The title for this chapter is taken from a song by Paolo Nutini. I want to post the lyrics since it's very fitting for one of the situations in this chapter. Obviously, I don't own the song :).

Slow down, lie down.

Remember it's just you and me.

Don't sell out, bow out

Remember how this used to be

I just want you to know something, is that alright?

Baby let's get closer, tonight

Grant my last request and just let me hold you, don't shrug your shoulders

Lay down beside me

Sure I can accept that we're going nowhere

But one last time let's go there

Lay down beside me, ohhh

I've found that I'm bound to wander down that long way road, ohhh

And I realize all about your lies,

But I'm no wiser than the fool that I was before.

I just want you to know something, is that alright?

Baby let's get closer, tonight.

Grant my last request and just let me hold you, don't shrug your shoulders

Lay down beside me

Sure I can accept that we're going nowhere

But one last time let's go there

Lay down beside me, ohhh

Baby, baby, baby

Tell me how can, how can this be wrong?

Grant my last request and just let me hold you, don't shrug your shoulders

Lay down beside me

Sure I can accept that we're going nowhere

But one last time let's go there

Lay down beside me, ohhh

Grant my last request and just let me hold you, don't shrug your shoulders

Lay down beside me

Sure I can accept that we're going nowhere

But one last time let's go there

Lay down beside me, ohhh

Lay down beside me

One last time let's go there,

Lay down beside me.

Brennan was lying in bed, half awake and half asleep. She was walking down a long road and when she looked down she saw that she was wearing a wedding dress. She remembered she was on her way to her wedding and suddenly, a hill appeared. She looked up and saw the church. It was big and beautiful but oddly enough, it was black and not white. She started to climb up the hill, but the farther she walked, the steeper the hill became and her dress was getting in the way. When she was almost there, a giant bell appeared and started ringing. I got louder and louder. When she thought she couldn't take it anymore, she opened her eyes and saw that her alarm was going off. She hit the snooze button and sat up.

"That was weird. It's good I don't believe in psychology." She said this out loud even though no one was around.

"What was that?" She heard a voice from the kitchen.

Oh right, Booth had stayed the night. She hadn't really gotten used to that yet."Nothing, just talking to myself."

"Oookay…should I be worried?" He appeared in the doorway.

"Not more than usual." She gave him teasing smile and he walked over to her, bent down and pressed a light kiss on her lips.

"Okay, then. Whatever you say." He straightened back up. "Why don't you stay in bed a little longer. I'll make us breakfast."

"That sounds great. I need to finish a dream anyway." She lay back down but she didn't fall asleep. Instead she started to think about how strange this was. To have Booth be there when she woke up. She was amazed they had actually made it to this point. When he left her, she thought it would be forever but then he came back. Even though she had no plans of them being together at that time, she was ecstatic to be working with him again. During the months he was gone, she missed him terribly. It was then that she realized he was one of her best friends. She was mad at herself for not being able to take the next step. A part of her wanted to but she was too afraid to lose him and in her opinion it was better to have a great friend and partner forever then a short romantic relationship. Simply put, she didn't think it was worth the risk. Then how did she end up here?

When they started working together again it was as if he had never left. They were back to their normal routine of bickering in the car in no time. She couldn't remember when things started to change but they probably grew closer without her even noticing. There was one time she remembered vividly however. It was the first time she had seen Booth vulnerable.

It had been spring and Parker had fallen from a tree while playing and for awhile they hadn't known if he would make it. Brennan had gone over to Booth's apartment the same night Rebecca had taken Parker home from the hospital. She didn't want him to be alone and when he opened the door, he looked miserable.

" Hey."

"Hi."He tried to compose himself.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure." He let her pass. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to go over our notes before the trial in that kidnapping case. If you're up to it?" She didn't want to confess she was checking up on him.

"I don't know why you even try Bones, you really are a terrible liar." He smiled gratefully at her.

"Fine… I wanted to see how you're holding up."

"I'm okay." He closed the front door but neither she nor Booth left the hall.

"Booth… come on" She put her hand on his upper arm and tried to hold his gaze. They stood like that for awhile before, suddenly, Booth pulled her into a hug, holding on to her tightly. At first, she was a little shocked but soon she started stroking his back, trying to comfort him. After a few minutes, he started talking.

"I'm not okay Bones. Not even close. I'm terrified. All the time. It's like my whole existence is dependent on another person and I don't have any control. I feel so powerless. I can't keep him safe enough, no matter what I do." He had to struggle to keep from crying.

"He'll be safe now, I promise. She pulled back to look at him, still letting him hold on to her while she rested her hands on his arms.

"Don't forget you've managed to keep me alive through numerous life and death situations and Parker isn't half as reckless as me." She smiled.

"That's true." Booth tried to smile as well. They stood like that for a moment looking at each other.

She was the one to break the silence. "You really need to sleep. You've been up for two days straight."

"I can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes I see him lying there… so small and vulnerable." He let go of her and took a step back.

"He's fine now and I tell you what, I'll stay and talk you to sleep…Shouldn't take too long." She gave him another comforting smile.

"Why don't you stay here tonight? You haven't slept in two days either and you shouldn't drive home when you're this tired."

