EPILOGUE

AN: I think I may have confused a few people with my note at the end of chapter 15, I meant a month into the future of the story, not an actual month before I posted. Anyway, here it is… and remember, this chapter is Rated M

One month later….

Dr. Goodman walked down the familiar halls, with a soft smile on his lips. Damn he missed this place. Although, his sabbatical had been amazing, he grew more and more nostalgic each day. He missed the intrigue and adventure that came along with working for the Jeffersonian, and he missed his colleges. Hell, he even missed Hodgins. Of course, not even threat of death could get him to admit that to anyone.

Swiping his security access card, he entered the lab… and paused. Miss Montenegro, Zack, and Hodgins stood below the platform, each of them wearing a similar pained look on their face.

He opened his mouth to ask what was going on, when a familiar voice drifted down from the platform. "You're wrong." Dr. Temperance Brennan spat. Closing his mouth, he frowned. While the voice was the same… there was something different about it. A heat that had never been there before.

"Oh right, because the famous Dr. Brennan couldn't possibly be wrong." Said another woman, which he could only presume to be Dr. Camille Saroyan. "You think you're so smart."

He heard Temperance snort. "I am 'so smart' my IQ is—"

"I don't give a damn about your IQ" Dr. Saroyan shouted. Frown deepening, he walked over to the three onlookers. Something was definitely up, and he planned on finding out what.

"Nice to see things have been running smoothly in my absence." He said sarcastically. All three spun around at the sound of his baritone voice. Angela's face lit up when she saw him, and she threw her arms around his neck. "Thank God you're back."

After she released him, the two men took turns shaking his hand, and expressing their own happiness at his return. Again, he wondered what exactly transpired in his absence.

"Damn it, Cam, look at these abrasions. This was not a suicide." Temperance tried again.

"I don't see sufficient evidence to support your claim. Therefore, my official ruling is suicide." The haughty tone caused Dr. Goodman to scowl. He had only met Dr. Saroyan a couple of times, but he had instantly disliked her. Her arrogance knew no bounds.

Ready to jump in and defend Brennan, the anthropologist's next words caused his mouth to drop.

"You stupid cunt! Just because you have a personal dislike of me I will not let you jeopardize this investigation. Our job is to find the facts, and the fact is that this is not a fucking suicide." With a quick glance at Angela, he saw that she was just as surprised as he was by the use of language. He wasn't sure if he had ever heard a curse tumble from Dr. Brennan's lips.

He couldn't suppress the chuckle that bubbled up from his throat. "This happen often?"

Angela shook her head. "No, they usually stay out of each others way." At the sound of scuffling, all four rushed up the stairs, ready to break up whatever fight was ensuing.

When they reached the top, they found Temperance pressing Dr. Saroyan's face dangerously close to the remains on the table, with the woman's arm twisted unnaturally behind her back. When Temperance saw Dr. Goodman, her face lit up. Releasing the woman, she ran toward him and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. He stumbled back, surprised at the show of affection, it was so out of character for her, he could only gape.

She must have realized what she was doing, because she stepped back and gave him a sheepish look. "I'm very happy that you're back." She told him, and then her eyes lit up, "does this mean that Cam is no longer needed?"

Dr. Goodman couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Well, the powers that be were going to leave the decision to me, whether to keep her on board or not. Seeing how well the two of you get along, I'm going to opt with not."

"Fuck you all!" The woman in question spat. She pushed past Zack, nearly knocking him down in her haste to leave.

"My, my, what exactly have I missed?" He couldn't help but ask.

Temperance and Angela exchanged looks. "Hodgin's and I were buried alive." Watching his eyes grow wide, she added, "well Zack got blown up."

"Bren was abducted." Angela threw in.

"I think I need to sit." Dr. Goodman said, looking ill. Buried alive, blown up, kidnapped… again. He was starting to rethink his decision to return, when the biggest shock of all came.

"Mommy!" Turning at the sound of an exuberant child, Dr. Goodman looked over the rail of the platform, to see a small boy, looking suspiciously like Booth's son, running toward them. He looked back at the group, confused, when Temperance pushed past him, and ran down the stairs. He watched with fascination and more then a little befuddlement, as Temperance scooped the child up, and swung him around.

"Mommy?" He questioned, wondering again, what the hell he had missed.

Before anyone could answer, Booth came around the corner, smiling widely at the anthropologist. Hooking his arm around her waste, he dragged her against his body, and crushed his lips against hers.

