A/N: Who loves Thanksgiving? We love Thanksgiving! Especially the fun, flufftacular kind that makes your heart just want to burst with B/B goodness. Hopefully, you feel the same. And will read this. And review it. And we will be very, very thankful for the best readers a pair of crazy fanfic-writers could have. Love, Jamie and Kinsey aka Nekkid Booth Inc.

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Being stuck in New York City on Thanksgiving Day was not Seeley Booth's idea of a good time. Being stuck in New York City on Thanksgiving Day working was certainly not Seeley Booth's idea of a good time. It would have been a totally different story if he'd had a reason to be there – maybe taking Parker to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade or something. But no, stupid criminals and their stupid habit of crossing state lines so he had to go fetch them. Bastards. On the upside of things, if he had to be stuck in New York City on Thanksgiving Day, without Parker, fetching criminals, at least Bones was with him -- and she'd given in to his request to get up at 4am to line the streets to see the parade. Yeah, he'd had to listen to a litany of facts about the anthropological significance of parades, but she was there. Truth be told, he couldn't care less about the parade when he was looking at the beautiful woman standing next to him.

"Warm enough?" he asked with a smile.

Brennan motioned with the cup of hot coffee she held between her blue-striped-gloved hands. "Yes, thanks," she smiled.

He rubbed the hand that wasn't occupied with his own coffee cup briskly up and down the sleeve of her black pea coat, earning a gentle smile from her. "Sure?" he asked.

"Booth!" she laughed. "I'm warm enough. I'm dead on my feet from the mere three hours of sleep you allowed me, and I'm starving, but I'm plenty warm," she teased.

Seeley laughed as he briefly dropped an arm over her shoulders. He liked their relationship like this. After the steamy encounter at the Halloween party, he'd been worried that their relationship would suffer some sort of awkwardness like it had after Angela and Jack's wedding-that-wasn't, but his fears had been firmly put to rest. They'd spent time hanging out like they used to; running over case files and bouncing ideas off of one another, watching football games (the most important being his Steelers kicking the crap out of her Ravens), and eating take out. Granted there was always this underlying thing that neither of them talked about, but he wouldn't trade it for the world. Well… maybe he would trade it, but the only thing better would be the chance to be wrapped in her sweet embrace again. And they'd decided that couldn't happen. But if he could find a way around that decision…

Before his thoughts could take a turn for the lecherous, her voice broke through. "Did you know that the parade took a break from 1942 to 1944 so the rubber from the balloons could be used for the war effort?" she asked.

He smiled, knowing he was prepared to one-up her. He'd done his research. "Yes, but did you know that when it returned in 1945, it was televised for the first time?" he asked.

She smiled at him again, a sight that never failed to make his blood run a little hotter through his veins, no matter how innocently the smile had been intended. "You've done your research, Booth."

"I have," he responded semi-smugly.

"So tell me, Booth. Since you know so much about the Macy's Parade…"

"Yes, Bones?"

"Why in the hell are we the only ones out here?"

Seeley blushed slightly, glancing around at the nearly empty streets. "Well, usually people don't start showing up until six or six-thirty, but I wanted to make sure we got a good spot."

"Booth! You made me get up at four in the morning!" Brennan shouted.

"What?! Come on, Bones, you're gonna love this. I can't believe you've never been to the Macy's parade! You need a good spot for your inaugural viewing! I'm doing this all for you," he said, tapping the end of her pink nose with his index finger.

"Fine, fine," she grumbled. "I'm taking a nap. Wake me when the Snoopy and Kermit balloons come by." She tossed her empty cup into a nearby garbage can and then proceeded to surprise the hell out of him: she stepped in front of him so she was facing him and rested her head against his chest. He couldn't help but gasp slightly in surprise, but only let his shock slow him down for a moment. He tossed his own cup and wrapped his arms gently around her waist, letting her snuggle into him for warmth.

"I thought you were warm enough," he teased.

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It hadn't even occurred to Temperance Brennan that the week was special. Maybe she had heard people mentioning around the office their holiday plans, but she largely ignored it, as deeply immersed as she was in the piles of bones that were perpetually in front of her. But she couldn't help but notice Booth's gloominess while they cruised north towards the city. Usually he was pumped to catch a suspect, but during this trip he seemed noticeably deflated. But she didn't make the connection until the hotel room trouble. They went from one hotel to another, trying to find one that had two rooms available for them. By the fourth try, she was frustrated. "New York is a big tourist city, lots of hotel rooms. Why is it so hard to find two?"

Booth looked at her like she had grown a couple other heads. "Why do ya think, Bones? The parade is tomorrow. Families come from all over the country to watch."

