So here it is. The final chapter. iI's been an awesome ride and I thank you all for your comments along the way. Don't forget to leave a review for this last chapter.

Brennan sits impatiently in a wheelchair inside her hospital room, tapping her fingernails on the arm. Dr Harris has discharged her after a week of bed rest and she is anxious to leave, despite not being able to go home to her own apartment. Booth is supposed to be picking her up and taking her to a temporary apartment she is renting until she decides whether to move back to her old place one the refurbishment is complete or sell it on and move to a brand new place. Part of her wants to just sell the apartment and never go back after what happened there. But another part had begun to feel at home in that apartment and she isn't sure if she's ready to give up those feelings.

"Finally." She rolls her eyes and sighs heavily as Booth walks through the door with a small bounce in his step.

"So, you ready to go Bones?" Booth asks as he claps his hands together.

"I've been ready for an hour." She attempts to wheel herself forward but with her broken arm she is having difficulty.

"I got it Bones, I got it." Booth says quickly as he moves behind her and begins pushing the wheelchair.

"I could have done it myself." She pouts.

"I know but you want to get out of here today right?" he leans down and whispers in her ear. Brennan cocks her head to the side to look at him and a smile crosses her face.

"Let's go."

Xxxx

Half an hour later Booth pulls up to a small building near the Jeffersonian. Brennan had wanted to live close to work. The number of hours she works mean at the end of the day the last thing she wants is a long commute home.

"So this is the place Angela found?" Brennan peers out the window at the old brick building. Since she was in the hospital, Brennan trusted her best friend to find and rent a place on her behalf.

"It has a 24 hour doorman and security cameras on all floors, entrances and exits." Booth explains. He doesn't need anyone to tell him that Brennan needs to feel secure right now.

"Good." She replies quietly while Booth turns off the engine and unbuckles his seatbelt.

"You need a hand?" he asks, turning to her.

"No, I'm fine." She nods as she takes off her seatbelt just a little awkwardly because of the cast on her arm.

"Okay, I'll just get your stuff from the back then." Booth hops out the SUV and jogs around the back while Brennan climbs out. She rests all her weight on her good leg before tentatively taking a few steps. Her ankle had healed quite well but it was still a little swollen and sore to walk on.

"You good?" Booth asks, as he walks at her side while she heads slowly to the front entrance.

"I'm…good." She smiles and nods, not failing to notice how Booth keeps pace with her all the way to the door, just in case she needs any help. It takes them ten minutes to get inside and up to Brennan's new apartment. Booth unlocks the door and holds it open as Brennan limps inside. He hovers by the door as she takes in the sparse decoration and furnishings.

"It's not much, I know." He nods. "Depending how long you stay, we could maybe get you some more stuff, you know, a few throws, cushions…"

"It's fine Booth." Brennan interrupts him. "It's…fine." She sighs and walks a little further inside. Booth takes this as a good sign and he follows her in, firmly closing the door behind him before dropping her bag on the floor.

"What's that?" Brennan points to three boxes sitting almost hidden behind the couch. Booth peers around and sees that she has spotted the boxes.

"Oh, that." He smiles and walks over to them. "Uh, while you were in the hospital this week, the guys and I went to your apartment." He pulls the boxes over to the couch and gestures for Brennan to take a seat. She complies, curious about what he is going to show her.

"We rescued what we could. Some of it was burned beyond hope." Booth opens the first box and Brennan immediately spots familiar items.

"You did this?" she asks, looking into the box and pulling out an African fertility statue she brought back from one of her trips.

"Not just me. Angela, Zach and Hodgins helped."

"I…I don't know…what to say." Brennan replies, feeling tears building up behind her eyes.

"There are a few photos that are just singed around the edges." Booth lifts a picture frame from the pile to show her. She laughs lightly when she sees it is one of her favourite ones. It's a photo of her, the squints and Booth in Wong Fu's taken last year. She fingers the frame as Booth continues rummaging in the box. "And I'm not sure how he survived but…" Booth lifts something out the box, hides it in his hand then presents it to Brennan. Almost unscathed, little Jasper the pig sits on Booth's palm. She inhales a sharp breath and a few tears escape from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks. She knows its silly but to her, Jasper represents her relationship with Booth and she had been devastated when she thought the little toy pig had been burned in the fire.

"Hey." Booth smiles and quickly wipes the tears away with the pad of his thumb.

