The Picture House (6/6) Fandom: Bones
Title:The Picture House (6/6)
Fandom: Bones
Rating: pg-13
Character(s): Temperence Brennan
Pairings: None
Spoilers: None
Summary: Brennan finds a picture of herself as a 16 year old that catalyses memories. How did she end up there, and what happened along the way? --- Bones is foster care story
Warnings: None in this chapter
June 1993
She sat in the front yard, looking at Greg playing around with his camera. He had bought it the same day he'd turned eighteen and was now trying to figure out how to take the best shots. She looked at the daycare across the street and watched the children play. She hated the fact that they too would grow up and find that the world wasn't the magical one they created in their minds as toddlers.
She heard the cheers, the laughter, the cries and the mindless chatter from where she was sitting on the curb across the street. Even though it made her sad, she could help but smile as a three year old stood on the other side of the fence looking at the two of them, his mouth was hanging open as he himself half hung on the fence. In ten years time that child would be thirteen and probably already seen enough to be robbed his innocence.
She looked over at Greg as he frowned.
"Where are you going now?" she asked, leaning back and resting on her elbows.
"Don't know, need to get a job... my uncle has finally realized that I'm worth something and has offered a job for me" she nodded and looked back at the small boy.
"Where...?" he shrugged.
"Somewhere in Texas" he replied shortly, and she sat up.
"So when are you leaving?" he looked her in the eyes and kissed her quickly on the lips. She sighed. This was their relationship, they hardly ever talked, she knew nothing about him. Maybe that was the best because the idea of him leaving didn't hurt so much
The months had passed quickly, and the summer heat had arrived shortly. Nothing was new to her anymore, or so it felt, so she wasn't as scared as before. In January she took her first self-defence classes, and she'd loved it, and when the course ended she singed up for karate and when she had more money she would sign up for judo too. She was stronger now, she didn't feel the need to cry so much anymore, she could survive alone, she had done for so long. It was comforting knowing that.
"I want to take a picture of you" he said suddenly, the words were slightly muffled since he had a cigarette in his mouth. He picked up the camera and quickly snapped a shot before she even had anytime to react. She frowned and shook her head.
There were many things in life that confused her, but she was content knowing what she did. Maybe she was awkward and all, but being social didn't really appeal to her. Once again she looked at the small children that ran around on the grass across the street. She had lived in seven different homes the past year, each name carved into her left foot shoe, reminding her of where she had been and who had taken care of her. There were so many names, they built up and was then forgotten, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to forget. This was forming her to become a person that wouldn't get hurt, wouldn't need to be taken care of. Foster care had taught her to take care of herself.
She was her own caretaker, she might as well have been eighteen, since she was already one in a crowd of many. It was something that you realize when you do something new, somewhere you haven't been before, and you realize that the world has never revolved around you, that these people have always existed without her knowing. It was strange thinking of all the people in the world, and the fact that they were thinking creatures too. Fascinating.
She turned to look at Greg as he put his cigarette out. She hated it when he smoked because when he kissed her the taste was awful.
"Y'know? I'm glad I met you Tepp" he stated, and she looked up at him, finding him watching her. She waited for him to continue, the words hanging in the air. She wanted to ask why he was glad about it, but it felt like a sad question. She nodded slowly after a while.
"Temperence! Mr J just called, he wants to talk to you" a girl shouted from the door, and she groaned quietly. Mr J, or Mr Jenkins which was his actual name, was her lawyer. He was free spoken and had an open body language, constantly waving his arms when proving his point- except in court, there he was put together and slightly up tight. He was good, but not too good.
She stood up and walked quickly inside. It was dark inside, and after being in the sun for so long it felt even darker as she made her way to the phone.
She picked up the plastic device and curtly said hello.
It had gone a long time since she was assaulted, and she still had nightmares about it, no mater how much she told herself it was over and done with. The rape was another thing that was constantly in the back of her mind, waiting for a moment of weakness to come and bring her tumbling down. Mike was gone when she return, had gone to prison for sexual assault and then raping another girl. She often wondered if she could've stopped it by reporting her rape, but she doubted it since she didn't think anyone would listen to a foster kid.
