One year later.

The sound of the ocean crashing against the beach roused her from her slumber, and her eyes focused on the ceiling for several moments, what she could see of it of course in the darkness of the early morning. Brennan closed her eyes, trying to block out the constant churning of her mind, finding that with her eyes closed, her imagination only worked its evil magic and forced her to face the thoughts with vivid pictures of what wasn't there beside her. Her hand went instinctively to the other side of the bed, feeling the cold emptiness of the sheets beside her, and she rolled to her side to stare at the empty place in the bed beside her. She smiled sadly at the thought that she had saved a place for someone who was not there, and when she touched the sheets and closed her eyes, she could almost feel his closeness.

Brennan let out a laugh at herself, rolling onto her back, she shook her head and chided herself for the foolish thoughts that were rolling through her head. It was her decision to do this, it was her decision to take some time, it was her decision to have this space, and though her laughter was expelled in a near joyful tone, she knew that it was guilt that she was feeling deep in her chest, and it was her own fault that she was lying in this bed alone. It had been a year, and though physically she was in the same place she had been a year earlier, emotionally she was in a completely different place, a better place, a peaceful place.

There wasn't time to regret.

With a quick glance to the clock, she noted the time as being nearly six in the morning, and she knew that sleep was nowhere in sight at this point. Resigned to waking with the sun, she sat up and pulled the blankets from her legs, letting them hang over the edge as her feet touched the cold floor.

She went about her morning routine peacefully, knowing that if she hurried, she'd be able to beat the rising sun, and after a quick shower, she was dressed and stepping down the stairs toward the kitchen to brew some tea. Her eyes passed over the dining room table, where a letter sat unopened, but worn. Across the front her name was scrawled, in a familiar handwriting. She let her fingers graze the envelope, and she felt her stomach twist with a deep anxiety that she had been trying to push away since he had given her the letter, two weeks earlier as she had gotten into her car for her trip. The letter had been folded time and again, and she knew she wanted to read it, but for some reason or another, she just couldn't bring herself to tear the corner of the envelope and slip that mysterious paper from within it. Since that day, the letter had been with her wherever she had gone, and now it was staring back at her, beckoning her, begging her to take a peek at its contents. She rested her palm on the envelope, sucking in a deep breath as she turned from it and walked toward the stove.

Her hair was still wet, but she was warm in her sweatpants and sweatshirt, and her eyes passed the large picture window over the sink to see the deep blue sky as it began to lighten. She arranged her teacup and put the water in the tea kettle to boil, and found her eyes focusing on the beach for a moment. She looked to see if there was a figure on the sand, and laughed at her foolishness in expecting something as unplanned as a visit from him, though she would readily welcome him with open arms. She felt a deep sense of disappointment at the absence of his figure, and again reminded herself that it was simply her own fault that he wasn't there with her.

She turned to lean against the counter, waiting for the kettle to whistle, her eyes fell upon the wooden box that she had placed there the moment she had arrived. She stepped forward to the box, her fingernail sliding under the latch; she opened it and immediately smiled at the contents that were looking up at her. Her hand dipped inside, pulling from the box a small blue seashell that Parker had given her a year earlier. At his insistence, the three of them had gone back to the sand that day, and the two adults sat together, hand in hand watching as Parker ran over the sand around them collecting seashells. In a moment of quiet between her and the boy, though, he had handed her the small shell and watched her eyes light up at the gift, and he smiled as he told her that it almost matched her eyes.

She sighed tenderly as she placed the shell back in the box, her head turning to see if the kettle was ready, only to find that the water wasn't quite boiling. She turned toward the box and reached inside, pulling out a small photograph. On the photo there were three smiling faces, all turned and looking at something else to their right, a photo booth picture where they had all squeezed inside, but just as the photo had been taken, they heard a noise outside and looked. She had a choice of the three photo booth pictures at the time, and remembered choosing this one. Booth had asked her why she'd choose the one that didn't show their attention, the one with just half of their faces visible in the photo, and she laughed, explaining that the genuine look of surprise on their faces amused her, their curiosity made her happy. She smiled at the photo, not sad or wistful, just simply smiled, as her attention was pulled away to the tea kettle.

