February 14, 1955

What to do for Valentine's Day for a girl you just started dating? I've been wracking my brain for days, and I've come up with nothing. It was Beth who saved the day.

"Here," she said, handing me a box.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Just open it," she smiled. I did so, and I found a very lovely handmade scarf in there plus a photo of the two of us from our sleigh ride in a frame.

"How did you...?"

"Know that you wouldn't have anything? It was a lucky guess. Randy used to have trouble too," she finished, her eyes twinkling at me.

"Well, you really saved my butt," I told her, giving her a hug.

"Don't forget the flowers," she said as I walked up here to my room.

Right. Flowers.

Later

It turns out Ruth is more of a tom boy than I realized. She loved the gifts, but she laughed when she saw the flowers. Seeing that I was a little crushed, she explained that she's not the traditional type, and that I could try again next year. I asked her what would have been a better alternative, and she suggested either a really good book to read or a poem that I wrote. Now, I'm not so good at poetry, but I understand what she means when she says she wants something from the heart. I'll do better next time.

May 11, 1955

It is Randy and Beth's anniversary today. 38 years of marriage. I couldn't help but watch them do a slow dance in the living room. I was coming down for a glass of water, and I saw Randy twirling her around before holding her close. Maybe it's because I lost my parents, or maybe it's because I've found love myself, but seeing them like that, it made me tear up a bit. They are truly in love, and if I'm going to imitate anyone's ability to be in love for that long, I want to imitate theirs.

June 29, 1955

Steve is here! It's a surprise visit for the end of the school year. He's here for an entire week. I won't be writing much, but just know that I will be having a ton of fun!

July 6, 1955

It's always hard to see Steve go. He promised to keep in touch more often, and I know he will keep that promise. Ruth came over because she knew I'd be feeling low after he left. They hit it off well too, and Ruth even managed to prank him once. If you know Steve, you'll know he isn't easily pranked. It's another long summer ahead, one where I turn 15 at the end. Time seems to fly by so easily here on the farm. I've also come to the end of this book. Time to start a new one!

...

Brennan closed the journal and smiled. So far so good. No one had died, and no more tragedies had happened. She was itching to see what was coming next for her father, but she had to get back to reality. It was bedtime for the kids, and Booth was out with Aubrey. She helped Hank brush his teeth and read them stories, making them giggle at her antics. She smiled, grateful for things being at peace right now. Hank had gone to sleep fairly quickly, so it was just Christine awake now.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, Christine?"

"I miss Grandpa."

"I miss him too," Brennan said, rubbing Christine's back.

"Sometimes I feel him with me," she went on.

"Yea?"

"Uh huh. Sometimes I think, what would Grandpa do? That's kind of why I hit Travis. Grandpa always protected all of us, and Travis was saying bad things about you, so I did it. I know it was wrong."

"It was, but we've gotten past it," Brennan reassured her. She almost laughed out loud. Trust her daughter to have Max's protective streak in her.

"Sleep well," Brennan said, kissing her daughter's head before leaving.

"Good night, Mommy."

Brennan closed the door behind her and leaned against it, feeling fresh tears spring to her eyes. She wished she could go back in time and realize Max's symptoms before it was too late. That way she wouldn't have to see her daughter experience such heartache.

...

December 24, 1955

I know, I know, it's been a while. Honestly, I've been too busy with life to bother capturing it on paper. A year ago today, I was officially adopted. It's been one of the best years of my life. Ruth is still my girlfriend. We do so much together. I think Carl is jealous. He hasn't really talked to me much since we started dating, but I can tell it's bugging him that someone actually wants to date me and not him. Tomorrow, Beth and Randy are keeping it low key, just us and the farm. I've caught them whispering a few times, and they break apart as soon as I come into the room. I'm curious as to what they're up to. On another note, I've lit some candles in memory of my family. It still hurts to think about them, but they were a part of my life for over ten years. I get shivers sometimes when I remember how close I came to share the same fate as them if I hadn't run away.

