Later that evening, after the company had gone, Reagan sat in hers and Andrew's room. She had asked to be alone for a little while before bed so that she could organize her thoughts.

The realization that her mother blamed her for the death of her little sister had hit her harder than she thought it would. How could someone blame a child for something that she had no control over? How could a mother do that?

Reagan looked down to her flat stomach and gently placed a hand there. "Whatever happens, I promise that I'll never blame you for something that isn't your fault. I don't want you to grow up like I did, I want you to know that I'll always love you, and that your daddy will always love you, and that everyone in your life will love you." She wiped tears from her face, trying to cover up the fact that she was hurt more than she had ever been before.

Andrew, who had been waiting outside the door, knocked before coming in. He looked at his fiancée and frowned as he saw the tears that were streaming down her face. "Are you okay, Ray?"

"I'm going to be fine, sweetie."

"Want to tell me what went on today?"

"I wish I never had to relive it again, but it's your right to know." Reagan paused before continuing. "When I was eight years old, my mother told me she hated me."

"Oh, Reagan. She…"

"Just wait until I'm finished, alright?" She said, sharply cutting him off. "I only want to go through this once. She hates me because she blames me for the death of my little sister."

"You had a little sister?"

"Yeah, I did, but I don't ever remember having one. Mom said that she was on her way to one of my science fairs and she wasn't paying attention, and she was trying to hurry to get to the school. When she changed lanes, she was hit by another car. My little sister died and my mother said that if she hadn't been hurrying to my science fair, then my little sister would be alive."

"You had nothing to do with it. She's the one who didn't look before she changed lanes. So is this why you and your mom are so weird around each other?"

"Yeah, I guess it is. I didn't know what I was accused of doing, all I knew is that she loved me one day and hated me the next. It was a tough pill to swallow at eight."

"I'm so sorry, Ray. No one should ever be blamed for something like this. I…I don't know what to say or do, but tell me and I'll do my best to make it better." He wiped the tears off her cheeks and smiled at her softly.

"Things will be better. I couldn't have asked for anything more now. I have you, we're getting married, and…" her voice trailed off.

"And what?"

"Well, I haven't given you your birthday present yet. I just realized it."

"You didn't have to get me anything."

"Hey, you proposed to me on my birthday, I had to do something. Wait here for a minute." Reagan got up quickly and went into their closet. She came back out holding a piece of paper, and handed it to him. "Happy Birthday, Andrew."

Andrew's eyes scanned the piece of paper once, widened, and then scanned the paper again. "Is this for real?"

"Of course, see the signature on the bottom? Proof from the Doctor that this is valid."

"So I'm…I'm…"

"You're going to be a dad in about seven months, I'd say." Andrew stood up and pulled her into his arms.

"This is the best birthday present ever."

"I thought it would be."

"I mean, not only am I engaged to an incredibly beautiful, intelligent woman, whom I love and who loves me, but we're having a baby? Does anyone else know?"

"Nope, you're the first, other than me and the doctor of course." He stood and pulled her into his arms.

"I love you, Reagan."

"I love you too, Andrew."

ooooooo

A week later, Seeley Booth had finally found out what had happened between mother and daughter, and needless to say, he was very disappointed in his wife. Generally, he got angry with her, but this was the first time he had ever been disappointed in her actions. He couldn't believe that she blamed their baby for the accidental death of their last-born child. Booth had called Reagan once he found out what had happened, and he had a nice long conversation with her, trying to smooth things over to no avail. She wanted nothing to do with her mother until there was an apology, and he couldn't agree with her more. Temperance Brennan, as much as he loved her, was too bull headed to admit that she hadn't dealt with the death of Serena properly.

However, Booth had other issues to deal with as well. On that Monday, Temperance announced that she would be retiring at the end of the month to write more books, and that Zack would be taking her place as Director of the Medico-Legal lab. Reagan, who had taken the week off, was glad when she heard the news. She hadn't really wanted to leave forensics, so this gave her the perfect opportunity. However, with Zack being promoted, Booth had to worry about his daughter working as much as his wife had.

His life at home was mostly normal since the argument, other than the fact that there was absolutely no mentioning Reagan's name at all anymore. Every time he said something about Reagan, Temperance would just continue on as if he had said nothing. It bugged him a lot that she could just turn her back on Reagan. A daughter was supposed to have her mother there to help her plan her wedding, but he knew that it wasn't going to happen in this case. No, he had overheard Reagan and Angela talking about the wedding when he stopped by the Jeffersonian. Apparently, Reagan had already found someone who treated her like a daughter.

Booth was shocked to hear his daughter tell him that she was going to have a baby in seven months. His baby was finally having her first baby. Tears filled his eyes as she hugged him tight and made him promise not to tell her mother. She also told him that the wedding was in a month and a half, so that she could get married without having the baby show.

Reagan's wedding invitation arrived at the Booth household, addressed to Mr. Seeley Booth, completely ignoring her mother. He was invited to the wedding shower, where he watched his daughter and future son-in-law hold hands and talk to the guests. They were so in love, and reminded him so much of himself and Temperance. He knew that before the date of the wedding he had to knock some sense into his wife. She needed to get over her issues because, even though Reagan hid her feelings well, Booth knew that his little girl would be heart broken if her mother wasn't there for her wedding.