She placed the photo back and lovingly closed the box before she moved to the kettle and quickly poured the hot water into her mug, and again found her eyes grazing toward the window. The sky was just a little more blue, that intense blue that compared to her passionate gaze. She let the tea steep, as her eyes fell from the window and back to the letter on the table. Reluctantly she walked toward the table, and pulled the chair out to sit. She set the mug down beside the letter, and sat down, as she reached out with both hands and pulled the letter to her. Her fingers slid down the rough paper, dipping into the folded line that was now in the paper, an indication of its journey. Deeply she breathed, wishing that he was there with her, instead of inside the flattened folds of papers in her hands, she made a final decision. If he couldn't be there with her in person, at least he could be there with his words. She just wished that she knew what to expect behind the boundary of the envelope.

Slowly and methodically, Brennan began to tear at the envelope's crease along the top, ensuring that she wouldn't damage the paper inside, she allowed herself to imagine the care and thought he had put into preparing the letter, and her stomach was starting to twist with anxiety, the not knowing not fully hitting her until this very moment that she held the power of the letter in her hands. With a slow, intentional movement, she removed the letter from the envelope, and slowly unfolded the pages onto the table. Her hand flattened the paper, and his familiar handwriting was luring her in, as certain words grabbed her attention. She smiled.

Her eyes first admired the letter, the way he had taken care to print in careful letters so that she could read his writing legibly, though she knew that whether it was in block lettering or Sanskrit, she'd be able to read his letter. She thought for a moment of that final kiss at the car, the way he slipped the letter lovingly into her hand and she remembered the proud look in his eyes, when she gave him a surprised expression. With a deep breath through her teeth, she looked down at the letter and began to read, each word sliding effortlessly into the next as she imagined his voice in her ear, whispering his sentiment.

Bones,

I'm not nearly as good with the written word as you are, so if the thoughts in this letter seem to be rambling, just remember whose mind they're coming from. First, I want you to know that I understand why you wanted to take some time to rest and reflect away from home, and I respect your decision to take this time for yourself. In the past year, there have been a lot of changes, and you've earned the right to take advantage of some time off.

I want to make sure that you understand that I don't see your time away as running, or walking away, but just a break for some time and space. Please don't feel guilty for taking time for yourself, regardless of what I may have said before you left, I can survive without you at my side for a couple of weeks, maybe, hopefully.

I'd like to start by saying the obvious, and feel free to stop reading at any point. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, and I don't want to push you too hard. Just take your time, and read at your own pace. The most important thing that I'd like to point out, Bones, is that I love you. I know that I love you, and have loved you for a very long time, and I am well aware of the love you have for me. I know this is true for many reasons, the most obvious being the leap of faith that we took together just about a year ago. We took the love that we felt as a family, the love that we had as friends, and developed it into something that only time and patience could achieve. We took the trust that we held for one another, the knowledge of our shortcomings and strengths, and we forced down the barriers that we had once built up to keep other out. I appreciate your love, and accept your love for what it is, what it always was, and what it always will be in my heart. I am grateful for your love, and I don't believe that we would have made it even this far if we didn't believe in one another so absolutely.

She took a break from reading, a tear sliding from her cheek onto the page made her jump slightly, and she sniffled. A smile was forming on her lips, his words touching her heart so deeply, that she couldn't help but feel excitement deep in her belly at his words. She wanted to read more, and felt that she needed it, and with her fingers holding the page down, she looked up and saw that the sky was even lighter than moments before. She glanced at her tea, noting that the steam was rising from the hot cup, but knew that it could wait, for the sunrise wouldn't. She quickly folded the paper, letting the envelope sit discarded on the table, as she quickly stood, and hurried toward the door.

Barefoot, and running, she listened to the gentle thump of her feet on the wooden boards of the deck, and hurried toward the cool sand. She could feel the cold, January wind in her still damp hair, but paid no heed to that, her eyes focused on the horizon, as she watched the light blue radiating from the ocean's lip. She settled in the sand, soft to the touch, and fine as anything, her mind still reeling from the words she had already taken in from the letter, she raised the paper to her view, and with the low, humble glow of the lightening sky, she began to devour his words once again.

