I told myself I wasn't going to give in and write a Holiday story, but I caved. This idea popped into my head and I couldn't let it go. So enjoy :)

Brennan's currently hunched over a set of skeletal remains, holding the skull in her gloved hands. She spins the skull around, studying it. She sets it down and picks up the right femur, paying close attention to the femur head.

Angela passes by the open door and stops, turning her head and looking at her best friend. She knocks on the doorframe and steps inside the room. "Sweetie, you know what time it is, right?"

Brennan doesn't hear her. Her attention is focused solely on the skeleton on the table in front of her.

"Sweetie."

Brennan lifts her head and turns to look at Angela, setting down the bone in the correct spot. "Oh, hello."

"It's late and it's almost Christmas Eve."

Brennan nods. "I'm well aware of that, Ange, but I'm busy cataloging the Perimortem injuries."

Angela hooks her arm around Brennan's and drags her away from the table. "Come on, Sweetie. You are going home."

Brennan pulls off her gloves and glares at her best friend with a mixture of annoyance and confusion. "Why?"

"You have a hot and sexy FBI guy and an adorable little baby girl at home. Why do you need an actual reason?" Angela pauses. "Besides, don't you have interns to do this sort of thing for you?"

"Yes, but I sent Mr. Bray home for the evening. I said I could take care of this myself."

"What's going on?"

"I don't understand."

"Let me get this straight. You'd rather be here at the lab than at home with Booth and Christine?"

Brennan sighs. "I have work to do, Angela. I have a murder to solve. I can't seem to find cause of death and my mind is clearest at night."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with your feelings on Christmas, would it?"

Brennan laughs. "Don't be absurd."

"Okay."

"You said okay, but your tone—you don't believe me."

Angela shakes her head. "No, I don't."

Brennan hesitates, taking a deep breath and letting it out before confessing, "Booth and I—we had a fight, a disagreement to be more precise."

Angela follows Brennan to her office and they sit on the couch. "About what?" She asks, grabbing her best friend's hand.

"Santa Claus."

"You kidding, right?"

Brennan just looks at Angela, her eyes brimming with a thin layer of tears.

"Tell me what happened."

Brennan sighs. "We have this argument every year, but this year it's different. We have Christine, and I just don't feel comfortable pretending. I concede Booth's point, but I just can't lie. I told him that and he got angry with me. He said I was ruining Christmas for him and our daughter."

Angela squeezes Brennan's hand and looks down for a second before meeting her friend's clear blue eyes. "Maybe you should just let him have this one, Bren. Santa Claus is part of the magic of Christmas."

"There's no such thing as magic, Ange." Brennan sighs. "Do you think I'm ruining Christmas for them?"

"What I think doesn't matter."

"But I'm asking you."

"Sweetie, I think you should let Booth win. Who cares if Santa Claus isn't real?"

"Christmas isn't all about Santa Claus, Ange."

"For a child, it is all about that fat, jolly, old dude, Bren." Angela smiles, laughing a little.

Brennan sits back on the couch and blinks slowly, almost closing her eyes. "It's not about me. It's about Christine."

"Exactly."

"I guess I could pretend for Christine."

"It's just once a year."

Brennan stands up and walks over to her desk. She shuts down her computer and grabs her jacket and purse from their hooks. "Thanks, Ange."

"You're welcome, Sweetie." Angela pauses. "And just remember, you have a family now. You have Booth, Christine, your dad, Russ, Amy and the girls, all of us. Christmas is different now. It should be like it used to be when you were a kid, you know, before your parents left."

Brennan nods. "I suppose you're right. I can be irrational one day of the year. It won't kill me."

Angela smiles.

"I almost forgot. Booth and I are having a little party tomorrow night. We would like it if you and Hodgins would come."

"Of course we'll come, Bren. Thank you." Angela gives Brennan a hug.

Brennan blinks. "Oh." She completes the embrace and then steps back. "Wait a minute. Booth called you, didn't he? That's why you're here late, to convince me to go home, to convince me I was wrong."

"Okay, Booth did call me."

"Unbelievable."

"But it's not what you think, Bren. He was worried about you. I didn't know anything about the argument." Angela touches Brennan's back and nudges her towards the exit. "Come on. Go home. I'll see you tomorrow night."

Brennan nods and the two friends walk out of the building together.

Brennan walks in the front door and heads into the living room. She takes off her jacket and sets her purse down on the couch. She blinks, taken aback by the tree in the living room. It's strung with white lights, covered with multicolored ornaments, and topped with an angel.

"Hey."

She jumps, turning around and letting out a breath when she realizes it's just Booth. "When did you do this?"

"Tonight. Christine helped."

"Booth, she's a baby. It's physically impossible for her to help you decorate a Christmas tree."

Booth smiles.

"Oh, you're not being serious."

He nods. "No." He notices a box on the coffee table and raises an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"It's for you. Open it."

"It's not even Christmas Eve yet, Bones."

"Just open it."

He sits on the couch and grabs the box. He lifts the lid off and removes the tissue paper. He blinks and looks up at her. His smile grows wider slowly and his eyes brighten.

"I'm sorry." She walks over to him and sits down, resting her hand on his thigh.

He turns her head towards him with his thumb and presses his lips against hers, letting the kiss linger a little longer than usual. He pulls back and brushes a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have said that you were ruining Christmas for me and Christine. I know you. I've known for years how you feel about Santa Claus and lying and all that, so I shouldn't have been surprised this year, but I guess, I guess I thought maybe it'd be different now that we have a child."

She nods. "It's not. Not to me." She pauses. "But I know it's important to you, so I'm willing to pretend for Christine, even though she's way too young to even understand what Christmas is."

He smiles takes the Santa Claus suit out of the box and shifts on the cushion. "I love you."

She leans into him and tilts her head up, so she's looking into his brown eyes. "I love you too, Booth." She pauses. "But I draw the line at Santa."

His face falls a little. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'll let you have Christmas. I'll let you tell Christine all about Santa Claus, the Elves, Rudolf, and the rest of the reindeer, but that's it. Once a year is all I'm granting you."

"That's fair." He stands up quickly and runs towards the bathroom. "I'm gonna go try this on. Christine's gonna love it."

She laughs. "Booth! Booth! Booth!" She shakes her head and looks back at the tree. She smiles and closes her eyes. This is definitely going to be the best Christmas she's had in years.