A/N: Okay, here's an extra long chapter to make up for my lack of update this past week. It's a bit long but I really hope you will bare with me for two reasons: first of all because it's filled with romantic BB interaction and second of all because I have a BIG SURPRISE for those who will read the entire thing. So no peaking at the end! Read the whole thing!

The sun had long disappeared behind thick gray clouds when Temperance and Booth finally reached the top of the second-to-last trail of the mountain. Their harsh breathing and their pants filled the air and the bag with their picnic Booth was carrying was beginning to feel heavier by the seconds.

Exhausted from their hour long hike up the mountain, Temperance sat down on a large rock, elbows on her knees, trying desperately to catch her breath.

"How much further up?" she asked in between pants.

Booth looked up briefly at the top of the mountain. They were close. From where he stood, he could see his little secret haven. He turned back to his girlfriend. Her hair was slightly messy from the climb, her cheeks had turned red from the exercise but even so, he thought she looked like the most beautiful woman on the planet. He smiled.

"One more trail. Five to seven minutes of walking."

Temperance groaned. Her legs felt like jello from the climb and she was pretty sure she was going to be sore for the next week after all this workout. She looked up at her partner to find him staring down at her. Who cared about the soreness? Being with Booth was making it all worth while. On that thought, she got up and walked up to the edge of the slope.

"I can't believe people actually climb to the top of the mountain often enough to actually make a natural trail."

Booth chuckled.

"Yeah well, you'll understand one we're up there."

Temperance nodded and was about to start her ascension of the last trail when an arm grabbed hers and stopped her. She turned around to find Booth looking at her somewhat disapprovingly.

"What?" Temperance asked, confused.

A small grin stretched on her lover's face as he slowly leaned in towards her. Their lips met for a second before she felt him pull away. She slowly opened her eyes. The grin was still there and his eyes were looking at her softly.

"Now we may go." Booth said as he began walking.

Temperance smiled and shook her head before turning around and following him.

More branches and leaves cracked under their feet as they continued their ascension. They walked in comfortable silence, simply wanting to enjoy each other's company and the nature surrounding them. Every once in a whle, eyes would meet and shy smiles would be exchanged. Hands and arms would brush, sending shivers down each person's spine.

But after a minute or two of silence, Temperance grew wary of being quiet and voiced the question that was plaguing her mind.

"How did you ever get Parker all the way up there?"

Booth chuckled softly.

"I carried him like three-quarters of the way. On my shoulders. Let me tell you, I was so tired when I got to the top that we actually spent the entire day there. Parker explored while I rested. Fortunately for me, going down hill is easier. He walked all the way even though I had to carry him to the cottage once we had reached the road because he was too tired to go on."

Temperance nodded before a wicked grin spread over her face.

"I'm tired. Want to carry me up the slope?"

Booth turned around, unsure if she was being serious or was simply taking a feeble stab at telling a joke. From the look on her face, he was still undecided.

Temperance giggled.

"Kidding, Booth."

Booth smiled before wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her to him. He kissed the top of her head.

"You'll like what you'll see up there, Bones. I guarantee it. We'll eat lunch, maybe lie around for a while than we'll climb back down."

Temperance frowned.

"But I thought we were locked out of the cottage for the whole afternoon."

Booth checked his watch.

"It's almost two in the afternoon. We don't have much time until the end of the afternoon, Bones."

"I wonder what your parents are doing at the moment." Temperance said, thoughtfully.

Booth shrugged.

"I don't know."

"Hurry up, Raymond! The kids are going to be home any minute now!" Judy yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

"Relax, Judy, for Pete's sake." Raymond answered from the second floor as he finished putting on his shirt.

"Sorry but I just want everything to be perfect, which includes us not being in the house."

Raymond rolled his eyes.

"I know. You told a zillion times."

He watched in mild amusement as his wife became to jump up and down as she clapped her hands and squealed.

"It's going to be too perfect for them. They'll have the whole cottage to themselves and... and..."

Raymond stepped up to his wife, catching her small hands and holding them between his big strong ones.

"Did I marry a teenager?" He asked before kissing her quickly on the lips. "Because it somehow looks like I did."

"What gives it away?" Judy asked as she released her captive hands from between her husband's and walked to the door.

"I think it's the blue hair." Raymond answered, opening the door.

"BOOTH!" Temperance screamed as she ran faster down the slope.

A growl behind her made her shriek and speed up even more. She heard the stomping behind her and a pair of arms wrapped themselves tightly around her, holding her captive. She shrieked again.

"Gotcha!" A voice growled behind her.

Temperance giggled, partially out of breath from the running. She pushed herself into the man holding you and she heard him moan softly. She did it again.

"Stop it, Bones." Booth warned, strengthening the hold he had on her.

"Why?"

She felt a pair of lips at the back of her neck. She shivered. Booth smiled against her skin.

"That's why." He replied.

