This is a follow-up to "Family Comes First" and it may be slightly OOC for some characters, spot on for others, too fluffy and cheesy in some parts, and totally 100% unadulterated hotsweatyomfgBBsex towards the end, not to mention Brennan putting Pulitzer Barbie in her place. I'm done playing nice when it comes to Hannah, and I make no apologies for that.

Spoilers for S6E9 "The Doctor in the Photo"

It is recommended that you read "Family Comes First" before reading this one, but I think I provided enough back-story that you would be okay if you didn't. Your choice, though I would prefer you read both. ;)

It was eleven-twenty on New Year's Eve, and the whole group was assembled at the Founding Fathers for drinks and celebration to bring in the New Year. Everyone ranging from Booth and Brennan, to the brain trust, all of the squinterns, a few of Booth's old Army buddies, Jared and Padme, Max, Caroline Julian, and even Sam Cullen were all present.

The noticeable absence was Hannah.

She had been off on assignment several times before when the group had gotten together for celebrations. It was not unusual for her to be gone, but this time seemed different somehow. No one seemed to know why.

What no one knew was that one of those assignments came on Christmas day, resulting in fallout between her and Booth that caused him to tell her to get out and not come back.

Brennan was there to pick up the pieces that day.

She had been invited to the Booth residence to spend Christmas day with Booth, Hannah, and Parker. Hannah supported Booth's decision to invite his best friend over to spend Christmas with them.

Then on Christmas morning as they were beginning to cook, Hannah received a call. Her boss gave her an assignment (optional, in light of it being Christmas), but she had decided to take the opportunity to chase the story down.

Booth was not happy that her precious story seemed to overrule spending time with him and his son on one of the most important family days of the year. He told her that if she chose the job over his family that she might as well not bother to come back, and she left.

That left the two Booth boys to fix dinner and Bones, unknowingly, to clean up after Hannah's insensitive decision.

Before Brennan had even showed up at the apartment, he had decided that it was for the best. If that phone call had never come, he figured it would have been only a matter of time before another opportunity arose that would force her to choose between her job and his family. It was better that the breakup happened now rather than later. His son was already attached to this woman. He could deal with his own broken heart, but when his son's heart is involved as well…Hannah might as well fall off the face of the earth. He wanted nothing more to do with her.

When Parker asked if Hannah leaving meant that Dr. Bones would be his dad's girlfriend now, the question gave Booth hope that the event had opened up a door that he thought had been permanently slammed shut on the steps of the Hoover. Once they left for different parts of the country, he was sure that the door was locked and the key thrown to the depths of the ocean.

A few weeks ago, when Brennan made her confession to Booth that she had gotten the signal and that she didn't want her decision not to give them a shot to be her biggest regret, he hurt for her. It left a physical pain in him once more. He had hurt her like she hurt him, and he felt like a royal dick for putting her through that. It was as if she just surfaced, wearing a wet suit, holding up the key to the door after fishing it out to the ocean, only for him to take the key and throw it back into the water.

It was heart crushing.

Hannah leaving was like kicking down that door that stood in the way of hope and possibility.

It was a chance for Booth and Brennan to heal their hearts, together. That's what they decided to do.

The rest of Christmas day had been spent with laughter and games between the three, and they had all placed calls to the other important members of their family and putting it on speaker so they could all participate.

When the evening drew late, Booth tucked Parker in to bed and then Parker asked if Dr. Bones would come tuck him in too.

Booth went to go start the cleanup of the day's activities, leaving Parker and Brennan alone together to talk. Parker asked her to take care of his dad and make sure that she helped him see what a horrible choice Hannah was for his dad. After the adorably honest and straightforward conversation, Brennan kissed the boy on his forehead and went off in search of Booth.

He was in the kitchen putting some of the stickier pans in the sink to soak. After doing that, he threw out the trash and set about vacuuming the floor in the living room where they had made a mess earlier in the day. Brennan offered to help, but he insisted that he do it alone. He went around in a cleaning frenzy, almost desperate to erase something from the apartment.

