CHAPTER 22

Monday January 3, 2008

Seeley took the time to go for a run that morning even though he was still tired and recuperating from New Year's Eve. The air was crisp and he liked it that way – watching his breath form tiny little cloud puffs as he swiftly moved along the cool pavement that lined the quiet streets.

As he put on his sweat pants, t-shirt and sweater, and jacket, he glanced over at Tempe who was snuggled under the duvet, her face only showing. She has the cutest nose. With that thought he grabbed a glass of orange juice, put up his hood and made his way down the front steps.

He waved to his neighbor who always left for work at the same time every day: 6:15am. He had a route planned out that was exactly two kilometers and knew that he could do that on any given day with ease, today being no exception.

His mind surprisingly calm given he usually had at least one hundred thoughts on the go during his runs. Must be the New Year thing. I am sure I will be back to normal in no time at all.

He slowed down when his house first came into his sight to start his cooling down process. The sun was now shining bright and he welcomed the warmth on his face. He closed his eyes briefly, sucked in a deep breath of air and exhaled slowly. "Much better," he whispered quietly.

As he entered the house he could smell something: cinnamon something. He peeked in the kitchen and saw Tempe making pancakes.

"Good Morning," he said as he kissed the top of her head and then got a bottle of water from the fridge. "Smells great."

"Good Morning. I thought you might like these after your run," showing him the batter that had little flecks of brown in it. " First batch is in the oven."

"Yes please," he replied like a kid who was getting a triple scoop of ice cream on a hot day. "First, I have to shower and shave."

On his way to work, Seeley dropped off the cookies he made to Parker's classroom. The kids had just settled down as he quietly knocked on the door. The teacher thanked him and he smiled and waved to Parker as he left.

He remembered he had to do something before going to work. He entered the Jeffersonian as he had many times before but this was a social visit. He saw Jack glued to a microscope as he scanned the platform.

"Jack, you have a minute?"

"Sure Booth, what's up?"

"I want to talk to you about something, can we go to your office?'

"Sure," as his crystal blue eyes widened.

Jack remained silent not sure what the FBI agent wanted. A hundred scenarios flashed through his mind. Did one of his conspiracy ideas become reality?

"I was wondering if you would be my best man."

Jack snapped out of his thoughts. "Best Man?"

"Yeah. Well, Parker is my best man but he is only five and can only do so much."

"Gottcha. I would be contented to be your best man."

"Thank you. I will let you know the details once I figure them out," stated Booth, who was still very comfortable with Tempe handling the wedding plans.