"Bones, wakey wakey beautiful." Booth leaned down and kissed her shoulder as her eyes fluttered open. She looked at him, her face softened from sleep.
"It's too early," she yawned and snuggled back into the covers.
"Ha, that's something I didn't think I'd hear you say. Come on sleepyhead, it's time for breakfast and then off to church." Booth pulled the covers off of Brennan and moved away before she could swat him.
"Why am I going to church," she asked as she sat up slowly. Thankfully there was no wave of nausea.
"You want to speak with Father Dougherty don't you?"
"Yes."
"Good. We'll see him after services. Now come on, Maya makes the best waffles ever and I can smell them cooking."
"You always think with your stomach, don't you." Standing, she left the bedroom with him, her stomach growling loudly.
"Just you wait; you're going to be ruled by your stomach over the next few months."
"I plan on eating very healthy thank you very much."
"Rebecca said the same thing, but she ended up gaining sixty pounds with Parker."
"She gained sixty pounds? How was she able to support it?"
"She was put on bed rest. I'd get phone calls at odd hours asking me to pick up banana cream pie and pickles." Booth shuddered at the thought as they reached the kitchen.
"Good morning Temperance, Seeley," Jared greeted from the kitchen table. He was feeding Serafina as Sebastien and Jamie wrangled their kids to sit down. Mr. Booth sat at the head of the table reading a newspaper as Maya finished making waffles in the kitchen. As Booth sat down, Brennan moved into the kitchen and picked up the platter of waffles.
"Temperance, you put that down," Maya said as she rubbed her belly.
"No, you go sit down. I'll get everything."
"I agree. Sit down Maya, you're going to wear yourself out," Jamie said as she joined the other two women.
"No, you're my guests…"
"We're family. Now go." Jamie shooed her out of the kitchen and picked up the condiments for breakfast. As she and Brennan distributed breakfast, Mr. Booth set down his newspaper and watched the anthropologist critically. Brennan sat down next to Booth and turned her attention on his father.
"You must be Temperance," he said as he locked gazes with her. She could feel Booth shift closer to her ever so slightly as if to protect her from his father.
"I am," she answered calmly.
"You aren't his usual type." Brennan wasn't sure whether he meant his comment to be offensive or not.
"Actually, I think I'm very much his type," she said in response. "From what I've seen of his relationships, Booth has always been attracted to strong, independent women."
"Well you obviously aren't afraid to speak your mind."
"No, I'm not." Mr. Booth held his gaze a moment longer before picking up his newspaper and reading again. Temperance wasn't sure exactly what happened, but whatever it was caused Booth to grin and squeeze her hand. He let go and finally turned his attention on breakfast. As the whole family tucked into the food, Jared looked over the table and shook his head.
"I think this is the first time in about twenty years we've all been at the table together."
"It would be about that," Sebastien added in. "I was visiting from college, you were about to graduate and Seeley here was chasing skirts."
"I was not," Booth said through a mouthful of waffles.
"He was too," Jared said, looking at Temperance. "He was one of those guys."
"So he's told me," she answered and gave a friendly squeeze to Booth's knee.
"Yeah, who woulda thought he'd go for one of the smart ones," Sebastien chuckled as he took a sip of orange juice.
"Hey, I was always attracted to the smart ones."
"Any of them could get any girl they wanted," Maya said as she looked at Temperance. "All they had to do was flash that smile and the girls would fall all over themselves. I kept this one here in line though," she smiled over at her husband who feigned offense.
"You've known Jared that long?"
"We dated in high school, but didn't get married until we both graduated from college. They're scoundrels the lot of them." Maya said it with a smile. Temperance shook her head as she watched the family. Booth took her hand and kissed the palm, giving her that little bit of comfort she needed.
Breakfast passed quickly, and as everyone headed to their rooms to dress for church, Mr. Booth pulled Temperance aside. She looked at him questioningly as Booth waited for her down the hall.
"Temperance I don't approve of your relationship with my son." Her eyebrows knit together and she crossed her arms.
"I don't really think it's any of your business."
"He's my son, so it is my business. I don't approve of the fact that you've been intimate outside the confines of marriage."
"You know, that really is none of your business. My relationship with Booth has built over several years, and we're happy with where we are. That's what should matter to you, not whether he and I have been intimate."
"You're having a child out of wedlock. That child will grow up with the label of bastard."
"By whom? Society today is accepting of all forms of relationships and certainly puts no stigma on children. I think it's very sad that you feel that this child will be anything but a blessing to your family."
"I hold nothing against the child. It's your relationship that I disapprove of."
"You can disapprove all you want, but we're happy with where we are in our lives and that isn't going to change."
"Your generation holds no store in marriage."
"Booth holds marriage in quite a high regard actually. He wants to commit to it only if he feels he's in the right place for it."