"Oh, and then there is that." Angela said, grinning from ear to ear. "Welcome back Dr. Goodman.

Fantasies of making love with Booth had played through Temperance's head for the past month, igniting a maelstrom of need. She had broached the subject several times, each time gaining the same response. "Not yet." He didn't think her body was strong enough yet to handle the extent of his passion. She disagreed.

"So what are we going to do tonight?" She asked Booth as they entered their apartment. Temperance was slightly curious as to why Booth arranged to have Parker stay with Angela and Jack for the night.

Booth clasped her hands and dragged her into his arms. "You and I have some unfinished business to attend to."

"Yes, I believe we do." With a whisper of a sigh, she rose on her tiptoes, pulled his face closer, pressed her lips against his, and kissed him.

Booth closed his eyes, sinking every raging emotion into the kiss. A moan reverberated from her throat, and a surge of white-hot excitement shot through him. He ran his hands over her silky hair, drew her closer, probed her lips apart with his tongue and tasted the inside of her mouth. She was warm and sweet and delicious, like honey. His heart was pounding, his body pulsing with raw desire, and he ran his hands down her shoulders, lowered his mouth to nibble at her neck, the sensitive lobe of her ear. She sighed, dropping her head back to offer him deeper access. Then he lowered his fingers, to slowly unbutton her blouse, inhaling sharply as her lace clad breasts came into view. Seconds later, the rest of her cloths joined her shirt in a pile on the floor. He cupped and kneaded her mounds, licking and kissing the soft peaks, biting at the rigid points until she writhed against him.

"God, Booth… I never knew it could feel like this"

"Like what, Bones?"

"Like I'd die if I didn't get closer to a man. The burn, the ache. I want you so badly it hurts." She whispered.

Her soft admission fueled his hunger, and he picked her up and carried her into their bedroom. Placing her on the bed, he let his eyes drink in the sight of her. His breath caught in chest, and all he could do was stare at the beauty that was Temperance Brennan.

A purely feminine smile curved her mouth, as she ran her fingers through his hair. "I want to see you, too." She had slept in his arms every night for over a month, and yet she still hadn't seen him naked.

"Later…" He growled. Slowly he lowered his head, licked and tasted her breast, and traced a fiery trail of kisses down her flat belly.

She threw her head back, moaned, and clutched at his arms. "Booth, please…"

"Shh, baby, we have all night. I don't want to hurry." He raised his head and looked at her, while spreading her legs with his hands. "I've waited two years for this."

Her cheeks flushed, as he lowered his head to the heart of her. Temperance arched and groaned, fingers tightening around the sheets as he lifted her hips with his hands and plunged his tongue deep inside her. In. out. A flick of his tongue across her damp center and she went wild, bucking and crying out in pleasure, as her body spasmed in ecstasy.

"Damn it, Booth. Get those damn clothes off." She practically snarled. Chuckling at her impatience, he pulled his shirt over his head, as Temperance was fumbling with the buttons of his pants.

Finally he was naked, and Temperance traced her hand along his jaw, then lower to his hard chest, then down his flat stomach. His muscles tensed, and his sex throbbed harder as she explored him.

He flipped her onto her back and rose above her, pausing long enough to stare into her eyes before he thrust himself into her. He remained still for a moment, giving her body time to get use to the size of him, before he began moving. She groaned and gripped his arms, clinging to him as he lowered his mouth and kissed her again. The kisses were tender, but quickly became urgent as the heat between them built to a raging inferno. His hands roamed everywhere, teasing, torturing, and his body filled her to the core, joining them so deeply, that she knew Booth would forever be a part of her. Love soared in her heart as the first tremors of her release rocked through her and her muscles clenched around him. And when he cried out her name in a gruff whisper, she vowed that nothing would tear them apart, that Booth would be hers forever.

As he collapsed on top of her, emotionally, and physically spent, she whispered his name.

"Booth?" Her hand was drawing small patterns on his back, making it hard for him to think clearly.

"Yeah?"

"Will you marry me?" Booth let out a bark of laughter. Leave it to his Bones to propose to him.

"Yeah, Bones. Under one condition…"

"What's that?"

"You let me buy you a ring, get on one knee… be the guy."

"If that's what you want."

He smiled down at her, and brushed his lips against hers. "It really is."

AN: Well there it is. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Now I want every one to review and tell me what they thought. It's been fun!