A/N Howdy hey you awesome people! Hope you're having a wonderful day! Firstly, thank you so much for the wonderful reviews and private messages, you are all so lovely! Currently in the works are 'The Big Everyone Finds Out™' chapters with bonus added drama, a Sweets special (in conjunction with Dr Google) and a fluffy jaunt with Parker. I hope that all sounds good to you!

Another week was spent in Vegas until the case was finally solved and the couple could go back to D.C – and back to reality. As usually happened with a particularly trying case, there was little evidence, and therefore little excitement, at the very beginning, but once they had a suspect in their sights time seemed to speed up and events transpired at a mile a minute. It was for this reason the crime-fighting duo had almost forgotten that they were married – they were working such long and tumultuous hours that the only time they spent together was also spent with suspects and 'Sin City Squints'.

The first time they were able to catch their breath and talk about anything other than solving their case was when they sat down on the plane when it came time for them to leave. Booth was sitting with his head against the small window of the plane, but out of the corner of his eye he could see Temperance next to him staring straight ahead and absently fiddling with an empty bag of peanuts.

"You nervous?" he asked in mock surprise, turning in his seat to face her. she kept her eyes on the seat in front, her brow furrowed.

"I'm afraid of what they're going to say. And I'd rather not tell them just how drunk we were."

"So we won't tell them."

She abandoned the plastic bag now, leaving it crumpled on her tray table, and turned to face him as much as the cramped seats would allow. "That we were drunk, or that we're married?"

"Whatever you want. But I think it would be sort of nice if no one else knew yet." Plus, he thought, it would be less likely to terrify her enough to leave him. "One thing at a time."

"But are we going to tell them we're together?"

"Well, we don't have to do it as soon as we land! We can wait a few days. I just hope Angela hasn't said anything to anyone."

"I don't think she'd do that. One of the fundamental anthropological tenets of friendship is keeping secrets. Although, if we're not telling anyone else yet, maybe you should take this off…" She pointed to the silver band on his hand, and he twisted it off his finger to put it in the pocket of his jeans.

"Huh," he grunted in vague amusement, looking down at his now bare knuckle. "You gave me a pretty cheap wedding ring; it's turned my finger green."

She looked at him apologetically, then frowned at him with a questioning look. "Why did you keep wearing it?"

"Honestly?" She looked at him and raised her eyebrows, silently conveying what they were both thinking – being honest with each other was a vital part of their new relationship, they had decided, so his question was really quite pointless. He smiled and looked away from her gaze. She was certain see saw his cheeks beginning to flush pink. "I hoped you'd come around."

She took his hand and entwined her fingers with his, finding that, maybe bizarrely, to be one of the most romantic things anyone had ever said to her. "I'm glad you didn't give up on me."

Temperance was definitely not looking forward to going back to work, thinking rather irrationally that her colleagues would be able to tell immediately that there was something different about her, and her relationship with Booth – she had been told numerous times over the years that she wasn't a particularly good liar.

So far, though, she had made it past security at both the entrance to the Jeffersonian and at the entrance to their department without anyone more than batting an eyelash at her, but she didn't exactly know those people. Once she made it through the doors of the lab, however, she could practically hear the whispers. She needed to get away from it, quickly.

"Morning, Angela," she said, walking into her friend's office and going over to the desk where she was working, fully expecting a hug after not seeing her for so long.

"Nice of you to join us," Angela said with a smile, but Temperance sensed from her tone, and the fact that she had stayed sat down, that there was something bothering her.

"I'm possibly way off, it's been known to happen, but you didn't seem entirely sincere when you just said that."

"I'm trying to be angry with you because I didn't get to be maid of honour, but I'm failing. I'm just way too excited! You're finally back to reality and now the real fun can start – I can't wait to see the look on everyone's faces!"

"About that… We're not telling anyone else yet. Did you say anything to the others?"

"No, I kept my mouth shut." She broke her friend's gaze, suddenly finding her work to be much more interesting, and mumbled something in the direction of her computer screen. "For the most part…"

"For the most part?"

"Yeah, but I might have said something to Hodgins."

"Like what?"

Angela took a deep breath, and Temperance wasn't sure whether it was because she had a lot to say, or because it was likely to make her angry. "For five years, he and I have had a kind of wager going. To cut a long story short, I bet him five hundred dollars that you and Booth would get together within ten years of starting to work together, and he said that it would take way more than ten years. So I win! And I may have said to him that when you got back he would owe me money…"

"Do you think he can keep a secret?"

"You mean keep a secret better than I can?"

"Yes."

The day passed slowly, with Temperance constantly looking over her shoulder. She wasn't working on an actual case right now, just catching up on paperwork that she hadn't been able to complete in Las Vegas, so thankfully she hadn't seen much of Booth – she wasn't sure how to act around him at home, let alone at work, in front of other people.

Once the paperwork was finished, she couldn't wait to get out of the Jeffersonian and away from everyone else. Angela had seemed to pick up on this, and took great joy in interrogating her friend about how she would be spending the rest of her evening.

"Boy, you just can't wait to get out of here, can you? I wonder why that might be. Oh, might it have something to do with the man waiting at home for you?"

"I live alone, Angela. There's no one else there."

"But will you and 'hubby' be moving in together? Like the happy little family we all want you to be?"

"We discussed it, and we decided that now isn't really the right time for us to live together."

"What?!"

"I just renewed the lease on my apartment, and Booth paid 6 months rent up front for his, so we don't really have a choice. Our proposed solution is that we spend alternate nights at the other's place, and see how that works out."

"I gotta tell you, Sweetie, that wasn't the kind of news I was expecting. Talk about anti-climactic…"

"Well, let me put it to you this way – would you move in with a man you had been dating for a week? We may be married, but that doesn't mean that we're ready for a house just yet."

"I suppose, but it's not like you two met in a bar and got married the same night – you've been dancing around each other for years now!"

"I don't know what that means."

"It means I can't believe you're holding out on me!" She raised her hands in mock exasperation. "Do you know how long we've been waiting for you both to finally admit what you really want? I get that you don't want to move too fast, but don't you think you've spent too much time going slow? You've got to go fast to make up for lost time!"

A/N2 Can I get an amen?! I had such a hard time with that ending. I started a new job this week, and today was my first full day, so I kind of didn't get time to nail the end. I was convinced it needed another line after that, but I just couldn't think of anything. So, maybe we could have a contest! You tell me what you think should come after that, and I'll put it in and give you the credit. Deal?