He then went to the linen closet and got out a set of fresh sheets. He walked back to his bedroom. Brennan followed him and upon shyly entering his room, she saw him strip his bed of the sheets and toss them on the floor. After wrangling all of the material off of his mattress, he grabbed his big bottle of Febreze out of his hockey bag and set about spraying the mattress to get rid of her scent. After he did so, he dropped the bottle on the floor and sagged down into a heap on the floor himself.

He had worked himself up and Brennan witnessed it all unfold right before her eyes. He may not regret his decision, but that didn't mean that it would be easy for him to get over Hannah. It was now clear to her that he had been keeping a strong façade all day to keep his son happy and to distract himself from the reality that he was alone again. The thread that held him together all day had finally snapped.

Brennan walked over and sat with him, holding him, on the floor murmuring soft words of comfort to him, telling him that despite what he feels, he isn't alone. He gripped onto her as if she was his lifeline, his only means of survival. He asked her to stay with him that night and promise to just hold him.

She finished putting on the fresh sheets and clean duvet, and helped him up to remove his jeans, leaving him in just his plaid boxers and a white wife beater. She asked him for something more comfortable, and he got her an old t-shirt and a pair of his boxers to change into. She helped him into bed to hold him just as she promised, and they talked into the night about their future and decided that they weren't ready for the physical next step yet. They also decided that they should keep the relationship theirs until they, themselves, had time to process and adjust to their reality.

.

The new couple attended the party together, seemingly as best friends, as they had their entire partnership. Neither gave any indication to the other guests that there had been any change in their status. The only person that knew was Parker, and being a minor, he was not present at this celebration.

The group was well into several drinks past tipsy. Everyone's inhibitions were a little lowered (some more than others), and everyone's personal boundaries seemed to be shrinking as the drinks kept flowing and they hung all over each other, making fools of themselves.

At one point, Sweets kissed Cam and Daisy punched him, but now he was making out with Daisy again after they forgave each other.

Cullen was listening to some old crazy stories from Booth's heyday as an Army Ranger the first time around. Cullen was returning equally crazy stories of some of the situations the partners had found themselves in.

Caroline was being quite lovey-dovey on the delightfully charming ex-criminal, Max, who was reciprocating each of the advances made by the hammered prosecutor.

The only two sober people were Angela, who couldn't drink because of the baby, and Jared, who had finally gotten his act together. As Jared and Padme sat next her talking, Angela eagerly sat back and enjoyed watching everything unfold around her. Oh, the stories from this night were going to be epic, and this year she had the pleasure of being the one sober enough to remember all of it.

Even Booth and Brennan hung all over each other without realizing what they were doing. Because of their inebriated states, nobody else seemed to notice either. That is until they had each excused themselves, not so discreetly, to "go to the restroom" and both of them came back with red swollen lips and disheveled clothes and hair that caught the sober eyes of Angela. She kept her watch on them. Yep, something had changed between them. She watched until she noticed movement in the background. She focused her gaze out of the window.

Across the street, a blond woman stood watching the fun and merriment being had among the group at the bar.

Hannah.

Just standing there. Watching. Like a creeper.

Angela wondered why she would just stand there and not come in. Then, Hannah wiped her eyes, and Angela was sure she was crying. She looked like she was working up the courage to come in to the bar, but she hadn't quite decided yet.

She figured that meant that one of two things happened. Booth was cheating on Hannah with Brennan, or Booth had broken up with Hannah. Knowing Booth as an honorable man with high moral standards, she concluded it was the latter. She also concluded that maybe Booth and Brennan really were together now. If so, she wasn't going to let Hannah ruin their New Year's celebration.

She had to take action.

She got down off of her barstool and grabbed the arm of her best friend and dragged her out of the world where only she and Booth existed. She pulled her over to the corner, leaving a pouting Booth in their wake.

"Bren, Sweetie, I don't know exactly what's changed between you and Booth, but if I'm right, and I usually am, you might want to take care of," she pointed out the window to where Hannah still stood, "that little problem."

Upon seeing Hannah, Brennan got a white-hot streak of fury that raced through her bloodstream. The kind of fury that she felt when she had confronted the son-of-a-bitch who was responsible for killing little Andy's mother. The kind of fury she felt as she watched Booth take a bullet meant for her.

