Christmas woes

(A/N: This is just some random fluff that I thought about typing while I watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for the third time and this time, on TV. It's Booth/Brennan and they have a 4-year-old daughter called Natalie and a 2-year-old son by the name of Richard.)

Seeley Booth knew by the look on Temperance's face as he walked through the door of their house that something was going to happen that he wasn't going to like, not one bit.

"You are going to go Christmas shopping with Nat and Richie right now." Temperance glared at her husband as soon as he gave her kiss.

Booth was startled. Even though he had been married to Temperance for 4 years, she had never done that before.

"Now?" Booth asked hesitantly. He knew this was punishment for something but to what he had no idea.

Temperance glared angrily. She was not in the mood.

"Can I call anyone?" Booth asked once more, knowing his questions weren't going to help him.

Temperance's even harsher glare gave him the answer he knew that would come up regardless of his actions or words he said.

"Not even Angela?" Booth almost pleaded.

"She's out with Georgia and Dean." Temperance replied shortly.

(A/N: Angela and Jack, Temperance and Booth married in a double wedding four years prior. Natalie and Georgia are 4 and Richard and Dean are 2. Zack is engaged to a vet, Cassandra Heart.)

"But I thought Hodgins was with them…?" Booth was very confused.

Temperance slowly nodded.

"I have to meet up with Angela in half an hour and Jack has the same punishment as you." Temperance explained as she watched Natalie and Richard play in the living room with their toys.

Booth placed his hand on the small of Temperance's back as they watched their children play happily.

"Does this have to do with the trivia quiz game we had to play last week?" Booth asked, wincing slightly at the memory of it.

Temperance's lips tugged upwards as she remembered as well.

One-week prior…

Booth, Temperance, Angela, Jack, Zack and Cassie were at Jack and Angela's house, playing trivia quiz and enjoying brandy.

Jack and Booth were one team, Angela and Temperance was an other team and Zack and Cassie were the third team.

Booth picked up a trivia card and instantly, the expression on his face dropped dramatically.

"Can I get another card? This one isn't going to be fair…" Booth started to say but the other four cut him off.

"Come on, Seeley! It can't be that bad!" Temperance laughed in childish abandon.

Booth kept on shaking his head. He knew this question would be the death of him, even if Temperance did kill him.

Jack glimpsed at the question and he had exactly the same reaction as Booth, only he was more verbal about it.

"Oh shit! Why did this have to happen to me?" Jack moaned after he read the question on the card.

Cassie and Zack leaned curiously to see what was on the offending card that made both his male colleagues swearing.

"Oh! Bad card!" Cassie agreed after they saw, her and Zack nodding in earnest agreement.

By now, Angela and Temperance weren't very amused, least to say.

"Boys, oh boys! Tell us what is on the oh so offending piece of paper and we'll think about our punishment." Angela glared at her husband and her friend's husband with a death glare.

Booth and Jack looked at each other, nodded and gulped hard before asking.

"Name every single character in the hit show Grey's Anatomy in order of their status." Booth asked, knowing very well he was a dead man.

Angela and Temperance sniggered at the question. They were both pregnant by only 2 months but they had the strange addiction of watching Grey's Anatomy as appose to strange foods which they had massive cravings for during their last two pregnancies. Personally, Booth and Jack thought this time round was much worse than the food cravings.

"Meredith Grey, George O'Malley, Cristina Yang, Isobel 'Izzie' Stevens, Alex Karev, Miranda Bailey, Calliope 'Callie' Torres, Derek 'McDreamy' Shepherd, Preston Xavier Burke, Addison Forbes Montgomery, Mark 'McSteamy' Sloan and Richard Webber." Temperance and Angela replied in unison.

"Personally, that was officially the worst moment in my life." Booth admitted, making Temperance smile even wider.

Temperance leaned her head on Booth's shoulder.

"Really? I thought it was the time when we were in Vegas was the worst time…" Temperance's brows furrowed.

"No. That was the best time of my life. That's different." Booth replied gently, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Temperance smirked as she gently removed her head from her husband's shoulder, smirking even wider as he made of noise of displeasure.

"Natalie! Richard! Daddy's going to take you shopping!" Temperance informed as she walked over to her children with a smile.

Ten minutes later, Booth, Temperance, Natalie and Richard arrived at the shopping centre where Jack, Angela, Georgia and Dean were waiting.

"Jack, Seeley, Natalie, Georgia , Richard and Dean have to go shopping for Christmas presents and you can't come back until you have one present for everyone and I mean, everyone." Temperance explained after the gentle exchanges happened.

Jack and Booth groaned loudly. This was not a way to spend a nice Tuesday evening. They'd rather face no sex for a week than shopping.

"It's this or no sex for a whole year." Angela warned sharply.

That gave the two men the ultimatum. Go Christmas shopping with the kids for everyone's presents or no sex for a whole year.

"We'll do it." Jack gulped. He couldn't do the latter. He just couldn't.

Booth nodded. He couldn't either and no one could blame him. He had a hot wife and everyone would like to get into bed with her, pregnant or not.

"We'll be at the café and we'll go to Angela and Jack's house afterwards. You'd better everyone's presents by then." Temperance warned before giving Booth a kiss as Angela did the same to Jack.

The two men watched the women walk the opposite way before turning to face each other.

"We're so screwed. We have the evilest wives in the whole of America." Jack announced in a half mournful voice.

Booth nodded in agreement. They were screwed.

"Daddy! Daddy! Mommy said we're going shopping!" Natalie tugged on her father's hand impatiently.

Booth sighed as their kids pulled him and Jack to the shops.