He told her that they needed her to testify one last time before the verdict, it was important so that George would get the sentence he deserved. But she couldn't. The last time she had felt so lost, so out of place, she felt that they violated her, told her that she had herself to blame for taking that piece of bread without anyone saying she could. She felt like a criminal, she didn't want to feel that again.
She hung up the phone and walked to the door, looking at Greg sitting on the curb. She didn't feel anything for him, and maybe that was good. When a girl walked by she didn't even feel jealous as he sized her up and down. No, she was comfortable with him, that was all. It didn't hurt thinking about his departure, because this time she hadn't allowed herself to get attached.
In the future she even doubted she would remember him, her first boyfriend. She knew this whole time would be filled with fuzzy memories, because that's what the brain does, deletes sad memories, mix them together and make them impossible to sort out. It's a defence mechanism, to keep us living and happy. But the feelings can't be erased, and that would become the thing that will prevent her from becoming what society expects her to be. There were too many bumps and she had to fall at some point, she was only waiting for the time to get pulled up.
She wouldn't have continued going if she knew it was going to take 13 years for that to happen.
2008
She sat down on her couch, in her own apartment. She was older now, wiser, happier maybe. That photo was so simple yet held so many secrets, she couldn't believe that it was her. Behind the camera was Greg, and she remembered that day, it was the last day she saw him, three weeks later she found that picture on her pillow. Maybe he had a copy or he didn't want to remember her, but now she had the only photo of her during the time she was in foster care.
32 years felt like so much when she saw herself as 16. Her world had been turned upside down so many times that she didn't know which way was up and down, she still didn't. The world hadn't got any less cruel as the years went by, if not more, and she got tougher, thick skinned as she heard Booth say once.
She had friends now, people who cared and called her when they knew something was up, people who understood that she didn't like Christmas and why. The why was important. She put the photo down onto the coffee table, she didn't need to run from her past anymore, she had people to bring her up when she was down.
Fandom: Bones
Rating: pg-13
Character(s): Temperence Brennan
Pairings: None
Spoilers: None
Summary: Brennan finds a picture of herself as a 16 year old that catalyses memories. How did she end up there, and what happened along the way? --- Bones is foster care story
Warnings: None in this chapter
June 1993
She sat in the front yard, looking at Greg playing around with his camera. He had bought it the same day he'd turned eighteen and was now trying to figure out how to take the best shots. She looked at the daycare across the street and watched the children play. She hated the fact that they too would grow up and find that the world wasn't the magical one they created in their minds as toddlers.
She heard the cheers, the laughter, the cries and the mindless chatter from where she was sitting on the curb across the street. Even though it made her sad, she could help but smile as a three year old stood on the other side of the fence looking at the two of them, his mouth was hanging open as he himself half hung on the fence. In ten years time that child would be thirteen and probably already seen enough to be robbed his innocence.
She looked over at Greg as he frowned.
"Where are you going now?" she asked, leaning back and resting on her elbows.
"Don't know, need to get a job... my uncle has finally realized that I'm worth something and has offered a job for me" she nodded and looked back at the small boy.
"Where...?" he shrugged.
"Somewhere in Texas" he replied shortly, and she sat up.
"So when are you leaving?" he looked her in the eyes and kissed her quickly on the lips. She sighed. This was their relationship, they hardly ever talked, she knew nothing about him. Maybe that was the best because the idea of him leaving didn't hurt so much
The months had passed quickly, and the summer heat had arrived shortly. Nothing was new to her anymore, or so it felt, so she wasn't as scared as before. In January she took her first self-defence classes, and she'd loved it, and when the course ended she singed up for karate and when she had more money she would sign up for judo too. She was stronger now, she didn't feel the need to cry so much anymore, she could survive alone, she had done for so long. It was comforting knowing that.
"I want to take a picture of you" he said suddenly, the words were slightly muffled since he had a cigarette in his mouth. He picked up the camera and quickly snapped a shot before she even had anytime to react. She frowned and shook her head.
