A/N: And here you are, the last chapter of this story. It's been a blast writing this, but now it's time to wrap things up. Hope you like it.

To all of those who have alerted, favorited and reviewed any of my stories, my plot bunnies salute you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones or any of its characters. Not a single one.

Unthinkable (I'm ready)

Brennan promised her father that she would be careful driving back, and that she would call him and let him know what happened with Booth before she got in her car and made her way back to DC. She hadn't realized how much time it had taken to get to her father and how much time she had spent with him. It was a necessary discussion, and she felt relieved now that she had spoken with Max, but now it was close to lunch time and she felt an urgent need to speak to Booth.

It was revelatory speaking to her father. Up until now, she spoke only to people who assumed that beginning a romantic relationship with Booth was an obvious choice, it was refreshing to hear from someone who understood her fears and didn't make her feel as though she was abnormal for having had them. Someone who understood how difficult a choice for her this was and how hard it was for her to abandon the self preservation techniques that she had employed for so long. She was now able to accept that she didn't need to protect herself from Booth, or to protect him from her. She was now ready to acknowledge that she deserved to be loved by him, and he deserved to be loved by her.

Now all she needed to do was tell Booth. The problem was, he wasn't answering either his cellphone or his office phone. As she wondered where he could be and how she could get a hold of him, her cellphone began to ring.

"Someone owes me some details," Angela purred into her cell phone as a way of greeting Brennan as she answered Ange's call. "You never did tell me how dinner with Booth went and I'm imagining all sorts of things that could have happened, although knowing the both of you as well as I do, you two probably kept your clothes on. For the love of God please tell me that there was at least a kiss, some mild groping?"

"Angela, have you talked to Booth or seen him?" asked Brennan, completely dismissing what Ange had just said.

"Yeah, I have actually," shrugged Angela, taking no offense at Brennan's curtness. "He's here at the diner talking to one of his army buddies. I waved to him while I was waiting for my take out order, but he and GI Joe seem to be having an intense conversation."

"Did you see him signing anything?" asked Brennan anxiously.

"No..." Angela began before looking over her shoulder at Booth's table to confirm his current activities and correcting herself. "Wait, yeah it looks like he's about to sign something. Why?"

"Stop him!" ordered a panicked Brennan. She couldn't let Booth go to Fort Benning now that she realized how she felt about him. "Ange, do whatever you have to do, just don't let him sign those papers! I'll be there in ten minutes."

"What? Bren, why do you want me to-"

"Just don't let him sign them!" commanded Brennan before hanging up.

"Okay..." Angela muttered to herself as she turned toward the table Booth was sitting at. There was a bunch of papers in front of him as his pen hovered over the first page. It was obvious that he didn't really want to sign them, and even though she wasn't sure what he was supposed to be signing, if Brennan was freaked out about it there was no way Booth was putting his John Hancock on it.

She took a deep breath, plastered her best charm smile, and with her order in hand headed towards Booth's table.

"Hey Booth, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" Angela beamed at him.

"Angela, this is Major General Benjamin Poole," he smiled, temporarily putting down his pen and gesturing to the man sitting across from him. "General, this is a friend of mine Angela Montenagro; she's a well known local artist, forensic artist and computer expert extraordinaire."

"A pleasure to meet you 'mam," replied the General politely, gently taking the hand Angela proffered to him and giving it a quick shake. "Would you like a seat? You can have mine. I've got to get going anyway. I've got to hurry and file Sergeant Major Booth's papers today. You know, if he ever signs them."

Angela gave a light lilting fake laugh and suddenly realized why Brennan didn't want Booth to sign anything - especially enlistment papers. She smiled and thought to herself that Brennan was definitely going to owe her some details - and lunch.

"General, you should really have something to eat before you go," said Angela solicitously. "Can't protect the country on an empty stomach, can you? Besides, the food here is really good. Here, try some of my Italian Wedding Soup."

She opened the styrofoam container, pretending to fumble with it as it tumbled from her hands and of course all over the paperwork.

"Oh, General I'm so sorry," she gasped, grabbing napkins from the dispenser on the table and grinding it into the papers, pulling at them as she did so. "Oh boy, they ripped. I guess you should have used paper with a thicker stock, huh? I hope they weren't important."

"Angela, stop, you're making it worse." Booth shook his head, trying not to laugh. He didn't know what was funnier - Ange's blatant attempts to rip apart his contract or the look on the General's face as he watched Ange make a mess."

"Booth, I have to get your contract signed and filed today!" growled Poole.

"I really am sorry General," said Angela sounding contrite. "Look, why don't you call whomever you need to call to send replacement papers to the Jeffersonian - I work there. Just get them to fax over a new copy and Booth can sign the new ones, no harm no foul. The Jeff is only about a ten minute walk away."

