A/N: So sorry I took such a long time to update but at least it gave everybody a chance to read the previous chapter. This chapter is a bit longer than I had expected it to be (partly because I'm using WordPad so I can't really see how many pages I have written) but there's small fluff so I'm guessing you won't mind.
Also, thank you to everyone who has reviewed the last chapter and congratulations to my psychics (you know who you are). And for those who are also reading my other story, The Body in the Park, it should be updated some time next week (family date time!). At the moment I don't have a computer so I'm using my dad's but unfortunately, I can only use it in the morning which doesn't give me much time to write before going to work. I'll try my best to update quickly but I can't guarantee anything.
Well I've spoken enough for now. Have fun and please don't forget to review:-)
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Man she can be so pretty. Booth thought as he followed his partner to his SUV.
Even though he was the one taking her on a date, she was still the one who had to be in the lead. She was leading him out of her apartment and towards his car. He wondered why she always had to be the first one at everything. But today, it wouldn't matter because he was also the first at something: he was the first man to take her out on a date after her break-up. He had to be proud of that.
They reached the SUV and Booth immediately opened the door for her. A bit surprised, she looked at him questioningly but didn't say anything.
Maybe that's how he is on dates. She thought as she climbed in and Booth closed the door.
She watched as he jogged to the driver's side and climbed in. She threw her bag onto the backseat to notice that Booth had also brought one and seemed to have brought lunch at the same time.
They were leaving her parking lot when she asked him where he planned on bringing her.
"You'll see when we get there."
Temperance simply nodded and turned to look outside. Even though she didn't really want to admit it, she was nervous. She tried to calm down by telling herself that they had done stuff together before, that this wasn't going to be different but deep down, she knew it was going to. This was officially a date, something she never thought she would go on with her work partner. She gulped as she noticed that Booth was driving her out of the city. Where were they going?
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The drive lasted less than forty minutes. Booth had desperately tried to make conversation but Temperance had been rather quiet, only answering with a couple of words. He had stopped trying as they had gotten off the highway and into some small streets just outside of Washington. He just hoped that her tongue would loosened so they could actually talk today.
He had a feeling she would like the place where he was taking her. It wasn't much but they were surely going to have a lot of fun. Looking through the rear-view mirror, he eyed the basket with their lunch. He hadn't eaten anything all day, too busy preparing everything for their date, but he suddenly found that he wasn't hungry anymore.
Nervousness at its best. He thought as he turned into the trail leading to the main office of this quiet national park.
Temperance looked up at the trees. Booth was bringing her into a forest? She wasn't quite sure what to feel. She wasn't much one with nature but she didn't despise it either. Oh well, she thought, I'll just have to see. She decided that this was the best attitude. Besides, where else could they have gone on such short notice?
A few minutes later, Booth pulled up to the parking lot and parked the SUV in one of the empty spots. He casted a glance at Temperance who was looking around at the trees. He smiled briefly.
"Here we are!" he announced in a voice that he had wanted to sound cheerful.
"Where are we?"
"My favorite place in the entire world. Come on, let's go. I'm starving!" he said as he grabbed the bags from the backseat.
He opened his door before stepping out. Grabbing the basket and his bag, he watched as Temperance reached out back to grab her stuff and got out of the vehicle. Closing the door behind him, he caught up with her immediately. He'd have no choice but to lead the way. She had no clue where they were going.
He turned to look at her. She was wearing jeans, not the ideal outfit for what they were going to do after lunch. He'd tell her later to change.
"You ready?" he asked, turning to look at her.
She nodded and Booth started walking.
She had no idea where they were going but it was obvious that they were going to have lunch somewhere around here. She could hear the distant sound of kids screaming. Hopefully there wasn't going to be so much noise.
They made small talk until they reached what seemed to Temperance the "dining" area of the park. Several picnic tables were lined side-by-side in this vast open area of grass and Temperance saw that two families were already there. She sighed. She had sort of hoped that Booth and her would have been alone for this.
She was about to make her way to the picnic tables when she felt Booth gently grab her arm. She swung around to face him. He simply shook his head and pointed a spot not far from where they were standing.
