Lauren followed up the stairs and through a door into a rather well decorated apartment.
"Oh. This is really nice."
"Thanks." Brennan answered. "We don't use it too much. Parker stays here when he comes, but for the most part, it's empty."
"Oh, so…well, I don't want to put Parker out or anything."

"Oh, please. He'll be fine. Don't worry. He'll probably stay in his dad's old room. He likes that one best anyways."
"Oh, okay." Lauren set her suitcase down on the bed and examined a photo on the nightstand. "Wow."

"Yeah, Booth is handsome, huh?"

Lauren smiled. "You were also gorgeous. I mean, you are, but this picture…"
"Yeah. He's still got the same smile...oh, and that's Parker. It's our wedding day, so he was in a tux, like his dad."

Lauren smiled. "They have the same eyes."

"Yes, Lauren, they do. Very kind, brown eyes."

"That's a really nice photo." It was one thing she was sorry about. When her parents had died in the house fire, all of the photos were also destroyed.

"Lauren."
"Yeah?" Lauren set the photo down and turned back toward her hostess.

"How much has Parker told you about us?"
"Um…not much…that his dad worked for the FBI, and you were partners, then got married, and that you both retired a couple of years ago and moved out here."

"So, nothing about me, or my family?" Brennan asked.

"Well, no…just that you have three adopted children."

Brennan looked at her for a moment, then sat on the bed. "Lauren…I was also alone for many years."

"What?"
"My parents disappeared when I was fifteen."

Lauren gasped.

"My mom died a couple of years later", Brennan continued, "and my dad, well, it's a long story, but we were reunited about fifteen years later, but for those in between years…I also had no parents, so I know that is very difficult."

"I'm very sorry." Lauren smiled sadly.

"Thank you."
"Thank you for telling me that." Lauren added.

"You are welcome, Lauren. Booth, well, he took me in as a friend, and partner, and we fell in love. He brought me here once, and it was nice. I was so overwhelmed by his family, by any family, really, but…I'm glad I came that weekend. I'm glad you are here."

Lauren blushed and pondered her words. "I'm not in love with Parker."

"Oh, no, Lauren. I didn't mean to imply anything. I just meant that everyone is welcome here, and I didn't want to give you the impression that, you know, everything was always easy for me, family wise."

"Skills, you up here?" They heard Parker's voice as he was coming up the steps.

"Yeah, Parker."

Brennan saw the look on the attractive redhead's face as Parker walked through the door.
"Hey, Bones. Oh, it looks nice in here. Did you paint again?" He smiled.


"Yes, thank you. I was just telling Lauren about my family."
"Oh, yeah, Bones. That's nice. Crazy, huh, Skills?" He put his arm around her in a friendly gesture.

"Yeah." Her heart skipped a beat. Maybe it was his eyes, no…smile…hmmm…no, eyes, but his hand on her arm was warm. A hand that was leading her down the steps.

"Where are we going?" She asked him.

"I'm going to show you the treehouse."

"I've seen a treehouse before."

"Not this one."