He feather-lighly kissed his way to the side of her neck and gently turned her around in his embrace. His lips eventually found hers and they soon locked themselves in a fiery, passion-filled, kiss. Hands explored freely before stopping at their regular spot: Booth's on her waist and Temperance's at the back of his head.

A branch cracking brought Temperance back to reality. She pulled away abruptly.

"Booth, stop it." She said, glancing over her shoulder in the direction of the noise.

Booth kissed his way down her face to her neck once again. She tried feebly to push him away but found that her body refused to cooperate. She whimpered quietly.

"Booth..." She warned.

"You started it." Booth replied against her skin.

"Yes and I'm ending it." Temperance added, succeeding in pushing him away this time.

Booth raised his eyebrows.

"Technically," he replied, "ending it would include me in y..."

Temperance blushed in spite of herself.

"Yeah, Booth. I get it. What time is it?"

Another branch cracked in the distance.

"Close to six."

"We've been gone for that long?"

Booth grinned.

"Well, time just flies by where you're having fun."

He wiggled his eyebrows. Temperance rolled her eyes but still unable to fight the smile spreading over her face. She shook her head.

"Come on. Let's go home. I'm starving and your parents are probably waiting for us."

The couple stepped out of the forest and onto the gravel road. They walked in silence, hand-in-hand. Temperance was lost in her thoughts. She couldn't erase the image of the lake and the red- and orange-coloured tress in the distance.

The view had been amazing from Booth's special spot. She had been able to see miles in front of her. She had seen the lake crystalling under the late afternoon sun (which had gotten wary of hiding behind the clouds the second they had reached the top of the mountain), the forest of colour stretch before her eyes for miles. She had spent maybe fifteen minutes in Booth's embrace simply admiring the view. They had had their little picnic than had taken a much needed power nap, Temperance snuggled up against her partner.

Temperance sighed. This had been one afternoon she was surely never going to forget. She had never been the romantic type but she couldn't say she hadn't enjoyed the romantism of their time alone in the mountain. She looked up at Booth and smiled. She felt happy. All these years of pushing him away had only caused her to miss out on what she was letting herself live and feel right now. And, at this precise moment, she couldn't understand why she had done such a thing.

"It's rude to stare, Bones." Booth said softly before slowly turning to her.

A smile tugged his lips.

"Sorry." Temperance mumbled before looking away, not catching the sarcasm in his voice.

Booth pulled her to him.

"I was just kidding, babe. You can stare at me all you want."

The small cottage soon appeared from in-between the pine trees. Booth frowned as he noticed that all the lights in the house had been turned off. He quickened his pace a little.

"Booth, what's wrong?" Temperance asked, becoming slightly nervous by her partner's behavior.

But Booth didn't answer her. Instead, he began jogging towards the cottage. She followed behind him.

Stepping onto the porch, Booth quickly scanned the doorknob. Intact. He frowned. He looked in the driveway. Their car was still there. His frown deepened. Opening the door, he stepped inside the warmness of the cottage.

"Mom? Dad?" He immediately called out.

No response. He turned to his partner. Temperance shrugged at his silent question. She had no idea where his parents were.

"You take the first floor. I'll take the second."

Temperance nodded. She watched as Booth began to climb the stairs. She had a feeling he was overreacting but, then again, she doubted Booth's parents would simply leave the house without leaving a note or something. Booth never left her apartment without writing her something and she knew he must have gotten that from his mother.

She began looking for a note. She checked the small table beside the door but found nothing. She stepped into the cozy living room. Her eyes quickly scanned the place. Zip. She turned her attention to the kitchen. The lights were off. Her hand followed the wall until she finally reached the switch. She stepped into the tiny room and her eyes immediately fell on the dinning room table just outside the kitchen. Her jaw dropped.

"SEELEY!"

His first name fell from her lips without warning. Surprised at herself for calling him by his first name, she blamed it on the fact she was too shocked by what she was seeing for calling him normally.

She heard her boyfriend running down the stairs and felt him collide with her back two seconds later. He grasped her shoulders to stop her from falling from the shock and Temperance felt his hold tightened, telling her that his eyes had fallen on the table as well.

"What in the world...?" Booth said as he slowly walked to the already-set table.

Two plates laid on the table, along with two wineglasses, napkins, cutlery and three white candles. A small pack of matches laid beside one of them. A sigh ressembling laughter escaped him.

His eyes set on the note laying in a plate. He picked it up and immediately recognized his mother's writing.

Gone to the Flamhaff's. Should be back by midnight. Dinner is in the oven. All you need is to heat a little. Love you. Mom.

Booth chuckled softly before turning to his girlfriend.

"Up for a romantic dinner, Bones?"

The fire crackled and spat as Temperance sat a blanket set on the ground by her partner. She watched, wrapped in a warm and way-too-big sweatshirt as Booth threw more wood into the already gigantic fire.

