Mama Bones
Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be.
This is another one of the 'Temperance Brennan has a daughter' stories. I remembered that Kathy Reichs' character Temperance has a daughter, so I thought it'd be fun to put her in the show, though I'm sure in the book, TB knew her daughter from the start. But in the books, TB also doesn't come off so socially challenged, so I guess there are trade-offs...
Anyways, this is my first Bones fic, so please be gentle on me, but let me know if you want to see me continue the story. Let's say if I don't get 15 reviews, it'll stay a one-shot. Your opinion matters! Let me know how you think I did.
Temperance Brennan lays down the file for the case that she was reviewing with Booth when she hears a knock on the door. Expecting the delivery man, she grabs her purse on the way to the door.
"How much do I owe-" she looks up and stops at the sight of the man in the doorway. "You." She glances back into her apartment before stepping out into the hallway, closing the door behind her. "What are you doing here?"
"I needed to talk to you."
"Is your phone broken?"
"This is not something to be said over the phone. Can I come in?"
"No. What do you need?"
"I got a five-year research grant."
"Congratulations."
"I can't bring Katie with me."
"Grant-" Temperance is cut off when the door opening behind her and Booth appears. He glances between the two of them before settling his gaze on Grant, while addressing his partner.
"Everything okay, Bones?"
"Everything is fine. I'll be right back in." Booth hesitates for a moment before returning inside, leaving the door cracked behind him.
"New boyfriend?"
"Partner. For work. Can't you have Katie stay with your mom?"
"She's due for hip replacement surgery in a few weeks, and then she's got a year of rehab and physical therapy. And my brothers and sister already have their own kids to deal with. Look, she's already registered in school, it's only five years."
"And what happens if your grant is extended? What if one of my old grants is renewed? What if I get called away again? We came up with this arrangement because we both knew that you hate field work."
"And I still hate field work and traveling for the job. But I've been working on this project for three years, and I have to see it through. I can't not see it through. And we came up with this particular arrangement because you're the least maternal person that I know and we thought that she'd be better with me."
"So why do you all of a sudden think that I'll be maternal now?"
"I don't. I expect you to take her for so that I can focus on my career and future, just like I did for you seven years ago."
"I need time to arrange things at work."
"I leave on Saturday morning, I'll drop her off Friday afternoon. She's due to start a Georgetown Academy on Monday." Grant turns and leaves.
Once he's gone, Temperance enters he apartment and leans against the door with her eyes shut. Seconds later, a knock sounds on the door and she opens it to find the delivery guy. Quickly she pays him and shuts the door. Turning, she finds Booth standing behind her. He takes the bags and goes to get silverware while she returns to the couch and collapses it. Smelling her food, she opens her eyes to find a box with a fork sticking out of it suspended in front of her. She accepts it from Booth with a smile and he sits down beside her with his own food. The files lay forgotten on the table beside them. Eventually Booth breaks the silence.
"So, who's Grant?"
"Boyfriend from Grad School."
"I thought you dated your advisor?"
"I slept with my advisor, and he was after Grant."
"So who's Katie?"
Temperance looks up for the first time, surprised that he heard her name. Booth stares back at her blankly, waiting for her reply. She swallows the mouth of food that she had and grabs the file that she was previously reading. "Let's get back to work, Booth."
Booth accepts the silent dismissal and returns to his own file.
oOoOoOo
Saturday afternoon, Temperance finds herself sitting on her couch observing the child sitting at her kitchen table. Temperance pretends to review her case file while studying the girl. She's dressed conservatively still in the school uniform that she was fitted for that day, having removed the jacket, but still wearing the pleated skirt and white blouse. Her hair is the same auburn color as Temperance's, though it has a loose curl to it. In the brief moment when Katie looks up, Temperance notices that her eyes are a strange cross between green and blue, depending on how the light strikes them depends on which color shines brightest. It takes a few minutes of observation before Temperance allows herself to smile at the intensity of the girl's concentration.
Just like me when I was younger. Temperance tried to stop that particular line of thought, but another made it through before she even realized it.
She really is my daughter.
oOoOoOo
The following Monday found Temperance Brennan leaning against her SUV with all the other parents at the parent pick-up zone in front of Georgetown Academy. Upon hearing a familiar voice to her left, she spits out the sip of coffee she'd just consumed.
"Hey, Bones, what are you doing here?"
"Don't call me Bones. And what are you doing here?"
"Parker goes to school here, what's your excuse?"
She's prevented from answering as Parker comes running up to Booth.
"Hi, Daddy! I thought Mommy was supposed to be here to pick me up?"
