(A/N: Well, after around a month, I'm back. I really should be revising for some exams that I have on Thursday and Friday, but I can definitely do that later. I was browsing through archives of fanfiction, just thinking about what I could write about, when this little thing came to me. Not in any of my series', just a fluffy little one-shot set after 'Santa in the Slush.' It's not my best, nor is it my worst. I hope you enjoy – if you do, let me know in a review!
Disclaimer: I don't own BONES or Temperance Brennan, Seeley Booth, or any of the other characters. It breaks my heart to tell you this.
Amor est vitae essentia
"Bones! Bones!" Booth entered Brennan's office loudly, surprised to find it empty. He glanced around uncertainly, as if expecting her to jump out from behind a piece of furniture.
"She's at the cemetery." He jumped, and turned around to face Angela.
"The cemetery? Right..." He nodded at her, before trying to make a quick escape.
"She needs you right now. She doesn't know it, but she does."
"I'll keep that in mind, Angela." Booth said, his voice full of seriousness, "Now if you don't mind, I have a forensic anthropologist to comfort."
He walked back towards the door, throwing one last smile towards Angela, who returned it with a wink. He exited the Jeffersonian, and headed towards his car. He got inside, and drove to the cemetery in silence.
He arrived there, a quarter of an hour later, and without thinking, made his way over to the area where he knew her mother was buried. He knew she would be there – she always went there when she needed to think. He was right, of course, and smiled when he saw her standing there, her back to him. He walked towards her, his feet squelching in the mud. She failed to notice his presence, was focused on the gravestone in front of her.
"Bones..." Booth clasped his hand over Brennan's shoulder, and she turned towards him, with a questioning look in her eyes.
"Booth..." She started, her voice shaking. Her eyes were red and puffy, and Booth knew that she'd been crying. She wiped at her eyes furiously, trying to get rid of all evidence of her tears. But it was too late – he'd already seen. "What are you doing here? How did you know...?"
"Angela." He said, as if the answer was obvious. She nodded, and glanced towards the tomb stone she was standing before.
Christine Brennan
Died 23rd July, 1996
Loving Mother and Wife
She will be missed sorely
Amor est vitae essentia
"Amore est vitae essentia..." Temperance muttered to herself. "Love is –"
"The essence of life..." Booth finished, looking into the depths of Temperance's blue eyes. She stared at him, awestruck.
"You speak Latin?" She asked, barely able to keep the shock out of her voice. He chuckled, apparently aware that she was surprised.
"Don't doubt my intelligence, Bones. I can speak a bit of Latin, yes, although I'm no expert."
"What else can you say?" She said, stepping away from the grave, and walking towards the cemetery gates.
"What else? Erm..." He thought for a second, before breaking into one of his famous charm-smiles. "Mostly religious stuff. You know, Agnus Dei, Corpus Christi, Credo in Unum Deum.."
Brennan laughed, and he grinned at her once more, placing his hand on the small of her back – something by now she was incredibly used to.
"A couple of random sentences I picked up whilst in the Vatican City... Cras amet qui nunquam amavit; quique amavit, cras amet ... credo quia absurdum est… You know, stuff you don't really need to know, but you remember because it's just so… unusual."
She smiled at him, eyes glistening. He smiled shyly back, and stared at the floor. He took a deep breath in, and opened his mouth to speak, before shutting it again abruptly. He sighed, and looked up at her again.
"I learnt another phrase as well..." He began, cheeks slowly turning pink. She laughed at his embarrassment, as he had done to her numerous times before.
"Yeah? What is it?"
"You've probably heard it... dulcissime, totam tibi subdo me."
Her jaw dropped. Was it true? No... It couldn't be... It was so irrational. No, he's kidding. He has to be kidding. The look on his face, the emotion etched in his strong, handsome features told her otherwise. His eyes were full of adoration, something she had never seen in a man before. At least, not in this way. Suddenly she understood. She knew. She knew exactly what she wanted, how she felt. And she knew exactly how to say it.
"Noster nostri."
That was enough for him. He pulled her towards him sharply, cupping her cheek in his hands, before slowly lowering his mouth to hers, giving her the opportunity to back away if she wanted to. He brushed his lips against hers softly, and then, when she responded, deepened the kiss. She pulled away, moments later, eyes twinkling, before grabbing his hand, and pulling him towards his car.
Darling, I give myself to you totally
Our Hearts beat as one.
(A/N: Well, there you have it. Kind of short, I know, but I didn't want to go over the top. I feel that I did a little bit, but that's up to you guys to decide. If you were wondering about the Latin, I don't speak very good Latin at all, so I apologise if they're literally translated. If they're incorrect, please let me know, but I'll translate them into what I think they mean as best as I can.
Agnus Dei – Lamb Of God
Corpus Christi – Body of Christ
Credo in Unum Deum – I believe in one God.
Cras amet qui nunquam amavit; quique amavit, cras amet - may he love tomorrow who has never loved before; And may he who has loved, love tomorrow as well.
Credo quia absurdum est – I believe it because it's absurd
And of course, as I said in the last two lines...
Dulcissime, totam tibi subdo me - Darling, I give myself to you totally
Noster nostri – Our heart beats as one.
I was also a little unsure about when Temperance's mum dies. Was it ever mentioned in the show? If it was, and I'm just being stupid, someone please, let me know. I decided to refer to her as Christine Brennan, because that's the name that Temperance knew her as. If anyone has any problems with that, let me know, and I'll be more than happy to change it to Ruth Keenan.
Thanks for readingI hope you liked it. If you did, or even if you didn't, I'd love you to tell me so. I'm offering cookies and David Boreanaz to everyone that reviews – Holbonesfan)