"The picnic tables are too dirty. Besides it's much more fun eating on the ground."
Temperance shrugged but she nevertheless followed her partner a couple of feet away. She watched as Booth laid a blanket on the grass and began taking out the lunch he had packed. She was amazed at how much food he had managed to fit in that basket. Everything was in little plastic containers: vegetables, fruits, sandwiches, cookies and something that looked like dip. He took out plates, forks and knives and laid them on the blanket. He then looked up expectantly at her. Temperance smiled shyly and joined them on the blanket. This was too weird.
She watched as Booth opened the containers and motioned to her to help herself. She carefully picked out some of the vegetables that she liked (carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli) and placed them on her plate. Booth handed her one of the sandwiches which she gratefully accepted. She hadn't noticed it until now but she was starving.
Booth watched as she quickly ate half of the plate and couldn't help but smile. He had seen her eat before but he felt like he was really seeing it for the first time. He slowly ate the set in his own plate, knowing fully well that he should eat more since he would need the energy later on today but his stomach was closed shut from nervousness.
She shifted under his gaze. He was making her feel self-conscious and she couldn't eat feeling like that. She set her sandwich down and nibbled at her carrots instead, her eyes never leaving the scenery that surrounded them.
"What are you thinking about?"
His voice brought her back to reality.
"Oh... nothing. This is a nice place. How do you know about it?"
"My buddies and I come here often to play football or Frisbee."
"You play Frisbee?"
"Of course." Booth replied. "It's actually pretty fun. We play here since there's so much space."
"You didn't bring me here to play Frisbee, did you?"
She sounded worried and Booth laughed.
"Of course not, Bones. I have something a bit more special for us after this."
"Are you going to tell me what it is?"
"Nope." Booth replied as he took a bite out of his sandwich. "All I'm prepared to tell you is that maybe you should take off what you're wearing and change into something else."
Temperance eyed him suspiciously and Booth realized how bad what he had just said sounded. Of course he hadn't meant it like that but he could see how she, and everyone else really, could have interpreted what he said in that way. He quickly corrected himself.
"What I meant to say is that... well... your jeans are really nice and I wouldn't want anything to happened to them. Don't you have shorts or something in your bag?"
Temperance nodded and sighed in relief. She then smiled at him shyly.
The rest of their lunch was spent in total silence, both of them too lost in their own thoughts to talk which made Booth wonder if the whole day would turn out to be as quiet. Not that he hated sitting here with her under the warm end-of-July sun. He could stare at her as much as he wanted. She was too engrossed in watching the children play Tag nearby to notice anything. But if she kept quiet the whole day, he was surely going to go crazy.
He couldn't believe how beautiful she was and couldn't believe that she had actually agreed to go out with him. He had to admit, he had been pretty annoying and he had wondered, as he had tried to fall asleep the previous night, if she had only agreed to go out with him in hope that his annoying request would stop. It probably was the reason but Booth hoped that maybe, deep down, she had really wanted to go on a date with him.
They watched the kids play for five more minutes before Booth gathered up the empty containers and started putting them back in the basket.
"You go change in the restroom over there." he told her, indicating where the cabins stood. "I'll pack our stuff and go back to the car to drop the basket off. I should be back in about fifteen minutes tops."
Temperance nodded and grabbed her own bag. Standing up, she smiled one more time at Booth before turning around and heading to the cabins, oblivious to Booth's stare who was watching her walk away.
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"Booth, where on earth are you taking me?" Temperance asked as she climbed what seemed to her like the hundredth rock.
"It's a surprise, Bones, I told you already. Now would you quit complaining?"
Grabbing the hand he had been offering, she pulled herself up. The last time she had gone hiking, she hadn't loved it particularly but at the moment, she couldn't remember hating it as much. They had left the main trail about ten minutes before and she still had no clue where they were going. She had been reluctant to leave the main path in the first place and she had begged Booth to stay on it. But, of course, he hadn't listen to her. Here they were now, walking in the middle of the forest, climbing rocks, small cliffs and going down hills. For all she knew, they were maybe lost as they seemed to be going around in circles. Branches cracked under their feet as they quietly made their way through the forest. Every now and then, the sun peeked from in-between branches. There were just so many trees.
