Hi again everybody… I know it took me quite some time to post something, but I had the flu and my concentration level was nowhere near being able to write something coherent ;) But finally, I'm better and I can write again! Hope you understand!
Please keep in mind ---- this story takes place BEFORE Verdict!
Thank you all for reading and special thanks to my wonderful reviewers!
Chapter 30
"Sweetie! Finally you call! How was the big meeting with Booth's parents?" Angela asked, excited, when her best friends called her, as she had made her promise earlier.
"They are very nice. Actually it all went pretty well. They seemed to be comfortable with Seeley and me being a couple and having a baby. They were surprised, but seemed to be pleased." Brennan answered truthfully.
"I thought they already knew?" The artist asked, stunned.
"No… I thought that too, but Boo…Seeley said he wanted to tell them in person." Brennan informed her.
"Since when do you call him Seeley? It sounds… kinda weird." Angela asked.
"I have to get used to it…. it would confuse our child if I refer to his or her father only by his last name. Besides…." Brennan hesitated for a moment, then decided to be blunt. "…Booth is going to be part of my last name soon, too…. so I guess it would be better…"
"What? WHAT?" Angela interrupted her, barely containing her excitement.
"Ah… We're going to get married." Brennan informed her. After a long pause of stunned silence, Angela's deafening. "OH MY GOD" pierced her ears.
"You and Booth. You're getting married? Oh my God. This is sooooo awesome. How did he propose… I mean… he proposed, right? Not you?" Angela fired questions at her.
"Ah…. Yes he did, but…." Brennan started, but got interrupted by her best friend. "Did he get down on one knee? Did he?"
"Yes." Brennan answered.
"Oh, oh, oh. So romantic." Angela sighed. "And what does your ring look like? I bet it's beautiful. Where did he propose? Not with his parents there, right? I mean… that would be kind of…. Weird…" Angela babbled on.
"Ange! How am I supposed to answer your questions when you never even stop talking to listen to me?" Brennan squeezed in between Angela's ramble.
"Oh… right. Sorry. But… I'm so excited! And so happy for you." Angela answered.
"He proposed at home. It was… kind of spontaneous, so there is no ring. Yet. We will buy one on Monday,… although I told him I won't really need one, since we'll get married in four weeks, but well… if he wants to buy a ring, I suppose I can wear it." Brennan reported.
"Ohhhhh… poor baby, forced to wear a ring." Angela's voice definitely held a not so subtle note of sarcasm.
"Why spontaneous…. What does that mean? After wild monkey sex?"
"Angela!" Brennan rolled her eyes, although she knew her best friend wouldn't be able to see it.
"What? You're pregnant! Everybody knows you've been doing the dirty for some time now." Angela snickered. "It kinda comes with the condition."
"It was after I told him I would like to get married." Brennan informed her and this definitely captured Angela's attention.
"Hold on, sweetie…. You told him, you wanted to get married? Were you drunk… or high?" Angela said incredulously.
"Of course not! I'm pregnant, I don't drink alcohol…. Or use any other kind of…" Brennan's response was cut short once more. "Relax, mommy, I was joking, okay? So…. Why did Miss 'Marriage is an outdated fashion' suggest getting married, huh?"
"Because of our child. In case…. Something happens to me, I want him to take care of the baby….. And the easiest way to ensure there is no legal doubt whatsoever is….. to get married before the baby is born." Brennan answered.
"That's a typical Temperance Brennan reason." Angela giggled. "But I guess he had no objection, huh?"
"No." Brennan gave back. "He seemed genuinely relieved. He told me he never talked about marriage, because he thought I wouldn't want to marry him… didn't believe in marriage."
"But you do… believe in it?" Angela asked, a little doubtful.
"I don't think that it is necessary to express the feelings you have for each other…. But to ensure our child is as safe as possible….. it is useful." Brennan admitted.
Angela snickered. "Only you would call marriage useful. What happened then?"
"Well… he got down on one knee and proposed." Brennan answered, slightly irritated.
"I know THAT. But HOW did he propose? What did he say?" Angela asked curiously.
"Ah… it was actually…. Very romantic." The forensic anthropologist admitted hesitantly.
"Romantic. I didn't think you'd even knew how to spell that word." Angela gave back.
"It's fairly easy to spell." Brennan's retort came promptly.
"You know what I mean, Bren…. You're…. not the romantic type. Or at least you don't admit it. Now spill, Sweetie… what did he say?" The artist pressed for details.
"He said….. he loved me for being reasonable and for thinking ahead, for being stubborn and blunt and …. For… well, talking to the baby when I think nobody is listening. Obviously he HAS been listening, though… Well… he said he loved me for being… me. " Brennan had to bite her lip. Words should not be able to hold power over anybody, he told herself…. But somehow Booth's statement that he loved her for being herself moved her. His words had touched her, because she was quite sure that nobody ever had loved her for simply being herself. At least nobody besides maybe her parents. She blinked, trying to hold back the tears. She was not quite sure if she could blame the pregnancy this time…. Maybe his words would have been able to bring tears to her eyes without the hormones.
"What else?" Angela's voice brought her back to reality.
"He said he wanted me in his life forever. And asked if I would marry him." Brennan finished.
