Booth cradled Bones gently against his chest; one hand cupped her shoulder rubbing gently, while the other designed light circles on the small of her back. Bones let herself relax, her tears staining her cheeks, making them sticky as she closed her eyes tight and reveled in the moment. "It's why I'm here, Bones. It's why I'm here," he murmured softly, his words turning into a lullaby by themselves.

He watched her breathing slow down, her hiccups die, and her death grip on his t-shirt suddenly give away.

"I seem to have made the front of your shirt wet," she mumbled trying to extract herself from his embrace.

"It's okay, Bones," he didn't want to frighten her away, so he kept his tone soft, yet determined. "I don't mind." He added when he noticed she seemed oddly torn. Bones sighed placing her head back against Booth's shoulder. Her body seemed to have a mind of its own, it's actions a sharp contrast to her ever churning brain. But she knew better than to argue; perhaps sometimes ignorance was bliss. She didn't place much faith in proverbs, chalking them to the repercussions of an early developing society meaning to keep people in line with the rest of the tribe. Silence ensued, and she watched the red digits on the clock shift, 5:05.

"Booth?" She seemed almost hesitant as she spoke.

He didn't answer, he didn't want to break the moment. But his Bones had always been persistent, headstrong; traits that had his heart turning cartwheels at the sight of those gorgeous lips smiling, those eyes winking.

"Booth!" Her voice gained strength, and this time she yanked on the sleeve of his shirt.

"Yea Bones?"

"Are you sleeping?"

He chuckled quietly, "no. If I were, I wouldn't have answered, would I?"

He felt her smile against his chest, "very good, Booth. Very logical. You seem to have learned a few things from me. I appreciate rational thinking."

"I know you do, Bones, I know you do," he whispered back wondering where this was going. He shut his eyes tight, pulling her tighter against him. "We need to get some sleep Bones."

"So you can kill Broadsky tomorrow," Bones finished his sentence for him.

"Yeah," he cleared his throat, resuming his position knowing full well that he wasn't going to get any sleep. He didn't want to tell her that he was afraid of falling asleep, just in case she slipped away while he was unconscious. He knew he was grasping at straws, but he had needed this. He barely knew Vincent, and yet his death seemed personal. He hated the fact that Bones had been inches away; if Broadsky had missed, he would have lost her, forever. Booth didn't think he could survive that. Seven months at Afghanistan had been hell; a lifetime without Bones seemed bleak.

Silence settled thick over the entangled couple, and their breaths seemed to have synchronized, their chests rising, and falling with each other. Brennan felt peace surround her heart- a corny analogy but it seemed fitting to her current emotion. Temperance Brennan was not a woman of feeble emotions, or irrational impulses, but current events seemed to have muddled her inherent personality.

"Did you think I wanted you to leave Booth? Is that why you left for Afghanistan?" She blurted out the words unable to help herself. Bones had pulled away, her hair falling to the side of her face as she scanned Booth's face.

"What? No..." Booth cupped her cheek, but Brennan looked unconvinced. His face inched closer as he stared into her eyes, into her soul. "No, Bones. It was my decision. I was the coward. I couldn't stay here. I know I should have, I should have been there for you. Should have stayed here, and convinced you that you wanted me in 30, 40, or 50 years. But no, instead I went running away. I'm sorry, Bones," he spoke emphatically, his pitch rising to a near shout before dropping to a mere whisper. His heart tore open old wounds as he realized just how much he had hurt the one person he loved most in the world. Out of impulse she leaned forward, closing the distance between them.

At first touch of her lips, Booth felt like he had died and gone to heaven. His heart thumped wildly in his chest cavity as his hands trembled. Her tongue slipped into his mouth and he groaned, his hands weaving into her hair as he pulled her closer. Their breaths merged as one, and Booth pulled away panting. "We're going to. Have. To. Stop. Here. Bones," his words remained choppy as he grazed the back of his knuckles against her cheek, wiping away the stains left by her tears.

"Why?" She asked gravitating towards him once more. He retreated further, and her eyes widened as old insecurities came rushing in, "you don't want to?"

