Fade Away, by flyersfan

lalalala *stamps foot impatiently* don't make me break out the chicken salad and the crazy chickens. I am trying really hard to keep them contained.
~~~~~~~~Cassie~~~~~~~~

I don't think the crazy chickens appreciate being with the chicken salad. Or maybe that's what's making the chicken crazy? Seeing what happens to them after death...

seeing their kinsman all covered in mayo and tossed with croutons must be quite distressing....

yeah, they are pretty mad about it and looking to take it out on someone, so she had better hurry with a new chapter before I turn them out lol *evil laugh*
~~~~~~Cassie~~~~~~

Fly........You know how I love you? And you love me too? *cough* Please post...

Okay…so I’m really not quite sure about this chapter. However, I’ve been told that I’m my own worst critic, so perhaps I’m just being overly critical. You can be the judge…

Anyway…thanks so much for all the reviews…you are all so sweet! There will be just one more chapter after this one…I would have put it all together in a nice long chap, but I was having a bit of trouble with the ending, and I’d rather take more time on it then do it quickly and having it turn out badly. Enjoy!

Angela watched intently, her eyes and ears attuned to any movement or sound from the ruined FBI building. She had run out of the diner a few minutes ago, swearing she had heard something in those few seconds on her cell phone before the tenuous connection had once again been broken. Booth’s voice, tense and frantic…then nothing. The others had followed her, and now, once again, they stood in a group, waiting for any news.

She was just about to speak when she heard shouts; immediately she ran toward the building, ducking under the tape and charging past the guard that reached out to try and hold her back. She had almost reached the building, when Cullen grabbed her. “Angela…”

The sound of him speaking her name was enough to stop her. He had never used her first name before. “Is it them? Did they find Booth and Brennan?”

Cullen just shook his head. “I don’t know. I think so…just stay back and let them do their job.”

“Are they okay? Are they alive?” Her voice broke on the last word.

Cullen carefully led her back across the street to the rest of the group. He looked grimly at the others. “Stay here. I’ll find out what’s going on.”

xxx

The night was filled with sounds; the noise of the rescue equipment, the shouts of the searchers as they looked through the rubble trying to find more survivors. Lights from the ambulances and fire trucks shone through the darkness, creating an eerie glow over the streets.

Booth sat in the back of the ambulance, his eyes anxiously searching, trying to catch a glimpse of Bones through the medical personnel who crowded around her. He barely remembered the events of the rescue; he had been too focused on her and frantic at her lack of response.

Angrily he waved off another attempt by the paramedic to check him over. “I’m fine! Just take care of my partner.”

“Sir, someone else is helping your partner,” the woman said exasperatedly. “Just let me help you.”

“I’m fine,” Booth repeated, trying to get up.

“You’re not fine. You’re bleeding.”

That got his attention, and he finally looked down at himself. He noted for the first time various cuts and scrapes all over his body. He had been so focused on Bones that he hadn’t even noticed his own injuries. Now, though, he was aware of a dull, throbbing pain in his chest, signaling a few cracked ribs at the very least. Just great…

“Look, it’s nothing serious.” He made another attempt to stand. “I just need to make sure Bones is okay.”

“Sir…”

“Booth, calm down.” Sweets had joined them, after being cleared by Cullen. “You’re not going to help Dr. Brennan this way.”

Booth knew Sweets was right, but he couldn’t help it. He felt so helpless, and he hated it. His eyes were once again drawn to Bones as the paramedics put her on the stretcher and loaded her in the back of the other ambulance. “Okay, time to go.” This time, he was almost able to jump out of the back of the ambulance before the paramedic finally had enough, and gripped his arm with surprising strength.

“Look, sir. You are injured. We are going to take care of you whether you like it or not. And if you’d stop being so damn stubborn, you’d realize that we can get you to the hospital in record time while we do it!”

Properly chastened, Booth finally relented, realizing that she was right. Reluctantly he let them tend to his injuries as the ambulance sped away down the street.

xxx

Booth paced the waiting room anxiously. The squints had joined him, and after quizzing him about the ordeal, had tried, without success, to get him to sit down and try to relax. Zack was the only one missing, of course. They had debated telling him when the bombing had first occurred, but in the end had decided to wait until there was better news. No sense worrying the kid when he couldn’t do anything but sit in his room and fret.

