AN: Here she is, the final chapter and promised Epilogue of "Truth, Justice and the Lies We Tell Ourselves". Hope you enjoyed the story and thank you for giving such generous and encouraging reviews. A special thanks to Katie and Melissa for letting me bounce ideas and the beta work. Hopefully this will fulfill the fluff requirement and bring a bit more romance to this drama. Enjoy.
Epilogue: Changes
The months that followed were challenging, sometimes awkward, but in the end, rewarding. Temperance, knowing the loneliness she felt after Russ left, promised to be there for her "sister". Their outings were simple at first, Temperance going to the foster home for a game of tag or to push her on the swings. An occasional shopping trip for books or clothes. And every step of the way, Booth was there, encouraging her to be strong, to love and praise Alexis, no matter how many words she spoke or fits she threw.
Christmas that first year was a big production with Booth and the squints adopting the entire foster family for the holiday. Alexis and Temperance took their first Christmas tree field trip with Booth and Parker and managed to avoid debating religion, just for the day. Mounds of presents accumulated for the half dozen children in the foster home and Temperance found it was a day that rivaled no other in terms of joy and family.
Sometimes they fought, in their dysfunctional family way. Booth wanted to buy Alexis a new bike but Temperance resisted, pointing out that she would be resented by her foster siblings and needed to be happy with both new and used gifts. It was more practical, she argued. She's a little girl without any new toys, Booth fought. But in the end they always found middle ground. Alexis was the proud owner of Parker's old training bike and a brand new helmet and elbow pads.
Other times Alexis fought back, telling her "big sister" that it was all a lie, that if she ever did get adopted, Temperance would disappear. Those were the hardest times for a woman who'd never had long-term relationships, but Temperance was surprisingly unmoving on this issue. Holding Alexis close as she fought, Temperance would say over and over again, "This is different. I'm not leaving you. I won't let you leave me. This is different. I promise."
And she did stay. She stood proudly in the front row through a disastrous elementary school graduation, a muddled junior high graduation, and a beautiful high school graduation, camera in hand. Temperance was there to help her for the first big school dance; Booth came along to interview her date. Booth taught her to drive and Temperance helped her apply to college. There were endless phone calls, some of which lasted late into the night and her foster mother allowed begrudgingly. There were birthday cards and shopping trips, specially arranged vacations and regular museum tours. But no matter the occasion, any time, every day, Temperance Brennan was there for Alexis.
And in much the same way, Booth was there for Brennan. She turned to him when Alexis refused to consider participating in sports, when she bleached her beautiful hair and painted her nails black. Booth did his best to teach Temperance patience, asking her to view the arrangement much as a parent without full custody. Give advice when she asks, he recommended, compliment her no matter what. On her individuality, on her decision-making skills. Love her and tell her you love her.
The years passed and few things changed. True, people came and went, Angela and Jack were finally Mr. and Mrs. Hodgins, and even Zack found a place he could fit in outside the Jeffersonian. But Booth and Brennan stayed. They were the center. And this was their ending...
November 1st, 2019, 7:45 pm
"Did Lexie say what this was about?" Booth questioned as he opened the door to the restaurant, ushering his long time partner inside, hand on her back comfortably. Temperance stomped her boots and unwound her scarf.
"Not a word, the little sneak. I'm beginning to wish she had accepted the scholarship at Columbia," she grumbled good naturally as she handed over her jacket and scarf to the coat attendant, never willing to admit just how pleased she was the Alexis had not left town. Booth smiled as he took the ticket in exchange for his own jacket.
"Come on, Bones," he threw an arm around her shoulder, leading her to their table. "You know she chose Georgetown to be close to-" Temperance gasped.
"You better not say Parker, or so help me-"
"Us." Booth finished with a smile. Temperance elbowed his ribs sharply and Booth held back a grunt. After growing up together and sharing their lives with the same important people for years, Parker and Alexis were dating and things were getting serious, a fact which made Temperance more than a little nervous.
Flashback
"Dad, don't get so upset!" Parker implored the elder Booth as he paced his living room, determined to wear down the carpet to the padding.
"I'm not upset, Park, I'm….. surprised." Booth faltered, wondering when the hell he'd lost his ability to read people and situations with frightening accuracy. Here was his son, barely eighteen years old, and apparently in love. He snorted at the thought.
"Dad…"
"Sit down, son." Booth barked as he marched to the kitchen. Parker obeyed, reluctantly, and was shocked when his father came back flipping a poker chip and quickly downing a glass of scotch, tossing the glass roughly on a bookshelf. After a few minutes of awkward silence Booth stilled his hands, pocketed the chip and crossed his arms.
"First of all, I love you. You're a damned fool, but I love you. Second, don't think for a second I'm going to break the news to Bones. I love you but not enough to take that beating." Parker smiled as he imagined Alexis, beautiful Alexis, who was at this very moment talking to Temperance about this very thing. Booth continued smoothly.
"How the hell did this happen? You've been playing in the same sandbox since you were seven! How…" Parker grinned at his dad as he ran a hand roughly over his handsome face and back through his dark blond hair.
