Temperance Brennan collapsed into her chair, exhausted. It had been a long day at the lab, and she had to get up early tomorrow, she was heading out to a dig, and her plane left at four in the morning. Nevertheless, Brennan turned back to her work. The sooner this paperwork was done, the sooner she could leave.
She was the only one in the lab. Angela and Hodgins had headed back to his place earlier, with the way they had been acting toward each other, no one had wanted them around. Cam and Booth had left almost at exactly the same time - Cam to go home to Michelle, Booth to take Parker out for a quick bite before getting him the next morning.
That's why Brennan almost had a heart attack when someone knocked on her door.
Hand over her heart, she looked up to see the tall, looming figure of her partner. "Jeez, Booth. You startled me."
"Sorry," He grinned and sat on the edge of her desk, like he always did. And like she always did, she pushed him off.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Brennan asked.
"I just dropped Parker off when I realized I hadn't given you your present," Booth explained, his dark eyes lighter from the lamp.
"You didn't need to get me anything." Brennan said, after all, she hadn't gotten him anything. She didn't usually participate in Christmas.
"But I wanted to Bones, it's the season of giving!"
"Don't you usually preach that you should always give?" Brennan wondered, still writing.
"One, I do not preach. Two, this is a time to be thankful, to appreciate what you have in your life." Booth jumped around, arms swinging animatedly.
"I thought that was Thanksgiving?" Brennan sighed, looking up at her nutty partner.
"Bones, you should always feel thankful and be appreciative."
She blinked. "Then why set aside a particular season or day?"
"Scrooge!" Booth accused.
"Who?" Brennan asked.
"He's a-" Booth shook his head. "Bones, he's a book character."
Brennan stared blankly back.
"You have to have some Christmas spirit, feel the miracle of the beautiful day."
"One, it's night, two, miracles? Get real Booth." Brennan said, rubbing her neck.
"Bones!" Booth groaned. "I give up, I'll just give you your present and go."
"You didn't have to get me anything," Brennan repeated.
"Just," Booth started, but was so frustrated he couldn't think of anything to say.
He reached into his pocket, wrapping his hand around the half-squashed sprig of mistletoe. The mood was certainly ruined, this wasn't how he'd planned it at all, but, if he had to be honest, Booth couldn't say he was surprised they had argued.
Booth dangled the mistletoe over her head, hoping he was doing the right thing.
"A ninety-nine-cent sprig of mistletoe is my Christmas present?" She asked.
He chuckled, how like her. "No, Bones, I'm your Christmas present." Then he kissed her. Short and sweet.
"And here I thought that no one would ever get me a present I actually liked." Brennan muttered.
Booth laughed out loud, scooping an unprepared Brennan out of her chair and twirling around with her. "Now, this is a Christmas miracle." He said with a smile.
"I might have to agree with you," Brennan said before he kissed her again.
This isn't how I expected this story to turn out, and I'm torn between liking it and hating it. Oh well, tell me what you think. I don't own Bones.
~DI4MGZ~