For a confidant, compartmentalizing woman the nerves rattling through Temperance Brennan's veins came as no surprise. She had had her fair share of dates but this was different. Sure, if she would have thought about this rationally she would have easily concluded that the rationally of her fears were unfounded. He had proved repeatedly over the years that even at her worse he still found her sexually appealing but after the fifth straight twirl in front of the mirror she found the repulse growing stronger. How could he find her even remotely attractive? She was downright hideous.

Her hair wasn't straight enough, her tight black dress seemed to cling in all the wrong places and her make-up, don't get her started on that. She was a mess. She was more than a mass, she was petrified. This was supposed to be the start of something damn well amazing but her heart sank into her stomach as she twirled once more. Her mind shuffled through all the possible scenarios, positing the most likely in her frazzled state.

If she didn't look drop dead gorgeous he was going to run, run as far away as he possibly could. She knew it was more than slightly inconceivable but no one knew the growing fear residing behind those blue walls. He had left her once, what was there left to stop him from leaving her again? The last few days had been perfect, more than perfect… they were what dreams were made of. And if she lost that again, she didn't know what she was going to do with herself.

"It is just a date." She growled, trying to force herself to believe her worlds, "Yeah, a date with a man that means the world to me… a man who defies all logic and loves me when no one else could… a man who…"

"Baby, I'm back…" Booth called out after a swift knock on the front door, sending her out of her degraded state, "Ready?"

Shit. She was nowhere near ready. She had done nothing more then take a shower and slip into her fifth dress. Maggie wasn't ready… oh God, this was turning into the worst date she had ever had and during her college career she had made some awful choices. Even the date with the guy who took her to a strip club was better then this.

"Don't… don't come in." Her voice raddled as she tried to run into the bathroom.

"Bones, you okay?" Booth pushed the bedroom door open just in time to see Brennan slip and tumble, landing squarely on the mound of dresses up against the bathroom door.

At the sound of his footsteps Brennan closed her eyes and prepared her body for the verbal beating she was about to receive. Booth was a man dedicated to being punctual and for him that meant arriving ten minutes early. At this rate they were not going to make it out of the apartment in time to eat desert.

"Bones…" He soothed, running his hand over the slight red mark forming on her forehead, "Why did you have to go and mess up that beautiful skin?"

Her eyes flick up toward his hand, trying to process his tone. Between her desperation and his soft caresses, she was unable to process anything more than how good it felt. With every soft pass, he seemed to sweep away all her fears, leaving her in a calm yet nervous state.

"I… I'm sorry." She whispered, flinching at his touch, "I am sorry I am the source of all your problems."

'You're no- what?" His hand stopped as his eyes locked with hers, "What makes you think you have anything to do with my problems?"

"Well I just thought that since I am not ready and you enjoy being punctual, especially when you have made reservations." She began to ramble, "And I know that your relationship with your daughter is not wh-"

Leaning over her trembling body, Booth silenced her with ghost like kisses. Her eyes jerked open as soon as he stopped, his lips were inches from her own and she could feel his breath dance over her skin. He opened his mouth once more and Brennan instinctively closed her eyes only to have them flutter open at the sound of words rather than his lips on her skin.

"I do enjoy being on time but it is not the end of the world if we are late. All I care about is being with you; we could go to the burger joint down the street if that is what you wanted. All I want is good food and the company of the woman I love. Hell, with you I don't even care about the food. Any night with her would be amazing. Even if it involved rotting corpses." He added for emphasis, trying to break through her rational exterior. She smiled and he knew she was starting to unravel.

"What abo-" She started to speak but was stopped by his glare.

"No. Just no." He placed his finger over her lips as her mouth fell open, "I know what you are thinking and no, I don't regret the path we have taken to get here. Sure, I would have hoped that it would not have been so rocky but sitting here with you, I know I would do whatever it took to get where we are. I would have loved to be there for your pregnancy and all those precious firsts with Maggie but I am here now and I am not going anywhere. You are the mother of my child and more importantly the woman I cannot live without. Now does that answer all your questions or do I have to convince you with less conventional means?"

With a smile Brennan buried her face into his chest and sighed. Even at her worst he seemed to say all the right things and calm all her fears.

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me… yet." He whispered, pulling her close and linking his arms under her body, "How about we go into the kitchen and get you some ice than discuss dinner plans."

With a nod, Brennan wrapped her arms around his shoulders, breathing him in and just enjoying his presence. As soon as they made it into the living room, the loud thud heard across the room drew both of their attention.

Standing across the room, Maggie was repeatedly kicking a bright red ball against the wall. After every failed attempt she would run after the ball and return to the wall, just to kick it at the same spot.

"She's determined to get it through that wall." Booth chuckled at the determined demeanor his daughter had taken.

"Booth, at this age she is unable to kick a ball with a force strong enough to break anything. Actually" Brennan beamed as they watched, "this is her first attempt at such activities. She is very strong for her age."

"And determined." Booth whispered against her skin, "Just like her mother. When she gets older we are going to have a handful."

"Booth, at this age we are unable to determine what characteristics she will have as an adult. She is just mimicking actions she has seen with her newly acquired skills as a toddler." Brennan refuted.

Placing the compact to her forehead, Booth just smiled at the way she had so dedicatedly cataloged every action Maggie had partaken in. If that wasn't squint for love, he didn't know what else would be.

"Maybe it was a good thing you were being so undeceive today." Brennan's quizzical eyes looked up at him and his grin increased, maybe it was time for him fill her in on her own reality, "If we were on time we would have missed those spectacular soccer skills. Taking after her father already." He beamed.

"Oh, I am sure with Park-" Brennan heard a deep sigh and instantly frowned, "Rebecca didn't let you see those developmental moments did she?"

"No, she didn't." He looked up, sorrow etched in every defining line, "How about you change out of that dress into something more comfortable and we will eat in and make a family night of it."

"Are you sure?" Her eyes darted between him and their daughter, "I know how much you were looking forward to a date with just the two of us."

"Bones, I am sure." He said as his fingers danced across the silk before pushing her forward, "but save the dress… I can't wait to rip it off you tonight."

As he seductively licked his bottom lip a grin spread across all of Brennan's features, engulfing her in the sweetest relief. And in that moment she knew even at her worst, she was loved.