Thank you for the reviews - sorry but there's another chapter to be had before we get to dinner...

Temperance sat next to her desk staring sightlessly into space as her chair's spin gradually slowed down. Her grip on the armrests tightened as her brain tried to process the fact that she had just invited Booth over for dinner - in just over two hours.

"Sweetie. I'm off home now," Angela's voice drifted in from outside her office; Temperance just stared dumbly.

"Tempe? Are you there?" Angela's head poked around the door and her eyes widened in surprise as she took in the sight of her friend spinning slowly around in her chair, looking rigid with shock. She crossed the room quickly, stopped the spinning chair and perched on the edge of the desk looking at Temperance in concern. "Honey, what's the matter? Are you okay?"

Temperance stirred slightly and looked at Angela's worried face. Her mind was still on a go-slow and she heard herself say, "I just invited Booth to dinner. At my place. Tonight." She jumped at Angela's squeal of delight.

"Are you serious? That's great! I knew you two would get it together..." Temperance watched with a slightly detached sense of alarm as Angela bounced on the desk in excitement, "A romantic dinner for two. Why didn't you tell me you had this planned!"

At the words 'romantic dinner' the nice, safe, detached feeling Temperance had enjoyed since the end of her phone conversation abruptly shattered. Her hand went to her mouth and her eyes went wide. Suddenly her words tumbled out, "We're not like that. It's just a meal between co-workers," she could see Angela's expression was disbelieving, "And it wasn't planned, I just sort of asked. What I am going to do? He's coming over at eight! I should call back and cancel, shouldn't I?"

"Sweetie calm down. Dinner between friends is perfectly normal." Angela could see that Temperance was about to protest, "And don't give me that about cancelling, you wouldn't have asked if you didn't want to see him." She caught Temperance's hands and hauled her to her feet, "Come on Tempe - you need to get going." Angela picked up Temperance's phone and dropped it in her bag and then handed the bag over, giving her friend a push towards the door.

Temperance opened her mouth to speak, but Angela cut in, "No, you are going home right now. Don't worry about food. Just think simple, get some tapas and do that chicken casserole thing you made when I came over a while ago. And buy a cake." Angela's eyes glinted, "Or better yet some strawberries and ice-cream. You have a sexy FBI agent all to yourself tonight and you will damn well enjoy it."

Angela's words brought Booth startlingly alive in Temperance's mind. She could see him standing in her kitchen. He'd lean against the table and smile at her. His dark eyes would have that same intensity they always did when he looked at her. And she'd feel that familiar thrill. Only this time it would be different. They would be together because they had chosen to spend time in each other's company. Anything could happen - and what was more, Temperance realised that she wanted it to.

Temperance stopped dead in her tracks, vaguely surprised to find that Angela had already manoeuvred her out of the lab and into the main part of the building. She turned and looked directly at her best friend frowning intently as she did so, "I... don't know..." she halted uncertainly.

Angela gave Tempe an encouraging smile, shaking her head slightly, "It doesn't matter. Don't think - just see what happens. And relax."

Temperance nodded slowly and then more vigorously. She could do this. She wasn't going to analyse, she was going to go with her instincts. At that decision, she moved decisively towards the exit briefly acknowledging Angela's thumbs up and huge grin.

Outside the cool confines of the Jeffersonian, the sun was bright and warm. Temperance screwed up her eyes in surprise. She hadn't expected it to still be so light - that's what comes of leaving at 10:00 pm every night.

Her car, a sleek sliver convertible that had been a gift from her publisher, was parked close the exit. She looked at the door carefully as she opened it. She was convinced that you could still see a hint of the massive dent which someone had caused after she had started to park the car straight, as instructed by Booth. She got in and rested her forearms on the wheel, glancing at her watch. It was nearly six, it would only take twenty minutes or so to get home even at this time of day. She knew a great deli where she could pick up most of the food she needed. Her place was pretty tidy, so there wouldn't be much cleaning up to do. But she'd need to prepare their meal before hitting the shower. She bit her lip, it was going to be tough to be ready by eight. She hesitated for a moment longer before turning the ignition on and pulling smoothly out of the parking space.