And then it hit her. Thanksgiving. Families. Booth. Of course he was upset…he was supposed to be spending Thanksgiving with his folks in Pennsylvania. And with his son. And now he was here. Working. With her. She had felt a pang of guilt strum through her body at that realization, and it must have crossed her face.

"Cheer up," he told her, his tired face softening. "We'll find a place. And maybe if we're lucky we'll get this wrapped up fast and be able to leave tomorrow, before all the festivities start and it gets ridiculous out there."

But of course, it didn't get wrapped up fast. And by the time they made it back to their hard-earned hotel rooms, both of them knew that there was no way they were getting out of New York anytime soon…they still needed to do loads of documentation and get things settled here before they could even dream of D.C. again. And she was so focused on the case and the criminal and (just a little) her guilt at being here instead of Booth's family, who he surely really wanted with him right now, that his visit to her room and suggestion that they go to the parade the next morning came as a total surprise. But, she had given into him fairly easily. Which, most likely, had to do with that guilt. And, (again, just a little), with that sweet smile he gave her while he implored her to please, just let's make the most of this trip. Damn him.

When she stumbled out of bed at 4 in the morning, she had been ready to regret the decision. When they stepped outside and she felt the chill biting into the exposed parts of her face, she was really ready. But as they stood in their staked-out spot, teasing, one-upping each other with their knowledge of the history of parades (and this parade in particular), and gulping down their energy for the morning in the form of coffee, regret was the last thing she was feeling. When he asked her if she was warm enough and she nodded immediately, her face tinged a pinker shade than the cold at her first thought: "You make me feel warm." For a much more logical explanation, she gestured to her coffee cup.

But he had put his arm around her anyway, and for a moment, despite her sleepiness, she felt a surge of something that felt like excitement. For the parade, of course…she was going to have the opportunity to observe an important American cultural phenomenon up close. That had to be the cause for the endorphins suddenly flooding her system. A little disoriented from her thoughts, she slipped away from him after a moment, not wanting either of them to find the contact awkward, and she teased him some more, about bringing her out here in the freezing cold at ungodly hours of the morning to a nearly-empty city sidewalk. And when, feigning offense, he told her that all the inconveniences were carried out for her, she knew he was kidding. But still…he should be with his family right now, warm in his childhood bed, getting ready for the Thanksgiving dinner of his dreams, followed by a marathon football-watching session with his dad, his brother, and his son.

She may have been wrong, attributing regret and sadness to him right then. After all, he was smiling at her, having fun with her. But her guilt gave her enough of an internal excuse to mumble something about needing a nap, and then snuggling herself deep in his arms, smiling in satisfaction against the wool of his collar when she felt his sigh and his arms entwining behind her back. Maybe she was comforting him. Maybe she was wanting him to comfort her. Or maybe, they were just stealing a moment, allowing this unordinary place and circumstance to again let them enjoy the pleasure of these cautious, too-rare embraces that seemed to make the world stop.

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Seeley enjoyed a momentary thought of letting Brennan fall asleep and whisking her off to bed. Screw the parade, he didn't want to see it that badly anyhow. But then his conscience spoke up, and mentioned that perhaps that wouldn't be as well received as he might anticipate. Dammit anyhow. He tried to hold Brennan as best he could while keeping his lower half away from her. He was a man, after all, and his partner all snuggled up in his embrace was having some less-than-Catholic affects on his body. He glanced down at his watch. Shit. Only six? How in the hell was he going to stand here for another three frickin' hours until the parade started?

"This is nice," Brennan commented softly as she wrapped her arms around his waist under his coat. Booth mentally sent a question Heavenward. "God? It's Seeley. DO YOU HATE ME, OR WHAT?!"

Steelers stats, Booth. Think touchdowns. Yardage. Turnovers. PAT kicks. Punts. Two-point conversions. Superbowl trips. ANYTHING. Just don't think about how much you agree with her.

Instead of all that, the only thing running through his mind (like it was on a God damn scrolling marquee, no less) was "yes, it is." He decided to give in, simply because to ignore her comment would just be rude. "Mmm," he hummed, giving her a gentle squeeze.

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"What is happening to us?" she wondered, the part of her that was still cautious sending up flares, while the part of her that really didn't give a damn about the answer to that question put a damper on them.

"Who cares?" the latter part of her said lazily, luxuriating in this closeness and causing her to press against him a little closer. That part was making a lot of sense.

"This is NOT partner-like behavior," the cautious side of her scolded, trying to alarm her into ending the embrace. She frowned and shifted slightly.

"But no one here knows you are partners…you are just two more faces in the crowd. And you are cold and sleepy, and once you get back to your hotel rooms, there will be no more excuse to be close like this. So enjoy it, Tempe. That voice…the I-don't-care one…was saying ridiculous things, but in a voice so logical that she felt she had to obey it. So she slipped her hands underneath his jacket and felt the warmth radiating off of him. God, this was nice.