"She was, but she asked me to come and pick you up for her. Did you have fun in school?"
"Uh huh. I made a new friend."
"Really? What's their name?"
"Katie. She's new." Parker turns around and spots someone in the crowd. "There she is now." Parker waves the girl over and she does so at a very sedate pace. Booth squats down to be at her level while Katie pulls off her back pack and puts it at Tempe's feet. Parker pulls her over to meet Booth while Temperance puts the bag in her SUV.
"Hi, Katie, I'm Parker's dad."
Katie sticks her hand out to shake, "It's very nice to meet you, sir." Booth is shocked by the mature tone coming from her, but quickly covers his shock and continues on.
"Maybe I can arrange a day for you and Parker to spend together. Where are your parents?"
"My father is in London. That's my Mom." Katie points behind her to Tempe. This time Booth can't hide his shock and she takes advantage of her partner's shock to get her daughter into the car.
"Okay Katie, we need to get going." She pulls Katie away and gets her secured in her seat. Temperance looks back at Booth once the door is shut and heads back to speak with him. "Come by my place later tonight, I'll explain then. Bring Parker if you can."
"Okay. See you later, Brennan." They share a smile before they get into their respective vehicles and drive off.
oOoOoOo
At the lab, Temperance leads Katie to her office and shuts the blinds after turning on the lights.
"Okay, do you have homework or something to do?"
"Yes." Katie answers softly, taking a seat at the couch, pulling out her notebook. Brennan looks like she's about to leave when she goes and kneels in front of Katie.
"This is going to take some getting used to, I know. But we'll figure it all out. If you need anything, ask someone outside for me and they will go find me, okay?"
Katie simply nods. She stops Tempe as she's standing and Tempe resumes her kneeling position. "Do they know about me?" She motions toward the lab, referring to all the people working out there.
"Not yet."
"So what do I call you?"
"If you're comfortable, you can call me Mom; of not, you can call me Tempe, or Dr. Brennan."
"Okay." Katie opens her notebook and starts to work. Brennan lays a comforting hand on her shoulder before leaving.
oOoOoOo
Several hours later, Katie looks up from her notebook and notes the late hour on the clock. She looks around, and gets up when her stomach makes a growling noise. Opening the door, she stops the first person she sees – a young man with curly blond hair.
"Hi." Hodges looks down at the young girl that just came out of his colleague's office.
"Hello," Katie responds, "Do you know who Dr. Brennan is?"
"Yes," Hodgins is growing more confused by the second.
"Could you please find her and tell her that I would like to speak with her?"
"Sure."
"Thank you." Katie returns to the office while Hodges stands there confused for anther moment before turning and going to the platform where the tram is.
"Dr. Brennan." Tempe looks up at Hodgins' greeting. "There's a little girl in your office asking for you." This gets everyone's attention while Brennan jumps up after checking her watch.
"Crap, I have to go. I'll talk to everyone tomorrow." She jumps up and rushes into her office, coming out minutes later with a young girl following her. The team watches as the girl slips her hand into their boss's and exchange soft smiles before boarding the elevator. As soon as the door shuts, the silence is broken by Cam.
"Has Dr. Brennan taken up babysitting?"
"Perhaps the Big Sister Program?" Angela provides a different answer with far less sarcasm than Cam used.
"Perhaps just little sister?" Zach's voice comes out with his overly analytical tone. "The girl did share similar facial features and coloring to Dr. Brennan. Perhaps they're related."
"Tempe's the youngest," Angela supplies. "Her mother's been dead longer than that girl has been alive and I don't see her father hanging around long enough to know that he's fathered another daughter. But I can't deny the similar features."
"Maybe she's Dr. Brennan's daughter." Hodgins looks up from the bugs he's studying when he's met by silence. "What?"
"This is Tempe we're talking about. I don't see her as the maternal type…Change that, I know she's not the maternal type. There's no way she'd have a daughter and I wouldn't know about it."
"Everyone has secrets, Angela." Cam places a reassuring hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "Even best friends." Cam returns to her workstation and the others take her lead, returning to their work. Angela stares at the elevator where her friend disappeared before returning to her sketch book to put a face on their latest victim.
Meanwhile
"Is Mr. Booth your boyfriend?" Temperance's eyes snap up to meet Katie's gaze in the mirror.
"Why do you ask that?"
"When I said that you were my mom today, his eyes looked hurt. As if you'd kept a secret from him."
"He's my best friend. And that friendship came from him being my partner for so long. We've worked a lot of difficult cases together."
