Another long wait, but hopefully well-worth it. Please enjoy the last instalment of Danger in the Date and let us know how it made you feel. Thank you for all of your kind words.

Chapter 15

Previously on Danger in the Date:

"Yes," she sighed as she shared in his pleasure, her mouth opening in surprise as he unexpectedly bit down on her neck. For a millisecond, she froze, bracing myself for a pain, but he didn't hurt her. Brennan settled back into the pillow, smiling in contentment as he emptied inside her. He wanted to move off her, but she clutched at his back. "No. Stay... A while longer..."

Booth pressed a brief kiss to her cheek. "Temperance, that's sweet, but I'm a little too heavy, don't you think?" He caressed her cheek, relishing the open look in her eyes.

"I'm strong," she protested, "And I want you, like this, just one more minute. Please?" She looked into his eyes, which were a clear, soft brown, holding such tenderness as he looked at her.

He supported part of his weight on his elbows, but didn't move away. He showered her face with soft butterfly kisses, barely making contact, before he moved on, basking in the intimacy of the moment.

Inwardly, she laughed plentiful and free as he peppered her face with kisses. When he finished, she had to be glowing. Brennan felt wonderful. "Thank you," she smiled as traces of happiness hormones were still surging through her bloodstream. She loosely wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, honestly not feeling his weight. All there was, was this delightful pressure, evidence of his presence. She loved the feeling of their joined bodies and irrationally wished they could stay like this for the rest of the night.

He could sense her reluctance to let him go, but there were other reasons, besides the fact that his broad frame was too heavy to be supported by her, why they should change positions. If they would remain like this for much longer the use of the condom would become irrelevant. Not wanting to have to deal with all that that would entail, he gently pulled out of her, kissing her cheek. Booth disentangled himself from her embrace and got up. "I'll be right back." He walked to the bathroom, where he got rid of the used condom and walked back into her bedroom.

Her body heaved a sigh in disappointment as he left her, and a cold air rushed over her naked body as he got up and left for the moment. Brennan just lay there, a half-smile across her face, until she got really cold and pulled the covers over herself. She heard Booth move about in her apartment, and liked the sense of his presence lingering in the rooms. She regarded him, satisfied, when he came walking back in. She rested her head in her hand and appreciated the view.

"See something you like?" He flashed her his charm smile as he walked closer to the bed and sat down next to her, gently running his hand through her hair, enjoying the view himself.

She chuckled. "I'm not going to answer that. Your ego doesn't need more flattering, does it?" She tipped up her head so he could kiss her if he wanted. At the same time, she invited him back under the covers.

He kissed her slowly, while he slid down beneath the covers, pressing his body close to hers again. "You know, it can't hurt," Booth teased her, "but the look in your eyes says it all." He settled next to her as he looked into her eyes, which were completely open. Unguarded.

She shook her head at him, smiling. "Eyes don't speak, Booth," she teased. "Listen," she began as she settled closer against him, "When will we do that again?"

Booth smiled at her. "Making love?" He bent down and whispered softly against her lips, "As often as you want," before he pressed his lips to hers again, longing to feel the softness and warmth of her lips, her tongue.

"You're serious," she said as she quirked an eyebrow, resting her upper body on him, her bare breasts touching his chest. She felt insanely happy as she looked into his eyes. "Do you... really love me?" she questioned lightly.

He wrapped his arms around her waist as he held her close. "You want me to prove it again?" Booth kissed her shoulder, "'Cause," her neck, "I can," her jaw, "do this," her cheek, "all," her lips, "night." He pulled back and slowly ran one hand up and down her back, loving the feel of having her beautiful naked body in his arms.

"You've proven yourself, all right," she laughed. Then, turning more serious as her fingers traced patterns on his chest, "You have. And that's - wonderful, but - dangerous," she confessed.

"Why is that dangerous?" Booth asked her quietly as she continued to trace patterns across his chest. He had been expecting this, he just prayed he would be able handle this part as well.

