Christmas Magic

Summary: Booth invites Brennan to travel with him and Parker up to Vermont. They both get a little more than they bargained for. BB. Post Santa in the Slush.

Disclaimer: If I owned Bones in any way, shape, or form, Booth and Brennan would have started having sex after that kiss under the mistletoe.

A/N: Expect some OOCness in here. Granted, there's been quite a bit up to this point, but there will probably be more here than anywhere else.

Chapter 4: Partial Communication

Booth sighed softly and dropped his keys on the dresser near the door. He was glad to finally lay down and get some sleep. He closed the door behind him before walking to the bed and flopping face-down onto it. He wasn't so much physically exhausted as he was mentally and emotionally.

He didn't know what to do about Bones. He rolled onto his back and smiled softly. She was definitely something else. He always had feelings for her, but he had never needed a definition for them until now. He cared about her, sure, but did he love her? In a way he did. He was sure he did.

But could they have a relationship? He had said once that people who worked together in high-risk situations couldn't be together. A line that can't be crossed. Did he mean it? Sure, at the time, he did. He had just broken it off with Cam for the billionth time. He was upset. But did he mean it now? Now, he wasn't so sure. It seemed like something, or someone, was pushing him and Bones together.

He was fine with settling for his what-if thoughts, but she wasn't. After that kiss…that damned kiss. That amazing kiss.

Booth groaned and stood up from the bed. He wasn't going to sleep until he had his say.

&&&

The knocking on the door was the reason she woke up. Her eyes took a while to adjust to the darkness that draped the room and she blinked a few times. Her brain registered the knocking and she climbed out of the bed, shuffling toward the door with a small yawn. "Who is it?" She called out groggily, rubbing her eyes.

"It's me, Bones."

Temperance opened the door and squinted a little. "Booth? What time is it?"

"It's late. Can I come in?"

She nodded and opened the door wider, waiting for Booth to step inside before she closed the door. She flicked on the light and groaned softly, not ready for the brightness it brought. "Did you get your car?"

"Yeah. We're all set to leave tomorrow. Except for one thing," Booth led her to the bed and sat her down on it, kneeling in front of her.

"Booth?"

"Just, let me say what I need to say…" he took a deep breath and then looked up at her. "When we started…this…partnership, I never thought we would get this involved. Honestly, I thought you'd get sick of being out in the field with me and go back to the lab permanently. But you didn't, and for the past few years now, you've actually become a pretty big part of my life.

"We work really well together Bones. Granted, we don't always get along, and we have our disagreements, but we've managed to work them out. No relationship is real unless it has a couple bumps in the road…" he paused and smiled at her, squeezing her hand lightly.

"That kiss, Bones," he continued, "That kiss threw me off. It got me thinking. I mean, I've always wondered what it would be like if we had met under different circumstances. Would we have gotten together, would we have been friends, things like that."

"What answer did you come up with?" She interrupted curiously, earning a small smirk from Booth.

"You can't just sit and listen, can you Bones?"

"Only for a small period of time," she admitted with a smile. "You didn't answer my question though."

"I think we would have been friends. I never…thought that we would…date."

"Oh."

"But after that kiss, Bones. That's what I'm trying to get at. That kiss changed everything. I don't even know where we stand in 'what if' situations anymore." Booth stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. "It's like, everything's different now. We're never going to be the same…"

She watched him and, once she was determined that he was done, stood up and stepped toward him, resting a hand on his arm. "Booth," she bit down on her bottom lip and took another step toward him. She tilted her head toward his and let go of her lip, moving in and softly pressing her lips against his.

He hadn't been expecting it at all, but he reacted quickly. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her body closer so that it was flush against his. She moaned softly when he bit down gently on her bottom lip. He chuckled at her reaction and stepped away slowly.

"What was that for?" He asked, keeping his hands on her hips lightly.

"An experiment."

"What kind of experiment?"

"I wanted to see if you would kiss me back. And you did."

"I kissed you back the first time."

"Yeah but that kiss had conditions to it. No kiss, no Christmas for my dad. But this time…" she pointed at him. "This time, you could have pushed me away, and you didn't. In fact, you did the exact opposite."

"Well…I couldn't help it, you know. When an attractive woman is kissing me…I like having her close."

"You didn't have to kiss back either."

She looked at him, waiting for him to say something. Maybe he had just kissed her back just for the sake of kissing. Maybe it hadn't meant anything. Then again, it could have meant something to him; he just didn't want to go there right now. She wished she could have the ability to read his mind. Just his mind, no one else's.

"Come here," he murmured, tugging her into his arms.

She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "We should get some sleep."

"Is that your way of saying let's talk about it tomorrow?"

Temperance smirked and leaned back. "We've had a long day. I think we'll be thinking clearer if we get some sleep." She looked back at the bed. "It's big enough for two."

Booth laughed and shook his head. "I have my own room, Bones," he kissed her forehead. "I will be by in the morning with coffee and breakfast."

"And then we'll talk?"

"On the way home, I promise." Booth walked to the door, settling his hand on the knob. "Good night, Bones."

She climbed back into bed and smiled at him, curling up under the blankets. "Night Booth."

&&&

Booth stayed true to his word and in the morning, brought coffee and breakfast with him. Temperance was dressed and ready to leave, staring out the window when he knocked. "Come in," she said softly, not tearing her eyes away from the winter wonderland the blizzard had left.

Booth opened the door, balancing a tray on his thigh. "Morning," he greeted as he walked in and settled the tray on the bed. "You okay?"

"It's so peaceful now compared to last night." When the smell of breakfast hit her nose, she looked over at him. "Pancakes?"

"I brought strawberries too." Booth smiled and lifted up a coffee mug, handing it to her before grabbing his own.

"Mm," Temperance smiled and popped a small strawberry into her mouth. "Thank you." She glanced at him and sipped her coffee before putting it to the side. She grabbed a pancake, ripped off a piece and stuck it in her mouth. "Mmmm…"

Booth chuckled and looked down at his shoes, taking a sip of his coffee. "Ready to go home?"

"Uh huh. Did you talk to Parker?"

"I called him this morning. He's fine."

"Good."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, picking at the strawberries and pancakes. Brennan finished with the food and with her coffee, setting the empty mug on the tray. She had done some thinking before she fell asleep, but she wasn't sure if she should mention it now or in the car.

"Bones?"

Temperance glanced at Booth and blinked. "Huh?"

"I'm going to bring this tray back down," Booth dug out his keys and handed them to her. "Why don't you wait for me in the car?"

"But I still have to pay…"

Booth smiled. "I'll take care of it."

"Booth, you don't have to do that."

"Bones, go get in the car."

Brennan smiled at his playful tone and nodded. Usually she would argue with him, but she didn't want to waste the energy. She grabbed her bag and double checked the room once Booth left with the tray. Satisfied that she didn't leave anything behind, she left the room and headed for Booth's car.

A/N: By far, this was the hardest chapter to write. I had to scrap what I originally had written, so this is the second draft. Most of the time I was like 'shit, what now' or 'that doesn't make sense' or 'that sounds odd'. I wanted to let Booth have his say before Brennan got hers. Definitely review and critique, please. I need feedback. I CRAVE feedback. I'll even take flames at this point.