"I don't know, you're the one who always said love comes at the most unexpected time with the most unexpected person." He stopped after receiving the business end of his father's glare. "Somewhere along the line I saw how you protected her, how much Bones cared for her and I… I just imitated you two. She's smart, Zack could tell you that much, she's beautiful as Angela has pronounced from day one, she can take care of herself thanks to you and she has the best heart of any girl I've ever known. And that is thanks to Bones. I love Alexis, Dad. You can't help but love someone with that amazing heart." Booth sighed heavily, dropping onto an easy chair with a grunt.
"I know, kid, I know. Why are you telling me this now. What are you asking me?" He inquired, his dark eyes growing serious, hoping to God, as much as he loved Lexie, that she wasn't pregnant.
"We don't want to wait, Dad, until we're in the perfect place in our lives, until work isn't in the way or we've got our lives together. We'd like to figure that out together. And Lex suggested… she wanted me to ask your blessing..."
Booth shut his eyes dramatically, Bones is gonna kill me, he thought with a grimace.
END Flashback
"I don't see her." Temperance frowned as she looked around their usual table at McGee's. Alexis was nowhere in sight.
"'Us' includes Parker, you know." Booth received a glare and laughed. "Come on, she's probably late."
"She's late? We're late! If you hadn't insisted on walking in the "first snow" we would be-"
"Still fighting?" an amused Alexis asked from behind the pair. Instantly they turned and Temperance immediately smiled and pulled her into a hug. Alexis was dressed in a simple wrap dress, her long luxurious raven hair spilling in waves over her shoulders.
"Always. Come sit." She gestured and Alexis rolled her brilliant green eyes.
"We're in the back room tonight. Mac said something about keeping the brawls out of the main dining room." Booth smiled guiltily and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.
"How's school, Lex? Professors treating you all right? How about your roommates?" Alexis laughed lightly and the sound was music to Temperance's ears. Alexis was long over her shyness and Booth often joked the problem now was shutting her up.
"They're fine, Booth. Besides, I know who to call if I need help." Booth stood a bit taller as he walked with Temperance, his hand resting on the small of her back. Alexis led the way to the back room and then stopped to answer her cell phone while Booth threw open the door. What followed was a complete assault on the senses.
Flashes of light caught the pair unaware as shouts of "Surprise!" and "Congratulations!" overpowered the din from the restaurant. Streamers and confetti pounded the couple as they tried, vainly, to shield themselves from the onslaught. Mac's laughter could be heard above it all as he pushed forward a large cake, its four layers covered in candles burning bright.
Temperance was shocked to see Cam, Zack, Rebecca, Parker, Cullen, and even Dr. Goodman in the room. As the group crowded in, there were shouts to "Blow out your candles" and "Come on, you're full of hot air!" Booth was confused as he turned to his partner.
"What's all this for?" Temperance shrugged, unwilling to attempt to speak above the noise. Alexis stepped forward and effectively silenced the crowd which held colleagues from the past fifteen years, friends and collaborators from hundreds of cases and many of the victors, who like Alexis, had survived being victims with the help of Booth and Brennan.
"To your partnership. To you!" she cheered; pushing two of the people she loved the most in the world toward their cake. Shrugging helplessly, Booth began to blow out the candles and Temperance joined in. Two minutes and one giant cloud of smoke later, they were done and desperate to catch their breath. The night was a success, full of laughter and joking, stories and random burst of song. Pictures were shared, hugs exchanged, and Mac's wonderful food consumed. It was nearing midnight when Alexis stood and took the makeshift podium. The room quieted immediately.
"Most of you know that twelve years ago today one of the best teams that the FBI and Jeffersonian Institute has ever produced solved one of their biggest cases. They came to the rescue of a little girl who was unheard, bruised, and without hope... being hidden in a closet." Alexis began to cry now, her tears falling freely. Temperance held tightly to Booth's hand under the table as someone wordlessly passed her a tissue. Their hands were joined but their eyes were only on Alexis.
"I can never explain how much that day meant to me. It was the first time anyone, not to mention two anyones, cared about my welfare. They adopted me into this," she looked around amazed, "crazy family and never let me go. Thank you." Alexis was interrupted by the uproarious applause as the entire room stood in honor of the couple that seemed more than a little embarrassed by the attention. Thank you, I love you, Alexis mouthed to them. We love you, Temperance mouthed back silently.
When the room quieted, Alexis continued, shaking as she read from her paper. "I've got to be the luckiest girl alive and I have you two to thank for that. I know I can never repay you for what you've given me, so instead I will try, for the rest of my life, to follow your example and 'do onto others' as you have done for me." The guests again applauded, this time for Alexis's commitment.
"Lastly, the only gift I think I can give you tonight is that of truth. Guys, it's been twelve years. I know. Parker knows. The FBI knows. The entire Jeffersonian staff knows. We all know." Heads were nodding all around the room as Booth and Brennan shared a confused look. "You're not that sneaky. I've known you two were together since I was ten."
Temperance was unable to stop her jaw from dropping in shock and Booth regarded Alexis warily, as one might view a traitor selling the country's secrets.
