Okay, I know this is going to hurt to read as much as it hurts to write but…this story assumes Santa in the Slush never happens. I know! But I promise you the Christmas cheer and fluff in this story will more than make up for it. Just stick with me. On with the show…
Booth is determined to show Brennan the true spirit of Christmas. But if his plan is going to work, he's going to need a little help…
Where Are You Christmas?
December 21, 2007:
Seeley Booth jogged up the steps of the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal lab whistling a merry tune. The chill of the air, the sounds of bustling shoppers and ringing bells, and the twinkling lights all added up to Seeley's favorite time of year: Christmas. And with eleven days left till the joyous holiday, Booth had been struck with an epiphany. His lovely partner, Temperance Brennan, would again be alone on Christmas. And Booth was going to do his best to make sure that didn't happen. Word through the squint squad grapevine – a.k.a. Angela – was that Brennan was planning on a trip to Peru to gaze at some creepy skeletons in a tomb. Not Christmas-y at all, Booth thought as he passed the guards.
"Merry Christmas," he greeted them as he passed, and they returned his sentiment jovially. The glass doors whooshed open, hitting him with a blast of cooled air that reminded him he was still in a lab despite the frigid temperature outside. Hodgins and Zach were racing beetles on the platform, and he waved as he bypassed them. Angela and Cam were huddled over something in Angela's office, but he merely greeted them with a merry Christmas before scooting past them toward his partner's office. Predictably, she was staring at her computer screen, her face screwed up in concentration.
"Hey Bones," he smiled that special smile that usually convinced her that whatever he had planned was actually a good idea, but the effect was lost when she didn't even glance up.
"Hello Booth." Her fingers glided over the keyboard deftly as a few more sentences materialized on screen. "Give me just a second."
"No rush, Bones," he replied, settling himself down on her couch.
"No case?" she asked, still staring at her screen.
"Nope," he said, letting her hear the grin in his voice. This time she did stop and look up at him.
"So why are you here?" she inquired.
"What, a guy can't come visit his partner with no ulterior motive? Just to say hi?" he feigned offense, and she shook her head.
"I don't mean to be rude," she ignored his snort and the mumble that sounded suspiciously like "you never do" and continued. "It's just that my editor wants me to materialize an outline for a novel by Christmas."
"But that's in four days!" he objected, immediately rising to her defense.
"Somehow I'd figured that out," she snapped back, then held her hand to her forehead. "I'm sorry, Booth. I've been 'snappish' lately, or at least that's what Angela said. And I'm starting to get a headache." He stood and walked around the desk to her side, making sure not to look at the screen.
"Hey, you don't get to see your family this Christmas," he said softly. "It's understandable." He paused a moment, wondering if he should continue. But he realized this was the perfect segue into his proposition so he leaned against her desk casually. "I hear you're off to Peru?" he offered lightly, aiming to keep his tone neutral. She stood up from her chair and stretched, her back protesting from the hours spent sitting in front of the computer.
"National Geographic found a new step pyramid on an ancient ceremonial site known as El Brujo. 1500 year old skeletons, part of a very mysterious culture called the moche."
"No, no skeletons at Christmas," he protested.
"Booth, I go on a dig every year," she reminded him. "Besides I'm really looking forward to El Brujo," she finished. Knowing he was delving into dangerous waters, he guided her over to the couch, pausing only momentarily to push her office door closed. This conversation needed to be private.
"Look, Bones," he started, but ran his hand through his hair in a manner that she perceived as frustrated. "Temperance," he tried again, and she looked up sharply at the use of her given name. "Going on digs and getting away from DC on Christmas isn't going to make the fact that you don't get to see your family hurt any less."
"Booth, I haven't spent a Christmas with my family since I was fourteen, I hardly think that I –"
"And every year you distance yourself from the merriment and the cheer and the general feeling of Christmas by going somewhere where you don't have to think about it. And I understand that. But you're not going this year."
"I'm not?" she said in a tone he would have cringed at years ago. But nearly three years at her side had rendered him immune to her ire. "So, are you just going to conk me over the head with the club now or should we wait until we're closer to your cave?" Okay, nearly immune, he amended as he ducked his head. But the fire in her eyes spurred him on rather than warned him off, and he took a deep breath.
