Note: This week's update is early, and brought to you due to a rescheduled flight. Also, I feel like the warning of character death should be obvious, but I'll warn you anyway.
And a note on the last one – a couple of people were upset that Booth was abandoning his child, which is unfair – he found out about the child while he was on leave from a war zone, and returned home after the child was born. He hasn't really had a chance to do anything – and B/B certainly haven't had a chance to mend any fences.
What if: Brennan meant it when she said she wasn't going to go to Booth's next funeral?
AU? No
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"Grandma Bones?"
At the sound of her name drifting up the stairs, Brennan looked up from her computer screen. She had work to do, and she certainly didn't have time for this. She hit the button to close her office door and turned her attention back to the work she was editing.
She sighed in frustration when she heard the knock on the door.
"I'm working", she called.
The door opened with a whoosh. As expected, her oldest granddaughter stood there, looking far more grown-up than usual in a somber black skirt and gray sweater, her blond hair pinned up.
"Grandma Bones." This time it was a statement, with more than a hint of impatience.
"Tell your father I'm not going", Brennan answered.
The teenager stalked towards her, hands on her hips. "He's at the airport. Aunt Chris's plane finally landed. I'm in charge of getting you ready."
"I'm not going, Claire", Brennan repeated.
"OK", her favorite grandchild answered. "But if you don't go, I'm not allowed to tell you what universities I got into."
"All of the ones you applied to, I presume", Brennan answered. "Your applications were very strong."
"Can't talk about it. In fact, I might not even tell you which one I end up going to." The young woman sat down in an empty chair and leaned back, legs stretched out in front of her with her ankles crossed.
They sat in silence for a moment, and then Brennan turned her attention back to the computer.
"I could maybe tell you one", Claire mused. "If you put on something more suitable. Maybe that blue dress? Grandpa liked that one."
"I told your grandfather years ago that I wasn't going to go to his next funeral", Brennan answered. "I see no reason to change my mind now."
"Maybe I'll skip university. The world needs plumbers. Remember when I helped Grandpa fix that pipe downstairs and we flooded the basement?"
"That's hardly a recommendation of your plumbing skills", Brennan answered.
"I was five!" Claire's voice got higher in indignation, then she remembered the task at hand and spoke more calmly. "I've learned a lot since then."
Brennan turned back to her paper as Claire pulled out her phone and started to search. "Hmm", she said. "Looks like there's a good plumbing program at a school in Oregon."
She kept her focus on her phone, talking aloud as she started to fill out the application. She reached the end and looked up, "Hey, Grandma, can I borrow your credit card for the application fee? I'll pay you back."
Brennan glared at her. "You are not going to be a plumber. You've wanted to go into forensic science since you were three."
Claire shrugged. "Maybe I didn't get in to any of the programs I applied to."
"You did." There was just a hint of doubt behind Brennan's confident statement.
"So … the blue dress?"
Brennan pushed her chair back and stomped into the bedroom.
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I'd love to hear what you think.