And oh, shit, she had said it aloud. She must be tired. He didn't respond right away, and the cautious part of her shrieked "SEE!!?? Now you've gone too far and probably made him uncomfortable. Really intelligent, Tempe. Pull away now while you still have your dignity."

But at that moment, he squeezed her tighter, murmuring his agreement, and her cautious side was momentarily thrown by the rush of heat that flowed straight into her belly. And the I-don't-care side was suddenly the slickest snake-oil salesman in town, compromising: "Just sleep. Sleep, and everything will be okay…it's perfectly normal to lean on him like this if you are sleeping. Just close your eyes, and there is nothing strange about this…"

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Seeley had lost track of how much time he and Bones had been standing on the street waiting for the other parade-watchers to start showing up. Seconds had turned to minutes, and minutes had turned to hours, the entire time he hadn't been able to do anything but stand with his arms wrapped around her waist, occasionally rubbing his hands up and down her back in soothing patterns. Somewhere in there she'd fallen asleep and was breathing slowly and deeply. How she managed to stay standing boggled his mind. His feet were already getting tired, but he knew he'd be able to stand here until the end of time if need be.

A sweet voice tore him from his musings, "First trip to the parade?"

Seeley turned to the elderly woman who'd spoken the words. "Not for me. I grew up in Pittsburgh. But she's never been," he said softly, as not to wake the forensic anthropologist in his arms.

"Stella Rossi," the woman introduced herself.

Seeley reached out his gloved hand to shake hers. "Seeley Booth."

"Where'd your wife grow up?" the woman asked, motioning to Brennan.

"She's not my – her family moved around a lot," Seeley supplied. He wasn't sure what had prompted him to change his reply midstream, he and Bones were both usually so quick to inform people of their "strictly business" relationship. What had possessed him to abandon his usual reply of "we're just partners?" He shook the thought loose from his head, attempting to maintain a normal level of polite conversation with the woman. "How about yourself?" he asked with a smile.

"I grew up here in the city. My parents immigrated to the United States from Italy when I was a very small girl. We came to the very first parade in 1924, and I haven't missed a year since. It's a family tradition," she smiled, motioning to a man who Seeley assumed was her husband. Next to him were two boys Seeley figured to be a little older than him. "Dan!" she called, catching the older man's attention.

The man walked over, sliding an arm around the woman's waist. "This is my husband, Dante Rossi. Dan, this is Seeley Booth, and his wife…"

"Temperance," Booth supplied, shaking the hand the older man offered.

"Nice to meet you, Seeley. I hope my Stella hasn't been the one to put your lovely wife to sleep," Dante teased.

"Oh, you," Stella smiled, elbowing her husband gently.

Seeley smiled. "Not at all. I made her roll out at four this morning. I was just telling Stella that Tempe hasn't ever been to the parade, so we wanted to be sure to get a good spot."

"Ah. Well, the parade should be here soon, better make sure she's awake for it. Very nice to meet you, Seeley."

Dante nodded his agreement to the words Stella had spoken and led her back to their family.

"Bones," Seeley whispered. He rubbed his hands gently over her back and kissed the top of her head. "Wake up, sleepyhead."

Brennan stirred in his arms, glancing up at him through sleep-clouded eyes with a gentle smile.

"Good morning, beautiful," Seeley whispered. At her blush, he wondered if he should have held the words back.

When she replied "morning," in a husky half-whisper, his momentary regret fled. "Parade should be starting soon," he said.

She nodded slowly, extracting herself from his embrace to stand by his side instead. Her actions may have set him on edge again, had it not been for the gentle way she laced her gloved fingers through his and gave his hand a slight squeeze.

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Brennan hadn't really expected to be able to fall asleep…who could sleep standing up?...but as she leaned into her partner, cocooned by the warmth and lulled by the faint but steady pumping of his heart through his jacket, she drifted off to someplace halfway between consciousness and sleep, hearing the increasing bustle around them but not really processing any of it. Her bickering inner voices had largely quieted down for now, her cautious side grudgingly admitting that there were worse things in the world than, just for one day, allowing a little emotional and physical intimacy between herself and someone who she very much liked and trusted. It wasn't like she was having sex with him. They both knew where the line was between them, and while they might be teetering dangerously on the edge of it right now, they had not yet tipped over. Besides, by the way he was squeezing her, it felt like Booth might be needing this as much as she did today. Time passed. In her moments of lucidity, it occurred to her that she wouldn't be terribly disappointed if the parade never began.

