This is basically an Alternate Reality Christmas story. I literally had this dream about a week ago and I had to stop the "The World Beyond the Normal" for a little bit, just long enough so this wouldn't fall out of my small brain.

Jingle Bones

Chapter One

Temperance Brennan went over the last few finishing touches on her latest manuscript. The title read Chilled To The Bone, a fitting title if you were going by the weather they were experiencing in D.C. She hit the print button and reclined in her chair as far as it would go. Running her fingers through her hair, she considered the odds of spending the next three days with Limbo cases.

Everyone had plans. Angela and Hodgins were retreating to the Swiss Alps to ski their holiday away, Zack and Cam were both going home to New York and Michigan to be with their families, and no doubt Booth was spending his time with Parker. Brennan had decided not to go on one of her famous anthropology expeditions to the far ends of the Earth this year and decided to stay in D.C. to try to make a dent in Limbo.

At that moment, Booth appeared at her door, his eyes widened in delight. "Hey, is that your new book?"

"Yes, and you still don't get any sneak peeks." she said while swatting his hands away from the papers the printer continued to spit out.

"Hell, Bones, I stopped trying to convince you to let me preview awhile ago. It doesn't seem to get me anywhere anyway." he held his hands out in innocence. "I have a proposition for you." He flashed her one of his infamous charm-smiles.

She sighed. It seemed like whenever Booth had a 'proposition' for her, she ended up doing some horrible, time-consuming paperwork for him. "If you want to dump your federal paperwork on me, think about what happened the last time that happened." she said frankly.

He shuddered at the memory of the case report she'd written for him once. The only reason he'd asked her to was because it was due in an hour and Parker needed to be picked up from school. She'd agreed to do it at the cost of being able to drive the Toyota all week. He didn't even read it before he handed it in to his superiors. Later that evening, Cullen personally came into his office to commend him on the "brilliantly written and detailed" report. He felt like a high school student that had gotten caught enlisting the help of one of the nerds. "It's not that kind of a question, Bones. What are you going to do with your three days off?"

She shrugged, "I was going to work on some Limbo cases, get those reports filed, and call my brother, wish him a merry Christmas."

Booth liked the last one that she had to say. Hell, one out of three wasn't bad in his mind. But he still needed to ask. "I was wondering if you might like to go with me and Parker to Philadelphia. I tell my mom and dad a lot about my partner and they said they'd like to meet her." he smiled.

She didn't believe her ears. Did he just invite her to go and stay with his family for the next three days. Where that came from, she didn't know. Also not being prepared for it, she stuttered. "I-I…that's okay, Booth. I'll just stay here and work these cases. I doubt you want the wrecker of Christmas spirit along for the ride anyway."

That obviously wasn't the response that Booth had been fishing for, "Please Bones? It would mean a lot to Parker. He really likes you and even asked me to give this to you." He slid a piece of folded paper across her desk. "And you are not the wrecker of Christmas, you're just out of practice with what it's about."

Brennan looked up at him before she examined the make-shift card. On the front was a Christmas tree decorated with tiny little bones and a star on top. In the corner, the small boy had written "Dr. Bones" with an ellipse. She opened the card to see an abundance of smiling stick figures with the words "Will you come to Christmas with us? -Love, Parker."

"Did you…?" Brennan was lost for words at the boy's words. She felt like she hardly even knew Parker and was his best friend at the same time.

"He did that all by himself. Like I said, he really likes you." Booth watched his partner's resolve diminish away. Even underneath all the rationality and anthropological crap, there was still a woman's heart beating in that rib cage, one that apparently didn't want to disappoint the little boy.

"When are you leaving?" she whispered.

Booth smiled, "Early tomorrow morning, could you be ready to be on the road by six o'clock? We'll come by and pick you up, but I don't want you to feel pressured into this."

"When have I ever let you pressure me into anything before, Booth?" she asked simply while still looking over the card.

"Point taken, Bones."

Brennan was still hazy on why he wanted her to go with them so bad, more so on why she wanted to go with them. "It sounds like you guys want me to go bad enough that you bothered to ask." she said rationally.

"You'll come?" Booth seemed a little shocked that it didn't take more convincing her.

"Yeah. I think I could use a little company."

