The first few days after Booth woke up were torture. Darcy was not sure what she preferred, her dad in a coma, or her dad not knowing who anyone was, including himself. She got a chill down her spine at the memory – Booth waking up, and immediately asking his partner of four years, "Who are you?" He didn't recognize his partner, nor his adopted daughter.

"You know, it's hard enough that my dad didn't recognize me when he woke up, but Dr. Brennan just…left, to Guatemala?" Darcy questioned as she sat across from Sweets. She refused to look him in the eyes, because she knew if she did, she would cry, yet again. Instead, she chose to stare out the window, unseeing. "I wish I wasn't upset that she left, but…" Darcy bit her lip. "She was there for me the entire time, and right when I really need her most, she's…gone."

"So, by Dr. Brennan leaving so suddenly, you're feeling…abandoned, maybe?" Sweets posited.

Darcy nodded. "She was acting pretty, motherly, for lack of a better word. She got me food, reminded me to sleep, even paid my housing deposit for GWU next year. And then she took off!"

"I understand how you're feeling, Darcy, really. But I want us to sit for a second and think about what Dr. Brennan may have been feeling. She and Booth are extremely close, you know that," Sweets droned. Darcy didn't want to call it "droning," but she had already thought of this already. "She was there during the surgery, and she didn't leave the hospital the entire time Booth was in his coma. So, for him to wake up and not know who she was, that had to have been devastating for her."

"Yes, Sweets, I know," Darcy rolled her eyes.

"How is he doing? Is he having any more confusion?"

Darcy nodded and fiddled with a ring that she wore on her right hand. "Sometimes. Just the little things, like what spot on the couch he prefers and how he takes his coffee."

Sweets nodded as he made a mental note for his evaluation of Booth later in the day.

"Are we done here, Dr. Sweets? I have somewhere I need to be," Darcy sighed. She wished he wouldn't ask where that place was; she did not want to admit that she wanted to get lunch with her boyfriend before going dorm shopping. Darcy was excited, her high school graduation AND the City & Colour concert were this weekend, and she was ready to get on with things!

"Yeah, sure, but…" Sweets interjected as Darcy stood. "I want you to keep trying to put yourself in Dr. Brennan's shoes, and lessen that anger a little bit."

Darcy nodded as she bid him farewell and made for the door. She pulled out her phone and checked her notifications, texting Wendell that she was on her way to the diner. She was wondering if she should invite him to her graduation – she did have an extra ticket now that Dr. Brennan was gone, after all. As she approached, she saw him sitting at their favorite table, looking out the window, and Darcy's heart swelled.

She entered, approaching Wendell from behind and wrapping her arms around him, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Hey," he smiled, his eyes crinkling as Darcy sat across from him.

"Hi," she smiled back, settling into the chair.

"How was Dr. Sweets?"

"Annoying," Darcy sighed. Wendell let out a slight chuckle at her comment. "I hope once I'm in school full time I don't have to see him anymore," she added.

Wendell nodded pensively. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Darcy shrugged. "I'm in a really good place, have been now that Dad's getting better. Maybe by August, I'll be ready to stop completely."

At this time, one of the waitresses, Doris, came to their table with a tray full of food.

"Hi, hun," Doris smiled at Darcy.

"Hi, Miss Doris!" Darcy smiled brightly. "How'd you know what I was going to order?"

The older woman laughed as she set down the food on the table. "Your young man here went ahead and ordered for you."

"Oh!" Darcy realized, looking back at her boyfriend, who was busying himself unwrapping his napkin and placing it in his lap. "Then thank you, Wendell!"

He shrugged it off as Doris walked away. "Speaking of your dad, doesn't he get recertified today?" Wendell asked, popping a french fry into his mouth.

Darcy nodded as she took a sip of the Dr. Pepper that Wendell had ordered for her. She hadn't even realized that he knew what her favorite soda was, or what her favorite meal from the diner was. She looked down at her Reuben sandwich, the roast beef threatening to slip out.

"Do you think it's going to go well?" Wendell prompted.

Darcy nodded again, holding up her hand with her crossed fingers. "I think he's ready, but I'm no shrink," she commented.

