Important note:

Hey everyone, this is Deena, the original author of this fic! As my last A/N said, I am done writing this story. I just don't have the time or the energy for this story anymore, and I'm so sad about that. I have a lot on my plate, and right now the only fic I can truly give my attention to is Help Wanted.

But I have some wonderful news! In the last A/N I wrote, I said that this fic was up for adoption. And guess what!? It was adopted! By a lovely and talented author who goes by the penname DelaineyKH. It will appear on my profile, but she is the one who is writing it!

She wrote this very chapter that you are about to read. I'll just be beta-ing from now on. :) Enjoy this chapter by DelaineyKH!

Tying her hair up in a bun, Temperance stared at the figure before her in the mirror. She spent more time getting ready than usual, and it was just a simple play. But she wanted to look, nice, for Mr. Nigel-Murray. Angela's voice ran through her head. 'Call him Vincent.' Then her mind ran to Hannah and Booth's wedding. Why had she agreed to be the maid of honor when she felt so conflicted about it?

Vincent sat staring at the clock, willing it to go faster so he wouldn't have to sit in his empty house all alone. The only play running in town that he could find tickets for was Romeo and Juliet. How could he be so stupid? He should have just asked her to dinner, but it was too late now. He'd bought balcony seats–the only ones left that had seats right next to each other. He stole another glance at the clock, only to be disappointed again. Only three minutes had passed while he'd been ranting inside his head.

He got up off of his chair and began to walk to his car. No point sitting in an empty house with no joy...

Temperance Brennan smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She put her hand on her hip and smacked herself in the face lightly. What am I doing? She asked herself. Why am I so nervous? A light knock at the door made her jump slightly, she recollected her thoughts and opened the door. Vincent Nigel-Murray looked quite alluring. Stop it, she told herself.

"Dr. Brennan, you look fantastic," Vincent complimented.

"You look rather al- attractive yourself Mr. Nigel-Murray." She was so embarrassed! She almost called him alluring, to his face! Oh no...

"Thank you, shall we go?" he asked.

"Yes. What play have you selected this evening, Mr. Nigel-Murray?" 'Call him Vincent!' Angela's voice sounded in her head. "I'm sorry," she said, deciding to follow Angela's advice. "Vincent."

Vincent was taken aback. That was maybe the first time she'd called him simply by his first name. "No, that's quite alright, Dr. Brennan. I see no harm in using formal names. Did you know—" She cut him off.

"You never answered my previous question. What play have you selected this evening?" she challenged again. He seemed hesitant to answer this question, even when he was the one who invited her to accompany him.

"Um, Romeo and Juliet." Vincent spat out nervously. Thoughts and facts were beginning to jumble in his head, desperately searching for the way that he could dig himself out of the inevitable hole he'd dug himself, full of ridicule and embarrassment.

"Hm, interesting selection. I've always enjoyed Shakespeare myself, although I favor Macbeth in the way it was written," she declared.

Vincent almost soiled his pants anticipating what she would say about his selection, and when she finally gave him her opinion, he inwardly thanked Science that she didn't think it was odd that he'd chosen Romeo and Juliet.

The rest of the ride was in a comfortable silence that neither Temperance nor Vincent broke, for there was nothing to say, really. Temperance was on vacation, so there was no way she could ask him about the case, which upset her. She was itching to find out what other evidence that they had uncovered in the lab from the time that she'd been gone.

Vincent was the opposite. He wasn't even thinking about the case that they were working on at the moment. He was so nervous that the only things running through his head were facts.

The highest a human has flown from the earth upward by balloon is approximately 128,097 feet which is over 23 miles (39 kilometers) above sea level, and it was done by Felix Baumgartner of Austria. The balloon was 55 stories tall, helium-filled and strung to a capsule that Felix sat in. Baumgartner was wearing a full body, high technology, oxygen supplied, fully pressurized and heated suit with helmet.

Felix Baumgartner is the only human to break the sound barrier in a free fall, surrounded by only a suit without the aid of any type of vessel protecting him while falling. Baumgartner's world record free fall speed is recorded at 833.9 miles per hour at mach 1.24, and since he was traveling at a speed faster than the speed of sound, he didn't hear the sonic boom. The planning of this mission took over 5 years, with a total of about 300 people including 70 engineers, scientists and physicians.

Did you know that the awesome sounding crack of a bullwhip in the air is a supersonic boom? The crack of the whip occurs when the sound barrier is broken.

They finally arrived at the theatre, and being the gentleman he was, Vincent offered her his arm and she took it without a second thought, watching the door as he escorted her inside.

They found their seats and sat down, waiting for the Chorus to begin.

"Two Households both alike in dignity…"

After a while, Temperance began to feel sadness creeping into her heart. It wasn't the sadness of the story playing before her—it was how she was comparing these situations to her life. Mr. Nigel-Murray seemed like he was enjoying himself. He was really engrossed in the story, trying to understand. Temperance started studying his face, thinking about the things she liked and didn't like.