They hadn’t been able to contact Max and Russ, either; they were somewhere in the mountains of Virginia on a camping trip, and out of cell phone coverage. Amy had told them that they were expected back sometime within the next two days.

It was here that Cullen found them a few hours later. He had briefly checked on Booth at the scene, then had stayed at the site for news of any other survivors. He spotted Booth immediately, standing by the window, staring out into the night. He walked over to him, passing on the way the rest of the squints, in various stages of rest, on the sofas and chairs in the waiting room. “Shouldn’t you be in a hospital bed yourself?”

Booth turned at his boss’ voice. “I’m fine.”

Cullen took in the bandages, the cuts and bruises on his agent’s face. “Yeah…fine,” he said skeptically.

Booth waved away his concern. “So, what happened?”

“They’re still investigating, but they can’t do a thorough check until search and rescue is done.”

“How many?”

“Booth, seriously. You should be resting…”

“How many, Cullen?”

Cullen sighed. “Eight injured, you included. Six confirmed dead. And there’s still twenty-three missing.”

“Damn it…”

“It could have been a lot worse. Luckily most of the agents were already gone for the day.”

Booth raked a hand through his hair. “This is just…” He shook his head. “I just can’t believe it.”

“Yeah. I know what you mean.” He sighed. “Look, I gotta get back. I just wanted to check up on you.”

“Yeah,” Booth responded, distracted.

Cullen hesitated before asking the questions. “How’s Dr. Brennan?”

“In surgery.” Booth’s voice was clipped.

Cullen knew not to press the issue. “Okay. Well…I’ll check in later.”

Booth just nodded curtly as he watched Cullen walk out, then turned back to the window, his mind already focused once again on his partner.

THANK YOU......
They found them!!! But you can't kill Brennan! *sigh* Booth is soooo sweet!!

WOOHOO! An update! I love you, Fly. In a non-creepy way.

I'm glad they found them, too. Great chapter, BTW.

Wow. Has hell frozen over? Did my dear Fly actually post a chapter?

*goes back to reread*

Yes... She did.

So glad to see you're actually posting again. I loved it. Glad they've been found...

Let's not wait as long to post again, okay?

Thanks casey and shakari!

As for you, deb...ha ha. Aren't you just sooo funny...

I try, Fly... I really do

Fly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm SO glad you posted! And with a great chap nonetheless!
What a great surprise to finish this long day

Will be waiting the final one!

OMG there really is a new chapter....I thought cup was only kidding....but here it is....
Thank god they are out of the building now, but it's not looking too good for Brennan now.
I'll just have to trust in your inability to kill our Bones for now....that's all that's keeping me from hyperventilating right now.....
Can't wait for more!

Well, here you go. Hopefully it wasn’t too rushed…quite honestly, I was having a lot of problems with motivation for this story, so I wanted to finish it so that I didn’t have to feel guilty about my infrequent updates. But I think it turned out okay…at least, I hope it did. Anyway, thanks so much for reading and reviewing!


Brennan opened her eyes slowly, cringing against the bright light shining through the windows. She turned her head slightly, taking in the room; white walls, white ceiling…she was in a hospital room. Struggling, she tried to remember something, anything about what had happened. She thought she remembered Booth talking to her, telling her not to give up…

A noise to her left caused her to turn her head to see Booth, in the chair beside her bed, asleep. At the same time, she became aware of the pain; a dull ache throughout her whole body. This time when she tried to move, a small whimper escaped her, which was enough to wake the sleeping man beside her.

Booth woke with a start. He had been lightly dozing, his ears attuned to any sound from her. Sitting up quickly, he looked over. “Temperance?” Relief flooded through him when he saw she was awake.

“Booth?” Brennan, alarmed at how weak her voice sounded, struggled to recall what had happened as Booth moved beside her and took her hand.

“Thank God!” He squeezed her hand. “I was so worried about you.”

“What…happened?”

Booth had to lean close just to hear her; her voice was so faint. “You don’t remember?”

Looking at his face, at the cuts and bruises, she frowned. “You’re hurt.”

“I’m fine. We were trapped, but we’re safe now, and you’re going to be fine.”

