Graduation Day, Neptune High

[argyle_princess]

All in all, it's a pretty uneventful graduation ceremony, by Neptune standards. Which is to say, no one is arrested in the middle of it. (Say what you like about Vinnie Van Lowe, but he knows better than to interrupt the big day of the little darlings of Neptune's Who's Who just to arrest a nobody biker

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[paladinsuitsyou]

She has the out-of-town guests to prove it, too. Only they're not actually related to her.

From the way they're grinning, though, no one would ever imagine they're just friends she made at an interstellar bar.

"Do you see her?" Booth says, craning his neck to try to see under the caps. It's warm enough that kids are starting to take them off, but it's not hot enough to make them come off very quickly. Pictures must be taken, after all.

[dr_temperance]

The robes may make for a surface uniform appearance, but it only takes Brennan a moment to sort through the crowd and find one new graduate with the appropriate and familiar coloring, build, and posture.

"Right there. Over to the right," Brennan says, nodding in Hannah's direction.

She takes the lead in maneuvering down the set of bleachers.

"It was a nice ceremony, wasn't it?"

[paladinsuitsyou]

He heads in the direction she points, finally making out Hannah himself.

"Very nice," Booth says. "The speaker didn't go on for too long. The guy at my graduation was so old, I couldn't understand a word he was saying. This woman was way better."

They near the lone graduate. "You did tell her we were coming, right?"

[dr_temperance]

"She was surprisingly concise," Brennan agrees. "Her speech fell within the optimal time frame for keeping the audience's attention."

Brennan frowns over her shoulder at Booth.

"It thought you said it would be fun to surprise her."

In other words, no. Brennan didn't tell Hannah they'd be coming.

But what's a right of passage without a surprise or two?

[paladinsuitsyou]

Booth grins. "I did, didn't I?"

He ruins Hannah's moment of reverie by yelling her name. "Hannah! Hey, Hannah!"

[argyle_princess]

Hannah turns, and breaks into a very bright, very surprised smile.

"Oh my God, you came."

[dr_temperance]

Brennan reaches Hannah first. Judging from the displays of affection she sees being carried out around them, Brennan determines that, in this instance, a hug will probably not be cause for embarrassment (unlike a high school hallway).

"Of course we came," she says, giving Hannah a tight squeeze.

"Congratulations."

[argyle_princess]

Hey, Hannah has just graduated. She didn't care a whole lot what most of these people thought before, but she's now officially allowed to not care in the slightest. So Brennan is more than welcome to hug her.

"Thank you. I can't believe you came. I just . . . I figured you'd be, you know, busy catching murderers or something. But I'm so glad you're here."

[dr_temperance]

"This is important," Brennan says, as if that adequately explains it all.

And to Brennan, it does. Hannah has graduated. That is, to use an informal term, a big deal.

"Booth thought we should surprise you."

[argyle_princess]

"Well, you succeeded," Hannah says.

"Hey, Agent Booth."

[paladinsuitsyou]

"Hey, kiddo," Booth says, reaching out for his own hug.

It's not fair that Brennan get all the hugging-privileges. "Congratulations."

[argyle_princess]

Graduation is one of those no limit hugging days.

So, yes, Agent Booth can have a hug, too.

"Thank you. Welcome back to Neptune."

[paladinsuitsyou]

"Glad to be here, especially under these circumstances."

They are quite a lot more auspicious, to say the least.

"So, got big post-graduation plans?"

[argyle_princess]

"Yeah, Em and I have been talking about this since like fifth grade."

Some other people were involved in those days, but that's neither here nor there.

"Her parents have a house on the beach. Gonna build a fire, roast some marshmallows, stuff like that."

This being Neptune, it's probably safe to say that there will be things stronger than marshmallows consumed, but Hannah's not about to tell Agent Booth that.

[dr_temperance]

"Angela and Hodgins and Zach and Cam all said to say hello. And congratulations."

It's entirely likely that Hannah has received the sentiments in writing, from at least the artistic member of the squint squad, courtesy of Hallmark.

[paladinsuitsyou]

What Booth doesn't know won't hurt him. And of course he never drank alcohol under the age of 21. Not him.

"Sounds like a good time," he says.

Not much like his graduation bash (which is hazy), but a good time.