David smiled as he packed up a small suitcase. He was elated at the conversation he had with Temperance. Not once had she mentioned anything about Seeley Booth, a first in their dating history. Outside of that one conversation, he couldn't remember a time that they had spoken when the FBI agent wasn't mentioned. I really must have misread the situation between those two. For not the first time, the thought that his girlfriend was in love with her partner intruded on his mind. This time, however, he was able to quickly brush the thought out of his mind. If she were in love with him, she wouldn't be going with me.
Once the suitcase was packed, he reached into his jacket pocket and opened the small jewelry box. The ring he picked out was something he thought Temperance would like. I had a princess cut solitaire diamond set into an intricate platinum setting. The ring cost him a fortune, but he felt that she was worth it. At this point, nothing could spoil the Christmas he was going to have. He smiled once more and placed the ring box back into his pocket. Two more days, he told himself. In two days, Temperance Brennan would be his fiancé, and Seeley booth would only be her partner. There would be no more confusion as to who loved her more. They both knew who would win her favor.
XxXxX
Russ watched as Booth took a third huge gulp of antacid, then lay back on his couch wearily. He looked at the man with sympathy, and then sat on a chair nearby. Booth looked over at Russ and grimaced.
"Don't you feel even the slightest bit guilty about lying to Bones?" He asked her brother. Russ gave the special agent a small smile.
"No, I don't. You wanna know why?"
"Shoot."
"Because this has got to be the nicest thing anyone has ever done for Tempe. When I told my girlfriend what you were planning, she actually cried and said if anyone ever did something like that for her, she'd marry them in a heartbeat. Where'd you get the idea for this whole thing anyway?"
"From you."
"Me? I don't understand."
"Last year, when we were all quarantined in the Jeffersonian, I overheard Bones telling Angela about the year your parents disappeared and how you just wanted to give Christmas to your little sister."
"Hey, all I did was put out a few Christmas presents I found in my parent's closet."
"Regardless, I didn't want her to go another year without a Christmas. Angela convinced me it was the best idea though. I wouldn't be going to these extremes without her help."
"The voice of reason. Well, I'm glad you're doing it. She needs someone who can take care of her, you know?"
"If she'd let anyone take care of her. I honestly don't know how much more of this I can take." Booth grimaced and put a hand to his rapidly growing stomachache.
"You'll be fine come Christmas Day."
"I sure hope so, Russ. Otherwise, this is going to kill me."
XxXxX
Temperance sat in a daze in her apartment as she looked at the suitcase before her. She had everything packed, but something was bothering her about the entire situation. If Booth wanted to stay out of her personal life, then all the better. She wouldn't have to worry about him interfering in her relationships, or trying to protect her all the time. Assuming she felt that way, then why did she also feel like she'd been punched in the gut? Why didn't David feel right? Why did she have to think about this?
A knock on the front door drew her attention. She looked at the clock, and noted it was seven in the evening. She took a few deep breaths and moved to the door to answer it. She smiled at David as he stood on the doorstep, his bag in one hand, and take out in the other.
"I thought maybe we could stay in for dinner." He smiled at her. Temperance stepped aside to allow him in. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before setting everything down in the kitchen.
"That sounds good. I'm not really in the mood to go out anyway." She pulled the take out from the bag, and her chest seized a little. It was from Wong Foo's. David didn't notice the change in her demeanor as he looked around the apartment.
"You don't have any decorations up."
"No, I don't really celebrate Christmas." Her voice sounded…off. She tried not to think of the last time she truly celebrated the holiday, at the age of fourteen.
"Why not?"
"I don't see a need to really. Why don't we eat, then see where the evening takes us." She wanted to get off the subject. Angela wouldn't be around, Russ wasn't here with her, and Booth would have Parker tomorrow. Well, that and he wanted to remain professional. As she dished food out for them, she fought back tears. Damn you, Seeley Booth, why do you have to do this to me? Why did I have to care about you?
"Sounds like a great idea." David joined her in the kitchen and took the plates from her, carrying them to the table.
"What time are we leaving tomorrow?"
"I thought we could leave at about eight. It's going to take a few hours to get there."
"Then I suppose we'll need to get to bed early."
"I couldn't agree more." David smiled at her slyly and took a bite of his food. Brennan offered him a small smile, and then turned to her own plate, trying desperately to drive all the uneasiness from her mind.
XxXxX
Angela showed up at Booth's apartment at ten in the evening with Hodgins and Zach in tow. She greeted Russ with a big smile as they entered the apartment, and his eyes swept down noticing the way the bug guy and artist were holding hands.
"Booth, Matthew, how are you two doing this evening?" She chirped out at them. Both men gave her a disgruntled look, so she looked to Russ for a response.
"They've been fighting all evening, and Agent Booth has been guzzling antacid like it was water. Angela arched her eyebrow at him, the turned her attention to Booth. He didn't look so good.
"Well, now that I'm here, everything will be fine! I have the plan drawn up for the decorations, so we'll need to get that looked over before we go there. We're going to need to be quiet. The last thing we want to do is wake up Brennan."
"Are you capable of being quiet for even a few minutes?" Booth threw at Matthew.
"Oh, very funny Agent Booth. You know I'm perfectly capable of keeping my mouth shut."
"Really, because you've done a poor job of it since California."
"Maybe if you didn't have to try to assert your authority every ten seconds…"
"And do you have to have the last word in every argument?"
"I like to, yeah."
Booth opened his mouth to respond when Brennan laid her hand on his shoulder. He clamped it shut and looked at the agent.
"Could you two stop now, please? We have a lot of work to get done, and will only have a few hours in which to do so."
"Fine." The two men responded at the same time. Hodgins and Zach watched in amusement, while Russ just rolled his eyes. It was going to be a long night.
