Sorry it took so long to upload this. Life got a little nuts there for a while. Hope you like it. I'm still trying to figure out how in depth the next chapter will go. Enjoy and as always please review.

Chapter 36:

Quintessential

~Booth~

My angel and I stopped at Wong Foo's for lunch.

As usual Sid knew exactly what we wanted.

We sat in our normal booth and talked about random things in the news, neither one of us wanting to admit how nervous we were about tonight.

I looked across the table at my angel.

She has come so far since we first met.

She hated me and now she's marrying me.

The woman who vehemently swore that she would never marry, that it was an archaic, and antiquated ritual had agreed to marry me.

The woman who vehemently swore that there was no such thing as love, that it was all a chemically induced reaction, is now admittedly very much in love with me.

As Bones and I sat there waiting for Sid to bring out our food, we were both very deep in thought.

We just sat there, both of us content to live in our own little worlds for a moment, holding each other's hands.

As Sid brought out our food, my angel's ring caught the light as I rubbed my thumb along her hand.

He dropped off our plates and then just stared at us for a moment.

~Bones~

I was sitting in our normal booth with Seeley thinking about how far I've..... how far we've come in the last five years.

He was rubbing his thumb ever so lightly along my thumb and it was sending shivers through my body.

I can only imagine what it will feel like to have those very capable hands all over my body.

Sid brought our food over and just stood there staring at our hands for a while.

'So I see you finally pulled your head out of your ass man.'

Seeley just chuckled.

'Yes and last night I asked Temperance to marry me and she said yes.'

Seeley added with his biggest charm smile, looking only at me.

The only reaction I could manage was to blush.

Booth chuckled and kissed my temple.

'Well, congrats guys. It's about damn time. It's on me today. My little present to you guys. Enjoy, I'll bring you some dessert in a bit.'

Booth and I began to eat our food in earnest.

It was the first meal either one of us had eaten so far that day.

I noticed that we were still holding hands.

It was a good thing neither one of us was left handed.

We had become so comfortable with each other so quickly.

It opened my eyes to many things, like that fact that everyone was right, we were in a relationship all along, I thought with a grin.

~Booth~

"You ok over there angel?"

She was eating her food with a huge very un-bones-like grin.

She nodded and told me what she was thinking.

'They were all right Seeley. Every single one of them.'

"What are you talking about Bones?" I sked with confusion ripe in my voice.

'We've been in a relationship all along. How else could you explain how we've always been with each other. How else could you explain how we modified our existing relationship so easily, so quickly. We were together all along, but we are only just now realizing our own reality, as Ange would say.'

I just stared at my angel with a grin for a moment or two.

Se was not always the most observant person in the world but when she was she blew everyone else out of the water.

"You're right baby, you're right. I know you're going to tell me to stop calling you baby, but you might as well get used to it because now that it is no longer inappropriate for me to use pet names, I'm going to." I added with a grin.

"I've been in love with you so long, that it just feels natural to be with you like this. I can pinpoint the exact moment I first realized it and the first moment it terrified me what would happen if I lost you. The second one, I'm sure you can figure out." I grinned at my angel.

~Bones~

"I can't guess when you first realized it, I know when I did though. As for the second part, I believe it was when you created that line, meant to protect us, but really it just delayed the inevitable."

Sid brought out our desserts at that moment, and we switched to lighter topics.

There was plenty of time for earlier discussions later.

As Booth dug eagerly into his apple pie, I mirrored his enthusiasm with my yogurt and granola.

When we finished and headed back to the car, my nervousness came back.

What if I couldn't satisfy him?

I couldn't take it if he left me.

I have never had a complaint from anyone that I've ever had sex with, but Seeley would be the first man I've ever made love with.

~Booth~

Ok man keep it together.

For years you've been spouting about how much better making love is than regular old sex.

You can not disappoint her now.

We sat in the car, neither of us talking, just content to hold hands.

It amused me that now that we had firmly established ourselves as being in a relationship, we couldn't stop touching.

I don't mean touching in an inappropriate way, but just holding hands, or linking arms, or my usual hand on her back with her closer than ever before.

It was heaven, only fitting for my angel.

We pulled into the parking lot of her condo and I could tell we were both nervous.

I could feel it in her jumping pulse.

I opened her car door before she had a chance to protest, and kissed her gently when I led her to her feet.

Here goes nothing.

~Bones~

He is perfect.

I would never admit it, because it shows weakness and dependance, but I love when he opens doors for me and places his hand on my back to guide me forward.

As he pulled me to my feet, he placed a soft sweet kiss on my lips and I was reminded once again how lucky I am to have Seeley Joseph Booth in my life.

We head up to my.....our condo just casually holding hands.

However, it doesn't escape my attention that Seeley is playing with my ring, while trying not to grin.

I couldn't help but fight my own grin, he is so transparent, but then so am I.

He unlocks the door using his key and it hits me how firmly entrenched in each other's lives we were even before his surgery.

This is the key I gave him at the end of our second year as partners, for safety reasons, but really it was because I trusted no one else with it... not even Angela.

Once the door closed we just stood in the foyer watching each other.

"I'm going to get a glass of wine, do you want one Seeley?"

I needed to break the tension somehow.

However oblivious to some social things I may be, there was no denying the current dynamic.

~Booth~

I could only nod when Bones asked me if I wanted some wine.

She is just as nervous as I am.

I followed her silently into the kitchen.

She turned to grab the glasses out of the cabinet and I was hit hard by how beautiful she is.

I walked over to her and placed one hand on her back and with the other pulled her soft, beautiful auburn hair to the side.

Placing a soft kiss on her neck I slowly turned her around and kissed her properly.

Feeling her respond immediately, I pulled my angel in closer moaning "Temperance..."

**Sorry to end it like this but I'm not sure where the next chapter is heading. I hope to have it up soon.