There were many things in life that confused her, but she was content knowing what she did. Maybe she was awkward and all, but being social didn't really appeal to her. Once again she looked at the small children that ran around on the grass across the street. She had lived in seven different homes the past year, each name carved into her left foot shoe, reminding her of where she had been and who had taken care of her. There were so many names, they built up and was then forgotten, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to forget. This was forming her to become a person that wouldn't get hurt, wouldn't need to be taken care of. Foster care had taught her to take care of herself.
She was her own caretaker, she might as well have been eighteen, since she was already one in a crowd of many. It was something that you realize when you do something new, somewhere you haven't been before, and you realize that the world has never revolved around you, that these people have always existed without her knowing. It was strange thinking of all the people in the world, and the fact that they were thinking creatures too. Fascinating.
She turned to look at Greg as he put his cigarette out. She hated it when he smoked because when he kissed her the taste was awful.
"Y'know? I'm glad I met you Tepp" he stated, and she looked up at him, finding him watching her. She waited for him to continue, the words hanging in the air. She wanted to ask why he was glad about it, but it felt like a sad question. She nodded slowly after a while.
"Temperence! Mr J just called, he wants to talk to you" a girl shouted from the door, and she groaned quietly. Mr J, or Mr Jenkins which was his actual name, was her lawyer. He was free spoken and had an open body language, constantly waving his arms when proving his point- except in court, there he was put together and slightly up tight. He was good, but not too good.
She stood up and walked quickly inside. It was dark inside, and after being in the sun for so long it felt even darker as she made her way to the phone.
She picked up the plastic device and curtly said hello.
It had gone a long time since she was assaulted, and she still had nightmares about it, no mater how much she told herself it was over and done with. The rape was another thing that was constantly in the back of her mind, waiting for a moment of weakness to come and bring her tumbling down. Mike was gone when she return, had gone to prison for sexual assault and then raping another girl. She often wondered if she could've stopped it by reporting her rape, but she doubted it since she didn't think anyone would listen to a foster kid.
He told her that they needed her to testify one last time before the verdict, it was important so that George would get the sentence he deserved. But she couldn't. The last time she had felt so lost, so out of place, she felt that they violated her, told her that she had herself to blame for taking that piece of bread without anyone saying she could. She felt like a criminal, she didn't want to feel that again.
She hung up the phone and walked to the door, looking at Greg sitting on the curb. She didn't feel anything for him, and maybe that was good. When a girl walked by she didn't even feel jealous as he sized her up and down. No, she was comfortable with him, that was all. It didn't hurt thinking about his departure, because this time she hadn't allowed herself to get attached.
In the future she even doubted she would remember him, her first boyfriend. She knew this whole time would be filled with fuzzy memories, because that's what the brain does, deletes sad memories, mix them together and make them impossible to sort out. It's a defence mechanism, to keep us living and happy. But the feelings can't be erased, and that would become the thing that will prevent her from becoming what society expects her to be. There were too many bumps and she had to fall at some point, she was only waiting for the time to get pulled up.
She wouldn't have continued going if she knew it was going to take 13 years for that to happen.
2008
She sat down on her couch, in her own apartment. She was older now, wiser, happier maybe. That photo was so simple yet held so many secrets, she couldn't believe that it was her. Behind the camera was Greg, and she remembered that day, it was the last day she saw him, three weeks later she found that picture on her pillow. Maybe he had a copy or he didn't want to remember her, but now she had the only photo of her during the time she was in foster care.
32 years felt like so much when she saw herself as 16. Her world had been turned upside down so many times that she didn't know which way was up and down, she still didn't. The world hadn't got any less cruel as the years went by, if not more, and she got tougher, thick skinned as she heard Booth say once.
She had friends now, people who cared and called her when they knew something was up, people who understood that she didn't like Christmas and why. The why was important. She put the photo down onto the coffee table, she didn't need to run from her past anymore, she had people to bring her up when she was down.