My name is Temperance Brennan and I fell in love with my partner Seeley Booth after three years of working together. He was having some family issues when we first met and I was supportive of him all along even if I didn't show it. I always cared for Parker like he was my own son. Whenever Booth would bring him in to the lab he would always brighten my day. It was from Parker that I found out how much Booth actually cared for me. One day we were all going out to lunch and Booth left something inside. As soon as he was gone Parker looked up from the back seat.
"My daddy likes you." He said.
"I know that Parker and I like him back." I replied a little confused.
"Yeah but he likes you." He said again putting more emphasis on the word likes.
"Oh. You mean like like?" I asked suddenly understanding.
"Yeah" he said smiling and at that moment Booth came back out and we left. But I was still thinking about what Parker had told me. If Booth really did care about me the way I did about him maybe it could work, the two of us together. But I would need some time to think. Then again at the same time there was a little voice inside of me telling me to go for it. If you wait he might find someone else. But who else could there be for him? We were a perfect team, destined for each other, like Romeo and Juliet, except with out that awkward part of both of us dying at the end. We talked about other things during lunch, but when Booth told Parker to go wash up in the bathroom, he asked me a question I'll never forget as long as I live.
"Bon- Tempe." He said looking at me nervously. "There is this FBI banquet coming up and, well it's a black tie event so I understand if you don't want to, but-"
"Booth just spit it out" I said knowing what he was about to ask.
"Would you like to go as my gulp date." He asked with some effort. I sat there for a few seconds pretending to mull it over not waning to sound too desperate before I gave my answer.
"Booth I would love to be your date to the upcoming FBI banquet." I said smiling. We both stood up and he hugged me. But It was different then the way he would hug a friend who was going out somewhere with him. It was the kind if hug that he gave Parker when he wasn't going to see him for a while. I was the kind of hug you gave to someone you love. I was glad I was that someone.
xxXXxx
The night of the banquet I showed up at Booth's house a little after 6:30. He said he would have picked me up but he had a surprise that wouldn't fit in the car so I was going to have to come get it. I remembered that he had said it was a black tie occasion so I wore a black and red dress with red stiletto high heels. I could barely walk but it was a banquet right? That meant sitting and eating and listening to important people tell a lot of boring stories. So I was more preoccupied with the way I looked than the way I could function, which was usually not like me but tonight I wanted booth to tell me I looked good. I rang the door bell and after about 5 seconds Booth answered it and showed me inside. He had on black dress pants and a white shirt and was trying to put on a red tie. His finger kept slipping and finally I took pity and asked him if he wanted me to do it. He said yes so I put my hands around behind his head and gently tied his tie. When I was done he looked in the mirror.
"What do you think?" I asked "Straight enough?"
"It's perfect" he said smiling.
"Isn't this your night to have Parker" I asked looking around like maybe he was hiding.
"Yeah but under the circumstances I don't think he would have a good time so he's coming tomorrow." He answered putting on his shoes.
I wondered what the surprise could be that he couldn't bring to my house. But I didn't want to seem rude so I kept my mouth shut. When he had finished getting ready he opened the back door and led me outside. He told me to close my eyes, so I did. I heard him getting something out of his pocket before he told me to open my eyes. When I was allowed to open them I saw he was holding out a necklace with a key on the chain. I must have looked confused because he smiled and came around behind me to put it on. While he was doing this he whispered
"Because you unlock all the defenses around my heart. You're not like other girls Tempe. When I'm with someone else I have to be someone I'm not but around you I can just be my stupid dorky self."
"Booth you're not stupid and you're not a dork. Thank you I love the necklace." I reached up to stroke that thick brown hair and rather unexpectedly I felt his lips on mine. I started to pull away but then I stopped. He was right. He broke down all my barriers too. I kissed him back. We kissed for about five minutes than as we broke gasping for breath he said
"So I guess we should get going." I laughed and arm in arm we walked to the car. The whole ride there we talked about work and things we liked to do in our free time. I noted that randomly kissing co-workers was not on his list. That was a good sign. I smiled at the thought and he looked over at me and laughed.
