Author's Note: This is the last chapter for now, I'm really busy with school and I have some other stories that I can't get out of my head. So I'm putting this one to rest for now, maybe I'll pick it up some time. Thanks to everyone who stuck with it!

The Words 11

The Final Fight.

Brennan didn't know what to do. Booth had just asked her out and she really didn't know what to answer.

She'd been back in DC for a week, and Booth had been very considerate giving her all the space she needed and only checking in when he saw her on a work-related meeting and only having dinner with her when she suggested it. She was very grateful for everything, but she'd felt a bit lonely. She was used to seeing him every day, all day long most of the time, and now she'd only seen him a couple of hours in an entire week. The fact that they didn't have a case had something to do with it, but still it wasn't their usual relationship.

Now she knew why. He had been planning a date. After work today, she'd been ready to take a cab home and there he was, without an appointment, ready to take her home. She'd accepted because she wanted to spend every second she could with him, but still it was different. So she got in the car and sat next to him, observing him. She thought he looked nervous about something, but when she asked why he didn't answer.

Finally, when they arrived at her place he walked her up to the apartment and when they reached the door she found out what was making him on edge.

He stood there, looking at her, not physically keeping her from entering her home but his eyes restraining her. She asked him what was wrong. Then, he'd done it.

'Bones.. I want you to go out with me tomorrow night. Would you do that? Just dinner or something, just a night out. The two of us.'

She hadn't seen it coming and she froze completely. Without an answer, she'd entered her apartment and shut the door.

'Bones, please!' he'd called after her. Again, she hadn't answered.

He'd been outside her place for a while and then he'd left.

She texted him later, letting him know that tomorrow night wasn't a good night, but she knew he didn't believe her. His answer confirmed that. 'Ok, I'm sorry. I'll give you more time, let me know when you're ready Bones.'

And now she was having second thoughts. It was the day after, and she didn't have any plans for the evening, apart from being at home and writing, but those weren't really plans. She wanted to spend time with Booth, so she decided to call him. It was five PM so she thought if he still wanted to go out, they could.

He answered almost immediately. 'Hey, Bones.'

'Hi, Booth. Are you still free tonight?'

He took a second to answer. 'Yeah, why?'

She sighed. 'Because.. Because I reconsidered and I would really like for us to go out tonight.'

'Ok, what did you have in mind?' He seemed relieved.

'Dinner?' she asked. He agreed and told her he'd pick her up in two hours. Immediately, a rush of anxiety went through Brennan. She had to shower, dress and do her make up in two hours. Doable, but it put her on a schedule. So she hurried to her closet to find a dress for the evening.

She had a lot of dresses suitable for the event, a dinner, but none seemed appropriate. Either they were too low cut, too sexy, or too normal. She decided sexy wasn't a problem since he was still supposed to have a romantic interest in her, even though he hadn't shown it lately.

So she hopped in the shower that turned out to be very relaxing, and half an hour later she had another problem: Lingerie. She knew it probably wouldn't be exposed anyway, but still it was important to her. She had to feel extraordinary of she was going to get through this without backing out. So she picked out her favorite pair of very female, very cute pink lingerie. It was strapless, which was good because the dress she'd selected didn't have straps either. It had been some time since she'd dressed up for something, or someone like this and she felt very good doing it. If she wanted this to be a special occasion, she could make it one.

Another hour later she was ready and waiting for Booth. She had checked herself a thousand times in the mirror, and only when she was convinced she looked absolutely stunning did she stop.

Booth was a little early, and Brennan jumped at the doorbell. She went to the door, not even bothering to check who was there. She opened it and Booth was immediately grounded. 'Wow.'

That was all he could say. Really, she was always stunning but tonight, she was more. She was absolutely gorgeous.

Her hair was up in a bun, not a tight one but a very loose, playful one with a butterfly pin holding everything together. It made the shape of her face even more attractive and her eyes popped with the eyeshadow she'd put on. Her eyes were smoldering with the smoky brown colors that matched her hair and the dress.

That dress.

