"So what changed?"
Temperance takes a long look at the sweet baby girl, and then answers, "I tried to do it. I had every intention on doing it. I thought that it would be easy. The doctor did a sonogram before and... I couldn't get her picture out of my head. I had been prepped, and they were ready to start, but I couldn't do it. The doctor told me I could come back later if I changed my mind, but... I knew that it wasn't an option–for me. He asked if I wanted to hear the heartbeat and..." Temperance stops. She fights back the tears, "and then when I did, I just broke down, and started sobbing."
"Was she worth it? Was she worth everything that happened?"
"I wouldn't take it back now, even if I could."
"You look tired. I should probably go so you can have a nap."
"You don't..."
"Get some rest. She's sleeping, you should too."
"Can you do me a favor?"
"Of course Bren."
"If I email you picture can you organize them?"
"Absolutely."
"It's a lot of pictures."
"How many?"
"I don't know, a lot. I've taken more pictures in the past four days than I have... you should just go through them."
"Do you have your memory card?"
Temperance gets off the couch without answering. She moves over to the bookshelf. She holds the baby in one arm, and grabs the memory card from her camera. She walks back across the room, and hands it to Angela. "I already downloaded all of them."
"I'll take care of it," Angela promises as she gets up, and heads for the door.
She heads back to the Jeffersonian, and starts working. She's just finished when Sweets comes in.
"Are you busy?"
"Nope, just finished," she answers.
He stares at the huge screen in the back of the room. "Whose baby?" he questions.
Angela looks at the screen. She moves the mouse on her computer, and the screen goes blank, "Sorry, it's just my screen saver," she answers.
"Whose baby? It's obviously not Cam's baby, she had a boy."
"It's a friend's baby."
"Why do you sound so funny? What are you hiding?"
"Nothing," she squeaks.
"Angela why are you lying to me?"
"Sweets you should sit down," she answers, offering him her seat.
He takes a seat.
"What did you come here for, anyway?" she questions.
"Tomorrow is the deadline for me to decide on the job in Houston."
"What do you need me for?"
"You always give me good advice."
"You're the one who is supposed to give advice."
"And look where that has gotten me."
"Sweets I don't think you should go."
"You think that I'm running scared? I'm not, I just need a change. I don't feel like this is where I belong. I'm young, and I should..."
"You need to stay," she answers.
"You say that as if going isn't an option."
"If you don't stay you'll hate yourself."
"Why do you say that? There's nothing keeping me here."
"What about the team?"
"The team fell apart."
"The Sweets I know would do anything to keep the team together. You can't let one misstep ruin everything that you've worked for."
"I just don't know what I'm working for anymore."
"How could I possibly get the team back together? Brennan is... who knows where."
"She's in Edgewood."
"What?"
"She just got back. She's living in Edgewood."
"Why?"
"Don't go."
"Give me one good reason to stay."
"I can't," she admits.
"You can't, or you won't?"
"You should go talk to Brennan."
"Why does she have something incredibly insightful that she learned while she was away to share with me?"
"Yes."
"And what would that be?"
Angela points to the screen saver on her computer.
"The computer?"
"The screen saver," she replies.
"What about it?"
"The baby," she points to the picture of Brennan's little girl.
"What about it? What does this have to do with Dr. Brennan? What does this have to do with what she learned?"
"That is what she learned."
"I don't understand."
"I shouldn't tell you this."
"Tell me what?" he questions.
"She's going to kill me, but you have to know, and I can't be sure that she'll ever tell you."
"Tell me what?"
"You have to stay, because of her," Angela points to the screen.
"Because of your friend's baby?"
Angela gulps, "You can't leave. You have to stay, for her."
"Why? I don't even know who that baby is."
"And you never will, if you leave."
"Why are you being so weird? I don't understand what you're trying to tell me."
"That's Brennan's baby."
"What? Brennan has a baby? Where did she get a baby? Did she adopt a baby while she was gone?"
"Sweets," she begins softly, "She didn't adopt a baby. She had a baby."
"Oh."
"Your baby, your daughter," Angela reveals
"My what?"
"Your daughter. You have a daughter."
"No," he shakes his head, "That's not possible. It can't be."
"It is. You've got a little girl, and she won't understand you walking out on her."
"Why did you have to tell me this? I could have walked away without ever knowing," he queries with tears forming in his eyes.
"You had to know."
"I didn't have to know. I..."
"But you do know, and you've got to make it right."
"Why? I doubt that..."
"It doesn't matter what you want, it doesn't matter what Brennan wants. You have to do what's best for your daughter."
"How can you know that me staying is what's best for her?"
"Do you want her to think that you're a deadbeat? Do you want your daughter to think that you didn't want her, that you didn't love her enough to stay? Do you really want her to carry that burden around for the rest of her life? Let's say that by some miracle that Brennan and Booth got together, and he raised that child as his own, one day she would find out. One day she would know the truth, and she would never forgive you for leaving her, for not fighting for her."
"I know," he murmurs.