She barely heard the voice asking if it was their first time to the parade, so lost was she in her half-sleep. But when Booth spoke, the vibrations in his chest against her ear pulled her a little closer to wakefulness, although she kept her eyes shut. If she woke up completely, she'd be expected to pull away from him. She felt herself being shifted slightly while her partner apparently shook someone's hand. Go away, strangers. Couldn't they see that the man was busy?

"Where'd your wife grow up?" the unfamiliar voice asked.

Wife? Maybe the stranger had found someone new to bother.

"She's not my – her family moved around a lot," she heard her partner reply, and her thoughts swam confusedly for a moment, realizing the stranger was indeed still talking to them. Booth wasn't married. Why was he answering this stranger's questions as if he was? And it didn't gel in her mind until his 'wife' made a second appearance.

"This is my husband, Dante Rossi. Dan, this is Seeley Booth, and his wife…"

"Temperance." She heard and felt her given name leaving Booth's lips, the sound of it silken against her ear. And then it clicked. She was the wife.

Her cautious side was up in arms in a flash. "Now you're MARRIED??? You hug the man at a parade, and suddenly he has you being part of an archaic institution that you don't even believe in? That's it, Tempe. You 'wake up' right now and stop this foolishness. Living in this fantasy world isn't helpful to anyone. You just need to…"

"Shut up." Apparently, her I-don't-care side was done playing ball. "This isn't hurting anyone. Now stop talking us out of something that feels good and do something useful with yourself. Like play in traffic."

Ms. (Mrs.?) Cautious wasn't used to being talked back to, and was seemingly shocked into silence. Relieved, Brennan again relaxed, breathing rhythmically, inhaling the scent of the cologne she liked so much until the voices again blurred together, and the next thing she felt was Booth's voice whispering her name and moving his hands across her back, waking her slowly. All good things had to come to an end eventually, she conceded regretfully.

"Good morning, beautiful," he told her, and this time she was awake enough to know that he wasn't talking to anybody else. The blood that had been circulating warmly and thoroughly throughout her body now rushed to her face. How could he do that? She had had sex with the man and she had (Sort of. Kind of. Not really) gotten over that. But he called her beautiful and all of a sudden she was practically speechless.

"Morning," she mumbled back, and pulled away from him a bit guiltily. She had taken too many liberties in his arms today, she knew that. But what was done was done. Catching him look at her with a little bit of concern in his eyes, she could read his flash of fear; having let her guard down a bit, would this be the moment when she ran away from him? To reassure him, she quickly reached over and gave his hand a squeeze. Whatever else she was, Temperance Brennan wasn't a coward. And she wasn't going to let her friend down today.

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As Santa Claus's float drove out of sight, Booth glanced at Brennan. "So. Whaddya think, Bones?"

"It was…"

"Anthropologically…" Booth interrupted.

"I was going to say 'great,' Booth. It was an amazing experience. I loved it. Thank you," she smiled, almost shyly.

"You're welcome," he smiled back, dropping an arm over her shoulders.

"Seeley! Temperance!" Booth's stomach dropped to his feet when he heard Stella Rossi's voice. Please, God. If you care about me at all, don't let Bones figure out I let this woman think we're married.

"Stella," he said with what he hoped was an enthusiastic smile. "Bones, this is Stella Rossi. We were visiting while you were napping."

"Nice to meet you, Stella," Brennan smiled politely.

"You too, dear. What did you think of the parade? Seeley tells me it was your first one."

"It was great," Brennan answered.

"I'm so glad you enjoyed it," Stella smiled brightly. "I hate to sound presumptuous, but if the two of you don't have plans today, we'd love to have you join us for dinner."

Booth blushed and began stammering, but only for a moment until Brennan spoke up.

"Thank you for the invitation, Stella, but my husband and I do actually have plans."

Booth had been mistaken. His stomach had only dropped to his knees before. Now, now it was at his feet.

Stella smiled politely. "Well it was very nice to meet you both," she said.

"You too," Brennan replied, tugging on Seeley's hand to prompt him to speak.

"Yes. Nice to meet you, Stella," he said, waving to Dante, a few feet behind his wife.

As the elderly couple retreated into the crowd, Seeley let his head hang. "You were awake," he stated.

"Well, honestly, Booth," Brennan teased. "Who can sleep standing up?"

"I hope I didn't… I mean… I…"

"Seeley," Brennan murmured, tugging on his hand. "Don't worry about it. Now I think you owe me breakfast, husband."

Booth laughed and tightened his grip on her hand. "I think you're probably right, wife. Let's go see what we can find."

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A/N: Stay tuned for more of B/B's Thanksgiving adventure, and start getting revved up for what we have in store for Christmas! You can only imagine...We lurve you madly! Thanks for reading!