Disclaimer: me-sa no own bones!! K?
The day Jack came home was in mid May and on June 12, the last day of school, Booth and Tempe announced that their parents were letting them have a joint party at the beach. Their birthdays wee only a week apart, Tempe was younger, her birthday was on the 23rd, and Booth who was older, had a birthday on the 16th.
Each year Tempe's family rented a house down the shore. For the last few years they had gone to the same place in Delaware. They rented a 2 story house in Rehoboth Beach with 3 bedrooms and a loft that they planned to turn into sleeping arrangements for the kids.
There was also a boat that was rented out with the house. Last year Tempe was too young to try water skiing, which Russ teased her about. But he also said he would help her learn.
She had however tried water tubing. (For those who don't know, it like a giant snow tube attached to the end of a rope off the back of the boat. Basically you lay on it and hold on for dear life.)
And boy did she love it, the feeling of your hands clenching around the handles and you thighs clenching up to keep your knees straight.
It was hard to say she was 'good' at tubing. It was pretty mindless. She could control the tube well enough to keep it inside the wake when she wanted too. And the tube was big enough to hold her and Russ, so it should be easy enough to convince Booth to come with her.
On the morning of the trip down the shore Tempe woke up and helped move everyone's packed bags. Her parents had told her that everyone's parents would be there for the day of the party so they might be a little cramped.
All the kids would be cramping into Mr. Brennan's van. He had volunteered to drive knowing no one else would. Russ would be sitting up front and Angela had claimed one of the captains chairs in the middle.
Jack was quick to call the other one. No one was surprised. They had gotten a lot closer since Jack came home.
Tempe agreed to take the middle seat in the back row in order to give her guests the better seats. They settled into the 3 hour drive.
Zach soon fell asleep and sucked his thumb in the way only little boys can. As Tempe watched him she thought back to how when they had first met, he had been so awkward. Unimaginably cute yes, but uncomfortable to be around.
He was the one who would stand out as obviously not getting the joke. As much as she hated to admit it, she was glad. I made her feel horrible but she was relieved that for once it wasn't her who stood out embarrassed.
In the months since he had moved into the Hodgins place, Zach had become sort of a little brother to all of them, she included.
She looked out for him and cared about him. Suddenly her thoughts shifted to another face.
Booth. She cared about him too. A lot. And she hoped he cared too. She thought he did. There was a certain gleam in his eyes when he talked to her, something that didn't happen around anyone else.
She was drawn out of her memories by a whisper. "Bones?"
Tempe smiled; the name had grown on her. "Yeah?"
"Umm, I have something to tell you." Booth said blushing furiously.
She smiled wider "yeah?"
"I um, I kinda get sea sick."
"Oh" her smile dropped, she thought it would be something a bit more, personal.
Something like 'Oh Tempe I love you and I can't live with out you.' She shook her head as soon as that ran through it. This was not an over emotional old film.
"That's ok; we can go to the beach a lot." She smiled
Booth did too. "Thanks Tempe."
Hey sorry too say I think this is almost done. I don plan on writing a sequel but not till I finish some of my other stories. Don't worry though; I still plan on 5ish more chapters. If I do make it too 300 reviews, I may use the idea in the sequel.