"Well, if not today, I hope it's soon," Wendell replied. "Angela told me that Dr. Brennan is coming back from Guatemala today." Although he'd only meant it as an off-the-wall throwaway comment, Darcy stopped cold, a french fry half raised to her mouth as she stared at the blonde man in disbelief.

Darcy wasn't sure whether to be happy or upset. How was she supposed to react? She was still upset with the woman for having essentially abandoned her and her dad over a month ago. Placing the fry down, Darcy took a second to look out the window at the people outside, almost wondering if she'd see Temperance herself. She knew it was immature, but she couldn't stop herself from saying, "Oh, so she finally decided to come back now that my dad is okay?"

Darcy slowly brought her eyes to meet Wendell's, expecting to find them a steely, impenetrable blue. Instead, they were soft, bright, comforting. If anyone's eyes could convey emotions, it would be his, Darcy thought. The man reached a hand across the diner table, taking one hand in hers as he kept his eyes on hers. "Darcy, she's my boss," he started, and she began to retract her hand away, already feeling guilty for having put him between his girlfriend and his employer. He held on tighter, continuing, "But I don't think she should've left like that, either."

Darcy nodded, glad that he at least validated her feelings. That was all she truly wanted. He released her hand, moving back towards his plate. "Eat up, Darce! Weren't you going to make me help you shop for your dorm?"

"Yes! I am!" she smiled, digging into the sandwich that she had neglected thus far. "I have a whole list we need to get through!"

"The whole list?" Wendell whined, though he had a smile burgeoning on his lips. "You still have, like, two months!"

"I'm excited!" Darcy reasoned. "Don't hate!"

Wendell held up two hands in defeat as he took a sip of his Coke, still smiling. Darcy watched him, her heart fluttering as she watched his eyes crinkle when he smiled and how his smile dazzled her.

Meanwhile, in a garden outside of the Jeffersonian, a very jetlagged forensic anthropologist and a soulful artist sat with Avalon Harmonia, the sun shining on her blonde hair as she concentrated on a stack of Tarot cards in front of her.

The first card the psychic turned over was, in Angela's opinion, proof of Avalon's powers. The card in question: Temperance. Balance, patience, moderation.

Avalon brushed it off; it was just the card on top. The next card, however, was when Avalon began to piece together the puzzle in front of her, for the second card was the IX of Swords. Fear, anxiety, stress. "Okay," she began. "I see a sick man in a hospital. He takes refuge in a dream life."

The next card she flipped was the II of Cups. Love, harmony, connection. "You're there in the dream and you're helping him to create that dream life by telling him a story."

The following card was X of Pentacles. Domestic bliss, solid foundations, business empire. "You're both so happy in the story, so happy it's almost sad when he awakens."

Dr. Brennan, uncomfortable, decided that it was her time to make an exit. "Okay, no offense to you and your psychic, but I just got off a flight from Guatemala. I want to go check in with Cam and then shower and change."

Avalon smirked as she flipped over the next card, The Lovers. Kindred spirits, soulmates, partnership. Angela, upon spying the card, gave Brennan a coy smile. "Oh," she smirked.

"The people whose lives you saved are really excited to see you again," Avalon declared.

"No," Dr. Brennan denied. "I don't save lives; people are already dead when I get to them."

"I'm pretty sure you saved somebody's life," the psychic disagreed. She proceeded to flip over another card: Strength. Courage, bravery, compassion. "Somebody with a heart of a lion," she concluded.

"Booth has a lion heart!" Angela exclaimed, clearly excited by this reading. All Brennan could do was roll her eyes.

Avalon looked her in the eyes as she flipped the next card, the Queen of Swords. "While that may be so, the person that I'm talking about is a woman that has known loss and has great empathy for others." Avalon dared to make eye contact with the stern woman in front of her. "Does that mean anything to you?"

"Do you think that could be Darcy?" Angela asked, but this time, Dr. Brennan really had had enough.

"Going back to the man, you brought him the light that showed him the way home. Without it, he would have died," Avalon continued.