December 25, 1955

This is officially my favorite Christmas of all time (although I may have better ones in my future...you never know). Beth and Randy got me a puppy for Christmas! He's mine! I couldn't believe it when I opened the box and this little creature came flying out at me, tongue flailing all over my face. Randy figures he's a mixture of a black lab and a border collie. He has one ear that stays up while the other flops down. I have named him Rascal. When Ruth came over this afternoon, she was so jealous. She even said so. Rascal took to her very quickly, and the three of us had fun running through the snow. I had to pick Rascal up after a while, though, as he got very tired. He is just a little thing really. Maybe seven weeks old. His feet are way too big for him, which Randy said means he will be a fair size dog. I can't wait until we can go on adventures together without me having to lug him around.

February 5, 1956

Am I romantic or what? For our one year anniversary, I took Ruth on a treasure hunt around town. I got the shopkeepers I know to help me out, and when she found me waiting on the snow covered bridge holding a single rose, she almost burst into tears. Then she punched me in the arm. Like I said, total tom boy, but I love it. Speaking of love, I'm thinking of telling Ruth I love her. I don't know if it's too soon, but I can't help but have that feeling towards her. She makes me feel like life is good, and I never want that feeling to go away. I don't know what I'd ever do without her.

...

"Thanks for this, Aubrey," Booth said. Aubrey waved his hand.

"No problem. It's nice to get out just us guys sometimes," he grinned.

"How is Karen?"

"She's great, really great. We're, um, taking it slow."

"That's good."

"It is. We don't want to rush into anything," Aubrey nodded. Booth sipped his beer, grinning at Aubrey. He was glad to have the guy in his life. He still missed Sweets like something fierce, and Aubrey would never replace him, but it was nice to have him around.

"I should get home," Booth said, setting down his now empty beer.

"Tickle the kids for me," Aubrey grinned.

"Will do. See you tomorrow," Booth responded, getting up and putting his coat on. He stepped outside into the rain, and he looked at his phone to see if Brennan had asked for anything. Seeing nothing, he started to walk to his car. He pulled out his keys when the voice spoke.

"Hey, Booth."

"Geez!" Booth yelped, seeing his brother in law standing there. "Russ!" He clutched his chest, feeling his heart rate go sky high.

"Sorry," Russ grinned. "Old habit."

"Don't ever do that again," Booth said.

"I can't promise that," Russ laughed.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, Tempe isn't answering my text messages or calls, so I figured I'd come see you and find out what was going on."

"She's been busy cleaning up Max's house."

"I could have helped..."

"She wanted to do it alone," Booth lied. He knew Brennan hadn't told her brother about the journals. He didn't want to rat her out.

"Is it all right if I come with you to see her?"

"What, are you afraid of her?" Booth teased.

"Sort of."

"All right. Get in," Booth said, opening the passenger door. Russ obliged. Booth sent a text to Brennan giving her a head's up that her brother was coming over. If he knew his wife, he knew she'd be running around trying to hide the journals. The image made him chuckle. He looked over at Russ, studying his brother in law. They hadn't seen much of each other, but they did try to keep in touch.

"It's funny," Russ said after a while. "I have days where I can go hours without thinking about him, and then I have days where I can't go five minutes without thinking about him."

"I know what you mean," Booth nodded.

"How's Tempe doing? I know she had issues with Dad, but they were close by the end, right?"

"Yea. She's hanging in there. The kids are a good distraction."

"I never thought he'd die like that," Russ sighed, rubbing his head with his hand. "I always imagined him going down in gunfire, not in a hospital bed."

"Don't say things like that in front of Bones," Booth warned.

"I won't. She doesn't talk to me about him," Russ said. "I wish she would."

Booth didn't reply. He knew that Brennan was dealing with the loss of her father in a way that was her own. He knew that when she was ready, she'd talk to Russ about it. He just hoped Russ wouldn't be too angry to find out his father had left behind a bunch of journals that his sister kept from him.


I know you all wish I would update faster. I'm really trying. It's just been a really rough past few months with ill relatives, work, and other things. Thanks for sticking with me.

*Update: I've been made aware that not everyone is a fan of Aubrey and Karen, so please don't be upset with me. I didn't realize it wasn't a favorite relationship until now. I was just continuing from the end of the series with the assumption they were together and figured I should mention it, but don't worry, I will not be mentioning their relationship in the future chapters.