“I…” Suddenly, everything came flooding back; the bomb, being trapped in the rubble, Booth’s words… Her eyes widened as she remembered. “The bomb,” she whispered. She looked up into his face and saw the worry and fatigue written there. “What about…the others?”

Booth shook his head. “They’re still looking for survivors. Don’t worry about it now, you need to rest.”

“Booth…” He wasn’t telling her everything, she knew it. But she was too tired to argue. She fought to stay awake, but sleep reached up to claim her and wouldn’t let go. Her eyes started to close again. “I’m so tired,” she whispered.

“Go to sleep, Temperance.” She felt his hand in hers, and his soothing voice followed her back down into sleep. “I’ll be here when you wake up. I promise.”

xxx

Booth paused in the doorway of the hospital room, a bouquet of daffodils in his hand. Brennan was sitting up in bed, her face full of color, looking much better than she had only three days earlier. Angela sat in the chair beside the bed, talking animatedly to her. His heart felt lighter than it had in a week; when he thought of what could have happened… Shaking off the morose thoughts, he walked into the room.

Brennan looked up at his approach. “Booth!”

Angela noticed how Brennan’s eyes lit up as Booth walked into the room, and her own eyes narrowed suspiciously. She watched them closely for the next few minutes as they bantered back and forth, her thoughts whirling. Something had changed between the two; it was subtle, but it was there. Angela was good at reading people, especially those two, and she knew she was right. Smiling, she decided that she was going to have a talk with Bren as soon as Booth left.

“So, Bones. The doctor says you can go home tomorrow? Isn’t that a bit soon?” Booth knew she was probably going crazy stuck here in the hospital, but he was still worried about her, despite her seemingly rapid recovery.

“No, it’s not too soon, Booth. As a matter of fact, I was looking at my chart, and I really think I could go home today. The doctor is just being unnecessarily cautious.”

Booth only half listened as she rattled on about her symptoms and diagnosis. His mind was wandering. He had been here, beside her, for the past week, just as he had promised her. Angela and the doctors and nurses had tried to convince him to go home and get some rest, but he had been adamant about not leaving her. He had told her he’d be there, and he wasn’t about to break that promise.

She hadn’t brought up anything about their ordeal, except to ask about the others that had fallen victim to the bombing. He didn’t know how much she remembered from the experience; if she had heard his pleading words to her just before they were rescued, and he had been almost afraid to ask. But sometimes, when she looked at him, he thought that maybe she did.

The vibration of his cell phone in his pants pocket pulled him from his thoughts. Pulling it out, he saw a message from Cullen. Standing, he smiled apologetically. “Sorry Bones, I gotta go.” With a wave to Angela, he was gone.

Brennan just shook her head, then turned to Angela. “That was a quick visit,” she commented.

Angela pulled her chair closer to the bed. “So, sweetie...what happened between you and tall, dark and handsome when you were trapped in that building?”

Brennan looked at Angela, surprised. Averting her eyes from her friend’s knowing gaze, she answered. “I…I don’t know what you mean, Ang.”

“Oh, come on Bren. Something happened down there. I could tell when you saw each other…something’s changed. So tell me.”

Brennan sighed. She should have known Angela would notice something. “I don’t really remember that much. But I think…” Her voice trailed off, and Angela looked at her questioningly.

“What?”

“I think…Booth told me that he loves me.” She shook her head at Angela’s look of surprise. “But I’m sure I’m mistaken.”

“Oh sweetie.” Angela sighed. “I’m sure you heard just fine.”

“Logically, I suppose intense circumstances cause people to say things they don’t mean, so…”

“Oh, come on Brennan!” At Brennan’s startled look, she lowered her voice. “Booth wouldn’t say something like that unless he meant it. You know that.”

“I…”

Angela didn’t let her finish. “Of course he loves you, he’s always loved you, he just hasn’t ever been able to say it.”

Brennan was silent for a moment. Was that true? She knew they shared a closeness, but was it love? “When Hodgins and I were buried alive, he wrote a letter to you, in case…in case we didn’t make it out alive.”

Angela nodded. “I know. He showed it to me later.”

“He asked me if I had anyone that I wanted to say goodbye to.”

“And?”

“I…wrote a letter to Booth.”

“What did it say?”

