28
"Wake up, wake up!"
"Hmm?"
"Wake up, IT'S CHRISTMAS!"
Temperance rolled over. "Merry Christmas, Jared," she said sleepily, but with a smile.
"Merry Christmas. Seeley, come on," Jared whined.
"OK, OK, Merry Christmas, kid. Now get outta here," Booth said, playfully slapping Jared. Once he was gone, Booth turned to Temperance and pulled her over him as he lay on his back. "Merry Christmas, Bones."
"Merry Christmas, Seeley."
"Alright, Bones, you gotta close your eyes," Booth told her as he stepped behind her and put his hands over her eyes.
"Booth, I can't see!" she laughed.
"That's the point. Trust me," he whispered in her ear. He felt her nod and took her hand.
She took his hand and scrunched her face in a way he found adorable. "I still don't see why I have to close my eyes."
"Because I want you to be surprised," Booth told her. "OK, you ready?" he asked as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Yes," she answered.
He led them down the hallway and winked at Pops and Jared, who were waiting by the tree. "OK," he whispered. "Open."
She opened her eyes not expecting to see anything new, but she was blown away. Pops and Jared were standing by a pile of presents. There were glasses of orange juice on the coffee table, Christmas music was playing, and Pops was fiddling with the video camera. "Wow," she breathed. She let Booth sit her on the floor as everyone opened presents. Booth got a few new jerseys from Pops and Jared, and Temperance got some jewelry from Pops and a scarf from Jared. Pops got some new books, and Jared got a new video game and some new clothes.
Finally, Temperance reached behind her and pulled out a tiny box wrapped in reindeer wrapping paper. "Merry Christmas, Seeley," she said as she handed it to him.
Booth smiled and ripped off the paper before opening the box. His mouth dropped in amusement before he laughed and met Temperance's eyes. "Bones, this is awesome! Where did you find this?"
"The Internet," she said teasingly.
"Thank you, Temperance," he told her seriously, letting her name roll off his tongue. She blushed. "Your turn!" he said excitedly. He handed her a similar box wrapped in Santa Claus paper.
Temperance opened it carefully; she hadn't opened a present in a ridiculously long time. She wrapped her hand around the silver chain and lifted it out of the box, admiring the silver, circular pendant as it turned slowly. "It's beautiful," she said.
"I need to explain something about that," he said, scooting closer. She met his eyes and he began. "Inside there is something that was a big part of my life. It's…." Suddenly he was scared. He remembered how angry she became when he gambled at Jack's, but he couldn't back down now. There was no other explanation for the gift, and he wouldn't lie. "Inside there is a poker chip. It's been my lucky poker chip since I was fourteen, but I need you to have it now."
She looked up at him again. "You need me to have it?" she asked.
"Yes. Bones, I promised you I was done gambling. I promised you I was going to try, and you told me you'd help me. I need you to keep that," he said, pointing at the necklace. "That's like part of me, Bones, and you're gonna keep it a lot safer than I would. I feel like….I feel like you've been protectin' me, Bones, whether you know it or not. I haven't felt this safe since Pops brought us to live with him," he confessed.
Temperance felt tears prick her eyes and hugged Booth around the neck. "I love you, Seeley. I love you so much." She hugged him as hard as she could.
Pops made them all eggs, bacon, and pancakes, and they ate hungrily. Suddenly Jared's eyes lit up. "Hey, it's snowing!"
Everyone ran to the window and watched the flakes fall. Booth heard Temperance's shaky breath and looked over. "What's wrong, Bones?" he asked.
"Nothing," she answered. "I just can't remember the last time it snowed on Christmas." They smiled at each other and went to the kitchen to clean up their plates. Booth, Temperance, and Jared put on their warmest clothes and had a block-wide snowball fight. The little kids built snowmen while the older kids played tackle football and went sledding.
After most of the younger kids had gone back inside and the older kids had wandered off, Booth and Temperance lay making snow angels on the lawn. "Hey, mine looks good," Temperance said after standing up carefully.
Booth looked over and got up as well. "It's perfect, Bones!" They looked over at his, which had gotten smeared from his getting up. "Aw man," he said.
Temperance giggled. "Yours doesn't look much like an angel," she said playfully.
Booth grabbed her around the waist. "That's OK. You're my angel," he said as he kissed her neck once. She put her hand to his cheek, holding his head in place as they sank to the ground. They kissed with cold lips until Booth regretfully pulled back. "We better stop or we're gonna end up making a snow Adam and Eve." Temperance laughed all over again and Booth joined her, throwing her over his shoulder and running around to the back of the house. "Snow monsterrrrrrrr!" he shouted, dropping her lightly on the back doorstep. She was laughing uncontrollably and he laughed with her, kissing her and leading her inside.
