Wow, thank you for the response, the story alerts and the kind reviews!! I got to say I am rather inspired as I spent the last hours working on a College project analysis on Bones! I keep saying "I know, tough work" :p but in fact this is quite a job to do! Well, the "watching Bones episodes" part is quite cool, gotta say lol. Anywayyyys! Let's get on with that thing !
Disclaimer: Not mine. (I am actually watching DtitPH, which has nothing to do with the story but I had to say it mmh)

She had not done that in years. Well, with the exception of that time in the trailer... Nope, she had really not celebrated Christmas since... no, she wouldn't remember that now. She was feeling happy, too happy for it. A little tipsy too, probably due to that French wine Hodgins had decided to bring to accompany her perfectly cooked turkey. Yeah, she was proud of that one. She knew she was a perfectly adept cook, but for the first time, she had felt pressure at the idea of ruining the meal she had spent hours preparing. It felt like family. And she would not disappoint. She had not. Everyone was jolly, clinging glasses, singing, talking, smiling, even laughing out loud. No murder, no fear, no rotted remains. Only family.
Why had she done that? She would not admit, but she had for him. Seeing him laughing to her father's jokes, she did not even attempt to suppress a smile of satisfaction. She could not understand why but, when he had told her that once more, he would be forced to spend Christmas alone, his son sent hundreds of miles away from him, she felt sad. Simple Socratic response, she felt sad because he felt sad, so making him happy would make her happy too. So she decided they would all have Christmas together.

He knew she had done that for him and he was more thankful than he had ever been before. Of course, it would have been better if Parker had been there, but he was not and he had to accept that fact. He was spending a nice Christmas with his mother and her boyfriend, period. He, was having a nice Christmas too. Bones had cooked a great dinner, Hodgins' wine, however sissy, was really good and Max's jokes were not all that bad. Plus she was there, smiling in a way he was getting used to, that smile she never gives to anyone else. Pride filled his heart, he had been the architect of all this, indirectly of course but, he had made her happy to be... happy. If that made any sense. Yeah, that wine might have been sissier than beer but it certainly was stronger.

When she took some dishes to the kitchen, he offered to help her. He wanted to tell her how thankful he was. But he was having a hard time finding the right word. Damn wine! All he was able to think about was close to a love declaration. He felt more confident when they were alone though, leaning closer and closer as they moved toward the sink. He risked the charm smile, although he had not meant to flirt at first. Difficult not to, seeing how provocatively dressed she was! What's with her wearing all those cleavagy things anyways? It's getting better and bett... Worse and worse. Yeah, Booth was more than tipsy. That certainly explains why he did not think twice before kissing his favorite -and only- partner in the whole world.
She did not question it, she just smiled against his lips, kissing back. God bless Hodgins and his imported nectar! It did not last long, nor transform into an out of control display of mutual attraction. But when it stopped, neither of them wanted to let go, so they remained close, their faces a few inches from each other, their eyes still shut.

- "What was that for?"

- "That was to thank you, for this evening. And I guess, some sort of way to wish you Merry Christmas."

- "Can I... wish you merry Christmas too?"

- "Sure."

The lack for spontaneity of that second kiss made Bones apprehensive, so she opened her eyes, hesitant. Booth opened his in response, and fortunately still free of his inhibition, he decided to close the gap between them himself, just in case she would have second thoughts, you know...

A second kiss she felt was better than the first, probably because she was actually kissing him and not trying to remember what it was like to have kissed him. No matter how irrational and illogical that was. She felt like she could be kissing him forever. But he ended it, damn. Rapidly, she found a way to renew the experience, rather proud of herself.

- "Hey, that wasn't me wishing you merry Christmas. That was you again."

- "If we keep on celebrating the Holidays in the kitchen by ourselves, I'm afraid someone is going to come up and ask for explanations. Or if it's Angela, for details and for a camera."

She smiled. He had a point. But she wanted to kiss him again.

- "But I want to kiss you again..."

Damn! Too late to promise not to ever drink again. She did not even feel sorry. She probably would when sober. But she did not bother questioning that fact. She did want to kiss him and she was fixed upon getting what she wanted. Her confession made him smile, and she was reassured, but he was drunk too. So how would that be in the morning? What would they say to each other?

- "What was your concept about, by the way? The whole 'guy kiss except not a guy kiss' thing? Weren't we supposed to use it in case of distress or whatever?"

Oh shit... Lucky, she was a fast thinker, even when most of her brain did not respond.

- "Well, you were the one starting the kissing tonight! We can also use it to celebrate, right? It wouldn't be wrong, would it?"

True. He had started it. He should never have. Oh, obviously he did not regret it as a whole, it is just that he was that close from forgetting the room full of people waiting for them, and technically even closer to her bedroom. Damn metric system, damn wine, damn France! Okay, they had nothing to do with it, but they invented that wine and they invented French kissing, right? So damn.

- "Hey guys, you need help here?"

Angela. Suddenly, Bones felt her cheeks turn red, hoping her friend had not noticed anything. They were much too close for her not to see. Plus, it was Angela. She most certainly sniffed they were doing things in the kitchen. Booth tried to erase the image that formed in his head of Angela as a hound dog sniffing tracks to catch preys. Well, they were her preys.

- "We were just... doing some dishes, preparing for the dessert."

She raised an eyebrow. Sure, doing dishes for the dessert. They were lucky Hodgins had brought that wine. She loved it and as usual, she had had too much of it. That sort of made her too tipsy to launch an investigation of any kind. Not that she did not make a mental note close to "Try and grill Bren about all that, first thing tomorrow morning", but she did not have the energy to do it then.

- "Okay."

And she left. That was like telling her friends that there was nothing wrong with what they were doing. At least, this is how they took it. It is much easier to draw conclusions like this when objectivity is on vacations. Plus, they were certain she would not object if they were to explain to her the benefits of their "concept". Right?

One thing bothered Bones though; she stilled wanted to kiss Booth. Taking plates from a cupboard and handing them to him, she leaned forward and quickly put her lips upon his, almost afraid he could step back. Then giving him a triumphant smile:

- "Merry Christmas"

Random kisses. Yeah, that really was a kick-ass concept.

To be continued...