White Elephant

Invicta AU: Booth wants to buy Kelly a present. Sometimes the best presents are the ones you don't see coming. Like that smile. One-shot piece of fluff.

My little AU includes the following stories: Building Booths, Jumping the Gun and the main one, Invicta. If you haven't already read those, then you'll have no idea who Kelly is and I'll seem like a total whack-job. ha.

"Can I have a Cadillac Escalade?" Kelly Booth asked, her eyes gleaming and she clapped her hands together and sat up on her knees.

"Down, girl." Seeley Booth push his little sister back down against the sofa cushions. "You can't have a Escalade."

"But it has all the required features!" She insisted, eyes still gleaming. "Anti-lock Brakes for you, moon roof and heated seats for me!"

"Is this what you call a win-win?" He raised an eyebrow "Because I'm not paying for a Caddy."

Booth and his sister were sitting on the couch in his apartment, Booth with his laptop in his lap and Kelly sitting like a twisted pretzel on his right, hardly able to contain her excitement. They sat there because Booth had promised to buy her a car. She had declined at first, but he had insisted that because of 10 years of missed birthdays and Christmases, an upcoming graduation from law school, and the fact she was going to be taking a placement in Virginia to help her study for the Bar, a car was just what she needed. Kelly had playfully teased him that if he went the 10 years of missing birthdays route, then that would be like him spending $2,500 on her every year he missed.

"You're the best brother in the world." Kelly smiled sweetly, earning herself a pillow in the face. "Okay, seriously, I need four-wheel drive."

"Why would you need four-wheel drive for the Beltway?" Booth ask as he scrolled through different reviews.

"It's not for the Beltway, it's for when I go to the Blue Ridge Mountains." She insisted

"Now," Booth looked up from the computer and she was still smiling "Why would you need to go to the mountains?"

"When I want to go camping!" She nodded. "Or skiing."

"Since when do you camp or ski?" He laughed

"I might meet someone!" She said optimistically. "I like skiing! And camping! And hiking!"

"Why do you need to go to Virginia for skiing? You can go to Pennsylvania. We can go together, I can drive… Round Top, Ski Liberty…" He started listing resorts.

"Wintergreen, Massanutten…" Kelly countered.

"Pennsylvania is closer to my mom and Pops."

"Massanutten has mini-golf and go-karts in the summer." Kelly smiled.

"You got me there." Booth nodded and turned his attention back to his computer. "Pops doesn't have that."

"And think of it…" She leaned forward and grinned. "Four-wheel drive… I have to go over the mountains to get to the valley. The Shennandoah Valley. Staunton has the American Shakespeare Center. I can take Parker on educational trips!"

"I can take Parker on educational trips." Booth pointed out "On the metro. Or just a few blocks away. We are in the Nation's Capital, the cradle of civilization."

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much." Kelly quoted and crossed her arms.

"Who you callin' a lady?" Booth looked at her with mock anger. "What about a Prius? Something zippy to get around the city?"

"What about a Cadillac Escalade? With bullet proof glass?" Kelly wiggled her eyebrows.

"Not until you run for President." Booth grumbled as he flipped to another site.

"Is that a promise?" She smiled. Booth shot her a look and she giggled. "I do have political aspirations."

"What better way to make a political statement by driving an environmentally and economically friendly Prius?"

"How about a Subaru?" Kelly offered. "Room for my skis."

"You don't own skis."

"But I could!" Kelly put her hands on her brothers arm. "You're missing the potential here! I need a car that's going to grow with me!"

"Then you can buy it." Booth slowly put his hand up to the screen of the computer and started to pull it close but Kelly stopped him.

"Ok, one, not fair. Two, you win." She sighed "I'll take whatever car you deem appropriate, however, I'd like to urge you to think about an all-weather vehicle. One able to go through snow with heated seats, or cool me off in the summer with a moon roof and an iPod hookup."

"Now you want an iPod hookup?" He laughed. "Anything else on the list, Princess?"

"In fact…" She smiled. "No. Well, yes." He laughed at her.

"What about a Volvo?" He asked and she scrunched her nose "Come on, Mom had that Volvo station wagon and it was a tank."

"The only reason I would want a Volvo station wagon was so I could ride backwards again." She reminisced fondly over the rear-facing jump seats in Alice's Volvo. "I can't ride backwards and drive."

"I'll give you that one." Booth nodded and looked back at his computer

"You want to protect me?" She asked suddenly and Booth looked up sharply

"No," He smiled "I want to protect the other people on the road from you."

"Subaru was voted one of the safest brands." She reminded him gently

"So was Honda." He read a review and looked up and she was staring at him, pouting. "Why is a Subaru so important to you?"

"Because," She smiled mischievously "It's fun to say. Sooo-bah-roooooo." She laughed a little

He was regarding her carefully while she laughed. Unexpectedly, there was a knock on the door.