"Awww." Angela made.
"He told me that if he'd knew I was thinking about getting married he would have planned something more special and asked me weeks ago…." Brennan informed her friend.
"I just bet he would have done that. I'm so glad you two are getting married…. You're so perfect for each other. And what did you say? You're going to take his name?" Angela asked.
"I'll add it to mine." Her best friend answered.
"So, you'll be Temperance Brennan-Booth?" Angela said.
"Exactly."
"Wow. That's….awesome. And romantic too. And don't even think about telling me that you're not a romantic at heart. You so are!" Angela laughed.
"Booth accused me of that, too." Brennan frowned a little.
"Are you nuts? That's not an accusation, that's…. great. It's how it's supposed to be." Angela exclaimed. "Love turns you upside down. Even somebody as tough as you."
"Whatever." Brennan sighed. "Angela? I'll need you to come with me to find a suitable wedding dress that will still fit me in four weeks."
"You want me to go wedding dress shopping with you?" Angela sighed.
"Sure." Brennan nodded.
"Ohhhh, sweetie. That's such an honor." Angela cooed.
"It is?" Brennan asked, slightly taken aback.
"Of course!" Her best friend gave back.
"You didn't take me when you chose yours." Brennan stated and blinked when she actually felt a little hurt at the realisation.
"Sweetie…. I couldn't. My dress was custom made by a very expensive tailor, which had to work for days on end and charged Hodgy a fortune for the dress plus express charge." Angela explained, then chuckled, "And we didn't even get married."
"Oh. Right." Brennan gave back.
"Sweetie….. whenever you want to go shopping for the PERFECT wedding dress for you, I'll be there. And whatever you need me to do, I'll do it for you, okay? You shouldn't have to do too much, you have to be careful." Angela said, genuine concern in her voice.
"Thank you, Ange…" Brennan sighed. "There is one thing I would ask you…."
"Anything." Angela assured her.
"Will you be my maid of honor?" Brennan asked.
"Awww. Of COURSE, I'll be your maid of honor. You were mine, right? I mine… you would have been…." Angela sighed. "You know what I mean."
"Yes…yes I know." Brennan answered. She could still picture the look on Angela's face when she had asked her that question…. And she had been so happy for her best friend and for the trust placed in her, she'd hugged Angela tightly.
"Can you make time Monday afternoon?" Brennan asked.
"I'll have to ask Cam, but I don't think there'll be a problem." Angela answered. "I'm sooo excited for you, Sweetie. Congratulations. Is your fiancé there?"
"You really get a punch out of calling him that, right?" Brennan asked with a smile on her face.
"A kick. And I so totally get a kick out of calling Booth your fiancé…. It's… just… great.!" Angela gave back.
"Yes, he's here." Temperance Brennan informed her best friend.
"Well, put him on. Bye, sweetie." Angela said and Brennan shrugged and handed the phone to her partner.
"Angela wants to talk to you."
Brennan rose and went to the bathroom after handing over the phone… despite the fact that her pregnancy was barely in the second trimester, she already had to use the bathroom more often than usual…. Although she'd been told that in a later stadium of the pregnancy it would be worse. She shuddered at the mere imagination.
When she came back after a few minutes, Booth had an amused look on his face. "Do you know what Angela just did?"
Brennan frowned a little. "Congratulated you?" She guessed.
"That too. At first. Then she told me that if I'll ever hurt you, she'll skin me alive." Booth smiled at Brennan's surprised face.
"Why would she say that?" Brennan blinked.
"Bones…. She loves you like a sister. She's protective." The FBI agent rose and closed the distance between them to pull her in his arms. "Good thing I have no intention of hurting you or letting you get hurt by anybody else." He pressed a kiss to her temple.
"She didn't mean it." His fiancée said.
Booth pulled back to look into her eyes. "Of course she did. Well… she wouldn't skin me, I guess. But I bet she would do her best to make my life as miserable as possible."
"You think?" Brennan blinked, somewhat stunned that somebody would care that much about her.
"Yes. What if some guy broke Angela's heart. What would you do?" Booth asked.
"Does this have to be hypothetical? Because I punched an ex boyfriend of hers when he wouldn't leave her alone." The forensic anthropologist calmly said.
Booth chuckled. "I should have known. You see? You're protective of her and she's protective of you." He pressed another kiss to her temple. "And now, I think, we should think about informing your brother and your father. We can tell my parents and Parker tomorrow when we're going to the Zoo."
Brennan nodded, but her face fell a little. "What is it?" He asked her gently.
"I…. I don't understand why, but…. It makes me sad that my father won't be able to come to my wedding." She admitted reluctantly.
Her confusion and hurt made his chest hurt a little. "I know it's hard. He's your Dad, of course you'll want him at your wedding. But I fear there's nothing to be done about that." He gently brushed his thumb over her cheekbone. Silently he vowed to do whatever he could to get Max Keenan out of prison for a few hours so that he could walk his daughter down the aisle. But he wouldn't mention it to her…. Getting her hopes up only to crush them later? No, he couldn't do that.
He dropped a kiss to her forehead and held her near, thinking of whom he had to contact to make the impossible possible. For her.
Hope you liked it!!!! Please let me know, reviews make me feel sooooooo good.!