The Meaning in the Unity:
A Difficult Shift
I admit, this is taking a lot longer to work through than I expected. So I'm really sorry for the huge lag time between these super short chapters. The feedback is keeping me motivated, though, so keep it coming! I'm starting a new job this week, so it might be even slower for a while (I'm sorry!) but I promise, I know where it's headed. I won't leave you hanging!
"Okay, Max, you need to make sure she stays here until I call, okay?"
"I can't guarantee that," Brennan's father said with a smile, casting his gaze at the woman standing beside him on a Friday afternoon in the park. They had just gotten out of a cab at the park and Angela was waiting at the curb to greet them. Behind an alcove of trees they could see a group of people standing around and chatting, and Brennan tried not to let her anxiety get the best of her.
"I'll see you up there, Sweetie," Angela gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You look amazing."
As they watched Angela walk out onto the grass and disappear behind the foliage Brennan took her father's hand.
"How you doing, Tempy?"
"I find that I am experiencing psychosomatic symptoms as a result of my anxiety."
"It's just butterflies, sweetie," Max reassured.
"No, I am quite certain that none of my anxiety is stemming from the Lepidoptera. I believe it is due to the social climate surrounding marriage. I am about to undergo a rite of passage that is heavily valued in our culture."
Max just smiled. "It's going to be okay."
"I know."
"You know when you and Booth aren't as good of actors as you thought. I knew something was up the moment you sat down in the diner."
She didn't respond.
"I'm so glad you finally did it, Tempy. It's about time!"
"We are getting married for the protection it will assure our child and financial benefits of a legal union when combining assets," she explained.
"You're not fooling me for a second, Tempy. You love him. That's okay, you know. He's not a bank robber. He's not going to leave just because you love him."
Her eyes began to well with tears and she gave one strong sniff to keep the nasal mucus from smearing her makeup.
Max felt the phone in his pocket vibrate. When he answered he heard Angela whisper, "We're ready."
"You ready, sweetheart?" he asked.
She nodded and sniffled once more. "Yes." She laced her arm through his, preparing for the walk.
"We're on our way," Max said into the phone, then powered it down.
As they made their way past the thicket of trees Brennan saw the 18 people in the world who meant the most to her standing in two single file lines, creating a walkway in between them. She felt a tightness in her stomach and had to gasp for air to keep herself composed.
Her father carefully lead her down towards the group who all smiled back at her, and as they approached Booth stepped out of line and into the center of the walkway. Ready to greet her at the end. He beamed at her, taking in the whole sight of his bride and trying to memorize every detail of this moment.
She was beautiful, her hair piled up on the back of her head with gentle tendrils hanging down, softening her into the woman he knew that she could be when she wasn't hiding behind her lab coat. Her dress was a cool shade of sage and made of heavy satin that formed to every inch of her frame from torso to knee. Magnificent wasn't enough to describe the beauty walking towards him, wearing a soft and nervous smile on her taut lips. He could feel his heart pounding, seemly shaking his entire core. But, he caught her gaze and beamed at her, trying his best to communicate in a single look what he would be repeating to her in just moments.
Booth measured his success by the expression that grew across her face. Her lips parted to expose a toothy smile and her eyes came alive, as if he were awakening something in a deep part of her that wanted to get out.
Ten long paces seemed to take an eternity, but then she was standing there at the front of the group, beside her father and the father of her child. Max gave her kiss on the cheek. "I love you, Tempy," he said, and placed her hand into Booths outstretched palm.
She could feel the perspiration on his hand as she took it, but ignored the physiological response when she looked up into his eyes. For a moment she felt alone in the park, as she had been so many times before, standing on this lawn with one man and sharing quiet moments.
"Welcome," she heard a voice say. It snapped her back into reality as she noted to her left Hodgens standing before them wearing brown slacks and a white shirt. "We are all here today to celebrate the union of Seeley Booth and Temperance Brennan. Two people who we all love very much. Today, these two will announce their love and commitment to one another before their friends, family, god, and state.
"William Shakespeare wrote:
'Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! It is an ever-fix'd mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.'
Words that tell us that love will outlast any trial these two may face. And as people who have known them through more than one trial, we know these words to be true. Seeley and Temperance, Booth and Bones, have a love that has already survived the edge of doom.
"Seeley, please repeat after me:
"Temperance Brennan, I promise to be faithful, supportive, and loyal and to give you my companionship and love throughout all the changes of our life. I vow to bring you happiness, and I will treasure you as my companion. I will celebrate the joys of life with you. I promise to support your dreams, and walk beside you offering courage and strength through all endeavors. From this day forward, I will be proud to be your husband and your best friend."
Booth repeated the words, holding tight to his partner's hands and trying his best to keep the tears from rolling down his cheek as she repeated those words back to him.
Gently, they slid bands on one another's fingers, avowing the meaning of the bands as they did. Then finally, they turned back to Hodgens.
"Seeley and Temperance have spoken their intentions to unite in matrimony before us. And so, by the power vested in me by the District of Columbia, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
The group cheered as Booth and Brennan embraced and kissed each other sweetly.
Each bent down to give a hug to Parker, then proceeded to pass them out to each member of their audience, morphing the feel from a wedding party to a circle of friends and family.