Brennan glanced at him knowingly. He knew the answer to this, she suspected. She looked at his chest again when he didn't elaborate on what he knew. "Because not only can't I be sure of my own feelings in a few months' time," she told him without looking him in the eye, "Neither can you. And if you leave, Booth..." She shook her head, not willing to think about that.

"Bones..." he sighed softly as he tipped her chin up. "I can't predict the future and neither can you. Why think about next week, next month, next year? The only thing that counts is what is happening right now. And it's not like we don't know each other. We've been partners for quite some time now. We've had our ups and downs. We've worked through them. What makes you doubt that we'll be able to do that in the future?"

"I know!" she exclaimed, "But it's just that - if it doesn't work out; if I disappoint you - and I will, even unintentionally - and we end everything, I -" She stopped, structuring her words into sentences. "If you lose me, you could move on, but it's different for me." She looked down. He knew what she meant.

Booth shook his head, as the lump which had formed in his throat prevented him to speak, so he did the only thing he was capable of and leaned up to capture her lips in a heated, desperate kiss as different memories flooded his mind. Getting the call from the gravedigger, watching the clock run out of time, digging through the sand, grasping a hand, which only faintly responded to his strong grip. Pulling her out of the dirt and into his arms. He pressed her body close to his in a tight grip, conveying the fact that he couldn't lose her anymore than she could stand to lose him, through his actions, since speaking was no longer a possibility.

"I'm upsetting you, aren't I?" she said, feeling so stupid for having brought it up. But then, she should have known. Usually, she ended up ruining the few deep, intense connections she shared with other people. She didn't know why. Perhaps she couldn't deal with the uncertainty. "I'm sorry," Brennan said quietly. She placed a tender kiss on his chest and moved to lie next to him. Actually, she might have been considering leaving the bedroom altogether.

Booth turned to lie on his stomach next to her, needing to make her understand his reaction. "Bones, I can't lose you either. In the past, there have been occasions when I almost did. You have no idea how much losing you scares me. I don't scare easily, but I can't even think about losing you." He placed his arm over her tummy, pulling her closer to him. "Don't ever think it wouldn't hurt me to lose you. Just - don't. 'Cause it's not true. It would hurt like hell."

Brennan placed her hand against his bare chest. "If we both run such risks, why do this?" she asked him seriously.

"Because the benefits far outweigh the risks. Because the best things in life are worth taking the risk. Because it won't hurt less to lose you when we never really gave this a chance." Booth added as an afterthought, "It would hurt more."

She sighed and snuggled against him. "It will hurt however you look at it," she told him sadly. "These things never work out. When it seems too good to be true, it will end badly." That's how it had always worked for her.

He sighed miserably. "Bones, if you are expecting this to fail from the beginning, you won't be able to give it a real chance to succeed." His voice was soft and quiet, but he meant every word of it. If they would start this - with the notion that it was going to end badly set firmly into her mind - that was exactly what would happen. It would end badly.

"Then I have to change. How do I change, Booth?" Brennan looked at him, pleading for an answer.

"Take it one step at a time, Bones. I know you like facts, proof, reason, logic. But you can't predict the future. Neither can I. However, what we can do, is talk to each other." His mind drifted back to that horrible night about a month ago, "And we have to listen to each other. Even if we don't like what the other person has to say."

The meaning of his words wasn't lost on her. He was referring to what had happened with Richard. She remained silent for a while, her gaze trapped against his chest. "You know," she said quietly, "this is the first time I could let someone touch my throat since Richard tried to strangle me to death." She hadn't even realised that until now.

Booth hugged her closer to his body at her soft admission. "Go on," he gently encouraged her to continue, to finally talk about that night. And not just talk about it in a clinical detached manner, but to talk about it from her point of view. To finally acknowledge the gravity of what she had been through. Of what could've happened that night.

"I was completely powerless," she told him in a detached voice, though a hint of her fear must have sounded through it. "He was so much stronger, you know, and faster. I've never felt so -" she paused, searching for words. "It was the complete opposite of what we did tonight."

