HIGHLAND WEDDING (one shot)

Angela insisted that she and Brennan sat near the front of the church on the groom's side. Personally, Brennan would have preferred to sit at the back. She was somewhat uncomfortable for two reasons, the first being that it was a wedding, an antiquated ceremony that she felt had no real meaning, the second that it was being held in a church, an antiquated institution that was based on belief in a superior being that nobody could see. But Angela had been very stubborn; they had to sit near the front. Brennan looked around at the exquisite stained glass windows, the altar with its linens and brass accoutrements, the beautiful sprays of white roses and baby's breath. It was all quite lovely. Suddenly a side door opened and the groom and groomsmen marched in as a bagpipe began its high peal. Brennan's mouth dropped open as she saw the second man in the line.

Seeley Booth was dressed in a kilt just like the other four men, complete with the knee high socks with the tassels. The man in the lead, presumably the groom, wore a beret as well. As they turned to face the congregation, the bagpipes fell mercifully silent. There was a great deal of murmuring and moving about as people craned their necks to get a good look at the men. Brennan finally recovered enough to shut her mouth. Angela was grinning like an idiot beside her.

"You knew!" Brennan hissed at her, and Angela's smile grew wider, if that were possible.

"I thought it would be fun if it was a surprise for you. I told Booth not to tell you," Angela whispered, nearly bouncing in her seat with excitement. "This is going to be great." At that moment Booth spotted them and smiled at them, blushing a little.

Brennan smiled back at him, then rolled her eyes at Angela. They turned with the rest of the congregation as the wedding march began and the bride appeared at the back of the church.

LATER, at the reception…

Brennan and Angela sat watching the bride and her father make a slow circuit around the dance floor. Brennan was surprised to find she was enjoying herself. The whole ceremony had been lovely. Thankfully the bagpipes were only played once more, as the bride and groom made their way down the aisle at the end. Her ears were still ringing a bit from the shrill notes.

Sensing a presence at their table, she looked up and smiled at Booth as he bowed slightly. Angela giggled. "Nice kilt, Booth. You have great legs," she teased.

Booth colored a little. "Uh, thanks. May I join you? Maybe if I sit down that blonde will get the hint and quit following me."

Brennan glanced over his shoulder and spotted a chubby blonde in a tight aqua satin dress headed their way. "What's wrong with her? I think she's quite attractive," she said, unable to resist teasing him. Suddenly he grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, grazing a kiss over her knuckles. Goose bumps ran up her arm and a thrill went down her back. Her eyes darted to his in shock and she nearly fell off her chair at his warm, sexy smile.

"Smile, Bones," he muttered without moving his lips. That nipped the goose bumps in the bud and brought her crashing back to earth.

Pasting a smile on and taking her cue from him, she spoke without moving her lips. "Don't call me Bones," she warned, the ire in her eyes at odds with the smile.

Booth relaxed a bit as the blonde's face fell and she changed direction. He dropped Brennan's hand and leaned back, sighing with relief. "That was close."

Angela grinned as she witnessed the whole exchange, then nearly laughed out loud as an idea came to her. "Well, guys, I'm gonna go see if I can find some hot guy to dance with." At Brennan's shocked glance she hastened to add, "Not that I'm looking to hook up, I just want to dance and it might as well be with a hottie." Brennan shook her head, smiling. "Hey, why don't you two dance? The floor's really starting to heat up." With that she strolled away, leaving an awkward silence. Brennan wondered idly why they would want to dance if the dance floor was getting hot. She was already too warm. Booth tapped his fingers on the table as he and Brennan looked everywhere but at each other. 'This is silly,' he thought, 'it's just a dance.' Finally he stood and offered her his hand.

"Would you dance with me, Bo—Temperance?" he asked with a smile. She narrowed her eyes at his slip, then stared at his hand for thirty seconds before finally putting her hand in his.

Foreigner was singing 'I Wanna Know What Love Is' and Booth was thankful it was a slow song. He really didn't want to try a fast dance in a kilt. The mental image caused his lips to quirk. Brennan glanced up just in time to catch it.

"What's funny?" she asked, wondering if she was doing something wrong. Slow dancing was fairly easy, swaying back and forth and turning in a circle, but it had been a long time since she'd done it. Booth smiled down at her.

"Just picturing myself dancing to 'Hot Blooded' in this damn thing." He gave a mock shudder. "I don't even wanna go there."

Brennan smiled. "Is it true they don't wear any undergarments with kilts?" she asked curiously, halfway teasing him. Her reward was a full blown blush.

"Don't tell Campbell, but I just couldn't. I'm wearing—never mind what I'm wearing. Suffice it to say the family assets are covered." Brennan took a moment to savor his discomfort. Then she decided to try to put him at ease.

"I have to confess, it takes a man who is very secure in his masculinity to wear a kilt. I'm impressed, Booth."

He smiled down at her and inclined his head in acknowledgement of the compliment. "And it takes a woman who is very secure in her femininity to dance with a man in a kilt," he returned.

Intensely aware of his strong arm around her waist and his hand holding hers, she looked up into his warm chocolate brown eyes and was lost. The man's charm clearly exceeded the legal limit, she thought as her pulse kicked up and her libido came to screaming life. 'We're just partners, we're just partners, we're just partners' she kept repeating to herself as she continued to dance with him.