A/N Thanks RositaLG for the beta.

Oh yeah! HCGMTC

Disclaimer: Not mine.

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12 or 13 years later. . .

The President had taken the morning off the re-election campaign circuit to address the graduates at Georgetown. Since I went wherever the President did, I figured I could interview some students to gauge a reaction from the speech. I'd interviewed a few students with varying degrees earned. I approached a young man, wearing the typical black gown, his academic hood was gold, and he had a stole to denote his honors.

"Excuse me? Hi, I'm a reporter with Channel 4. My name is Hannah. Can I ask you a few questions about the commencement?"

"Sure, not a problem. . ."

"Great! Can you state your name and your degree?"

"My name is Parker Booth and I graduated with a degree in Anthropology." Booth. I didn't even recognize him. He was as tall as his father, his hair was more auburn now. His face had thinned out but there was no mistaking he was Seeley's son.

"Do you think it was mistake for the President to receive an honorary degree and speak at commencement?"

"Parks." I heard a voice call out from behind me.

"Excuse me for a moment, Hannah."

"Dad. . . Dad, over here." Parker yelled as the courtyard, full of graduates and their families. He put up his hand so his father could see him. Once in close range, he spoke to his father, "I'm getting interviwed about the commencement."

"Great! Where are the girls? Is your mother with them?" He asked then turned to look at me. "Hannah? Wow! It's been a long, long time. . . How are you?"

"I'm great, thanks! I'm the Chief White House Correpsondent for Channel 4. So, I follow the President around the campaign circuit. And you?" I turned back to Parker. "We don't have to do this, seems you have some celebrating to do with the family."

Seeley was about to respond when more voices came up behind us. I just moved to the side and watched family and friends descend on the recent graduate.

"Parks, Congratulations! We're closer to getting ice cream and pie." A brown haired, pig-tailed little girl stated. She wrapped her hands around him.

"Thanks, Luce! We should probably eat lunch first, huh?" He hugged her right back.

Another brown-haired girl approached, she looked about 12 or 13. She had that Booth grin. "Congratulations, bro! So proud of you. Love you." Another hug.

"Thanks! Love you too, Hadley. I'll be moving back home, again! Aren't you lucky?" She glanced at Seeley.

A blonde woman next to the girls started talking. "How do I have son that's old enough to graduate from college? I'm so proud of you, babe." She grabbed his face and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks, Mom. So that makes you…?"

His mother interrupted, "Don't finish that sentence, Parker Booth!"

"We are so proud of you, Bub!"

"I know. . . Thanks, Dad. Couldn't have done it without you." Seeley embraced him son and held him for a minute. I noticed a platinum band on his ring finger.

Another voice called out, "Parker? Booth?" That throaty, low voice, I recognized it. Temperance Brennan.

"I apologize for being detained. I saw some colleagues from El Salvador. They insisted on hooking up. Rebecca was nice enough to take the girls for me. Did I miss pictures?"

"Catching up, Bones. Catching up. How could we start without you?"

"Parker, congratulations on your degree. Your academic rigor is to be applauded. I'm very proud of you." She hugged him. "I find it comical that the only child of ours to find this interesting is not mine biologically."

"Thanks, Bones! You're the reason I chose this, I've been a squint. The girls just like glitter, sparkles and princesses more." They both glanced at Seeley.

"Just because I thought Disney World was a nice break from all the dig sites we vacation at; does not mean I'm to blame." Seeley looked at his partner and smiled. "They'll come around, Bones."

Temperance just glanced at him.

Seeley slung his arm around her shoulder. Her automatic reaction was to reach up and link her hand with his. Connection. He nuzzled her neck and whispered something in her ear. She tipped her head back and let out a guffaw. None of them even noticed I'd been standing there while their conversations went around the circle. It's a funny thing, it used to be just them, you know, shutting out the world out; but the circle expanded, their family with them. Unbreakable.

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When you reflect back on you life, did you do everything you wanted to? Did you have regrets? Did you travel? Did you read or watch everything you wanted? Did you love? Did you do something crazy? Did you do buy something extravagent? Did someone love you back? Did your heart break? Did you fight for what you wanted? Did you give up? Did you turn your back on something, someone? Did you stop and smell the roses? Did you choose a life a solitude? If so, why? Did you really live?

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Photographs capture moments in time. Some go in shoe boxes, stored on basement shelves gathering dust. Others get perched in bookshelves or placed on the mantel to be viewed at anytime; making people smile, laugh or even cry conjuring up old mental images in the process. With new technology, pictures can be deleted with one key stroke. Of course, mental images can differ from the prints and make you wonder if you actually did remember. Some people do not take many pictures, relying on memories stored and shaped by them. Others always have a camera ready, creating evidence of events existing. Think of all the photographs that have been deleted and destroyed, think of the mental images replaced by others. Does that mean it never happened?

Thanks for reading and the reviews!