"Alright Booth, let's go," ordered General Poole. "We'll head over to the Jeffersonian, get the new papers, sign 'em and send 'em. It'll save time if you come along."

"No, Booth can't come!" blurted Ange. When they both looked at her oddly over her outburst, she quickly recovered and poured on the charm. "I mean, I'd love for you to come, and what General Poole said about saving time makes sense, it's just that I got a call from Brennan. She's on her way here with some very important...paperwork to give you. You know how she's a stickler for those things. She just wants you to make sure that everything is settled before you leave. She'll be here in less than ten minutes."

"You go on up to the Jeffersonian General," suggested Booth. "I'll meet with Bones and I'll catch up with you."

"Alright," Poole consented hesitantly. "But hurry up soldier. I've gotta get those papers in before end of day."

"It's like, not even one yet." Ange pointed out.

"The General doesn't like to leave things last minute," snickered Booth. "Don't worry, I'll be fifteen minutes behind you."

"Well, we should get going then." grinned Angela, taking Poole by the arm and leading him out of the diner. She was hoping to give Brennan enough time to talk to Booth. What she was also hoping was that they wouldn't run into her.

"Ange, did he sign the papers?" Brennan demanded, striding up to her.

"Sweetie, this is General Poole," Angela introduced them, never losing her cool. "General, this is the world's preeminent forensic anthropologist and best selling author Dr. Temperance Brennan. She also happens to be Booth's partner."

"Real pleasure to meet you 'mam." said Poole, offering her his hand to shake.

"I'm sure that it would be," Brennan replied, taking Poole's hand and giving it a brief but firm shake. "Is Booth still here Ange?"

"Yes, he's inside waiting for you." said Angela, trying to motion as subtly as she could for Brennan to hurry up and go in.

"Where are you going?" asked Brennan curiously.

"We're just heading to my office," said Ange, tugging on Poole's arm. "Being the klutz that I am, I made an absolute mess out of some very important papers and I told General Poole that he could have replacements sent to the fax at the lab. We'd better get going."

"Alright," said Brennan, reaching for the door. "I'm just going to go talk to Booth and make sure that he doesn't sign his enlistment papers."

"What?" General Poole screeched as he went after Brennan.

Once inside, Brennan's eyes sought Booth's. When she found them, she let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. She smiled, and her relief at finding him seemed to be mirrored on his face. She headed towards him so eager to tell him all that she had realized and the decision she had made that she didn't notice General Poole behind her until he had taken hold of her arm.

"What the hell do you think you're doing lady?" Poole growled under his breath, attempting to pull her away from Booth. She was about to pull his hand off of her and wrench it backwards when she heard a familiar voice.

"I suggest you take your hands off of her," Booth snarled, the threat evident in his voice as he slowly rose up from his seat, glaring at the general with darkened eyes. "right now."

"Watch your tone soldier!" ordered Poole, though he did let go of Brennan.

"He's not a soldier yet." Brennan pointed out smugly.

"Alright!" bellowed Booth, stopping the argument from escalating before things got out of hand. The General was known for his temper and so was Brennan. Last thing he wanted was the two of them to get into a fist fight. "General Poole, give us a minute will you?"

"Booth, if you're even for a second thinking about-"

"Bones, on second thought, why don't we talk outside?" suggested Booth, placing a hand on the small of her back. To his surprise, Brennan actually leaned into his touch instead of slightly away from it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Angela said, stopping Poole from following. "She's got that determined look on her face. The kind of look that lets you know that the only way you're going to stop her is by physically restraining her. I'd advise against that too. Booth tends to be insanely overprotective of Brennan. He's usually an affable guy, but when he's angry..."

"Yeah, he's not the guy you'd want to be angry at you." Continued Poole with a sigh. "He's not going to sign the papers is he?"

"I hope you didn't put money on it." quipped Angela.

Outside, Booth stopped just outside of the Diner's entrance. He took his hand away, and at the loss of his touch Brennan stopped.

"Bones, what's going on?" asked Booth earnestly. He had a feeling that he knew what was going on with her, but he needed to hear it. He had taken a leap before only to find himself crashing back down to earth. He had to know that he was right, that she was ready this time. That he wouldn't be the only one taking a chance.

"I don't want you to sign the enlistment papers Booth," she replied awkwardly, realizing that this wasn't going to be as easy as she thought. "I don't want you to go to Fort Benning."

"Why?" he asked bluntly, seeming to stare into her with his warm brown eyes. "I mean, why can't I go to Fort Benning to serve my country if you're going to Chile to change history?"

"I'm not going to Chile." She blurted.

"Why not?" pressed Booth. He could sense how close she was to telling him what he wanted to hear. He was silently praying that it wasn't just false hope he was hanging his heart on.

