Temperance Brennan was lying in the bed, it was a sunny and warm spring morning and she could see a cherry tree outside blossoming. It rained at night, so the leaves and flowers were covered in the tiny drops of water, she smirked a little, life was beautiful, even though hers was coming to its end.
She wasn't upset about it or agitated, she wasn't angry at the universe, she knew it was her time. Such a weird knowledge, she thought. She, the one who was a spokeswoman for reason and rationality, cause and effect, was now filled with sentimental and irrational certainty that she was at the very end of the line.
Her beloved husband, her partner in life and in everything else, passed away three years ago, just as she predicted a very long time ago when they bickered about insurance policy, he died first. His heart gave away, the years of service and FBI work finally took what was theirs. Rationally, Brennan knew it was natural and expected, but her heart was broken to pieces, crushed beyond repair and she foolishly prayed and hoped that her superstitious husband was right, that there was heaven, because if there was one, she knew that Booth would be waiting for her there. He called them soulmates, Brennan called them symbiotic, whoever was right, they knew their bond was special and they cherished it for all their almost fifty years together. They almost made it to fifty years, almost…
Brennan's life was amazing by any standard, nobody could dispute that. Despite a rough start, she did it all. She made it to the top of her field, she immortalized herself in literature, she had friends who appreciated and respected her, she married the love of her life and created a family with him. She had no regrets because she was brave enough to embrace everything that life was offering her, unlike poor Lauren Eames, a woman who taught her that, who gave her a painful but necessary lesson, even decades after she was grateful to her, which didn't make any sense, because Brennan couldn't actually thank her since she died before they met.
Everything that mattered the most in her life, didn't make any logical sense. Her friendship with Angela for instance, they couldn't be any different, a free-spirited artist and a cold-minded scientist, but she was a sister to her and she knew that Angela felt the same way. Her children, Christine who was a complete accident, cemented the already unbreakable bond between Brennan and Booth, Hank who was kind of an accident, but wasn't, because at that time they were already talking about expending their family, Parker who wasn't her blood, but who she loved deeply. The love she shared with her husband was something that Brennan couldn't explain or fully comprehend even after their almost fifty years together. As different as she was with Angela, it was nothing in comparison with Booth. Him and her were two different planets, they lived in different dimensions, but somehow, they have always been in a perfect harmony. Even when they just met and their differences clashed for the very first time, they made a great team, they gravitated towards each other and they kept falling and falling until their universes collided, creating something Brennan was once sure is reserved for fairytales and children.
She heard the voices and turned away from the cherry blossom outside her window. Her children and grandchildren were now at her bed and her old heart was beating loudly, counting last minutes of her long life. Christine and Hank were at the sides of her bed, Christine was crying taking Brennan's hand, while Hank kissed her forehead carefully. Parker was standing there too, his now bearded and mature face was sad. Brennan heard young and loud voices of her grandchildren. She knew that Booth would have scolded her for that and even though she loved all of her family, Kathy, Christine's daughter was her favorite. Brennan was dying, so it was OK to admit things like that at least to herself. Kathy was the only girl out of their grandchildren and was so much like Booth, from her brown eyes to the temper and determination and faith Brennan was always jealous of.
All of them were now saying words of love and appreciation, she wanted to tell them how much she loved them back, how much happier they made her life but words wouldn't escape her, she took one last breath, turned her head and her old eyes caught one last glimpse of a cherry blossom. It was time to say goodnight.