Booth sat on the couch watching as Brennan placed the last of their daughters gifts under the tree. He was cradling a scotch glass in his hand, balanced on his knee, his foot casually across his thigh. His face reflected his mood. Calm. Happy. Relaxed. But most of all it reflected his love for the woman kneeling on the floor in front of him.
At that moment her head lifted. She tucked her hair behind her ear with a forefinger and smiled at him, eyes sparkling in the flickering glow of the Christmas tree lights.
"All done." she said softly. She sat back on her heels and shivered slightly. "I think you need to stoke that fireplace Booth. It's getting a bit cool in here." she said, the slightest of frowns crossing her brow.
"Sure thing." he said, uncrossing his legs and standing up. "What say I throw on a couple extra logs and really get her going. We could spend the night on the rug in front of the fire?" he suggested, a wry smile playing around the corners of his mouth.
"Booth, we can't! What if Christine"
Booth laughed, cutting her off. He walked over to her, wrapping her up in his arms. She leaned her head against his shoulder, letting her body mould to his, feeling the warmth from his chest seep through her thin sweater. He heard her soft moan of contentment, felt her soften within his arms. He turned his head and kissed her hair.
"I was joking Bones. Trust me, the last thing I want is for our daughter to walk out and find us in the throes of passion under the Christmas tree. Something like that could scar her for life!" he chuckled. "She'd never be able to look at a Christmas tree again!" he added letting Brennan go.
She stretched, then shivered again. She loved being encompassed in his warmth. He made her feel like no other man ever had. She rubbed at her upper arms, and looked at him. "I might just go grab another sweater" she said.
"No need Bones. Come and sit down, I'll just stoke it enough to last an hour. We can have a nightcap and watch the flames die down before we go to bed" Booth said as he bent one knee to the floor. He groaned as he settled his weight onto his knee and grabbed the poker and gave the open fire a good stir. The flames flickered to life. He leaned the poker against the fire surround and rubbed his hands together, feeling the heat.
"That's better" he said turning and smiling at Brennan. She felt a stirring in the pit of her stomach as she looked at him. His fine face. So handsome. Masculine. His strong jaw and nose. Eyes, so dark, yet they held a deep warmth, like melted chocolate. His hair, thick, dark, with just the slightest sprinkle of grey at his temples.
She reached out a hand and gestured to him to come closer to her. He crawled on all fours towards her, grunting as he bore his weight on his bad knee. She smiled, one day he was going to have to get that knee looked at. He was avoiding it, because deep down he knew that he would have to have surgery and he wasn't ready for that. He sat at her feet, pushing his way between her knees so that his back was against her leg, and he was sitting sideways between her feet.
She pushed her fingers through his hair, starting at his forehead, running them over the top of his head and down towards the nape of his neck. He responded by tipping his head back ever so slightly, his eyes closed, a contented smile on his face.
"Merry Christmas Bones. I love you." he murmured softly, then leaned his cheek on her thigh. She continued running her fingers through his hair, across his forehead, over his cheek, as she stared ahead at the fire dancing in the fireplace.
"We're lucky, aren't we Booth?" she asked suddenly, her voice barely over a whisper.
He opened his eyes, tilting his head back over her leg and looked up at her.
"We sure are Bones. We sure are. The luckiest." he said smiling at her.
He loved her face. Her high cheekbones, her strong, determined jaw, and those eyes. So blue, they sometimes caught him off guard, making him stare at their brightness. He loved how they changed colour, sometimes so bright it was like a spark was behind them. Sometimes, they were somewhere between blue and green. And then there were the days when they were grey, the colour of the sky in winter. Those were the days he didn't like. Because it meant she was sad.
Luckily, since having Christine, he rarely saw those sad grey eyes.
"And we're happy, right?" she added.
Booth frowned slightly "Of course we're happy. I've never been this happy. Ever. I couldn't be any happier if I tried." he said, assuringly, wondering what brought on that question.
Suddenly, she made a move, pushing him off of her leg. "I almost forgot! I have something." she said standing up.
He frowned and watched as she ran into the kitchen and opened the pantry. She pulled out a small parcel and ran back, dropping down onto the sofa, tucking one leg under her bottom. She grinned as she held out the packaged wrapped in bright green and gold Christmas paper, a brilliant green bow stuck on the top.
