A/N: So inadvertently I wrote the last chapter! I hope you have enjoyed this story, there is most definitely going to be a sequel, it just felt right to end it here. Unfortunately you have to read this long author's note first! I am overwhelmed by the response to this story. 171 reviews! That's crazy! I really appreciate it and I can't put in words how much it meant!

I think my favourite part about writing this was the reviews and posts from everyone. Right from the beginning, everyone discussed why Brennan did what she did, came up with their own reasons, tried to get me to change parts, it was great. Dialogue emerged that really helped me with my story.

This story really took over my life, I found myself thinking about it at odd hours of the day (including dreaming about it!) It's my personal favourite, only because I got to write in a genre (angst) that I hadn't really done before.

So I wanted to dedicate this chapter to my Four Years soulmate, Bandbi. First of all she stalked me throughout this entire fic! But she got me out of several ruts and we got into many a conversation about Brennan and why she would do the things she did. She gave me great ideas and I have good ones from her for the sequel, but most of all she encouraged me when I was unsure about my writing. So thank you Bandbi, I really appreciate it!

Anyway, I hope you like it!

Chapter Twenty-Two

She glanced over at the clock. 4:30 am. She had sent Angela home at 1, promising to go to bed. But she had tossed and turned again, until finally giving up and staring at the wall for the last forty-five minutes.

Getting out of bed, she pulled on a pair of pants and t-shirt, grabbed her keys and headed out the door. Ten minutes later, she was at his door, not really knowing what she was doing there. She knocked and waited. Just as she was about to turn and leave, he opened the door.

"Bones?" he said blearily.

"I wanted to…I came…" She couldn't get the words out. She was so exhausted.

"Okay." He said gently. He ushered her inside and shut the door. She felt tears in her eyes and brushed them away angrily.

"Come on." He said softly. He reached for her hand and she let him lead her to the bedroom. Yawning, he pulled back the covers and got in.

She hesitated, unsure of what to do. She hadn't slept with anyone since he left. Sex, yes of course, even after her kidnapping, but she had never let any of them hold her, not even for a minute.

He could see she was struggling with something so he waited. He knew that in order to make this work between them, he would have to be patient. He was willing to wait.

She slowly sat down on the bed, reached down and slipped her shoes and socks off. She turned and lay down on the bed, not touching him. She reached up and pulled the covers around her, trying not to look at him.

"Temperance." He said softly.

She bit her lip to hold back her tears and inched her way over to him until she was in his arms, her head on his chest. As his hands moved in circles on her back, she felt eyes drooping.

He heard her breathing even out and he knew she was asleep. He pressed a soft kiss into her hair and drifted off to sleep.

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She woke up, confused and disorientated. She was nestled under a soft comforter, it wasn't her own, she wasn't sure where she was. And then she remembered last night, looking at the pictures of Chris, talking to Angela and coming here. To Booth's apartment. She rolled over and found that she was in the bed alone. She felt a wave of panic go through her.

"Hey." He said.

She looked up and saw him standing at the doorway. He crossed the room and sat on the bed next to her. She pushed the fear in her stomach away.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Almost ten thirty." He replied. He saw the look of panic on her face. "Don't worry, I called Angela and said that you might not be in until later."

She nodded and leaned back against the pillow. She felt better then she had in a long time. It was the first time in two years that she had more than two consecutive hours of sleep. It felt good.

"Where's Chris?" she asked.

"Playing tea party in her room." He replied. "She plays it for hours. She lines up all of her dolls and her bears and I give her some water or juice in a cup and some cookies and off she goes."

"About last night…" she started.

"We don't have to talk about it." He said.

"No I….I want to tell you." she replied. "Last night, after you left I tried to sleep, but I couldn't so I started looking at the photo albums. They made me sad. There was this one picture of Chris hugging Parker, they remind me so much of me and Russ you know? I have the exact same picture of the two of us. I miss him, Booth. I miss him so much and I wish…Anyway, I got upset and Angela came over and we talked." She took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry." She said, her eyes filling with tears. "I thought it was the right thing to do, it was a mistake I know. I saw the pictures and I wanted to be there, with you and Parker and her, I just thought you were better off with out me."

