November 23- 4:06 PM

The car was quiet, and it seemed odd to Temperance to have three children in the car, and for it to be so silent. She looked into the rearview mirror and her eyes moved across the children in the back seat. Grace was looking out the window, and Seeley sat beside her, his eyes focused on his hands. Antonia, was looking directly into her mother's eyes in the mirror.

Temperance felt a shiver at her daughter's expression. Her eyes were so questioning, but her lips were pursed. "Where's Parker?" Grace asked, looking up at her mother's reflection in the mirror, Temperance could see the curious expression on her face.

"Parker went to stay with his mom for a few days, sweetheart."

"Why?" Grace asked.

"Because Uncle Ace hurt his leg, baby. Auntie Rebecca will need Parker to help around the house with some chores." Temperance replied, noting the cold look on Antonia's face. "Ant, are you okay, sweetheart?" Antonia simply nodded her head and furrowed her brow.

"When is daddy coming home?" Grace asked.

Antonia looked to Grace, and then back to her mother, who shook her head. Since Antonia had seen Booth, she had been told not to tell Grace anything about his condition. She was far too young to understand the implications of amnesia and memory loss. Temperance didn't want to confuse her, and have her ask too many questions. She was especially concerned that she'd ask questions that Temperance wasn't prepared to answer. "Daddy will be home in another day or two, sweetie. The doctors are making sure that he's doing better before they let him out of the hospital." She said, watching Grace's eyes glance to Antonia, and back at her mother.

"Is it because you hit him hard in the tummy, mommy?" Grace asked.

Temperance felt her throat start to close up at the question, and she tried to control her breathing, but was starting to feel a little dizzy. "Baby… Daddy's tummy is okay."

"You hit him really hard, Mommy… again and again, and again…"

"Mommy?" Antonia asked.

"Gracie…" Temperance said, shaking her head.

"Mommy, did you hit Daddy? Really?"

"We're not talking about this, girls." Temperance replied. Her hands were trembling on the steering wheel.

"Mommy, did you?" Antonia asked, looking to Grace. The other little girl seemed very insistent. Antonia looked to Seeley, who decided suddenly that his fingers were more interesting than the ensuing conversation. "Mommy?"

"Antonia, enough!" Temperance snapped loudly, surprising herself with the volume of her voice. "Mommy said that we're not talking about it. We are not talking about it." She said, catching the look of shock in her daughter's face. Temperance instantly felt guilty, and tears prickled her eyes. "Mommy said we're not talking about it right now, please." She whispered.


December 21- 1:15 AM

Temperance carefully placed her daughter in her bed, covering her securely with her covers. She kissed Antonia's forehead and the little girl rolled to her side, snuggling with her stuffed elephant. "I love you, baby girl."

Temperance then quietly moved from the room, carefully closing her daughter's door. Her attention was caught by the light beneath Grace's bedroom door. Her brow furrowed and she stepped down toward the bedroom. She opened the door slowly and was greeted by two bright blue eyes looking at her from the small table in the room. Grace then turned her attention back to the blocks she was stacking. "Gracie?" Temperance whispered. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

Grace shrugged her shoulders and continued to play with her blocks. Temperance sighed and walked around the table, sitting carefully in the tiny chair across from Grace. "Baby?" Temperance whispered.

Grace looked up at her mother and held a block just over her most recent pile of blocks, lifting her eyebrows at her mother. She carefully placed the block on top. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"No." Grace replied, reaching into the bin for another block, Temperance reached over and pulled the box out of her reach. "Mommy." She whimpered, pouting.

"You need to go to bed." Temperance replied.

"I don't want to go to bed." Grace pouted, reaching for the next bin, Temperance grabbed that one from the table as well. "Mommy!" Grace shrieked.

"That is enough." Temperance whispered angrily, sensing that if she didn't put out the tantrum now, then Grace wouldn't be the only child in the house awake. "Grace Keenan Booth. Look at mommy."

"I want to play." She growled, holding in her anger.

"It is time for bed."

"I don't want to go to bed! I don't want to!"

"I don't care if you want to or not." Temperance said, lifting the girl from her chair, she struggled a bit, but really had no strength to fight her mother's grip. "You need your sleep."

"No! No, no!" Grace exclaimed as she started to cry, gripping her mother as she fought back. "No, Mommy… no bed, please! Please!" She exclaimed. "When I close my eyes, Daddy leaves." She exclaimed. "I don't want Daddy to go! Don't make Daddy go!" She said, burying her head into her mother's shoulder, Temperance cradled the little girl carefully in her arms.

