Booth walked around his apartment, checking the doors and securing the windows for any type of rifle that could be shot from surrounding buildings. Paranoia had set in after Jacob had taken out one of their own, so he was taking no chances. He would get this man once and for all, but for tonight, he had to bunker down and rethink his plan of action. He had to start thinking like a sniper again to get inside of Jacob's head, to find out what this man's plan was and finally get him. He had done enough damage and had to be stopped, regardless of if he thought he was doing right. Killing innocent people was not right in the least in Booth's mind. He knew that he had done a lot of wrong during his time as a Ranger, but he had made peace with those with God and righted wrongs through his FBI career as an agent. Never once had he gone rogue like this man had.

Going back to his living room, he saw Bones standing there in the middle of the room, still somewhat shell shocked from the events of the evening. He had never seen her like this before, with the exception of once or twice in the entire time they'd known one another as partners and friends.

Vincent Nigel Murray was gone, gunned down with a bullet that was meant for Booth instead as they were passing each other outside of the Jeffersonian. They had tried everything they knew how and the emergency team had done their best, but the bullet had just done too much damage for him to be saved. Booth had stayed by his side, just as he'd done overseas during his war time for fellow comrades who had been injured or were dying. The bullet had hit him in the chest, making it difficult for Vincent to breathe as it punctured his heart and left lung. Booth had seen this injury more than once during his time of deployment and knew that it was nearly impossible to revive someone from it, but he did not say that as the young man lay on the ground. Instead, he kept Vincent talking by asking him questions and letting him spout facts that he knew about little things related to what they were talking about. Booth still remembered every word of that conversation and probably would never forget it.

Looking at Bones, he drew a deep breath and tried to think of the words to say in this situation. They had lost one of their own and whether or not people realized it, that hit Bones a lot more than she led them to believe. He could see it in her eyes. There was pain and sorrow there from loss. Something that people failed to notice about her. She wasn't cold and aloof like people thought she was. Instead, she had a heart that beat just like everyone else's, only her emotions were a little more reserved because of what she'd gone through in her childhood. Booth knew that she was scared and so was he, which was the reason he had brought her over to his place to keep her safe. He didn't trust that Jacob wouldn't go after Bones to get to him. She was his partner.

"You should be safe here," he said, nodding a little bit, not really knowing what to say.

"I know Booth," she replied, taking a deep breath. "With everything that is happening, I feel as though this is the safest place to be. Even though I am perfectly capable of defending myself."

"Not against a sniper Bones," he said, shaking his head. "Especially one like Jacob. He has been trained to become invisible. You wouldn't even see him coming."

Bones nodded again. "Thank you Booth. For letting me stay the night here. I...I don't have any extra clothes to wear since we came straight from the hospital."

"I've got some sweatshirts and pants you could borrow," he offered, walking in his room to retrieve them. Holding them out to her, she took them and nodded.

Stepping aside, he let her go into his room to change, staying out in the living room to give her privacy. There weren't any windows in his room, so that didn't worry him as much as it would if she were in the living room. He waited patiently until she opened the door and stepped out. Even in his sweatshirt and sweat pants, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen before in his life. She had folded her clothes and laid them on the dresser. Booth cleared his throat and stood up, walking into the room and shutting the door behind them.

"We should be safer in here," he said. "I don't have windows in here, so we have a better chance of not being seen through a scope. You could sleep on my bed. I'll take the floor with a pallet."

"You don't have to...your back is bad," she said.

"I'll be alright Bones. I've slept on worse things before overseas and it didn't kill me."

Bones nodded, accepting his logic, and Booth was relieved she didn't argue with him. He walked over and sat on the bed, the weight of the world laying on his shoulders. Today had been absolute hell and now it was over. Yet it was just beginning because tomorrow the man hunt for Jacob would begin all over again. He wanted to bring this guy to justice once and for all, put him behind bars where he couldn't hunt down another human being again. Brennan came and sat next to him, silently just sitting there for a few moments.

After a few minutes, he looked up to see her eyes were full of tears. He had not seen Bones cry like this since that night in the car after the case about the doctor when she finally admitted that she had felt something for him and missed her chance. That night had hit him like a ton of bricks because he was with Hannah then and knew that in his heart, he still had feelings for Bones. She was the light in his life, the one woman he honestly couldn't live without, and she had picked that moment to let her feelings come to the surface. After that and the Hannah drama, he had really begun to rely on his partner again like they had before. And seeing this vulnerability from her was earth shattering.

"Mr. Nigel Murray...is dead," she said between sobs as she tried to pull herself together. Booth could see that her attempts weren't working. "He walked right in front of the bullet. I could have kept him longer at the lab...and I told him to go home..."