"What about Parker?" Jack asked as they walked around.

Booth frowned. He didn't think of that but just then, they spotted Parker.

"Dad!" Parker grinned as he bear hugged his father.

"Parker! What are you doing here?" Booth asked his son as he hugged his half sister and half brother.

"Mum couldn't handle all of us so she called Mom and mom said you're out shopping with Nat and Richie so mum dropped me off and here I am." Parker explained.

(A/N: 'Mum' is Rebecca and 'Mom' is Temperance, just so you know)

"Parker! We're going shopping with daddy and Uncle Jack!" Natalie supplied for her brother.

Parker just raised an eyebrow at his father and Jack as he took Richard from Booth's arms.

"Are they?" Parker asked simply but he shot a questioning gaze at the two men.

"Don't ask. We lost in a trivia game against your mom and Angela." Jack sighed loudly. He was really starting to hate this.

Four hours later, they had everyone's presents save Natalie and Georgia because the two girls blatantly refused the normal toys.

They all sat down on a bench with a loud sigh.

"This has gotta be the worst punishment ever. How on earth does Angela and Tempe do this?" Booth sighed as he ran his hand down his face.

"They're female. Females are born to shop." Parker raised an eyebrow but his eyes never left his new Nintendo DS as he played Super Mario Brothers, one of the ten games he got during the shopping.

Jack felt someone tugging on his hand and he looked down to see Georgia tugging his hand impatiently.

"What is it, princess?" Jack asked half-heartedly.

"Nat and I want two pets each." Georgia replied, her hazel eyes going puppy dog ,exactly like Angela's when she wanted something.

Jack and Booth's eyes widened. They now officially deemed this hell.

"Honey…" Booth started to plead with Natalie.

Natalie shot a smouldering look at her father.

Like mother, like daughter. What have I done to deserve this? Booth sighed, watching his daughter's brown-green eyes warily.

Eventually, Jack and Booth let their daughters drag them into the store, leaving Parker in charge of Richard and Dean.

In an instant, Natalie and Georgia ran to the area where all the puppies and kittens were situated.

"We want a puppy and a kitten each." Natalie demanded.

Jack and Booth gazed at all the puppies and kitten.

"Which ones, princess?" Booth asked softly. He really didn't mind pets. It was the fact he had to have more responsibility to look after them.

"Those two." Natalie and Georgia pointed to a Labrador puppy and an Angora kitten.

"You can have two of each. There's another box of Labrador puppies and another box of Angora kitten that are from different litters. I'll take $120 for each pet so it would only cost $960 altogether." A shop assistant supplied almost desperately.

Jack and Booth gazed at each other before nodding, making Natalie and Georgia squeal happily.

Twenty minutes later, Booth and Jack emerged carrying 2 bags of puppy food, 2 leash and collar sets and 4 pet bowls each.

"Your mom is going to murder me but this was Natalie's choice and you know how hard it is to argue with her." Booth shrugged as Parker gazed at him oddly.

Parker helped his half sister and Georgia with their pets, taking all four puppies and the male kittens, letting Natalie and Georgia carry the female kittens.

They eventually got to the car, Parker proving to be a great presence when it came to the pets. He actually stopped them from barking.

"You should become a vet dude." Jack whispered as he watched the pets gaze up placidly at Parker.

"More like an animal whisperer." Booth grinned. He didn't mind what path Parker chose except when it came to drugs and stuff.

It took them thirty minutes to reach Jack and Angela's mansion.

When they got there, Jack, Booth and Parker attached collars and leashes for the puppies and made Natalie and Georgia hold the kittens.

They almost walked up to the living room when Brutus, Jack's Great Dane, and Randy, Jack's Old English Sheepdog, came bounding up to their master.

Jack greeted his pets before they got curious and started sniffing the terrified four Labrador puppies.

They started barking happily as they sniffed the kittens in Natalie and Georgia's arms, alerting Temperance and Angela.

"Hello! Hello Parker! How was it?" Temperance smiled as she kissed Booth's cheek and then Parker's, taking Richard into her arms.

"Worse than looking at the partially decomposed bodies or a body completely mutilated." Booth grumbled angrily.

Temperance smiled as she hugged him.

"What did you get Natalie and Georgia? It's really hard to go shopping with them." Angela asked, kissing Jack's cheek tenderly.

Jack shoved Brutus and Randy out of the way because they were blocking Natalie, Georgia and their pets.

Booth and Jack just looked down on the ground as Temperance and Angela's eyes widened considerably.

"You got the girls puppies and kittens?" Temperance asked with a wide smile.

Booth nodded, assuming he was in trouble.

Temperance caught his off guard when she kissed him full on the lips.

"Thank you! They have been bugging us for half a year for pets but they were never on sale. Where were they?" Temperance smiled wide as Booth just gazed at her weirdly.

"At the pet shop close to the KFC. They were only $120 each." Jack explained, a smile pasted on his face as he realised he wasn't in trouble.

The kids and Parker rushed off to play with their new pets as the adults walked to the living room for drinks.

"I can't believe you got Natalie 2 dogs and 2 cats." Temperance mumbled as she rested her head in the crook of Booth's shoulder.

"What do you mean by that?" Booth quizzed his wife with a slight frown.

Temperance shook her head lightly as she played with the buttons on his shirt.

"I have a reward for doing all this and making Natalie a happy child." Temperance spoke again before moving her head next to his ear.

After hearing her proposition, Seeley Booth smiled, knowing right now that all the death glares from Natalie were worth it. It was the one he could never refuse but then again, it was the one he didn't want to refuse.