Often Quoted Quotes Quoted One More Time

By: Lesera128

Rated: T (for now)

Disclaimer: I own nothing... Obviously. Just playing in someone else's sandbox for a bit.

Summary: A series of linked but very AU one-shots that pose a glimpse at Booth and Brennan's relationship from perspectives inspired by famous BB quotes.

A/N: Events up through season 5's finale "The Beginning in the End" can be considered canon. We will be veering off into jarringly different A/U terrain from the end of that episode forward. Just FYI. As ever, annoying flames will be fed to my pet dragon. A good piece of advice... if you don't like the story (be it premise, writing style, plot, characterization, or INSERT RANDOM GRIPE HERE), stop reading, and hit the back button. It's that simple. :)~

Prologue – "Mysteries I Will Never Understand"

Quote: "Two plus two equals four; I put sugar in my coffee and it tastes sweet; the sun comes up because the world turns. These things are beautiful to me. There are mysteries I will never understand... But, everywhere I look, I see proof that for every effect, there is a corresponding cause, even if I can't see it. I find that reassuring."

"I do not believe in prophetic dreams or visions."

"So that rules out that you're sleeping or are in a trance," the lightly teasing reply came.

"I do not believe in spirits or the afterlife."

"You're your father's daughter in that one… if there's no evidence, if something isn't quantifiable, it's not real... or most probably doesn't exist. At least by the end, I had Max conceding to me that at the very least rational thought should acknowledge that his assumptions might be wrong… but, I know *you* didn't always believe that, Temperance. There is some of what *I* taught you running around in that beautiful mind of yours…."

"I do believe in hallucinations… brought on by a drug-induced state, lack of sleep, extreme emotional trauma, or physical malformation."

"So, by process of elimination that makes me… a hallucination?" the teasing came once more.

"Yes, by process of elimination, the empirical data suggests that for some unknown reason I am hallucinating the image of my dead mother in my bedroom at 3 o'clock in the morning," said Dr. Temperance Brennan, a hint of relief creeping into her voice as she completed her analysis of what many might consider a bewildering experience. However, looking up at the woman who stood at the edge of her bed, a frown of annoyance broke through her newly attained satisfied calm as she glanced at her clock. "Of course, despite what ever cause has resulted in this hallucination, I cannot help by find myself annoyed that it chose to occur three hours before I have to awaken to prepare for a twenty-two hour flight in the company of a very talkative and very exhausting person named Daisy Wick."

The visage of Christine Brennan frowned at those words before she nodded in her daughter's direction. "If you feel more comfortable calling me a hallucination, that's fine with me, Temperance. You know I never would have been able to marry a man like your father if I never learned to choose my battles. The important part that you will take away from this conversation is the content of what I have to tell you."

Brennan's lips pursed as she narrowed her stare and nodded. "And what would that be?"

"Purely for curiosity's sake?" her mother chuckled, somehow having recognized the look on Brennan's face.

For the first time, Brennan paled a bit as she recalled the phrase her mother had often used when indulging her daughter by answering a string of rapid-fire questions when she was a child. Slowly, she nodded. "Yes. Purely… for curiosity's sake."

"Okay," Christine said as she took a step towards Brennan and sat down on the bed. "Then, purely for curiosity's sake, I'm going to tell you some things that wonderfully rational mind of yours isn't going to like one little bit, Temperance, But… but, they're things you need to hear no matter how much you are going to dislike what they mean."

"And that would be?" Brennan prompted.

Nodding her head, Christine continued, "Purely for curiosity's sake… let's just say I could give you a few hints about what's going to happen in the next sixteen months of your life. Most of it's interesting, a fair amount is very painful, and more things than you would ever admit are going to come as a surprise. That's not to say good doesn't come with the bad… eventually… and that will be the choice you'll have to make. But, tomorrow morning, right before you get on that plane to Indonesia, you will set into motion a series of events that will…."

-TBC-