"Bones, it isn't your fault," he said comfortingly. "It isn't your fault. Jacob is a man with a vendetta who will stop at nothing to make sure he gets what he wants. He is like the Gravedigger. The only motivation he has for doing this is the enjoyment he gets from holding someone else's life in his hands. Vincent Nigel Murray was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"But why?" Bones asked in exasperation. He had never seen her so emotional. "He was a bright young man with a future ahead of him, albeit he was a little exasperating at times, but he was intelligent and capable. How do things like this happen to good people?"

"I don't know Bones," he said, looking at her. "I don't know, but I do know that for every bad thing that happens, there is justice. That is why we do our jobs, so that there can be justice for those people."

Looking at her, he saw her nod before leaning into him without warning. Wrapping his arms around her, he fell back on the bed with her laying on his chest. Tears were soaking his shirt, but he didn't care. He held her as close as he could, stroking her back to calm her down. He kissed the top of her head lovingly, hoping it would make her feel better after all they had come through today. Losing an intern, feeling like neither of them could do anything to help it for now, and knowing that the man responsible was still out there, planning his next move. He felt Bones lift her head and look at him. Her beautiful, pristine blue eyes were brimming with tears still and she moved forward and kissed him without warning. Booth didn't resist though. He wasn't going to. All the anger he had felt for Hannah was gone and had been for a while now, replaced with the appreciation for what Bones had done for him afterward and the true feelings he had for her. And he knew that she wouldn't just do something like this without being ready for it herself.

Pulling back, she looked him in the eyes again hesitantly before leaning in to kiss him again. This was something Booth had been waiting for since that day they kissed and she turned him down. Booth tangled his hands into her hair and held her close, kissing her back with everything he had. All that they had come through today, this year, and in the past six years of their working and personal relationship was brewing to the surface. He had loved this woman right from the very beginning and always had, no matter what other relationships had come and gone between then and now. But none of them had ever compared to what he felt for Temperance Brennan. None. Even though she was his polar opposite, he loved her with every part of his heart, mind, body, and soul.

Their tongues tangled in a mess of emotion and passion as Booth moved his hand down her back. It was a small movement to say the least, but it meant so much to him because she didn't flinch or move away. Instead, she pressed herself closer to him and into the kiss they were involved in. When she pulled away, it was only momentary to lift the sweat shirt from her body and toss it to the end of the bed before returning to kiss him again. Her hands were slipping underneath his black t-shirt, pushing it up and over his head. He had been shirtless in front of her before. He'd even been naked in his bathtub, but this was different. It was intimate and private between them; not something that people would know about the way they'd known about Bones barging in on his bath or being stripped down because evidence had landed on his clothes. He was sure people would eventually know that he and Bones were...together, if they decided on a relationship. But for now, this was their time. Their moment.

Clothes forgotten, Booth found himself in bed with the most beautiful, talented, and amazing woman in the world. She was brilliant beyond belief and the one person he knew he could talk to about anything. Leaning down, he kissed her neck and traced his hands down her sides. This was something special to both of them that he would never forget. It wasn't a dream induced by a coma either. This was real. And there was nothing anyone could do to take this away from either of them.

Moving his hand down to her hip, Booth straddled Brennan and kissed her again. She was pretty insistent and growled into the kiss as their lips met frantically. Booth could feel his arousal growing as his abdomen slid against hers and their bodies made contact fully with one another. It was like the world completely stopped for that one moment and Booth felt alive. More so than he had ever before. The electricity that was between them was undeniable and almost seven years of sexual tension had been built up to create that spark which was now ignited. Seven long years of longing looks, late night conversations over Thai food, and almost sleeping together once during their very first case had rolled into one full blown moment of passion that they were now experiencing.

Without words, Booth slowly pressed into her and kissed her needfully. This was something they both needed right now; comfort, love, and stability from someone they trusted. Booth knew that this wouldn't be a one night thing either. It was a continuation of what they had started seven years ago as partners. Today, they became lovers. It was a progression of things in their lives that had been stalled for years, but was finally coming to fruition. He heard her moan softly and pulled back before pressing into her again. Their tongues tangled and he started a slow, but steady rhythm for them. Her legs trailed up his and wrapped around his waist, drawing him deeper as the thrust. He groaned and nipped at her lips before kissing down her neck slowly and teasingly. The moans escaping her throat were enough to send a man over the edge right then, but Booth held on. They were tensing together, but he could feel her going faster than himself, so he picked up the pace a little. He felt her tighten around him before releasing with a low moan and whimper of his name. A few more thrusts and he spilled into her with a growl and kissed her hard. It was probably the first time in months he'd had sex with anyone, but he was glad it was with her. He was glad for this moment together, even if it was in light of a tragedy. Life was too short and both he and Bones knew that now.

A/N: I think there might be one more chapter to this, but I haven't decided yet. Please review and let me know what you think! This is set from the promo of 6x22.