The silence was stunning. Well, it wasn't REALLY silent, since the air was humming with the quiet whispers of thousands of voices. Booth was rooted to his seat, afraid to move.

What the hell is this? Some kind of twisted joke? A prank? This is NOT right... His thoughts trailed off as the voices seemed to laugh quietly. His blood went cold with fear. This is SO not right...make it stop, please...

He snuck a quick glance to his left, looking at Brennan. To his utter astonishment, she had a look of almost childlike wonder on her face as she listened to the voices. Am I the only one who is totally freaked out by what's going on? He wondered.

You are, Agent Booth. The voices responded to his question, and it only served to freak him out more.

Across from him, Sergeant Bell sat quietly, her strange steel blue eyes glowing with an odd light as she watched him calmly. Something about the light in her eyes seemed familiar, so he locked eyes with her, trying to figure out what it was.

Suddenly, he got it, wonder filling him from head to toe as he slowly relaxed, still staring into Bell's eyes. She can hear him. She can hear the one she lost in Colorado five years ago. She's at peace. He thought, strangely comforted by that fact.

The atmosphere in the room became far more relaxed once Booth calmed down. The voices also became less intrusive, changing in pitch from an almost unbearable buzz to a much quieter and more relaxing murmur.

You learn quickly, and you learn well. You have many questions. Perhaps we can help.

Booth searched his mind, trying to find one specific question to ask when Sergeant Bell spoke suddenly.

"Clear your mind, Agent Booth. Your questions will come more easily, and then the shadows will decide which questions to answer."

He looked at her momentarily before nodding his head and taking a deep breath in, holding it for a few seconds before letting it out slowly. It worked, faster than he thought it would.

Why? Why us? And why did The Guardian choose to defend us?

The shadows seemed to swirl around him for a few seconds before he got a response.

Fate rarely calls at a moment of your choosing. The Watcher chose you because of The Guardian. He was looking for a way to hurt her again. And The Guardian defends you because she knows how to do nothing else. She cannot stand by and let innocents die because she failed to kill him in the past.

That answer brought up another series of questions that Booth asked immediately.

Fate? What does fate have to do with this? And whose fate is it to be decided? Ours, or hers?

The shadows answered just as swiftly.

Fate has everything to do with what is happening now. Every spirit born to the mortal world has a defined path to follow. Whether they adhere to it or not does not matter; the end result is always what it was written to be. Every spirit's journey ends as it was foretold to be.

As to whose fate it is, that is a question that The Guardian already knows the answer to. Her fate was intertwined with The Watcher's from the moment he killed the wrong man. She knows her path may end here. She knows she will be left with a choice. The decision she will make will decide the end of her journey, and perhaps, the end of yours. Know that much pain and anguish lies ahead. It is an unavoidable, unforgettable fact. Spend your time wisely; your journey may be coming to an end very soon.

With that, the shadows were gone, just as quickly as they had come. Booth was shaken, but not only that, he was stricken by grief. Why have I wasted so much time? He wondered, tears forming in his eyes before slowly streaking down his face. So many things left unsaid. So many things that should have been done.

Booth looked at Sergeant Bell again. The light in her eyes was gone; she was still sitting quietly and was relaxed, but there was profound sadness in her eyes.

He looked over at Brennan. Her icy blue eyes were filled with tears as well. I wonder what they told Bones? Did they say the same as they told me? Or did each of us get different answers for our questions? And what questions did she ask?

Sergeant Bell spoke again, her voice quiet as it cut through the stillness that had descended over them all. "There is always a price for every gift. The Shadow Song is no different. All your questions will be answered; whether the answers were what you were hoping for remains to be seen. This night, however, the shadows had sad and troubling news for us all. If you will excuse me, I will leave you to contemplate what they had to say. I will be down the hall in your guest bedroom, Dr. Brennan."

She got up, Rafael rising to his feet as well, and she slowly walked by the two of them. Pausing for a moment, she rested a gentle hand on Brennan's shoulder, their eyes meeting as the sergeant said, "Have faith. Perhaps fate can be nudged along a different path." And with that, she walked away.