Week 3 – Tuesday, Evening

Seeley walked through the opened condo door only to be buffeted by loud music thrumming through the stereo speakers. An undercurrent of running water coming from the kitchen served as a counterpoint to the percussive beat of the music. He stopped dead in his tracks as he watched his wife in the kitchen, oblivious to his presence, dancing in time to the music. He could see her slicing vegetables atop a cutting board stationed on the countertop. Occasionally, she would stop, wave the knife around in the air, all in time with the music, and then return to her food preparation task. Once, she made a full pirouette, waving the knife around like a magic wand. He smiled as she set the knife down, slid over to the refrigerator, her purple top and derriere not quite hidden by her long skirt still keeping in time to the music. She opened the door and ostrich-like buried her head inside the fridge.

Seeley reluctantly tore his gaze away from her swaying buttocks, opened the closet door and placed his overcoat on its waiting hangar. The song changed to The Pointer Sisters' version of "Slow Hand." Seeley turned back to the kitchen at the sound of his wife's voice,

"As the midnight moon was drifting through

The lazy sway of the trees

I saw the look in your eyes looking into mine "

Seeley saw her, still not acknowledging his presence, close the refrigerator door. In her right hand, he saw an unopened bottle of beer. He almost spoke, an admonishment of drinking alcohol while pregnant. Her left hand twisted the cap off as she turned to him. Smiling, her sensuous eyes pinned him as she haphazardly, and without looking, tossed the cap backward, over her head, into the trash. He unconsciously slipped out of first one, and then the other of his shoes. Temperance moved from behind the counter, sliding her stocking feet over the shiny hardwood floor, moving towards him, still singing,

"Seeing what you wanted to see

Darlin' don't say a word 'cos I already heard

What your body's saying to mine"

Seeley smiled, noting she wore a pair of his white athletic socks. He saw her rotate her hips back and forth.

I'm tired of fast moves, I've got a slow groove

On my mind

He began moving towards his wife

"I want a man with a slow hand

I want a lover with an easy touch "

She finally reached him. Temperance held the beer out to him; as he grasped the glass bottleneck, she moved fully into him, sliding her hand from his mid-abdomen all the way up to cradle him behind his neck.

I want somebody who will spend some time

Not come and go in a heated rush"

He felt her press her body into his in time with the music. He didn't need the beer. She was intoxicant enough.

"I want somebody who will understand

When it comes to love I want a slow hand"

The Pointer Sisters had to complete the song by themselves as she pressed her lips to her husband's.


"Are you sure it's not my night to cook?" Seeley said loudly over the music as he watched his wife season the skinless chicken breasts.

Temperance shook her head, "It might be." Her head movement changed into tilting from side to side, "You can cook tomorrow."

Seeing her in this kind of mood always tugged at Seeley's heart. Rationally, he knew that life comes with ups and downs. Sometimes he felt guilty that his life, especially lately, had so many ups with so few downs. Even during some of the downs, just seeing his wife, just being with her, invariably raised him from the depths. He smiled, "Anything I can do to help?"

Temperance rinsed her hands and picked up the knife again. She shook her head as she waved the knife in the air, "Just stay out of my way," she smiled.

Weary of straining to hear her, Seeley picked up the remote and edged the volume down. He leaned back, "What brought this on?"

Temperance stopped in her slicing of a cucumber and looked at him disappointedly. After Seeley lay the remote atop the counter, her left hand snaked out and captured it, pulling the device out of his range. "Why? Do you think I need a reason to be happy?"

Seeley leaned in to her, "Well, I know I don't need a reason. I've got you in my life." He leaned in and kissed her.

Temperance returned the kiss. When they leaned back, she smiled, "I feel the same way." She waved the knife towards the hallway, "Now, why don't you go and relax, or do some work, and I'll call you when dinner's ready?" she smiled.

Seeley angled himself out of the blade's potential arc, "How much time do I have?" He produced a CD in a slimline jewel case from his jacket pocket.

Temperance looked at it warily, "What is that?" Again, she looked at him disappointedly, although Seeley could still see the sparkle in her eyes. "Did they catch you looking at porn at work?" Her hand holding the knife dropped to the countertop as she tilted her head in dismay.

"What? No!" Seeley said sharply. "Surveillance from the marina." Then he asked, "What makes you think I'd be looking at porn?"

