My name is Seeley Joseph Booth and I am in love with Dr. Temperance Brennan.
My partner.
My best friend.
My Bones.
But how does one explain love to a purely scientific mind?
Love cannot be measured in a beaker; it cannot be quantified by machines.
It cannot be measured by brain activity or hormone levels.
Love is from the heart, from the soul, from the spirit.
So how does one explain love to a person who thinks all emotions are ephemeral?
"Why do you love me?"
God, give me strength.
I love her because of who she is.
Her strength, her determination.
Her passion, her loyalty.
Her intelligence, her quest for truth.
There is not one aspect of her that I do not love.
Yes, she is hard to deal with at times.
Her insistence that God does not exist can be infuriating.
Her lack of tact has caused more than a few headaches.
But without these quirks, she would not be Bones.
My Bones.
The woman who walked into my life and then walked right out of it again.
The woman who will stand up to serial killers, gang leaders, and FBI Directors.
Six years I've known her.
Six years I've watched her change and grow.
Six years I've been falling in love with her.
Sweets says that I wasn't in love with her before my surgery.
That my coma dream created feelings that weren't there before.
But as I said, love cannot be measured by machines.
"I love you."
"I will never leave you."
"No matter what happens, I will always be there."
"I love you."
~BB~
The next morning, no words are said.
Booth just smiles and kisses her head, then goes to the kitchen to start the coffee.
She lingers in the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror.
For the first time in months, there aren't dark circles under her eyes.
Her skin looks fresh and there is a smile on her lips she cannot control.
She pulls on his bathrobe, breathing in the scent of him imbued in the soft fabric.
~BB~
He grinds his own coffee beans.
He finds the scent of the freshly ground beans relaxing.
But right now, he's so far relaxed that he doesn't need the pick-me-up they offer.
He's had the best sleep he's had in months, even if it began at 5am.
Because she was there, wrapped in his arms and he in hers.
He feels terry-cloth clad arms wrap around his waist and soft lips press to the back of his neck.
"I love you" he feels whispered against his skin.
"I love you too Bones."
~BB~