Disclaimer – I do not own Bones.
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"Oh my god." Bones muttered.
"Bones!!" Booth cried once he'd shaken himself out of it, whipping his jacket off and quickly covering her with it, "What do you think you're wearing?!"
"Would you cover up please?!" Jared spoke from between his fingers as his hands were covering his face, not wanting to see his sister dressed as she currently was. Taylor rolled her eyes and picked up her coat that was hanging in one of the changing rooms and put it on over the Santa outfit, Sarah made to do the same but was stopped by Jared's hand darting out to grab her wrist.
"Hang on, I never got to see what you're wearing." He said, "Are you covered up yet?!"
"Oh no, no, no. You don't get to see this now, you have to wait." Sarah smirked going back into the changing room and letting the curtain drop behind her.
"No! Wait!" Jared cried, feeling for the curtain, instead he just ended up hitting Booth in the face.
"Watch it!" He snapped.
"Quit being a baby, I have my coat on!"
Jared dropped his hand and immediately made for the changing room that Sarah was in only to be met with a pair of hands that sent him flying backwards.
"What on earth are you doing in here?" Bones asked incredulously. If Seeley Booth blushed, he would have been scarlet by now.
"Uh, uhm-"
"Well I thought I'd get myself a little Christmas present for Sarah, seems as if she had the same idea-ow!" Jared stepped in to help Booth out only to find that he was poked from behind the curtain by his girlfriend, "What was that for?"
"For being so assuming"
"Well come on the doc was getting something for Booth – OW! What is it with people wanting to hurt me?"
"I'm going to get changed." Bones said quietly, slipping back into her own cubicle with Booth's jacket still on. As soon as she had disappeared both Booth and Taylor turned on Jared, Booth glaring, with his eyes blazing and Taylor slapping him on the arm.
"You idiot, we almost had her convinced to buy it!" Taylor whispered. "Seeley, give me a leg up so I can reach his head!"
"Uhm, not likely given what you're wearing, don't think I didn't notice!" Booth glanced distastefully down at what his sister was wearing, the white fur noticeable as it was peeking out of the top of her trench coat.
"What's that look for, I am a grown woman for goodness sake!"
"Taylor, you're 25!" Jared cried. Taylor raised an eyebrow in question.
"Oh wow, that makes me a good 10 years older than when you first saw one of these!" She snapped back before storming back into her cubicle as Sarah came out of hers. The black lingerie was carefully concealed in a basket with flannel pyjamas on top. Jared went to pick them up but his hand was slapped away.
"Flannel pyjamas? Come on Sarah I haven't done anything to upset you, why are you buying those?" She did blush at this, considering several customers had turned round at the volume at which Jared was speaking.
"Shh, there's nothing wrong with flannel – and anyway they're a present for Bella!"
Jared looked extremely relieved at being told that they were a present for her friend. He followed her to the counter and she threw a couple of items on top of the pyjamas on the way. Bones and Taylor came out a couple of minutes later and Bones handed Booth back his jacket as she put the green slip back on the hanger and on the rack. Taylor glared at Jared as she did this and he shrugged in response. Sarah had finished paying, all of her items placed carefully in tissue and then in a box and then in a bag, it reminded Booth of the scene in Love Actually where the assistant went over the top with the service and packaging.
"Right!" Jared said, clapping his hands together, "Are we ready for lunch?"
"Hang, on I just want to pay for this." Taylor said, rummaging around in her purse for her money. Booth and Jared's mouths dropped open as she placed the Santa themed lingerie on the counter and the barely dressed assistant scanned it.
"No way! Ryan LIKES that?" Taylor threw a dirty look over her shoulder at her eldest brother. His face lit up at this, "Oh my god, that DOG! I always knew he must have been hiding something like this! He was waaay too sensible and … girly for his own good!"
"Come on." Booth led Bones out of the shop with his hand on her back. Jared elbowed Sarah, pointing obviously to the display of possessiveness. She rolled her eyes and followed them out of the store.
"So Ma'am, we have several items that you may be interested in that are in the same range as this piece, we have the…"
"She'll be fine thank you." The shop assistant looked slightly annoyed at the gentleman who had interrupted her but a smile flickered back onto her painted face as he gave her an award-winning smile.
