A/N: Finally! I was able to update this story! Sorry about the delay but I've been busy and in a writer's block for the past week. Hopefully this chapter will satisfy everybody! Don't forget to review on your way out. ;-)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the characters are not necessarily my opinions as well.

I'd also like to apologize for this one expression that I don't think is said in English that I might have translated from French. If so, sorry.

Laying on his back on his bed, the words echoes in his mind as he twirled the ring between his fingers.

"Have you even thought this through? I mean, you are being a bit impulsive and it is a big thing."

"This is Brennan we're talking about. If it were any other woman then I'd say give it a shot but it's not. It's Tempe. She doesn't even believe in marriage."

"I just think that maybe you should think about this a little bit more. Talk to her about marriage once again and see what she has to say. And if after that you still want to marry her than I'm not one to stop you."

He knew Angela had been right but he just didn't want to admit it. To admit it would be to admit that he was scared she'd say no, a possibility he just didn't want to think about. He didn't think he could face her rejection, especially after all they had been through together.

He glanced at the clock: 7:30 pm. He knew not to expect his girlfriend until, at least, eight. If dating him had taught Temperance one thing, Booth knew that it wasn't working less. She still worked impossible hours, leaving early in the morning and coming back late at night. Booth doubted that, if it weren't for working with her, he'd ever spend time with her.

Maybe Angela was right after all. Maybe them being married wouldn't work out. To be married, you needed to make compromises and sacrifices. He was willing to make sacrifices, to do anything it took to make their relationship work but he wasn't sure Temperance was willing to do the same. Their relationship had been somewhat smooth sailing since they have started dating, excluding, maybe, the first few weeks after her abduction. He wasn't sure, if things got a bit bumpy, that Temperance would stay but nor did he think she would leave. Then again, they had never been in such a situation but his girlfriend always managed to surprise him when he least expected it.

He sighed as he continued to twirl the ring between his fingers and examined the diamond. He watched it sparkle asit caught one of the last rays of sunlight before the sun set completely for the night. That ring had cost him a lot of money, more money than he had expected to spend on a ring. But when he had seen it, he had seen Temperance in it and the ring had just seemed to scream out to him to buy it. It was then that he had been certain that this particular ring was the perfect one.

In a perfect world, one where Angela wouldn't have said those things to him, he could easily see Temperance saying yes to him when he'd show her the ring. But now, the perfect little image he had made in his mind had been shattered in thousands of little pieces.

Damn Angela. He muttered to himself.

Getting up, he decided that he couldn't blame Angela. She had only spoken the truth and he should respect her for that. After all, as much as he hated to admit it, she had been right about one thing: he was being impulsive.

He heard the front door open and he looked quickly at the clock. Only five minutes had passed. Was Temperance home so early? He placed the little box back into the front pocket of his shirt, the one he hadn't bothered to change when he got home, and walked out of his bedroom.

"I'm home!" He heard her say from the front door.

"Hey." He said as he stepped into the living room from the kitchen.

She smiled at him as she took off her shoes and joined him. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. When they finally pulled away, he couldn't help but smile at her. The dreading feeling he hadexperienced earlier had been completely washed away by the kiss. As he stared in her eyes, he wondered how he could have ever doubted their relationship.

"You're home early." He stated, his arms still wrapped around her waist.

"Goodman sent me home, said I had worked enough."

Booth chuckled, a bit sadly. Things hadn't been different tonight. She hadn't come home on her free will.

"Well I'm glad you're here. Have you eaten?"

"I ate three cookies that Goodman's kids brought just before I left."

Booth shook his head, releasing her from his grasp.

"Tell you what. You go change and I'll make us some dinner."

Temperance looked at him, surprised.

"You didn't eat?" she asked, shocked.

"I was waiting for you." Booth replied, shrugging. "Now. Go change."

Temperance rolled her eyes before turning around and heading in the kitchen then down the corridor to her boyfriend's bedroom. Booth watched her until she disappeared into his room before walking off towards the kitchen himself.

He rummaged through the fridge to find something to eat and soon realized that maybe he should have gone to do the groceries before coming home that night. But he had been so caught in his whole proposal idea that he had forgotten all about it. He sighed in frustration before moving to the cupboards. The only thing he could find to eat, on this hot August night, was chicken noodle soup. He grabbed the box. It would have to do.

