Sorry for the delay. Just too many activities in the summer!
Chapter 13: Requesting Permission, Part 2
"For Goodness Sakes, Max!," Booth growled, rubbing his jaw and glaring at the older man who stood above him, "Was that really necessary?"
Max extended a hand to help Booth up off the grass. "Yes, I think it was. Fatherly perrogative." Once Booth was on his feet again, Max reclaimed his hand and rubbed it dramatically.
"Besides, I think that hurt me more than it hurt you." He flexed his fingers. "Definitely bruised, hopefully not broken." He glanced up at Booth while continuing to exercise his fingers. "So, what happens now?"
Booth settled himself gingerly onto a nearby park bench. It had been a while since anyone had swung a punch at him and actually connected. Come to think of it, the last time may have been with Max as well.
Booth and Max had been casually strolling through a public park near the FBI building, a neutral venue that Booth had suggested, when the agent decided to just come out with his announcement.
"Temperance is pregnant, Max. I'm the father. We're-" Before he could inform Max about the wedding, he'd found himself sprawled on the ground.
Now, sitting on the bench and massaging his sore jaw, he squinted up at his future father-in-law. "What happens now?" he parroted. "What happens now is that I use every inch of will power I possess to keep myself from decking you. Bones isn't some teenager who got knocked up in the back seat of my car for goodness sakes. We're consenting adults, you know."
"Sorry Booth," Max replied, moving to take the seat next to Booth on the bench though careful to sit as far away as he could from the other man. No need to take unnecessary chances. "It's just took me by surprise I guess. I missed so much of Tempe's life, sometimes to me she still is that fifteen year old girl we left behind."
Booth nodded solemnly.
"Tempe hadn't started dating by the time I left," Max continued "so I never got to interrogate some pimple-faced kid coming to take her out. Never got to ask what his parents did for a living. I would have put the fear of God in any boy who thought he'd take advantage of my daughter."
Booth raised his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, Max, I get the point. But we're not teenagers and your daughter is more than capable of taking care of herself. It shouldn't have taken you too long to figure that one out once you two became reacquainted."
Max shrugged, a wistful look coloring his features. "Yes and no. Tempe is one tough cookie, that's certain. She's built a good life for herself. A great job, wonderful friends. Still, she has always seemed a bit solitary. Russ is married and has those two great girls. I know he has a family, whether or not I'm around. Tempe, well, I've always worried about Tempe. Even when she was little. Something about her just seemed, I don't know, lonely. Separate."
Max glanced sidelong at Booth. "And when you were dating that woman, Hannah, that feeling of separateness she had around her seemed to expand. She may have looked the same on the outside, but inside she was so sad. She denied it, but even the years apart didn't completely obliterate my fatherly intuition."
Booth stood up and turned away from Max. He couldn't deny that his head wasn't a bit messed up over all that had happened in the past few months. Proposing to Hannah, the breakup, getting close to Bones again, the pregnancy... He didn't put "sleeping with Bones" on the list as he still couldn't remember that episode clearly.
"Yes, well... She hurt me and then I hurt her. Sometimes that is what people who love each other do best." Booth looked over his shoulder. "I certainly don't have to teach you that lesson, Max."
Max winced but nodded. "Touche' Agent Booth." He stood up and walked over to Booth. "I like you Booth, despite our...uh...professional differences. But she'll always be my little girl. I know you love her. I saw that from day one. But I need to know that you won't hurt her like that again. You are an honorable man. If you tell me that you will do right by her, I'll trust you to keep your word."
Booth's mouth quirked and he lifted a hand to rub his jaw. "And no more punches?"
"Not unless they are deserved." Max grinned and gave Booth a friendly punch in the arm.
Turning to face his future father-in-law, Booth's expression became serious. "Max, you know I will do everything in my power to protect Temperance. I would willingly die for her. And, no, I will never hurt her again. I've loved her for a very long time. Even when I denied my feelings, they wouldn't go away. I'm in this for the long haul. I believe that she is too. So..." His speech faltered.
