Author's note: like last time, I planned to post this chapter much sooner, but here it is... finally! Unfortunately, I didn't get around to thanking everyone who has left a review for chapter 8 personally. Therefore, I would like to take the opportunity and do it here. Thanks to: CSI-4077, xBeMinex, garnergeek, Hazmatt, miss jasadin, mustanggirlz07, HollywoodDramaQueen, BonesnBooth, Ella Cony, dknckelly, Darkangel0345 and daileyt. Your comments made my day and were much appreciated! I hope you'll be satisfied with the ending.

Chapter Nine

With Sweets' advice in her head, Brennan left the therapist's workplace and went to look for her partner in his own office, but found it dark and empty when she got there. She thought it irrational, but just to be certain, she opened the door and turned on the lights. Still no Booth. She flipped the light switch back to the off position and closed the door with a sigh. Disappointed and somewhat frustrated with herself, she made her way out of the FBI building. She pondered if he might have gone home already. It seemed the most logical place for her to check. Thus, when she got into her car, she wasted no time turning on the engine and sped off to his house, in hopes of finding him there.

When she arrived at his building, she peered out of the car window and saw that the lights were off and his car was nowhere in sight. Again, she wanted to make sure that he was in fact absent and not hiding from her in the dark. She got out of the car, made her way up to his front door and rang the doorbell. Like she'd expected, there was no answer. Not knowing where else to look for him, she decided to drive over to the apartment Angela had moved into after her split with Hodgins. If she couldn't talk to Booth, she'd have to talk to her best friend.

Once she was on the road again, driving across the city, she realized she had no idea what she actually would have said to Booth had she found him. Never before had she done something for which she was downright unprepared. For sure, she knew the gist of it. She had planned on telling him how she felt, as Sweets had encouraged her to do. She would have told him something along the lines of no longer being able to deny that she had fallen for him. That she wanted to give an exclusive relationship with him a try. That she was curious and inexperienced in regards of love, yet ready to take the risk. However, these were just the facts and those she could get across quite easily, even if they were new to her. Emotions and, more specifically, expressing them, were not her strong suit. Nonetheless, she wanted Booth to understand that she was serious about venturing into a romantic relationship with him and that it wouldn't be some sort of anthropological study to her. She needed him to know that she wanted much more from him than to have her biological urges satisfied. That would merely be a bonus. She wanted to experience love.

Perhaps most importantly, she wondered how he would react to her confession. Would Angela and Sweets have been right? Did he truly love her, or was it just something they had wanted to see? Had they just been projecting? And what about that damned line? The longer she thought about it all, the more the number of questions that came up in her mind increased, as well as the need to talk to Angela. She hoped the artist would be home.

Before Brennan knew it, she had arrived in Angela's neighborhood. She parked her car across from the entrance to the modern looking apartment building. She got out of the vehicle and looked up, seeing a dim light peek through Angela's curtains. Hopeful, she crossed the street and walked up to the entrance hall. She was about to ring the intercom bell, when another person left the building and held the door open for her. Brennan thanked the man politely and took the stairs up to the third floor. Standing in front of Angela's door, she knocked and waited for an answer. It didn't take Angela long to open the door, for she had just gotten home herself and was still in her hallway, putting away her bag and keys.

"Bren, sweetie, what a surprise. Why don't you come inside?" Angela greeted her, stepping aside to let her in, but frowned when she got a better look at Brennan's face. "You look troubled, what happened?"

"Booth walked out of our therapy session," Brennan answered while she strode into the kitchen. She pulled a chair out from the kitchen table and sat down.

"Why did he do that?" Angela asked as she joined Brennan at the table. "Can I get you something to drink, by the way? Tea maybe?"

"No thanks," Brennan said, shaking her head. "He's a very private person and we made the mistake of talking about something… well, private. He couldn't handle it."

"You mean the kiss?" Angela clarified and Brennan nodded in confirmation. "Well, it's good that you brought it up and at least tried to talk about it again."

"But not in front of Sweets. I should've known that."

"So, he just walked out?"

"Yes," Brennan replied. "And I went to look for him, but I couldn't find him in his office and he hadn't gone home either."

"You don't know where else he could be?"

"There are so many places, I wouldn't know where to check first… Do you really think Booth's in love with me?"

Angela looked at her best friend in disbelieve. "You still have doubts about that? Seriously?"

"Why else would he have drawn the line?"

"You've mentioned this line before. How did that ever come up in the first place?"

"Well, to make a long story short," Brennan started and thought back to that day where she and Booth had talked on a park bench, watching his son on the merry-go-round. "When Howard Epps went after us and Cam ended up in the hospital, Booth drew the line, saying that people who work together can't get involved. I mean, romantically."