Temperance grimaced ruefully, "Girls Gone Wild on boats?" She sighed theatrically. "Well, I suppose it was going to happen eventually." Seeley looked at her, partly confused and partly stunned she had referenced the "Girls Gone Wild" videos from the late night television ads. She continued, "Your fat, pregnant wife no longer fulfills your sexual desires and fantasies…" She shook her head and turned back to her food prep area, "Not that I blame you…"

"You're kidding, right?" Seeley asked. He saw her press her lips together tightly. 'What the hell is going on?' he thought. 'Hormones?' He moved over to her, sliding his arms around her waist. "You know you fulfill every fantasy I could ever have, don't' you?"

He was flabbergasted to see her smiling almost maniacally as she turned to him, twisting the knife in her hand; its metal blade reflecting the overhead light, "I better," she said mirthlessly.

Seeley saw the glint in her eyes and knew she was playing with him. He countered, "You just better be aware that goes both ways." Nestled in his arms, she looked at him questioningly. "You know if you ever cheat on me I've got a number of friends who can help me dispose of the bodies."

Temperance laughed, pressing her body into his. She drank in the aroma of his manliness, underscored by the gentle remnants of his aftershave. "Mmmmm…" she purred. She reached up and caught the edge of his jaw between her teeth. Holding the bone, her tongue tapped along his delicious skin; every touch filling her mouth with his electric taste. His hand slid up along her back until he gently but firmly cupped the nape of her neck. She released his jaw; quickly kissing his cheek as she withdrew. Looking into his questioning eyes she said, "Later. Eat first. You need your strength."

He acquiesced, "Trust me," he said, pulling her abdomen back into his. "I'm not the only one who's going to need all their strength tonight." He leaned in and kissed her firmly.

As they parted, Temperance turned back to the cutting board and nodded towards the CD case Seeley still held, "So what is that?"

At Temperance's questioning look, he continued, "Video of Torres leaving this morning."

Temperance nodded in understanding. Seeley watched as she looked from the chicken breasts to the oven to the salad. He knew she was working out the cooking time. "You've got about 45 minutes," she said and went back to work on the cucumber.

"You sure you don't want any help?"

Temperance stopped and looked at him. She picked up a slice of cucumber and placed it between his lips. "Go," she said simply and turned her attention back to slicing the vegetable.

"Okay," Seeley said, pulling the cold, crisp vegetable into his mouth. He moved towards the hallway, the CD in one hand and his beer in the other. As he moved towards his study, he smiled as he heard the music's volume increase.

Upon arriving at the door, he saw a familiar yellow and white envelope laying flat against the door. He smiled as he looked back down the hall towards the living area and then back at the card held in place between the door and doorframe. Holding the CD case and beer in his left hand, he pulled it free with the other. He held it up to his nose, drawing in her scent. Seeley looked at the card; her familiar cursive flowed across the paper, 'My Darling.' Suddenly, viewing the contents of the CD had just moved down in his priority list. He opened the door and slipped through.


Seeley slouched back into his chair. After reading Temperance's note to him, this was particularly boring. His left elbow perched upon the armrest allowed his jaw to sit perfectly within his cupped hand. His other hand cradled atop the computer mouse. His eyes scanned the images displayed on the screen. Torres was nowhere to be seen, but it looked like Tim was having more than just a little problem getting the boat ready to leave. Seeley's slight smile was more the result of sympathy, even though no one could see him commiserating, rather than enjoying Sully's predicament.

Sully stood amongst five Hispanic men, explaining how to tie a nautical knot. One of the men translated for the others. Seeley wondered if the men knew they were working for a known drug dealer. He felt a twinge of sympathy for all of them. Sully, because he was trapped. The other men, because there was no indication they were hardened criminals. They looked like any other Hispanic day laborer he had seen. Just looking for work. Looking at the faces of the men, Seeley could see they wanted to learn the skill. And Sully's Spanish seemed stilted at best. He probably would have been a good teacher, if he didn't have five new students at the same time with a decided lack of command of the English language.

Seeley pressed the mouse button and moved the slider forward. He turned away from the video participants' comically fast movements and looked toward the daffodil-themed card standing atop his desk. He smiled at the remembrance of her words. Turning back to the screen, he saw Torres had appeared, presumably from below deck as he was dressed only in what appeared to be blue silk boxer shorts and a matching robe, open in front. Two other armed men had also appeared on deck. Sitting up straighter, Seeley released the mouse.