"Be useful." He pointed at the door and she got up dutifully and answered the door.

Dr. Temperance Brennan wasn't surprised that it wasn't her Booth who opened the door. She inwardly laughed at her own phrasing. In front of her stood the petite blond, dressed in an oversized t-shirt, skinny jeans and moccasin slippers. Her short hair was knotted at the nape of her neck and all the random, short pieces were pinned in a haphazardly manner. Brennan knew Kelly was approaching her 27th birthday, but she couldn't help but see a young girl, no older than 16. Sweets had advised Brennan that Kelly was most likely reverting to the time when she lost her family, trying to reclaim what she felt she was denied. Brennan saw it differently. There was a sparkle in Kelly's eyes when she saw Brennan standing on the other side of the door. Enthusiasm was just her nature.

"Well hey, it's Bones!" She smiled and called back to her brother.

"Well hey, let her in!" Booth chided from the couch.

Brennan normally took offense from people, other than Booth, calling her Bones. She had cringed the first time Kelly had let that slip, knowing that she and Booth probably called her Bones in casual conversation. To that point, Kelly had been calling her Dr. Brennan, with a reverence and admiration that endeared her to Brennan. But the second it slipped through her lips, a child-like innocence and playfulness exposed itself. Brennan had to admit that the only reason she allowed it that first time was that expression, merely because she had seen it in her Booth.

The more time she spent with the younger Booth, the more she appreciated her humanity and intelligence. She had an analytical side, capable of rational thought and compartmentalizing. But there was that side that exuded joy and a passion for life that she had only seen in one other person, her Booth.

"He's buying me a car." Kelly said with excitement and Brennan realized she may or may not have been talking while Brennan was in her reverie.

"He's what?" Brennan shot a glance at Booth on the couch and he nodded.

"Have a seat, Bones." He patted the couch next to him "Join us in the great debate."

"A car is a very large purchase." She claimed as she walked around the couch and sat where he had placed his hand.

"I think he's insane." Kelly jumped over the couch arm and sat on the other side of him, wide-eyes laughing.

"She needs a car." Booth justified to Brennan "She can't ride the metro forever."

"Public transportation is a very safe, reliable way of getting from Point A to Point B." She supplied

"Are you purposefully trying to sabotage my future freedom?" Kelly narrowed her eyes playfully. When Brennan was about to pose a rebuttal, Booth started laughing.

"Shut up." He looked at Kelly and she shrugged. "You know the car is a foregone conclusion. It's going to happen. Don't get your panties in a twist."

"My panties are not in a twist!" She argued and crossed her arms. "I'm very grateful for everything you've been doing," She looked from Booth to Brennan "Both of you. I've been on my own for a long and it's nice to know I don't have to be…" She smiled a little "But that Subaru Forrester would really make me feel not alone… especially with a built in navigation system."

"You're pushing it." Booth warned, holding a finger up and trying to fight a smile.

"It's okay, I'll stop pushing it for the night." She stood up and stretched. "Range Rover. Think about it." She added quickly and Booth groaned.

"Where are you going?" Brennan looked up in surprise.

"Hot date with Vida." Kelly smiled

"A hot date with life?" Brennan looked confused.

"No," Kelly laughed a little and explained, trying not to sound patronizing, "Vida. A girl in a few of my classes. We have a huge presentation due in our Litigation Ethics class."

"Oh, well, have fun." Brennan smiled and Kelly grabbed her jacket.

"Hey Munchkin," Booth called after as she head towards the door. "Don't fail. Or die."

"Got it." She playfully saluted as she opened the door and slipped out.

"As I said before, a car is a very, very large purchase." Brennan said after the door closed.

"I know," He shrugged. "But I shuffled some things around, found a little extra money." He looked at her with a soft smile. "I need to do something. She's going to be a young professional. I missed helping her out before now, so why not help her out now?"

Brennan considered him with gentle gaze. She admired his commitment to his sister. Yes, she acknowledged that it was probably misguided and probably 15 years too late, but his unrelenting need to protect her made her melt a little.

"I want to help." She said suddenly. If helping Kelly was important to him, it was important to her.

"What?" He looked up with shock.

"Just a small lump sum for your deposit." She shrugged. "As a graduation present to Kelly. I was thinking about purchasing something for her anyway, but all I could come up with was a brief case."

"Mom's getting her one." Booth provided after a second. "You really want to help?"

"Yes." She nodded with confidence and a huge grin spread across Booth's face.

It was that moment that she realized that she wasn't really doing it for Kelly. Sure, she was very proud of her and her accomplishments and she truly did enjoy the company of the younger Booth, but that's not why she offered the money. She did it because it mattered to Booth. She did it because of that smile.

She couldn't help but smile back.

..fin..