December 25th- 2:55pm-
Sitting with Hank in the living room, Booth looked up when the doorbell sounded, and quickly excused himself. He called to Temperance that he was answering the door, and she replied that it was fine. He stepped toward the door and opened it, looking directly into the eyes of Russ Brennan. He couldn't help but smile slightly at the surprised look on the other man's face.
Russ seemed to straighten immediately, his mouth hanging open just slightly. "You okay there, Russ?" Booth asked with a laugh.
"Booth." He said, his arm a little tighter around Amy as his eyes widened.
"Yep." Booth laughed. "Come on in." He said, glancing behind them to see Hayley and Emma trailing behind. "Merry Christmas, ladies." He said, moving out of the way as Russ, Amy and the girls walked in. "Bones is in the kitchen, my grandfather is hanging out over there. We have cheese and crackers so you don't starve before dinner. Max is on his way, I assume." He smiled.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were in Afghanistan." Russ asked, ushering Amy and the girls to the side and taking their coats while they removed their boots, the door closed behind them, and he hung their coats carefully, turning to watch the FBI agent. He seemed extremely comfortable in his sister's apartment.
"I'm on holiday leave." He said as the doorbell rang again. "Kitchen is right around there." He directed, reaching for the door as Russ gave him an odd look and they headed toward the kitchen.
Booth watched Russ disappear around the corner and let out a light laugh. He then swung open the door and smiled when he was suddenly tackled by a mop of curly hair. "Dad!" Parker exclaimed, squeezing his father's middle tightly, looking up at him with a laugh.
"Woah there, kid." Booth laughed, stepping back a bit, smiling happily as he let Rebecca inside. "Did you grow since yesterday?" He asked, watching Parker grin up at him. "I swear you're taller than you were yesterday."
"I don't know!" He laughed.
"I'll have to ask Bones. She could tell me." He said, listening to his son's giggle. "Here, let me take your coat." He said to Rebecca, smiling as he draped it over his arm. "Bones is in the kitchen, Pops is in the living room."
"Pops is here?" Parker asked excitedly, he turned and took off through the apartment like a shot.
"Wow… guess he missed Pops." Booth laughed, looking toward Rebecca. She had a bit of a skeptical look on her face. "What? Are you okay?"
"Seeley." She sighed. "Your grandfather hates me." She whispered with a sigh.
"No, no." Booth shook his head, putting his arm around her shoulder as he ushered her toward the living room. "He just didn't like you and me together. He likes you just fine. I swear." He said, watching her eyes narrow. "I'm serious, Becks. He's just knew that you and I weren't good for one another. He loves Parker, and he's even said you're doing a great job raising him." He reassured. They stepped toward the living room where Hank was sitting, listening to Parker tell a long-winded story that only a child could tell, and the older man looked toward them. "Parker, take a breath." Booth laughed, watching the boy look toward his father, positively beaming.
"Where's Bones?" Parker asked.
"Kitchen." He nodded toward the next room.
"Go on kiddo, go see Temperance." Pops nodded. "She loves a good old fashioned Booth hug." Pops said with a smile, glancing over toward his grandson and Rebecca. Parker gave his great-grandfather another hug and then ran off to the kitchen. "Rebecca, it's nice to see you." He said, his tone sincere.
"Hank." She said with a smile. "How have you been?" She asked, moving toward the older man to sit beside him to talk to him. Hank smiled and replied, accepting a hug from Rebecca as they began to talk as if no time had passed.
"I'm going to check on Bones." Booth said, watching as Hank looked up toward him and waved him off.
Temperance was standing in the kitchen by the island, setting plates on the counter to be placed around the table when the kitchen door opened, and Russ peeked inside. "Marco." He said, garnering a smile from his sister as she left the plates and walked around the island toward her brother. She saw Amy, Emma, and Hayley come in too, but grabbed her brother quickly in a hug.
"Russ." She said, squeezing him tightly. "You look good." She said, smiling at him.
"What's Booth doing here?" He asked, watching his sister greet Amy and the girls, she smiled at Emma and Hayley and remarked on how much older they looked from the last time she had seen them, and they remarked about how delicious everything smelled. Temperance then glanced to her brother and with a humored smirk she tilted her head.
"What?" She asked, looking up at her brother.
"Booth." Russ asked. "What's he doing here?" He asked.
Suddenly, the kitchen door swung open and Parker Booth appeared with a big grin. "Bones!" He exclaimed, running toward her. He nearly tackled her with a hug, not for a moment noticing everyone else in the room. He had one person in mind that he was looking for, and he had found her. "Booth is part of my family, Russ." Temperance said, running her fingers though Parker's hair. "This is Parker, Booth's son." She said, noting the confused look on Russ and Amy's face at the young boy.
Parker turned in her arms, and Temperance placed her hands on his shoulders as he looked up at the strangers. "Parker, this is my brother Russ, his wife Amy, and that's Emma, and that's Hayley. Who I am pretty sure is just about your age." She said with a smile.
"Hi." Parker said, feeling a bit put on the spot, but taking it in stride. "Nice to meet you." He smiled. He then looked up at Temperance and smiled. "Bones, do you need help with anything?" He asked politely, feeling his cheeks warm a bit.
"Would you mind setting the table for dinner?" She asked, watching him nod. "The plates are right here, and you know where the silverware and napkins are, right?" She smiled at the little boy who had been to her home many times for dinner on the occasions that he and Booth had used the swimming pool.
He immediately turned to Emma and Hayley and smiled. "Do you guys want to help?" He asked.
The girls nodded and giggled, and with that, the three children were off to complete their tasks.
"So, wait. You and Booth are…?" Russ started with an aggravated tone, his eyes narrowing slightly as he tried to read his sister's expression. She had a sparkle in her eye that he was trying to decipher, and he wasn't quite sure what it meant.
"Russ." Amy said, rolling her eyes.
The door opened once again, and Booth strode through, pausing when he noticed the slight stand off between Temperance and Russ. "Everything smells great, Bones." Booth smiled, watching her blue eyes flick to his, the joy in them returning immediately. He was just about to say something else, when the doorbell rang again.
"That has to be Dad." Temperance said, stepping past her brother, she placed a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Be nice." She said, smiling slightly as she walked toward Booth. She leaned up and dropped a kiss on his lips, smiling when his hand gently brushed her cheek. "I'll be right back."
He watched her walk away, appreciating every inch of her silently, when he turned to see Russ' brotherly glare. "Come on, Russ. Don't tell me you didn't see that coming." He laughed, listening to Amy laugh slightly as Booth turned toward the table where the kids were chattering away as they set the table.
