December 26th- 12:30pm-
Temperance found that the peacefulness of the apartment was enough to allow her to focus on some packing and preparing for her return to Maluku. She glanced at the clock and smiled, thinking of Booth for a moment, and knowing that he'd be back soon from his errand with Parker. She had spent a majority of the morning cleaning up the apartment from the night before, and making phone calls about her impending trip, but as the morning disappeared into afternoon, she decided to focus on some organizing. She pulled a suitcase from her closet, and a second one as well, hauling them carefully into her bedroom. She unzipped one of the suitcases, gazing into its emptiness for a moment as she tried to visualize and calculate exactly what she'd need to pack and how exactly it would be arranged within her suitcase.
After a minute or two, her concentration was broken by the sound of her cell phone ringing. She looked up to where it was setting on the bedside table, and launched herself onto the mattress playfully to grab at it. She smiled as Angela's name flashed across the screen and quickly answered the phone. "Brennan." She said, barely able to hold in the grin on her face as she rolled onto her back, prepared for her friend's questions.
"You never called me back." Angela's voice slid through the line clearly, and the bemusement within her tone immediately gave away her happy mood.
"We called you this morning and left you a message." Temperance said, grinning up at the ceiling as she listened to her friend's exaggerated sigh. "What?" She laughed.
"I know. I just thought it would be easier to blame you." Angela teased. "Booth is there?" She asked.
"Well, not at the moment. He stepped out for a few hours." Temperance teased, listening to the low growl over the line, she couldn't help but let out a slight giggle. "I can have him call you back if you're more interested in talking to him." She said with a laugh.
"Bren, you are not funny!" Angela said, a bit impatient, but still with a playful tone. "So he's in town? Tell me what happened. Is he okay? Was he injured?" She asked, her voice showing a serious edge.
"No." Temperance said resolutely. "No, he wasn't injured. He returned home to see his family for Christmas." She said, knowing full well that she was including herself in that equation. There was a slight pause. "He bought me a tree." She said, thinking of his joy at the Christmas tree lot.
"He bought you a tree?" Angela asked with a laugh.
"Yes. He went with me to the tree lot. He was quite helpful." Temperance replied.
"He got you a tree, so you invited him to your Christmas dinner?" Angela asked.
"I didn't really have to invite him." She said, letting a long pause hold for a moment. "He's staying with me." She said, listening to the silence on the other end of the line. "His apartment was sublet out, so I told him that he could use my spare bedroom." She said quickly before Angela made any unneeded assumptions, even if the assumptions were correct.
"So Booth is staying with you?" She asked.
"Yes." Temperance said, holding out for just a moment or two longer.
"In the spare bedroom." She stated, repeating what her friend had said.
"Not exactly." She said, feeling her cheeks blush, and a giggle bubbling from somewhere in her chest. She wondered for a split second when she had reverted back to a giggling teenager. She let out a happy sigh to her friend's silence. "We have been quite happy together." She sighed.
"But he has to go back." She replied, a bit of concern for her friend was recognizable in her tone. "Bren, he has to go back to Afghanistan."
"No." She said, feeling the warmth in her chest intensify as the butterflies in her stomach began to dance. "Booth is being discharged. His obligation is completed, and he can come home." She sighed. "Booth is home for good, Ange."
"And so are you." Angela said softly.
"And so am I." Temperance smiled.
"That's great!" Angela said, her tone happy and sincere, listening to the excitement in her friend's voice. "Sweetie. This is so... just... so..."
"Fast?"
"No." Angela said suddenly. "You and Booth together was definitely not fast." She laughed. "I mean that it was quick after your return.." She laughed. "And it's wonderful, and... I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you both." She said sincerely. "I'm glad that you're home though. I was panicked when I learned about the earthquake, even though I knew that you were safe."
"I have to go back to Maluku, Angela." Temperance said, clearing her throat.
"Bren." Angela said, the seriousness of her tone was clear.
"It will only be for a few days, possibly a week. I need to catalogue the dig site, and ensure that the people and equipment are taken care of properly."
"I need you be safe, Bren." Angela said, hoping that her friend understood her concern. "What does Booth think of you going back?"
"He will most likely come with me." She replied. "You know how he has an overwhelming need to protect me from anything." She said, and then paused. "I invited him."
"You invited him?" Angela asked, obviously amused by her friend's confession. "You actually invited someone to one of your dig sites?" Angela laughed.
"I did." She replied. "He seemed extremely concerned about my well being, and considering the destruction that occurred at the dig site, his physical strength would be quite beneficial to have." She said, trying her best to sound convincing.
"You don't want to let him out of your sight, do you?" Angela asked.
"Would you?" Temperance asked, laughing when Angela let out a joyful laugh.
"No way!" Angela agreed. "So he agreed to go with you?"
"He did. He just has to get the official discharge notice before we can leave, which will be as soon as I get a status report from the dig site that announces that they are accepting visitors again."
"Well, you be careful." Angela said. "And make sure you let me know when you return."
"I will." Temperance said, sighing happily into the phone.
"Sounds like your Christmas wish came true, Sweetie." Angela said softly. "I'm happy for you. I'm so happy for you guys."
"I miss you, Ange." Temperance said sincerely.
"I miss you too, sweetie. We'll be home soon."
"I should go. Booth will be back soon, and he'll probably want to go get lunch." Temperance said. "We'll talk soon. Tell Jack that I said hello."
"I will." Angela said. "Be safe." She said, and the call disconnected.
Temperance held her phone in her hand, setting it on her chest for a minute as she sighed happily, thinking for a moment about her good fortune. She sighed, closing her eyes, when she heard the door to the apartment close, and a deep, familiar voice call to her.
"Bones!" Booth exclaimed from the next room.
Temperance rolled to the edge of the bed and stood, walking quickly toward the door. She opened the bedroom door and walked out, her smile bright and happy when she spotted him.
"Bones!" Parker exclaimed, running over to her, his arms wrapped tightly around her.
"Parker." She said, holding the boy to her, she leaned down and kissed his head. She looked up at Booth's happy and proud smile. "Did you finish your mission?" She looked down at Parker, and the boy grinned.
"Mission accomplished!" Parker exclaimed. "We dropped the toys off at the hospital." He giggled.
"They were surprised and very happy." Booth said, watching Parker smile up at Temperance.
"Are you ready for lunch, Bones?" Parker asked. "I'm starving."
"I'm ready. Are you paying?" She asked the boy, his grin happy.
"Yeah!" He exclaimed, taking her hand, he excitedly pulled her toward the door. "Wait, what?" He asked, turning around with a surprise, he watched her smile, and they both let out a giggle.
"Let's go guys." Booth said, grabbing Temperance's coat, he helped her into it with a gentle kiss to her cheek. "Did you have a good morning?" He asked gently, catching her eyes.
"It was quite relaxing." She said, buttoning up her coat. "But I did miss you." She said, feeling his hand at the small of her back, she looked back at him as he ushered them out of the door.
"Well, no more missing. You've got me now." He said.
"And me!" Parker exclaimed happily, as Booth locked up the apartment.
"And him too." Booth winked with a laugh, as he walked his two favorite people toward the elevator.
So Christmas is over... I'm working on trying to figure out what would be in a sequel. Let's mark this as complete, and I will let you know when the next one starts up... Folks be saying they want to have some Bones/Booth in Maluku time... I will have to do some research. Lol. (I also have to finish that other two or three open stories that are out there, though I am preferring some fluff for the time being as opposed to drama...) Comments and reviews are appreciated, and I will be sure to get the sequel out for this in short order... What else do I have to do while I'm working from home?
Comments Comments Comments ...
