A/N: WOW! And I mean WOW! I have NEVER had so many reviews for a first chapter. I was really happy even though it gave me a lot of pressure to write a chapter that would measure up to your high expectations. Hopefully I've reached them with this chapter.
July 6th 1980; Chicago, Illinois
Laughter reached Seeley's ears from the guest room's open window. The child immediately jumped up and ran to look outside. His hopes were rewarded when the child set eyes on a cute little girl and a bigger boy running around. His mouth immediately broke into a grin. Turning around, he casted one last look at the children next door before sprinting out of the room and down the stairs.
A voice stopped him just as he was reaching the door.
"Where are you going, Seeley?" A sweet yet slightly annoying voice asked him.
He turned to see his aunt standing outside the kitchen, looking at him quizzically.
"Oh umm..." He stuttered for an answer. "I just saw two kids next door. I thought I'd go play with them."
"Oh. Aren't you having fun with us?"
His aunt's tone made Seeley feel guilty. After all, he hadn't seen his Aunt Muriel in a long time and should have been spending more time with her. The guilt was only short ridden. Happiness to finally have someone other than his brother to play with overcame the battle.
Without bothering to answer his aunt's question, Booth opened the door and ran outside.
He fell into a walk as he reached the neighbor's fence. Slowly, he made his way to the backyard, where the little girl's shrieks could still be heard. He stopped when he caught sight of the siblings wrestling and watched in mild amusement.
Seeley's heart almost stopped beating when the older boy looked up.
"Who are you?" He asked, standing up and wiping the dirt from his pants.
Seeley felt slightly intimitated.
"I'm Seeley. I'm visiting my aunt for the summer." Seeley replied, pointing to his aunt's beige house.
"Oh yeah." The little girl replied. "I saw you arrive last week. I'm Temperance, by the way. But people call me Tempe. This is my brother, Russ. He's 8. I'm 4."
"Hi."
The three children stood silently, staring at each other.
"So?" Seeley finally asked after a few seconds of silence. "What were you guys playing?"
"Marco Polo!" Russ replied.
Temperance beamed beside him.
"Don't you have to be in a pool to play that game?"
"No." Temperance answered, offended. "You don't have to play that game in a pool. Look, we'll show you. Close your eyes."
Seeley shook his head.
"I'm not closing my eyes."
Little Tempe rolled her eyes.
"Fine." Temperance replied, letting out an overexagerated sigh. "Be that way. Russ, you close your eyes."
"Don't be bossy or I'm telling Mom."
She rolled her eyes once more.
"Fine. Tell Mommy."
"MOM! Tempe is giving me orders again!" Russ called out as he ran towards the house.
Seeley and Temperance giggled.
July 15th 1980, North Park Village Nature Center
"Pleeeease Mommy. Can't we just go explore for five minutes?" Temperance begged her mother for the hundredth time since they had arrived at the park.
"I said no, Temperance. Now sit down and eat your lunch." Christine Brennan replied.
"I'm not hungry." Tempe retorted, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Temperance, stop pouting." Matt warned.
"No." Temperance replied, defiantly.
She heard her parents sigh and knew she had won the argument once again. She immediately got up, knowing what her parents were going to say next.
"Five minutes. No more, no less." Christine said. "And take Russ with you."
"But Moooom!" Russ whined. "I don't wanna go with her. Exploring is so boring."
"I'll go." Seeley immediately volunteered.
Christine turned to the little boy they had brought with them to the park. She smiled at him.
"Thank you, Seeley."
Then, turning to her daughter:
"Now off you go. I'm starting to count right now."
Temperance immediately took off as her mother started counting. She heard Seeley behind her shouting to her to wait up but she didn't care. She was free. She was free to explore. And even though her exploration would only last five minutes, it didn't matter. She was free!
She ran to the edge of the forest and stepped into it without a second thought. She loved nature; the trees, the birds, the animals, the quietness. She just loved everything about it.
A cracking branch behind her told her that Seeley had caught up with her.
"It's about time." She scolded, not bothering to slow down.
"Well maybe if you would have waited for me, I would have caught up with you faster."
Tempe had been about to reply when something on the ground caught her attention. She stopped abruptly in her path and turned her gaze in the object's direction. Letting out a loud squeal, she ran down the path towards it.
"What's that?" Seeley asked, looking down at the white objects on the ground.
"Bones." Temperance replied, excitedly. "Animal bones, probably."
Crouching down, she poked the remains with her finger.
"Eew, Tempe. Cut it out. It's gross."
"No it's not. It's fun. Come on, you try."
"No." Seeley replied, taking a few steps back.