I like his eyes, they seem full of knowledge and caring. His hair seems nice, I wonder which one of his parents had the dark hair. I've always wanted to know which gender has more dominance when it comes to chromosomes. Temperance started to observes his hands. Strong hands it appears, but also nimble. I wonder... Stop it!

After awhile Vincent felt as if someone was watching him, and he turned his head to see Dr. Brennan looking at his hands. "Um, Dr. Brennan, the play is not very entertaining unless you watch it..." he pointed out with a whisper. Temperance quickly tried to rationalize her staring.

"I was wondering–-which one of your parents had the dark hair? It's for some research that I am conducting. I'm studying which gender has more dominance when conceiving a child."

Vincent was obviously confused, and it showed on his face. "Um, my mother. But my father was the one with blue eyes," Vincent whispered. She nodded and took a mental note, but turned her attention back to the actors.

Vincent couldn't help but feel as if she was doing more than conducting research, but she was Dr. Temperance Brennan, someone who was nothing but logic. He turned his attention back to the play before him, and got drawn in the story once again.

When the curtains closed, Vincent grabbed his jacket and stretched, and began to escort Dr. Brennan out the door. She unconsciously grabbed his arm again as they began to walk outside toward the car.

Their arms separated as they approached the car and they took their seats. Vincent began to make conversation about the show and was surprised to learn that Dr. Brennan had been pleasantly entertained. "I truly enjoyed the woman who played the Nurse character; she grabbed my attention very strongly during her soliloquies and monologues."

Vincent elaborated on this statement, glad to have something to talk about with her. "Yes, I think I most enjoyed the Queen Mab monologue performed by Mercutio, the actor was most excellent."

They continued to discuss the show until Vincent slowed in front of Temperance's home. "Would you like me to walk you to the door, Dr. Brennan?" he asked, not noticing that she was observing him again.

The way he would watch the road with a very careful and watchful eye… it made her feel a little safer when riding in the same vehicle as him. He also sat very poised when he drove, shoulders slightly back, feet attentive, his hands gripped at the 10 and 2 positions. A sign of a very careful driver.

"Dr. Brennan?" Vincent asked again, snapping her out of her observation-induced trance.

"What was that Mr. Nigel-Murray?" she asked, trying not to seem like she was just staring at him.

"I asked you if you would like me to walk you to your door." he said, talking a little slower.

"Yes, I wouldn't mind that," she said, getting out of the car. She stumbled a little as she got out of the car.

"Are you alright Dr. Brennan?" Vincent questioned, concerned. Dr. Brennan shook her head.

"No, I'm perfectly fine. I'm tired, that's all," she stated, trying to convince herself more than anyone else. She began to sway as she walked up the stairs towards her apartment. What was wrong with her?

"Dr. Brennan, would you like some assistance?" Vincent called from the bottom step of her doorway. She shook her head, hoping to clear it, but all it did was mess up her thoughts more.

"No, Mr. Nigel-Murray. I am, as stated earlier, fine." Temperance spoke, not really sure if she was alright after all.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Vincent asked once more, not wishing to get into an argument this late at night.

"Yes, I am completely fine, Mr. Nigel-Murray. Thank you for the wonderful evening, it was a delightful show. And I shall see you soon," she said, stumbling into the house, not quite closing the door. Vincent sighed and started to walk back to his car.

Temperance's head was spinning, and she didn't know why. Her sleep hadn't been adequate, but it had been enough for her to function and think clearly. She'd eaten earlier and had a bottle of water at the theater. Temperance felt her knees give out and she couldn't feel the floor—it was as if she kept falling. She started grabbing for something to hold onto, but she couldn't stop her fall. She knew she had to scream for Vincent. Oh I hope he hasn't left! "VINCENT! MURRAY! HELP ME!"

Vincent thought he heard some shouting. "HELP ME!" Is all he could make out. "Dr. Brennan?" he shouted back. He looked up to see that her door was still halfway open. Vincent started running toward the door, and when he peered inside, he was shocked to see Dr. Brennan on the floor. He fell to his knees and grabbed her gently. "Dr. Brennan? Can you hear me?"

Temperance stopped falling, she was thrown back into reality and her head began to clear. She was starting to feel less dizzy, but she was still disoriented. "Yes, I can." she whispered, suddenly exhausted.

"Are you alright?" Vincent asked her, she was lying on the floor and her pupils were severely dilated. "I'm not sure," she said, trying to stand, but she collapsed back into Vincent's arms.

"Why don't you lie down, and I'll call Angela or Dr. Saroyan."

She stopped him, "No, Mr. Nigel-Murray, you're more than certified to help me. Please, can you just help me to my bed please?" He nodded as he helped her up and escorted her to her bedroom, hoping that she wouldn't have another episode.

A/N: Again, I just want to remind you that it was not I who wrote this chapter. I just want to say that I'm really happy that DelaineyKH has decided to adopt this fic, and I'm super excited about the direction she is taking the story in!

And now I say goodbye to this story. :) We had a good run!

-Deena