost immediately found his. She gave him a small smile and began tracing tiny circles across the back of his hand. His heart swelled. Here she was stuck in a hospital overnight so they could be sure she didn't have a concussion and she was the one comforting him. But then, that's how it always was with them. He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding and gave her a smile that was all hers. He didn't know why he'd doubted it; everything was going to be fine. In fact, it was damn near perfect.

"Well, I was just wondering what you thought of a little half Booth, half Bones running around..."