A/N: we'll return to Booth and Brennan shortly. This combination is made up of Clark, Avalon, a library and an old photograph.

Angela grimaced slightly as she listened to Avalon's explanation. "Um...I'm not sure he's going to be happy to see you…"

The psychic nodded as she shouldered her purse. "That's not the point. I've been asked to deliver a message, and that's what I'm going to do. Now...are you going to show me where he is, or do I need to wander around the lab looking for him?"

"I'll take you...but don't expect him to be thrilled to see you. You know how he is…"

"Yes. He's a very serious person, isn't he?" Avalon smiled as she followed Angela out to the lab platform. "That surprises me. His grandfather had quite the sense of humor."

"Well, maybe he's had to work hard to get ahead." Angela sighed softly before continuing. "He wants to be respected...to be viewed as the consummate professional. Maybe he feels like he doesn't have time to joke around. Besides, he works closely with Brennan, and I think maybe he's taken on some of her demeanor."

Avalon chuckled quietly. "Temperance has a sense of humor, but she keeps it under wraps."

"Yeah…maybe." Angela nodded slightly. "She's always so busy with her work, so sometimes I forget that."

They walked to the outer perimeter of the lab platform and found the person Avalon needed to see.

"Hey, Sweetie…," Angela began. "Avalon wants to talk to Clark for a few minutes, if it's okay…"

Brennan's brow furrowed as she thought over the request. "We're working, Angela. Booth needs the particulars from these remains as soon as possible."

Avalon quickly interrupted Brennan. "This will only take five minutes, Temperance. I just need to deliver a message to Dr. Edison, that's all. He'll be able to return to your project almost immediately."

Unhappy at being the center of that sort of attention, Clark refused the request in no uncertain terms. "Ms. Harmonia...no offense, but I don't believe in psychics. I'm a man of science…and I'm very busy right now."

Smiling benignly, Avalon nodded. "I understand, but surely you can spare me five minutes? I promise...when you hear my message, you'll be happy you did…"

He groaned softly. It seemed the only way to get rid of the intruder was to comply with her request. Seeing his mentor's slight nod, he took off his gloves with a sigh. "Fine…"

"I'll leave you to it, then." Winking at Clark, Angela walked back to her office.

Clark shifted from one foot to the other, feeling uncomfortable as he followed the petite blonde woman to the lab's professional library. She seemed in no hurry to deliver her news, much to his annoyance. "I thought you said this would take five minutes."

"Really, Dr. Edison...you must learn to relax, or you'll find yourself burned out before you've even begun your career." She pointed to a chair. "Have a seat."

Groaning in frustration, he sat down opposite of her, wondering what message could possibly be worth all this effort. "Okay...I'm listening. What do you need to tell me?"

She took a photograph from her purse and handed it to him. "What do you think of this?"

It was a portrait of a young gentleman, obviously taken during the fifties. The handsome man in the picture was sporting an impeccably tailored pinstripe suit and a stylish fedora. Upon viewing it, Clark gasped in surprise. "This is...this is my grandfather! How did you get this?"

Avalon laughed happily. "Well, it's quite an interesting story. I was minding my own business, walking down a street in Baltimore, when suddenly I heard a voice telling me to go into an antique mall. It was a store I'd never been in before, and of course, I was curious, but I was in a hurry, so I decided to go some other time."

Trying to stifle his irritation, Clark began tapping his foot noisily. "I don't understand."

"Just listen, okay? I was going to walk on by, but the voice was insistent that I needed to come in, so I did. It's a nice place, with lots of interesting items in various booths, and I was busy looking around when that picture fell on the floor in front of me. I picked it up, and I knew I had to buy it, so I took it to the front desk. The proprietor said it was from his booth, and that he'd just put it out that morning...that he'd gotten it from a photographer's shop that had been closed."

Clark nodded, pausing as he studied the picture for a few seconds before turning it over. "But the back is blank. How did you know it was my grandfather?"

"He told me." Seeing Clark's stark disbelief, she laughed. "I know you don't believe me, but he told me who he was. He wanted you to have this picture...and he wants you to know how proud he is of all that you've accomplished...of how far you've come. He knows you're going to achieve great things in your field, and he loves you very much. He's just sorry he wasn't able to tell you these things while he was still here on this plane with you."

Clark was stunned. "I...I've always wished my grandfather could've known about the work I do here. I know he'd be pleased. He was so intelligent, but he never had much education. That's why he pushed me so hard to go to college...to succeed at all costs...to work as hard as I do." Brushing away a tear, the young man shook his head. "But...I don't understand. How do you know all of these things?"

Rising from her seat, Avalon smiled. "I could tell you, but you'd never believe me. Why don't you just take it at face value? Now you have a nice picture of your grandfather, and some words of encouragement from him. Isn't that enough?"

"Yes, I suppose so." Still astonished, Clark looked at Avalon with tears in his eyes before putting the picture in his pocket. "Thank you so much for this." He puffed out a trembling sigh. "It's not an exaggeration to say that this message has changed my life. I appreciate you delivering it to me."

"You're very welcome, Dr. Edison." She picked up her purse and got ready to leave. "I suppose I should let you get back to work."

A feeling of warmth...a mixture of love and relief...flooded Clark's mind, and he smiled happily. "I suppose you're right. I don't want to let my grandfather down. Again...thank you so much."

"You're very welcome." Avalon giggled softly. "By the way...what will you tell Dr. Brennan about my visit?"

He smiled happily. "Just that I got some very good news. I think anything else would confound her…"

Avalon nodded in agreement. "I agree. Goodbye, Dr. Edison."

Clark watched Avalon leave, pausing for a moment as he considered what had just happened. Finally, he nodded as he left the library. "Thanks for the message, Grandpa. I love you, too...and I'll always try to live up to what you taught me. Now...let's back to those remains."

Thanks for reading. If you have time to review, I'd appreciate it. Laura