Cam carried her coffee mug to the kitchen and set it in the sink. Settling her hands on the countertop before her, she took a deep breath to steel her nerves. Booth placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Hey, he didn't mean it. He's only five years old, Cam."

"Looks like the Brennan loyalty runs in the family then."

"Hey." He turned her body to face him and placed a finger under her chin, willing her to look him in the eye. The action brought a shiver to her as she recalled seeing him using the same move on Brennan outside the diner a couple of weeks ago.

"Look. I'm gonna go, Seeley. I'll meet you at the airport tonight. Our tickets our on hold at the desk." She lightly placed her palms on his chest, asking for a little space. With a calming breath and a nod, she finished, "I'll feel better once I'm back in New York."

"Sure, Camille. I'll see you tonight." He kissed her briefly on the lips and smiled sheepishly at her in apology. "I'm glad you got to meet Parker."

Wearing a pair of safety goggles and holding a hand lens, Parker joined the couple in the kitchen. He moved around the room observing various objects with the lens. Tugging on Cam's sleeve, he asked in all seriousness, "Do I look like a scientist?"

Granting him a slight smile, she responded tiredly, "Yes. You sure do." She ruffled the boy's mop of light brown hair and bade them both goodbye.

As she walked out the door, she heard the phone ring. Booth picked up and answered enthusiastically. "Merry Christmas, Bones!"

Seconds later she heard Parker's excited squeal, "Dr. Brennan!"

Cam was tempted to slam the door, but instead let it close with a silent sense of finality. The reality of their situation hit her all at once. Her doubts were affirmed and she knew that she could not play the 'girlfriend' role because it was already taken.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hi Booth." Temperance's words came out in a sigh.

"Merry Christmas, Bones!" His enthusiasm brought an immediate smile to her lips.

"Merry Christmas. Do you have Parker with you?"

"Yeah, he's having a great time squinting at everything in the house with his new magnifying glass. I'd say your gift was a hit."

"I'm glad he likes it."

Booth chuckled at the image of his son decked out in squint-gear. "Now all he needs is a little blue lab coat."

"That can be arranged." Her tone was teasing and he suddenly felt the warmth of familiarity that their friendly banter provided.

"Hey, Parker wants to say 'Hi'."

"Okay."

"Merry Christmas, Dr. Brennan. I miss you!" The sound of his innocent voice made her eyes glisten.

"I miss you too, Parker." She meant it.

"Daddy says you're in Africa. Is that far away?"

"Yes, it's very far. Do you remember which animals live in Africa?"

"The elephant and the giraffe." His answer was immediate as he recalled what she had taught him during their trip to the zoo.

"That's right, Parker." Tempe's heart filled with pride.

Parker suddenly gasped as he remembered another animal. "And the lion! Be careful with the lions, Dr. Brennan!"

"I will." Her voice was sincere.

"Are there lots of animals everywhere?"

She thought about the truth of her surroundings. There were thousands of dying and dead people outside the walls of her tent. But sadness had no place in a little boy's mind on Christmas day, so she indulged his fantasy of the African wildlife safari.

"Oh yes, I can see zebras and cheetahs and lots of elephants and giraffes outside."

"Really? Wow!" He paused in thought. "Do you see any lions?" His tone was worried.

"No. I think they're all sleeping. Lions are very lazy."

"That's funny." He giggled, bringing yet another smile to her face. "Daddy wants to talk to you. I gotta go."

"Okay, Parker. Bye. Merry Christmas."

"Bye, Dr. Brennan. I love you."

The words echoed in the air. Her heart clenched in her chest and tears sprung in her eyes. Surely it was just his usual way of saying goodbye on the phone. She immediately began an internal argument as to how to explain away the significance of his words. But the truth was no one had said those words to her since her dad and brother left.

Still spinning from the impact of Parker's innocent words, his father came onto the line.

"Bones?"

"Oh, hi Booth." She sniffled and wiped at the tears on her cheeks. "Sounds like you're having a good day."

"Yeah, we are. Are you okay, Bones?"

"I'm fine. It's just really hard being here. I've seen a lot over the years. 9/11, Rwanda, victims of genocide. But this is the worst. These people,….it's just heart-breaking."

He nodded. More than anything he wished he could reach out and place a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad there are people like you to help. That's the true spirit of Christmas, helping your fellow man."

