December 24th- 2:00pm
Booth and Temperance sat on the couch, Parker tucked between them as he opened the final gift in the pile. The boy was happier than Rebecca had ever seen him. He was beaming, and if anyone hadn't a clue what a smile from 'ear to ear' meant, they need only take one look at Parker.
"Another Lego set?" Parker said with a giggle. "Thank you, Bones." He said. "I don't know how I am going to pick just a couple of gifts for me. These are all really awesome presents!" He said excitedly.
"Well, we can let it settle in, and you can think about it, and we'll bring them somewhere the day after Christmas." Booth said, smiling at his son's enthusiasm.
"Maybe we could bring them to some kids at the hospital, Dad." Parker replied. "I bet they'd like Legos." He smiled.
"That sounds like a really good idea, bud." Booth said, giving the boy a good tousle of his hair as he giggled and climbed from the couch, reading the back of the box as he stepped toward the coffee table a little further away from the adults. He knelt down and started to open the box. "Looks like he picked one of his gifts." Booth said, giving Temperance a slight nudge. She smiled at him and shook her head.
"So how long has this been a thing?" Rebecca asked, indicating the two of them. Booth gave her a confused look and she let out a laugh. "Don't look at me like that. You know exactly what I'm talking about." She laughed. "How long have you two..." she trailed off, glancing between Booth and Temperance. Booth's mouth hung open for a moment, surprised by her candidness. He was just about to respond when Brennan chimed in.
"We re-connected a few days ago, after I nearly ruptured his spleen for stalking me while I shopped." Temperance said, a sparkle in her eye that made Booth laugh.
"Hey, I wanted you to know I was there. I wasn't stalking." He teased back, watching her stubborn eye roll, he laughed. He glanced back to Rebecca and smiled. "Officially it's only been a few days." Booth replied. "But I think we saw the writing on the wall a long time ago."
"You both seem very happy." Rebecca said, glancing to Parker. "And you made him very happy as well. I really... thank you." She said, watching Parker look up at the adults, knowing full well that they were talking about him. "I was starting to think that this Christmas wasn't going to turn out very well." She admitted.
"Mom, can I stay at Dad's tonight?" Parker asked hopefully.
Before Rebecca could respond, Booth spoke up. "Actually, Parker. I'm not staying at my place. When I left for Afghanistan, I let someone else rent my apartment for a while." He said.
Parker looked at him oddly. "What do you mean? Where are you staying?" He asked, standing up.
"I'm staying with Bones." He said, and was surprised by the smile on the boy's face.
"That's even better! Bones has a pool at her apartment!" He said excitedly.
"You should be here with your mom for Christmas, bud." He said, noticing how his son's smile began to fade. "You have tons of gifts here to keep you busy, and you can keep your mom company. Tomorrow you guys are coming over to Bones' place for Christmas dinner, so I'll see you then, and maybe your mom and I can work out some time for you and I to hang out." He said, watching his son's grin return.
"Okay." Parker nodded.
"Bones has a spare room, if you didn't mind, he could stay with us for a day or two." Booth said, and though he didn't even think to ask Temperance, he was very sure that she would agree to it.
"Really?" Parker asked, his eyes wide with excitement. "Mom, can I? Can I stay with Dad at Bones' place?"
"Perhaps." She said, shaking her head at his unbridled enthusiasm. "We'll see, okay?"
"I'll be the best kid you could ask for! I'll do my chores, and clean off the table, and... and anything!" He grinned.
"We'll see." Rebecca said again. Parker's eyes were still alight with hope when he looked back to his father.
"Well, we're only in town until New Years." He said to Rebecca, watching her nod. "Then we head back." He shrugged. He could literally feel the tension in the room at his words. He really didn't want to go back, and for what it was worth, he didn't want Temperance to go back, and Parker most definitely wanted both of them to stay.
Rebecca could see the tension on Booth's face. She knew what he was thinking, and nodded politely. "We'll work something out." She said softly.
"Yes!"Parker exclaimed, bouncing around for a moment.
"If you behave!" She said, dropping that caveat into the air as if it truly mattered.