"I see, but he was together with Cam back then. Are you sure he wasn't just referring to their situation? An excuse to end it with her, maybe?"

"I don't think so. He told me right after they'd broken up. That's when he drew the line and the way I understood it, he meant it in general. And since we are working together, we can't be in a sexual relationship, either."

"So, that once mentioned line is the only thing keeping you apart right now?"

"Essentially."

"Erase it," Angela told her simply.

Brennan looked at her as if she'd just mentioned it was no longer scientifically impossible to turn water into wine. Even though said topic was something she enjoyed arguing about with Booth, the suggestion would be as preposterous as Angela's comment had just sounded to her. "He drew it, so it's not up to me to erase it."

"But if he's too afraid to get rid of it, or if he keeps it up merely to protect you, or himself for that matter, you should take some action yourself. Love comes with a risk, but you should take it. It's worth it. Trust me, it really is."

"It's just… it's not easy for me, because I've never been in a personal relationship like that before. While my knowledge is vast, I know very little about love."

"I know," Angela replied compassionately and thought for a moment about how she could clarify things for her friend. "Let me give you an example of what love is and tell me afterwards if you can relate in any way. Okay?"

"I should be able do that."

"Alright. Well, love entails a lot of things, which is what makes it so wonderful in the first place. Love is friendship, companionship, sharing. It's also loyalty, trust, respect, acceptance, honesty, passion, compassion… Does any of that sound familiar?"

Brennan nodded. "Booth and I have all those things, I think. At least, up to a certain degree."

"I think you do, too," Angela told her. "So, let me share a secret with you. Having all that is what us humans call true love. It's rare and should be treasured."

"I am a human being."

Angela chuckled. "I know, and a very amazing one on top of that, which is why it applies. So, are you ready to admit that what you feel for Booth is in fact love?"

"Yes, I can't deny that any longer. I've realized that I want a real connection, a monogamous romantic relationship. With him. With Booth," she clarified.

"Wow. I can't believe you're finally able to admit it. At last you caught up to your own reality. I'm so proud of you, Temperance. I really am."

Brennan smiled. "Well, I suppose you made a compelling case."

"I always do," Angela grinned. "Seriously though, please tell Booth. He feels the same way, trust me. Get a good night's sleep and then, first thing tomorrow morning, go back to his house. It's a Saturday, so he should be home."

Brennan bit her lip. "He might have Parker."

"He might, he might not. Either way, you have to give this a try, sweetie. Go pay him a visit and talk about your feelings." She stood up, walked up to a cabinet and rummaged through one of its drawers, which was loaded with her drawing utensils. She found what she was looking for and walked back to Brennan. "Give him this."

Brennan eyed the object Angela had placed in the palm of her hand. "An eraser?"

"Yes, it's symbolic."

"Ah, to erase the line," Brennan said, catching on.

BBB BBB
BBB BBB

The next morning, a rather nervous Brennan rang Booth's doorbell. She hoped he was awake—she herself had been up for several hours already—and had time to talk. No answer. A small part of her was incontestably relieved. However, the braver part of her led her to ring the bell again. As the chime echoed through the hallway, she fingered the eraser that Angela had given her the night before, making sure it was still inside her pocket. She withdrew her hand and patted the pocket, contemplating the silliness of it. The eraser acted as a sort of rabbit's tail for good luck, which was something she had never believed in, but she now saw its psychological value. She took a deep breath and, only a moment later, Booth opened the door. He was dressed in jeans and a long sleeved shirt, with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, exposing the tattoos on his wrists. His wet hair revealed he'd just come out of the shower. Brennan couldn't help but notice how good he looked.

"Hey Bones, wanna come in?" Booth asked her, surprised to find her on his doorstep. She nodded and walked inside. "Sorry it took me so long to open the door. I was in the middle of getting dressed."

"I figured as much."

"I didn't know you would stop by," Booth continued, following her into the living room, where they sat down on the couch, keeping a considerate distance between them.

"I was here yesterday, too. I tried to find you after you left therapy. You weren't in your office, so I decided to look here, but you weren't home."

"Yeah, I was at the firing range," Booth told her, almost sounding embarrassed. He had emptied two barrels of his gun on the target's heart before he'd felt his anger start to disappear.

Brennan nodded. "I didn't look there."

"Are you angry with me?"

His question surprised her. "Why?"

"You know, for leaving therapy like that."

"Not at all. I understood your reasons for doing so."

"You did?"

"Yes, but Sweets is right. We should talk."

He nodded slowly. "I know."

Brennan released a sigh, wondering if now would be the right time. Judging these kind of situations did not come easy to her. "You have Parker today, right?"