"We were supposed to have left over an hour ago!" he fumed at Sully.

Sully shot back, "And we would have if you had asked if these guys," he waved at his group of students, "had any experience sailing."

"I've seen what goes on when we're underway. You telling me you can't teach these guys the basics?" Torres yelled.

"Of course I can teach them!" Sully returned. He turned to the men, "And they want to learn," he nodded reassuringly to them. Seeley nodded appreciatively at Sully's attempt to protect them. "But it's a little more involved leaving and coming into port. And with them not speaking much English and my Spanish not being the best…" he paused. "Well, getting all of us on the same page is a lot more difficult."

"Don't tell me your problems, Sully!" Torres almost screamed. "I've seen you pilot this ship by yourself!"

Sully stepped toward Torres. 'Uh-oh,' Seeley thought. His eyes went to the now-alert armed men.

"Yes, I can!" Sully shouted back. "But I thought you wanted these men to learn. They are replacing your other crew, remember? The ones who couldn't keep their dicks in their pants and murdered three people because of it?" He continued, "Do you want them to be sailors or just members of your asshole crew dealing drugs?"

'Shut up, Sully,' Seeley's thoughts screamed. Then another thought, 'Walk away. Just walk away. NCIS and the Bureau will help protect you…' his thoughts pleaded.

Torres looked around quickly. Seeley surmised he was looking to see if they had an audience from the other boats. Seeley grimaced when Torres reached under his robe around to his lower back. His hand reappeared, this time with a semi-automatic. Seeley's trained eyes calculated, '.45.' Torres stuck it in Sully's chest, his expression very close to a madman's. He nodded as he said, almost too calmly, "You forget yourself, pendejo. I could kill you any time I wanted."

Seeley watched in amazement as Sully reached out, grasped Torres' hand holding the weapon and slid it up to his forehead. "Go ahead, puta. Have fun trying to sail to Miami." Nothing happened. Sully pushed it, leaning into the weapon, forcing it back towards Torres. "Somehow, I think if you miss your appointment on the way down, I won't be the only one dead this week."

Seeley noticed the two men in the background smiling. This was a side of Sully they hadn't seen before. Seeley evaluated the two men in the standoff. Torres was about Sully's height, but more…well, blubbery was the only word Seeley could think of. Unless Sully had completely let himself go, and forgotten his FBI training, Seeley thought he could take Torres. One on one, that is. A one on one fight with two armed bodyguards in the background is a losing proposition, no matter if you win or not.

Seconds passed before Torres pulled the gun back from Sully's forehead. Sully had him. The only other person left who had any expertise in sailing was Bernard. But he had sent him down to Miami Saturday. He was stuck. But still needing to exert his leadership, he rammed the weapon into Sully's midsection. Sully doubled over, gasping for air. Torres stood over him, "Just remember this, coño. You live only as long as I need you. I don't have to use a sailboat."

Torres disappeared down the stairs, his two bodyguards following behind. Just before they moved down the stairs, the two men looked back at the now standing Sully. Seeley could swear he saw expressions of growing respect from them. Seeley engaged the slider bar and fast-forwarded through the rest of the video. Seeing nothing of importance, he stopped the video, the aft of the ship as it was moving out of the marina clearly displayed the worn and weathered name; 'Temperance.'

Seeley shut down the media player and began the process of logging onto the FBI network. After about five minutes of signing onto first one screen, then authenticating on others and moving deeper and deeper into the system, he finally reached the e-mail system. He composed and sent an e-mail to Chaz instructing him to forward the latest surveillance on Torres to Gibbs and his people at NCIS. Minimizing the e-mail window, Seeley brought up the Records Research function. He brought up the file on William "Will" Kelly. After scrolling through various pages of data, he finally found the information he was looking for. Jotting the piece of information on a notepad, he closed down the file on Kelly.

Seeley navigated further into the system until he finally came to the search function he wanted. He typed in, "Ensign William Stephen Nicholas," hit Enter, then sat back, and waited.