Brennan shook her head. “The actual words don’t matter. But I just didn’t want to die without him knowing how much he meant to me.”

Angela sighed. “Look, sweetie. You two have been dancing around your feelings for each other for a long time. Maybe it’s time to start facing it.”

“I don’t want anything to change, Ange. And it will. I know it will.”

“Yeah, it’ll change. You can’t escape that. But I promise, it’ll be better.”

Brennan was silent for a few moments, thinking. “What if it doesn’t work? What if we end up hating each other? I don’t want to lose him, Angela. I can’t.”

“You won’t.”

“You don’t know that! I mean, look at you and Hodgins…”

“Jack and I are still friends. Sure, it was awkward at first, but we worked it out. And so would you and Booth. But you don’t have to worry about that.”

“How do you know?”

“Because it’s you and Booth.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Yes it is. And it’s the only answer I can give you. Trust me, Bren. About this, I’m not wrong.” She stood up and smiled at her friend. “I have to go, but I’ll be back in the morning to pick you up.”

Brennan gave her a faint smile. “Thanks Ang.”

xxx

“Bones?” Booth entered the apartment, his eyes immediately searching for his partner. Not seeing her, he pocketed the key he had given her and made his way towards the kitchen. He knew she was here; Angela had picked her up from the hospital this morning, and he had told her he’d be by later. “Hey, Bones!”

Brennan sat up, rubbing her eyes. Looking at the clock, she was startled to see it was almost 6 pm. She had only meant to rest for a few minutes after Angela had left; she must have been more tired than she thought.

“Bones?” Booth knocked softly on her bedroom door.

“I’ll be right there, Booth.” A few minutes later, she joined him in the kitchen, where he was busy setting out boxes of takeout Chinese food. The aroma made her mouth water. “Thanks. I’m starving.”

Booth looked at her closely, noting the tousled hair and puffy eyes. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

Sitting down at the table, she grabbed a carton of food. “It’s fine. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“Don’t be silly. You need to rest.” He joined her at the table. “Maybe you should’ve stayed in the hospital a few more days.

“Booth, I could not have endured one more day in there. I’m fine. And I’m anxious to get back to the lab.” She grabbed a pair of chopsticks and started eating.

He gave her a warning look. “Don’t even think about it.”

“I am perfectly fine. And I have so many things to do there. I’m so behind.”

“The bones can wait. You’re the most important thing right now, and you need to rest and get better.” She opened her mouth to argue, but stopped when she saw the look in his eyes. “Besides, Cam was adamant that you are not allowed back until at least Monday.”

“But that’s four days away!”

“You’ll survive.” He threw her a smile. “Besides, I’ll be here to keep you company.”

“Oh, that’s comforting.” She tried to sound irritated, but she knew he was right. She didn’t have her strength back, and she knew there was no way she was ready to go back to work just yet. She wasn’t about to admit it to him, however.

They finished eating in relative silence; when they were done, Booth insisted that she relax on the sofa while he cleaned up, then joined her there a few minutes later. “Look, tomorrow’s the memorial for…for the agents that perished in the bombing. I have to be there, but once that’s over, I’ll stop by and keep you occupied.”

Brennan heard the hesitation in his voice. She knew he had lost many friends. “I’m sorry Booth.”

He shrugged. “Yeah. Thanks.”

She took a deep breath; she knew he wasn’t going to like what she was about to say. “I want to go with you.”

“No.” He shook his head. “You need to rest, and I…”

“Damn it, Booth! Stop treating me like a child!”

“Bones…”

“I knew some of those people, Booth. And I want to be there.” She lowered her voice. “I’m not going to break. But refusing to acknowledge what happened isn’t going to help. I need to be there.”

Booth sighed. He knew she was right, but that still didn’t mean he had to like it. “Okay. But you have to promise to do exactly what I say.”

She laughed incredulously. “You know that’s not going to happen.”

“Bones, I mean it. I know it’s got to be hard for you, being dependent on me, but the truth is, you’re still hurt. If you push yourself too much, you’re just going to set yourself back, and I’m not going to help you with that.”

The fact that she didn’t even try to argue made him realize just how right he was. “I’ll take you to the service. But we’re not staying long, and if I see that you’re getting too tired, we’re leaving. Agreed?” Reluctantly, she nodded. “Good.” He stood up. “I have to make a quick phone call. Do you need anything?”