Flashback
December 1st, 2007
"Good evening, Bones!" Booth smiled his thousand watt grin at his partner after letting himself in her apartment and settling on her couch.
"Why are you so excited?" She questioned from her kitchen with an amused grin. Booth could barely contain himself as he propped his feet up on her coffee table, revealing a pair of socks covered in candy canes.
"Only 25 days until Christmas, Bones! Oh, the eggnog and tree trimming, fruitcake and candy canes and-"
"Mistletoe." Temperance interrupted with a sly grin, motioning to her kitchen doorframe which held a sprig of the parasitic plant which had induced many a kiss.
"Why, Dr. Brennan, I didn't know you believed in such archaic and useless tradition that-"
"Shut up and get over here." She grinned, interrupting him for the second time in as many minutes, but Booth was not one to complain. He leaned on the door jam, staring down at the doctor who just might be seducing him and captured her lips in a seering kiss.
A little while later, while sharing a good dinner and an excellent bottle of wine, Temperance proposed a toast.
"To us," she raised her glass, "and to our family." Booth smiled and they clinked glasses before each taking a sip. They enjoyed their meal in quiet for a minute before Temperance blurted out, without warning,
"I like my apartment!" Booth raised a brow and swallowed a bite of salad.
"Me too, Bones. Shall we name its best features or is a general proclamation good enough?" She scowled at his teasing tone.
"I like that my apartment is mine," she clarified, with some difficulty. "I like having a place that I can control, that I can stay in no matter what. I moved around enough as a kid, I need this… stability now."
"Oh… kay." Booth was confused and it was poorly hidden.
"I know people, regular people, in relationships usually want to live together. I like my apartment." Booth understood she wasn't asking him to move in but for her independence, her control over her living conditions.
"We're not regular people, Bones. You know when I mentioned that you can have someone to come home to?" Temperance nodded carefully. "Let's just amend that to be you can have me. In your home, in my home, at work, in the car, at the damn grocery store. Whenever you want, I will be here as long as you want." Temperance felt an unfamiliar surge of comfort and strength as she leveled her gaze and stared into those beautiful brown eyes.
"I want that." He rewarded her with a thankful smile and sealed the deal with a kiss.
Hours later they were lying in bed, Booth running his rough fingers lightly across his partner's delicate curves as they came down from the heights of ecstasy.
"Shhhh, go to sleep." Temperance urged, reaching for his hand and intertwining their fingers. When they woke, Booth saw their joined hands and realized with a growing fear that her ring was missing. His grandmother's ring was missing.
"Bones…. Bones, wake up!" Temperance turned and smiled, Booth instantly forgetting what was so urgent. When her hands framed his face to hold him in a sweet embrace, Booth remembered and pulled back.
"Temperance, I need to know… where is the ring? From Alexis's case… from going undercover?" Her pupils widened and Temperance wondered, just briefly, if he wanted to take it back.
"I took it off last night, Booth. It's in the bathroom on a chain," her voice dropped to a whisper, "if you want it." Booth let out a sigh of relief and dropped a kiss on her forehead lovingly.
"I'd like you to keep it, Bones, if you want to. See, my grandmother gave me that ring before she died. She told me to keep it in the family and give it to someone I loved. And I would love for you to keep it safe for me." Seeing her frightened expression, Booth amended, "It's not an engagement ring, it doesn't mean I want to get married. It means I love our family and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world." Temperance strugged as she lay in his arms until she remembered the ring her father had given her before going to jail. Another symbol of her family.
"Okay," she promised, kissing him thoroughly to remove any doubt to her commitment.
END Flashback
"Come on, Tempe, show them the ring and for God's sake, Booth, just admit it!" Alexis's final decree was met with shouts of encouragement as Booth turned his attention to his partner in labor, in life and in love. She shrugged and he did what he'd wanted to do since the day they become "Mulder" and "Scully" and kissed her right there in front of all their friends and colleagues. Right in front of Alexis and Parker, who were grinning at each other in apparent victory.
When they parted, amist the shouts and cheers of some very excited friends and family, Temperance blushed just slightly (from the heat of the moment, not any lingering embarrassment) and drew out a chain from around her neck with contained a ring. A vintage diamond ring in a silver setting. It had once belonged to Booth's grandmother and for the past dozen years it had belonged to her. Temperance stood and enveloped her little sister in a tight hug. One day, the ring would belong to Alexis, just as she'd promised Parker. Booth stood and wrapped his arms around them both, his girls, he called them.
Everything would change, she'd said all those years ago. And, she thought, looking up at Booth, over at Parker and then down at Alexis, the most important things had.
END Epilogue
BN: Okay, I betaed this very quickly (I've got a ton of homework and then volleyball tonight), so sorry if there are any mistakes!
AN: Done! Thanks for checking my grammer and spelling Katie! A few more things I'd like to mention. Technically Brennan did "adopt" Alexis into her family, just in a different relationship than mother-daughter. AND when Parker and Alexis get married (I envision them as dating seriously now) since Booth and Brennan are together it will be like having her as a daughter-in-law. Hope you enjoyed this different spin on the BB/foster kid in trouble scenerio. Thanks for reading and reviewing.