"I'm gonna be the best kid you could ever ask for!" Parker exclaimed, hugging his father again, he smiled happily.
"Ah, well. I think you already fit that bill, kid." Booth said, giving Parker a squeeze. He glanced to Temperance, watching her eyes focusing on something that wasn't in the room. Her mind seemed to be churning on something, and she didn't look pleased. "Hey." He said, touching her leg, her attention snapped to him. As soon as her eyes met his, the worry seemed to disappear. "Are you okay?"
"Yes." She said, smiling slightly. The unspoken 'we'll talk about it later', hung in the air, as he nodded his reply to her. "So, Parker. Were you pleased with your gifts?" She asked, gaining the boy's attention, he hopped a bit on his toes.
"Yes." He said happily. "Thank you, Bones. Thank you very much." He said, his tone showing the gravity of his thankfulness.
"I'm glad you enjoyed them." She smiled, then sighed. "I should probably get going." She said, taking a quick look at her watch. "I have to do some shopping for dinner tomorrow, as well as some preparation." She stood up.
"Aw, don't go now, Bones." Parker sighed, stepping toward her for another hug, he squeezed her tightly. She ran her fingers through his hair and bent down lightly, kissing the top of his head.
"Your father will be visiting for a bit longer, why don't you two pick out the gifts that you'd like to donate, and help him get them into the car. We can deliver them to wherever you wish. I'll see you tomorrow, so there's no need to worry." She said softly. "I promise." He lifted his eyes to her and she smiled into his. "Thank you again for all of your letters, Parker. They make sure that I'm not lonely." She said sincerely.
"I like your letters too, Bones."
"Don't let him underplay it, Tempe. He's decorated his room with your letters and drawings. They've been wonderful and educational. It makes his day each time a letter comes in the mail. Thank you." Rebecca said, wanting to ensure that Temperance knew that her presence in her son's life was important to him, and in turn, important to herself as well.
"Is that true?" Temperance asked Parker. She could see the light blush in his cheeks as he smiled.
"Maybe." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I just miss you when you're not around." he said. "I liked your drawings a lot."
"Bones, you draw?" Booth asked, giving her a bit of a confused look.
"Sometimes. I took a class with Angela two summers ago, and it helps me to relax. They're not anything special, just illustrations of wildlife in Maluku, pencil drawings." She shrugged as if it meant nothing. "I may have included some drawings in the letters that I wrote to you." She said, shrugging a bit shyly. She looked down at Parker and smiled. "You should show your dad some of the drawings." She said, winking at the little boy, who returned it with a big grin. "I will see you tomorrow." She said, giving him a kiss on his cheek, he hugged her tightly once again.
"See you tomorrow, Bones." He said, looking up at her. "Come on, Dad. Let me show you my room." He turned and grabbed Booth's hand, pulling him to stand. Booth let out a playful chuckle as he walked toward Temperance.
"I'll see you at home. I love you." He said, dropping a kiss on her lips gently, he watched her cheeks turn a light pink, her lower lip sliding between her teeth as she watched his smile appear.
"I'll see you at home." She said, ignoring the slack jaw expression from Parker, as Booth hurriedly ushered him toward his bedroom.
Temperance shook her head and watched Booth and Parker go into Parker's room, and she turned toward Rebecca as she stood up. "Tempe, seriously. Thank you for writing to him. He's been taking all of this pretty hard, and the letters have really been helping him get through it."
"He means a lot to me." Temperance said. "And his letters have been extremely light hearted and welcome. Thank you for letting him stay in contact with me. I know that I'm just Booth's..." She started to say.
"Nonsense." Rebecca said with a bit of a laugh. "You and Seeley are great together, and Parker loves you. You mean the world to him. I look forward to dinner tomorrow." Rebecca said.
"Oh, right." Temperance said, pulling a paper from her pocket. "This is my address, and directions." She smiled. "Dinner is at four, but you can come by at three."
"Great." Rebecca said, walking her toward the door. "We'll see you tomorrow at three." She said, as she walked Temperance out, smiling sincerely as she closed the door and turned to listen to her son's laughter as he talked to his father in the next room.