"Wait. We're doing this now? We're not waiting until the morning with Christine?" he asked, confused. "I can go grab yours now" he said, beginning to stand up.
"No. Booth. This is just" she hesitated. "This is just a special gift. From me to you." she smiled shyly.
"Well, OK. But I have yours" he said, getting up off the floor and sitting beside her on the sofa. "I didn't forget" he added.
"Don't worry Booth. This is an extra present. I. Um. I just got it today. And I thought you'd like to have it now. When it's just you and me." Brennan said, waving the small package at him. "Open it."
Booth took the package and looked at it. He turned it over in his hands then grinned at her as he pulled of the green bow and stuck it to his chest. He started picking at the edge of the cellotape, gently peeling it back, releasing one end of the present.
"Oh Booth, just rip it open!" Brennan said, her own excitement showing.
He grinned back at her and followed her instructions. "OK, OK!" he said laughing as he tore the wrapping paper from the box. He dropped it to the floor and looked at the white box in his hand. He lifted it to his ear and shook it. "Is it a pen? A watch?" he asked.
"Why don't you just open it and find out for yourself" she said.
Booth lifted the lid off the box. His mouth dropped slightly as he surveyed the contents.
He looked up at her, her eyes were sparkling with unfallen tears.
"Are you joking?" he said, not quite believing what he was looking at.
"Well, I thought at first, it might not be correct. But, no. I'm not joking Booth. I did five before this one. All the same." she said, her hands were clasped under her chin.
Booth removed the item from the box. He held it up close to his face so he could see it clearly. There they were. Two bright pink lines. As clear as day. "You did six tests?" he asked her.
Brennan nodded, her tears were falling now. Softly rolling over the curve of her cheek.
"Oh Bones. Bones, this is the best. The most incredible. We're pregnant? We're really pregnant!" he said grabbing her shoulders and pulling her to him.
"Oh you amazing woman. You're the most amazing wife!" he said, pressing his lips against hers. He could feel her tears on his cheek, taste them on her lips. "You're the most amazing mother!"
Brennan returned his kisses, cupping his face in her hands.
"Bones! But, were we trying? I don't remember if we were trying." he said pulling back and staring into her eyes.
Brennan suddenly frowned. "Well, no. We weren't actually trying. Are you mad? Are you disappointed? It just happened. We didn't plan Christine either Booth." she said, her voice wavering slightly.
Is he angry? Upset? Perhaps I should have been more careful she thought, now worried that he wouldn't be as excited as she was when she confirmed her pregnancy. She stared at his face, trying to find some confirmation of his feelings.
"No! No Bones. I'm just. Surprised!" he said, hugging her tightly. "And I'm incredibly happy. Honestly, this is the best Christmas present you could ever give me!" he added, kissing her cheek over and over.
"I know we weren't planning another baby specifically at this moment. But, you remember when I was on those antibiotics for that infected cut on my hand?" she asked.
Booth frowned, "Yeah. When you cut it in the lab. Yeah, I remember that." he said, shaking his head, not understanding.
"Well it has been documented that taking antibiotics can often undermine the efficiency of the pill. And in our case, it did. And I'm going to have another baby!" she said.
"When? How far along are you?" he asked, excited by the news that he was going to be a father again.
"I'm six weeks, roughly. I think" she said, blushing.
"You think?" he asked, smirking.
"Well, you're obviously well aware that we have a healthy sex life. And, well, I can only go by my last cycle, so yes, about six weeks." she said. "Of course, I will go to my obstetrician and have a blood test done after Christmas. But I'm confident, I'm right. I have tender breasts, some slight bloating, I've started peeing a little more often. It's quite common for second and third pregnancies be symptomatic a little earlier. I personally believe it's because we recognise the signs."
Booth screwed up his nose "That's OK Bones. I don't need to know the specifics. Six weeks is good enough. Oh my God, Bones! We're going to have another baby!" he laughed loudly.
"Shhhh. Booth! You'll wake up Christine, and then we'll never get her back to sleep because she'll see all the gifts!" Brennan said laughing as she covered his mouth with her hand.
He pressed his lips into the palm of her hand. His eyes were crinkled up at the corners. She could feel his mouth smiling under her hand. "Another baby!" he whispered.