"Oh." She's silent for another minute, and Temperance can see that she seems to be having trouble deciding whether to ask what's on her mind. "Why am I just now meeting you in person?" Katie finally asks.
Temperance is silent while she pulls into her space in her building's garage. She turns off the engine and turns around to face her daughter.
"I never planned on getting pregnant, Katie. Your father knew that I didn't want kids, I loved field work too much, and I knew I'd never be able to leave a child behind while I went to work. That's what my parents did, and it turned out to be a permanent absence. I didn't want to do that to any kids of mine When I found out that I was pregnant, your father convinced me to keep you and he and I decided that he would take care of you so that I could finish my doctorate."
"That's brutally honest." Katie replies after a moment of silence.
"I figured you could handle the truth."
"Can we have pizza for dinner?" Katie changes the subject with temporary finality in her voice, unbuckling her seatbelt and reaching for her bag.
"Sure." Temperance gets out of the car and walks around to meet Katie on her side. Katie reaches up and takes Tempe's hand, squeezing it gently. Temperance squeeze's Katie's in return and receives a smile from her daughter in return.
oOoOoOo
"Hey." Temperance opens her door to find her partner and his son standing in the hall. The pizza boxes Booth's holding smell suspiciously like the styles she ordered 30 minutes ago. Booth hands her the boxes.
"I saw your pizza guy downstairs and told him that I'd bring them up for him."
"Great. What do I owe you?"
"Last time I checked, it was my turn to buy dinner."
"Right. Hi Parker."
"Hi, Dr. Bones." Parker pulls out of his father's grasp and joins Katie on the couch.
"So," Booth leans down to whisper in her ear. "What's say we set them up with dinner and a movie and then we can talk?"
"Sounds good." Temperance raises her voice to address the kids. "Katie, Parker, come get dinner." The two kids jump up and get a piece of pizza before Parker returns to the couch. Katie lags behind at first.
"Dad doesn't let me eat in front of the TV."
"Don't get used to it here, but for tonight it's okay. Why don't you two pick out a movie to watch." Temperance reassures Katie before leading her to the couch and turning on the new TV, and putting in a movie before returning to the kitchen.
"When did you get a TV, Bones?"
"When I found out that my seven-year-old daughter was coming to live with me. And don't call me Bones."
"Right. So, do I get an explanation?" Booth fixes himself a plate and grabs the two of them sodas from the fridge.
"I was about to start my thesis when I found out that I was pregnant. Grant convinced me to keep the baby and we arranged for him to raise her. She knew who I was and when I was able, I started helping him out financially. I'm not very maternal, Booth; plus I never wanted kids, so it really wasn't difficult for me to do. Grant hated field work and the traveling that Anthropology entailed. He's like Zach when it comes to love of the lab. And I preferred field work, so it made sense." Temperance looks behind her and sees that the kids are still engrossed in the movie. "Grant received a five year research proposal with Oxford University."
"And he didn't have a problem leaving Katie behind?" Booth states incredulously.
"He claimed that he couldn't bring her with him. I'd believe it, but I think it's more he didn't want to appear to be neglecting her. Research grants like the one that he received require a lot of attention. He wouldn't have been able to provide her with much."
"Not that he gave me much anyways." The two whip around to see Katie standing behind them with her empty plate. Temperance takes it from her and kneels down in front of her.
"What do you mean, Katie?"
"Dad always had me come to his lab after school, but he always had nannies or babysitters stay with me. The babysitters would usually be his grad students or TAs. He was never really around very much. I learned to take care of myself pretty quickly. But it's okay." Katie smiles softly before wrapping her arms around her mother's neck. Temperance doesn't hesitate in returning the hug. Katie pulls away and returns to the couch, where Parker resumes the movie.
Booth allows Temperance the time to compose herself before she rises and returns to her seat.
"I need your help, Booth. I have to do a better job then her father did."
"Anything, Bones. But can I offer one suggestion?" Temperance nods silently, not arguing about his nickname for her. "Tell your team at the Jeffersonian about her. You know they'll help, especially Angela."
"You'll always be there for me thought, right?"
"Where else would I be if not by your side, Bones?"
"Don't call me Bones."
"Sure thing, Bones." Booth wraps her in a hug while she hiccups through a few chuckles. "I told Rebecca I'd pick-up Parker tomorrow…would you like for me to pick up Katie as well and bring her to the lab?"
"Please?"
oOoOoOo
Cam approaches Angela, Hodgins and Zach, who are standing just away from the platform, watching their friend work.
"What's so fascinating about Dr. Brennan?"