"Can you at least describe to me the place where we're going?"
"Sure." Booth replied. "It's secluded and we'll have privacy."
"Privacy for what?" she asked, suspiciously.
"For fun." He simply answered.
"What kind of fun?"
"Normal fun, Bones." Booth said, sighing in frustration. Man she can be annoying. Can't she just enjoy this and not complain?
"Well I don't doubt that it's secluded. We're miles away from the main path, let alone civilization."
"That's what's great about it."
A deer ran past them a few feet away. Temperance jumped at the sound of it which only resulted in making Booth chuckle. She rewarded him with a slap on the arm.
"That wasn't funny!" she said, indignantly.
"It was to me."
The duo fell silent. Booth led his partner further and further into the forest knowing fully well where he was going and that Temperance would really like the area. He knew her and he knew that her biggest fear was to get caught on a date with him by someone she knew. There was no chance of that happening where they were going. He had been there often, alone, to relax and had never taken anyone else there, not even his son. Bones would be the first person to see his haven of peace. It was just the way it had to be.
They had been walking for twenty minutes when Booth stopped abruptly. Unzipping his bag, he reached into it and, after a few seconds, pulled out some kind of cloth.
"Turn around."
"What?" Temperance asked, surprised.
"Turn around."
"No!"
"Come on."
"No, Booth. I don't want you to blindfold me."
"Why not?"
"Because it's ridiculous. Besides, I could hurt myself."
"I'll be there to guide you. Don't worry."
"Why do you need to blindfold me anyway?"
"It's so much more fun."
"Yeah? For whom?"
He grabbed her left hand with his and gave it a small squeeze.
"Come on, do it for me."
He gave her the puppy eyes, the ones he knew she wouldn't be able to resist for me than ten seconds. Except this time, it took three before she was rolling her eyes but turning around.
Carefully wrapping the cloth around her eyes, he made sure that she wouldn't be able to see. He wasn't so sure why he was actually doing this but it had seemed like a good idea the previous night. Today, as he tightened the knot behind her head, he felt rather stupid.
"Can you see anything?"
"Other than blackness?"
Her response had been sarcastic and Booth had to fight the urge to sigh loudly in frustration. Instead, he strongly grabbed her hand and led her down the small path made by him over the years. She wouldn't fall or hurt herself, he thought, if they passed by there.
She walked slowly, putting what she felt like her entire trust in him. She let him guide her through the forest, her hand burning in his. She had never felt it, that burn on her skin when it came in contact with his but she was feeling it now. She hated it but yet she couldn't (and didn't want to) pull away. She groaned inwardly. He was having a bit too much effect on her at the moment.
They walked for what seemed to her like a thousand miles before they came to a stop. She remained silent and listened. She could only hear the faint sound of water. Where were they?
"When I take off your blindfold, keep your eyes closed."
"Why?"
"You're really a pain in the ass, Bones. Did you know that?"
She simply shrugged. She felt, more than heard him, move behind her and reach for the knot. The blindfold came off and she fought hard not to open her eyes. This was ridiculous. Why wasn't he letting her see where they were?
She heard him step beside her.
"Open your eyes."
And she did.
There was water, all right, a whole lake actually. Except, it was too small to be considered a lake. They would easily be able to cross it by swim. Her gaze shifted to the scenery. She wasn't much one with nature but she had to admit, this place was really nice and she had no doubt as to why Booth liked it so much.
The sun, which had disappeared during their little expedition through the forest, had suddenly reappeared, shining ten times brighter than it had been before, or so it seemed to her. The light breeze made the water ripple and Temperance thought she could make out the sound of birds not far away, possibly on the other side of this so-called lake. The whole thing was surrounded by trees. Lots of trees. No noises except for the birds, no sound coming from the highway near the park.
"I told you it was secluded."
His voice came to her through a haze. She turned to face him.
