"Wow, First Class, Bones," Booth couldn't hide his excitement even though he did try to lower his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. He was stretching out his long legs and scooting side to side in the seat relishing in the spacious comfort of this area of the airplane as he glanced over at his partner turned girlfriend as the rest of the passengers continued to board the flight.

Brennan raised a single eyebrow at him in amusement, "I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of it. You're acting more like your son than a grown man." She knew that he always flew coach, but on this little trip back to DC from Seattle, she did not want to spend the entire length of the country sitting here thinking about him sitting back there, so she'd taken the liberty to buy an upgrade for his seat.

Booth knew that at least part of her was relishing in this with him and he reached over and laced his fingers through hers, "Thanks, Bones. This is really nice." With the case as wrapped up as they could get it they were finally headed home where they wouldn't have to deal with her publicist much or nosey reporters on daytime talk shows. That thought made him smile at how much had changed since they'd left DC.

She smiled in spite of herself, finding that she liked this change in their relationship. The shift had been so natural that she was confident that she wasn't going to lose who she was by being with him, "You're welcome." She let her head fall back against the seat and let out a sigh.

Booth followed her example and then turned his head to look at her, "I talked to Cullen after Coleman and I filled out the paperwork." He was glad that the other agent was going to get to mop up all of the little messes that this case had created. Lacey Donovan wasn't going to be prosecuted; further investigation had supported her story that Matthew was a regular Robin Hood when it came to shooting a bow and arrow and they still hadn't really established who he was truly. For all they knew, he'd been stealing the identity of different people for quite a while. With him dead, it was going to be a far more complicated task and one he wasn't going to have to participate in. The real Matthew Barrett had not yet been found and Booth's gut told him that if their dead guy disposed of people the way he had Jill Alexander and Caleb Walker then he might never be found. That was all Coleman's problem though; Booth was headed back to DC with his Bones.

"Oh?" Brennan hoped that she didn't sound unsettled about that fact. She wasn't really sure what the FBI would say about the change in their relationship or how that would affect them being able to work together. She hoped they could just keep things the way they were at work.

"He wasn't at all surprised that you and I are seeing each other," Booth's mouth twitched into a sort of smile, "In fact I believe his exact words were ''so you've finally decided to get your head out of your ass'." He left out the part about how he had sputtered a bit at the comment that even his superior seemed to know something about him and Bones that he hadn't been willing to admit to himself until just recently.

"It's physically impossible to stick someone's head up an ass; especially their own ass," Brennan smirked at him wondering now that Cullen knew about them if things would stay the same or shift a little as Booth had suggested before they'd taken the leap. She was confident that Zach could work out in the field just fine although she wasn't sure that Booth was up to the task if that's what had to happen.

Booth leaned in smiling, "You're so cute when you get all squinty." Despite the roll of the eyes he got in response, he kissed her, feeling a smile against his mouth. Yes, he was glad that he had finally gotten his head out of his ass because Bones was just about the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Brennan rolled her eyes again as the kiss ended, "It's nice to know that you love me for my brains." The word just rolled right out without any hesitation; now that she knew for sure that Seeley Booth really did love her she couldn't help herself.

"Your brains are just part of what I love about you," Booth grinned at her. He knew better than to go into detail about every inch of her that he loved, but he was fairly certain that she already knew.

"Did he say anything about us working together?" That was the question that Brennan really wanted to have answered. If she didn't get to see Booth she wasn't sure how all of this was going to work. She'd come to depend on him in a way that she had never wanted to depend on anyone; she was a strong independent woman who could take care of herself – except for those times that Booth seemed to sweep in and save her life.

"Yes, he did," Booth wasn't sure she was going to like the terms that Cullen had set down, but if that was the worst they were going to have to deal with in order to keep working together, he was more than happy to take it. "He wants us to continue to meet with Sweets until he thinks it's no longer necessary or he'll terminate our partnership."