Seeley sat back in the dining room chair. He slid his hands across his abdomen, "Excellent dinner, Darling." He saw Temperance smile, accepting the accolades. "The baked chicken with wild rice was…" He put his fingertips to his lips and loudly kissed them with a motion extending his fingers as he pulled them away from his mouth. "Just great!" He paused a moment. "What do you call that dish?"

Temperance smiled indulgently as she raised her glass of lemon water to her lips. "It's an old recipe I remembered from my mother. She called it," pausing dramatically, "Baked Chicken with Wild Rice," and then took a drink.

Seeley watched the lemon slice bob atop the water as she drank. He sarcastically smiled at his preconceptions. He had thought, of course the recipe had to have a name. She wouldn't just throw something together without it being a duly recognized, tested recipe with specific measurements for the ingredients. He laughed at his own pretentiousness. She laughed with him. Seeley nodded, "Your mother taught you well."

He reached out for her hand. She smilingly obliged by sliding hers within his. He raised her hand to his lips. She asked, "Kelly's coming back tomorrow isn't he?"

Seeley growled, "Aarrgh…you didn't have to remind me." His smile allayed any fears she had he may be angry.

"Sorry," she smiled back. "Do you think he'll let you go with me to put up the flyers tomorrow afternoon?"

Seeley shrugged. "I don't see why not. I get the impression the less he sees of me," he ticked his head towards her, "and you, the happier he is."

"It's too bad Sollars isn't the Deputy Director." Seeley nodded in agreement. She continued, "Do you really think Jon would take the ADD position?" She added, "I mean...Jon doesn't have a very high tolerance for fools. How long do you think it would be before Kelly and he come to blows?"

Seeley shook his head, "Less than a week. And any credibility Sollars may have with the Director would be shot." He intertwined his fingers with hers. "Plus, I don't know how they would make it work with me. Would they transfer me someplace else?" He looked at Temperance and shrugged, "They're not going to have his son reporting directly into him."

Temperance stroked the back of their commingled hands with her thumb. "It'll be nice having Jon and Cricket back in Washington, won't it?"

Seeley nodded, "Yeah…and nothing against Florida…but I think Cricket will do better getting her medical needs met at GUH."

Temperance said, "You're probably right. I could talk to some of my colleagues; see if there's something more we can do for her."

"Even though she wouldn't approve of the special treatment, I'm sure that's what you should do once they're up here." He paused, "Maybe start the ball rolling before they get here."

"I'll make some calls tomorrow," she said.

"Speaking of doctors…" Seeley said.

Temperance knew what was coming. She really wasn't in the mood for any recriminations tonight. She decided to head the conversation off, "I called Doctor Lyons to reschedule my checkup."

"And?"

Temperance took a deep breath, "She's on vacation until the last part of June." She saw Seeley's shoulders sag weekly. She hurried on, "But I stopped this afternoon and had blood drawn and a urinalysis. They can run the tests and let me know if anything is out of whack that we need to get in sooner and correct."

Seeley looked confused, "Out of whack?" He moved his torso and head into Temperance's personal space, as he would interrogating a suspect. "Who are you? Where is my wife? The one who doesn't know what colloquialisms are?"

Temperance, pressing her lips tightly together, smiled.

The phone rang.

Temperance raised Seeley's hand to her lips just before she moved from the table to the phone on the counter. She looked at the caller ID and smiled. Punching the speaker button in the middle of the second ring, she said loudly, "Hello Mom! Hello Dad!" She slid into one of the bar stools by the speakerphone.

Cricket's voice rose from the speaker, "Hello Tempe! I hope we missed interrupting your dinner?"

Seeley said, as he moved over to the other bar stool, "Just got done! And Temperance really outdid herself tonight."

"Oh?" Cricket said.

Seeley continued, "An old family recipe."

"Well? What was it, Tempe?" Cricket asked.

Temperance rolled her eyes, "Baked Chicken and Wild Rice."

"Yeah?"

"Yes," Temperance said. "Seeley, for some odd reason, thinks he still has to compliment me on everything I cook."

"At least give him credit for trying to compliment you," Jon's voice flowed from the speaker.

"That's true," Cricket agreed. "Some men just grunt and shovel the food into their mouths."

"What are looking at me for?" Jon's voice sounded mildly offended.

"No reason dear," Cricket's voice sounded sweetly from the speaker. Directing her comments to Temperance, "At least after five years he's not taking you for granted."