"How did you find this place?"
She watched as his face turned red in embarrassment. He's so cute when he's blushing.
"I got lost one day while I was on a little hiking trip with my friends." He admitted. "And I found this. It was just so nice and so quiet, Bones, that I actually spent three days here, alone."
"Three days?"
"Yeah. I had food with me, don't worry. It was five years ago. This is a very special place for me, I've never brought anybody here before. You're the first one."
She felt her face grow warm.
"Why me?" she asked in a small voice.
"I just thought you were worthy of it."
Her face grew warmer, she was pretty sure she was blushing like mad, and she felt her heart start to beat a whole lot faster as she looked in her partner's eyes. There was something in them that had never been there before and Temperance wondered what it was.
Booth broke the eye contact and motioned to her the water.
"Wanna go swim?"
His question brought her crashing back to reality.
"In there?" she asked with a hint of disgust.
"Well yeah. Why not?" Booth replied. "Unless you're scared..."
He knew she wasn't scared but he simply felt like bugging her. This was the way to go.
"I'm not scared, I just think it's disgusting. It's polluted water."
"Suit yourself but I'm going." He said, ignoring her last statement.
He sat down on the edge of the small cliff. The water laid a few feet under them and Booth would have to jump down to reach the sandy shore. It didn't take him more than three seconds before his feet touched the warm sand. He turned to look expectantly at his friend.
"Are you going to stand there all day?" he asked her, squinting against the sun.
"No." Temperance replied, proudly, as she sat down near the edge.
"I'll catch you." Booth said but Temperance shook her head.
"I'm capable of jumping off this small cliff by myself, Booth."
"Suit yourself."
His catch phrase of the day, it seems. She thought before letting herself fall. Seconds later, she was landing in front of him, her I-told-you-so smile plastered on her face.
"Told you I could do it." She told him.
"I never doubted you one second." Booth replied. "There's just one small thing."
"What?"
"You left your bag up there." he said, pointing at the dark blue sports bag.
She blushed a deep shade of red. How many embarrassing moments would she have to go through today?
"But just leave it there. We'll get it later." He added as he stripped off his shirt.
He watched in amusement as Temperance's eyes fell on his chest and as her face grew even redder in shyness or embarrassment. She immediately looked away the second they made eye contact and Booth couldn't help but chuckle before making his way to the water.
The water was cold but it felt rather nice after walking under the intense heat and humidity of the summer. He immediately plunged under water and came back up a few seconds later. He turned around to face his partner. Temperance was still standing in the exact same spot as before.
"The water's nice, Temperance. Come on!"
Her heart fluttered at the sound of her name. He so rarely called her by her first name.
He watched as she took off her running shoes and socks and took a few tentative steps towards the water. One toe in the cold water had her taking a few steps back. Booth laughed.
"You're such a wimp, Bones. The water isn't that cold. Come on, you can go diving but you can't go swimming in a lake?"
Temperance glared t him before making her way determinedly in the water. Booth watched as her expression changed slightly the second the water hit her calf but she didn't back away.
She stopped at knee-high. Booth had had enough. He hadn't brought her here so he could be the only one to swim. He swam back to the shore and stood up. He watched as her eyes went again to his chest then up to his eyes. He smiled mischievously.
"You're a real wimp, Bones."
And, without any warning, he scooped her up and walked back in the water.
"Booth!" she shrieked.
He was wet with cold water. Goosebumps appeared on her arms and she shivered. Booth only laughed.
"Don't you dare throw me in the water, Booth."
Her warning fell on deaf ears. Seconds later, her entire body was making contact with the cold water except that it wasn't as cold as she had expected to be, she realized as she opened her eyes under water. It felt actually rather nice after the extreme heat. She stayed a few seconds under water, the coldness exhilarating her, before coming back up to breathe. She wiped the water from her eyes and looked at Booth who had a huge grin on his face.
"See? I told you the water wasn't so bad." He said, splashing more water onto her.
"You're so dead, Seeley Booth." Temperance said, wiping the water from her face. And thank goodness for waterproof mascara.
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