He could hear her struggling to find the right words to express herself and realized she wasn't ready to talk about it and maybe, she never would be. "Shh, it's okay, Bones. If you don't want to talk about that night, I won't make you."

"Damn it, Booth, I want to forget about it!" Brennan huffed. "Why can't I? Why... am I like this?"

"How can you forget about something until you have worked through it? You can't, Temperance. You can ignore it, deny it, compartmentalize it, but you can't forget about it until you have worked through it. Until you have acknowledged what happened, and that it wasn't your fault." He answered truthfully, even though he knew that this would not be the answer she wanted to hear.

And that was exactly the point she kept running into, being unable to pass it. That it wasn't her fault. But it was. She shared the blame with Richard. It's why she couldn't talk about what happened. She was simply embarrassed to have caused that much trouble. She had put herself into that situation; she couldn't start whining about the consequences afterwards as though she was innocent. No, it had been humiliating, and that was not something she wanted to share with other people. She wanted to keep it a secret, irrationally, because in reality many people knew what had taken place that night. Still, she felt like she just couldn't give an emotional account of the events and expect someone to comfort her.

When she didn't respond for a few minutes, after his last sentence, it finally clicked. "You blame yourself. You think it's your fault." How the hell did I miss this? I'm a freaking FBI Agent. It's my job to see stuff like this! I thought she could see that it wasn't her fault. No one has the right to force another human being to having sex with them!

She'd been holding her breath. When he said those words, she squeezed her eyes shut, part of her not wanting to hear it, another part feeling embarrassed that he'd figured it out. Brennan herself hadn't known for a long time what it was that bothered her so much about what had happened with Richard. Booth took a lot less time than she had. She lay very still, wanting to pretend she wasn't there, or that she was asleep, even though that was foolish.

She froze, just like she had when he had seen her fidgeting with the condom wrapper earlier. "Could you explain that to me, please? Why you think it's your fault, I mean." Booth looked at her, his words spoken slowly, making sure to keep the tone of his voice neutral.

She slowly let out her breath. "Because," she started, her voice barely audible, "if I hadn't been drunk," she continued, drawing her arms against herself, elbows bent, like she was shielding herself from something, "it wouldn't have happened. My being drunk was the deciding factor of everything that happened that night, Booth."

"You don't know that, Bones. Let's say you had gone out sober. Your suspicions were right, remember? He did turn out to be a serial rapist. He wouldn't have shown his true colors until you had either gotten drunk or he had had the opportunity to spike your drink with something." He shook his head, "Your being drunk was not the deciding factor. It just wasn't. If Richard had singled you out and put his mind to having sex with you, he would've found a way to render you powerless. Whether or not you were drunk already."

"I never lose sight of my glass, he wouldn't have been able to spike it with anything," she countered stubbornly. But somewhere, she was open to his arguments.

"I believe you. I do. But there are so many different ways around that, Bones. He could have made a deal with a waiter or the bartender. He could've spiked his own drink and switched it when you went to the bathroom. He could've pulled out a knife or a gun and forced you to drink it. He could've offered to drive you home and once he was driving he could've pulled a gun or a knife. He could've injected it. He could've..." Booth sighed, "The point is, that if someone is out to hurt someone else, they usually succeed. No matter how horrifying that is. It's the truth."

Brennan was silent. What he was saying sounded logical. "So, it was just bad luck that I met someone meaning harm? It was just a coincidence?"

"Yes, Bones. It was. Listen, I," Booth pulled her as close to his body as he could, making eye contact before he continued. "I want to apologize for something. I realize that I overreacted that night and that I should've given you time to explain yourself and the way you've done this in the past. It doesn't mean I don't still think it's dangerous, because I do, but I should've listened to you. I know that not every guy out there is a serial rapist or a kidnapper. But it's just that one-night stands are empty, meaningless and they do have the possibility of being dangerous. You deserve better than that. I was just trying to look out for you. But I should've listened to you as well."