"I think that's enough wood, Booth."

He turned to face her, a grin on his face. He winked before throwing one last lumber and joining her on the blanket. Laying down on his back, he beckoned her to come closer. She willingly snuggled up against him, head on his chest and arm thrown over him. His own hand came to rest on her hip.

"That was pretty nice of your mother to cook us dinner." Temperance said, moving closer to her boyfriend for a more comfortable position.

"It was nicer of them to leave." Booth teased in response.

Temperance chuckled.

"Have they ever done that before?"

"No. I'm actually surprised my mom thought of doing that. They must like you more than I thought."

"You sound surprised."

"No, Bones. I'm not surprised. You can be very loveable when you let yourself be. It's just that after Rebecca, my parents had trouble accepting my other girlfriends."

Temperance shifted slightly.

"How many girlfriends did you have after Rebecca?"

"Three."

"Tell me about them."

Booth lifted his head and looked down at the woman in his arms.

"Are you sure?"

Temperance nodded. Booth lowered his head back down.

"It took me maybe a year before I started dating after Rebecca and I broke up. One day, I met this woman. Her name was Camille Saroyan. She was a bit like you: independent, strong, motivated. She just loved her work."

"What did she do?"

Booth smiled.

"She was our FBI pathologist for quite some time."

"So you met her through work?"

"Yeah. We started seeing each other and we had what we could call an affair. She wasn't married or anything. We just didn't have enough time to invest in a real relationship. She was really work-focused and took her job very seriously. One day, she got a job offer from an Institute in Miami and she took it. We broke it off after being together for nearly a year."

Temperance felt her heart begin to race. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to ask about his past relationships. A mixture of hate and insecurity attacked her. It took her a few seconds to realize that she was actually jealous of a woman who was on the other side of the country. She immediately calmed down at the thought this Camille woman was far away.

"Then what happened?"

"I stayed single for another year. I mean, I dated but I never met a woman I felt really attracted to. I had my son every once in a while so I felt like it was I needed. Then I met Tessa."

"Sexy?" Temperance asked, calling the lawyer by the nickname she had given her.

Booth chuckled.

"Yes. Sexy. We dated for about a year, on and off, even though it was mostly on near the time you and I met. We were practically living together."

"What happened between you and Tessa? I mean, one day I catch you guys after sex and like a month later, you tell me that she called off the vacation you two were supposed to take. After that, I never heard or saw her again."

Booth pulled his girlfriend closer to him.

"She was actually jealous of you. She thought that you and I were having sort of like an affair or something. Things had been rather rough between us from the moment she met you until we broke off our relationship. She became really jealous and insecure, always mentionning you in conversations. The day she called off our trip was the last time I heard from her. I didn't try to call her back and she didn't give a call either. That's how it ended."

"Huh. And who was the third one?"

Booth smiled.

"You."

Temperance smiled before kissing him on his chest.

"You're the best one of all. It took a while for us together but I think it was worth the wait."

A short silence ensued, quickly broken by Booth.

"How about you? Tell me about your previous relationships."

"Oh nothing much to say. There was Pete whom I was with for about three years. We broke up because the year I started working with you because things simply just doesn't work out anymore. Before that, there was Michael."

"Ah yes. Michael, the professor. Sleeping with his student. So not professional."

Temperance smacked him on the chest. Booth chuckled.

"Do go on, Bones."

"We broke up for good well... you know when... Later on, I met David. We sorta hit it off. I actually found him really cute."

"Oh I know. I remember."

Temperance looked up and glared at him.

"Don't get all jealous and protective on me. It was bad enough you did that back then with David."

"Sorry."

"Anyway. That didn't last very long either. He found that I worked too much and he somehow thought you had too much influence on me. So we both agreed to break up."

"How long were you two together for?"

"Six months, maybe seven. I don't know. I didn't really count."

Booth nodded.

The fire crackled in front of them, envelopping the couple in a warm and invisible blanket. Stars sparkled above their heads. A soft breeze blew over the lake, making the water ripple and tiny waves splash across the shore. Temperance sighed happily. She could really get used to this proximity. In Booth's arms, she felt secure and loved, a feeling she hadn't had in the longest time. She pressed her hand on her boyfriend's heart and felt it sped up. She wondered what he was thinking as she slowly closed her eyes.

Booth closed his eyes, focusing on the feeling going through him at having his partner, friend and girlfriends pressed against him. He brought his hand gently up and down at her side, feeling her shiver against him. Getting a little bolder, his hand disappeared under her shirt. Her skin was soft and warm. He winced slightly at the feeling he instantly felt inside of him. The love he had for her had grown immensely over the last few days and he was only beginning to realize it now. He felt his heart began to race. Around him, all the nightly noises seemed to drown. It was only her and him. He took a deep breath.

"Temperance?" He whispered, softly.

"Yeah?"

Her voice was equally soft.

"I love you."