AN: Once again I would like to thank CalleighAryn for her many wonderful suggestions (I wish that every writer could have such a thoughtful editor) and all my reviewers for their support. I took extra time on this to make sure the story ended well. Hope you enjoy!

AN2: This chapter contains some smut, but nothing too explicit.

Three Months Later

"I knew you'd come to visit me." Sam Carter sat across from Booth in a prison interview room while a guard stood outside. "Dr. Brennan's already been here. You know, a lot of chicks are attracted to guys in prison; they like the whole bad boy image. I could tell she was hot for me."

Bones didn't tell me she went to see Carter, Booth thought. Is he making that up to try to upset me? When he noticed the cast on Carter's wrist, he had his answer. "Were you stupid enough to call Bones a 'chick' when she came to see you? Is that why she broke your wrist?"

Carter scowled. "No, one of my cell mates did that."

Booth knew he was lying now. "Uh huh. I understand that a tough guy like you wouldn't want to admit that a woman hurt him. On the other hand, you are a former cop in prison; I'm sure you're getting plenty of beatings," he said happily.

"Is that why you're here? You want to beat me up too so you can prove to yourself that you're a real man?"

He's still trying to make me mad. "As much fun as it would be to kick your ass, that's not why I came."

"Then what do you want?" Carter snapped. He was annoyed that Booth hadn't been angered by his earlier comment about Brennan.

"To thank you, of course," Booth answered, smiling broadly.

The smile infuriated Carter. He knew how he could wipe it off his face right now. "You want to thank me for killing Dr. Brennan's boyfriend because you weren't man enough to do it yourself. If it wasn't for me, they'd probably still be dating and you'd still be lusting after her on the sidelines, too weak to make your move. Now that Spencer's out of the way, you can go on pretending that you have a chance with her...at least until the next pretty boy comes along."

Booth laughed. I'm not falling for it this time. You like pissing people off? Well, watch how an expert does it. "You're wrong. I want to thank you for bringing Bones and me closer together. If it wasn't for you, Bones would still be just my partner. Thanks to you and the trial, though, she's now my partner and my girlfriend. Because of you, I hold her and touch her and kiss her whenever and wherever I want. Because of you, I fall asleep with her by my side. Some nights I like to watch her sleep and think about how lucky I am to have her in my life. Ours has been the best relationship I've ever had, and I owe it all to you. So the next time you and one of your new boyfriends decide to hook up on those nice, clean prison beds, I want you to remember that I'm making love to the most beautiful woman in the world...all because of you."

"You sonofabitch!" Carter yelled, lunging at him across the table. "She should have been MINE!"

Booth leapt up, brought his fist back, and punched him in the face as hard as he could, knocking him to the floor. He quickly walked around the table to see the damage he had inflicted. Carter's face was covered in blood and he was screaming like a baby. Booth had been dreaming about this moment since the day Carter had insulted Bones in the courtroom, but the reality was even more gratifying. He grinned as he stood over him. "She doesn't belong to anyone, least of all a bastard like you."

Carter yelled for the guard like an injured child calling for a parent. "Help! He broke my nose!"

"It was self-defense," Booth said when the guard entered the room. "He was going to attack me."

"I'm sure you did what you had to do," the guard said. "Are you alright, Agent Booth?"

Pain was shooting through his fingers, but he didn't care. It had been worth it. "His face hurt my fist a little, but I'll be okay." Leaning in close to Carter, he whispered, "I'll have Bones kiss it better tonight. One more thing before they drag your sorry ass out of here. If you have any fantasies about escaping from prison and going after Bones, know this: if you EVER come near her again, I'll break your nose again...along with every bone in your body." He turned to the guard. "We're done here."

The guard picked Carter off of the floor. With a satisfied smile, Booth watched him, sobbing and holding a hand over his bleeding nose, being led back to his cell. "You go have fun with your cell mates," Booth taunted. "I'm going to go see Bones."

XXXXXXXXXX

"You're looking very content today," Brennan observed when Booth swiped his key card to enter the platform. Angela stood beside her, showing her a sketch of their latest murder victim.

"I'm madly in love with a beautiful, intelligent woman," Booth said as he walked over to Brennan and kissed her cheek. "Of course I'm content."

"You guys are so cute," Angela said for the millionth time.

"And I also broke Carter's nose," Booth added cheerfully.

Angela let out an excited squeal and gave him a hug. "Way to go, Booth! It's about time! He was long overdue for an ass-kicking. I have a few more sketches to finish, but I expect to get all the details later." She left Booth and Brennan alone on the platform.

Brennan pretended to be upset by his news. "You shouldn't have done that. I don't want you getting in trouble again."

He flashed her the good old Seeley Booth charm smile. "Don't worry, Bones. It was self-defense. Carter tried to attack me, so I was merely protecting myself."

"What happened? Are you okay?" She asked anxiously.

He loved that she was concerned. "I gave him a taste of his own medicine. I messed with him just like he messed with me when he was on the stand. But I'm fine, he didn't even touch me."

"He's lucky. If he had hurt you, I'd have to break his other wrist, because no one messes with MY Booth." She gave him a playful pat on his rear.

"Thanks, Bones." He slid his arm around her waist. "So why didn't you tell me you broke his wrist in the first place? Why didn't you tell me you went to see him?"

Brennan had hoped to avoid this conversation. "I have to go. I have work to do."

She tried to walk away from him but he held onto her. "Your bones aren't going anywhere. Just tell me what happened."