Brennan looked around to make sure Booth was occupied with something else. Upon seeing him laughing his ass off at something Hodgins said and without saying a word, she walked away from Angela and out of the front doors of the bar. She walked across the street, and she contemplated her course of action as she approached Hannah.

She felt like she could honestly kill Hannah for what she did to Booth. She had never understood what drove people to murder before, but now she knew. Of course, she wasn't a psychopath, so she wasn't going to murder anyone, but she now understood the motive behind so many of the murder cases the partners had solved.

Ultimately, she decided that telling off the reporter would be good enough.

That was until Hannah opened her mouth.

"I see that you didn't waste any time; did you, Temperance." Hannah snorted. She had seen how they were hanging all over each other. She had seen how they sat at that table, eyes only for each other.

If Brennan were sober, perhaps she wouldn't have turned this into a physical fight, but she wasn't and that's exactly what happened.

All of her careful control was lost as her open palm flew and collided with Hannah's cheek in a satisfying loud pop. The impact caused Hannah to recoil and lose her balance on the slick sidewalk and she fell to the ground.

The movement outside caught the eyes of a few of the people inside the bar.

"Whoa, What's going on out there? Did you just see my baby girl wail on that poor woman?"

It wasn't long before they had all flocked outside to witness the event, including Booth, who had seen Brennan slap Hannah. He ran toward her until her heard Brennan's voice cut through the cold crisp air of the night, and he stopped in his tracks.

"You didn't listen to me." Brennan told the woman who still sat, shocked by the slap that leveled her. Brennan pointed at her and yelled furiously, "You, he trusted you with his heart. I trusted you with his heart. You crushed it! He loved you. I may have regretted my decision to not be romantically involved with him, but I wanted him to be happy! So I trusted that you would be able to do that!" She turned around to see Booth standing in the middle of the street as he heard her words. "That's all I've ever wanted." She said almost inaudibly before falling to her knees on the snow-covered sidewalk.

Booth was to her side in no time, helping her to stand so that he could bring her into his arms. "Hannah, I think you need to leave, now," he said.

"Wait, Booth. I'm not finished ripping her a new one." Booth raised his eyebrows at her correct usage of the phrase and released her from his embrace. She walked over to where Hannah now stood. "Do you remember what I told you?"

"You wanted me to be sure." Hannah responded, slightly uncomfortable by the growing crowd.

"Do you remember why?"

Hannah looked over to Booth before looking back to Brennan and responding. "You told me Seeley would give himself to me completely, and that I needed to be as serious as he was or it would hurt him. I said I was and told you how lucky he was to have a friend like you."

"I'm very lucky." Booth added, but it was clear he was being ignored at the moment.

"Why didn't you keep your word, Hannah? Oh, don't answer that. A story came up, right? A big one, and you decided that it was more important to you than…"

"Bones, Bones! Stop! She isn't worth it." He took her shoulders and turned her to face him. "I'm yours. Okay? I'm giving myself to you completely now. You make me happy, Temperance." Booth said as he reached up and touched her cheek with the palm of his hand.

There were collective gasps sounding from the crowd of patrons and partygoers as they realized what was being said.

"I'm with you all the way, Bones."

.

Cam elbowed Sweets, "He once told me that same thing," she slurred. "You know, that he was with her all the way. That was when I threatened to fire her. And at the time, we," she gesticulated between her and Booth, "were almost sort of sleeping together again."

"Dude! Really?" He responded.

"Oh, yeah." Angela added.

.

"Come on, Bones. Let's go home." Booth pulled her gently with him with his arms wrapped tightly around her slim waist.

.

Jack Hodgins had just emerged out of the bar, and noticed the intimate hold Booth had on Brennan, "Whoa-ho! That's new."

"Hey Booth, watch where you're putting your hands on my little girl!" Max yelled.

Caroline came up behind Max, "Cher, if she didn't want his hands where they are she would have dislocated his shoulder by now."

Booth ignored Max and kept his focus on Brennan.

