A/N: Just an idea I got while I was watching a picture of Emily and David. No real plot in this. Actually there is no plot at all. Just a medium piece on Booth's thoughts about a certain person.
Disclaimer: As usual, I own nothin'!
She's pretty but she doesn't know it yet. That's what I realize as I watch her walk around the lab, gathering her stuff before we go home for the night. Again tonight, I came to pick her up. Partially because I felt like seeing her and partially because I know she would have stayed here all night if I hadn't stopped by. I watch as her hair flows behind as she walks around. She let her hair grow after I told her she would look really good with her long hair. She listened and I'm surprised. She's so stubborn and independent that I wonder why she listened to me. I guess I'll never know.
I tell her to hurry up since it's past ten and I want to go home. She tells me to wait a minute, that I'm being impatient, that if I hadn't wanted to wait for her than I shouldn't have come. I know she doesn't really mean everything she says because lately, I feel like something has changed between us. I feel that, beyond our bickering, we are now closer than we have ever been. Maybe it has something to do with her parents' case, maybe it has to do with all of the time we have spent together over the last year. Whatever it is, as I watch her close up the lab for the night, I can't help but notice how beautiful she really is.
We finally walk out of the lab and into the quiet halls of the Jeffersonian. Her heels echoes in the stillness of the night. I try to strike up conversation but I'm not sure what to say. One look at her and I'm mesmerized.
I don't know what came over me. I walked in the lab one morning to find her standing in front of an examination table as she normally was every time I walked in but that morning, as I set my eyes on her, I saw her differently. She was smiling and laughing with Zack. I hadn't seen that smile since we had found out about her parents. My heart had began to race and I was sure my knees were going to give out under me. I have no clue how I managed to walk up to her but I did. She had welcomed me with a grin. My heart had raced faster and I was barely even able to reply with a grin of my own. I must have looked stupid but neither Zack nor she had noticed.
I glance quickly at her. Her features show tiredness and I have a feeling that she hasn't sleep in days. But even tired, she looks amazingly pretty. Beyond the tiredness, I notice something else. It resembles vaguely sadness and I feel my heart going out to her. She thinks that she has to be strong all the time, that it is not okay to show weakness and I can't help but wonder where she got that idea. I don't know everything about her past but I'm sure that it goes beyond her parents' disappearance. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with her time in the foster care system. I can only speculate because I don't know for sure. All I know is that if only she could herself the way I do, the way we all do, then maybe a bit of that sadness would melt away.
She notices me staring and I quickly look away, my heart racing once again. If only she knew the effect she had on me.
The night is fresh and a lightly breeze is sweeping through the parking lot. We make our way quietly through the dark parking lot. For some reason she parked her car at the other end, under the shadow of a tree. I'm parked a little closer to the museum. The moon shines down on Earth, creating weird shadows around us that I'm pretty sure Parker would be terrified of. The tree under which Temperance's car is parked looks more like a huge monster with tentacles on the pavement. I shiver. She turns to look at me. I can see that she wonders why I shivered but I am not going to admit that I'm a little scared of the dark. She'd never let it go after that.
Under the moonlight, her face seems to shine and a twinkle appears in her eyes. I am taken aback by it and my breath gets caught in my chest. Temperance frowns and I know she's wondering why I've stopped breathing. I look immediately away. If I don't stop that now, she'll know that something is up.
She's about to walk to her car when I grab her arm. I shake my head and she looks at me, questioningly.
"I'm not letting you take your car. For all I know, you could be coming back here later tonight."
She looks like she's about to retort something but she closes her mouth instead, her lips forming a very thin line. I can't help but smile at the sight of her. She's too cute when she's annoyed.
In the car, it's the same deal. We are both quiet. We pass thousands of streetlights who, every now and then, lights up the whole car. It is during one of those lightings that I find my sweet partner asleep in her seat. I smile tenderly at the sight of her before turning back to the road. She'd kill me if she noticed me staring at her and not the road.
Fifteen minutes later, I turn onto her street. I can see the shadow of her apartment building. It stands tall and proud, surrounded by fluffy trees and flowers. I wonder why Temperance chose that apartment and why she switched from her modern-despite-the-absence-of-a-television apartment to the cozy-and-more-traditional one where she now lives. Maybe it has to do with the fridge incident that's happened in her old one. I'd like to think that that's the reason.
I finally turn into her parking lot. I parked the car in an empty slot and turn to face her. She's still sleeping and she looks completely angelic. I slowly bring one of my hands to her face and gently stroke her cheek. Her skin feels so soft under my touch and she looks so peaceful asleep that I hate to have to wake up.
"Temperance." I whisper.
She doesn't move so I say her name once again. I feel her begin to move and I immediately pull my hand away. She'd probably kick my ass if she found out what I had been doing while she was asleep.
One eye opens, followed by the other and as she stares unfocusely into my own, I can't help but drown myself in her blue ones. The moon shines through the window of the car and gives her eyes an eery yet mesmerizing blue color. I can't look away. It's only when she turns around to open her door that I come crashing back to reality.
In a second I'm opening my own door and stepping out of my SUV. I wait as she crosses over to my side and, silently, I walk her towards the entrance. I stop her before we reach the door. She looks at me with those blue eyes that make the butterflies in my stomach go crazy. If only she knew what her beauty does to me. I try to talk but I find that I can't. But Temperance doesn't beat around the bushes.
"Do you want to come up?" she asks me.
I shake my head no.
"I'm sorry but I'm too tired. I'll see you tomorrow, Bones."
"Kinda don't have a choice. I don't have a car."
I smile as I realize that I'll have to pick her up tomorrow morning. I already can't wait. She always looked so pretty under the morning sun. Maybe I can surprise her with breakfast as well.
I notice that she's still staring at me and I know I have to say something.
"I'll swing by to pick you at eight."
And before I know what I'm doing, I'm leaning in and give her a tender kiss on her cheek. When I pull away, I notice that she looks shocked. I chuckle softly.
"Good night, Bones." I say before turning around and walking back to my car.
She's still standing at the same spot when I climb in the vehicle. I turn the ignition on before taking one last look at her standing there. A small smile had crept on her face as she seems to realize what has just happened. Just before backing out of her parking lot, I let myself be mesmerized by her. Then I'm gone.
The light is red at the avenue and I'm forced to wait for it to turn green even though no cars are passing by. But I don't mind waiting. I lean my head back and close my eyes, trying to picture my partner in my mind. I see her clearly without much effort. She's so pretty. Unfortunately, she just doesn't know it yet.