"Look, Rebecca is taking Parker to Vermont this year, so I'm not going to get to see him for Christmas. And my parents are going to California to be with my brother and his family." She saw the pain in his eyes at not being able to see his son on his favorite holiday but then it was gone, replaced with something akin to determination. "And after I wallowed in self-pity and remorse for a day or so, I realized that it's a kind of a blessing. I'm taking a week off, starting tomorrow, and going up to a cabin I've rented just outside Philadelphia. It'll be nice to get away for a while." He took another breath and steeled himself for her reaction as he dropped the other shoe. "I want you to come with me." His tone was low, but she heard the need in his voice.
At first her face was blank and he thought she might blow up at him at any second. But when her voice cut the silence softly, he let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"Why would that be something you want?" She was searching his face now, looking for any sign of deceit or mockery – she found none and silently berated herself for thinking that of him.
"Because despite what I've said, nobody should be alone for Christmas," he said. "And I'm your friend, so there's no reason that we, two friends who will each be alone on Christmas, shouldn't spend the time together." Her expression was still unreadable so he sighed and stood up. "You know what, Bones," he said quickly. "Forget it. Go to Peru and dig up skeletons in El Brujo. I'll see you when you get back." It was a testament to his frustration that he hadn't butchered the name comically like he usually did in their banter. He had his hand on the doorknob when her voice stopped him.
"Wait," she stood and walked over to him. "You just can't spring this on me and expect me to make a decision quickly," she jabbed. "So don't walk out of here mad just because you think I'm brushing you off. You have to give me time to think," she told him. "I would have thought you'd known that by now." His eyes dropped from hers in supplication and she sighed heavily. "Look, I'm sorry," she softened her tone. "A cabin getaway sounds nice, but don't you think it will be a bit odd to explain to everyone."
"Why?" he responded. "Neither of us has any expectations about the trip other than two friends spending the holiday together, so why should anyone else?"
"Because you know as well as I do what Angela will make out of this," she gestured between them.
"All due respect to Angela," he replied, "But it's not really any of her business. I understand she's your friend – she's my friend too – and if you tell her nicely to back off, I think she will." Brennan's expression was thoughtful, and Booth felt hope for the first time since he'd voice his question.
"Can I think about it?" she asked him honestly, and he bit back a triumphant grin. That's not a no.
"Sure," he said, "But I'm leaving at ten o'clock sharp. There's a snow storm blowing through New England tomorrow evening and I want to be there before it hits." After a few seconds of contemplative silence, he reached out and set his hand lightly on her shoulder. "Look, whatever you want to do is fine. Just make sure that if you go to Peru, it's for the right reasons. If it's not, you'll just be more miserable than you would be here. And, barring disaster, I am not coming all the way down there to cheer you up." She smiled at his attempt at levity and he squeezed her shoulder quickly before leaving her office.
She watched his retreating figure, her gaze distant and thoughtful. Well after he'd passed from view she stood there thinking about his offer. Peru had the wonderful site, the intelligent community she often found on digs, skeletons to examine, and the mystery to unravel. But Pennsylvania had Booth. And right now, she really couldn't decide which one she wanted more.
She checked the clock and realized it was getting late in the day. She saw Cam leaving Angela's office already in her winter coat, followed shortly by a similarly dressed Angela. Cam said something to the boys on the platform and Angela made a beeline for Brennan's office, seeing the object of her search standing in her door.
"Hey sweetie, you all packed for Peru?" Angela asked as Brennan moved back to her computer.
"Yeah, Ange," she answered distractedly. She quickly saved her progress and shut her computer down.
"When will you be back?"
"The seventh." Another monotone answer
"Alright, well enjoy. And merry Christmas Temperance." This time Brennan stood and moved to hug her friend.
"You too, Ange. I hope you have a good Christmas with Hodgins."
"Oh we will," Angela replied with a rakish grin. "I have this new outfit that –"
"Please, Ange," Brennan smiled at her friend's enthusiasm.
"Oh fine. I thought I saw Booth come this way earlier." The statement was innocent enough, but Angela's tone was anything but.
"He just stopped by to say Merry Christmas," Brennan lied automatically, but couldn't stop the next words from her mouth. "He's rented a cabin near Philadelphia for a week for Christmas."
"I thought his parents lived in Philly?" Angela's interest was peaked now.
"They do, but Rebecca's taking Parker to Vermont this year and his parents are going to California to his brother's."
"So he's going to be all alone, in a cabin, in the beautiful snowy woods of Pennsylvania? That's…depressingly romantic."
