Twas the night before Erin's first day of school, she was sitting at a table at the Founding Fathers with her mom and Booth. She continued to observe her mom and Booth's interactions as they laughed at the antics of the bartender and sipped their beers. She sighed and looked at her phone, "Are you excited for your first day of school AirBear?" Booth asked as he looked at Erin who tucked her hair behind her ears. She shifted in her seat, "I'm not sure what I feel." she said as she chuckled and sipped her lemonade. "I hope the kids are nice and I hope I don't get lost." she responded. Booth laughed and so did Brennan. "She hasn't shown me what she looks like in her uniform. I'm very excited to see her in it." Brennan said eagerly. Erin playfully rolled her eyes, "I hate it, Booth. I looked said as she looked at her mom, "You can see it tomorrow, Mom." and smiled. Booth and Brennan continued their work discussions while Erin continued to fixate over her first day of school.
The girls got home and Erin walked to her room and began to prepare her bookbag for the next day. Erin wasn't one to concern herself with popularity. But, this was her chance to truly start over. How did she want to be perceived? She knew all the kids at this school were smart like her so she didn't have to worry about dumbing herself down. What hurt her the most was that her dad knew he wouldn't be there to see her start her sophomore year. She finally understood why her dad got her the Jeep so soon. She placed her book bag on the lap as she sat at her desk. With some pens in one hand and a picture of her father in the other. She could feel the tears begin to emerge from her eyes, "God, stop crying. It won't change anything." She whispered to herself. Erin wiped the two tears that escaped her eyes and stood up and walked towards her mothers office, "Mom?" She said down the hallway. Brennan was about to continue with her grading. She stood up and opened the cracked door to see Erin with her head down. Waiting to come in, "Yes, Honey? Are you okay?" Brennan asked as she took a step towards Erin. Erin looked up, "I - just. How did you handle this? Death? Your parents abandoning you? I am always thinking about dad. About everything he is missing. I always thought about you growing up and it was so painful…. How did you do it?" She asked, searching her mothers eyes for an answer.
Brennan gave her an understanding nod and a sad pout began to form on her lips. She ushered her daughter into the office and sat her down on the couch. She faced Erin and handed her a box of tissues, "I don't think I handled anything. I immersed myself in my work. It's all I had. I just continued with my life. This isn't something I want you to do….I want you to feel, I want you to grieve, because it's healthy. Also, because the pain never goes away. My father did come back, our relationship is strained but it's something we're working on. After declaring my mother dead and burying her. I truly felt the loss of her presence once more." She continued to say as she placed her hand on Erin's chin. "We will all continue to experience this grief because nothing in this universe happens just once. Infinity goes in both directions. There is no unique event, no singular moment. So as we experience this pain, we will continue to feel happiness, excitement, and everything else in between." As Brennan finished her sentence she continued to look into Erin's eyes. Hoping her child had understood what she had just said. Erin nodded and she had stopped crying. She closed her eyes and began to breathe in cycles. Brennan brought her close to her chest. She held Erin as she continued to regulate her breathing. "You will be fine, baby. I know you will be. You will have a great first day tomorrow too." She said as she kissed the top of Erin's head. Erin came out of her mothers embrace and slowly smiled. "Thanks, mom. Thank you. I'm going to finish getting ready for bed. I love you." She stood up and kissed her mothers cheek. "Good night, sweetheart. I love you too. Sleep well." Brennan said as she also stood up and watched her daughter walk towards her room.
The next morning Erin was up early making sure her hair was brushed and tamed. She even wore a little makeup to hide the crying she had been doing. She looked at the uniform hanging on her door. She rolled her eyes and sighed, 'If i'm not giving Blair Waldorf...i will give up' she said to herself. She pulled on the school's stockings, the skirt, and her white dress shirt. She was unsure of how she felt about her appearance as she tucked in her shirt. Erin struck a few poses and turned around to look at her figure. She grinned, 'Okay, I can slowly get used to this,' she said. She put on her tie last and walked out to the kitchen and shouted for her mother, 'Mom, I'm ready. Uniform is on!" she said giddily. Erin could hear her mother's spouts of excitement, 'I'm getting my camera!" Brennan said and she walked out and exclaimed, 'Awwww, Erin! You look so cute! You definitely do not look like the dollar store version of a Gossip Girl character. I looked them up." she said as she fixed Erin's hair. Erin twirled around, "So, you like it?" Erin asked. Brennan had her eyes on the skirt, "I believe you grew sweetheart because your skirt does look a little shorter than i anticipated." she said quietly. Erin playfully rolled her eyes, "it's not that bad, if I happen to get reprimanded, I will let you know." she said. Brennan smiled, "Fine. Let me take your picture, we have to get going." she told Erin. Erin posed and Brennan took a picture. "This is going on my desk." Brennan said playfully.
The school's drop off line was very long and Erin could see all her peers walking confidently towards the entrance. She sighed and looked at her mom, "I'll see you at the lab? After school?" she asked her mom. Brennan smiled and kissed Erin's forehead, "Yes! Have a great first day! I love you!" she said excitedly. Erin chuckled, "Thanks, mom. I love you too. See you later!" Erin said as she kissed her mom's cheek and got out of the car. She walked towards the entrance and she could feel the stares of her classmates. Maybe her skirt was too short? Maybe she did grow? But all Erin had in her mind was to find her locker and find her classrooms. She found her locker with ease and began to place her afternoon materials in their place. As she shut her locker, she was staring into the eyes of an older girl, "Erin? I'm Michelle Welton, Cam's daughter! I'm happy I finally get to meet you!" she said.