"Baby girl…" Temperance whispered, rocking her carefully, she sat in the rocking chair in the room with her daughter, letting her grip her tightly. "That's just a dream, little one… that's not real. Shh… just a dream." She whispered, rocking her gently to calm her down.


December 20th- 9:15pm

Temperance stepped into the kitchen and found her husband standing at the sink, drying a plate. She approached him slowly and quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder. She felt him jerk back, his gasp was a bit disconcerting. He turned and a smile climbed up his lips, though he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. It had been that way every time she had touched him, almost as if her touch made him hypersensitive. "Hey." He said, allowing a smile onto his lips, she smiled back at him.

"Parker, Seeley, and Antonia are in bed." Temperance said softly.

"Okay." Booth nodded. "Grace?"

"I'm leaving that particular task to you. Daddy," she said matter-of-factly.

"Bones." Booth shook his head. "Bones, she won't go to bed for me. Please don't make me do this."

"Booth." Temperance said, holding her own. "I put three other children to bed. I have to check Antonia's homework, and then all I want to do is take a relaxing bath." She said, taking a step forward. She could sense that he was feeling a bit uncomfortable, but pressed on anyway. "If she goes to bed without too much of a fight, maybe you could join me." She said, lifting an eyebrow, she hoped that she could entice her husband. Instead, his response was to exchange a look of panic.

"I can't do it, Bones. She doesn't listen to me. She won't."

"Booth, she's your daughter." Temperance argued. "She loves you."

"She doesn't love me, she loves who I used to be." He said, stepping away from her, he walked in the opposite direction.

"Don't walk away from me, Booth." She said, exasperated. "I just want you to put our daughter to bed… I'm not asking you to cure the common cold. I'm tired, all I want to do is relax right now. I've been going non-stop since the accident, since you came home from the hospital. All I'm asking for is a night off."

"A night off?" He snapped. "You want a night off? A night off from being a parent? She's your daughter too." Booth exclaimed. "At least she believes you when you tell her who you are!"

"Don't." Temperance said, lowering her voice. "Don't raise your voice in this house. If you're upset, then you can leave… but we will not have a shouting match. I am asking you, Booth… please… I'm tired of the excuses. Stop trying so hard, and just be yourself."

"I don't know who I am!" He shouted, not heeding her warning. They stood together at a stalemate, her eyes full of fire, and his angry and full of doubt. He had no more fight in him, and knew that arguing with her was a losing battle. He turned sharply and walked toward the door for the kitchen.

"Where are you going, Booth?" She asked.

"I'm going to go put 'your' daughter to bed." He snapped, pushing his way from the room, letting the door slam behind him


December 21st - 2:32 am

Temperance could feel the tear rolling down her cheek. She knew that he was just afraid. She knew that he was not the selfish man that he had seemed in those moments earlier that evening. He was frustrated, she was frustrated, and all of the stress and all of the anger was coming to a violent boil. She knew when he stepped out of the house that evening that he had every intention of returning. She knew that he would never walk away from her, from their family.

She rocked her little girl slowly in the rocking chair, listening to the soothing squeak of the old chair beneath her. She listened to her daughter's breath as it deepened. Very slowly, she lifted her daughter and herself from the old chair, hearing the gentle rumble of the rocker on the wooden floor come to a slow stop.

She carefully set her daughter, her Grace atop the sheets among her stuffed animals and blankets. She pulled the blanket up on her baby girl and dropped a gentle kiss on her cheek. When she stood, she heard a gentle creaking sound, that she first thought was the rocker settling. She glanced to the chair and noted that it was no longer moving. The gentle creaking continued, and Temperance turned her attention to the window. She turned off the main light in the room, and walked toward the window. The glow of the nightlight was the only reflection on the dark window.

The creaking continued, and her eyes focused on the yard below. She could see the swing set clearly from Grace's bedroom, and had initially thought that it was simply the wind blowing the swings. Though when she focused her attention on the swings themselves, she could clearly see the form of a man sitting in the silence of his own thoughts. She knew who the man was, there was no denying that figure, even in the darkness of the predawn hours. His head lifted just then, and against the glow of the bedroom light, she could see his face looking up at the window. She couldn't tell if his eyes were pleading, or if they were full of sorrow. Without a second thought, she stole herself from the window, and with a glance to her sleeping daughter, she hurried toward the stairs, and to her husband's side.