"He's actually looking forward to it," Brennan replied. "Says it's a good opportunity for him to get away." When Angela made a sound of pity, Brennan called her on it.
"Bren, that's just something guys say when they don't want to admit they really don't want to be alone."
"Well," she hesitated, unsure if she should reveal the next part. But Angela had a way of laying out everything clearly and helping her decide the best course of action.
"Well what?"
"He sort of asked me to go with him." Angela's eyebrows shot up into her hair line as her grinned doubled.
"And you didn't immediately cancel your Peru plans? Sweetie, a very hot guy just asked you to spend a week in a romantic cabin getaway up in the woods. Do you even have a pulse?" The artist made a show of laying two fingers on her friend's wrist.
"Angela, this is serious. What do I do?" At that moment the artist understood her friend's conflict. If she went with Booth it was like admitting that there was something more to their partnership, their friendship. Spending a week alone with him opened up the possibility of an actual romantic relationship between them, and Angela could see the fear in her friend's eyes at the prospect. She would have to give herself completely – Booth would require nothing less – and Brennan was so independent. But, Angela was hopeful, if anyone could get Brennan to open up like she needed to it was Booth. Opting for the nonchalant route to get her friend to voice her fear, Angela kept the sly smile on her face.
"I'm not seeing the problem here, Bren. You and he are friends, both of you are going to be alone for the holidays, and it's still getting you away from the cheery atmosphere of the city at Christmas."
"No, you weren't here, Ange. The way he said it…" Angela face showed clearly that she was lost.
"Said what?"
Brennan took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly. "He said, 'I want you to come with me.' But it was the way he said it, Ange. Like…like it would kill him if I said no." Angela sucked in a breath and held it for a moment; this was more serious than she thought if Booth was trying to take a step forward.
"Did you?"
"Not exactly," Temperance answered, seeing the relief evident on her friend's face. "But I did tell him I had to think about it."
"Hence my presence here," Angela nodded, catching up. "Okay, first things first then. Do you want to spend the holiday with Booth?"
"I…I don't know," she replied honestly. "I'm not even completely sure why he asked me, but he did say that he didn't have any expectations other than two friends not being alone for Christmas." Angela hid her grin. Way to go Booth.
"Then I don't think you should either. If he just wants to spend time with you, away from work, as a friend – then I don't see where the conflict is. He's your friend, right?"
"Of course," she defended immediately, but her expression quickly morphed into one of desperation and Angela took pity on her.
"If you want my honest opinion, and I'm sensing that you do, I think you should go. It will be good for both of you to get away for a while – an honest-to-God vacation that has nothing to do with bodies, or murders, or skeletons. Just two friends enjoying each other's company during what would otherwise be a very lonely holiday season." Brennan stared at her friend in contemplative silence before nodding absently.
"Okay," she said finally before standing and moving to the coat rack. Once she'd donned her winter coat and gloves she turned back to the artist. "Have a good Christmas, Ange," she pulled the woman into a friendly hug.
"You too, Temperance," she returned. Angela walked out the door and collected Hodgins on her way out of the lab. Zach looked a little lost up on the platform by himself with no one to race beetles with, so Brennan scanned her card and smiled at her assistant.
"Well Zach, I hope the time with your family is enjoyable," she said. He offered his mentor a small smile as he traded his lab coat for a real one. She walked with him as he shut the lab down, realization dawning on her as he pulled a large suitcase from a back room.
"How are you getting to the airport?" she asked.
"Cab," he said simply. "I called for one twenty minutes ago." Sure enough, as they exited the building, a cab was waiting out by the curb.
"You Zach Addy?" the cabbie called through the open passenger window, and Zach nodded and waved for the man to wait a second.
"Well, Dr. Brennan, I hope you have a merry Christmas," he said, not sure about the protocol for this situation. She saved him by stepping forward and pulling him into a hug.
"You too, Zach," she replied.
"Tell me all about Peru," he shot back as he climbed into the back of the cab, but she only offered a small smile in return before waving at the retreating cab. She trekked all the way to her car thinking about Peru and Booth, skeletons and snow.
Well that's it for chapter one. Not much fluff, I know, but I have to start somewhere. Expect an update once a day for a week. Meanwhile, go ahead and click that blue-ish button there and let me know what you thought of this chapter. And Happy Holidays!