Sorry, this is short, but short is better than no chapter at all I guess. In the next chapter there will be the actual launch, for now just some reflections and a father-and-daughter conversation…

A big thanks to any reviewer. I also noticed a lot of Alerts, so thanks to you too for wanting to keep reading this story.

Chapter 2

Driving back from Booth's, in the middle of the mental grocery list that was playing in her head, Temperance Brennan thought back at the conversation she had had with her Dad just the day before, in the trailer…

The girls, Amy and Russ had come back to unwrapping presents, but she was still looking out of the window, at the tree Booth had brought. Max was standing beside her, observing her. Booth and Parker could still be seen on the outside, laughing and making snow angels beside Booth's car.

She turned towards her father, the man she hadn't recognized at first because of several plastic surgeries, but she had grown to love, even if he was what she would have called 'a bad person', and saw him trying to hide a funny face.

"What?" she asked him. She didn't know what was he was amused about, but she couldn't help but being pleased. Tonight she was more than willing to enjoy whatever could cross her path. Was it the 'Christmas magic' Booth had been talking about?

"Nothing" Max clearly tried his best, but failed to hide his delight. He usually was a good liar, or wouldn't be alive by now, but yet this time he wasn't able or didn't want to cover his tracks.

"You're smirking"

"I'm not!"

She was unsure about the description of her father's face… maybe she could have called it 'smiling oddly' or 'winking'… but his sudden denial told her he could perfectly understand what she meant. Now it was her the one amused. She was almost cheered up by the realisation that she had caught him.

"I'm not as good as Booth at reading people, but I can recognize a smirk when I see one, and you're definitely smirking!"

"I'm not!" he tried again, but she didn't fall for it and he finally called defeat. "Okay, I am"

"Why? There's something on my nose? The tree is funny? What?"

"No! The tree is just perfect…"

"Yeah…" She nodded in agreement, stealing another glance at the tree, now with the lights switched off, but still in the same position.

Then she turned again at Max and caught the same weird face she had seen earlier.

"You're smirking again!"

Max had sighed deeply and had decided to explain. "You know, I'm stuck here in jail probably for the rest of my life… I was just thinking that it's good to know there's someone out there willing to take care of my little girl. Not that I didn't know that already…"

"I can take care of myself!" she protested forcefully, more as a habit that anything. As much as she hated admit this, Booth had actually had to rescue her a couple of times…

"I'm aware of that honey, trust me, and so is Booth. But I'm still your Dad, I love you, I'm proud of you and I'm happy to see you have someone who'll stand beside you no matter what, someone you can trust with your own life. Every parent wants that for his kids."

A sudden thought stuck her. Max talked with respect of Booth, just as Booth had a sort of respect for the way Max wanted to protect his family, even if his ways were mostly illegal.

"You like him, don't you? Even if it was him the one putting you here."

She didn't have to wait for the answer. "Of course I do! How could I not like someone who spend his Christmas Eve to make you have a Christmas tree?"

Max was only partially joking. He knew enough about love to know that the tree standing outside the window was a sort of declaration of love. It was Booth's way to let her know he deeply cared for her.

"Not just me. It was meant for me, for you, for Russ and the girls and Amy."

Once again her reply had been almost unconscious. And Max hadn't been surprised.

"Yeah, but he cares about us just because he cares about you, honey."

She didn't know what to say in response. Even anthropologically speaking she could understand that if someone cares about someone else he wants this someone else to be happy, and her family was important to her, so he wanted her family to have a great time together. What puzzled her a bit was realizing that just a few months ago she wouldn't have been so keen to admit Booth even cared about her. They both kept saying they were just partners, both knowing fully well this wasn't the whole truth.

She had realized they were both lying, and knowingly lying, in one of their sessions with Dr. Sweets. The definition they had come up with was they would have had a coffee once in a while, knowing their relationship went far beyond coffee. Just a coffee once in a while definitely wouldn't have been enough.

Should she be scared? She had spent years building walls around her, and now both Booth and her father seemed to know her too well. Just twelve months ago she probably would have run away. Even with Sully she had been a bit like that, wanting to run away or closing up like a shell. But now, for the first time in years, she chose to let it happen, to show how she really was.

About Booth there was not much she could do, he had already proved how well he knew her. Several times.

About her father it had been a deliberated choice. But Booth kept telling her that she should forgive him, and Max had helped her saving Booth. From that moment she had known she owed him something. Maybe he had been aware of it all along, that helping Booth was the best way to reach her heart. Back then she wasn't conscious of that, but after months and quite some reasoning she had come to that conclusion. Max Keenan had known from the beginning that Booth was important for her, that was why he had chosen to help him. he wanted to help her. That was the only logical explanation.

Further reflections had to wait because she had just reached the grocery store, the only one open on Christmas day. She left the car in the parking lot and prepared herself, for once, for celebrating Christmas.

So? Liked it? Please, say yes and make me happy:D

Anyway, as usual, any kind of comment is always appreciated.