I want to make it clear to you that I understand your need for time and space. I understand that you're not running away. Everyone needs time to think, and you know that I believe that time with your family is very important. I am just peaceful knowing that this time when you're out of reach of my touch, you're not sick or injured. You're not in pain physically, or emotionally, and though I'm fairly sure that you miss work more than you miss me, our bond will continue to strengthen. I too will take this time to spend with Parker, and spend some time alone, and reflect on the changes that have happened in recent months. Just know that I do miss you immensely. You have always a very important member of my family, even when I lost sight of that, and you will forever be an integral part of who I am, and what I become in the future. Simply put, I love you, Bones.

You're correct when you tell me that the many years that we've spent together have taught us lessons of life that go with any relationship. Our experiences together, both in our work and away from it are both unique and filled with a great dramatic flair. We've challenged one another every step of the way, ensuring that we remain fair and balanced in every aspect of our lives. We share similar feelings on family because we know their importance, friends because we recognize their needs, and our futures both as a couple and as partners. And though most of our days are immersed in a world of death, murder, and danger, we always find the time to come back to our lives, and one another. You challenge me in ways that no one has ever challenged me. You make me think, feel, taste, touch, smell, and hear all that is around me. I may tease you, and say that you have a 'mania' for the truth, but it keeps me honest, it keeps me balanced, it keeps me on track. I thank you for being my balance, my energy, my muse. I am not simply content with you, I am energized by you. Simply put, I love you, Bones.

She paused for a moment, the colors beginning to appear in the sky, and she folded the letter over her finger, focusing on the sky. She turned her head toward the house, and let her eyes scale the emptiness of the beach as she felt a sense of loneliness wash over her. Her hand moved, and she felt the paper, quickly dispelling the loneliness into the wind as she felt a wave of warmth through her body.

She was loved.

She could love.

She was in love.

She sighed with a sense of resignation, and her eyes followed the small wisps of clouds that were already sprinkled in the sky. The light from the sun just below the horizon was sending beams of light to warm the underside of the clouds, forcing them to glow in the early morning light. Slowly in the midst of the blue, the oranges and reds began to appear in the sky, and peacefully, quietly, and to the gentle melody of the ocean, the light show began.

Without warning, nor alarm, she suddenly felt the soft warmth of a blanket draped over her shoulders, and two hands softly gripping her shoulders. His scent washed over her and she smiled, hiding it in the blanket as she felt his warm breath in her ear as he crouched beside her.

"Are you trying to catch pneumonia again?" He whispered, his voice was low and tender, and with no answer, he kissed her temple.

She turned her head to face him, and when their eyes met, he could see the unshed tears hiding in their depths. "What are you doing here?" She whispered. Her tone was one of relief, and his eyes were filled with mischief.

"Saving you." Booth paused, a knowing smile on his lips. "Again."

She smiled back at him, hiding it in the blanket again, her eyes smiled back at him.

"Is there room enough for two?" He whispered, and her nodding head made him smile. He sat beside her in the sand, his arm moving around her as he pulled her closer. "It's cold out here." He shivered.

"It's not cold." She replied, pushing herself into his chest, he kissed her head. "I missed you." She said, surprising herself with her words, she just spoke what she was feeling, and felt no guilt about it. He felt his arms hold her a bit tighter, a tremble of cold shivering his body. "Here, have some of the blanket." She said, looking to her side, she pulled from him slightly and offered a corner of the blanket. He pulled it around him and pulled her into his lap, dropping a kiss on her neck.

"I missed you." He said into her skin, looking down at the letter in her hand, he plucked it from her fingers, hearing her gasp as she moved around, trying to pull it from his fingers.

"That's mine." She said, reaching for it as he held it from her reach.

"You are just reading it?" He asked her, letting her pull it from his fingertips, he accepted her scowl and kissed her nose. "It took me a week to write that, and more than two weeks for you to read it. And here I thought you were a genius."

"I am a genius." She said, settling in his lap, she looked up, and they watched the sun start to peek over the horizon, she felt his lips on the nape of her neck.

"Beautiful."

"It is." She whispered.

"I mean you."