The water had just started boiling when Temperance walked back in the kitchen. Booth listened as his girlfriend walked back behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"What are you making?" she asked.

"Soup. Sorry." He said, turning around in her embrace.

He looked sheepishely at her.

"That's all we have to eat."

Eyebrows shot upwards.

"Really? That's it? When's the last time we did groceries?" she asked, surprised.

"Last week but we already ate it all. I was going to stop by the store tonight but I got distracted."

"Distracted?"

She did the eyebrow thing again.

"Yeah. Tough case. Don't really want to go into it."

Temperance nodded.

"Is that why you wanted Angela today?"

"Yeah. Our sketch artist..."

"... wasn't there. You needed a replacement. I know. Angela told me."

Booth smiled at her, sadly. Temperance pulled her arms away.

"I'll set up the table."

Booth nodded before turning back to the soup on the stove.

As he waited for the soup to be ready, Booth lost himself once again in his thoughts. He needed to talk to Temperance tonight about marriage but he wasn't sure how to start. He couldn't just ask her out of the blue what she thought about marriage since he knew his question would immediately be followed by an investigation as to why he wanted to know.

His eyes fell on the white invitation on the counter. He had almost forgotten about it. His cousin Mark was getting married and he and Temperance were invited. He suddenly got an idea.

"My cousin Mark is getting married." He said as he turned off the stove.

"Yeah?"

Her tone told Booth she couldn't care less. Booth smiled. He wasn't fond of his cousin either. He hadn't seen the man in years.

"Yeah." Booth replied, taking a bowl and putting soup in it. "And we're invited."

"Are we?"

Same tone. Temperance sat down at the table and Booth placed the bowl in front of her. She thanked him before grabbing her spoon. Booth went back to the stove with his own bowl.

"Yep. It's in a month. Wanna go?"

"Not really."

Her honesty took him by surprise.

"Okay then. We won't go."

He heard her sigh.

"I'm sorry, Booth." She said as he sat down in front of her. "I just don't understand why people get married. I mean, half marriages end in divorce these days. I don't even know why people bother getting married."

Booth choked on his soup. He coughed a few times before finally recovering, tears in his eyes.

"You're serious? I mean, you really mean you're saying?" he asked her, surprised.

They had talked about marriage before but she had never told him that. His heart raced in his chest as he thought of the ring still in his front pocket and he hoped that Temperance hadn't noticed the bump in his shirt. When she looked down at her bowl to take a spoonful of soup, he looked down at his shirt. The pocket looked surprisingly flat.

"Of course I mean it, Booth. I wouldn't have said it if I hadn't." She replied, after swallowing.

She wiped her mouth with a napkin before continuing.

"People used to get married because that was what the Bible wanted. Marriage was seen as a way to procreate and you couldn't do that until you were married. I don't know, Booth. It seems that today, marriage has lost all meaning. Just look at celebrities. They get married left and right and their marriages barely even last three or four years. I can count on the fingers of one hand the celebrity couples that have surpassed that three-year limit."

"Tempe..."

"I know you believe in marriage, Booth, but I don't and I never will. You knew that before we started dating so there's no reason for you to give me that frustrated look."

Booth loosened the jaw he didn't know he had been clenching. He sighed softly.

"I know, Bones. I know. I know you don't believe in marriage. I still think you could change your mind eventually. I mean, the examples that you gave me, they are exception to the rule. There are still a lot of people out there who get married because they love each other and want to acknowledge it. That's the true meaning of marriage, Bones. That's it."

Temperance remained silent. He dropped his gaze to his bowl.

"Maybe one day, when you find someone you really really love, you'll change your mind."

He felt a hand touch his and he looked up. Temperance was looking at him, a seriousness on her face that he had never seen before.

"I have found someone that I really really love."

She squeezed his hand.

"But that doesn't mean that I will change my views on marriage."

Booth nodded before swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. Suddenly, the ring in his pocket felt heavier than it had before.

Temperance pulled her hand away and resumed her dinner. Booth watched her, his hunger completely gone.

Poor Booth...