Angela continued to piece together the reading. "Oh, Booth was in a coma! Brennan read him the book she was writing. When Booth woke up, he thought that they had a whole different life together. He thought they were married. He thought that for days," the artist explained.

"You three were joined during that time. You're still joined," Avalon advised.

Brennan stood to leave, not wanting to be reminded of the guilt she felt when it came to Darcy.

Avalon flipped over yet another card: the X of cups. Happiness, family, children. She looked at Dr. Brennan knowingly and asked, "Were you pregnant?"

"What?" Dr. Brennan asked incredulously, as if she hadn't spent the days leading up to Booth's surgery asking him for sperm in order to have a baby. "No, of course not."

"I mean in your book."

Flustered, Dr. Brennan gathered her things to leave. "No, I deleted the book. I…I'm tired, Angela. I'm going to go check-in at the office and then go home." She then grabbed her suitcase. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Romania."

"Underneath the icy exterior beats a very warm heart," Angela defended.

"Her life is at a very critical turning point, between great happiness…" Avalon flipped over her last card: Death. Endings, transition, upheaval.

Obviously shaken, Angela pointed out what card the psychic had drawn. "That's Death!"

Wandering through Target, Darcy surveyed a few different bedding sets, weighing her options. She was stuck between an ocean blue comforter, a light pink quilt, or a white duvet.

"What do you think?" she asked Wendell. She wondered what he'd say, and how indicative it would be of his furnishing choices should they ever live together. Too soon to think about that! Darcy thought.

"I think the blue or the white. You can pair more with those in case you want to change anything up," Wendell suggested.

Darcy looked at the two, comparing them in price and quality before ultimately placing the white duvet into the cart. She then moved towards sheets, figuring that almost any color could match the white duvet. As she compared two sets of sheets, Wendell watched her from behind the cart. How desperately he wanted to confess his love for her, the smell of her hair, the way the sun makes her eyes look, her voice like honey, her back with its unnatural sway that he was convinced must hurt more than she claimed, the way she tipped her head back when she laughed. He must have been staring at her for too long, however, as he realized that she'd been speaking to him and he had just been staring blankly back.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I said I need to find some decorations," Darcy smiled, giving a soft giggle. She moved toward the other side of the cart, where he stood behind the handlebars. "What're you thinking about?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"I was just admiring you," he answered, his voice lower than normal. She began to crack a slow smile as he leaned in, capturing her lips with his own. When he pulled away, her smile grew as she beckoned him to come and look at decorations with her. As much as he wanted to ask her to forget dorm shopping and to just live in his apartment with him, he refused to say it. Not only was it way too soon, but he wanted her to have a somewhat normal college experience, even if her boyfriend was a graduate student at the same school. And that somewhat normal college experience included living in a shitty, 160 square foot room with another person for eight months. Wendell shook his head as if to shake the thoughts out of his head as he watched his girlfriend consider whether she wanted fairy lights to put in her room.

Darcy unlocked the door to her apartment, pushing it in with her foot as she and Wendell carried in quite a few bags. Booth emerged from his bedroom, adjusting his tie.

"Woah!" he exclaimed as he saw the mountain of bags that had come through his doorway. "Did you buy the entire store?"

"No!" Darcy exclaimed. "But I've gotten everything I need except textbooks!"

Booth smiled as he watched his daughter drag everything to her room to organize. Wendell stopped, noticing the older man's attire. "You're in a suit," Wendell pointed out. "Does this mean you've been recertified for duty?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, I am officially fit for duty! I'm actually on my way to a case right now," he pointed out, slipping on his shoes.

"You are?" Darcy yelled, having listened from her room. "Where is it?"

"Why haven't I heard about this?" Wendell asked. "Should I be getting to work?"

"Well, we don't know if there even is a case yet," Booth explained.

Darcy emerged from her room, looking confused with her hands on her hips. "How do you have a case and don't have a case at the same time?"

"Angela's psychic says that there are bodies buried underneath the Taversham fountain. Bones and I are going to check it out just in case."

"Angela has a psychic?"

"Bones under the Taversham fountain?"

