Gently, the azure waves licked the hull of the boat, dancing and twirling under the scorching sun. The swell was immeasurably small; those aboard the yacht didn't notice it.
Scrawled across the plain white hull of the boat – that was not beautiful enough to bear the name – was the word "Temperance".
The boat itself looked expensive; something a millionaire might own. The interior was as lavish as a New York penthouse, complete with two glasses of white, sparkling wine on the black granite worktop. A man – bare-chested and wearing only swimming trunks – picked up the two glasses and carried them out to the scorching deck, where a woman was laying on a towel, also only clad in swimwear.
Her skin was pale and still glistening with the residue of sunscreen. Her dark hair fanned out like the petals of a flower around her head. The eyes behind her sunglasses flicked backwards and forwards across the pages of the book she was holding, but she sat up and smiled, gratefully accepting the glass.
He sat down beside her and kissed the curve of her shoulder before taking a mouthful from his glass.
"Are you okay Sully?" she asked, looking him in the eye.
The sun beat down on their bodies as she took a sip.
"Listen Tempe," Sully muttered. "There's something I've wanted to talk to you about."
He then stood up and indicated that she should do the same. She stood.
Their gazes locked and he saw confusion in her eyes as he reached into his pocket to retrieve a small velvety box.
"Temperance," he said as he knelt and took hold of her empty left hand. "Temperance, will you marry me?"
Her expression became instantly unreadable for the slightest second.
Then tears flooded her eyes and she desperately forced out her answer: "Yes!"
He stood with a look of elation in his face. Lifting her up by her waist, he swung her round in a circle… once… twice… before setting her down in front of him.
With a smile, she leaned towards him and kissed –
Seeley Booth woke with a start.
He was breathing heavily and sweating.
Then the dream came flooding back to him and he relaxed his head on the pillow.
"Only a dream."
He rolled over onto his side and gently pulled the silent figure, who was asleep beside him, even closer. He planted a tender kiss on the curve of her shoulder before wrapping his arms tightly around her waist from behind and then burying his face in her dark hair.
A minute later: "Bad dream?"
Booth sighed; she'd been awake the entire time. "Yeah, something like that. I shouldn't have had that cheese."
"You know," replied the woman. "Cheese has no effect on your sleep or your-"
"Go back to sleep Bones."