(In the future)

A/N: this is a reminder that these stories are not in chronological order. I just write them as I think of them.

I don't own Bones.

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The door slammed and the argument was over, at least for the moment. Christine stood staring at the front door and felt utterly frustrated. A noise down the hallway attracted her attention and since it sounded like it had come from her parent's bedroom, she hoped it was her mother. Storming down the hallway, she entered the bedroom and found her mother sitting on the chair near the closet holding a photo album in her hands. "Mom, he did it again. I was trying to explain my side and he just walked out of the house and slammed the door. Why does he do that? It's so unfair."

Since she had been privy to the entire very loud argument, Brennan knew exactly what they had been arguing about. Lately Booth and their daughter had begun to argue more frequently and more vociferously and Brennan tried to avoid being part of the exchange between the pair if she could help it. To accomplish that she usually remained out of sight. "You were explaining in a very loud voice."

"Well he was yelling too." Christine huffed and plopped down on the bed facing her mother. "He never lets me do anything. He wants to treat me like a child. I'm fourteen years old. I am not a child anymore." Staring at her mother, she tried to gauge what her mother thought of the situation and realized that her mother wasn't going to volunteer her feelings on the matter. "Come on Mom, you know he still treats me like I'm a child and it's maddening. You have to see that."

Her daughter was determined to involve her in the argument, so Brennan decided to accommodate her. "You are a child Christine. Fourteen is considered a child in this country. You will not be considered an adult until you reach the age of consent which is eighteen."

"I knew it, you're taking his side." Christine folded her arms against her chest and glared at her mother. "You always take his side."

And this is why I prefer to avoid becoming involved in Booth and Christine's arguments. "You invited me into the conversation and I presented you with the facts." Brennan saw the scowl on her daughter's face and knew that it was possible that an argument was about to ensue and she wasn't really interested in accommodating her child. "You asked your father if you could stay at the mall until it closes tonight with your friends. He told you that it wasn't possible since we're going to Cam's house tomorrow morning for a day long barbeque and he wants to make sure everyone is up in a timely fashion in the morning. That should have been the end of the conversation, Christine. You are the child and Booth is the adult."

"It wouldn't hurt anything for me to hang out with my friends until the mall closes." Christine could see that once more she was being treated poorly by her parents.

She had known that raising teenagers was going to be stressful at times, but lately Christine was determined to upset both of her parents as much as possible. "It is our responsibility to set rules in this house and you and Hank must abide by them. If you stayed until it closed, the earliest you would be home would be 10:30. By the time you bathed and went to bed it would be around eleven or so. We plan to get up at seven tomorrow morning, eat breakfast, do some house cleaning and then go over to Cam's house and help her and Arastoo set up their barbeque. You know that you hate to get up early on the weekend and if you go to bed too late the task will be even more onerous than usual. You are not very pleasant when you wake up in the morning."

The argument was lost and the girl knew it. "Why does Dad just leave when he's angry with me? It's unfair that he does that. For once I'd like him to stick around long enough for us to hash out our argument, just once."

Hesitating, Brennan stared at the album in her hands and finally made a decision. "You are growing up and you are approaching adulthood. Perhaps you are old enough to understand what I am about to tell you . . . I don't think your father ever intended to tell you what I am about to say, but I think you deserve to know more about your father's past. I think it will help you to understand his motives better."

Intrigued, Christine placed her hands on her knees and stared in curiosity at her mother. "I remember when he was gone that summer when I was five. I did some research last year and I know what happened to him and why. It was really awful and poor Uncle Sweets . . ."

"I applaud your initiative Christine, you were curious and you found a way to get the information you were seeking, but I wish to speak to you about something else."

The girl nodded her head to encourage her mother to continue.

Her daughter's attention focused on her, Brennan grimly spoke about Booth's childhood. "When Booth was a child he lived in a house of sadness. His father drank alcohol to excess and he was abusive towards his children and his wife." The look of shock on Christine's face worried Brennan, but she had started a conversation that had to be finished. "His mother ran away after being severely hurt and that left your father and his brother at the mercy of an abusive drunk . . . Booth was repeatedly beaten by his father and to some extent so was Jared . . . When Booth was ten years old his grandfather found out what his son was doing to his grandchildren and took them away from Edwin . . . Your father has tried his best to be nothing like his father. He has never struck you or me for that matter. He has a temper and when it is pushed too far, he leaves so that he may calm down. He is afraid that he might harm you or Hank if he stays. I know he would never do that, but he doesn't completely trust himself. Your father is a good man and he is gentle with his family. He loves us and he would never hurt us, but he is afraid he could . . . he is the son of an abuser and that cycle is very hard to break. Booth and Jared broke from that cycle, but it still worries your father, so he leaves . . . do you understand? He leaves because he loves you very much and he wants to protect you."

Taking in her mother's words, Christine thought about what her father had gone through as a boy and she knew that her complaints about her parents lately were beyond the mark. They were always kind to her even when she made mistakes, finding a punishment that usually furthered her knowledge in some way. Neither had ever hit her or her brother and the most she had to complain about was the fact that her father yelled at her when he was frustrated and she was being stubborn. She knew she was stubborn, but her Aunt Cam said it was a family trait and it was something they all had to live with. "Gosh Mom, I didn't know."

"I hope you don't mention this to your father. I think it would embarrass him." Brennan heard the front door open and close. "I think Booth is back." Placing the album on the chair after she stood up, Brennan pointed at the doorway. "Perhaps you and your father can now finish the conversation calmly and with restraint."

Booth entered the room and glanced at his wife and then his child. "Christine, I didn't mean to yell at you, but you weren't listening to anything I said. You were talking over me and I needed you to hear me."

"I know, Dad." Christine gave her father a smile. "It's too late to go to the mall now anyway. I think I'm going to go see if Hank wants to play a video game with me."

After she left the room, Booth leaned against the dresser and shook his head. "I am never going to understand that kid. One moment she's angry as a hornet with me and the next minute she's talking about playing games. You know I don't remember being that way as a teenager, but maybe I was. Who knows?"

Moving over to where Booth was, Brennan kissed his cheek and smiled. "Life is very interesting with teenagers in the house. I thought our children were fascinating as toddlers, but now I see that the teenage years are going to be very interesting indeed. I may even eventually write a paper about them."

"Interesting . . . if you say so." Booth straightened up and glanced at the album on the chair. "Looking at baby pictures again?"

Brennan shook her head. "No, I was looking at the pictures you have from when you were a child. You were a handsome child."

"Thank you." Booth reached for his wife and pulled her into his embrace. "So want to make out?"

After she kissed him, Brennan patted his chest. "Maybe later when the children are asleep. For now, I'd like to play a board game with you. We haven't done that in weeks and I'd like to do that. It is very relaxing."

"Sure, why not?" Booth followed Brennan down the hallway. "Not chess though. I never win."

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.