"No I'm not, I'll have whatever you have in the range." Taylor glared back at him in defiance. His smile fell off his face whilst the shops assistant's lit up. She began bustling about the store picking up items here and there and bringing them back to the till. She didn't seem to notice the two siblings having a stare-off in front of her.
"I'll tell Mom." It was the only response that would come to Jared and even as he said it, he couldn't help thinking of what a lame reply it was. Taylor burst out laughing and turned to pay for them. "I'm serious! She won't want you wearing them in the house, I don't want you wearing them in the house."
"I won't be wearing them for long." She grinned, taking in her brothers delayed reaction to her comment. It was a disgusted, horrified look that she was sure she would never have the pleasure of seeing again.
"Fine then!" Jared stormed off, but instead of joining his brother, girlfriend and Bones who were sitting outside on the benches, he went deeper into the store, picking up a basket on the way.
He picked up several articles before slamming the basket down on the counter just as Taylor had finished paying the hefty price for her four bags of lingerie. She glanced down into the basket, not giving the response that Jared had hoped for.
"You're buying Tempe's slip for Sarah?"
"No that's my secret present for Seeley." She shrugged her shoulders and started to leave. Jared was shocked to see her not go crazy, in the same way that he had when he had seen what she was buying. She stopped halfway on her walk to the door and threw another comment back at her brother.
"Oh and I don't think Sarah's going to want to wear cherry nipple covers." She smirked and continued on her way, the smile only faltering when her brother's response reached her over the festive music playing outside the store.
"Well it's a good thing they're for me then."
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"I'm hungry!" Joseph whined from his seat next to his grandmother who was delighting in taking photos of him in a little Santa hat that she'd found in a toy store.
"I know buddy. Your Mom should be here any minute now. Along with, I hope your uncles." Ryan said, looking around the food court for his wife.
At the mention of her two sons who had wandered off in the mall over an hour ago, leaving her husband and son-in-law with her handful of a grandson she took another glance at her watch.
"They MUST be together, I can't imagine Temperance being late for anything, it's Jared. I know it is, he's a bad influence. You must speak to him Arthur."
"Yes Mary, I'll speak to out 34 year old son about his punctuality and influence over others," his response was sarcastic but it seemed to please his wife so he didn't pursue the matter further.
"I can hear Mommy!" Joseph cried happily, jumping up on his chair looking around the mall in search for his mother.
"So can I, or I can hear her and Jared arguing anyway." Ryan mumbled, pulling his son back down into his seat.
The group reached the table and collapsed into the empty chairs that were left in the booth. The personal shopper seemed to have disappeared, probably in need of a good lunch break having following Mary, the shopaholics of all shopaholics.
"Sorry we're late Mrs. Booth, we got caught up in the queues at Dillards. We were looking for dresses to wear for the party tomorrow." The lie slipped easily off of Sarah's tongue, obviously not wanting to divulge the information that they had in fact been caught up between a shop-off between Taylor and Jared in an erotic lingerie store.
Mary immediately forgave them, seeming helpless at Sarah's charm. They all placed orders with Jared and Ryan who went off to purchase the food.
"Bought anything nice dear?" Mary asked her son, her eyes gleaming, "A present perhaps for Temperance?"
Bones blushed and looked down into her lap. Booth looked worriedly at her, she had been extremely quiet that day, not just after having left the last shop.
"Uhm, no not yet. Bones, you alright?"
He was hoping for a response somewhere along the lines of, 'I'm fine, Booth, honestly I can look after myself!'
It never came.
"Yes." She smiled and was grateful when Ryan returned with the salad she had asked him to get for her along with a large coffee and a bottle of water. Taking a giant sip of the water, she involuntarily shivered. Booth noticed and raised an eyebrow in question.
"It's iced." She explained.
Not fifteen minutes later, she was taking off the sweater she had put on this morning, brushing her hair out of he face that had matted to her forehead with sweat. She was left in a thin t-shirt, one that was far too cold to be wearing at the time of year.
This time the whole family noticed and was looking oddly at her. Despite the sheen visible on her face she shivered noticeably.
"What's the matter?"
Booth slammed his coke down onto the table and reached over to feel her forehead.
"Dammit Bones, I TOLD you to stay out of that blizzard and in the CAR!"
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A/N – Okay I'm very sorry for having not updated in forever. This year has been tricky for me, very, very hectic. If I am still lucky enough to have reviewers then please review.
Hugs and kisses
LJ
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