Disclaimer: Not mine, you know that I know that but everyone can pretend once in a while right?
Summary: "Nice one Romeo, I think you just blew the catch of the year" "Try the century"
Author's Notes: As some of you may know I was rather dubious about writing this never mind posting it. Teen fiks aren't really my thing, I'll read them but mostly only in the Buffy fandom with the LA gang and Angel and Spike human and in school as well… meh I'm rambling. Then I got inspired to right this by a song I was listening to that I will be using at some point in this fik.
So here you are. AU obviously as we all know that half of what's gonna happen here (if not all of it) never happened. I will try and keep everyone as in character as possible but there may well be some… I'll try.
I don't know anything about Booth's family but I decided to make it up so just go with it. His parents I have named… James or 'Jim' and Diana or 'Di' they're just nice names and I think his parents would be nice people so…
IMPORTANT: Mack Winters, if you have read anything leading on from Flick of the Switch you will know who he is. For those who don't, he's a character of my own making, a FBI agent that is also a friend of Booth's. Personally I really like him and so I decided to use him in most of my other Bones fictions as well. You do NOT need to have read any of my other fanfictions to understand this. Oh and (obviously) in this he isn't an agent, he's the same age as Booth.
A special thanks to butterflygoodbye without whom I could never have written this
Chapter 1: First Impressions.
It wasn't cold outside but still she kept her arms wrapped round herself in a self hug she had become used to giving herself without a second thought. Sat in the back seat of the car with her fourth set of foster parents in six months sat in comfortable silence.
No music permeated the car, the over-enthusiastic tones of the radio presenters that she had listened to in her real parent's car were not coming from the speakers. There was no noise.
Shifting her hold slightly she glanced to the right where one of the many black bags that held her belongings sat. She was beginning to hate those bags, they meant movement, leaving what she was used to and although change was not something she feared it wasn't something she welcomed.
Where are they? The tears that she was always teetering on the edge of were making themselves known again and she stared out the window, closing her eyes and biting her bottom lip to force them back. Mom and dad missing without a trace and Russ… he'd promised he would always be there, always, he'd gone too.
"You okay back there Princess?" her new foster father asked, glancing in the rear view mirror.
Princess, what kind of nickname is Princess? She nodded "I'm fine thank you," she said politely. No point telling him she wasn't fine was there?
That she couldn't be further from. That all she wanted to do was crawl into a hole and cry for all eternity. That she didn't want to go home with them, she didn't want to be someone else's daughter and she didn't want to be called anything other than Temperance or at a push, Tempe.
"Here we are," Diana announced as they pulled up outside a nice looking house in a street full of other nice looking houses.
Following Diana's example Temperance opened the car door and closed it, staring up at yet another new home, in yet another new neighbourhood, with yet more new parents.
"What'd you think?' James asked, opening the right back door and pulling out her bag.
"It's nice," she spoke quietly. It wouldn't be long before she was back in the orphanage again so what did it matter if she liked it or not?
"Why don't you go in and have a look with Di, I'll get your things," James smiled, sympathetically at her and she fought back the urge to glare at him.
She did not want sympathy, instead she replied "I can help" she went to the now open trunk and went to pick up a bag but was stopped.
"Don't worry about it," he brushed the back of his hand across her cheek in a sign of affection "I'm sorry about your parents Princess, but we'll try and do right by them I promise,"
Too choked up by yet another mention of her parents in the past tense she simply nodded and went back to hugging herself before obediently following Diana inside.
Why did people do that? How did anyone know what the missing or deceased would want? Did someone ask them? No it was simple guesswork that was used by people who felt pity and sympathy and were under the illusion that mere words would heal the gaping wounds that grief caused.
"This is the lounge, we usually have Family Movie Night on a Thursday, over there is the kitchen and the dining room. Upstairs there are the bedrooms and the bathroom…"
Temperance nodded, barely taking in what was being said to her. The room was nice. Cosy. Warm colours and pictures adorned the furniture and a soft light illuminated photographs on the mantel, which she did not spare more than a glance.