"But Booth. It's not midnight yet. We'll miss the celebration as the…"

"That's okay, Bones. I only need to be with you." Booth said when he turned to look at her face as her head rested on his shoulder.

"Booth, the twinkle in your eye caused by the dilation of your pupils tells me that you are aroused."

"Yeah, well, my beautiful alpha female just defended my honor, I think that gives me all of the proof I need that we are ready to take the next step."

"You mean sexually," she stated more than asked.

"Yes, Bones. I'm making love to my girl tonight."

"Right now?"

"Yes, well no. Not here. At home, where I want to take us, now."

"We'll miss the fireworks on the TV in the bar, and we won't get to sing that awful song." Brennan faked a pout as they started to walk towards Booth's SUV.

"Baby, you won't be missing any fireworks tonight."

"That was waaay cheesy, Booth."

"It was; wasn't it?"

Cullen ran after them, and stole Booth's keys. "Nah-uh, big boy, not in the company car. You're both drunk. Take a cab. I'll even call it for you."

Angela thanked Cullen for his quick thinking and action, and took Booth's keys and his own from him before addressing Booth and Brennan. "Now, go inside and wait so that you don't freeze your hot asses off."

Then she turned to the rest of the crowd. "That goes for all of you stumbling fools. Keys. Now." She said as she held out her open hands collecting the keys of her friends. She directed them all back inside as Hannah walked away into the night.

.

The clock stuck midnight when Booth and Brennan were in the cab with an older gentleman named Luke. When he asked the couple what their resolutions were, only silence was returned. He looked up to see them lip locked. He smiled as he remembered the kisses that he and his late wife shared each New Year, hoping to set the bar for things to come in the year.

.

The trek up the sidewalk and up the stairs leading to the Booth's apartment above the liquor store seemed to take forever as they fought the urge to rip each other's clothes off.

Booth thanked God that Rebecca had taken Parker back the day before. While he loved his son, he was very much looking forward to making love to his Bones. Uninhibited, sweaty, sensual, intense, ohsofuckinghotsex. With Bones. Lots of it.

By the time Booth had opened the door, Brennan had his cocky belt buckle unfastened along with working on getting her scarf and coat off of herself.

As heavy winter wear was shed and tossed onto the couch lips met and hands made explorations.

Shoes were kicked off as they breathlessly continued the mutual attacks on their mouths.

Brennan's hands made quick work on the buttons of Booth's black button down shirt. She was glad to find that he had not bothered with his usual undershirt, giving her quicker access to his bare chest and abdominal muscles. He shifted his shoulders, allowing the material to fall to the floor as they slowly made their way through the living room toward the hallway.

Booth unzipped her hot purple and black dress that hugged her curves and left him wanting to grope her ever since he'd first seen her in it. He slid the material down her shoulders, and the dress fell to her feet, making it difficult to walk. She paused slightly and he backed her up against the wall as she kicked the dress off her feet.

The torrent of lips and tongues continued as Brennan worked to unbutton and unzip Booth's dark jeans to lower them so he could step out of the material as well. Booth pulled away from her mouth and held her hands as he stood at arms length away admiring her silky smooth white skin. He took the time to document a few of the finer details: light freckles on her chest and shoulders, firm flat tummy, adorable little belly button, the oh-so-tiny purple bra and panty set that she was wearing.

"Beautiful, Bones."

Just as he was mapping her body with his eyes, she was doing the same. Every definition of his muscles in his abdomen, the planes of his chest, the tiny firm darkened nipples, the smooth hairless skin, the external obliques that scooped down from his sides to give his hips definition as the boxers hung low on his waist, his perfect acromion, his warm skin tone, and scars—old and new. One in particular caught her eye, and the second she spotted it and he saw her face pale and her body tense, he knew what she saw. The tiny puckered scar on his chest from when he took a bullet that was meant for her.

"Bones, I—"

"No, don't, Booth. Don't apologize for that." She interrupted softly. "I'm fine. I just forget sometimes. That's all. I should have remembered. It just caught me by surprise. It's not like I've seen your bare chest all that much."

"That changes tonight, Bones."

"I know."

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, You?"

"You have no idea."