At eight o'clock they'd all finished up dinner at the Founding Father's and Angela tried to stifle yet another yawn. Hodgens smirked at her from across the table. "I think we'd better get going sweetie. It's been a long day for us," she gestured at the stroller at her side. "I love you."
"Thank you, Angela. It's been wonderful." Angela wrapped her in a final hug and kissed her cheek.
"You know we should probably get going too," Russ stood. "The girls have soccer try-outs in the morning." His family rose to pass out hugs to their aunt and new uncle and Parker looked a little upset by the idea of his new cousins leaving.
Jared chuckled. "Come on, kid. On your feet. We've gotta get you back to your mom's and get Pops back to the raisin ranch." It made both Booth men laugh and get to their feet.
One by one each guest made their rounds with hugs and kisses, and as quickly as it began, the celebration was over. Booth waved as Sweets and Daisy wandered out the door, the last to leave and held tightly to his wife's hand. "Man, we got lame," he said nudging her with his shoulder. "Eight fifteen and the party is over."
"Late evening activities are often centered around mate section. We've all got mates," she explained.
He nodded and the corners of his lips turned up. "Yep."
"Typically when members of a social group begin to have children often the function of the group shifts from courtship to sharing experiences related to childbearing. It happens in various societies. Are you finding it difficult to watch that shift take place in our social group?"
"No," he said. "Just different."
"I am finding it quite difficult," she admitted.
He shifted his gaze to meet her eyes. "You are?"
"Yes. I have been very comfortable in our social group for a number of years it is somewhat uncomfortable to experience this transition. However, I expect that the childrearing knowledge and socialization will make the transition to parenthood less difficult."
"Oh face it," he teased, "you can't wait to be a mommy."
She let out a half laugh as she exhaled. "Let's go home." She laced her arm through his and the pair walked out to the street.
Booth hailed a cab and helped her in first, then climbed in himself, giving the cabbie her address. He couldn't help but notice that she was watching him very closely as he did. "What?" he asked.
"Nothing."
"You can't say, 'nothing.' You were staring. Do I have something on my face?"
"I was just thinking. Usually this is the part where I turn around and watch you wave goodnight."
He smiled. "You're right. Do you want me to wave, just so you don't feel like you're missing out?"
"No. That wouldn't make any sense. Waving is a greeting and parting gesture. We're not parting."
He kissed her cheeks. "Good."
She rolled her eyes at him but couldn't fight the grin from her lips.
On Monday morning Booth crawled from bed and begrudgingly wrestled into a work suit he had packed. Having refused to spend their first weekend as a married couple surrounded by moving boxes and sorting through dishes and out of style ties, his articles at Brennan's home were still limited.
He kissed his bride goodbye as they both got into their cars to leave for work and he found that after 60 continuous hours together, he wasn't even around the corner before he started to miss her. With a pout on his face he followed her Prius towards the capital. When is work cell rang he couldn't help but perk up a little, a little part of him wondering if it might be her.
"Booth," he answered with a friendly tone.
"You're back in today, right?" He heard not Bones, but Andrew on the other end of the line.
"Yeah, I'm on my way into the office right now."
"Well don't bother. You've got a case, I'll give you the address."
Just as he began to type the address into his navigation he saw Brennan put on her turn signal. He smiled and flipped his on as well, following her again, but this time to the crime scene.
"Bones too?"
"I signed the affidavit," Andrew said. "Just don't make a fool out of me. You two better perform just as well married as you did when you were all sexually awkward."
"We will," Booth assured.
"You better, Booth. This is my ass on the line."
By ten that morning the remains of a young man, including the oven he had been baked to death in, had been transported to the Jeffersonian and the team had been briefed on the case.
"So did you enjoy your weekend off?" Hodgens asked Booth, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Yeah, it was great," Booth said without much emotion. He turned away from the platform to avoid looking at the remains.
"I think what Hodgens was implying was that we had a great deal of intercourse," Brennan explained. "It was intended to be gesture of comradary."
"Well I appreciate it, Hodgens, but Mr. Easy-Bake over there, would like your full attention."
Brennan shot Booth a look but didn't say a word.
"Fine," Hodgens replied, trying not to look hurt. "Any particulates for me to pull yet?"
"Hey man, I'm sorry about snapping earlier," Booth said wandering into Hodgens office with a couple cups of coffee that afternoon.
"It's no big deal, Booth. I get it. You gotta stay on your game. Can't be looking like a slacker now that you've got a family to support."
"Yeah," Booth took a seat on one of the desks. "How about that? Weird hu?"
"Eh, you get used to it fast. I mean ever since Angela told me she was pregnant it's like I'm in full out Dad-mode. I didn't even know I had a Dad-mode. It's like you and her are totally in charge of making this kid's whole life. It's crazy. I mean I'm sure you had some of it before you had Parker. But this, you and Brennan, this is the real thing, man. You've got a wife."
"Yeah," Booth said in a bit of a daze.
"It's heavy," Hodgens said. "When Ange was in her second trimester she talked me into signing up for this dads-in-training class. I thought it was going to be extraordinarily lame, but it was actually kind of interesting. I can give you the guy's card if you want?"
"No, that's really okay."
"I know, Booth, you don't believe me. But get ready," he said in a sing-song voice, "you're a daddy now."
Booth shook his head. "Nah. Bones and I, we're not like that."
"Yeah," Hodgens chuckled, "sure."