“No. I’m fine.”

He smiled at her petulant tone, then walked out to the kitchen, pulling out his cell phone.

Brennan watched him go, her talk with Angela yesterday running over and over through her mind. She knew she needed to talk to him, but she didn’t know how to bring it up. She wasn’t sure if her normal, direct approach was the right one in this situation. Sighing, she leaned her head back on the sofa.

When Booth re-entered the living room a few minutes later, he found her asleep. Smiling to himself, he pulled the blanket on the back of the sofa over her and gently sat down beside her. The slight movement roused her, and she sleepily looked over at him before leaning over and resting her head on his shoulder.

He was surprised for a moment, then put his arm around her and pulled her close.

Sighing, she leaned into him, enjoying the feel of being in his arms. “Booth?”

“Yeah Bones?”

“When we were trapped, and you were talking to me…”

“Yeah?” Booth questioned, his mouth suddenly dry. He wasn’t sure if he was quite ready for this talk.

She sat up and looked at him. “I thought…I mean, did you…” Come on, Brennan, she chided herself. “I thought you told me that…that you loved me.”

“Temperance…”

“I mean, it’s okay. I understand.” She knew she was rambling, but she couldn’t help it. “I know that being in those circumstances, people say things that they really don’t mean; it’s just the mind trying to…”

“Shh.” He placed a finger on her lips to silence her. He looked into her eyes, seeing doubt, confusion…and fear. He smiled sadly. “I meant everything I said to you, Temperance. Maybe I hadn’t planned on saying it at that moment, in that way. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t true.”

Brennan just stared at him for a moment. She wasn’t sure what to say. “It’s probably not a good idea to get involved. I mean, there are a lot of factors that…”

“Don’t.” He held up a hand. “You can give me all the reasons in the world why we shouldn’t be together, why it might not work out. I’ve gone through it all myself. What I really want to know is how you feel. Don’t answer with your head for once, Temperance. What does your heart say?”

“I’m not good at that, Booth.”

“Just try.”

She swallowed hard. “I…I’m attracted to you.”

“That’s it?”

“No, I…” She closed her eyes briefly, trying to calm her racing pulse. “I’m comfortable with you. But I’m confused, too. I trust you, and that’s not easy for me. You’re my best friend, the person I most want to spend time with. The only person that I can ever imagine spending the rest of my life with. And that scares me, because knowing all that makes me realize that I rely on you. And I swore to myself a long time ago that I wasn’t going to let that happen. I was never going to rely on anyone else again.”

He smiled, reaching out and running his fingers lightly down her cheek. “Life has a way of pulling the rug out from under you.”

“So, what do we do?”

“We take the chance, Bones. It’s all we can do.”

“But Booth, we can’t be sure…”

“Bones, if there’s anything at all that I learned when we trapped in that building, helpless, with you clinging to life, it’s that nothing is certain in this life. But that doesn’t mean we need to be afraid of it. It’s the uncertainties that make life interesting.”

“But…”

“I don’t want to go through the rest of my life being afraid to risk anything. No more regrets.” He moved closer, and her heart skipped a beat.

“I’m not great at taking chances, Booth. At least not with my heart.”

“I’ll help you.” He smiled at her, and she felt the last walls around her heart crumble. “So what do you say?”

Looking into his eyes, Brennan knew he was right. She could either stop it here and continue the life she had lived up until know, or she could take the chance and see where it took them. Taking a deep breath, she made her decision. “I say yes.”

Smiling, Booth reached up and cupped her face with his hand. The touch of his fingers on her skin made her shiver; she moved closer, slowly closing the distance between them, until their lips met in a sweet, soft kiss.

Well, there you go. Sorry, no smut…I’m just not up to it right now. Besides, it’s not my strong suit. Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.

great chapter Fly!! can't wait for more!!!

I really loved this story, fly!
And the end (I think this is the end) was just perfect.

Just read the whole story in one go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brilliant Fly, just brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thank you~!

I enjoyed reading this, Fly! Thank you for finishing it!

Brilliant Fly!!! I love it so so so much!

It's done?

Love it so much

What a cute story I loved it.
Good work!

As sad as I am to see it end, I really enjoyed it. You did a fantastic job