Again, Jon's voice sounded from the phone, "Why are you looking at me…" Then a muffled thump and they heard, "Ow!"

"So, have we missed the 'Question of the Day'?" Cricket said, not missing a beat.

"We were just about to, when the phone rang," Seeley said.

"Good," Jon said. "Can we get in on it?"

Seeley and Temperance looked at each other. They shrugged, "Sure…why not?" Temperance said.

"How are you feeling, Cricket?" Seeley asked.

"Is that the question of the day?" Cricket asked.

"No," Temperance said. "It's just when we talked to Jon earlier today he said you were taking a nap. And it seemed to us…"

"That it was too early to take a nap?" Cricket completed for her.

"Well," Seeley said. "Yeah. And with you being sick…"

"Jon didn't tell you why I was taking a nap?"

Seeley and Temperance traded uncomprehending looks. "No," Temperance said.

Icily, Cricket continued, "He didn't tell you about the physical exertion we had engaged in?" Comprehension began dawning in Seeley and Temperance's eyes. A slow smile spread to Seeley's lips. Cricket continued, "He didn't tell you how he stood on the bow of Calliope, naked, beating his chest, yelling 'I'm the King!' and then breaking into 'I'm just a Love Machine'?" Then doing a back flip into the ocean?"

Seeley started laughing. It was only when Temperance started, "Let me tell you what Seeley did one time…" that he moved his hand up to her mouth.

"All right," Seeley said. "That's enough talk of post-coital behaviors."

"Wow!" Cricket said. "Does Temperance have her hand up your backside, Seeley? Language like that has to come from the good doctor there."

"Hey!" Jon said. "Did you just call my son a dummy?"

"Why no, dear," Cricket soothed. "Just because I think his vocabulary sounds a lot like Temperance's doesn't mean I think she knows ventriloquism."

"All right," Seeley said loudly, holding his hands in a 'Halt' gesture. Silence. After a moment, he said, "Okay…question of the day."

"Can I ask the question?" Cricket said.

"As long as it has nothing to do with coitus or post-coital behaviors," Seeley said.

Cricket said, "I…"

"Or comparisons," Seeley quickly added.

"Really, Tempe. I would have thought you would have been able to loosen him up a little," Cricket said.

Temperance reached out and grasped Seeley's hand. She looked at him lovingly, "He's a work in progress."

"What's the question?" Seeley asked.

"And since I know how you feel about this, Tempe. Think of it as a hypothetical for you," Cricket said. "Here goes, 'If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?'"

"Wow!" Seeley said. He looked at his wife. "Who wants to go first?"

Cricket said, "I'll go. I'd like for him, or her to say 'I know the journey was long, and sometimes painful. But here the Love you shared in your mortal life is returned to you many-fold to share with those you Love.'"

Seeley and Temperance knew she was looking at Jon.

Jon said, "I'll go next. He'll say, 'Your life on Earth at times was painful. But it was necessary to prepare you for what was to come. I always knew what was in your heart. Welcome home, my son.'"

"I never knew you were religious, Jon," Temperance said. She saw Seeley close his eyes and slowly nod.

"I never wore it on my sleeve, if that's what you mean, Temperance," Jon said. "But it was always there.

Seeley said, "When I get to the Pearly Gates I hope God will say, 'I know you Seeley Booth. You've done terrible things in the service of Man and Man's Laws. But there was never malice in your heart. Your transgressions are forgiven. Come inside.'"

Seeley looked to his wife. As she began speaking, he saw she had put her scientist persona back on. She began, "Of course, speaking hypothetically, arriving at the Pearly Gates in the afterlife is primarily a Christian construct. And Saint Peter is actually the entity that meets souls at the gates and determines if they have lived a life worthy of their entrance into Heaven…" Seeley's smile broadened. He could imagine Cricket and Jon, cuddled on the aft deck, listening to their adopted daughter. Temperance continued, "The actual appearance of God at the Gates would necessarily speak to some important event occurring in the spirit world. So, if he, or she, were to meet me at the Pearly Gates, there is really only one thing he or she could say."

Seeley, Jon and Cricket waited in silence.

"Surprise!" Temperance said.

It took a moment, but Jon, Seeley, Cricket and Temperance erupted in laughter.