"And you don't think that's with you? You don't feel that you'll be together long enough to marry?"
"I don't believe that marriage needs to be the only way for me to have a long term commitment with Booth. I don't need a piece of paper to prove my love for someone." Brennan walked away from Mr. Booth as anger began to boil up. She knew that if she talked to him anymore on the subject she'd end up saying something she'd regret. As she stormed into the bedroom she was sharing with Booth, he swept her into his arms and kissed her soundly on the lips.
"Have I told you how much I love you?" She kissed him again quickly.
"You never have actually. Do you?"
"Of course. I absolutely am head over heels in love with you."
"Hmm, I didn't think you were that flexible." Booth chuckled and shook his head.
"You're too much, you know that?" He shook his head and kissed her once more before pulling away from her to get ready for church. Brennan looked at him, smiling slightly as she rested her hand on her abdomen. There was one thing amidst the chaos in her life that she could be absolutely sure of, and that was Booth. Though she still didn't know what she thought about faith, she was positive that she did have faith in him.
XxXxX
Temperance was surprised at the capacity inside of the Catholic cathedral that Booth's family was attending. The place was packed, which was a contradiction to many of the churches she had been in. She thought back to Father Matt and the changes he'd been trying to implement in his own church. There did seem to be a change in the structure of the Catholic Church, a relaxing of its strict rules.
As the service began, she watched Booth and his family, trying to see what it was that they got out of the religion. From an anthropological standpoint, she knew that all religions came into being to answer questions in the societies they served, but what was it about those beliefs that held such an importance that they carried through millennia? There was only one answer that made sense to her. The followers had faith that a higher power existed and created the universe.
Her thoughts drifted to the scientific explanation for how the universe came into being. First there existed nothing, or rather everything in a space so minutely small it was impossible to see it. That nothing had so much energy it could no longer contain it and it exploded everything into being…over the course of billions of years. Galaxies formed, solar systems, suns, planets. What fascinated her though was the beginning of the Bible. It had been a long time since she had taken religious studies classes for her undergraduate studies, but in essence, the writers of the Bible had it right. They ordered the creation of the world correctly. Maybe they were divinely inspired, or maybe they were just more aware of nature, but the information was there regardless.
When Booth took her hand in his, she was startled out of her thoughts. He gave it a squeeze as he kept his attention forward on Father Dougherty, but turned to her long enough to offer her a wink and a smile. Brennan looked around, impressed at the architecture of the cathedral. She was admiring the fourteen Stations of the Cross depicted in the stained glass windows when she noticed everyone beginning to stand.
"What's going on," she whispered to Booth.
"It's time to take communion. Jamie's staying here with you and the kids, and I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?" She nodded as he and his family got up from the pew and moved up the aisle. Jamie scooted closer to Temperance as she kept rein over her three children and Serafina.
"How are you doing Temperance?"
"I'm doing fine, just a little…"
"Bored?"
"I wouldn't go that far, but something like that. Here, let me take her." Brennan held out her arms for Sera. The little girl moved over willingly, bouncing happily on her knee.
"Mass can take a little getting used to."
"I find it a bit fascinating, especially with the history behind the church." Brennan looked up to spot Booth when a loud crash sounded at the rear of the cathedral. For a split second, everything was quiet as the startled parishioners turned to see what had caused the commotion. It was in that moment of silence that the deafening boom of an explosion ripped through the church.
Screams filled the space as smoke poured into the room and people began to panic, scrambling from the pews. Father Dougherty shouted from the pulpit for everyone to remain calm, but his voice was drowned in the chaos as people trampled over each other for the exits. Brennan clutched tightly to Sera as the little girl wailed with fright. The acrid smell of burning material wafted through the church as the ash burned their eyes and throats. Temperance struggled out of her jacket and wrapped it around Sera, trying to keep her from inhaling the fumes surrounding them.
"Oh god, what was that," Jamie coughed, trying to keep her three children close to her. Smoke swirled around them, and they could feel the heat of the distant flames on their backs.
"Stay close to me," Brennan yelled above the noise, trying desperately to reach the aisle. Jamie nodded and shuffled as best she could behind Temperance, her own children shrieking in fright.
"Bones! Bones!" Temperance looked up at the sound of Booth's voice. Her eyes watered and she began to cough in the thickening smoke. Just as she saw him trying to fight his way toward her, she was knocked around by the panicked crowd. Hitting the ground, she instinctively wrapped her body around Sera, trying to keep the little girl safe from the stampede of human bodies.
"Shh, it's okay…" She tried to soothe the wailing and very scared little girl. Sera clutched tightly to her, screaming and coughing. A man tripped and fell, his knee slamming into Brennan's head. As tears of pain filled her eyes, she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness and not able to fight off the encompassing darkness.