"Thank you." Brennan says quietly as she clutches Jasper tightly.

"Well, I'll leave you to sort through this stuff, see if you want to keep it all." He rises to his feet. "Angela stocked the fridge. I'm pretty sure there's a bottle of wine in there too." He waggles his eyebrows.

"Uh Booth." Brennan stops him in his tracks. He turns to look at her but she keeps her focus on Jasper.

"Yeah Bones?"

"Would you, um, maybe you could stay for dinner?" she asks, finally turning to look at him.

"Sure Bones." Booth nods and takes his seat back on the couch. He isn't quite ready to leave her anyway but he didn't want to impose if she wanted some time to herself to gather her thoughts. "Want me to order take-out?" he asks, pulling his cell from his jacket pocket.

"Sounds good." Brennan places Jasper on the small table beside the couch and rises to her feet.

xxxx

As Booth places a call to have Thai delivered, Brennan moves through to the kitchen. She pulls open the fridge and examines the contents. Smiling, she pulls the bottle of white wine from the shelf and places it on the counter. As soon as she hears Booth end his call she turns to him, leaning against the counter gently to avoid hurting her still slightly sore back.

"Cam called me at the hospital before you arrived." She says.

"Oh?" Booth twists to look at her.

"The board has reinstated me." She nods.

"Well that's great Bones."

"The magazine is also printing a full page apology. My lawyer threatened to sue the owners for everything they have now that the story has been proven false if they didn't."

"You're not suing?" Booth asks. Brennan turns and opens a couple of cupboards until she finds one with glasses in it. She tucks the wine bottle under her arm and carries the glasses by the stem in her good hand.

"I thought about it but I just want to forget all this ever happened. The magazine offered a settlement which I've accepted."

"Oh yeah?" Booth grins, wondering how much the magazine is offering.

"I don't care about the money." She tells him firmly.

"I know Bones." He nods.

"I'm making a donation to the Jeffersonian and to several charities." She explains as she sits down. Booth pulls the wine bottle from her and places it on the coffee table.

"So you'll be back at work next week then?" Booth asks as he fishes in his pocket for his keys. He has a bottle opener on the keychain which he uses to open the wine.

"Yes." Brennan nods. "I've rested long enough."

"A week Bones, you've been in hospital for a week." Booth laughs as he pours two glasses.

"And I was bored." She shrugs.

"Well you won't listen to me if I tell you to take some more time so…" he trails off.

"I think I'm keeping my apartment too." She nods. "My insurance will cover all the repairs but it'll take a while. This place will be fine until then."

"You sure? It's not much."

"It's enough." She smiles. She has her life. Everything else is a bonus.

Xxxx

A take-out order and a bottle of wine later, Brennan and Booth are sprawled out on the couch watching an old black and white movie on the simple television set before them. Brennan stifles a yawn with her hand and shifts positions, bringing her legs up onto the couch and curling them at her side.

"Maybe I should go." Booth suggests. "You look like you need some sleep."

"No." Brennan answers quickly, her body tensing up momentarily. Booth notices and twists to face her.

"Bones?" he asks, his hand finding her shoulder.

"Maybe you could stay a little longer? I mean the movie isn't over yet." she asks. Booth realises that despite the front she is putting up, she doesn't want to be alone and he is not about to leave her.

"Sure Bones." He nods. "I'll stay as long as you want." His hand slides across her back and he draws her to him. She settles down with her head between the crook of his arm and his chest.

"Thanks Booth." She replies quietly. "And thank you." She adds.

"What for?"

"For keeping your promise." He looks at her quizzically. "For making everything alright." Booth doesn't know how to reply. He doesn't feel he did keep his promise. So he just remains quiet and gives her a squeeze.

An hour into the movie, Brennan feels exhaustion taking her and her eyes flutter closed. With Booth's arm around her holding her tight, she feels safe and secure and she drifts off to sleep with ease. Booth remains wide awake however, his attention no longer on the television but on his partner. As he watches her sleeping, he knows something has changed. He nearly lost her twice in almost as many days and each time he felt like his insides were being ripped out. In the past he may have been able to tell himself that they were just partners, just friends. But he knows now that that isn't true. His feelings for Temperance go deeper, much deeper. And one day he knows he's going to have to face up to them. But for now he is happy in the knowledge that she is safe, in his arms.