[DISCLAIMER] Bones doesn't belong to me.

25th December

The Joy in the Gift-Giving

"Mommy! Daddy! Santa's been!" Christine cheers, running into their bedroom and jumping on their bed, a wide smile on her face. Her face falls, however, when she sees her sleeping parents and she shakes them both awake.

"Hey, Christine," Brennan murmurs as her eyes slip open, the excited five year old sitting right in front of her.

"Santa's been!"

"Wow! That's cool, isn't it, dad?" She asks Booth as her husband slowly wakes up himself.

"Very cool." He shifts closer to Brennan to give her a good morning kiss, whispering, "merry Christmas, Bones" against her lips.

Christine pulls a face and tugs at Brennan's arm. "Come on, mom! Stop kissing dad and let's go open presents!"

Booth pouts as his daughter schemes against him, yanking his wife away from him. Brennan chuckles at his face and gives him one final kiss before she wraps herself in her robe and leaves the bedroom to fetch Hank. Christine switches her attention to Booth, biting her lip as she calculates how she will get his large and heavy body out of bed. She grabs his arm and attempts to heave her dad out from beneath the comforts of his covers. He catches onto her plan and helps her out, "the tickle monster" chasing her into the living room once he's dressed in his Flyer's robe that Brennan bought him last Christmas.

Brennan, with their eight month old in her arms, joins them in front of the tree a while later, finding Booth tickling a giggling Christine.

"Stop, daddy! Stop!" She wails as he tickles her sock-less feet, knowing that's where she's most ticklish.

"I'll stop if you give me a kiss."

"Ew!"

"Right, no presents for Christine this year," he says to Brennan, smirking as Christine quickly presses a wet kiss to his cheek. "Oh ok then, I suppose she can open them."

"That's very nice of you," she comments as she sits beside him, letting Hank crawl around the floor in front of the tree.

"I am very nice," he replies under his breath. He then claps his hands together. "Who's going first?"

Christine lifts an arm eagerly in the air. "Me! Me! Me!"

"Hmm." He looks around the room, pretending not to see her. "Who should it be..."

"Me! Me! Meeeee!" She looks like she could burst and he laughs, saying,

"Ok, Christine can go first!"

She looks animated with glee as she picks up the biggest present and tears into the paper adorned with reindeer. It doesn't take her long to be into the gift, a joyful look spreading across her face.

"What is it, C?" Booth asks knowingly.

"A bike!"

"Oh, wow!" Brennan responds with the appropriate amount of enthusiasm. "Is that from Santa?"

"Yep! Now me and mommy can go on bike rides together!"

"Mommy and I," Brennan corrects automatically. "But yes, we can, Christine. That will be fun, won't it?"

"Very." She looks up to the ceiling. "Thank you Santa!"

Booth and Brennan share a look as if to say "how adorable is our daughter" before Brennan helps Hank open his first present. It's a plush Olaf toy (which is actually bigger than him) because he watched Frozen with Angela and laughed so hard at the snowman and has loved him ever since.

The two adults bicker over who should open their present first and they eventually decide on Brennan. She opens a small-ish one from her husband first and neatly unwraps the present, one she suspects is a piece of jewellery. She lifts the lid of the black box and finds a beautiful silver necklace, with four diamond-encrusted letters hanging from the chain for each of their names. She fingers the "C", a soft smile on her face. "This is beautiful, Booth. Thank you!"

"I'm glad you like it," he says as he places the necklace around her neck, dropping a kiss where he fastens it.

"It's the best present I've ever received."

He grins. "So I win this year?"

She gasps, offended. "I did not say that!"

"You said it was the best present you've ever been given which translates to me being the winner and kicking your butt for the second year running."

"You haven't opened yours yet," she argues. "But you'll have to wait until last now. Here, this one is from Parker, Christine and Hank."

He narrows his eyes at her, but opens the gift from his children regardless, rapidly forgetting his annual who's-the-best-gift-giver competition with his wife when he sees the framed picture of his family that was taken at Thanksgiving.

"It's for your office, daddy," his daughter explains. "Do you like it?"

"Like it?" He repeats, embracing her in a tight hug, the frame between them. "I love it, sweetheart. Thank you!"

It takes them another hour to get through all the presents (Hank and Christine have been spoilt rotten by their grandparents) and finally it is Booth's turn to open his present from his wife.

She's practically buzzing with excitement as she hands him the envelope, knowing this will guarantee her victory.

He rips open the seal and pulls out the letter inside, his eyes scanning the page, widening as he absorbs the information. He turns to his wife in shock. "Really?"

"Really." Her mouth lifts into a smile.

"I can't believe this. I can't believe you. You're incredible, Bones."

"I know," she says and he laughs, loudly, crushing her in a hug.

"What is it, daddy?" His five year old questions nosily.

"We're going to London for a month to spend time with Parker!"

Christine grins; she loves her big brother. Her grin fades away as she sees her parents kiss, slapping her dad's arm until he reluctantly separates from his wife, frowning at Christine. "Stop kissing! It's gross!"

"You won't think that one day, sweetheart," Brennan tells her, laughing as Booth's frown deepens. He doesn't want to think about his angel kissing some jerk. "And I think I've won, Booth!"

"Hang on a minu-."

"No! A trip to England to visit your son trumps a necklace!" She does a little happy dance and he shakes his head. She is such a huge dork he can't believe it. "I've won! I told you, Christine!"

"You have not won," he protests. "Look at this necklace. Remember how much you love it?"

"It's a wonderful present, but just face it, Booth, I am far superior at choosing gifts."

"Can we eat now?" Christine asks, interrupting their bickering session. "If I don't eat I think I might die."

"Right," Booth says, standing up. "Daddy's famous pancakes coming up!"

Merry Christmas everybody! Thank you for all your lovely reviews! :)

Sidenote: I'm considering writing another fic where they come to England to see Parker, would anybody be interested in reading that?