"I know what you were talking about." She said, feeling his lips on her neck again, she attempted to pull from him; she let a gentle laugh escape her lips, and settled back in his arms.

He watched her fingers rub gently over the paper for a moment, her focus was off. "Did you want me to leave you with your letter?" He whispered, and immediately, he felt her hand grip his arm. He knew she didn't want to ask, so he kissed her neck again. "I don't have to, it's okay." He replied. "Read. I'm here."

She turned and looked into his eyes; his brown depths were filled with certainty and love, and an intensity she had never seen before. She pushed back into his arms, and lifted the page into her sights, and with his arms around her, his body surrounding her, she could feel the words lifting from the page, and hear the warmth of his voice, see the dark recesses of his eyes. She took a deep, soothing breath of his essence, and continued reading.

You claim that I have challenged you as well, taught you about truth versus respect, while that may be true, I think the same goes for you. You take the things that I know and believe, and you have a way of twisting them into some of the most logical puzzles that I have ever been faced with. You make me think in ways I never thought before, and though most of the time, our conversations can turn volatile quite quickly, I accept your opinion. I respect your opinion, and I understand that your intention is not to hurt me with your own beliefs. You have grown to respect my beliefs, and for that I simply love you more. You and I share many secrets, and we have been sharing these secrets with one another for such a long time, and I treasure our secrets. I treasure our conversations, our bickering, our laughter, and our arguments. I treasure each and every word you utter, even those words that I don't understand the meaning of. It is the fact that you know so much, and share so much with me that keeps me coming back for more. You have made me hunger for knowledge, awoken a curiosity inside of me that I didn't know existed, and I thank you. You credit me with teaching you who you are, and I think that you've always been that person, and you've always known, but you were just afraid to show it. We have stated in the past, that what is between us is ours, and when I said that to you, I knew that you took it to heart. I knew that you trusted my words enough to be true. I love you, Bones. I will always love you, and I will do anything I can from now until the day that we are no longer on this earth together to show you that.

She stopped reading for a moment, her eyes focusing on the words as she felt him gently rocking on the sand, his eyes focused on the rising sun. When he realized she wasn't reading, he stopped rocking, and waited for her to say something. She spoke no words, just let him hold her, and he was fine and content with that. The drive had been long, but he knew it was worth it, for she was the goal he was striving to reach. He held her tightly, her focus on him, and his eyes focused on the sunrise for several moments.

She turned her head and leaned toward him, dropping a whisper of a kiss on his chin, she watched the curve of his lip, and smiled at him, watching his eyes flicker to her. His lips curved up into a smile, and their eyes locked for several moments. "I looked for you this morning."

"On the beach?"

"Yes."

"Were you disappointed that I wasn't here?"

"Yes."

"I'm here now."

"I know." She whispered. "Thank you for being here."

"Always."

I am proud of you Bones, for giving us a chance despite how afraid you are of all of this. I feel more confident in our relationship now, than I have ever felt. I feel more confident in our relationship than I have ever felt in any relationship, ever. We've shared so much, and have taught one another so many lessons in love and everything that goes with it. What we have become has grown out of the need to be there for one another, to care for one another, to just simply be with one another. What we have together can be seen in everything we do, both together and separately. When I look into your eyes, I recognize that gaze that I once foolishly overlooked. When I hear your voice, I hear the subtle nuances that I never listened for in the past. When I tell you I love you, I no longer see the fear in your eyes that it is just a passing moment, but see that sentiment reflecting back to me, intensely. I am a lucky man, Bones, to have found someone that I can share everything with. We took your fear of love, and my fear of loneliness, and we combined them into something that we can both be confident in. We stopped fighting about the inequalities of one another, and became partners in something even bigger than we could have imagined. Apart, we are weighted by our fears, together we create a balance. Apart we create a wall that is impenetrable and impassable. Together, we can share our thoughts, and make decisions together on what we will allow through, and what we will allow to affect us. I no longer fear loneliness, and I pray that you no longer fear love, for our needs have been met, and that bond could never be broken. Simply put, I love you.

