"Are you girls ready for Santa's visit this evening," Max asked Emma and Haley as they as at the kitchen table eating chocolate chip pancakes.

"Grandpa Max, that's just silly. There's no Santa Claus," Emma, the older of the two replied with a giggle. Max looked taken aback as he answered.

"What do you mean he's not real? I happen to know for a fact he's real." Before the girl could answer, Booth made his way to the kitchen a bit bleary eyed, his hair sticking up in all directions. "Morning Booth, there's coffee is you'd like some." Max pointed to the pot as he flipped pancakes onto a plate for the agent. He still had a difficult time wrapping his mind around everything Booth told him a week earlier. True to his word, he'd kept the information to himself.

"Tempe still avoiding you," Russ asked as Booth sat down at the table.

"Yeah, she won't sit down and talk," he halfway muttered, taking a sip of coffee. "What are you dressed up for?"

"Well," Amy began, "being that it's Christmas Eve, we have a full day planned. We're going to Mass this morning, and then heading over to Crossroads Village for a train ride later on. Care to join us?"

"I'll be going if Max is going," he answered, looking down the hallway. Temperance was coming out of her room looking surprisingly good for early in the morning.

"Of course I'll go. I wouldn't miss the opportunity to spend with my grandkids. Temperance, do you want to come with us to Mass?"

"Oh, no. I'm meeting Gavin for breakfast, and then we're going to his shooting range." Booth snorted before taking another sip of his coffee.

"Yeah, 'cause that's a romantic date."

""Knock it off Booth. He's a nice guy, which you would know if you weren't always so mean to him."

"He's an idiot Bones. I can't believe you find the guy even remotely interesting. How can you possibly be interested in him?"

"And you're one to talk, marrying some perfect Suzie Homemaker."

"Bones…"

"No, I don't want to hear it. You always find something wrong with the men I date."

"With good reason! Come on, you know your history as well as I do!"

"And I know yours, lest we forget Tessa the insecure lawyer, or your fling with overly competitive Cam, which by the way was a betrayal to me."

"What do you want me to say, that I didn't think you reciprocated so I just left us as friends?"

"It's not like you ever asked."

"Or you ever showed any indication that you were even interested. All I ever heard from you was 'biological imperatives', or how love doesn't exist. What the hell was I supposed to think?" The two were standing nose to nose, eyes locked on each other, breathing heavily. Max, Russ, and Amy watched the pair in shock, while Haley and Emma looked curious. Haley glanced at her mother and whispered loudly.

"Mom, are they going to kiss now?" At the words, Booth and Brennan moved away from each other, Booth going to his room and Brennan to the kitchen. After getting a cup of coffee she turned to find everyone's eyes on her.

"What?"

"Well I suppose it's a start to a conversation," Max said. Brennan rolled her eyes and left the room to get ready for the day.

XxXxX

Temperance aimed carefully at the target before firing rounds into it. At the moment she was taking great joy in imagining Booth was the target. He had no right to tell her who to date. He was married for god's sake. A surge of anger washed through her as she began firing again. Gavin stood behind her, watching as she fired.

"You've got pretty impressive aim Temperance," he said as he approached her. She lowered the gun, pulled off her head set and looked at Gavin.

"I work at it." He leaned in on her, and for a brief moment she leaned away from him, the situation far too familiar to her.

"Well, that's obvious. How is it that a New York best selling author has aim like that?" He moved a little closer to her. Again Temperance took a step away. She opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a gun firing.

"Because she works with the FBI," Booth said as he reholstered his firearm. Brennan crossed her arms and looked at Booth.

"What are you doing here?"

"I believe you promised Haley and Emma you'd join us all at Crossroads Village today. Since Mass is over and you didn't go with us, I decided to come in and get you."

"Why couldn't you send the girls?"

"Send them into a shooting range? I don't think so. Come on, let's vamoose."

"Hey, she's out with me. You can't just barge in here and take her away."

"Really, 'cause that's exactly what I'm doing." He approached the pair and positioned himself next to Brennan, facing off against Gavin.

"Booth, knock it off. Nobody owns me, and I can make my own choices."

"Fine, then choose. I'm sure your nieces will want to know your answer." Brennan looked at Booth and muttered under her breath. After pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration, she looked over at Gavin.

"I can't let my nieces down. Would you like to join us?" Now it was Booth's turn to mutter as he followed the pair out. He needed to get Brennan on her own, and having Gavin around would ensure that there would be no moment for the pair of them to talk. He caught up to Brennan as they reached the SUV and pulled her to the side.

"You did that on purpose."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Bones, I just want five minutes to talk to you, and you're doing everything in your power to avoid being alone with me."

"I already told you, we have nothing to talk about."

"Maybe you don't have anything to say, but I do."

"I don't care." She pulled away from Booth and climbed in beside Gavin. Booth scowled before he got into the driver's seat. Max gave Booth a supportive clap on the shoulder as they took off for Crossroad Village.

XxXxX

"Oh the weather outside id frightful, but the fire is so delightful, and since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…" The group sat on a train going around Huckleberry Junction singing Christmas carols. Haley and Alex sat on either side of Gavin, their legs swinging merrily as they sang. Booth and Brennan were scrunched up next to each other, both very aware of the other's proximity. Any time they shifted, they would come in contact with each other. Booth for his part was getting very uncomfortable of leaning slightly forward so his shoulders had room in the minimal amount of space that he had. Finally, he put one arm along the back of the seat just behind Brennan. She sat up stiffly and away from the seatback to limit her contact with him.

"Bones," Booth started, leaning close to her and whispering, "please just give me five minutes to talk to you."

"No."

"Why not?"

"You don't deserve my time," she hissed. Booth leaned in closer to her, and she could tell by the stiffness in his posture that he was getting upset.

"Well excuse me, but I thought that regardless you were supposed to be my friend and partner. Obviously you've decided without talking to me that our relationship in that respect is over."

"What did you expect? You marry someone else and I'm supposed to sit by and be supportive of your perfect life?"

"Let me ask you this… if I hadn't told you at the reception that I loved you, would you still be avoiding me?" He looked at her intensely, waiting for her answer. Brennan opened her mouth to answer and realized that it was her plan all along to avoid him. She decided it was better for her to not have contact, it was too painful. Booth took her silence as affirmation and shook his head in disappointment. "Jesus, you wouldn't even have been there for me. All the times I was there for you and you just walk out of my life. I didn't force you out. You don't even know what's going on here Temperance."

As the train pulled back into the station, Booth shouldered his way out of the car to the stunned looks of Brennan's family. Temperance followed him from the train feeling as though she needed to say something to him. She caught up with him on the platform, not paying attention to the snow swirling around them.

"Booth, wait…" she grabbed his arm to stop him. Booth turned his gaze on her, and she could see the hurt in his eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but again could find nothing to say. Booth kept his gaze locked on hers before dropping his lips to hers. After her initial surprise, Brennan melted into the kiss which despite the anger Booth was holding in check was surprisingly gentle as he nibbled softly on her bottom lip. Temperance's hands came to rest on his chest, her eyes closing as the kiss continued.

"What the hell is going on," Gavin shouted as he finally found himself off of the train. Brennan and Booth pulled apart quickly, almost guiltily when they realized that the family was watching them curiously. As Booth tried to speak to Temperance, he felt the sting of her hand across his cheek.

AN: Okay, I realize you all want answers from last chapter, and I promise you all will be answered next time. I swear. I just wanted everyone to find out the same time that Brennan does. Also, there were several of you who sent me PMs regarding questions you have. Those will be answered next time. I'll try to have the chapter up in the next couple of days.