Zach answers her with a touch of awe in his voice. "Dr. Brennan just started on her seventh limbo skeleton of the day."
"You're kidding." Cam turns to her subordinate, watching as she quickly lays out the bones for her latest skeleton.
"She didn't even stop for lunch. She just had five boxes of remains brought out when she got here and started right away. She filed the paperwork on the first five while interns returned the remains to storage and brought out another five."
"Has she said anything?"
"She said to stop her at 4PM." Jack supplies, glancing at his watch. "Which gives her another 3 hours and 47 minutes."
"Does that mean that the three of you don't have any work to do?" The trio takes the hint and quickly disperse to their own stations. "Angela." The young artist returns. "Did she actually match the skeletons to files?"
"Only two of them. But she's got all the notes for the other four done."
"Thank you."
"Sure." Angela swipes her card and approaches her friend, retrieving the final four files before going to her own work station to match them up to soldiers on file.
oOoOoOo
Three and a half hours later, Temperance packs away the last of the remains and goes to place the file with the other, starting when she finds them missing. Looking around, she sees Angela sitting at her computer with the files.
"Hey, sweetie. Welcome back to the land of the living."
"Thank you. Who's that?" Temperance nods at the face on the computer screen.
"Meet Specialist First Class Daniel Patrick O'Hara. He was a paratrooper for the 3rd infantry devision in 1918. And he's the 7th of 10 remains that you filed today." Angela closes the file and places it with the others that have been finished. "Are you trying to ID every limbo case this week? Why are you working so hard, sweetie?"
"I'm just trying to get as much done during the week so that I don't have to come in this weekend." Temperance rubs a hand over her face to clear her eyes and thus misses the look of shock that crosses her friend's face. Glancing at her watch, Temperance addresses her friend. "Can you find Zack, Hodgins and Cam and bring them hers? I need to talk to you guys about something."
"Sure." Angela runs off to find the other while Temperance goes into her office, snagging an intern along the way to return the remains to storage.
oOoOoOo
"News alert, guys," Angela pokes her head n the doorway of the room Zach and Hodgins are in. "Tempe wants to talk to us. Head to the platform, I'll find Cam." She leaves the two men to find their boss, not stopping to see if they're following. After a moment, they hear Angela shout back to them, "NOW, GUYS!" They quickly drop what they were doing and follow the artist out the door, pulling off their gloves and masks as they go.
Minutes later, they swipe themselves onto the platform, seconds ahead of Cam and Angela.
"What's this about?" Cam looks between her three subordinates, receiving clueless shrugs from the two men before all three turn to Angela.
"I have no idea. Brennan just told me to get everyone here. She said she had something to tell us."
"Hey, guys, ladies." Booth approaches the platform, leading Parker and Katie. "Where's Bones?"
"Office." Anglea supplies. Booth nods his thanks before heading to the office. Katie opens the door and teh team watches the scene unfold through the windows.
Katie places her bag on the end of the couch and goes to hug Temperance. With one hand on Katie's back, Tempe puts the file she was perusing on her desk before turning all of her attention to Katie for a moment. Booth picks up Parker when he gets a little too close to one of the displays along the wall. Keeping one hand on Katie's back, Temperance leans forward and gives Booth a one-armed hug, which he returns with both arms after returning Parker to the floor. Once he releases her, he drags Parker out the door and to the elevator. The team follows his path, returning their gaze to the office, once the doors shut, just in time to see their colleague and the girl exit and come their way.
Temperance swipes them onto the platform and lifts Katie onto one of the tables, allowing her to dangle her legs over the edge while she stands beside her, indicating each person as she introduces them.
"Katie, this is Dr. Camille Saroyan, she's the Medical Examiner and Pathologist. This is Jack Hodgins, he's out Entomologist and general slime and minerals guy. Dr. Zach Addy is a Forensic Anthropologist, like me. And this is Angela Montenegro, she's our Forensic Artist. Everyone, this is Katie, my daughter." The announcement is returned with silence, everyone is staring at them in shock. "Feel free to comment at any time, people."
"Hi, sweetie." Angela is the first to come forward. "Nice to meet you."
"Very nice to meet you, Ms Montenegro."
"Angela is fine. We're pretty informal around here."
"Very nice to meet you, Angela."
"Hey," Hodgins comes forward. "You can call me Jack, or Hodgins. I answer to either one, just don't call me 'sir'."
"Yes, sir. Very nice to meet you."
Cam snorts softly before coming forward. "Your daughter has a sense of humor. Nice. I'm Cam - only my mother calls me Camille."
"Nice to meet you." The team turns to Zach, who comes forward with his usual nervousness.
