Chapter 19 Weddings

The lab was quietly abuzz.

Arastoo had proposed to Cam. Despite being nervous about the prospect, she'd met his parents several months ago and found them delightful. The senior Mr. and Mrs. Vaziri were very fond of Cam as well. And so, the astute careful coroner had accepted her handsome Persian's exquisitely beautiful Farsi poem of proposal (translated of course.)

The rules governing Jeffersonian employees did not preclude spouses from working together, which Hodgins and Angela had done quite successfully….well, except for when Cam had to shoo them back to the museum nursery with little Michael.

Brennan found herself musing about weddings while she carefully reconstructed the shattered skull of their latest murder victim who'd been bludgeoned to death by some sort of heavy rectangular object; she suspected a length of angle iron.

While she would never compromise her examination of bones by daydreaming, Brennan had pieced together so many skulls over her career that she could solve the jigsaw puzzle of these bone fragments in her sleep or blindfolded.

And so she let her mind wander a bit….

She remembered Angela and Hodgins' zig-zaggy road to the altar. A federally-interrupted wedding ceremony had torn them apart for a time, but hours in a jail cell with frank conversation had led them back to the truth of their love, and they'd gotten "hitched" right then and there. (And thank god Cam had retied the bow of that violet dress correctly for her!)

She thought about how long it had taken for her to trust Seeley Booth's promises that he'd never leave enough to admit her love for him. Her eventual belief in his vision and a little hop of faith had allowed them a soul-deep relationship, memorable garden wedding, and lifelong joy together.

She mulled about her parents' marriage relationship. For her, the circumstances of their wedding were unknown, but she had witnessed the strong bonds of love and commitment Max and Ruth had shared. They had loved each other and their children fiercely and sought to protect them from a sudden violent threat, however badly the aftermath of that fateful decision had turned out for her.

She'd never had the chance to meet Booth's Gran, but she knew from Pop's stories of his Margaret that their 1941 wedding had been the start of a very happy life as husband and wife, and how much the old man still missed his bride.

Her mind wandering among generations prompted a thought of the future. Parker wasn't as yet quite old enough for a wedding but she had no doubt that his solid upbringing by Booth and Rebecca would stand him in good stead when the time came, and he would become a wonderful husband for some very lucky girl if he chose to enter into marriage.

She chuckled to herself, that since Booth declared he didn't want Christine even looking at boys until she turned 30, he probably felt that Parker ought to delay his wedding for years to come as well. But the young man would most certainly set his own path despite dear ole' Dad's hesitations.

And then her maternal mind turned to the little daughter she and Booth shared… Christine. Despite her years of scoffing at the institution of marriage, Brennan had come to know that, if it involved the right two people, well-suited for one another, linked by love and friendship, marriage could be a wonderful and amazing experience. She couldn't say that she 'hoped and prayed' that Christine would find the right mate, since she didn't believe in prayer, but she knew that Booth did believe and most likely included that request in his private churchy conversations with the "Almighty" "Man Upstairs."

But Dr. Temperance Brennan did hold that strong hope for her daughter to know the intense kind of connection, relationship and happiness she shared with Booth. She wanted for her daughter all the best in life. And this might just include a wedding that thrilled her heart (no matter what sort of ceremony that might entail) and, much more importantly, a love which spanned decades "30 or 40 or 50 years, Bones!" her heart and soul entwined with a man as fine as her beloved father. A man who knew Christine was "the one."

"You see an older couple, Bones, and when you ask them, it's always the man who says "I knew! I knew she was the one I'd share life with…!"

As she carefully spread Elmer's Glue on the last triangular fragment of skull and painstakingly nudged it into place, Brennan smiled to herself…..

She looked up to see Cam entering the Bone Room. "Dr. Brennan, wow, look at that, you got all those tiny fragments all back together. It never ceases to amaze me how you accomplish that! Quite a feat!"

Then Cam changed the subject. "Temperance, I don't know how you'd feel about this, but I'd like to ask you to be my matron of honor," her boss and friend said happily.

"Cam, I'd be honored!"

"Oh! If you're having a traditional Persian ceremony and need help composing your wedding vows in Farsi in order to keep them a surprise for Mr. Vaziri, I'd be happy to assist you in that endeavor, as well. I'm quite proficient in Farsi, you know," Brennan offered.

"No, Dr. Brennan, I didn't realize that. We can consider that later, I think. That's very kind of you to offer. Thanks for standing up with me. I'll let you get back to work," Cam responded.

As she walked away, she muttered to herself, "I guess I'd better make sure our vows are in English, so I know what I'm agreeing to. I certainly don't want to learn after the fact that I'm required to become part of a harem someday!"