Apologies for how long this took; I know it's been a while. I've been super distracted with the real life (why the heck do they even exist). Regardless, I try my best to get you the best quality work as fast as possible.

This was supposed to be my favorite scene in writing this whole story, but it turned out to be a real pain in the arse. I've written it so many different ways, none of which seemed to be good enough. I just left it as best I could, so if it stinks, I'm sorry but I'll try to pick up the slack as we approach the end.

Now I know that there is supposed to be a musical number in here, but I didn't use the song lyrics because, well I don't know why, I just felt that it didn't look right. But remember, the song is "This I Promise You," by N*SYNC.

With that, I leave this author's note with a thank you, thanks for the reviews and putting up with my lack of consistent updating. If only there was no college… boy that would rock. Thanks again y'all!!

Chapter 10

To say that Lily was nervous was an understatement. Angela had arrived a few hours earlier and was currently working on Brennan's hair. Angela looked good in the dress with her hair up nicely as did Brennan. But she was worried.

Lily Walsh was not the kind of person that frequently got dressed up. She wasn't aware of the latest trends in fashion and she really didn't care. Science was more important to her and once she was a doctor scrubs would be her primary day wear. But as she waited for Angela to finish Brennan's makeup, she couldn't help but to look at herself in the mirror. Her normally curly hair was now straightened and left long, abandoning the ponytail that she was accustomed too.

"Okay, we're ready," called Angela from the bathroom. She and Brennan emerged and Lily looked at their transformations. It was amazing what Angela could do.

"When's Jack getting here with the limo?" asked Brennan as she put things in her little handbag.

"As soon as he gets here, which should be soon." Just as Angela finished the sentence, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," shouted Brennan as she finished cleaning up a few things in her apartment. The door opened and Booth and Theo walked in. Angela smirked as Lily and Brennan stopped in their tracks. Booth was wearing a black suit and a white shirt with a red tie that matched Brennan's red dress. Theo wore a black suit with a deep red shirt and black tie. His hair was brushed neatly to the side and she could smell new cologne on him. Hodgins simply strode in and planted a kiss on Angela's lips.

Brennan cleared her throat and the two parted, slightly embarrassed. However they were not so embarrassed and just stood there beaming.

"Yes, are you two good now? Can we leave?" questioned Booth.

Angela smiled. "Of course, lead the way."

…

Lily watched out the window as the limo headed towards the location of the event. Outside, the life of DC never seemed to end as the bright lights of various establishments beckoned to potential customers on the streets. The limo made a right and pulled under an overhang. A man standing at the revolving door of the building moved forward to open the limo door.

"Good evening ladies and gentleman," he greeted with a smile. They exited the vehicle and walked into the building. The lobby was filled with well dressed people awaiting the opening of the doors. The masses walked around, glasses filled with varying types of alcohol. Lily and Theo stayed to the outside and watched as Booth and Brennan walked around. More like Brennan meeting with fellow scientists and Booth staying on her arm as a protector.

"Want to get some drinks?" asked Theo. Lily nodded and he gestured for her to go in front of him. She walked in front as Theo followed, her hand dangling behind her. He grabbed it and she couldn't help but to smile as his he tightened the grip. They got Shirley Temples from the bar and somehow were able to find Angela and Hodgins in the crowd.

"How long are we going to be standing around here?" asked Theo as he took a sip from his drink.

"I don't know," replied Hodgins. "Probably another 20 minutes or so."

"Lovely."

…

It was another half hour before they were seated at their table together in the hall. Lily looked around amazed at the decorations around the hall. The ceiling was high and made of glass; she was able to see the swirling colors of the setting sun above her. A large chandelier hung over the wooden dance floor, with the circular dinner tables surrounding the outer area of the room.

The chattering continued until there was the sound of someone tapping on the microphone on the front of the room. An older man with white hair stood at the front, putting on a pair of small glasses.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as most of you know I'm Leonard Stone, the head of the Jeffersonian. Tonight we are here to honor the employees of the Jeffersonian Institute that bring in the donors and the scientific information that give us the name that we are. Last week the Jeffersonian turned twenty-five years old. In that twenty-five years, many scientific greats, including a few Nobel laureates, have worked in these labs. Now after twenty-five years we are a fine institution that has many departments that aid in work all over the globe. Today we are here to honor those that bring the recognition to the Jeffersonian." The room erupted in applause and soon the head s of the departments was each taking turns honoring one member of their department. Finally Cam walked to the front of the stage.

"Ladies and gentleman, the pathology department is one of the youngest here in the Jeffersonian. Yet today we are one of the largest. Sorry paleontology." At the joke, there was laughter that rippled throughout the crowd. "But still we have many to thank for bringing the recognition to the department. Tonight, the Pathology division of the Jeffersonian would like to thank Dr. Temperance Brennan for her achievements." Applause rippled throughout the crowd as Brennan walked to the stage. She adjusted the microphone so that it was closer to her.

"I would like to thank Dr. Saroyan for choosing me, but I'm afraid that I can't take it. What we do in the forensics department is not possible without the help of my colleagues, Dr. Jack Hodgins, Angela Montenegro, formerly Dr. Zack Addy, and our FBI liaison, Special Agent Seeley Booth. Together we function as a family unit that helps to bring down the nastiest, most troublesome menaces to society."