"Oh," It wasn't something that she had expected, but if that's what they had to do to be together and still get to work together then she was willing to try; no matter how much she hated psychology.

"He just wants to make sure that we can keep our personal life out of our professional life," Booth was sure that they could do it; he was more worried about their professional life interfering with their personal life. As it was they seemed to spend more time working together than doing just about anything else; he made a mental note to try and change that a little.

"Did he say how long we'd have to see him for?" Brennan was just concerned that it would continue on indefinitely and while she didn't dislike Dr. Sweets, she didn't exactly enjoy the time that she and Booth spent in his office under his watchful stare. Not that it hadn't been beneficial; there were things that he'd been able to help she and Booth deal with, but it was usually after they'd left his office that they were most honest with each other.

"No, but I think that if we prove to him that being together isn't going to change the way we solve cases then maybe he'll let us go back to doing what we do best without Sweets involved," Booth wasn't about to admit to anyone, including Bones that their therapy sessions with Sweets actually had been helpful in their relationship.

"Ok," Brennan knew now what the terms were and she could live with them.

"Ok?" Booth wanted to make sure that she was really ok with it. If she wasn't, he could just ask for reassignment or he'd live with getting stuck with taking Zach out into the field. He would do whatever was necessary so he could stay with Bones.

"Yes," Brennan looked at Booth carefully, "I want to be with you Booth. And I want to keep working with you too. We make a good team; not just you and me, but Zach, Hodgins, Angela, and Cam too. If that means that we have to meet with Dr. Sweets, then I'm willing to do that. I don't want victims to lose a voice because we chose to be together. I think that we can do both."

"We're the center Bones," Booth nodded recalling an earlier conversation that they'd had several months before. They were the center of the team, but she was really the center for him he couldn't help but smile at her.

"And the center must hold," Brennan smiled in return and as her eyes found his she leaned in and welcomed the kiss he offered. This was right; this was so right. She had never really considered the possibility of a forever with someone before, but she certainly was now. Not that she had changed her views on marriage, but she was certainly willing to commit her heart to forever with him.

"Dr. Brennan?" The voice sounded vaguely familiar as it intruded on the moment.

Brennan glanced up as she and Booth ended their kiss to find that she was looking right at Molly Ng, the reporter that had interviewed her and Booth on 'Good Afternoon Seattle'. She was momentarily speechless.

"I thought that was you," Molly looked extremely pleased and as her eyes landed on Booth, her smile widened, "And Agent Booth, nice to see you again too." Clearly all of the denial on her show had been either a prelude to what she'd just witnessed or a complete smoke screen. Either way, she had a fabulous inside story on just who Andy Lister really was patterned after.

"There aren't any cameras behind you are there?" Booth wasn't about to give another interview that felt like the Spanish inquisition ever again.

Molly laughed, "No. I'm on my way to DC for a story. I hear you two had to cut that book tour short for a real case." It had been all over the news and despite her best efforts she hadn't been able to land an exclusive interview. Maybe being on this flight was her lucky break.

Unfortunately for her, a flight attendant with her immovable smile was trying to get everyone in their seats so they could take off, "Ma'am, you need to go sit down." She herded her down the aisle deep into the coach section of the aircraft leaving Booth and Brennan in peace.

Booth smiled as she disappeared, "Now where were we?" Any thoughts he might have had to suggest initiating themselves in the mile-high club were erased from his mind with a nosy reporter on board; well that and the fact that he'd have to arrest himself and Bones since it was a federal offense no matter how tempting it sounded.

"Right about here," Brennan smiled as she reached over and slid her fingers into his hair, pulling his head down until she felt the press of his lips against hers, right where they belonged. This was certainly a nice way to wrap up a case, but she knew that for her and Booth, this was just the beginning.

The End.

Author's Note: Thanks to all of my readers and reviewers for sharing your thoughts and taking the time to read my work. Special thanks to Ashley for mulling over the plausibility of different ideas with me as I considered exactly where the case was going. Without her as my sounding board, this story would have taken considerably longer.