Temperance, annoyed, decided to ignore him and went back to her examination. Picking up the bone, she turned it around to examine the other side.
"I wonder what kind of animal it used to be." She said, much to herself than to her friend.
Seeley whimpered as the sun disappeared behind a cloud and sent the whole forest into a light darkness. The boy shivered.
"Tempe, I'm scared. Let's go back."
But Temperance wasn't listening. She was too engrossed in her examination of the bones to listen. She watched in amazement how the bone curved in the shape of a U. She set it down and picked up another bone. This one was much smaller but thicker. Ants ran around the inside but Temperance wasn't scared or grossed out.
"Temperance! Seeley! Your five minutes are up! It's time to go!"
The sound of her mother's voice brought the child back to reality. She set down the bone, got up and dusted her pants. She looked up to see her friend staring at her. She smiled wickedly.
"The last one out of the forest is a rotten egg." She said before sprinting in her mother's direction.
The poor boy never stood a chance.
July 15th 1980, 8:30 p.m.; Brennan residence
"You seem to like Seeley." Christine said as she pulled the blanket over her daughter.
"Yeah, he's okay." Tempe replied, evasively.
Never would she admit to liking Seeley. He was too... weird and completely annoying.
"Just okay?" Christine asked, her eyebrow shot in the air.
"He talks too much. And he doesn't like touching bones."
Christine frowned.
"Is that what you two were doing in the forest? Temperance, I thought I told you before that I didn't like you playing with bones. It's disgusting and totally unhygienic."
It was Temperance's turn to frown.
"What does unhygic means?" She asked her mother, as curious as always when she heard a new word.
Christine chuckled at her daughter's attempt to repeat the word.
"Unhygienic means that it is not clean."
"Oh okay."
"It also means that I don't want you to play with bones anymore."
Temperance sighed.
"Fine."
August 2nd 1980; the Brennan's backyard
"Give it, it's mine!" Tempe said as she pulled the shovel out of her friend's hands.
"Well I was playing with it first." Seeley replied, defending himself.
"Nuh-huh."
"Huh-huh." Seeley replied, taking the small plastic shovel from the young girl's hands.
"Nuh-huh." Tempe replied, taking it back.
"Huh-huh."
Pulling it roughly from the young girl's hands, Seeley smiled triumphantly.
"Mommy! Seeley just said a bad word!" Tempe called out to her mom.
"No I didn't." Seeley replied, offended by the lie.
Christine stepped out of the house and walked slowly towards the kids, stifling a sigh as she listened to them argue.
"Yes you did."
"No I didn't."
"Yes you did."
"No I didn't."
"Yes you..."
"Okay that's enough you two!" Christine interrupted them. "Stop bickering like an old married couple."
"Eeeww!" The two children said in harmony.
"That's gross Mom!" Tempe said.
"Like I'd want to be married to her." Seeley immediately added, a hint of disgust in his voice.
Christine tried her best not to giggle.
August 13th 1980; the Brennan's living room
"I'm here to pick up Seeley." Muriel said.
Christine nodded before inviting the woman in. Putting a finger to her lips, she led the older woman to the living room. Muriel smiled as her eyes fell on the two children, fast asleep on the couch, Temperance's head resting gently on Seeley's shoulder. As always, young Seeley's arm was wrapped protectively around his friend's shoulder.
"How sweet." Muriel whispered.
"I know." Christine agreed. "It seems like the only way these two get along is when they are asleep."
Muriel chuckled softly.
"They do bicker a lot."
"Like an old married couple." Christine added.
August 18th 1980
"Mom says we have to go back home in a couple of days." Seeley said as he threw a chunk of bread on the ground.
A pigeon immediately jumped on it.
"But I don't want you to go." Temperance whined as she threw her own chunk.
"I know. I said the same thing but Mom says we have to. School is going to start soon."
"Oh yeah." Temperance replied, suddenly remembering that she herself would be starting school soon. "Maybe you could come back here next summer."
"I doubt it. Aunt Muriel is moving to Washington in a couple of months."
The two friends sat down on the bench, setting the bag of bread between them. They sat silent for a few seconds before Seeley ventured to talk.
"Do you know what marriage is?" He asked, shyly.
"My parents are married." Tempe replied.
Seeley nodded.
"Do you think, one day, you and me could get married?"
Temperance shrugged.
"Maybe."
She turned to her friend and smile.
"Would it be like in fairy tales where the prince and the princess live happily ever after?"
"Sure."
Temperance's smile grew larger.
"Then I'd like that." She said, taking the young boy's hand in hers.
"So it's a promise? Forever love?"
Temperance nodded.
"Forever love."
TBC