"I understand," she whispered while looking into his eyes. "I think it goes without saying that I should have done the same. But Booth - Richard did not have a weapon. If I hadn't been drunk, I could have escaped him by myself. I would have been faster, and stronger. And I wouldn't have done what I did to you and the others that were called to the scene." She lowered her gaze to study his clavicle.

"Whoaw, back it up there, Bones," Booth whispered softly, "What you did to me? You didn't do anything to me. What makes you say that?" He once again rubbed soothing circles on her back, the repetitive motions calming him down as well.

Brennan made a coughing sound as she finally choked on the lump in her throat. "I caused you distress," she croaked out, "and a lot of worry, and I got you in trouble with the FBI - I know you don't see it that way, but I - I can't help it. And if you've been as unhappy as I in the past month when we hardly spoke to one another, I've caused you grief as well." She just kept talking, getting it out.

Booth listened to her, not interrupting, not forcing his own opinion on her like he had done over a month ago. He didn't agree with her, but just like he expected her to give him a chance to make her see the logic in his point of view, he had to do the same for her, so he continued to hold her close and ran his hand over her back, reassuring her that he was going to listen to what she had to say to him, encouraging her to go on.

Tears way over due were leaking from her eyes, and she sniffed as her nose started running. The images of that night once again invaded her brain. Of Richard on top of her, trying to force his disgusting penis between her legs. Sloppy and hastened, with no mercy or regard for her pain. "He hurt me," she concluded with tears in her voice.

Her words made his heart ache for the woman in his arms. She always felt the need to be in control, to be powerful, to be able to deal with whatever life threw at her, on her own. "I know, sweetheart. I know he hurt you. And I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner. But you didn't do anything to me. It was my choice to come and get you. I will always come for you, Temperance. ALWAYS."

Finally, she let go of herself and wrapped her arms around him, holding him instead. "I know, but - I don't want to - be a burden. I'm sorry I'm being so difficult, Booth. I wish I was different in that respect."

"No. Don't. I love you just the way you are. I love the fact that you are strong. That you can stand up for yourself. I love knowing I can count on you. But Bones, you have to get this idea out of your head that you're a burden. That is not why I kept my distance this last month. I thought you needed some time on your own to deal with what had happened." It was easier for him to admit that he needed her as she held him in her arms. "I was trying to give you what I thought you needed. And that was wrong. I should've asked you what you needed from me. I should've listened to you instead of drawing my own conclusions."

"Still, that was kind of you. I don't blame you for any of that, Booth. I'm grateful for what you did for me." She paused, needing to say more. "Have you ever felt like you were suffocating?"

Booth nodded, having felt like that every time he knew she was in danger. Every single time her life had been in his hands. "Yes." He swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat. "Why do you ask?"

"That's how I've been feeling. Also because he strangled me, I think. As if the muscles in my throat are squeezing it shut." Brennan readjusted her grip on him, revelling in the warmth his body provided.

"Bones, you should've told me. I could've helped. Did you tell anyone?" Booth asked her as he loosened his grip, worried about making her feel trapped or as if she was suffocating.

"No," she spoke with conviction. "No one."

"Why not?" Booth couldn't understand why she wouldn't talk to anyone about it. It must have been driving her crazy to feel like she was suffocating 24/7. "I'm sure Angela would've helped. I know I would've. What made you decide to keep it to yourself?"

"Angela knew about what happened, but - it was easier, I thought, to ignore it. I'm usually good at that. And I didn't feel so bad all the time. Not when I was alone. I had just decided that it wouldn't help to talk about it. I mean, what could you or Angela have done?" She looked at him now, and arched her back into his hands.

"We could've listened. We could've let you know that you were not alone. That you didn't have to feel that way. We could've been there for you, Bones." And at that moment he realized that he was the one who had wronged her the last month. She had needed him to be there for her and what had he done? He had left her alone to deal with the mess by herself. "I'm sorry, Bones. I should've been there for you."

"I understand why you did what you did, Booth. It was logical. And I knew I could have come to you for help. Or Angela. But I wanted to deal with it on my own. I needed to get something back." Brennan ran her hand over his deltoid muscle and triceps, down his lower arm until she'd reached his hand.