"So?" Max echoed.
"So...I want to get to the reason I asked you to meet me...in addition to telling you the good news about the baby. I hope you will take this a bit better than you did my first disclosure."
Sheepishly, Max raised an eyebrow and clasped his hands behind his back. "Look, no hands. Go ahead."
Booth shook his head indulgently. "I wanted to ask you for your daughter's hand in marriage. She agreed to marry me, Max, but you know that I'm a bit of traditionalist. I wanted to ask you for your blessing."
Abruptly, Max turned and walked away without a word. He stopped after a few paces, his head bowed.
With no idea as to what had just happened, Booth remained rooted in place, watching the older man.
From behind, Booth saw Max's hands come up to cup his face, his shoulders shaking slightly. Booth blinked. Max Keenan couldn't be crying, could he? Impossible. The man was a criminal and a killer. What the hell was going on?
With caution, Booth walked to stand in front of Max.
Sensing the other man's presence, Max rubbed his eyes and lifted his head. "Sorry," he said with a shakey attempt at a smile. "I just never dreamed I'd be part of my girl's wedding."
Booth smiled. "I didn't get a chance to ask you yet about participating, though I would think Bones would want you to walk her down the aisle. Not to "give her away" I am guessing, as she'd likely find something fundamentally wrong with that aspect of the tradition. But Parker is going to walk with me down the aisle, so she would probably want you, or perhaps you and Russ, to walk with her. A nice family moment." Booth saw that Max's eyes were welling up again, so he hastened to distract him. "Does that mean I have your blessing? If you are going to be in the wedding, it must mean that you approve."
Booth's ploy worked. Max once again wiped at his now-red eyes and broke into a broad smile.
"Do I approve?" The smile vanished from his face. "Oh no!"
"No?" Booth exclaimed, shocked by the vehement response. "What do you mean - no - you just said you wanted to be part-"
Max made a desperate grab for Booth's arm. "It's Tempe, she's walking towards us. Quick, hit me!"
Booth started to turn around, but Max's hold prevented the movement. He could see now that the man was making a point of positioning himself so that he wouldn't be visible to someone approaching from behind Booth.
"Hit you? I'm not going to hit you, Max! Bones would have my head. Anyway, what good reason would I have for hitting you? You haven't murdered anyone or robbed any banks in the past few days, have you?"
"Very funny, Booth," Max said in a rush, his voice rising in panic. "You have to hit me. I can't let Tempe see me like this. It would upset her too much. She wouldn't like it if I got all emotional about her getting married."
"And it wouldn't bother her if I haul off and punch you for no reason? No can do, Max. You are going to have to come up with something else."
"Shit" Max replied, his agitation increasing. "She asked me just last week whether I had allergies. Well, there's nothing for it. Sorry Booth."
With that, he once again hauled off and slugged the FBI agent in the jaw. Booth staggered back a few paces but didn't fall this time. The punch was no where near as hard as it had been last time when there had been real fury behind it. Booth decided to take the cue. He wouldn't hit Max, even though the man had used him as a punching bag today, but he could assist in giving him a reason for his red eyes. Now at least, he was pissed off enough to do it.
Booth bent slightly from the waist, extended his arms and ran full out towards his fiance's father. He tackled the man around the waist and took him down to the hard ground, turning slightly in the fall to make sure they didn't land with Booth's weight full on top of Max.
As he hit the ground, Booth could hear the sound of running feet and a voice yelling, "Dad! Booth! Stop that this instant!"
"Are you okay?" Booth whispered.
"Just fine," came the equally soft response. "Hope you don't get in too much trouble."
Max sat up slowly and shook his head, smiling at his daughter in what he hoped was a reassuring manner as she neared.
In the remaining seconds before she reached them, he had one more thing he wanted to say.
So, keeping his lips still so that Brennan wouldn't be able to discern his words, he murmured. "I really appreciate it...son."