"I drove here didn't I? And besides, I'm fine." She tried to sound alert but the truth was she was ready to fall asleep any second.

"Come on Bones. I have a big bed. You won't even know I'm there."

She thought about it for awhile. On the one hand she didn't really think it was a good idea for them to sleep in the same bed but on the other she wanted to be there for him when he needed her. She decided.

"Okay, fine. But I don't have anything to sleep in."

"That's okay, you can sleep naked." He gave her a wide smile. "Don't worry. I'm sure I have something."

When she came out of the bedroom in one of his oversized t-shirts, he was already in bed. He looked away as she climbed in next to him but she could see his eye wander. She settled on her side, facing him.

"Thank you Temperance."

"Hey, what are partners for?"

"Probably not this." He smiled at her but then his face turned serious again. "I won't forget it." He moved his hand to cover hers and after a few minutes, they fell asleep like that, holding hands.

When she thought about it now, she knew that night had meant more than she had allowed herself to grasp then. Even though nothing had happened, the moment had felt incredibly intimate. More so than the first time they had sex. The second time, however, was a different matter.

There hadn't been anything special about the case they were working on and it felt like any other night. They were at her apartment, just spending time together. Their evenings had gotten later and later and by 2 am Booth stood up and said he should be getting home. She walked him to the door but when they got there, he didn't leave. They just stood looking at each other. Neither one speaking at first.

"You know Bones, even though you drive me crazy, I'm thankful I have you company…and your brain." He gave her a lazy smile.

"Thank you…I guess." She wondered why he didn't leave but at the same time she didn't want him to.

"I wouldn't catch half as many bad guys without you, you know that." He leaned in a little, lowering his voice.

"And I wouldn't catch any." She too, lowered her voice. Since he was only inches from her face, it was enough to whisper.

Booth scanned her face, not looking her in the eyes. After awhile he settled on her lips for a fraction of a second before he made eye contact again.

"Screw it, I've waited long enough."

Before she could ask what he meant, his lips were upon hers. She didn't resist. She couldn't. After what felt like hours, he broke the kiss and gave her a searching look. When she didn't say anything, he closed the door behind him and kissed her again. This time a little softer. She hadn't realized how much she had longed for this until they were stumbling towards the bedroom, not wanting to break the kiss. When they fell onto the bed, he pulled his face away and looked at her. She remembered that he had gently removed a strand of hair from her face and whispered "so beautiful", more to himself than to her. Later, she would tease him about how clichéd it was but secretly she had liked it.

It hadn't been all sunshine and roses the next morning. In fact, she woke up freaked out about what had happened, again, and she had lain absolutely still beside him, thinking about how she would get out of it this time. When he woke up, he knew right away what she was thinking. She will never forget the speech he gave her because it made the difference between being together and not being together. He had started to get dressed, talking to her while she was still in bed, not knowing what to do, feeling like a child being educated on the ways of the world.

"Remember when we didn't work together? I hated not seeing you every day but in a way it was such a relief not being forced to hide my feelings all the time. Trying to resist kissing you every time I saw you. Dreading the day you would start dating again. It's hard hard work and I don't want to do it anymore." He put on his sock. "Bones, listen to me." He sat down on the bed. "I care a lot about you and I never want to lose you." Later he confessed he wanted to say he loved her but he didn't think she was ready. He had been right. "But we won't survive if you run again. I'm not saying that I would give up but it's only a matter of time before there would be too much pain and frustration in our relationship to recover from." He got up again. "Sure, I could tell you that 'true love never dies' or 'I'll wait as long as it takes' but the fact is, I don't believe in those kinds of clichés and I don't want us to miss this chance just because you're scared."

When he fell quiet for a second, she took her chance to argue. "Booth, I never want to feel like I felt that day my parents disappeared. I don't even know if I could handle it. And I don't want to lose your friendship. I'm afraid we won't make it as a couple. The odds are against us"

"You might think that you couldn't survive losing someone you love again but I know you, better than you know yourself sometimes. You are stronger than most people are and if everybody else in this world can survive heartbreak, so can you." Again he sat down beside her. "I 'm not going to promise you that you won't ever lose me just to get what I want right now. But I can tell you that your chance of losing me is as big if you keep denying what I know you feel." He took her hand and held her gaze. "What I can promise you is that I never want to lose you and I will fight to the bitter end. And trust me, whatever happens it's worth it."

"But what if I betrayed you, would you still want to risk it?" She knew she was losing but being who she was, she had to get all the arguments out.

"You would never betray me, I trust you. That's what a relationship is. You trust the other person, and maybe you'll get betrayed anyway but you can't accept defeat beforehand. That's just stupid. One might even say irrational". He smiled mischievously at her.

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess I can't argue." She smiled as well. She knew she had to take this chance since she would lose him anyway if she didn't.

--------------------------------------------------

Booth stood in the kitchen, preparing the breakfast he had promised her. He heard her get up and go into the bathroom. He had almost started to believe his luck. He was actually in a relationship with Temperance Brennan. He was still amazed he had succeeded in convincing her little less than a year ago. However, he remembered that even though she surrendered to his arguments that day he had known that it wasn't the last time they would talk about it and that it would be the biggest challenge of his life, making this work with her. But like he said, it was worth it.