"I've come to realize just how vital the work we do is," she reasoned, still afraid to tell him what her true epiphany is. "And how important our partnership is. There is no partnership without the both of us here-"

"Is that it?" pushed Booth, willing for her to say the words he longed to hear. "You don't want me to go because you changed your mind about going? Come on Bones, give me something more."

"What do you want me to say Booth?" Brennan asked, silently begging for his understanding. She wanted to tell him how she felt about him, but for some reason she was having trouble forming the words.

"I want you to tell me the real reason that you're not going to Chile," he replied, desperation seeping into his words. "I want you to tell me why I should stay. Why you really don't want me to go."

"If you really want to go Booth, don't let me stop you." she shot back in fear. She was afraid that the reasons she had wouldn't be good enough.

"I will go Bones," he warned her. "I will go to Fort Benning to serve my country because that's where I'm needed-"

"I NEED YOU!" she exclaimed, the words rushing past her lips before she could stop them. Part of her was mortified that she would yell out her feelings to him in that manner, another part of her was relieved that she finally said it. "Is that what you needed to hear? I need you, I need you Booth and I don't want you to go because I love you and I don't want to have to be without you for an entire year."

"You love me?" asked Booth, praying that he wasn't just hallucinating her confession.

"Yes." she said, almost defiantly. If he could walk away after she admitted her love for him she didn't know what else she could do to make him stay.

"Good," he smirked. "Then you won't mind if I do this."

He pulled her to him, and their lips collided in relief, in need, and in a love that went unclaimed for so long. This time she wouldn't fight her feelings for him, and rather than push him away, she pulled him closer. And Booth put all of the love that he was afraid for so long to express in that kiss. They were so wrapped up in each other that they didn't notice the joy and the cheers from the patrons inside the Diner. They didn't see Bill the cook exchanging high fives with the bus boys, nor did they notice Maggie their usual waitress hugging Angela joyfully, or the look of defeat on General Poole's face. When they were finally able to notice their need for air, their lips finally separated, but they refused to. His arms stayed wrapped around her waist, her arms remained encircled around Booth's neck, their foreheads pressed together, and their eyes remained closed.

"So, I take it that I'm not going to be seeing you at Benning?" General Poole asked, trying to look stern, though his smirk gave away his amusement.

"Sorry sir, but I'm not going," Booth said somewhat apologetically, keeping an arm around Brennan. "At least not for a full year - I could go for a couple of weeks, to run through the course again and see what changes could be made to the scenario you give the trainees, and make some observations at the shooting school, make some suggestions. Then in a couple of months I could come back and see how the changes are being implemented."

"Thanks Booth, but I need someone on base," Poole replied. "You were my first choice of course, but I have a backup ready and waiting. I had a feeling, the way you talk about your girl over here, that if she ever told you not to go, nothing I could say would change your mind. You're that whipped."

"Booth and I haven't had sex yet, let alone explored the idea of participating in sadomasochism." Frowned Brennan.

Booth closed his eyes, shook his head and exhaled loudly before giving Brennan a kiss on the side of the head and saying "I love you."

"I love you too Booth." she replied with an adoring smile. It felt good for the both of them to be finally able to say it.

The General watched the exchange with amusement before he extended his hand to Booth.

"I hope you know what you're doing." Poole chuckled, giving Booth's hand a shake.

"Not at all sir," Booth laughed. "But I'm willing to figure it out as we go along."

"Take care of this guy," he advised Brennan as he shook her hand as well. "He's one of the good ones."

"I will," promised Brennan, wrapping her arms around Booth's waist and resting her head on his chest. "And I know."

"Best of luck to you both." said Poole, waving goodbye as he made his way back to his car.

"What do you want to do now Temperance?" Booth whispered into her ear.

"You're not going to call me Bones anymore now that we're romantically involved?" she pouted.

"Not if you still want me to." Booth replied with a grin.

"I must admit, I do like that you have a special nickname for me and that I feel cared for when you call me Bones." she said shyly.

"Alright then Bones," he reiterated, marveling at how amazing it felt to be this close to her and to have her in his arms. "What would you like to do now?"

"Do you think that we should inform our friends about our change in status?" asked Brennan.

"I think Angela has taken care of that already." Booth replied, nodding over to the window where Ange was recording their moment with her cell phone. Angela waved excitedly as Brennan laughed and turned her attention back to Booth.

"Your apartment is only a ten minute walk away..." Brennan pointed out, smiling suggestively at him.

"God I love your brain." Booth sighed happily.

"Just my brain?" Brennan teased.

"I love everything about you," Booth replied honestly. "Want me to prove it to you?"

"Yes," nodded Brennan, finding herself happier than she ever would have believed. "And I want to prove to you how much I love you."

With an arm around each other, they made their way over to Booth's apartment to explore this new aspect of their relationship and test the laws of physics.