Disclaimer: Oh yeah, I have Bones! Yep. I really do! No kidding! 206 of them!

AN: Thanks to everyone for the reviews! I do take note of who reviews, and I keep an eye out for their stories. –Wink–

So, anyway, I was thinking the other day about what kind of tattoo I'm going to get, and I came up with this story.

Dedicated to our family friend. We're with you every step of the way.

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The two partners sat on the floor of Brennan's office, sorting and signing paperwork. Booth had brought doughnuts for them to share and as he grabbed another glazed pastry, he pulled himself up onto the couch.

"Almost done, Bones?" he asked, taking a bite of his newly attained possession.

Temperance licked her fingers free of what was left from her previous snack. "Just a little bit longer." She shuffled through some papers before setting them aside. The Krispy Kream box was a couple feet in front of her, so she had to lean forward to reach the desired doughnuts.

Booth casually glanced down at his partner as she reached for the pink box and caught sight of a flash of color hovering above the waistband of her jeans. His mouth dropped open as he tried to speak, but no words formed. Finally, as she sat back up against the couch, he found his voice.

"Bones…you have a tattoo?" he asked loudly.

Her doughnut froze halfway on its ascent to her mouth. "Maybe…"

Booth's lips turned upward into a sly grin. "Since when?"

Sighing, she moved up to the couch next to him. "College."

"Were you drunk?"

"Nope."

"High?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Perfectly sober?"

"Yep."

"Huh…" He nodded slowly.

"What?" Temperance asked, her blue eyes focused on the agent's face.

"I just never really thought that you were the kind of person that would get a tattoo."

She shrugged and finally took a bite of her doughnut. After she finished chewing, she set it down and began to tell him the story behind the marking.

"My roommate in college was a girl named Katherine; Kat for short. We became very close. And as you know, it's very rare for me to open up to someone." Booth nodded. "Half way through our sophomore year in college, she was diagnosed with breast cancer." Brennan's gaze fell to the ground as a lone tear started to trickle down her cheek. "The doctor…the doctor told her it was terminal, and that she had only about a year to live." She drew in a ragged breath. "That last year was hard. Kat decided to drop out of college. We stayed in contact for a while before I received a letter from her parents…" As she wiped her face free of tears, Booth felt his heart ache. "Kat…died, on September 20th that year. She was just…so young. I couldn't…" She shook her head. "I didn't know how to honor her existence. After a month or two of mourning, I made a decision. I found a tattoo parlor and got a tattoo in remembrance." The tears were freefalling now.

Booth placed his hand around her shoulders and pulled her closer, not saying a word and knowing it was enough. Temperance let her head fall on his shoulder until she had taken control of her emotions once more.

"Did you…want to see it?" she asked, wiping her eyes again. He nodded, curious of what it looked like. She turned in her seat and lifted up the back of her shirt to reveal a mourning fairy resting on a yellow crescent moon, her head hanging down in sadness and her black hair hiding her face from view. Her dress was pale lavender and flowed down around her legs. Three red stars were placed in a curved line off to the top right of the picture. Booth tried to conjure up the meaning of the stars. As if in answer, Brennan added: "The three stars represent the three years that we knew each other. They're red because that was her favorite color."

He ran his fingers gently over the vibrant colors, resulting in a chill running up her back.

"It's beautiful…" Booth said finally, still gazing at it. Temperance nodded as she let her shirt fall back into place and turned to face him again.

"Just like her…" She said, forcing a smile.

"Yeah…" he answered, staring at his partner "Just like her."But he was not referring to Kat.

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An abrupt ending, I know. Please review.