She thought about trying to stall him, but she knew it was pointless. He would keep asking until she told him. "I went to see him a couple days ago. I wanted him to know how much he had failed. He said that I had come to visit him because a part of me was attracted to him, and that I secretly admired him for killing Nathan. Then he touched me with his creepy stalker/killer hands, so I did what I had to do."

That's my girl. "But why didn't you ask me to come with you?"

"You didn't ask me to come with you," she argued.

"I went to see him alone because I couldn't have said the things I had to say to provoke him if you had been in the room." You would have kicked my ass for saying I could touch you whenever I wanted. "Why did you go alone?"

"I was alone when he tried to blackmail me in my own apartment, and I was alone when he was waiting outside my door. I wanted to confront him alone so I could turn the tables on him and take charge of the situation. I don't need you to protect me all the time."

"I know that, and I understand that you're used to taking care of things on your own. But remember that you're not alone anymore. One of the great things about being in a relationship is that you have someone to support you whenever you need it. The next time you go confront a killer, you can ask me to watch your back."

"And you can ask me to watch your back the next time you confront a killer," she countered.

"Deal," he said. "I've never had a girlfriend who could beat up a guy for me. It's kind of nice."

The word 'girlfriend' still sounded strange to her ears. "You'd do the same for me," she said, smiling at her partner. No, not just my partner... my boyfriend. "So did you come here today just to tell me about Carter's broken nose, or do we have a new case?"

"No new case. I actually came here to take you out to lunch."

"That's very kind of you, but I don't have the time." She slipped out of his grasp and walked over to an examining table. "I really do have a lot of work."

He followed her to the table. "I know you hate to stop to eat when you're really busy, but it's not healthy to skip meals. We'll get something quick, I promise." Seeing she was still unconvinced, he added: "If you come with me, I'll tell you how Carter wailed like a baby when I hit him." He smiled at her to seal the deal.

Brennan found it hard to say no to him when he smiled like that. "Just give me ten minutes to finish what I was working on."

XXXXXXXXXX

Twenty five minutes later they were on their way. "Sorry that took longer than I expected," Brennan said as they drove.

Booth had known it would. She was too dedicated to her job to rush an analysis. "Don't worry about it, Bones...you're worth waiting for. So do you want to eat at the diner, or do you have another place in mind? Are you craving anything in particular?"

His question brought a wicked grin to her lips. I am hungry, she realized as she admired his symmetrical features, but not for food. "Just you."

Booth was instantly aroused. He was always amazed at how much she could affect him with so few words. "Really?"

"Really," she said, putting her hand on his thigh. "Maybe we could go to my place and you could help me satisfy my craving."

Booth's mouth was suddenly dry. "That..uh...sounds good to me." Making an illegal U-turn, he sped towards her apartment.

"Can we turn the siren on?" Brennan asked.

She sounded like Parker, and Booth found himself using his parental tone. "Bones, the siren is not a toy. It's for official FBI business. I can't use it just because I can't wait to have sex with you."

"If you're going to drive this fast, it's only logical to use the siren," she reasoned.

God help me, I can't deny her anything. "Okay. Just this once." He reached for the button, but she swatted his hand away, wanting to push it herself.

With the siren now warning people to stay out of their way, they reached Brennan's apartment in record time.

XXXXXXXXXX

Normally Booth liked to take his time, wanting their lovemaking sessions to last as long as possible. Considering that they were on their lunch break, however, there was no time now for lengthy foreplay. He barely waited for the door of Bones' apartment to close behind them before capturing her mouth with his and attacking the buttons on her blouse.

When he had conquered the last button, he slid her blouse down her arms, letting it fall to the floor. He hastily unhooked her bra, dropping it beside her blouse, then moved on to her pants and underwear. He was tempted to stop for a moment to admire her in her nakedness, but she was already pulling him towards her bedroom, her nimble hands pulling off his clothes as they went.

Once they arrived in her bedroom, Booth gently pushed her onto the bed and positioned himself on top of her. By now he knew exactly how and where she needed to be touched, and he delighted in her moans as his hands and mouth caressed her skin. When she was ready, he thrust inside of her, moving at an almost frantic pace until they both achieved their release.

Booth collapsed onto the bed beside her. When he was able to speak again, he decided to ask her something that had been on his mind a lot lately. "Bones, do I make you happy?"

She smiled. "At the moment I would have to say that I'm extremely happy."

Smiling in return, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "I'm glad to hear it. I promised myself when we first started dating that I would spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you make me."

"You don't need to try, Booth. You made me happy long before we started dating" Seeing that he needed more of an explanation, she continued. "Even with all our bickering and disagreements, I know at the end of the day that you're still my best friend, my one constant in a world of changing variables...and that makes me very happy indeed."

Her answer satisfied him as much as their lovemaking. "I love you so much," Booth said, gently stroking her hair.

"I love you too." Before Booth, the idea of romantic love had seemed ridiculous. Now she was a true believer.

"I guess we should get going," Booth said reluctantly, knowing that she would want to go back to the lab as soon as possible.

"We probably should. But do you mind if we stay like this for a few minutes?" She asked hopefully. "This feels too good. I can't bring myself to get up right now."

I love that she never stops surprising me. "Neither can I. " He pulled her closer to him. Over the past two years, the horrible crimes he and Bones had investigated had shown him just how ugly life could be. Yet now, as he held the woman he loved, he was reminded that life could be beautiful too. "I think the rest of the world can wait for a few more minutes."

FINIS

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