Booth moved back, running his hand through his hair. He muttered an expletive before pulling herself towards him, his mouth latching on to hers as his tongue pillaged the caverns of her mouth. He rained tiny little pecks down the side of her throat, his breathing escalating as his tongue darted out to lick the little pulse point right above her clavicle. Abruptly he stopped, looking at her with longing, "I want to Bones. So badly that it hurts. But not now, not when you're like this," he offered weakly as she searched his face. Her eyes filled with lust, longing, and love as she caught her breath, smirking at his explanation.

"I don't mind," she repeated his earlier words shyly. "I want to."

"God! You're killing me, Bones." He looked at her once more, straight in the eye. "You know I can't stop there. Right?"

Understanding dawned on Brennan. "You're aroused," she answered a matter of factly. Her next actions had him bartering his soul to the devil. Her hand moved in quickly between his legs, and his sniper reflexes had him holding her wrist, centimeters away from her intended target. Brennan frowned, pulling her hand back slightly. "Was I mistaken? Maybe you're not sexually attracted to me?"

Booth was quick to put his hand over hers, placing them firmly on the front of his pants. Her fingers curled over his cock and he muttered a quick prayer. He had to last over a couple minutes. He couldn't disappoint the woman he had waited all his life for. "I'm very attracted to you, Bones," he croaked, his insides turning into pudding, his mouth returning to their rightful place, his other hand snaking up to caress a breast lightly. A smug smile of self satisfaction spread across her face. "You're attractive. I'm attractive. We are obviously sexually compatible, and available. I don't see why not." She rationalized her actions as her hand milked him gently. She looked up to Booth who seemed at a loss for words.

Bones growled at the back of her throat, and Booth chuckled. He had always known she'd be a hellcat in bed.

She pushed him back not so gently as he kicked off his sweats. Six years of waiting had made him impatient. He wanted to feel skin against skin, and he obviously wasn't alone in his quest. He pressed his lips to her face, her throat, tugging up the sweat shirt. Bones was quicker and she pulled off the offending garment in one smooth move before pouncing on him. Booth let himself smile, "Easy there, babe. I've got to last."

Bones grinned back, "but I don't want you to." Her voice had turned playful, and yet there she was in front of him, looking every inch of a sexy siren. Booth's face suddenly turned serious as he realized just how much he loved her. "I'm sorry it took Vincent's dying for us to get here Bones. But you realize this isn't just comfort, yes? It's not a one-time thing, I love…" He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as she kissed him fiercely, pulling down his boxers as she panted into his mouth. Booth held her back firmly, his hands holding her biceps, "do you hear me, Bones?"

She looked at him straight in the eye, "Booth, you remember those dates we burned?"

"What about them?" he was confused.

"My answer on that piece of paper was…"

"Was?"

"Now."

And Booth went straight to heaven.

The alarm rang shrilly at 6:30am alerting the couple that the day's responsibilities awaited them. Booth wished he could turn back time just so he could spend a little more time in his partner's arms. A smile crept up his face as he remembered their lovemaking. It was a lot like their partnership with plenty of give, and take, with each individual fighting to give a little more than they received.

Bones trailed lazy patterns on Booth's chest as she spoke, "we need to get out there Booth. Broadsky's waiting."

"I know, Bones. But just a little more. I just, I just want to savor this moment" She pulled back looking at him curiously, and he blushed, "what?"

"Nothing," Bones smirked, knowing full well that Booth was hooked. She was after all an expert on sexual liaisons. She had always known they would be highly compatible, and their little experiment had just proved her hypothesis.

"Alright, alright. We've gotta get going," Booth reluctantly pushed Brennan away as he stood up to go to the shower. He considered asking her to join him, but she had already padded into Parker's room to use the shower there. Always the practical one, his bones. His bones, his mind repeatedly as a goofy grin plastered itself all over his place. He should have made love to her a long time ago.

Showered, and dressed Booth drove Brennan to the Jeffersonian, dropping her off at the front entrance. Bones smiled at him once more, kissing his cheek. "For good luck," she had said before skipping up the steps.

"Hey Bones!" Booth yelled as she made it half way up the stairs.

"The day I met you!" he shouted, and she looked at him puzzled, mouthing a silent, "what?"

"The date on the note… the day I met you!" He drove away smiling, knowing full well that it would drive her crazy. Well, they didn't say karma was a bitch for nothing.