By 9.30, Brennan was completely prepared to leave. Bags packed, showered, teeth brushed.

By 9.45, she had even moved her suitcase to beside the door.

By 10.00, she had done her hair for the third time and checked that she had the presents for the fourth time.

By 10.15, she was considering dragging out her punching bag and gluing a picture of Booth's face to it.

Booth's knock on the door at 10.25 was cut short by Brennan flinging open the door and pushing past him, suitcase already in hand.

"There's another bag by the door," she called frostily over her shoulder, leaving Booth to grab the bag and lock up her apartment, more than a little bewildered.

He had taken her to see her father before, of course. He even conversed with Max himself, regularly. The two of them had an understanding that frequently got Brennan very, very angry. Booth had always thought it was cute. But there was nothing cute about her chilly reception this morning.

"Am I allowed to ask what's wrong?" He asked teasingly as they pulled onto the road.

"No." She answered flatly, her arms crossed over her body defensively. Booth forced a smile at the unreceptive windscreen. This was going to be a long day.

Reaching the prison, he raced around her side of the car in time to open her door for her. She merely glared at him, climbing out of the car and snatching up her bag.

"I am perfectly capable of opening doors on my own! I truly resent the implication that I, as a female, am too weak or fragile to take care of myself," she spat out, pushing past him. Booth smiled in relief. Whatever he had done was forgivable, if she was still talking to him enough to give him a lecture. He followed her closely into the prison, reluctant as always to let her out of his sight when she visited.

"I'm very, very sorry," he whispered in her ear as they waited for the guard to let them in. She swatted at him, stepping away to put a bit of space between them.

"You don't even know why I'm angry. How can you be sorry?" There was more curiosity than annoyance in her tone now.

"I'm guessing it was something to do with me being late, and probably because I sent Angela around last night, and also because you hate it when I abduct you from your work." He said, looking directly into her eyes. He watched in amusement as her mouth opened slightly then closed again. His mouth quirked. If there was one thing that could send Temperance Brennan speechless, it was her partner figuring out exactly what was going through her head. Especially when she thought she hid it so well.

Booth smirked as she turned back to the guard, who let them through after examining the gift she had bought for her father. Booth guided her through the doorway with a hand resting gently on her lower back.

"Hi, honey," Max said with an enthusiastic smile, kissing his daughters cheek. "Hello, Agent Booth."

"Hi Dad," Brennan said briskly, sitting down in the chair opposite him. Booth settled down next to her, waving his greeting to Max.

"This is an early visit," Max said, reaching across the table in an attempt to capture Brennan's hand. "I wasn't expecting you till tomorrow."
Brennan slid her hands away from her fathers and under the table. "Actually, I can't come tomorrow. Booth is abducting me." She shot him a dark look. He grinned childishly in response.

"Where exactly are you stealing my daughter away to, Agent Booth?" Booth looked up at Max sharply, wondering if he was imagining the approval in the other man's tone.

"I'm taking her to my family for Christmas."

The smile on Max's face couldn't be taken as anything other than endorsement of the plan. "I'm glad you're making sure she's not alone for Christmas."
Brennan looked huffily at her father. "I am perfectly capable -."

"Of taking care of yourself," the men chorused.

"We know, Bones," Booth said with a smirk. "But why don't you let me take care of you, for a change?"
She scowled venomously at her partner, missing Max's amused glance at Booth. He shrugged. What can you do?

Booth settled back, letting his mind drift as father and daughter caught up. Not for the first time, he was struck by the similarities between them. The stubbornness, their dedication, their intelligence…their survival instincts. The drive to take care of their loved ones. The primary difference that Booth saw was that Max was more emotional, ruled by his feelings to a degree that his daughter ever allowed herself to be. Not that that was a bad thing, he amended. He knew, only too well, how life got through that icy exterior of hers. Hell, he was probably one of the only people in the world to ever be permitted to hold her when she cried. It gave him a jolt of surprise to think that the only other man ever allowed to do that was sitting right in front of him. Brennan's emotions may not rule her like her fathers did him, but she still felt. And that was where most people failed to understand her.

