Booth didn't know what to do or where to start. The fire had taken out nearly the whole building it seemed. The area surrounding the once high rise apartment complex was still roped with crime tape and what was left of his life lay in crumbles and pieces around them on the pavement.

"This is very overwhelming," Brennan told him honestly as they stood together taking in the scene.

"You're telling' me," he sighed running a heavy hand over his face and hair. "I don't even know where to start. My apartment was over there," he chose a direction with his finger and pointed," I think."

"I thought it was more," she moved his finger five feet west," there."

"See? Twelve years I lived here and I don't know where the place is."

"Booth cut you some rope," she said softly patting his back.

"That's exactly what I want to cut myself," he laughed. "Oh Bones, is this totally pointless?"

"Of course not. We'll try to find your badge, our gun perhaps, maybe even some of your belongings. Have faith." She stepped lightly over debris and began to wind her way through the rubble.

.

"What's this?" she asked him holding it out to show him.

"Let me see." He pulled his t-shirt up from his waist and wiped his brow. "That's a…can opener."

"Would you like to keep it?"

"Do you not own a can opener?"

"Of course I do."

"Then I think we can safely throw away the melted one."

Brennan casually tossed away the now melted, one handled can opener. "You know, if I didn't ask you, you'd have my head."

"Yeah on stuff like pictures of Parker, but not a damn can opener!"

"Why are you yelling at me?" she shot back, tossing her limp ponytail over her shoulder. "I'm only trying to help!"

Booth took a deep breath, clenching his fists. "I'm not yelling at you."

"Well your sentence sure sounded exclamatory."

"Well why would I want a non-working can opener?"

"I thought you might want it, sorry. At least I didn't ask you about this?" She thrust a charred wooden spoon, now bent at a ninety degree angle into his face.

"Bones-" He yanked the spoon from her hand and chucked it into the distance.

"What the hell was that?"

"Just will you look for something meaningful and not the crappy remnants of a crappy life?" He turned back to his digging and began angrily tossing stuff aside.

"Hey." She grabbed his shoulder and made him turn to face her. "Who said you have a crappy life?"

Booth laughed almost bitterly.

"Booth talk to me." She caught his eyes and smiled softly. "Don't make me call Sweets."

"Do and die," he said with a half smile.

"You really think your life was crappy?" Ironically his kitchen table was still intact and she patted a spot for him to sit next to her.

"I don't think my life is crappy."

"You don't sound very convinced to me." She took his hand and held it between hers.

"I'm just frustrated with the situation. We've been working for an hour now and all we've found is kitchen crap."

"Booth, we've only been here an hour and your stuff is ankle deep. I'm surprised we've found anything that belonged to you. What, in particular, are you trying to find?"

"I'm trying to find something to connect me to my old life; to prove I was here. It sounds totally stupid to you I know, but to me, I need this."

"It doesn't sound totally stupid, I understand. We'll keep looking. I'm sure with enough work we'll find what you need to feel better about all this. But these things don't make your life; you taught me that. They are only part of your life."

"Yeah I know. I guess I just get down sometimes about this whole thing. It makes you feel helpless, you know?"

This was one of those offer a little of yourself moments.

"I was so scared when my parents left."

"Of course you were Bones, that's probably the scariest thing that can happen to a kid."

"No. I was scared when my parents left. I was petrified when Russ left. I questioned myself over and over, what had I done to deserve this. I think you're asking yourself the same question. Booth you didn't do anything to deserve this, or bring it on, or sin one too many times. Things like this, this fire, they happen. Even to the best people. When horrible things happen to children we don't ask them what they did to deserve it, why are you doing it now as an adult?"

Booth nodded solemnly.

"Do you feel like you did something to warrant your home being burned down?"

He laughed a little. "Not really. It's not that. It just makes you stop and think. I've proposed to two women, one of them being pregnant, and both of them turned me down. I profess my love for you, you turn me down. Now my house burns down. It just…fits."

"Well you need to look at those situations in context. When you proposed to Rebecca, while she was pregnant, you both were very young and you had a gambling problem. It ended up being a good thing she said no, right?"

"Yeah I guess. Sometimes I want to knock her head off; I don't think that would go over too hot."

"Probably not. Then, going in order not necessarily levels of…awfulness, there's myself. When you told me that as the last thing I expected to hear from you. You just said it like…I want a cheese sandwich. There wasn't love in your voice."

"Seriously? Outside, just the two of us, the sounds of the city around us. How is that not romantic?"

"What I remember is about fifteen minutes before that."

Booth shook his head clearly not remembering what she was referring to.

"We were talking to Sweets."

"Yeah I remember that."

"Obviously you don't remember anything else. You were pissy about Sweets asking you about Jared and Padme. You were belching up those disgusting bean burritos you eat when you have no time for a real lunch and you had sweat through your suit and smelled like a gym sock. And those sounds of the city you're referring to, those are called garbage trucks. Alone? Not really, two drug addicts were not ten yards from us. So it wasn't some grand gesture of affection like you think it was."

"Oh…I really stunk?"

"That's what you heard?"

"No, I heard everything. Wow. Our versions really vary huh?"

"Booth, and I know this sounds bad, but when you finally told me you loved me I thought it would be this thing you know? Dinner out, back to one of ours, wine, and then afterward really great sex. I didn't get any of those things."

"Yeah Bones I know…wait, finally? Why do you say finally?"

"I've known for a long time," she admitted. "Hank let it slip during on of our visits. He made me swear to not say anything to you until the time was right; your time. Then when we went out separate ways last year I thought all of that was over."

"Bones you seriously knew and you didn't say anything?"

"Well…yeah."

"Well you sure played it off well," he replied sarcastically. "You knew for months that I was in love with you but you kept on as if that information wasn't pertinent? How could you?"

"How could I? How could you? Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Oh I don't know; let's see Guatemala, Rio, Africa, any other places you jetted off to?"

"What's that mean?"

"You run Bones. If I had told you I loved you then you would have high-tailed it out of here so fast your underwear would have caught fire."

"You don't know that! Maybe I would've stayed."

"Please," he snorted. "No way." He turned his back to her and began tossing through singed clothing from his once front closet.

"Hey don't turn your back to me!" She picked up the closest thing, which happened to be a melted shoe, and chucked it at the back of his head with deadly accuracy.

"Ouch damn it!" He rubbed the back of his neck. "What the hell was that?"

"I'm not done talking about this."

"What's there to talk to about? You know I love you so what's left?"

"You ever think I might love you too you dumb-ass?"

He dropped the broken lamp shade in his hand. "You what?"

"Well this isn't the most opportune time or setting but yes, I love you."

He looked around as if he were on candid camera. "Are you kidding me right now?"

"Why would I be telling jokes?"

"Bones this really isn't funny. I'm standing here in a pile of shit. Please tell me you aren't kidding."

"Booth I'm not kidding."

So it wasn't a fairy tale or dinner out, back to one of theirs, wine then great sex. It was two people, standing in a pile of rubble, confessing their love for one another. And the only thing he could do was kiss her.

So I know this feels like then end but it isn't, there are a couple more chapters to really wrap this story up. I want to thank everyone for all the reviews, Pms and all the great words of encouragement when it came to this story. You guys are great. After this one is done watch for another little diddy I'm working on.