Temperance gazed out her window at the swirling mass of white fluff that was falling gently to the ground. Booth had insisted that they get away for New Year's, and Temperance had agreed.
Six months. She and Booth had been dating for almost six months now. It was amazing, really, that he had held onto her this long. And she had no intention of leaving.
She looked over at Booth, who had the steering wheel clutched tightly in his hands. He was concentrating intently on the road, which was hard to see due to all the snow. Temperance reached out a hand and placed it on his arm. He smiled, briefly meeting her gaze before returning his attention to the road.
She didn't know where they were going yet, but Booth had told her to pack warm. He picked her up in his SUV over an hour ago and they were still driving.
"Booth, where are we going?" she tried again. She had asked this question about four times already. Maybe she was wearing him down.
Or maybe she wasn't. "You'll see."
Temperance slouched back in her seat. As much as she hated to admit it, she was starting to enjoy his surprises. He had taken her mini-golfing and horseback riding, on picnics and to salsa dancing lessons. She loved his spontaneity. He would just call and say he was going to pick her up in fifteen minutes. And he would be there right on time, sometimes with flowers, always with a kiss. The times she looked forward to most were when they would drive around the city with nowhere to go. Then Booth would park and they would kiss and kiss until time got away from them. He'd take her home and they would do the same thing again the next day.
She fingered the necklace hanging from her neck. This had been one surprise she didn't like. Booth got it for her for Christmas, a beautiful sapphire suspended on a delicate chain. She had said it was too much, but Booth insisted it was perfect. He said that when the light hit it, it would sparkle like her eyes. After admiring it for a moment longer she guiltily handed over her gift for him: Christmas socks and a tie.
Blushing at the memory, Temperance swiveled in her seat to see if she could figure out where they were going by what Booth packed. A toboggan was sticking up at an awkward angle next to a suitcase.
"Is Parker coming along too?" she asked, unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She wanted Booth all to herself.
"No. It's just me and you."
Temperance felt the usual lurch in her stomach as he spoke. She wouldn't have to share Booth with anyone for the next few days. "Then what's the sled for?"
"Shh… you're ruining the surprise," Booth replied.
He obviously wasn't going to give anything away. Temperance settled in for the ride. She tugged at a string that was dangling from the sleeve of her sweater, fiddled with the radio only to get nothing but static, and was just reaching to turn down the heat when Booth grabbed her hand.
He didn't need to say anything; she understood his meaning: chill. She couldn't help it; she just wanted out of the car. Even though it was Saturday she had spent the entire day at the lab, giving a name to the remains of a burn victim. And now she was cooped up in the car. She just couldn't sit still.
She tried to concentrate on Booth's hand, on how warm it was, how much larger than hers it was. She rubbed her thumb along his, feeling the dry and callused skin beneath her fingers and identifying his scaphoid, trapezium, and metacarpal bones. Something about it calmed her.
Booth made a right turn, but with all the snow it was hard to even tell that they were still moving. He drove a bit further and a brown blob became the only other color in the landscape. Temperance squinted at it but couldn't make out what exactly it was.
She looked over at Booth, who had pulled the key from the ignition. "This is it." He smiled and got out of the car, running around the front to get the door for her. She pulled her sweater closer to her body before taking Booth's proffered hand and hopping down.
At first she bowed her head against the snow, but soon decided to look up. Fluffy flakes tickled her cheeks, melting on contact. She blinked against them, which blurred her vision, and smiled. If she could forget about Christmas, winter was her favorite season.
Booth led her towards the brown blob, and it got clearer the closer they got. When Temperance realized what she was looking at she dropped Booth's hand and nearly knocked him over with the force of her hug. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips and turned back to the log cabin.
One day when they had been doing they're aimless driving, Booth asked if there was anything she'd really wanted but never gotten. She'd thought long and hard, discarding the wants that Booth already knew about until remembering that as a child she had always dreamt of living in a log cabin, but she never had the chance. So, that's what she told Booth.
And he had remembered.
She could hardly contain herself as he pulled a key out of his pocket and opened the door. It even smelled cozy and homelike inside. They were standing in a small kitchen, and Temperance smiled, remembering how small the kitchen in the camper had been. At least this one was a bit larger. The wood floors were dusty and looked very old. She ran her hands over the countertops, which were just as old and dusty as the floors and looked up at Booth, who couldn't keep the smile off his face.
"How'd you find this place?" she asked him.
He shrugged. "I know a guy who knows a guy." He looked around. "He said that they only just got electricity in here a few months ago.
Temperance looked around in awe. This was just as she had always imagined it would be. Low ceilings and an oak table, a bronze teakettle on the stove. Though the electricity was new, the appliances were vintage seventies. They looked out of place in the cabin, but Temperance didn't care. This was perfect.
The kitchen opened into a living room and a single doorway. Temperance peaked into the living room. A lone couch sat in front of a fireplace, wood piled up beside it. That was it. She opened the door with Booth right behind her.
The only bedroom housed a bed and dresser. Another door led to what Temperance presumed was the bathroom. She walked up the bed and sat down on what looked like a homemade quilt, bouncing up as the springs beneath her creaked to life. Her legs hung over the edge; she was too far off the ground for her feet to touch the floor.
"So, do you like it?" Booth asked, still grinning.
Temperance answered by jumping off the bed and throwing herself at him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing her lips to his.
A/N: Yeah, I know, this took me forever to get posted. Life has just gotten in the way lately. I finally got a horse!!! ((I've wanted one since I was old enough to say 'hokey' which was my way of say 'horsey,' so it's been a long time)) I'm out at the barn with her just about every day. HOPEFULLYI'll get the next chapter up soon. And as always, I'd LOVE to hear your comments!!!!