"It's okay." He said. She shook her head. "Temperance, look at me."

She lifted her head. "It's okay." He said more firmly reaching over and tracing her jaw with his finger.

"No it's not." She replied. "It might never be okay. I might never be okay."

"I know." He said. "But it's okay with me."

She looked at him and she knew that he was telling the truth.

"And then I couldn't sleep, so I came over here." She continued. "But when you got into the bed….Seeley I haven't been held like that since you left, it…" she stumbled over her words. "…it made me feel good."

"I'm glad." He replied, moving himself closer to her.

"I need you to understand." She said. "I don't sleep. Ever since…." She trailed off. "Ever since I was kidnapped and they…"

"Temperance.." he said softly. She looked at him, her lip quivering.

"I was so scared Booth." She said quietly. "Day after day I was there and no one came for me. It was so dark and then when they raped me I thought….I thought I was going to die."

"Hey, ssshhh." He replied, pulling her into his arms.

"I wanted you to come Booth and take me away, it hurt so bad." She said, the tears now falling from her eyes.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there." He said, tears pricking his eyes.

"It's not your fault, its mine. I should have…" she started.

"No." he said fervently. "It's not your fault either."

"I can still see it in my mind, it won't go away, I can't make it go away." She whispered. "Please, Seeley. I don't want to hurt anymore."

"I know." He said, rocking her softly. "I know."

The only sounds in the room were their breathing as she sat cradled in his arms. 10 minutes passed, and then 20, neither of them moving from their positions.

"What if….What if she doesn't like me?" she choked out.

"She will, I promise." He replied. "We can do this, Temperance. We just need to take it slow okay? Why don't you spend some time with us, get to know Chris? We don't even have to tell her you're her mother yet if you don't want to. I don't want to push you."

"Okay." She said. The sound of his heartbeat made her feel calm and safe.

"Why don't we start with some lunch?" he said.

"Lunch would be nice." She replied.

He cupped her face and looked deep into her eyes.

"I love you, you know that right?" he said.

She nodded. "I…I love you too."

He lowered her head and kissed her. It was a kiss that spoke of promises and the future. She felt her doubts wash away and she felt safe and protected and most of all, loved. They pulled apart and he rested her forehead against hers.

"Daddy?" Chris's voice came from the hallway.

"Be right back." He said, moving out of her embrace into the hall where he came across Chris.

"Yes, missy?" he asked.

"You said you would play tea party with me, Daddy." Chris said. "And I waited a long, long time!"

"Okay." He replied. "I will come and play tea party. Can Tempe come and play too?"

She nodded excitedly. "I need more cookies and juice, Daddy!"

He smiled at her enthusiasm. "Be right there." He said, as he watched her run down the hall to her room. He popped his head back into the bedroom. "We are going to have to postpone lunch." He said.

"Oh." She said, trying not to sound disappointed.

"Don't worry, it won't be for long." He replied. "We just have a tea party to go to first." He reached for her hand and she took it, following him down the hall to Chris's room, where they could hear her talking.

He opened the door slightly and peered in.

"Don't slurp your tea!" Chris was talking to one of the bears. "Daddy says its not polite and he is coming for a tea party so we have to be on our bestest behaviours. And Tempe's coming too. She's pretty." Chris whispered to one of the bears.

"Knock, knock." He said. "Can we come to the tea party, Princess Chris?"

"Yeah!" Chris replied.

He sat down next to one of the bears and watched Temperance copy his move. He accepted some 'tea' from Chris and watched her give some to Temperance who gamely took a sip.

It would be a fight, he knew. They both had struggles to overcome, problems that would not be blinked away. At some point, they would have to tell Chris that Temperance was her mother and deal with the ramifications of that. Not to mention everything that had happened in the last four years.

But they were together. He had his family.

And right now, that was all that mattered.