As the partners entered the apartment Booth made a beeline for the couch and started surfing channels while Brennan set down her bag and keys and walked into the kitchen. "Beer"? Brenan called out. "Ugh bones I told you I won't drink that crap". Last week while having after case drinks at the founding fathers she had tried a new drink that booth had labeled 'chick beer'. She had taken a liking and had since stocked her fridge much to booth dismay.
Brenna walked back into her living room carrying two bottles. She sat on the couch next to booth and handed him a Budweiser.
"You know I love you right?"
"You have told me, several times today in fact"
"Well it's true"
"Though it worries me that all it take to win your love is a beer"
They laughed and booth settled the TV on a basketball game. Seeing as the game was still early in its first quarter booth settled into his seat and put an arm around Brennan's shoulders.
"What do you think bones, heat or magic?"
"I don't believe in magic most of the time its jus-"
"I meant which team do you think will win? My moneys on heat". Brennan tensed and sat upright looking horrified.
"you're gambling again"?
"No bones it's an expression". She stared at his face for a few seconds and relaxed back into the couch. Now it was his turn to sit up.
"Wait that's it"?
"I trust you" she smiled "but I can interrogate you if it would make you feel better" her tone completely serious.
"No that's ok"
Needing to lighten the mood booth decided to change the subject. "So bones have you ever played hoops"?
"hoops?"
"Yeah you know b-ball chuck the rock.
"Oh there are many societies in which boys throw rocks through hoo-"
"basketball bones have you ever played basketball.
"Not really but Russ was on the team throughout school. He even won the district championship game mvp award so I am quite familiar with the game."
Booth chugged the rest of his beer and set the empty bottle on the table. "Refill"? He nodded and she walked into the kitchen. He smirked at the thought that had just come into his head.
"Hey bones were you ever on the kiss cam" he yelled in the kitchen. She returned with a second bottle for both of them.
"Kiss cam? Booth, it's highly unlikely cam and I will ever kiss seeing as we are both heterosexual women and I am dating you."
Booth couldn't decide whether to blush or laugh, he settled for a little of both. "Speaking of.." they watched the TV as the camera panned across the audience searching out couples waiting for them to kiss and then moving on. After four couples the camera went down to half court were a couple stood. "Bones he's gonna propose to her".
"Anthropologically speaking men propose in front of large crowds to show his claim on the female to all the other men."
"Yeah but here in the real world guys do it so their girlfriends can't say no."
"I don't want you to do it that way."
"What?"
"When you propose to me I want it to be quiet, not at a restaurant or sporting event."
"When I propose to you? For the almost 10 years I've known you, you have had nothing but bad things to say about marriage. "
I assumed you would anyway, your very stubborn. I also decided that when you did I would accept."
Booth jumped up trying not to get his hopes up. "Can you say that again?" she said each word slowly making sure he heard
"If. You. Were. To. Ask. I. would. Say. Yes."
"Can you do me a favor and just stay here?"
"Booth I di-"
"Just please bones stay here promise me."
"Yes but booth-"
"Just stay here"
And with that he ran out the door. She sat there confused for a few minutes. The game had resumed but she wasn't watching it. He was right she had never believed in marriage, never seen the point in it but after he left she felt disappointed. She tried to rationalize with herself 'he didn't actually reject you' 'no he just ran out the door when you brought it up'. She knew that this back and forth in her head was getting her nowhere and that she knew only a little more than nothing when it came to relationships she conceded that she need help.
She picked up her phone and pressed speed dial #2.
Angela's phone buzzed in her pocket. She fished it out and smiled when she read the name Brennan on the screen.
"Hey Bren what's up?"
"Hey ange I need your help, I think I've done something wrong but I'm not sure what it is"
Angela tried to reserve judgment on the situation; if Brennan thought she might be wrong it had to be a relationship issue.
"Ok sweetie what happened?"
"Booth and I were watching basketball and a man proposed to his girlfriend and I told booth that when he proposed I would accept then he jumped up and ran out the door."
Angela stood there in stunned silence. That sentence started out weird and only got weirder, Bren choosing to watch sports, bringing up marriage and booth getting freaked and running away.
"Ange you still there?"
"I uh yeah, sweetie did he say anything right before he left?"
"He made me promise to stay here at the apartment."
"Oh"
"Oh? What oh? You say that like it changes everything"
"Brenan listen to me, you didn't do anything wrong in fact you've made booth very happy."
"Then why did he leave?"
"I can't tell you that, just know that he's coming back and he's not mad."
"O-ok um thanks I guess." Angela smiled at Brennan's cluelessness.
"Oh and Brennan, when booth comes back ask him what your dad threatened him with. Love ya sweetie".
Before Brennan could say anything else the line went dead. He was with her dad and he was threatening him but he was happy; confusion really did not suit her.
As booth pulled into the nursing home his phone made the noise that signified he had a text.
She called me she's clueless good luck I'm so happy for you both
He smiled, as weird as it sounded he needed Angela's approval for this. If she knew then everyone knew by now sow he had to do this right, it had to be perfect. He jumped out of his car taking the steps two at a time. He ran right past the front desk having been here often enough that he knew the room number by heart. He knocked on the door
"pops?" the door opened
"hey shrimp" he stopped and looked the younger man over.
"Are you ok you look a little hot and bothered?"
"Pops do you remember when you offered me grandmas ring if I ever found 'the one'?"
"Temperance?"
"Yeah pops she's the one I'm sure of it."
"You're a lucky guy."
"You have no idea." Booth took the purple velvet box he was being handed. He took out the ring a stared intently at it.
"Shrimp if you stare at it any harder it's gonna catch fire."
"There is an engraving"
"of a dolphin, your grandmother loved them if you don't like it you can have it filed off."
"No pops its perfect thanks."
Booth sat outside the apartment in his s.u.v. trying to calm his nerves. 'What's the big deal man up seeley' 'the big deal? You're about to ask you best friend to marry you' 'well she already said yes'. He blew out a long breath 'you can do this'. He walked up to the front door of the apartment, rubbed his lucky poker chip and opened the door.
"Bones?"
"Still here booth as promised."
She was sitting on the couch with her laptop. "Hey can you turn that off I gotta talk to you?" he moved to stand in front of her.
"Bones I love you so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you" he got down on one knee "Temperance Brennan will you marry me?"
`She looked at him contemplatively for a few seconds and then her face changed into a proud smile, as if she had been working on a hard math problem and had finally figured it out.
"No"
"No?"
"No"
His face fell. 'She said she would say yes' he didn't know whether to be sad or angry. He stood slowly and fell back into the couch with a heavy sigh.
"I've upset you"
"Yeah bones why would you tell me you would say yes and then say no?"
"I was trying to make you happy"
"Why in the world did you think this would make me happy?"
"I told you I would say yes and you ran out the door.
"I had to go get the ring and I didn't want to give you time to change your mind"
"I didn't"
Booth smiled and stood up again "then with that in mind let me ask again"
"Yes"
"Bones I haven't asked the question yet"
"Yes booth I'll marry you"
"Yeah?"
She held out her hand and booth slid the ring onto her finger. He pulled her up so that she was standing next to him and kissed her. She pulled back and looked into his face. She had never seen him wear a smile that big. She started laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"I just got engaged"
"Yeah"
"To you"
"Yeah"
"I finally understand what Angela meant" she laughed again.
"Oh yeah, what did she say?"
"She wanted to know what my father threatened you with"
Her father! He had totally forgotten about him. He was gonna be a dead man