As she took his hand in hers, he intertwined their fingers before looking back up at her. "What, Bones? What did you need to get back?" Booth continued the slow, steady movements on her back as he gently caressed the back of her hand with his thumb.

Brennan shrugged. "Control. Discipline. Strength." She paused a beat. "Confidence in myself."

"Did it work?" Booth hoped it had. She had forced herself to deal with this all on her own. If that wasn't a testimony to control, discipline and strength, nothing was. He was awed by her strength. She had dealt with what had happened on her own. The only problem with that, was the fact that it had happened to them as well. Not just her. Which meant that they needed to deal with what had happened as well. Apparently she had succeeded in dealing with what had happened as had he, but it remained something of a taboo between the two of them. Something that was not to be mentioned. And that felt wrong to him.

"For the most part, yes," sh told him with a small triumphant smile. She felt better now that they were talking about this. They couldn't get away from each other in this situation, they were still linked by their experience of making love for the first time.

"I'm glad to hear that, but - what do you mean 'for the most part'?" He asked her, as he actually felt proud of her. She was so strong. So determined to be strong, to prove herself.

"There was one thing I couldn't solve by myself," she told him.

"Maybe I can help you with that. If you'll let me." Booth looked up at her, wanting to be there for her. To make sure that she knew she didn't have to go through all of this on her own. That she had other options. That she has me.

She shook her head. "You already did." She saw he needed an explanation. "I was afraid that he'd taken from me the ability to enjoy intercourse. I was afraid it had been linked too strongly to pain and violence in my mind, but you proved me wrong tonight. I was ready, and you were there for me," she concluded as she caressed his face.

He slightly turned his face into her palm. He was glad it had been good for her and he felt relieved when she said that it hadn't been linked to pain and violence in her mind. "So what do you want to do now? I mean, this was about making love, right?" His voice sounded nervous, even though he tried very hard to keep the soft tremble out of it.

"Yes, it was," she spoke tenderly, then thought as she ran her fingers over his rough skin. "I'd very much like to do that again, if you're up for it," she then smiled, looking hopefully up at him.

Desperately, Booth wanted to claim her lips with his once again and start all over, but that was not what he had been talking about. "I know I said we should take things one day, one step at a time. And I know that my next question kinda ignores that, but I need to know where you want this to go. What you need this to be." Booth took a cleansing breath, "If you want to give us a real chance... or not."

"Oh, Booth," she sighed deeply; this was so complicated for someone like her. "I want to try, I want to, but what I want even more is for this to work out. The only way it could... is for us to try. So, yes. For now, I'm able to give you a 'yes'. Is that good enough?" She looked at him.

"Yes, Temperance. That is good enough. More than enough." He pulled her down for another kiss as their bodies molded together. When they broke apart, he ran one hand through her hair. "I love you. I know you don't belief in love, so I'll put it like this. Along with Parker, you are the most important person in my life, and I would be completely lost without you. So if we are giving this a try - a real try - don't be convinced we are going to fail. And I'll try to listen more to what you have to say. Let's just be honest and open with each other. Just like we always have been."

Brennan nodded, leaned in and claimed his lips again. Soon, their limbs entangled, their skins flushed and blood rushed through their systems.

As she pressed herself to his body once again, Booth greedily accepted her warm, soft body into his embrace. It had taken a huge fight, attempted rape, attempted murder and a horrible month filled with strained silences and awkward moments, to get them here, to the point where they could freely show and receive the love they had for each other. There would be bumps along the road, Booth was sure of it. And if she ever decided that this wasn't what she wanted, what she needed, he would let her go. He would always love her. He would even love her enough to let her go, if that was what she wanted. But for now, they had finally agreed to give them a real chance. As their bodies tangled, connected and joined, becoming one, the words that had made everything they had been through in this past month nothing but a distant memory, were finally allowed to be exchanged by lovers in the night.

"I love you."