Booth breathed a sigh of relief, "Bones, I could kiss you. Pack enough stuff for three days and the two of us will pick you up tomorrow at six." he stated as he skipped out.

Brennan flopped back down at her desk as the last pages of her manuscript came out of the printer. She bundled it up and decided to take it to her publisher herself. She slipped on her coat, locked up her office, and strode over to Autopsy. Dr. Camille Saroyan, who Brennan considered and friend and a respected colleague, sat at her desk overlooking case files with fuzzy reindeer antlers on her head and a glass of eggnog. Brennan chuckled slightly as she looked up.

"Dr. Brennan, something I can help you with?" she asked with a smile.

"I was just going to clock out for the day. I have some things that need to be taken care of before holiday madness ensues." she said vaguely while holding up the giant stack of papers that told the story of forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs and her F.B.I. agent, Andy Lister.

"Sure. Out of any of us, you're the one that deserves a little time to themselves once in a while."

"Thanks Cam. Merry Christmas." she said over her shoulder.

Cam, slightly shocked at the doctor's well wishes, mirrored her saying and wondered what had gotten her spirits so high in the past hour.

* * *

Someone knocked restlessly at the front door to Booth's apartment. He knew that there was only one little boy that tried to bang down his door. He ran to answer it. Opening it, he found a four-year-old Parker running at his legs to hug him.

"Daddy!" he gleefully stated.

"Hey there. Buddy." Booth ruffled his hair, then turned to the boy's mother. "Thank you so much Rebecca. This really means a lot."

"It's no trouble Seeley, he is half yours after all." Rebecca shrugged as she handed him the luggage that Parker would need for the long trip.

"Daddy, did you ask Dr. Bones to come with us? Did you give her my card?" Parker jumped up and down.

"Hold your horses there, Bud. Yes, I asked her and gave her the card. What did I tell you about not getting your hopes up too high?" Booth bent down to look his son straight in the eye.

"I know, I was just wondering if she was coming." Parker said solemnly, getting the idea that Brennan wasn't going with them.

"She said yes, little man." Booth smirked.

Parker's eyes grew wide with delight, "She DID?! Oh, boy!" he ran off to his room, apparently looking for something.

"Dr. Brennan is going home with you to Philly?" Rebecca asked.

Booth met her gaze. "Yeah, Parker asked me to ask her and my parents wanna meet the partner I speak so highly of. Is that a problem?"

Rebecca shook her head. "Not in the least. She's a good role model for Parker."

"What do you mean by that? Cause I don't want Parker to turn out just like Bones." Booth shuddered at the mental image of his own son, his flesh and blood, growing into a squint.

"Well, I came into the living room the other day and Parker was sitting there with this book in his lap, no TV or anything. I looked at it and it was an encyclopedia. I know Parker couldn't read it, but I asked him what he was doing with it. He said he was trying to get as smart as Dr. Bones." Rebecca said.

Booth chuckled and shook his head, "He really said that?"

She nodded, "I know you pick on her a lot, Seeley, for being so smart, but if she can inspire our kid to read the encyclopedia, then I think she's a good influence. You know it wouldn't hurt if you were dating her either, you know. She'd be a good influence on you, too." Rebecca grinned.

He gave her a fake laugh, "Seriously, Rebecca, Bones and I are just partners and friends."

She rolled her eyes, "Uh-huh, sure. I'll be back to get him in three days. Merry Christmas, Seeley." she said before turning to leave.

"Merry Christmas." he closed the door behind his ex-lover just as Parker came barreling out of his room again.

"Daddy, look at what I drew for Dr. Bones!" he waved around a piece of paper.

Booth suddenly thought about Brennan and her limited experience with children. He wondered if being around Parker would set her ill at ease. He looked at the picture that Parker was flapping around, and saw that it was a skeleton.

"That's really nice, Bud. I think she'll love it." he reassured his son.

Parker smiled and ran off to another room. This gave Booth the time to sigh and scrub his face with his hands.

This was going to be an interesting holiday.

-So I know that Brennan gave into that a little too easily for her character, but you know me, I don't like conflict, which is almost impossible to avoid while writing about Booth and Brennan. Next chapter will be a long one, filled with car rides, fun in the snow, and (if I get enough reviews on this) Brennan just might do something completely out of character. Dun-dun-dun... But seriously, a review would be delightful!