This is my first fanfic. I am from Germany so all my thanks go to my friend jazzyproz who is an amazing Beta for this story. I couldn't have done it without her help.

This is set in Season 5 and replaces the Christmas Episode. So no Santas were harmed and no evidence collected ;)

I hope you will enjoy this story and maybe leave a review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bones or any of these characters. The idea is all mine.

The call came in early morning of Dec 23. A body was found at a construction site up in the mountains of Maryland. The Jeffersonian truck was enroute carrying Cam and Hodgins. Booth and Brennan followed in Booth's FBI vehicle. The nearly 3-hour drive was not a pleasant one. Booth was grumpy the whole way up. He wouldn't get Parker for the holidays, so his Christmas was ruined. The more he dwelled on the situation, the angrier he became that Rebecca again cancelled on a short notice . The discovery of this body could force the whole team to work through the holidays, maybe even on Christmas Day. To add to Booth's increasing aggravation, a snowstorm was anticipated to hit by early afternoon, which could complicate their ride back.

After spending about an hour examining the body, the facts were clear to Brennan; the victim was male, age late fifties to early sixties. It was clearly a homicide, but based on preliminary findings, the crime likely occurred approximately five decades earlier, so there was no real rush to plan the investigation over the impending holiday... It was possible that the murderer was not even alive anymore. The team packed everything into the truck destined for the Jeffersonian and decided they'd start the investigation after Christmas. Booth and Brennan spent an additional two hours talking to the employees at the construction site and to the local police officers.

By the time the partners left the little town, the snowstorm well underway and it was worsening by the minute. It took more than an hour for Booth to drive only fifteen miles, and on more than one occasion, the cars surrounding them threatened to slip from the road. Driving became very difficult as they continued, even for an experienced driver like Booth.

Brennan had been complaining since leaving the crime scene, upset about not going directly back to the Jeffersonian and insisting that it was irresponsible of them to delay the investigation until after the holidays. She grew increasingly quieter, however, when the visibility in the storm decreased steadily and the icy roads made driving risky. The sunset had already begun and continuing in the dark would prove to be problematic.

Finally, he saw a sign.

VISIT THE NEW LAKESIDE HOTEL ½ mile ahead - exit on the left

"Bones, that's it. We are not driving any further. We'll stay at that hotel until the storm is over. Don't bother to argue, I won't take NO for an answer!" A part of Brennan wanted to keep going, but she realized that Booth was right. It would be unwise to continue on the icy roads, so she acquiesced.

They arrived at the hotel in a short while. It was a new, modern building , ten stories tall and located near a small lake. The area was perfect for hiking and would be ideal for a variety of water sports, but at that moment, everything was covered in snow. From the looks of the crowded parking lot, it appeared to Booth that, aside from the number of pre-registered guests spending their holiday at this picturesque locale, many travelers had the same idea of getting off the road, opting to grab a room at the only hotel within several miles.

They parked the SUV, grabbed their ever-present emergency overnight bags and waded through big piles of snow to reach the entrance. Cleaning their boots and coats before approaching the front desk, they were greeted cordially by the clerk, who'd been waiting with a smile. "How may I help you?"

Booth spoke first. "Two single rooms, please."

The clerk shook his head. "No Sir, I'm sorry. We don't have any left."

"A double room with two beds?" Brennan asked.

Another head shake to the negative.

"One bed?" Booth suggested hesitatingly, but with hope.

Again, another No left the clerk's lips.

"Anything?" Booth grew anxious, his desperation starting to show.

"Unfortunately, we are completely booked, even all the suites are occupied." The clerk was staring at his computer, trying to figure out a way to help the two strangers standing before him. Booth and Brennan started to get comfortable with the idea of spending the whole night in the hotel lobby to wait for the storm to end; at least it was warm and dry and with a lobby restaurant, there was food available.

"Wait," the clerk became animated. "We've had a cancellation due to the storm! We have one room now available… the honeymoon suite on the top floor."

Booth's face lit up, not caring what kind of room it was, as long as he could sleep. "We'll take it."

The clerk smiled. "It's $600.00 a night, but it includes a three-course dinner for two, a bottle of champagne, and," the smile on the young man's face grew. "As a special perk, housekeeping will prepare your oversized hot tub so it's ready by the time you're through eating dinner."

Booth gulped.

Brennan's hand reached around him, placing a credit card on the desk.

"No, Bones, I can get it." With a shrug he smiled crookedly. "Don't know if I'll get it back from Hacker, but either way, I can cover it."

"Booth, don't be ridiculous. You know I can afford it."

He knew that she was right. Even if he was not happy, after some quiet bickering, he accepted her offer.