He smiled softly, watching her animated face as she told her father about their latest case. If Booth was honest with himself, he liked being the only one able to decipher her.

"So, honey, I got something for you," Max said, sliding a wrapped box across the table. She glanced at it, then across at Booth, and then back at the box.

"You helped?" She accused Booth. There was no real annoyance in her tones.

"Just a little, Bones. Now open your present."
She bit her lip as she concentrated on the little package, gently sliding off the ribbon and undoing the sticky tape, unravelling the paper with caution and patience.

Max rolled his eyes and looked at Booth. "You should have seen her at Christmas as a kid. Russ would have the living room covered in shreds of wrapping paper, already playing with one thing or another, and Temperance would be still taking off the paper."
Booth held back a grin.

Finally, she pulled off the last bit of paper, to reveal a dark green velvet jewellery box. She pushed the lid up, revealing a sliver bracelet with a small silver dolphin charm attached. Underneath the dolphins nose was a tiny circular sapphire.

Booth watched her face light up as she touched the bracelet.

"Oh, Dad, it's beautiful. Thank you," she lent over the table and hugged him.

Then, surprisingly, she hugged Booth too. He froze in shock, before his senses returned to him and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Thank you for helping him."
She let him go too soon, Booth thought. But he settled back into his chair, letting Max help her put the bracelet he had chosen out on her wrist. Max's only demand was that it have a dolphin on it, and be a rounded chain. Booth had complied, choosing one he deemed to be the right size. The little sapphire was something extra that Max had praised him for thinking of.

He hadn't expected her to figure out so quickly the hand he had played in the gift, but then again, it was Bones. Her brain moved faster than a Japanese freight train.

"I got something for you, too, Dad," Brennan said shyly, pulling out the package she had not been allowed to wrap and passing it across the table.

It was a pack of cards, the only thing she had thought of that he would be allowed to keep. Max opened the box and slid out the cards, smiling happily as three photos fell out. Brennan blushed and shot a glance at Booth – she had been hoping her father wouldn't do that until after they left.

Booth lent forward on the table to catch a better look at what had made his partner so uncomfortable.

The first picture was a family photo, taken before her parents left. She had a copy of it on her desk at work, and on her bookshelves at home, Booth remembered.

The second photo was the picture that had been featured in the newspaper article about the Jeffersonian – the image of the team standing around an autopsy table.

But it was the last photo that made Booth grin madly; knowing it was the one she had wanted to hide from him.

It had been taken with the disposable camera he had insisted she buy, so that they really looked the part of tourists. Also part of the ruse was handing it to a Chinese man to take a picture of the 'happy couple'.

Roxie and Tony, both smiling so broadly you'd have no trouble assuming they really were newlyweds.

Booth had printed out the photo and had left it on her desk after her father left, when he knew she was feeling down. She never mentioned it, but from that day on the picture sat in a frame in the top draw of her desk. He found it by accident one day when looking for a case file.

"Huh," Max looked up at his embarrassed daughter and her beaming partner. "That's a great photo."
Booth nudged Brennan. "Pretty sure I've told you that before."

"No," she asserted. "You told me I looked good in that dress. You never said anything regarding the photograph."
Max raised an eyebrow. "You do look good, honey."

"We were undercover in Vegas," Booth explained.

The guard rapped on the door. Booth didn't miss the slight disappointment on Brennan's face.

"Come on, Bones," he said quietly, getting to his feet. He reached across the table, hand extended. "Merry Christmas, Max."

"You too, Booth. Make sure she has a good one." Max shook his hand firmly.

"I plan on it."
Brennan planted her hands on her hips. "Are you two done?"
Booth grinned. "Fine, lets go." He headed over to the door, waiting there while Brennan embraced her father.

"Merry Christmas, honey. I love you."

"Merry Christmas, Dad." Brennan whispered back, unable to add those three words.

