I don't even know what to say. It's been like, forever, since I updated this story. But I didn't forget, and most importantly, you didn't let me forget! You guys are so amazing, I'm always surprised when I open my inbox and find a new message asking me to please update this. It's really, really nice to see that people care! So, thank you so much!

I've been struggling with this chapter for months, because I have to tell you, I think writing angst is a piece of cake compared to writing fluff, so pardon me if this is way too corny!

I wrote this fic for Biba's birthday last year and now it's almost that time again. I thought about waiting for her actual birthday this year to update and give this a full circle, but I guess everyone has already waited long enough!

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Brennan couldn't help taking her thoughts back to the night Muñoz almost killed him. What if something happened today? What if he didn't come back? The past months had been the worst of her life and she had just got him back. It wasn't fair.

"Bones. Hey." He lifted her chin and noticed the unshed tears in her eyes. "I'm gonna be fine. I promise."

"He's dangerous, Booth." She touched his chest, wanting more than anything just to grab him and not ever let him go.

"I am, too." His eyes went dark. There was no way he'd let Muñoz win this time. Not after all he'd cost Booth with what he did to them.

"He almost killed you." Her voice started to fail and she clenched his shirt between her fingers. "I've just got you back." The tears she'd been holding started to rain down her cheeks. "I can't lose you again."

"You won't lose me again, okay?" He touched his forehead to hers. "Nothing will take me away from you again. I got a glimpse at what life is like without you, Bones, and I don't want that again. Ever. I'll not let Muñoz, or anyone else, mess with our lives again."

"You don't have to go." She said. "The FBI has plenty of very competent agents-"

"I have to." He closed his eyes, his forehead still on hers. "I have to. I need to give this a closure, Bones."

"I want to go with you." She pulled away a little.

"What? No." There was no way he'd let her go with them. Not again. "You have to stay here with Christine."

"Angela can watch her and-"

"Bones, no. Please." He begged. "I have to know that you are safe. Please."

She looked up at him, her eyes meeting his worried ones. He was right. If she hadn't gone with him the last time, he probably would have been safe. Of course, they would never know that for sure, but she had to trust him this time. He would come back to her.

Alive and safe.

"Okay." She nodded.

"Okay?"

"Yes." She closed the distance between them and kissed him, letting her lips stay on his for a little while before pulling away. "But you better come back." She added, raising one eyebrow.

He smiled.

"You can prepare that amazing lasagna of yours, babe, because I'll be back for dinner."

"I will." She smiled too, even though her heart felt very tight.

Their moment was interrupted when they heard Christine running down the stairs.

"Christine, how many times I have to tell you not to run when walking down the stairs?" Brennan frowned. Then, she couldn't help but laugh at her daughter's outfit, the medieval dress and a big orange wig. "You're wearing your costume."

"Of course." She said like it was obvious. "We're watching Brave. I'm Merida."

"Of course." Booth laughed. "I have to go, you behave, okay, Cricket?"

He bent down a little to kiss his daughter.

"Will you read to me when you come back?" She asked, crocking her head to the side and the movement made the wig look even more awkward on the child's head.

Booth was pretty sure there wasn't a cuter child in the world than his daughter.

"Yeah." He smiled. "You can choose the story this time."

"Any story?"

"Any story."

"Okay." She smiled and hugged him.

Booth stood back on his feet and went back to Brennan's side, giving her one more kiss before leaving.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you, too. Please, be safe."

~B&B~

I had been four hours since Booth left, one since he called her to tell they were going in. He promised to call when it was over. Christine was lying on her stomach on the floor with Michael, happily painting on a frame Angela brought over. Sam was sleeping in his stroller and she was trying to concentrate in the meal she was preparing.

"Stop worrying, Brennan." Angela said.

"It's been an hour. He should have called." Her head was already going through all worst-case scenarios. Something must have gone wrong. Anytime soon I'll get a call from another agent to tell me Booth is on the hospital. Or worse-

"It's been only an hour." She said. "Don't you know better than anyone how those things can last for hours?"

"He has to be safe, Angela." She dropped the wood spoon.

"He'll be fine, Sweetie." Angela smiled. "That man just got his life back, he won't let anyone take it away from him again."

"That's what he said." Brennan sighed. "But this is a very dangerous capture, Angela."

The phone rang and Brennan almost dropped it in the rush to answer.

"Booth?" She said, feeling her heart in her throat.

"Hey, Bones." He said, like it was just a normal phone call. "Would you mind making that lasagna with extra layers? Because I'm really starving."