Black with a little hint of red, strapless and beautifully fitting. It accentuated her hips and chest and Booth couldn't keep his eyes off the line of glistering flowery fabric that moved down in a V-shape to her waist. The rim reached to her ankles and just revealed the high heels she was wearing.

When Booth found his voice again, a red shade was covering Brennan's cheeks. 'You look amazing, Bones,' he said, and she heard the truth in his voice. 'Thanks,' she answered.

They went to dinner at a fancy place Brennan had never heard of, which was strange for her but also provided privacy. Yes, Booth was nervous and yes, Brennan was nervous as well, but once Booth addressed the issue they were a lot more at ease. He explained why he was nervous.

'I've been staying away from you for a reason, Bones. I wanted you to have the space you went looking for in Iraq. I didn't want to get in your way. I tried not to, I hope I didn't. But I'm scared. What do you need?'

'You are never in my way, Booth. But I needed time to think about everything, and I did. I've figured out a lot and I'm comfortable with moving on. But you said you needed time too so I thought you were withdrawing because your feelings had changed. If they have, just say it, I'll understand. I'm not an easy person to commit to, I know that.'

He looked at her, eyes big. 'What? No, Bones. My feelings will never change. Really, don't believe me if I say they have because it's just my stupid arrogance talking. I know I said it was over but that's just because I needed to believe that at the time, you know, with Hannah. Now it's different. I'm not denying anything anymore. I.. I want to say it but I don't know how you'll feel so I'll just say that I'm committed to making this work.'

'You want to say you love me,' Brennan said softly. He nodded.

'You can say it, it's ok,' she said softly. 'I need to hear that it's true.'

He took her hand over the table, making her look into his eyes. Tears welled up immediately when she saw his eyes. She didn't need the words, they were right there.

'Temperance.. I love you. I love you and I'm never stopping. I'm never letting you go.'

She nodded slowly, knowing it was true and feeling liberated with the feeling of finally hearing it. 'I… I find that… I love you too, Booth,' she answered. 'But I want to be sure you're ready too before we move on with this.'

He nodded. 'I understand, and I said I'd be ready when you are. I am. I'm ready to spend the rest of my life with you, Bones. If you'll have me. And if you don't believe in forever, just believe in today. We'll do it like that.'

Another nod from her confirmed his suspicions that she was getting past her doubts on forever. 'I believe your statement 'thirty, forty or fifty years' doesn't sound as ridiculous as it did, not anymore,' she said.

The topic of their conversation didn't change anymore and all they talked about was them, all through the main course and dessert.

By the time they left the restaurant, they had talked about everything that could possibly still be in their way. Their jobs, their partnership. Hannah, and Brennan's insecurities about love and commitment. She had been very open in admitting that she wanted this to work but she wasn't sure if it would work out the way they wanted. After all, they were both not easy people. Their bickering would continue within the closed doors of their home, and Brennan told Booth to always tell her if she was really going too far. He told her she'd not do that because over the years together they had already learned those barriers, but still, he promised. She also told him she didn't want to live together immediately. Booth understood perfectly and they agreed to just see what would happen, which house they would end up at the most and how it would feel. They promised each other to be there for each other in the way they had been there in the letters, and in the end Brennan had ended up with tears in her eyes and Booth with his hand in hers.

Now, they were back at her apartment, like the good friends they would always be, on her couch with a beer but something was different. Brennan looked at Booth. 'Wait here, there is something I want you to see,' she said. He nodded. 'Ok.'

She disappeared into her bedroom and he frowned thinking what she could possibly want him to see. She came back with a package, when she came closer he could see it were neatly stacked envelopes held together by a ribbon.

'I keep them in my nightstand,' she said, and handed him the stack. 'When I feel like I need confirmation or when I feel doubt, I take one and read it again. Or sometimes I read them all.'

She sat down next to him again and he looked at her, not saying anything, just smiling.

'What?' she asked, getting slightly uncomfortable. She tried to take the envelopes from his hands but he held on to them.

'Nothing.. I have a similar package in my nightstand, actually,' he said.

Brennan looked at him, not sure if he was joking. 'That doesn't seem like a very manly thing to do,' she muttered.