"Thanks. It's hard to pull back and have that kind of perspective when you're in the middle of it all. I wish I could see the world the way you do, Booth."

"Having Parker makes all the difference. I've seen my share of terrible things too. But I always come back to my son's smiling face, seeing him happy like he is today, and that reminds me what it's all about."

"I love the thought of that……Parker told me he loves me." Booth could hear the surprise and awe in her voice.

"Yeah?" He didn't want to poke and prod for a reaction.

"Yeah," she quietly answered. After a pause, her voice came back stronger and more determined. "Hey Booth? …..Tell him I love him too. Okay? I just thought he should know that."

"I'll let him know."

"Bye, Booth."

"I'll talk to you later, Bones. Bye."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After dropping Parker off at Rebecca's, Booth was supposed to go home and get ready to head for the airport to meet Cam. But suddenly a romantic getaway to a fancy hotel and gourmet restaurants didn't seem all that appealing to him.

As he pulled into the parking lot of the familiar building, he sat in the SUV watching the snowflakes land on the windshield over and over again until they formed a blanket of white. Pure as the snow before his eyes, everything seemed so simple, and he knew what he had to do.

In a brief call to Cam's phone, he explained to her that he wouldn't be able to go with her to New York. It wasn't anything personal; he just wanted to spend Christmas another way.

"Another way" turned out to be an afternoon at the VA. Booth spent over two hours visiting with the veterans and servicemen in an effort to cheer them up a little on the holiday. He regaled them with colorful war stories and in turn listened to theirs.

He remembered those years spent celebrating Christmas with his buddies in the Gulf. He remembered how much he'd missed his family back then. So many of those soldiers returned to the States with no one to lean on or speak to. So many of them, lonely and depressed, turned to alcoholism and other addictions. It was an all-too-familiar pain.

Being there reminded him just how important it was to have a family, to have people to support you and stick with you through the rough patches in life.

He went home and grabbed his already packed bags and headed to the airport.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cam stood in the line at the gate, boarding pass in hand, trying her best to uphold her brave unaffected façade. And when she saw Seeley Booth walking toward her, travel bag on his shoulder and ticket in hand, she swallowed back the elated and relieved feelings in favor of an air of nonchalance.

As he neared her, she stepped out of line to meet him with a saucy glare. "So you decided that spending the holiday cooped up in a fancy hotel with satin sheets and champagne wasn't as repulsive as before? Why, Seeley, I'm all astonishment!"

He knew that sarcasm was how she dealt with conflicting emotions. She hid behind her sardonic wit and New York attitude, but he had seen into her heart. That's what made this all the more difficult for him.

Booth held up the ticket in his hand. "Actually, I exchanged my ticket. I'm heading to Philly to see my family."

Cam shook her head and rolled her eyes up at the ceiling. With a bitter laugh, she responded, "Shoulda seen that one coming. Silly me thinking good ol' Seeley would choose a sexy getaway to the City over grandma's fruitcake!"

He visibly winced at her biting tone, realizing how much pain he had caused her. "I'm sorry, Camille. This just doesn't feel right anymore. I'm not sure it ever did."

She shrugged her shoulders and spoke in an almost-condescending manner. "Don't sweat it, Seeley. It was what it was. I was a fool to think we could have something more than we had before."

"I tried, Cam. I really did." She knew he was referring to the latest attempts to ease his guilt about Brennan: the late night dinners in darkened restaurants, the flowers, and most recently the invitation to spend Christmas morning with him and his son.

Camille nodded in acknowledgement of his efforts. "I know. And thank you for today. I learned a lot. It became very clear that there's room for me in your bed, but not in your life."

"Cam……" He shook his head at her defeated mood. Her words were harsh, but they rang true nonetheless.

She fingered her necklace nervously and looked up at him through shining eyes. "But there's room for her, isn't there?"

Letting out an exhausted sigh, Booth responded, "Don't do this. Don't drag Bones into this. It's not about her."

"It's always about her, Seeley." A few renegade tears made their way down her cheeks and she released a short self-deprecating laugh. "You're not the only one who can read people. Take a look in the goddamned mirror! It's plain to see! You're no fool……and neither is she."

Letting her have the last word, he watched her rejoin the line to board the plane. After taking a moment to absorb the finality of her words, Booth turned to move in his own direction.