"Booth!" She couldn't believe he wasn't saying anything. "Are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm driving back to the FBI to fill some mandatory paper and then I'm going home." He said. It felt so good to say that again. Home. He was going home. For real now. Forever. "It's over, Bones."

"You've got him?" She didn't realize she had started crying until she felt the salty tears in her mouth.

"Yeah, we've got him." His voice suddenly went tired, but she could hear relief in them. "I miss you, Bones."

"You just saw me a few hours ago." She smiled.

"And that's way too long time to go without seeing you." He said. Someone yelled something to him. "I gotta go. I just wanted to let you know that I'm fine and that you won't have to worry about Muñoz anymore. I'll see you soon."

"Okay." She felt so relieved. "I love you, Booth."

"I love you too."

She hung up the phone and looked at the smiling face of her friend.

"So?"

"It's over." Brennan grinned. "They got Muñoz."

˜B&B˜

Angela left with her children after Booth called to tell Brennan he was heading home. She was anxious to know everything about the operation and how they got Muñoz, but she knew that her friends needed to have that first moment to themselves.

Brennan was waiting for him on the couch when she heard his car on the driveway. It didn't take long for her to hear the keys on the lock and Booth almost fell on his behind when she threw herself at him as soon as he opened the door.

"Whoa. You really missed me, uh, Bones?" He chuckled, hugging her back. It was so nice to come back home to her and to their daughter. It almost felt as if those months they'd spent separated had only been a nightmare, the worst of all nightmares.

"In fact, I really did." She smiled and cupped his face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm better than okay." He kissed her. "Although, I wouldn't mind taking a shower." The hiding place was dirty and smelled terrible. All he wanted was to clean up and wash over the last evidence of Muñoz in their lives. "Want to join me?"

"I would love to." She said. "But the lasagna is in the oven and your daughter claims to be starving, even though she and Michael had a picnic less than a couple of hours ago."

He laughed. There was no doubt whose daughter she was.

"We can't let the kid starve." He said before kissing her again and going to the bathroom. "I'll be right back."

˜B&B˜

Less than fifteen minutes later, he was back on the living room in clean clothes and feeling twenty pounds lighter. He found his daughter on the floor drawing, her eyes very focused on whatever she was coloring.

"Oh my God, look at this! You're an artist, Christine Booth." Booth said as he looked at his child's artwork.

"Michael Vincent draws better than me. He's really good drawing giraffes." Christine pursed her lips. "But I'm a much better singer."

"Oh, is that true?"

"Yep." She nodded. "Plus, I know plenty of bones' names."

"You're a very smart little girl." Booth smiled and pulled her in a hug. "Very smart, just like your dad."

"Mommy." Christine corrected him right away, looking at him with an expression so much like her mother's that he couldn't help but laugh. "I'm smart like Mommy."

"You're saying I'm not smart?" He teased her.

"No, Daddy, you're very smart." She assured him. "But you told me yourself that Mommy is the smartest person in the world."

"Also the prettiest." He added with a grin.

"And nicest too." Christine helped. "And the best mommy."

"I am really all of that?" Brennan walked back to the living room, having heard the last part of their conversation.

"All of that and much more." Booth pulled her by the hand and got her to sit next to them, kissing her lips. "Much more."

She kissed him and smiled. "Dinner is ready."

"Finally!" Christine jumped on her feet and rubbed her belly. "I'm so hungry I could eat a whole elephant!"

"An elephant, Christine?" Brennan winced.

"Well, I wouldn't like to eat a real elephant because they are cute, like Dumbo, but that's what Parker says when he's hungry and I'm really, really hungry."

"You know, people would think we don't feed you." Brennan chuckled.

"Did you make apple pie for dessert?" Her child inquired with a grin.

"You didn't even have dinner and you're already thinking about dessert?"

"Daddy says that dessert is the most important part of the meal."

Brennan shook her head. It was a lost battle, that one.

"She has a point, Bones. It is the best part." He nodded. Then, he mimicked his daughter's grin. "Did you?"

"Yes, I did." Brennan tried to keep a straight face, but had to smile when Booth and Christine high-fived. "Although, I'd much rather if you two would prefer to have fresh apples."

Christine and Booth stuck their tongues.

"But that's no fun." Christine pointed out.

"Today is a day to celebrate, Bones." He wrapped one arm around her shoulder and started walking to the dinner table. "We can have a little sugar on celebrations."

"What are we celebrating?" Christine asked, never one to miss a celebration.

"We are celebrating life, baby." Booth said and looked at Brennan… "And love… and happiness."

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So, this is it. I hope you enjoyed it! =D

Now, let me just say that I've had enough of this hiatus and I'm more than ready to have the show back!