I am comforted beyond words when you vocalize your love for me, and I am proud of you for allowing yourself to step past the fear that you once felt. I hope that you understand through my actions of coming to you time and again despite the pain that we have caused one another, you have always been my constant. You have always been the one logical mind that I could depend on in times of uncertainty. You're the only person who has proved that you are willing to risk life and limb to protect my heart, protect my body, and protect my soul. I know the things that you've done for me, Bones. I may not know details, and I may be hidden from your protection sometimes, but I know that it exists. The quickening of my heartbeat when you're near may be a chemical reaction, and over time, we may not even notice it anymore, but that doesn't mean that my love has stopped. Does a song stop simply because you turned down the volume? Does a life end simply because you can't physically see a person? Does my heart stop beating, simply because you pulled your ear from my chest?

You and I have become closer than ever in recent years, Bones. I find times where I don't even have to say what I'm thinking, for you to just simply know. I find that sometimes, words just aren't enough, and a simple glance, an eye roll, a smile, that is simply enough.

Her focus was once again on the rising sun, her eyes watching the bright orb born from the sea, rising into the sky silently and with ease. Her hands trembled on paper, the soft wind rattling over the page, she felt his hands on hers as he held it steady.

She had tears rolling down her cheeks, his words melting into her soul as he memorized each and every one of them, and cried silently for just the time they had lost to just get to this point. It had been a long year of getting to know him on a level that she had only seen from afar. A long, prosperous year filled with days of work and danger, and nights filled with the passionate song of their laughter, love making, and their simple silence. She had asked for this time apart, she had asked for the space to think and feel, and work alone in her personal space. This letter had been with her for two weeks, against her in her pocket, and never far from her grasp. His heart had been written on the page, as she had done with her own letter, and he was giving every strand of his heart to her right then and there.

She was trying to focus on the last part of the letter, but her eyes were filled with tears. The words blurred together, and she sniffled in sadness as she tried to find the strength to continue. She was about to fold the paper and give up until she calmed, until she heard his gentle voice behind her, rumbling the words of the letter to her, in a soft, loving tone.

I am aware of the distance we have closed between us, the gaps we have filled, and the dreams we have fulfilled. I'm not regretful of our past, I am glad that we experienced it. I am not yearning for the time that we lost, and I am not expecting anything from you that you will not be able to fulfill. I know your stance on marriage; I know your stance on religion. I know your stance on life here and in the hereafter. You expect nothing from me but for me to be myself. We are partners in the strongest sense of the world, and I will always have your back. You're by far one of the most important people in my life, and that will never change.

Thank you for forgiving me for my faults and my mistakes. Thank you for having my back, for your protection, your love, your admiration, and your knowledge. Thank you for giving me the family that I always wanted and felt that I needed. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for taking the time to read my words, and know that I will love you until the day that you breathe your last breath, and after that, I will love your memory, our memories, and always look forward to the next time I see you, the next time I touch you, and tell you that I love you. This is our decision. This is our fate. This is us.

Never Fear,

Booth.

When the last word was uttered, his name echoed on his lips in a whisper filled with unspoken sentiments, he found her eyes were burning into her memory that final sentence of the letter.

His eyes remained hers as they sat in virtual silence, the sound of the ocean waves filling their senses, the wind blowing delicately over them on the deserted ocean sand.

The letter was slowly folded, his fingers dipping into the creases as he felt her hand on his.

"Now do you believe in fate?" He asked, the low rumble of his voice made her tremble deep inside, butterflies flitted in her stomach, and a smile began to slip delicately onto her lips, her eyes taking on a glint of mischief.

"I believe in you." She paused. "I believe in me, and I believe in the universe. I believe in what I can see, what I can touch, what I can taste, what I can hear, smell and feel. I believe in us. I don't need fate." She said as she slipped the paper from his fingertips, and pressed it to her chest. "I just need you." She said, leaning back against him, they watched the ocean waves together as the sun climbed higher in the sky.

"I believe in it too." He whispered, kissing her temple tenderly, letting the ocean waves wash away their worries and fears, as a new day began.

The end.

To my readers and commenters. Thank you. I hope you enjoyed the journey. Thanks to all of my twitter pals, and especially Doc (doctorsuez), Gum (Thnx4thegum) ... I couldn't write half as well if i didn't have you guys cheering me along. :)