Alright, guys. This is it! The final chapter in this story! I totally enjoyed writing this story, and I'm really grateful to all who reviewed and told me what they thought. Thanks for sticking around for the fifteen chapters of epic Booth/Brennan angst or whatever the hell you wanna call it. I have not a clue! I really hope the case was worth reading, and that my research and time sweating over details paid off. Enjoy this final bit of Opportunities, and stick around, because more Bones may be to come in a new fic... but not for awhile, I imagine. Goodbye, and ENJOY!

As Seeley Booth entered the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, his first thought was that it was morbidly beautiful. Black ribbons laced the front pews, an elegant touch to an otherwise bland wooden fixture. Roselyn sat in the pew, a scarlet handkerchief raised to her eyes in a failed attempt to catch the flowing tears. Greg had his arm draped around her, using his free hand to comfortingly stroke her arm. They each wore black, as expected, but both had some form of dark red added to their outfits. Greg’s adornment was his dress shirt, which was a deep blood red.

And as Booth continued to survey his surroundings, he realized that scarlet and black were overwhelming the centuries old furnishings of the church. He twirled the dark red rose between his fingers, finally able to understand the unusual darkness of the flower. Approaching the casket, another wave of understanding flashed over him as he saw the dress on it. A scarlet dress with black lace trim lay flat and formless, unable to hug the curves of its former owner in death as it had in life.

Placing the rose upon the dress as dozens had already, Booth turned from the casket, a kamikaze tear sliding down his cheek. He noticed that during his placement, Carmine had rejoined his wife at the pew. He was crying openly, preventing Booth from swatting away the tear that was now approaching his chin.

“Hello, Carmine,” he said as he walked up to the trio. “How are you feeling?”

“Health wise? Approvazione.” A hitch in his breathing disobeyed his attempts at composing himself, so he just full out cried for a moment before continuing. “In this situation? Molto cattivo.”

“I’m truly sorry for your loss.”

Unexpectedly, Roselyn stood and wrapped her arms around Booth. “Agent Booth –“

“Please, call me Seeley.”

“Seeley… that’s a lovely name.” She sniffled, then said, “You’ve been a wonderful force in our lives these past few weeks. You gave us closure in the disappearance of our daughter. Whether you believe it or not, we’re grateful for you. The pain of not knowing what happened to our baby girl was infinitely worse than finding out she passed.” She kissed his cheek in a motherly gesture, a smile on her face as she pulled back. The tears still flowed, but she seemed genuine in her admission. “I don’t think we could thank you enough for what you’ve given us.”

He spotted Bones entering the church, an awkward tinge to her gait. She looked around with an unsure look in her eyes, and he continued to stare, waiting for her to see him. They locked eyes, and suddenly she was confident in her stance, and she walked in long strides. Zack entered behind her, followed quickly by Angela and Hodgins.

The two latter Squints approached the casket immediately, but the former looked at their flowers in confusion until they had a lead to follow. Placing her flower on the casket, Bones immediately turned away, a single tear track on her right cheek.

As she approached him, Booth turned back to Carmine and Roselyn. “If there’s anyone you should be thanking, it’s this woman right here.” They looked at him, slightly confused, but he elaborated, “If it hadn’t been for her, we would never have identified your daughter beyond Angela’s recognition of her sketch.”

“Booth,” Bones said, and he noticed a blush creeping into her cheeks, “it wasn’t entirely me. It was the efforts of each of my team members that solved this case, and identified Janelle. I… I just led them in the investigation.”

“Don’t be modest, and just play along, OK?” he whispered in her ear softly. She gave him a questioning look before nodding in agreement. But before he could discount anything she had just said, he was staring into the knowing gaze of Roselyn Robustelli. Shifting his weight from foot to foot, he cleared his throat uncomfortably.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the priest enter the church through a door off to the side of the room. Grabbing Bones by the elbow, he pulled her gently in the direction of an empty pew. They sat, listening to the words of a man who had taught the word of God to a once young and alive Janelle Robustelli. Only now he was asking God to lift her spirit to heaven, and protect her in the here-after.

As he held Bones’s hand, he squeezed it every so often when she scoffed at something the man said, which earned her glares from the patrons who didn’t know her like he did. He couldn’t care less about her disbelief in God, but he knew others did.

What he did care about was her, and though she didn’t care what others thought about her, he did. He loved her, and now that they were together, he was going to protect her in every possible way he could. And when they went home after this service, they would talk again, continue to work on the small details of their relationship, even if it took forever.

Because forever was what he was willing to give for her.

Fin