'I know right, seems stupid. But it doesn't seem like a very logical thing to do either.'

'Ah, you're wrong. It's very logical to keep items that remind you of people you love close to you.'

'And it's very manly to have the confirmation and declaration of love from a woman in your nightstand,' he countered.

She thought about it for a second. 'Yes, you got me there,' she finally said. Booth nodded. 'Exactly.'

'You know it was very strange for me to write that first letter. I remember feeling very inadequate and stupid while I was writing it. It's nothing like writing fiction. That comes naturally to me, so I thought this would be easy. But it wasn't, Booth. I was very afraid of not saying what I wanted to say.'

He nodded. 'I know what you mean. I felt the same, I was afraid I'd say something wrong or something. And it's hard for a man to write down what he is feeling. Talking about it is a challenge, let alone getting it all down, man that was hard.'

She smiled. 'Thanks for trying. And succeeding.'

'Yeah, you too. I have to admit, it's a side to you I didn't really know existed but it was really fun seeing it come out like that.'

'Really?' she asked, frowning a little. 'I'd think it would change your perspective of me, but only in a way that would make me look overly emotional. You know I considered getting drunk before writing it. I thought it might help me get everything out, but I decided against it because it would be considerably easier later if I remembered what I wrote.'

'Good thinking,' Booth laughed.

'You wanna read yours again?' Brennan said, pointing at the envelopes still in his hands. 'Not really,' Booth said. 'I think I'll read things I never imagined I could even write down.'

'Me too,' Brennan answered. 'But I feel I'm glad you kept them as well.'

'I read them, very often,' Booth admitted. 'Especially when I was giving you all that space, they were the only thing that really reminded me of why we were doing this. It's great to read all that every once in a while, Bones. It's great to see your dried teardrop on that first letter and then see you later in the day, concentrated at work, acknowledging me but nothing more, because then I know you're working on it.'

'I was, working on it, hard. I still don't know how I feel about us and work, though. We'll work through that I guess.'

'We will. And you know what? We should just do this like regular people. You know, date a few times, like tonight. I loved it, you were amazing and I want the entire world to see me with you before we take this further.'

Brennan laughed. 'Right. Ok, we can do that. But no taking the back row in the cinema, please. I don't like that.'

'Ok, fair enough,' Booth laughed with her. 'So Bones, you want to go out on a date again some time?'

'You're not wasting any time, are you,' she said. 'But yes, that would be acceptable. Have anything in mind?'

'What about movie night tomorrow, at my place? I have Parker this weekend, we can make it a Disney night.'

'I don't know what that means,' Brennan said seriously.

'Then Parker will just have to show you, he's great at spoiling the story,' Booth said. 'It's a date.'

Brennan nodded. 'Ok.'

A while later, Booth felt he had to leave. He didn't want to, hell, he wanted to stay where he was forever, but they would have to work up to that. Even though both of them would have no objections to jumping in bed together right now, they both knew it wasn't the way this was going to work. So when he finished his beer he stood. 'I'm gonna go, ok? I'll see you tomorrow then? Or maybe sooner, if we have a case.'

'Ok,' Brennan nodded. 'Are you sure you don't want to stay?' She just had to ask.

'Yeah, Bones, it's not a matter of wanting to stay. It's a matter of not being able to leave anymore. We'll get there but I'm not staying, ok? See you tomorrow?'

'Yeah,' she answered, taking the letters from the table and holding them to her chest. 'I'm looking forward to it.'

'Ok. Sleep well.'

'You too, Booth,' she said, and watched him walk down the hall before she closed the door.

She didn't bother to clean up, brushed her teeth and got in bed.

Once she was settled, she unwrapped the ribbon and took the first letter. With a sigh, she opened it and started reading. Opening his first letter still made her hands shake and her heart flutter. Nerves running through her body, just like that first time she had opened his letter, she directed her eyes to the words.

'Dear Bones,

I'm writing this only minutes after reading your letter, so I'm sorry if it isn't the best thing you've ever read. After all, you're the bestselling author here. But I needed to get this off of my chest, Bones. What you wrote made so much sense.'

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