Yay! I finally get to post this chapter. This one was a bitch to write but it's worth it. Helen finally appears, we've got a POV other than B or B's, and some secrets come out differently.

He can't help but laugh at Booth's dopey enthusiasm.

"You are stoned Agent Booth." Booth laughs too.

"Oh good." He sounded slightly melancholy, "let's hope it lasts long enough to keep this from being the worst Christmas of my life."

"What are you complaining about? I don't like to boast but I am the spirit of Christmas at my house!" He rummages around for his wallet and takes out his family photo. "I have a wife and twin five year old daughters," he hands Booth the picture. "We have family traditions. The most important of which is being together for Christmas." He glances sideways to see Booth smiling at the photo. "Wow. They're beautiful." Booth hands the photo back to him and he tucks it back into his wallet.

"I've got kids too."Booth says after a few moments of silence. He rummages around for a few seconds before pulling two wallet sized photos and handing one to him. "That's Parker, he's four years old." Booth falls quiet again for a few moments and he admires the picture. "His mother wouldn't marry me, so me parental rights are totally. . "He drifts off as if he can't find the right word for it.

"Vague?" He suggests. Booth gives a bark of laughter. "That word's a bit more Christmassier that what I was thinking." He tries to pull Booth out of his funk. "He's a fine looking boy." He hands the photo back, "what about you're other child?" The next photo Booth hands him is of a little girl. "Her name's Helen, she's only a year and a half. I actually married her mother but. . ." Booth drifts off again but this time he doesn't make a suggestion.

"Who it the mother?" He asks as he hands back the picture. Booth shakes his head. "She'll get mad at me if I tell you. Things are strained enough between us as it is, I don't want to make it worse." He gives an 'ah' of understanding and settles back into his sleeping bag.

"Well how would you like me to spend my Christmas?" She's still miffed that he managed to surprise her (even if she didn't show it). And part of her wants to hear his suggestion (but that's the same part of her that bought him the stupid boxers he's wearing and mourns the fact that they've never spent a Christmas together as a couple). He leans into her and she pulls back slightly, afraid of what might happen if they kiss (sex on the autopsy tables would certainly be new. . .).

"Christmas it the perfect time to re-examine your standing with. . ." he ends his sentence with a vague hand wave. She crooks an eyebrow, "with work?" He shakes his head vigorously and then wrinkles his nose in concentration. She's about to tell him not to think to hard, that she can see smoke coming out of his ears (she's getting better with modern sayings) but he starts talking before she can.

"With everything Temperance!" She winces at his loudness and hopes no one else heard him. "You know, me, Helen, your friends, your family. . ." He drifts off and she (oddly enough) is hoping that he doesn't suddenly burst into song. The room falls silent and she goes back to work, easily ignoring him.

"We should just tell them." He says suddenly and she jumps in fright. "Tell them everything!" He shouts , swaying slightly from side to side. "Booth. . ." For a moment she doesn't know what to say, then she realizes he probably won't remember any of this later and she can lie her ass off. "Remember we promised not to tell anyone until we were ready." He blinks, as if her calming words don't quite reach his brain.

"Oh. . .Yeah." He pitches forward and his head collides with her shoulder. She grimaces at the pain that shoots through her and tries to shove him off. But he's become dead weight and while she's strong, she's not that stong. She groans, what on earth is she going to do now?

'We are colleagues, friends, co-workers, yes. But for a father like myself, like Agent Booth, a few glowing test tubes don't make up for missing Christmas morning with the children." Said co-workers freeze, totally blown away. Angela's the first to recover.

"Excuse me?" Zack and Hodgins are quick to follow.

"Be kind rewind."

"Booth has a kid?"

"Two," he corrects, thens shifts nervously as he realizes what he's just said. "I. . .ah. . .take that it was not common knowledge?" The three of them nod and then look at him expectantly.

"Well considering how he turned up. . ." She pauses for a moment, as if figuring out how to say something (that's he's pretty sure might offend him).

"Why didn't you tell me you had a son?" . . .or maybe not.

