[Author's note: I've been re-watching S6, and especially the first episodes pissed me off so bad I just had to write this. HH, I almost forgave you.]

6. Booth's Confessions

That night, he was alone. She needed some time and space and he wanted her to have that so he had dropped her off and gone back to his place after dinner, but it felt wrong.

Last night had been wonderful, although it had been poor timing, he had no regrets and not one second he wanted to change.

Then Bones had accepted the situation, giving him the greatest gift he had ever hoped for, just like that, forgetting all his sins, forgiving him. And he had a lot to be forgiven for, he knew that. When they had seen Vincent's coffin off, singing sadly to a funny song, she had reached for him, locking her arms through his and leaning her head on his shoulder, and he had realized something.

The reason he and Hannah would never have worked was because of her. She was just everything he needed, wanted and desired. And nothing less. And she would always have been that, because even though Hannah had been able to take away some of his pain, only she could take away everything.

And he had been a jerk to her. He realized that now. A total, complete jerk to his best friend and the woman he loved so much he couldn't even admit it to himself. But she, she had simply absolved him of everything. She just trusted him completely, once more, after everything he had done to her. He didn't deserve that. And she deserved to know how much he regretted everything that had happened and everything he said to her, and everything he made her see.

So even though she had asked him for a little time, he had to talk to her. Now.

Temperance Brennan needed time. Time to think about everything, and she had been grateful to Booth for giving her that time. She had seen the desire to go with her in his eyes, but he hadn't, hadn't even asked twice.

She was running a bath, her back aching for some reason, and she knew a long soak in her bath would ruin her schedule, because she would want to go straight to bed afterwards, even if it was only eight, but it would definitely alleviate her pain and relax her, clear her head.

She got in and closed her eyes, moving her legs a little, feeling the water splash and move and soothe.

She hadn't been in the bath for more than ten minutes when she heard her doorbell. She decided if it was important, they would come back, and that the doorbell was not a good enough excuse to get her to leave her bath. So she ignored it, until she heard his voice.

'Bones? You in there?'

Frowning, she answered. 'Yeah, but I'm in the bathtub. Is something wrong?'

'No, but.. Can I talk to you? I have my own key.'

'Sure,' she called back. 'I'll be right out, give me a minute.'

'Oh no, I can come back tomorrow if you want, or we can..' She interrupted him. 'No, it's fine, I'll be right there.'

He dropped it and she heard the lock of her door click, Booth enter and the lock close again.

She hurried, leaving her warm tub and drying herself quickly before putting on her red kimono. She loved that garment and she knew Booth appreciated it, too. With her hair still damp and her face flushed from the warm water, she walked into her living room, finding him on her sofa. 'You want a beer?'

He nodded. 'Yeah, sure.'

She got two from her fridge and joined him on the couch. 'What's wrong?'

Booth sighed. 'I just.. I think we need to talk. About.. Before.'

'Before what?' Brennan asked, not following him. 'Before we.. Made love?'

'No.. Before me and Hannah.. Broke up. Before that. When I was with her.'

'I don't want to talk about that,' Brennan confessed softly, her eyes on the floor. 'I know, but can I talk about it? I mean, there are some things I need to tell you.'

She looked at him briefly. 'I'm not sure I want to hear it.'

'You want to hear it, Bones. Believe me,' he said softly, trying to convince her, his hand covering one of hers.

Finally, she nodded. 'Ok, you can talk about it. But if I want you to stop I'm going to tell you.'

'Yeah, you should. But it's really important,' he said. She nodded. 'Ok.'

'First of all.. Thanks, Bones. For everything. You just.. You forgave me, for everything I did, and I don't deserve that. I abandoned you and said things to you that weren't true and still you forgave me, just like that.'

She stayed quiet, just looking at him.

'I mean.. You just.. You thought I would try again. And then instead of that, I came back with someone else. And like the first thing I said to you was that I loved her. And you just said.. You just said you were happy for me. And I never.. I never told you that I didn't stop loving you. I just.. Ran away with her and I abandoned you.'

Brennan shook her head. 'No, Booth. You were in love with her, I understand that. And I was happy for you.'

'Yeah, but that's the point, Bones. You had no reason to be happy for me. I should have tried again with you. And you would have let me in, I don't doubt that for a second. So I was so wrong, and you just accepted it.'

'I accepted the fact that you had found someone else, yes, Booth. Because I want you to be happy. And at that point, I wasn't sure if I could make you happy, so I was glad you moved on. Because dwelling.. on me.. would have only caused you more harm.'

'You weren't ready,' Booth whispered to her, his eyes holding hers. 'But I thought you didn't want me. I just.. I'm so sorry.'

She nodded. 'So am I.'

'No, nothing about this is your fault, Bones.. I just wanted to talk to you about everything that happened, you know, because you have to know that I didn't realize. I didn't realize, Bones.'

