Black Friday with Booth
Brennan was usually up before Booth, so she opened one eye in sleepy surprise when the bed shifted as Booth sat up and swung his legs over the side to let his mistreated feet adjust to the floor. "Booth? Why are you up at 4 am? Do we have a case? Did my phone get switched to silent by accident?"
No, Bones, go back to sleep. Sorry I woke you. There is a gift I want to get for Pops that's in short supply at Bass Pro Shops this year, so I need to head over there to get one."
"At 4 am? Surely their inventory control forecasting and ordering software systems are better than that! They make millions each year; they can certainly afford the most advanced logistics systems available," Brennan observed, turning over on her side to watch his fine form as he donned some jeans and a waffle weave Henley shirt. "You don't need to participate in the Ebony Friday madhouse, do you?"
Booth turned to grin at her, "You know it's Black Friday, you minx, you do that to tease me, and it works every time. Yes, they have top notch procurement and distribution systems, but this is a popular Zebco sonar fish locator, and the store is using it to lure shoppers this year by pricing it lower than any other retail vendor."
"Ha, Booth, that's clever. A good fishing reference! You are shopping for a fishing item, the store is putting out a lure, and you have grabbed the bait, falling for it hook, line, and sinker!" she chuckled.
Booth laughed aloud, then stifled his glee to avoid waking Christine. "Touche', Bones, you get the intricacies of pop culture so well these days. That was a good one!" He leaned over the bed to kiss his wife, then walked softly to the bedroom door, shoes in his hand. "Go back to sleep, I'll bring some croissants and wake you when I return."
ooooooooooooo
Booth groaned at the sight of the ever-lengthening line at the mall as he drove past. Thank goodness Bones' favorite jeweler had a free-standing store in DC. His Christmas shopping mission included more items than just Pops' fish finder, but Brennan wasn't privy to that bit of information just yet.
She'd find out on his favorite morning of the year when her eyes lit up over a tiny velvet box. She'd been admiring a particularly well-crafted set of sapphire earrings with a matching pendant and delicate bracelet for several months now. She and Angela occasionally window-shopped at lunch to get some exercise and air, and the astute jewelry store owner always took note of his female customers' preferences and alerted their respective spouses covertly.
Previously, Booth and Hodgins had both purchased much-desired gifts for their wives with his coaching, and were grateful for the proprietor's kindly advice. The old man knew jewelry like Hodgins knew insects, and he'd enjoyed watching the romances of these two couples blossom over the years from his jewelry counter vantage point.
Booth thought privately that the guy would have made an excellent FBI investigator, the way he noticed small details about his customers. His subtle hints had earned warm hugs for many husbands, and increased his income as well. The tall agent had teasingly inquired if Mr. Hanson had been a secret agent during the Cold War before he migrated to the States from Prague.
He'd managed to snag the fish locator for Pops, in spite of arriving at Bass Pro as the line of eager shoppers was already surging into the store. He was glad the sporting goods retailer had the foresight to order hundreds of the popular brand item. Excellent inventory logistics systems indeed! As a boy, he'd fished occasionally with his dad, and often later with Pops, but they'd never had the money for this sonar device. Booth knew it would greatly delight his beloved grandfather on Christmas morning.
oooooooooooooo
Booth returned home three hours later, after a trip to his office where he stashed Bones' gift in his safe. He would bring it home later in the week when she was not on point. Brennan was like a Doberman at Christmas. She could ferret out his gifts with the best of them. He grinned to himself, knowing that he tried to do the same to sniff out her holiday purchases.
He had found a soft plush Bert and Ernie duo for the baby they'd just learned was 'percolating' inside his Bones. Elmo dolls and figures were everywhere, but infant-friendly versions of the iconic Sesame Street buddies were harder to find in the stores.
Bert's and Ernie's antics had amused Booth on the small black and white TV as he and Jared dressed for school on mornings when their father had already left early for the barber shop. His mom frequently cautioned them about it, but both boys were smart enough to know not to turn on the TV if Dad was in one of his moods. That memory had popped out, dampening his holiday spirit momentarily, but Booth shook it off, adding a silent prayer of thanks for the stable loving family he now shared with Bones.
He'd purchased a Zapf Balica baby doll for Christine. A tiny vintage toy store near the Hoover carried unique playthings, and the soft-bodied vinyl headed doll had a sweet expression and delicate features that reminded him of his little girl. Booth rather disliked all the electronic battery-driven chattery moving toys he'd seen advertised recently. This soft little baby doll would give their oldest child a chance to imitate her mother's nurturing when the new sibling arrived. It would be a massive surprise to Christine that she wasn't the only child on the planet to inhabit her parents' universe, he knew.
He stored his Christmas purchases in the back of the closet off his man-cave and went upstairs to awaken his family. He smiled at the sight of Christine's head just showing above the back of their sofa. She was curled up with her rabbit and pillow, watching her favorite Frozen video. He slipped up behind her and kissed her crown of wavy curls. She leapt into his arms, and they walked to the kitchen to share orange juice and warm fragrant pastries. Booth sighed in grateful satisfaction for the peace of his home life; the dream he'd sought for years at last a reality.
A/N: Fan fiction Booth Christmases just have to include Pops, no matter that the time line's wacked. I love that character. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the States. To those of you who live elsewhere, enjoy the weekend ahead. I'm very thankful for the readers who've left me reviews this past year, and those who followed or 'favorited' my stories. (My English teacher is cringing right now over that non-word.) But what else can you call it? Writing fan fiction can be both harder and easier than I'd expected. Just depends on what inspirations come along. I started writing with the January hiatus of last season, and here we go again. Just a few more episodes till we're forced to wait, and wait. Here's hoping for Season 12!