The hall erupted in applause as Brennan took her seat. Lily smiled to see Booth stand up and give her a hug when she returned to the table, even whisper something in her ear that caused her to giggle.

"With that ladies and gentleman," said Stone. "May the festivities begin!" At his words, the doors opened and dinner was served.

…

They ate and told jokes, discussing everything possible but catching criminals. No, that was a topic reserved for another day. As they ate, the band played background music, light enough to know that it was there, but enough so that it wasn't silent. Lily ate her food which was delicious, and took in the sights, loving the atmosphere.

When the dinner plates were cleared, everyone sat back to relax off everything that they had just consumed. The band had started playing some music and many people stood and headed to the dance floor. Lily looked up and made eye contact with Theo, who nodded.

Theo stood and stretched his hand towards Lily. "May I have this dance?"

Lily accepted his hand and stood. "Of course." Using that as their cover, they hurried away and out of sight on the stage. They walked up and stood behind the curtain. Lily eyed the piano and then turned to Theo to see that he was rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. She looked at him curious and then smiled when she realized that he was nervous.

"Nervous Theo?" she asked with a smirk.

"I…no… well yes. Haven't you ever been nervous before? I mean look at all the people out there."

She stepped close to him and smiled. "I've been in front of a few people before, gave a presentation in front of the entire school once. Singing should be nothing for you."

"Thanks for the kind words, but I've never really sang in front of people before. Just like karaoke with my friends a few times in my basement." Lily thought for a few moments on how she could boost his confidence. She peeked around the corner and looked to the sea of people.

"Theo, judging by the people out there, many of them probably don't even know what the song is supposed to sound like. So just go out there, have fun, and make it your own." She finished the pep talk with an added peck on the lips. He seemed to cheer up after that, just as the band finished playing their song.

Angela appeared around the corner with a huge smile plastered on her face. "Okay you two, are you ready?"

"Hell yeah," replied the now enthusiastic Theo. "Are Booth and Brennan going to dance?"

"Well I'll do the introductions and then get down there with Hodgie. If I have to, I'll goad them though with the way they've been acting I don't think they'll need much catalyst."

As the band finished, the singer looked over to Angela who waved. "Are you guys ready?" she asked. They gave a nod as their answer and she walked on stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Angela Montenegro of the Forensics Division. I helped with a lot of this gala and I even got a special musical guest that would like to show their appreciation for what goes on here." Angela gestured for them to get on stage. "Here we have Theo Girard and Lily Walsh, two interns that are working here for the summer; well Theo is working with the FBI, but he's with Booth. Anyone, here they are."

Angela clapped with the crowd as she stepped off the stage. Lily gave Theo one last look and a nod as she took the newly vacated piano spot. The older man with silver hair that had been playing before gave her a wink as he disappeared.

"Hi, tonight we just wanted to give you a little show to thank you for giving us the opportunity to grow in an area that can help us in the future. I'd like to see as many people up there and dancing as possible. This one's for all of you."

…

As Lily played, she couldn't stop grinning as she watched the scene in front of her. Just like the perfect gentleman, Booth had stood and offered his hand to Brennan, which she accepted. They were close, from what Lily could see when the people would part.

As Theo finished the song she shivered as she watched him. For someone that said that they couldn't sing, he was pretty good, and it made him look ten times better. They finished strong and received a standing ovation. They bowed at the front before running off just as the music was starting again.

"Follow me," said Theo as he grabbed her hand and led her through the sea of people. He stopped when they ran into Booth and Brennan who were still dancing together. Booth had a huge smile on his face as he patted his shoulder.

"Had no clue you could sing man! Great job!" Theo smiled and nodded, obviously something else was on his mind. They finally got outside into the warm night air. The back area had a fountain and many benches set around a garden. Lily figured that during the day when the weather permitted, they hosted outdoor events as well. They sat at bench near the fountain.

The air was cool without the summer sun warming it up, and the humidity of the past few days seemed to vanish. Lily looked up and was able to make out a few of the brighter stars through the light pollution. A light breeze rolled through the courtyard and she couldn't prevent the shiver that traveled through her body. Theo noticed and shrugged off his jacket so that he could drape it over her shoulders.

"Theo, you don't have to go through all the clichés tonight you know."

"Hey, I'm that kind of guy."

"Really, I never expected that from you. Then again, who knew that you could sing?"

Theo blushed slightly. "It's just one of the many things that I am good at. I've got skills, accept it." They shared a laugh. Lily sighed, sad that the night would soon be over. Theo raised his hand and ran it through Lily's hair. She turned her head so that when he stopped moving his hand cupped her cheek. "I'm really glad that we're together," he whispered.

"Me too," she replied before leaning into the kiss. They continued until they were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Lily pulled back and opened her eyes to see Booth standing before them. She was embarrassed that they got caught by someone who was basically like her father and inched as far away as she possible could from Theo.

"Er, sorry guys, but we were going to leave now. It seems Angela hurt her foot dancing the Cotton-Eyed Joe in heels." He spoke the words quickly and seemed visibly uncomfortable about the situation. Lily nodded and stood to follow back towards the reception hall. She took the lead, missing the glare that Theo sent Booth. Booth jogged to get ahead of them, allowing Theo to slip his hand into Lily's. Yeah, she thought to herself. This night should never end.