The two different questions that the young people asked both indicated to Booth just how crazy the situation was. The only response Booth could give was a shrug. "I've got to get back to the Jeffersonian," he stated, grabbing his badge and gun. He made his way toward the door, kissing Darcy's forehead. "See you later, Darce," he said as he opened the door.

"Should I expect you for dinner?" she yelled.

"I'll call you!" he responded, closing the door behind him.

Darcy looked at her boyfriend, somewhat surprised that her father left them alone in his home.

"So, I guess I'm free the rest of the day," Darcy laughed.

Wendell let out a slight chuckle. "I guess you are,"

"Do you want to go back to your place?" Darcy asked, trying to be a little sultry, although sultry wasn't normally her thing.

"Uh, sure," Wendell smiled. "Or we can go sightsee if you want. It's such a beautiful day out," he suggested.

"Whichever sounds better to you," Darcy smiled, placing the last of the shopping bags in her room. "Just let me freshen up really quick and then we can go."

Wendell nodded as Darcy disappeared into her room. He was conflicted. He knew what Darcy was getting at when she suggested they go back to his apartment. As tempted as he was, it didn't feel quite right. Days before her graduation, on a night when her dad may expect her to be home early, just didn't sit right with Wendell. Although he was not a virgin, she was, and he wanted to make sure it was good and special for her, and a Thursday evening after being out dorm shopping just wasn't it.

Darcy emerged from her room, her perfume reaching Wendell and intoxicating him with its scent. "Ready?" she asked him. He smiled and nodded, leading her towards the door.

"Hey, what do you say we go wander around the National Mall?" Wendell suggested.

"Sure! That sounds great," Darcy smiled. Inside, however, she wondered why he didn't them to go back to his apartment. Did he not understand what she was trying to convey? Was he not interested in sleeping together? Was it because she was inexperienced? Darcy bit her lip, hating herself for feeling this way.

She tried to push the thoughts out of her mind as she wandered around with Wendell, at one point collapsing on the grass near the Washington Monument with him. He laid back on the ground, and Darcy laid against him, her head resting on his thigh. They conversed and laughed as they stared at the sky, As the intruding thoughts entered her mind again, Darcy turned her head to look at Wendell's face.

"What is it?" he asked, feeling her eyes on him.

Darcy sighed, wanting to spit the words out, but felt extremely awkward about it. Finally, she forced herself to just ask her question. "Is there something wrong with me?" Yikes, she thought. That was not how she wanted to phrase it.

Confused, Wendell sat up, his eyebrows knitting together. "What?"

"Are you not attracted to me…like, sexually?" Darcy cringed.

"Why are you asking me that?"

"The first time I…came onto you…you didn't want to take advantage of me during a difficult time," she started. "Which I appreciate!" she added.

"Right," Wendell affirmed.

"But since things have gotten better, I've tried to…I guess…initiate things, but you don't seem to respond to it. Am I not being clear? Or…are you just, not attracted to me?" Darcy continued, not wanting to meet his eyes. God, what an embarrassing thing to ask!

Wendell let out a light chuckle, also slightly embarrassed. Maybe it was his Catholic upbringing, or maybe he was suddenly a bit bashful about the topic.

"Darcy, I promise you that I am…very much attracted to you," he started as he ran his hand through her hair, brushing it away from her face. "It just didn't seem like the right time yet, that's all."

Darcy nodded. "When do you think is the right time?"

"Well, not on a Thursday afternoon when your dad may or may not be expecting you home for dinner," Wendell smiled, earning a laugh from the brunette in his lap. "Darcy…do you think you're ready? Do you think that we're ready?"

Darcy nodded softly. "I'm ready, if you are."

Wendell took in what she said, taking a moment to look back at the sky. "I've been waiting because, Darcy, I want to take care of you and make sure it's…special, you know?"

"You're sweet," came the response.

"But if you're ready, then okay," he finished.

"Really?"

Wendell nodded. "You know, Saturday is your graduation, and it's also our concert."

Darcy nodded, not following where he was going with that statement.

"What if we made a night of it? You can stay with me afterward."

At this point, Darcy sat up, not having expected the conversation to come to this. Smiling at Wendell, she leaned in and captured his lips in a kiss. "That sounds perfect."