She frowned, taking another sip of her beer. 'What?'

'That I was hurting you. So badly. Until you.. In the car, that's when I realized everything. And still, I kept on doing the same thing. There's no excuse.'

She smiled at him, tears coming to her eyes. 'It's ok, really. I understand your behavior and I was wrong to confess my feelings to you then. The case just got to me.'

'It was exactly right of you to do that. I needed to know, Bones. But I just.. I continued talking about her like she was the only one, I kissed her right in front of you, entwined fingers, even proposed.. And still you stood by me, being happy for me, seeing all that, while I just wanted it to be you. But I couldn't tell you that.. Because I still thought she was my chance at happiness, because you didn't want me. But I'm so sorry.'

She leaned into him. 'Can I..'

And like he had done for five years, and had wanted to do throughout the last year, he opened his arms for her and she leaned into him, her head to his chest, his heartbeat under her ear. The guy hug that had only once been just that. That would never again be just that.

Holding her close, he wondered for a brief second why he was dragging this all up again. Why he was torturing her with stuff she had already forgiven him off. But he knew the answer before he asked the question. He had to tell her because otherwise, he couldn't be sure she knew. He hoped she had known, but he couldn't be sure. He had been so convinced of his relationship with Hannah, and he had treated Bones so unfairly, that he just couldn't know for sure that she knew how much he regretted all of it and how much he wished he hadn't done any of it.

'I'm so sorry I said no to you,' Brennan whispered into his chest. 'I caused us so much.. Pain.'

He hugged her closer, his nose buried in her hair. 'No, no, Bones, don't be sorry. It's ok. You weren't ready, it was me who screwed it up. I didn't listen. I'm sorry for making you think you had to change. Because you don't. Don't change, Bones. Ever.'

They talked for a long time, about Hannah, about how Brennan felt, about why this all happened. They didn't find any real answers but still, talking about it made it better. Finally, Brennan just leaned into Booth's frame and let take care of her, make up for the time lost.

After a while, Brennan sat up straight again, moving away from Booth's warm body. 'We're quite a pair,' she smiled at him.

He nodded. 'And I'm glad we're on the same page again, Bones. I need that.'

'I need it too,' she confessed. 'Although I'm sure I would function without us being.. On the same page, I find it easier now that I don't have to turn the page.'

'Turn the page?' he questioned.

'Yes, to find you,' Brennan answered, a smile playing around her lips. 'That was quite humorous.'

He laughed. 'Yeah, it was. Look, I'll go back home, I just needed to tell you that. I'll give you as much time and space as you need.'

She considered for a moment.

'I.. I don't actually need any,' she said.

And even though she had said those words before, to someone else, they sounded dangerous even to her own ears. But she wasn't backing out. She smiled at him, he smiled back and relaxed on the couch. 'Ok. Then I'm staying.'

Brennan nodded. 'That would be wise.'

'I suppose you would like to finish your bath,' Booth tried.

'No way,' Brennan answered. 'You're already trying to get into the bath with me?'

'Yeah, of course I am,' he laughed. 'You're damn beautiful.'

'And you're quite handsome, but you're not getting in the bathtub with me. Not today, anyway.'

'Tomorrow?' he asked, and she had to laugh. This man was a handful. But in the best kind of way.

'Maybe tomorrow,' she answered, getting up to walk to the bathroom. She disappeared and his mind already started imagining what she was doing in there when she reappeared.

'And don't even think about making a bed on the couch,' she said, her tone serious. 'I sleep at the window.'

Disappearing into the bathroom again, she shut the door and leaned back against it, her heart racing. What was she doing? She had just invited Booth into her bed, and she wasn't going to back out on her decision. It had been the right one, she knew it. She heard him moving around and decided it was best to run her bath before she got second thoughts on letting him stay.

As the bath refilled and everything inside of her settled down, she felt only one thing. Happiness. It had been a while and for a time, she had thought she would never feel it again, but it was back.

As long as she had been around Booth and Hannah, she had been happy for them. But in the privacy of her home she had been mourning the loss of her best friend and partner, the man whom she loved, who would always provide her with anything she needed to the best of his abilities.

They say you don't know what you've got until it's gone, and Brennan believed that now. She had never considered what Booth and she had as a relationship. Not a romantic one anyway. But all the changes that had occurred between them at the arrival of Hannah had shown her that they had already been together. Just not in that final way. Hugs, touches and lingering looks had all disappeared with the arrival of the blonde. Now, she was out of the picture and Brennan found she hadn't just missed those moments, she craved them and now they were back she never wanted to lose them again.

In her bedroom, Booth had taken off everything except his boxers and t-shirt. Getting in on what was now his side of the bed, he smiled at himself. Everything was really all right. He hadn't messed up too bad, everything could be recovered, repaired and mended, they were solid, they were the centre. And they would hold.