Ok. So this was literally written in under an hour. No beta, nothing. You are the first ones to read this story. I had no intention of writing a story like this...it just came out. I kind of like it, I'm not sure why. But I would LOVE to hear your opinions on it. Also, cookie to the person who can tell me who sings the song from the title & end. Enjoy!
She wasn't stupid. Very far from it, in fact. She was a bona fide genius, the kind who guys were terrified of. She was always told that men liked smart women, but she was TOO smart. So after being hurt over and over she just decided to accept that she would have to choose between either smart or desirable, a choice she was unwilling to make. So she lived her life thinking she was doing alright by herself.
Until he walked into her life and turned her conclusion upside down and inside out, making her question everything she thought was true.
It took him several years but he worked his way into her heart and showed her that love was possible for her. He showed her that she could be happy in a relationship, an engagement, a marriage. That marriage was something more than she had ever thought and makeup sex was worth the fight. He showed her life. And it was with him that she adopted a dog, naming him Ripley and showering him with love. She loved Parker like he was her own and owed all this to the man who poked and prodded until she gave in.
Their years together had been great and she had seen so much. She watched Parker grow up and marry. She watched her husband work his way up to the post of Deputy Director, the post he deserved after all his years of service. She watched Angela and Hodgins reunite, marry and open a lavish gallery in downtown DC. Authentic Montenegro works were now a hot commodity and her friend was now on a yearlong excursion to exotic locations, sending postcards along the way. The anthropologist had lived wide, just like she was encouraged too and had no regrets.
A tear slid down her cheek as she looked at the photo next to her. A candid shot that was taken at their twentieth wedding anniversary; she had her arms linked around his neck with her head thrown back in laughter as he gazed at her adoringly. It was her favorite photo of them, captured by Angela of course. Her gaunt reflection looked back at her from the glass of the frame and reminded her where she was. Cancer had not been kind to her body, nor had the chemotherapy or radical surgical alternatives.
She was slowly coming to terms with her diagnosis, however vehemently her husband refused to. She smiled as he came into the room, still handsome as always, he made the grey hair look good. He sat down and held out the glass of water with a straw bent towards her. She took a drink and then watched as he set it next to the photo, and reached for her hand. She instead reached over and grasped the photo, holding it between them and smiling up at him.
"I know you think I can beat this and I'm going to keep on trying but I just want you to know…I love you. I love our life, our house, our work, our play, Parker…I have no regrets Seeley. And…" she got choked up for a moment before continuing on "And marrying you was the best choice I have ever made. I just want you to remember all the good times, the days we spent with Parker or cases we solved or times like in this picture. You made me happier than I ever thought I could be and I owe you for that." She placed the photo in his lap as tears streamed down their faces and as he looked into her eyes he saw the truth. She wasn't going to be beating this anytime soon…She was saying her goodbyes. He saw the pain that clouded her beautiful blue eyes and finally understood that her time had come. Sobbing he crawled into bed next to her and they held each other until they drifted to sleep.
When he woke up he knew she had passed. Her arm was limp and cool to the touch, her chest still. He looked at her face and saw peace though, and remembered her wish, that he remember the good times. She had brought so much joy and happiness into his life, it was the least he could do to honor her memory. He leaned over and kissed her forehead and whispered "I love you Temperance, forever and always"
Death will give us back to God
Just like the setting sun
Is returned to the lonesome ocean
And when we get down there
Way down to the very bottom of everything
And then we'll see it, oh we'll see it!
-FIN-