Temperance droved through the busy early evening streets towards her house. She got a flutter in her stomach every time she thought about Booth, so she decided to concentrate on the details. First stop, her local deli. As usual it was almost impossible to park outside, but she managed to squeeze into a spot just down the road. She loaded up on olives, cheese, cold meats and freshly baked bread. She also picked out the ingredients for her casserole. She knew she had a couple of good bottles of wine and some beer at home, so didn't need to get those. As she walked past the fruit, she saw a huge punnet of fresh, ripe strawberries. She hesitated for a moment and then shoved them in her basket. The queue to pay was quite short, but for once the sales assistant's friendly conversation with regulars irritated. It was only quarter of an hour before she was back at her car, but she felt as though she had been in the shop for hours.

She drove the rest of the way home, drumming her fingers on the wheel. She parked, gathered her shopping up and walked across the road to her front door, her keys between her teeth. Juggling the bags she managed to unlock the door and push it open. Her mail was safely caught in a basket that hung under the letterbox; she didn't bother checking it. Instead, she walked straight through to the kitchen and dumped the shopping on the side. After washing her hands she started chopping veg for the casserole. She silently thanked Angela for the suggestion, it was a great recipe but was really easy to prepare. Soon, seasoned chicken pieces were lying in a bed of chopped veg. Temperance poured over the stock, which included a healthy dash of white wine and put in the oven, setting the timer. After peeling some potatoes to go with the main course, she dished the tapas out onto a couple of big plates, covered them and put them in the fridge.

She wandered back through the house sighing slightly, it wasn't as tidy as she had thought it was. She stacked a big pile of books in a corner and retrieved two mugs which had been sat on a table for a couple of days. She straightened out the cushions on the sofa and then walked through to the dining room. It wasn't a room she used all that often, but it had a tiny balcony surrounded neighbouring trees. It was a leafy sanctuary, where she loved to sit. She cleared the dining table of more books and a pile of notes for her latest novel. She started to lay up the table, but then she hesitated looking at the two place mats and two sets of cutlery. The intimacy that they hinted at made her feel odd. As she looked around the room, she also realised that there were quite a few candles. She thought about clearing them away too, but something made her leave them.

Glancing at her watch Temperance was alarmed to find that it was already twenty to eight. Definitely time to freshen up. She walked upstairs, trying to loosen up her shoulders and neck, which were still aching from sitting typing all day. She opened the door to her bedroom, the gauzy white curtains were still drawn and cast a soft diffuse light. She slipped out of her clothes and pulled on a robe before making her way to the bathroom. She wasn't in the shower for long and was soon standing back in her bedroom wondering what she should wear as she dried her hair. She decided to leave her hair loose for a change, rather than tie it back. She didn't bother with much make-up, just a brush of eye shadow, a lick of lip gloss and some tinted moisturiser.

Temperance wasn't into shopping, but she did like nice clothes. She open the doors of the solid maple closet and tilted her head on one side trying to decide. Jeans? Always acceptable, nice and informal. She picked up a folded pair and shook them out, then hesitated. I wear jeans a lot, perhaps I should try a different look tonight? Her gaze settled on a pretty red skirt. It was soft cord fabric, with three tiers and scattered beading along the bottom edge. She had picked it out in a sale a couple of months ago, but hadn't had the occasion to wear it. She stared a moment longer and then pulled it off the hanger and put it on. It sat low on her hips making a flattering silhouette and as she walked over to the chest of drawers to get a top, the heavy beading caused the skirt to swish out. She picked out a light green camisole top with a fine knit v-neck sweater over the top. From the top of the chest she took one of her favourite necklaces, a twist of red beads with a sliver celtic knot in the middle. As she turned towards the door, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. The outfit looked good. She smiled nervously at her reflection as she wondered what Booth would think. The thought gave her pause. What if he thought that she had dressed up like this for him? She looked down at the floor, trying to ignore the persistent voice telling that if he did, he'd be perfectly correct.

She was about to change her mind and put her jeans back on, when she heard the door bell ring.

(TBC)