"I think I do, Booth."

He placed a kiss on one hand before he dropped it from his grasp, but kept the other as he guided her back to his room.

"Booth?"

"Yeah?"

"You're beautiful, too."

"Thanks, Bones. I'd have chosen a more manly word, but… thanks."

"You're welcome." She smiled a bright smile as he looked into her eyes and brought his face towards hers. They rested their foreheads against each other as their breaths mingled and their bodies were caressing each other with skin seeking more skin and hands venturing to places previously unexplored.

"I feel like a teenager who doesn't know where to begin," Brennan whispered. Her fingernails lightly ran over his back.

"I know what you mean. I don't want to mess it up." He kissed her cheek before moving his mouth down her jaw to her throat.

"This is going to be different isn't it?"

"I think so. We haven't even done anything yet, and I feel more love drunk than I did with anyone else."

"Well, you are drunk, Booth," Brennan reasoned catching his earlobe in her mouth.

"No, not like that. I mean, this is going to be our last first time, right? I'm drunk off of you, Bones. You are intoxicating. I've never felt this way, like I can't get enough of you."

"I suppose what you are describing is similar to how I feel about you. None of my other sexual concourses have had me so drawn in and in tune with my sexual partner as I feel I am with you right now."

"I am not just a sexual partner, Bones." He unhooked her bra and slid the straps down her arms and tossed the tiny little thing to God knows where. "This isn't going to be like that." He brought his lips down her neck and to her flushed chest. The mounds, now uncovered, were indescribable and completely his. All his. He massaged each breast with his hands before moving his mouth to lave around the pebbled nipple, frustrating Brennan. She reached up and spread her hand through the hair on his head to guide him to where she wanted.

"I know. At the end of the evening, you won't leave me."

Her nipple popped from his mouth, and he spoke before moving to the other breast, "Of course not, we are in my house."

"You know what I mean." She lightly pinched his side.

"Never. I will never leave you," he promised.

"Last first time." She repeated his words and closed her mouth onto his after she pulled him away from her chest.

"Last first time." He repeated as they sealed their promises with another searing hot kiss.

Tongues rubbing.

Teeth nipping.

Saliva and breaths mixing.

Gentle.

Caressing.

Loving.

Tender.

Intense.

Fierce.

Intimate.

Their hands continued to run the length of each other's bodies as they pressed closer and closer and ground against each other.

Booth's erection was digging into her just above her pubis and just below her bellybutton.

Booth backed Brennan up to the edge of the bed and gently eased her down. He kissed down her throat, chest, and abdomen before stopping right above where the waistband of her panties laid. He nudged his fingers below the material and slid them down her thighs and legs.

Once free Brennan did a slow crawl backwards up the bed, and as he admired her perfect body, he lowered his boxers and climbed up over her. As he crawled over her, he stopped occasionally to pepper kisses on her legs. When he was about to run his tongue the length of her opening, she reached down to place her hand in his way.

"No." She said softly, but firm in her stance. "While I am fairly open to anything sexually, nobody has done that, and while you may be the first I'm willing to trust with something as intimate as cunnilingus, it isn't happening tonight."

"I understand. I won't push for that if you aren't comfortable." He said as he skipped over that particular part of her anatomy with his mouth.

"Thank you."

"For understanding?"

"Yes."

"Anything for the woman I love."

"Booth?"

"Hmm?" he hummed his response into her hip.

"You-you know that I love you, too. Right?"

He closed his eyes and let the words get absorbed into his mind.

"Yes, Bones. I do know."

He recovered nicely by kissing her stomach and swirling his tongue in and around her navel. Then he ran his tongue up her belly and straddled her keeping his weight on his knees so he could reach up and play with her breasts before bringing his mouth back up to hers.

He lowered his weight onto her slightly as Brennan moved underneath him creating a delicious friction between their heated skin. The tip of his penis brushed lightly against the opening of her hot wet center.

In a ninja like move from below him, Brennan flipped them over and pinned him down as she straddled him pressing their sexes firmly against each other, and in a move of equal fervor he flipped them back over.

"No, Bones. I'm driving."