"Uh-huh. I was thinking about taking him to the fairground, actually. I know he'd like you to come with us," Booth replied, visibly perking up. "So, care to join us today?"

"Well, yesterday in the car, I already told you that I would, but I spoke prematurely because I'm not sure if I should do that now. I really think it's important that we talk first and since you probably have to pick up your son now…"

"Not for another hour," Booth interjected quickly. "So, we can talk now." He shifted nervously in his seat. "Would you like to go first?"

She hesitated. "I think it's easier for you."

"Not necessarily."

"Alright, in that case I'll start," she said and took a deep breath before she did so. She figured she had one chance and wanted to get it right, which was characteristic of her to begin with. Thus, she chose her words as carefully as she could. "When you kissed me the other day, I think I misjudged your intentions, because I was confused. In fact, I'm still confused."

"You thought it was a friendly kiss, that I merely tried to console you."

"You set the line, Booth. What was I supposed to think?"

He released a sigh, shaking his head. "That line was a farce. I wish I'd never said anything."

"So, you do think it's alright for people who work together to get involved romantically? You don't need this, then?" She dug up the eraser and handed it to Booth.

He laughed a little when he saw what she'd given him. "No, I don't need it. Consider the line erased. The thing is, Bones, it doesn't matter really. Whether we're in a romantic relationship or not, my feelings for you won't change. I'm going to be affected either way."

Brennan looked at him for a moment, trying to comprehend what he meant. "You speak about your feelings, but I still don't know what those are exactly, Booth. To this day, you've never told me. You've avoided my questions. Are you in love with me? Because I think that's what I feel for you."

His heart skipped a beat and for the first time he felt he could be honest about it and move forward. Almost symbolically, he inched a tad closer to her. He looked into her cerulean eyes and actually gained courage from them. "Yes, I love you, Bones. I have for quite some time."

"I wish you'd said something earlier."

"Frankly, it's not that easy. I didn't think you were ready yet to… reciprocate. I simply couldn't risk it."

"I've been told by many people these last few days that love is worth taking a risk for."

Booth smiled. "And they're right. It is. That's why I kissed you that night. For once in my life, I took a chance and risked it all."

"And I reacted in the most horrible way. I dismissed it, dismissed you, your feelings."

"You were confused."

"Not anymore."

Booth looked her in the eyes and saw that she was serious. She was no longer confused and for some reason she looked more beautiful to him than she ever had before, which was close to impossible. He brought his right hand up and placed it on her cheek, softly caressing the blushing skin with his thumb as she held her breath, waiting for what was to come. Ever so slowly, he leaned in until their lips met in a soft kiss. The scientist in Brennan couldn't help but compare it to their Christmas kiss. The simple conclusion was that this kiss was so much better, because it was heartfelt. The feeling started in her own heart, then she could feel it on her cheeks, in her fingers and at the tip of her toes. It consumed her entire being and a shiver ran down her spine. It was a complete new sensation. Still deep in thought and before she was ready, Booth pulled back. They locked eyes again for a moment, before leaning back in for another kiss. This time, they locked lips with more passion. Brennan felt herself tremble as their kiss deepened, tongues moving against each other with long hidden yearning and desire. When they finally pulled apart and held hands instead, they smiled at each other in understanding, both utterly content with the colossal step they had taken together.

The silence, though comfortable, escorted Brennan back to her initial thoughts and insecurities. "Booth, you are aware that I know very little about the non-physical aspects of love…"

"That's okay. I can teach you if you're willing to be taught."

Her smile brightened. She was all for education. "Always. I want to learn everything. You know me."

"I believe I do."

Brennan nodded. Then, all of a sudden, the smile left her face and she stared down at their entwined fingers, not able to look him in the eyes anymore for she was afraid of his answer. "Are you going to leave me?"

"Never," Booth promised her, making her look up at him again so she could see that he meant it. He felt like he looked at the fifteen year old version of her, he'd never seen her so vulnerable before.

"Everyone I've ever loved has left me."

"I won't."

Brennan looked back into his warm, reassuring brown eyes and for the first time since her parents' abandonment she allowed herself to rely solely and entirely on her heart. The smile returned and lit up her delicate features as she spoke the words that, in the past, would have been even harder for her to voice than her declaration of love. "I trust you."

And she did, wholeheartedly. She was no longer scared. She was in love and eager to climb the proverbial mountain that was Seeley Booth. He indeed was her rock, her safe haven, and she, Temperance Brennan, therefore felt ready for whatever the future would bring them.

The End

Feedback is greatly appreciated. I would love to find out what you thought of this last chapter!