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.

[argyle_princess]

Hannah doesn't drink enough to make things hazy. That's dangerous.

"I think it will be. And tell them all I said thank you."

Hannah's parents have been doing the same drifting through the sea of graduates thing, separately at first, but they found easch other before they find Hannah.

They were not expecting, however, to find anyone with her.

"Hannah?" her father says.

"Dad. Mom. Um, this is Dr. Temperance Brennan and Agent Seeley Booth. And these are my parents, Steph Denenberg and Tom Griffith."

[dr_temperance]

Brennan has met Hannah's mother before, and spoken to her on more than one occasion, so it's with an easy smile that she extends her hand.

"Ms. Denenberg. It's good to see you again."

She's somewhat more reserved as she turns to Hannah's father, but no more so than might be expected at an initial meeting.

"Dr. Griffith. It's nice to meet you."

[paladinsuitsyou]

Booth also offers a hand to Hannah's mother, and a friendly smile. "It's really good to meet you."

His smile is less friendly when he turns to Hannah's father. It's still toothy, but in a way that does not warm the heart.

Booth's grip is firm. Too firm, maybe. As if he's trying to prove something. "Dr. Griffin."

[argyle_princess]

Tom's grip is not exactly weak. An unknown man in his thirties who's on any kind of hugging terms with your seventeen year old daughter is to be regarded at least a little warily.

"Mr. Booth. Dr. Brennan. Very nice to meet you both."

Steph's greetings have a lot less working under the surface. "It's good to see you, too, Dr. Brennan. And to meet you, Agent Booth. Though Hannah talks about you both so much I almost feel like I've know you both for years."

"Mom," Hannah objects. "You're making me sound like I'm about five."

[paladinsuitsyou]

Booth would praise his caution in other circumstances. Today, though, he's more interesting in sizing Dr. Tom Griffin up, to see if he's the kind of man who can stick to something once he's decided to do it.

More to the point: One who's able to stop being an addict.

"That's a parent's job," Booth says, grinning. "No matter how old you get, you're still gonna be just a kid to them."

[dr_temperance]

"Anthropologically speaking," Brennan corrects, "it's not really that the child in the equation does not age or progress--in your words, remain 'a kid.' But rather that the family dynamic retains a thin semblance of the structure of childhood in which the parents held the role of protectors and authority figures."

"The alterations are significant, of course, as the child in question moves into adulthood and takes on more of those responsibilities."

And sometimes those responsibilities are for the parents themselves. Which is something Hannah is already well versed in.

Her development, in this regard, has been accelerated.

[argyle_princess]

There's a moment when both of Hannah's parents simply stare at Brennan, and Hannah (who is used to this sort of pronouncement) tries very hard not to giggle.

It wouldn't be the responsible thing to do.

Everyone is saved from having to think of something to say by the arrival of Sam's brother Jonathan, who tugs on Hannah's graduation gown sleeve.

"Hannah? Mom says will you please come for pictures?"

"Sure," says Hannah. "I'll be right back," she promises, and with one last (only slightly worried -- she's picked up on all those undercurrents) look over her shoulder, Hannah lets him lead her off.

[paladinsuitsyou]

Booth makes a face at Brennan. "Same thing, really. My parents still treat me like I'm 12."

Well, sometimes. Mostly they treat him like he's still less accomplished than his brother Jared, and that's not cool either.

[dr_temperance]

"That may be due to the fact that it's not uncommon for adults to revert to a preadolescent stage when in the company of the family one grew up with."

Brennan smiles at Hannah's parents.

"You must both be very proud."

It's not a question. Of course they are. Any parent would be.

[argyle_princess]

"Very proud," Tom says, but there's still some tension, a slight brittleness to his smile.

"Yes," says Steph. "And it was really very thoughtful of you both to come; I know it means a lot to Hannah."

[paladinsuitsyou]

"It's great to be here," Booth says. "And we're pretty excited she's coming to D.C. in the fall. I haven't given up on talking her into the FBI yet."

[dr_temperance]

Brennan rolls her eyes tolerantly at Booth. Who has been trying to poach Hannah for the FBI since her first visit to the Jeffersonian.

"We wouldn't have missed it," she says to Hannah's mother.

"Well, unless there had been a time-sensitive case that required immediate attention," she adds. "But that aside, we wouldn't have missed it."

And fortunately timing had been on their side this time.

"I think Hannah will excel at GW. I'm well acquainted with many members of the faculty there. They are excellent representatives of their fields."

[paladinsuitsyou]

"It would have had to have been a pretty urgent case," Booth notes. Like, say, the Gormogon case.

"And from what I understand, they're very good at student support," Booth adds. He might have done a little poking around on this. Don't ask him how many students committed suicide last year - he knows. The mun, however, does not, and does not feel like poking around. We'll just say it's low.

[argyle_princess]

"Yes, it's an excellent school, in a lot of ways. It opens a lot of doors for Hannah, gives her a lot of avenues to explore," Tom says.

Steph, who was, after all, married to Tom Griffith for more than fifteen years, raises an eyebrow. If these two guys want to circle each other with their backs arched, hey, more power to them, but she's got better things to do.

"Dr. Brennan, I wonder if I could talk to you for a few minutes about the logistics of living in DC? What we should know, if there's anything we should be worried about?"

[dr_temperance]

Brennan eyes Booth and Dr. Griffith. The undercurrents here at least are not lost on her--males vying for supremacy. In this case in a paternal venue.

But she trusts Booth not to provoke or aggravate the situation, so she moves off slightly with Ms. Denenberg.

"I'd be happy to answer whatever questions, you have," Brennan says. "My colleagues and I are very much looking forward to having Hannah in DC."

Which is Brennan's way of assuring Hannah's mother that Hannah will be as well looked after as a college freshman in a new city can be.