"Hi, I'm Zach."
"I know, my mother introduced you not even five minutes ago."
"Right. I'm not good with kids." He blurts out.
"Then we'll get along fine, because neither am I. Don't treat me like a kid and I won't treat you like a moron. OW!" Katie rubs her arm where Temperance just flicked her in reprimand. "Sorry."
"You know what?" Hodgins speaks up, "I think we'll get along just fine." He places a hand on Katie's shoulder. "Want to see the rest of the lab?"
Katie looks up at her mother for permission, which she receives and follows the two men off the platform, slipping each of her hands into one of theirs. Once they're gone, Cam and Angela turn toward Temperance.
"Just assure me that she won't affect your performance." Cam states.
"I won't promise you that she won't, but I promise I'll do my best to see that she won't."
"Good enough. You have a beautiful daughter, Dr. Brennan." Cam returns to her office, leaving Angela and Brennan behind. Temperance walks away toward her office, causing Angela to follow.
"Oh, no you don't. You don't get to run away from this."
Once in the office, doors are shut, phones are turned off and friends face off.
"I'm not running, I just don't want to have this conversation in the middle of the lab."
"Oh. How did this happen?"
"Please don't tell me that I have to explain the act of procreation to you, Ange?"
"I mean how did this happen and I not know about it? And don't give me a story about having her before I met you. Where's her father?"
"London. Living out a research grant. We knew each other in grad school and when I found out I was pregnant, he convinced me to keep her and we agreed that he would raise her."
"And you didn't have a problem with that?"
"Not really."
"How did Booth meet her before I did?"
"Katie and Parker go to the same school. He met her yesterday when we were there to pick them up."
"And Booth is okay with her?"
"Why wouldn't he be? We're friends." Temperance shuffles some files around on her desk gathering her thoughts. "Listen, I have a favor to ask of you."
"Does it have to do with Katie?"
"Yes, and it's kind of long-term."
"What's up?"
"If 3 PM ever comes around and I'm not here or not able to pick her up from school, can I rely on you to do that?"
"Absolutely. Does that extend to having her stay with me when you happen to go to a case out of town?"
"Let's deal with that on a case-by-case basis."
"Sounds good. Does Russ know about her? What about your father?"
"Russ, no. We weren't speaking when I was pregnant, and I haven't been able to get ahold of him since I cound out that she was coming to stay with me. As for my father...I wouldn't be surprised if he knew she was coming to stay with me before I did."
Angela is distracted from further reply by a sight outside the window. Temperance follows her gaze and sees Hodgins approaching with Katie slung over his shoulder. The pair enters the office and Jack lowers Katie to the floor, tickling her briefly.
"Your daughter is the coolest, Dr. Brennan." Jack comments as Katie tucks herself into his side. Tilting her head back to smile at him, Katie responds.
"You're pretty cool yourself, Uncle Jack."
"What are you staring at, Angela?" Jack looks over to find his wife staring at him strangely.
"Can we talk?"
"Sure." Jack releases Katie as Angela pulls him out of the office and into his own. Katie sees the blinds shut shortly after the door and turns to her mom.
"Are they a couple?"
"They got married six weeks ago." Temperance looks up from her paperwork.
"Oh. Your boss - Cam - doesn't seem to like me." Katie sits on the couch facing her mom.
"She's just worried that having you with me will interfere with my work."
"Oh."
"Speaking of my work...Whenever I have a case and I can't come to pick you up, Angela will. Okay?"
"Okay. Will I be staying with her and Jack if you ever have to work late?"
"Would you like that?"
"Yeah, that's okay."
Katie looks up when she feels the couch shift beside her a few moments later.
"I'm not like your father, Katie. I'll only leave you with others if there is absolutely no way for me to avoid it. And it will always be with one of the people you met today, okay? Those people are my family, I'll never leave you with strangers."
"Promise?"
"I promise." Katie wraps her arms tightly around Temperance's neck, and again that hug is warmly and immediately returned.
"Daddy never made me promises." Katie mumbles against her mother's neck.
"I never make a promise I don't intend to keep."
"Okay...Mom." Katie pulls back to smile at Temperance and finds herself receiving a glistening smile in return. Temperance doesn't bother wiping away the tears before they fall.
Anyone walking by at that moment would have smiled through their own tears even if they didn't know the entire story ... A mother and daughter embraced on the couch for the first time in seven years.
I'm a retired Marine, not Army, so if I made any mistakes in that particular section, let me know and I'll fix it. And if anyone spots any other problems, let me know about those also.