"How's Parker?", Brennan asked. She hadn't been able to go to the airport with Booth.
Booth shook his head. "He says he's fine, but I know better. He's still upset about leaving Meredith to come back to the States."
"Did he tell you that?"
"He didn't have to. I could see it in his eyes. He's taking it hard."
"He knew this was going to happen….that he had to move back to the US."
"Yes, he knew, Bones, but that doesn't make it any easier. Meredith was his first real love, and it's painful for him to have to give her up."
Brennan nodded. "I remember my first love...Scott Morrison….I had to leave him when I went into foster care. I cried excessively over him."
"My first love was Marianne Moreno. She was gorgeous….long black hair, big brown eyes…" Booth sighed. "I left St. Anne's school after eighth grade and went to public high school. Marianne went to parochial high school. She's got six kids now."
"Do you think Parker will be able to get over this loss in his life, Booth?"
"Yeah, but it'll take some time. We've got to let him grieve for a bit first, but he'll come around in time, and eventually he'll find someone new."
"Anthropologically speaking, having a first love is a rite of passage. It's another step toward adulthood, teaching us about love and loss, and preparing us to love someone else."
Booth put his arms around his wife. "That's really deep, Bones. So Marianne Moreno and Scott Morrison prepared us to love each other?"
She smiled. "Yes, and so did everyone else we've loved. It made us see what we really wanted...and we recognized that in each other."
Booth kissed her. "Yes, we did...and I'm thankful for that every day."