"Please leave your bags here with me. They'll be taken to your room later. Meanwhile, you're invited to enjoy your dinner while waiting for your suite. It should be ready in about 90 minutes; we will let you know." The clerk gave them their keycards and motioned to the hotel restaurant.

The partners were guided to their table, pleasantly located next to a window with a perfect view overlooking the lake. A light snow continued to fall, but the worst of the storm had calmed down immensely. Still, it would take hours to clear the roads of the cold, white blanket, and Booth was happy that they were safely off the road.

The agent observed Brennan. He knew her, and knew that she was worried about the remains not being properly handled. He also knew that, true to her nature, his anthropologist was eager to find the murderer and solve the crime. It was going to take considerable effort from him to calm her down and distract her thoughts from the fact that their remains would be in Washington, DC well before they were.

While they were enjoying their meal, Booth let his mind drift to the last few months. Something has shifted between he and his partner since his surgery. After the turmoil Sweet's words created in his heart and head, and following his chat with Cam, he was sure that nothing had actually changed about the emotions he felt for Brennan. He had already been in love with her, since well before his tumor was discovered. He berated himself for not having the courage to confess that the "I love you" he uttered that evening as they walked along the sidewalk was absolutely not in a 'professional, atta girl kind of way'. He was afraid of scaring her away, afraid that her walls would come back up if he wanted to move their relationship forward.

While she was talking about different ways to clean the remains that now awaited their return to DC, and how challenging it would be to solve such an old case, he gave her an encouraging smile and a nod every now and then. His thoughts keep drifting, however. Thoughts of meals spent at the Diner… telling her about making love… trying to convince her that there was someone for everyone out there in the world. With a wistful smile, he remembered how sweet and innocent she looked through the thick glasses on the plane to China, how excited she was during their time at the circus, and how challenging it was for him to stay at his side of the bed.

Then, during his coma, she had created this other, wonderful universe for them. He knew that he wasn't married to her, and that they were not having a baby together… but he still felt the loss of that dream-life, even all these months later.

But on occasion, at the most random of moments, he caught these little rays of hope, that she just might be open now for a next step, and maybe they were finally on the same page.

Wait, what is she talking about now?

"Oh, no way, Bones. You are not spending the evening at the computer, trying to get a connection to the Jeffersonian and doing research about the case. We are not paying six-hundred dollars for a room and not taking advantage of all the luxurious comforts it has to offer."

"Booth, you know that we are not really a couple on their honeymoon, right? What comforts are you thinking about taking advantage of?"

She was glaring at him, a small smile tugging her lips. In the back of her mind, she thought it would be fun to tease him a bit, to push some of those 'prudish-Booth-buttons.'

He held her gaze, smiling back at her with a shrug. "Uh, I don't know. There's sure to be a big-screen television... We can watch a movie, snuggle on the couch that I'm certain will be there... We can open the bottle of champagne that was promised… Or you can relax in the big hot tub the clerk was talking about. It would probably do you good after kneeling for so long over those remains on the cold, frozen ground." Booth was determined to distract her using any means he could think of. "Bones, we are NOT working tonight. So get used to it."

The waiter approached their table with dessert. "The front desk told me to let you know that your room is ready. I also wanted to tell you about a special offer for all of our guests tonight. There's a big Christmas tree in the lobby and a photographer is available to take photos of our guests in front of the tree. You can stop by for a photo opportunity, leave your room number and the prints will be available when you check out tomorrow. This is a Christmas gift from the owner of the hotel, so you'll have a souvenir of your stay here."

They finished their dessert and left the restaurant. Sure enough, the decorated tree their waiter had told them about was staged for photos, and a small family was just finishing their photo session.

"Come on, Bones, let's take a picture. We can show them to our friends later, make 'em a little jealous. It'll be fun."

He stepped in front of the tree, dragging Brennan along without waiting for her response. Booth nodded to the young photographer and she readied her camera, waiting for her subjects to get into position. He put his arm around Brennan's shoulders and drew her near. Pressing their bodies together as their heads naturally tilted and leaned in, the pair looked right into the camera lens. Booth felt like he could stand in front of that tree forever, enjoying the sensation of having her in his arms. What he didn't know was that, in that very instant, Brennan was feeling the same. The intuitive special agent was not the only one who'd felt the recent shift in their relationship, but Brennan was not able to name her feelings just yet.

The photographer started taking photos, giving them suggestions for different poses. Then, without warning, she pointed at something above their heads.

Looking up in unison, the partners saw it… dangling from the ceiling...

MISTLETOE...

Thanks for reading!