Bones sighed has she slowly closed the door behind her as she entered her suburban townhouse. The events from that day had taken its tole on the infamous Forensic Anthropologist. Contemplating to kiss Booth was one thing, but ending up thoroughly enjoying it was another. She shook off her leather boots and gently kicked them to the side, peeling her gloves off and sticking them in the pockets of her jacket she walked over to the stereo system across the living room and switched it on. Faintly aware that "Oh Holy Night" was drifting lightly through the speakers she made her way towards her room slowly unbuttoning her coat. What Booth and Parker did for her family this night could never be beaten and no one would properly understand what the impact made on them. She unwrapped her dark blue scarf from around her neck and took off her wool-grey tuque she tossed all three onto her bed and plopped down on top of the pile in a dream-like state.
There she stayed for a while, listening to the lyrics of the song and going over the 'Christmas Caper' of a case and found herself smiling. She may not entirely believe in the whole Christmas ordeal but she knew the ordeal on the children was pure and the picture it painted in everyones mind was also that. She closed her eyes for a short minute when she heard a faint knocking at the door. Squinting her eyes a little she hoisted herself up on her elbows then pushed herself off her duvet and left the room.
As she went down the hall the knocking continued, but it wasn't the sound of the urgent knocking that usually woke her in the early hours of the morning but a knocking that was rather welcome to her ears. Lighting lights as she made her way through the living room she opened the door to be met with the brilliant eyes of her partner and the gap-toothed grin of his son.
"Hi Bones, Merry Christmas!" he squealed and threw his arms around her waist. The minute of contact tears sprang to her eyes and she lowered her arms to hug him fiercely back.
"Thank you so much Parker," she whispered as tears were free-falling down her cheeks. Parker withdrew and went back to his father's side where Booth was staring at her in a brand new light. He had just realized that gone was the cold, stiff woman he was used to working with and the woman present now was a beautiful replacement. Throughout the years she had changed, now she let her emotions portray who she really was. He snapped out of the reverie when she sniffed, wiped at her eyes, and cleared her throat.
"What are you two doing here, aren't you suppose to be celebrating christmas?" she asked as she moved aside a little to let them through and closed the door behind her.
"We are, but no one should be alone for christmas," Booth said as he took off his son's jacket and hat and hung it up in the closet where he did the same with his own apparel and went to join Parker on her leather couch. Temperance stood back surprised, never had she ever would have expected that response.
"Is she okay daddy, you're making her cry again," Parker lamented as he tugged on his father's sleeve as they both watched Temperance take a deep breath then smile.
"It's nothing Parker, she's just not use to the holidays, it's a little overwhelming," Booth explained as he watched her head to the kitchen and open up the fridge to take out some eggnog.
"She's not used to Christmas!!!!" the little boy exclaimed and peeked over the edge of the couch to sneak a look at the woman that he knew had captured his father's heart a long time ago. He watched her every move as she made her way to the couch with a tray laden with shortbread cookies and glasses of eggnog. He bent over to whisper to his father who was visibly entranced by the image of family that was being projected through his mind. "For someone not used to christmas she has the right idea with the milk and cookies," he whispered. Both adults laughed at the exclamation and went to work on their treats.
Hours past and Parker was sound asleep in his father's lap, Brennan and Booth's conversation halted for a second as they both looked down at the little blond boy with the big heart. Bones swallowed the lump forming in her throat and whispered huskily.
"Thank you for spending christmas with me," she said meeting his brown eyes with her green ones.
"Like I said, no one should spend it alone," he replied with a voice just as sultry. Bones smiled timidly and tucked a stray curl away from Parker's face.
"Did your christmas dream come true Bones?" he asked has he got up and shifted Parker's sleeping weight, carrying him bridal style towards the door where Temperance followed a small distance behind and bent over to retrieve Parker's snow boots.
"If I did indeed believe there was such thing as a christmas wish than yes, my dreams all came true," she said as she gently eased Parker's feet one by one into the boots before opening the closet and retrieving his winter jacket. "And what about you?" She asked as she placed one arm in the jacket sleeve followed by the other.
"I spent it with the people I wanted nothing more than to be with on Christmas Eve, but the night's still young, and I can be really greedy when it comes to the holidays," he playfully said as he handed her Parker for a second while he tugged on his own boots and heavy jacket. Temperance hoisted Parker's weight to her other hip and furrowed her brows to try and contemplated just what he meant by his comment.
"I don't understand," she said as he held his arms out beckoning for her to give his son back. She took a step forward and was handing him over when he laced his hands through her hair and brought her face to his instead and kissed her soundlessly on the lips. This time neither were counting steamboats, they really didn't need to because in this moment, the real christmas magic began. He withdrew and took Parker back into his arms and smiled at the fact that her eyes was still closed and she stood there too stunned for words.
"Now i have my christmas wish. Merry Christmas Bones," he said as he opened the door and walked back to his car leaving Tempe under the door frame with a hand to her lips looking after him. As she watched him back out of the drive way and head down the street she smiled and took a little wad of gum out of her mouth.
"Thanks for the gum," she said repeating the exact words he had used earlier on that day. She closed the door and headed to bed, suddenly excited for the next couple of days to come.