"I was going to tell you last Christmas Bones, Rebecca was finally going to let me have him for the day." She's silent, and he hopes that's all it will take to placate her, he really just doesn't want to deal with any of it right now. "Did you expect me to raise him too?" She sounds far from pleased with him, "Bad enough I had to raise Helen and go to work, but to raise a. . .how old was he?" "Three, and you know what? You need to stop right there before you say something you're going to regret later. You haven't seen Helen in a year, you've managed to distance yourself from her, which is not a good thing by the way. My mom will be here later with her, reconnect." More silence, but at least this time it's not an angry one.

"What's you're son's name? And you really should've told me earlier." "Parker. And I'm serious Temperance, you need to see Helen when she gets here." She gives him a contemplative look, "maybe." Well that's better than a no.

She watches from the lounge as her friends meet with their families. Warring with the question of whether or not to become part of Helen's life again. If she doesn't she'll probably divorce Seely, distance herself from the two of them completely. On the other hand there's guilt from abandoning her six-month old daughter, but there's also curiosity as to who Helen will become when she's older. Either way she knows that Helen will be in danger just for the fact that she is her daughter.

Glancing down at the entrance she sees Booth pacing in front of the glass doors and she quietly creeps down the stairs and hides herself in a nearby shadow. She watches with a smile as he talks to his son, he clearly cares for him. When Sid and Parker leave he begins to pace once more and even from here she can tell how antsy he is. A few minutes pass (and it feels for like hours for her, she wonders what it feels like to him).

Suddenly a little girl runs past the entrance, and from her vantage point she can see Helen turn an drun back towards the doors. By the time Helen actually stops in front of the doors (and how can one child be so hyper-active?) Booth's mother is there too (she struggles to remember her name and can't come up with it). She watches them as they talk (they seem so happy and it feels like she's stumbled across something earth-shattering), and she's about to turn and leave when Helen points at her.

Seely turns, smiles, and crooks a finger in a 'come here' gesture. This is her moment of truth, she can turn and walk away or walk towards something that she left a year ago. Slowly (more like gingerly), she takes a step forward, but after that first step it feels like she's running and suddenly she's there in front of the glass and staring at her daughter.

Helen still has her startling blue eyes but her hair is no longer baby-blonde fuzz, it's now the color of dark chocolate and even standing still she seems full of barely contained energy.

"Bones!" she blinks and stares blankly at the ear piece Seely is waving in front of her face for a few moments before realizing what he's offering and taking it. Slipping it into her ear she franticly wonders what she's going to say to her daughter. She takes a few deep breaths (knowing that she's only stalling) before realizing she should probably start with a greeting.

"Hello Helen." Helen blinks a for a moment she fears that she won't remember her. But then an all to familiar gleam appears in her daughter's eyes.

"Mama, mama, mama!" Tears threaten to spill from her eyes as she kneels to be at eye level with her daughter. "How are you doing?"

"I'm happy! I see big bruda and daddy telling me about when we open presents!" she strangely has no urge to correct her daughter's bad grammar and just smiles and cries.

"Go on!" She all but pushes him out the door. "Go have Christmas. Wish Parker a Merry Christmas for me." He nods.

"I'll be at Wong Fu's if you manage to leave here before one." She nods but he can tell she's only half listening. "Bones. . .Temperance!" He snaps his fingers in front of her face and she starts looking irritable. "What Booth? I'm paying attention." He rolls his eyes. "My mom wants you to know that you're invited to Christmas dinner." She looks surprised, "really?"

"Yes really, and please say you'll try to make it?" she's not really paying attention again, "I'll try to make it." she wanders off back to her office.

With a sigh he leaves the Jeffersonian. He knows she probably won't make it, she'll get lost in whatever task she's set for herself and forget all about it. . .But then again. . .

He knows his smile is goofy but he doesn't care because it's Christmas and miracles sometimes happen.

She stands in front of the door debating with herself on whether or not to knock. The rational part of her is telling her it's almost ten PM, no one's going to be awake, the small irrational part of her is saying it doesn't hurt to try.

She raises a hand to knock, but lets it fall to her side, she turns to go then turns back to face the door. She'll probably be here all night if she doesn't make a decision, she raises her hand again and knocks on the door.

She's about to turn and leave when Booth's mother opens the door.

"Temperance! Come in, come in." She enters and Booth's mother closes the door.