"Alpha male."

He bent his head down toward her breast and took her nipple between his teeth as he reached down between her legs to check to see if she was ready for him.

"Oh, oh God. Booth! Please!" She cried as she dug her nails into his shoulder.

"Ah-ha, I knew you'd see the Light someday." He said before bringing his hot mouth right next to her ear. "Are you ready," he whispered, hotly.

He then pulled his head up over hers and gazed down into her eyes with the famous Seeley Booth charm smile. As she smiled back and gave a slight nod, he positioned himself until he was resting slightly within her sheath. He moved his hips forward slowly, penetrating her and stretching her. Her head titled back into his pillow as her body arched toward his.

A little over two years of celibacy, on her part, made her ultra tight as he entered. So much so, that he was afraid to hurt her. He gave her time to adjust before moving.

"Temperance, look at me."

Her teary blue eyes locked onto his.

Panic hit him. "Oh, God, Bones! Am I hurting you?"

"No, no. You're perfect." She pulled him down to her to secure his mouth to hers. At first, their lips ghosted over each other's. Then, as he started making slow thrusts into her, the kisses became real caresses of the lips followed by another torrent of passion.

As she got closer to her climax and both of their breathing had sped up erratically, she moved below him to match his thrusts. She brought both of her legs up and over his hips locked tightly against his back, drawing him deeper and deeper into her.

Their moans and her shrieks of joy and pleasure echoed throughout the room and apartment. Booth reached down and brought one of her knees above his arm to rest her leg above his shoulder and pushed up slightly giving him more leverage and a better angle as he slammed deeper and harder into her with his movements becoming more frantic and desperate.

"You with me, Bones?" He grunted out.

"Ah," she was caught between the paramount need to breathe and wanting to scream. "Oh, shit. I'm-I-YES!"

"Oh, Lord. I love you so much Bones."

"Love, ah, loveyoutoo! Oh my God, BOOTH!"

He sped his thrusting up and the tight coil that threatened to make them both pass out exploded into a maelstrom of flutters, spasms, and rush of emotions as they came together and rode the waves back down to earth.

Booth collapsed and as he rolled to his side, he brought her with him, not wanting to break their contact yet.

"That was…" She didn't finish her thought because she couldn't find an adequate word to describe the feeling she had.

"I'm speechless, too, Bones. Whew! Holy shit, Bones."

"Booth, I fail to see how fecal matter can have a divine quality."

"Bones, put the brain away and just feel." He placed a big wet kiss on her forehead.

"Oh, trust me; I felt that!" She said as she moved her body to where she was laying with her cheek resting on his rising and falling chest. She saw the scar on his chest again, and quickly placed a kiss to it before settling back down on him.

"Good."

"No, great." She retorted adding a little tap of her index finger on his pectoral before drawing circles.

"Now, Bones, wouldn't you be the one to say that good and great are symbiotic and are therefore redundant?"

"You mean synonymous, and that would be correct, if I could think clearly."

"You seem to be correcting me just fine."

"Well, that's because I know you caked that up on purpose. You know what symbiotic means. You've used it enough to describe our partnership over the years."

"Caked? Uh, oh! You mean fudged. I fudged it up. Yeah, I did."

A few minutes of silence passed between them as they lay across his bed still trying to regain equilibrium within their bodies.

"Booth?" Brennan said breaking the silence.

"Hmm?" She could tell he was half-asleep. She needed him to be fully awake to make her a promise.

"Open your eyes and look at me." She commanded softly and he complied. "I need you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"No more shiny baubles."

"I promise. No more shiny baubles."

OMFGWHOA! It's amazing how easy it is to write B&B smut. Or maybe a tad bit creepy. Idk, but you know you love to read it or you wouldn't have. I, personally, am shameless to say that I love to write it and read it.

**I've been asked several times about the last two lines of this fic. It's a reference to Brennan's toast at Booth's b-day party in "The Con Man in the Meth Lab".**

Glad I got this posted before I have to go teach my preschoolers. It's always hard to concentrate after an afternoon with them, especially on a Monday following a break. Please pray for my sanity.

XOXO,
CrayonClown