"…Would you like to see your room?" Diana asked and smiled fondly when Temperance jumped from her reverie.
"If that's okay," she nodded and tried not to shy away as Diana put a motherly hand on her back and guided her upstairs.
"Here you are, between the bathroom James and my room. Do you want to be left alone for a while? I'll get James to bring your things straight up,"
"That would be nice," Temperance gave her a tiny smile and as Diana was half way downstairs "thank you,"
Diana smiled back and nodded her acceptance before continuing her descent.
Temperance turned to the door and taking a breath turned the handle, stepping into 'her' room.
It was simple enough, a bed, a desk, a chair and a closet. The carpet was a deep red and soft looking, the walls a very pale cream colour and the curtains matched the carpet. The bedspread was a dark blue and the bed itself did look very comfortable.
"I'll just pop your things here okay?"
Temperance turned to see James stood in the doorway, a bag in each hand, she nodded yet again and he smiled at her "you like it?"
Seeing the hope in the man's face she couldn't help but give a half smile "It's very nice. Thank you,"
James rolled his eyes playfully "there's no need to thank us. You're family,"
Temperance started. Family? No one had said that to her, her biological family had never had to obviously and no 'family' since had said any such thing to her "I think I can do that," she smiled fully now, not grinning just a quirk of her lips that passed as a smile.
James chuckled "there's two more to come, I'll just bring them up now,"
Temperance turned back to survey her new bedroom as he left before turning to face her bags. Maybe this time wasn't going to be so bad.
"Coffee?" Diana got up off the couch and glanced at her husband who was surfing channels on the television.
"Sure,"
Diana went to the kitchen and turned the coffee machine on as she got two mugs from the cupboard.
"Hey mom," he slung his bag on the floor.
"Nice day at school?" she asked and shook her head and laughed as her son pulled a face at her and went through to the lounge.
"Hi dad," he sat on the couch as well "what're you watching?" but no sooner had he asked that and the TV was turned off and his father turned to him with a serious expression on his face.
"Seeley, there's something we need to tell you-" James began but frowned when he realised his son was staring straight past him.
"Who's the babe?"
She could do this right? All it was, was asking for a bulb to put in the lamp on her desk which they seemed to have forgotten to put in but what if…
What if what? This was stupid, she was stupid.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs she tentatively turned the corner into the lounge and was met by the darkest set of chocolate coloured eyes she had ever seen. Shame the belonged the same person who spoke first.
"Who's the babe?"
"Too you? Off limits," she quipped before turning to go back upstairs, this could wait, she could do without it, she had a few dollars in her purse, she could go out later and buy -
"Hang on Temperance," Diana said, shooting a disapproving look at her son.
Temperance turned back and avoided looking at the chocolate-eyed boy completely.
"We'd like you to meet our son," James said, getting to his feet "Seeley. Seeley meet your new foster sister. Temperance Brennan,"
The door was open when he passed else he would never have … okay he would.
So a foster sister huh? He could live with that. Well he could live with her.
"You do know that spying on someone isn't the best way to apologise," she said without turning from sorting through her clothes on the bed.
He jumped and gave a rather startled look, glancing round to check no one saw him. He regained his composure though as she did turn to face him "who says I had an apology on my mind?" he grinned at her and despite her earlier summary of him this only served as fuel to the fire he'd sparked on their meeting.
Rolling her eyes she strolled across the room, stepping over one of the bags and standing in front of him, opening her mouth to say something before she shut the door in his face when she couldn't think of anything to say. So she was wrong. Maybe it was going to be that bad.
Author's Notes: Booth was… well I have trouble writing adult him so fifteen year old him is like… a whole different world, it's just how it came out and he hasn't done much yet so give me a time before you call the verdict. I am working on Love. Life. Eternity. but writer's block is such a downer ain't it?