She cast him one last look, before joining Booth at the door. The Agent instantly rested his hand on her back, guiding her out into the corridor.

Max watched them go, feeling a measure of comfort regarding the physical and emotional wellbeing of his daughter that he hadn't felt in years. He waited until they were out of view before he turned back to the card sized photos, flipping them over. On the back of each of the three photos were two words: 'My Family'.

"You promised I could drive!"

"Yeah, but not yet, Bones! We still have to go via the Jeffersonian. Surely it can wait until we actually get out on the open road?"

"I'm not going to kill us driving to the Jeffersonian, Booth!"

"I never said - ."

"You implied."
Booth slumped his head back. "Bones, you're impossible, you know that, right?"
Brennan smirked, twisting the bracelet around on her wrist. "I have been told that more than once." She paused. "Thank you, for the bracelet."

"I told you, Bones. It was all your father."

She smiled down at her hands. "Right. But my father has hardly seen me in fifteen years, Booth. How would he know that I wear silver, or that my favourite stone is sapphire?"

Booth shrugged. "Maybe he asked Angela."

Brennan rolled hers. "Angela is terrified of him, and I know you visit him when I'm not there, and …"

Booth smirked across at her. "And what, Bones?"
She bit her lip. "And, over our time working together, you have come to know me quite well."

Booth just smiled as they pulled in to the Jeffersonian car park.

"Sure. God knows this place owes you a few days of vacation." Cam smiled up at Brennan from behind her desk. "May I ask why the late notice?"
Brennan scowled. "Apparently you don't need to give advance notice when kidnapping someone."

Cam raised an eyebrow.

"Booth is taking me to his family for Christmas," Brennan explained sourly.

Cam's eyes widened. "Wow."
Brennan nodded and signed the piece of paper Cam slid across to her.

"OK, Brennan, you're done. Have a good Christmas."

"You too, Cam." Brennan smiled quickly at her boss then turned to leave.

"Oh, and Brennan?" She stopped. "Booth's mother doesn't like scientists. And his father is always really quiet, it's not because he hates you."

Brennan forced a smile. "Thank you for the insight."

She left, striding quickly towards where Booth waited, glancing impatiently at his watch.

He let her drive. But even with the distraction of her hands being on the wheel, her silence was unusual.

"Bones?" Booth began, turning down the radio. "Is everything OK?"

Brennan's jaw clenched, just fractionally. "I'm fine, Booth. Just concentrating on driving. You were the one concerned about my driving expertise; I'm sure you would prefer I gave it my full attention."

"No, I'd prefer you weren't upset for some unknown reason. What happened, Bones?"
She sighed. "Just drop it, OK, Booth?"
He lent back into his seat, turning the radio up so that it created a barrier between them. "Fine."

Ten minutes later, Brennan switched off the radio. Silence followed for a few seconds.

"Cam warned me that your mother doesn't like scientists."
Booth nearly chocked on the sip of water he was taking. Swallowing carefully and replacing the lid, he put away the water before considering his reply. Was she upset that Cam had met his parents, or that his mother didn't like squints?

It had to be the squints part, right?

"Actually, my mother just didn't like Cam."
Brennan cleared her throat. "Did they meet this time, or last time?"
Booth took a deep breath. "Last time, kind of by accident. They came to visit me and Parker, and Cam didn't get out of the house in time." He chuckled at the memory. "Cam, as you know, can be quite, er, forward. My mother didn't stop lecturing me about the 'rough' girl I was dating until we split up."

Brennan nodded, noticeably more relaxed, and turned on the radio again. This time, it was quiet enough to be background music.

OK, next chapter they'll actually get to meet Booth's family, I promise!

Um, there will be an adjustment to the first chapter since I realised I screwed up the timeline.

And I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions of a smallish town, about a 6, 7 hour drive from D.C, where I could set the rest of the story?
Since I have no idea where his family are supposed to live, I'm taking artistic licence, but some help would be appreciated.

Thanks!