The banquet was boring even for me and Booth says I am the most boring person he knows. It was exactly what I thought it would be like. There were a bunch of old people telling stories about even older people and lots of toasts. I had a little too much wine and I kept tripping over everything on the way out the door. Booth almost had to carry me to the car to make sure I was ok. The way back to Booth's house is a blur to me. All I remember is that when we got to his house he told me firmly that there was no way I was driving home like that. He gave me some huge sweat's to change into and told me to take his bed. He'd crash on the couch. I was unhappy with this arrangement. I wanted him in the bed with me. But that might just have been the alcohol talking. I woke up in the morning and for a minute forgot where I was. Then looking around I remembered. Booth had a modest place. With a large bed in the middle of the room and a small night table on which there was a picture of Parker and Booth smiling. I got out of the bed reluctantly. It smelled so good. Just like him. And I slowly made my way down the unfamiliar stairs to the kitchen. He was sitting at the table drinking coffee and reading the paper. He was not wearing a shirt. Just some old sweat pants like the ones I was wearing. He looked up when he heard me come in.
"Want some coffee Bones?" he asked "I does wonders for hangovers" I nodded and sat down across from him at the small kitchen table. We drank in silence for a few minutes before Booth said "Look's like we got a new case." He pointed to the cover story and I read "Body found on site for children's playground." As if on cue Booth's cell phone rang and he answered it. I could only hear his side of the conversation.
"Hi Zach, calm down, she's here, Yes, she stayed the night and … AM I ON SPEAKER PHONE!?" I jumped and he pushed the speaker phone button and I could hear Zach and Hodgins laughing. Then Angela's voice came on and I heard her say "No really!? She was there all night!? Did they… you know?"
"No Angela we didn't" I said loudly into the phone "God Tempe! I didn't know you were there. So uhh, how's it going?"
"We'll be there in half an hour. Bye." I hung up his phone. "Oh I don't have any clothes." I said and then blushed realizing what I had just said.
"You can just wear what you did last night; you always wear that lab coat over your clothes anyway. Here I put them in the hall closet." He said showing me the way.
"Why?" I asked following him. "I didn't want them to get wrinkled all night, you, you looked nice and I liked that dress." "Oh thanks." I said blushing again.
After I changed, we got in the car. I sat on the passenger side while he got in the driver's side and we drove away. "Oh Bones I hope you don't mind, I have to take Parker to school today."
"No I don't mind" I said and we turned to go toward Booth's ex's house to pick up Parker. As we turned on the street I could see her house, it was nice and there were children's toys all over the lawn. I wondered if I would be like that if I ever had kids. Parker and Rebecca were waiting outside for us and Parker ran to Booth as soon as he opened the door. I did not want to be rude, so I got out saying hello to Rebecca.
"Oh" She said looking me over "You look nice, going somewhere?"
"Oh no, I stayed the night at Booth's house after he took me to a Banquet and I didn't have any clothes." I smiled and inside I laughed at her expression. She looked confused and slightly jealous. I decided to leave the conversation at that and got back in the car with Parker and Booth.
"Hi Bones!" Parker said smiling.
"Hi Parker, how was your night?" I replied smiling back.
"Well it was good but Mommy won't let me stay up as late as Daddy and I had to do all my homework before she let me play." He said frowning at the last part
"Booth!" I said looking at him. He kept his face toward the road but I could tell he was laughing "What?"
"You let him play and stay up late and not do his homework?" I asked shocked. Booth seemed like the kind of man who would be a strict parent.
"Hey he's only 7. Ya gotta let kids have their fun."
"Well not at the expense of their education." As you can probably guess, I have a thing about kids doing well in school. It must have something to do with hanging around a bunch of other smart people all day.
"After we drop Parker off, stop at my apartment." I told Booth confidently.
"Why?" He asked
"Because if I'm going to make sure Parker does his homework I'm going to need a change of clothes." 'So much for not needing the functionality' I thought looking down at my dress. I was getting tired of wearing it.
"Bones are you sure you want to do this?" Booth asked actually looking away from the road this time. "I mean we stay up till at least midnight and you have work in the morning." Booth's face broke into a grin at the last part. So did mine. I was getting worried for a minute I thought he was telling me to back off.
"Yes." I said only half joking. "For all the time I spend with Parker he may as well be my son too. So I'm going to be the responsible one." I really did feel protective toward parker after all a lot of the things that happened to him were because of some case I dragged Booth along on. And he always took Parker with him. He had seen some things that many adults I know could not have handled the way he did.
I always thought it was from living with his dad. (That was before I realized how squeamish Booth was) So I thought it entirely reasonable that I felt motherly toward Parker the way Russ felt fatherly toward his girls. I had no idea that it would be the start of a very long relationship that most people learn to love. They call it Marriage.