(After 'The Doctor in the Photo')
A/N: bonesnomore requested this story. I hope it's what you wanted. This story is AU.
I don't own Bones.
Oooooooooooooooooo
"Mom, please Mom. Dad was gone for like almost a whole year and I didn't get to seem him and I want to be with him for Christmas." Parker was desperate to make his mother see that he wanted to be with his father. "We go skiing every year. I don't want to go. I want to be with my Dad."
Her child was frantic and Rebecca was starting to worry why. "Parker, since he's been back you've seen him several times. We're going skiing during Christmas and you get to be with him the weekend we come back. You can celebrate Christmas with him then."
"No, Mom." Parker wasn't sure what to do, his mother wasn't listening to him. "I need to be with Dad on Christmas Day. Please Mom."
Her son was shaking and now she was afraid. Kneeling in front of her son, Rebecca placed her hands on his shoulders and stared into his troubled eyes. "What's going on, Parker? What are you afraid of?"
"Tommy's Dad died, Mom. He was in Afghanistan and he got blown up." Tears running down his cheeks, he tried to wipe them away. "Dad is in the Reserves. He can be called up if the Army needs him Mom, you know that. What if this is the last Christmas I can have with my Dad? Please Mom, I need to be with Dad. Please." He collapsed against his mother, clinging to her shoulders. "I don't want to be like Tommy. He can't be with his Dad this Christmas. He can't be with his Dad ever again."
His words pummeled her like fists to her stomach. She and his father had always been careful to downplay what it meant to be in the Army, but Parker didn't live in a bubble. He had friends. He watched television and movies. He had recently started reading her newspaper and she knew he was more aware of what happened to soldiers in war zones. "But Honey, your father is working for the FBI now. He's not in the Reserves any more. He had a special contract when he served in Afghanistan this year. He's not going back overseas."
"Honest?" Parker used the hem of his shirt to wipe his eyes dry. "He's not going back to Afghanistan?"
"No, Parker. He's not." Rebecca pulled her son into her embrace and rubbed his back in small circles. He'd better not.
He felt secure in his mother's embrace. She never lied to him that he knew of. "Can I please spend Christmas with Dad? Please." He believed his mother, but seeing Tommy crying about his father had scared him and made him realize that he could lose his father too.
Rebecca tried to be a good mother and she loved her son more than anyone else in the world. "I'll have to check with your father, but if he says its okay then you can stay with him . . . Parker, I'm sorry that you were upset. The next time you feel afraid, please come to me and talk to me or we'll call your father and you can talk to him. We don't want you to be afraid."
"Thanks, Mom." Parker was feeling calmer and less anxious. He was glad that his father wasn't going back to Afghanistan, but he still needed to stay with him during Christmas. "I hope Hannah says I can."
Amused, Rebecca chuckled. "Hannah may be your father's girlfriend, but she will never get between you and your father."
Slowly nodding his head, Parker smiled. "Can I use my allowance to buy Christmas presents?"
"You may. I'll take you shopping this Saturday." Rebecca stood up and felt her knees creak. "Damn I'm getting old."
Snorting, Parker shook his head. "Dad says that whenever he kneels too."
Ooooooooooooooooo
Booth set up his Christmas tree the evening he found out that Parker was going to stay with him for the holidays. To say he was surprised when Rebecca called and told him that Parker wanted to stay with him for Christmas would be considered an understatement, but as soon as he had ended the call, he had started making lists of what he needed to accomplish before his son came to stay. He made lists of foods that he needed to buy for the holidays, juice, soda, Parker's favorite snacks and beer for him and Hannah. He also realized that he needed to finish Christmas shopping. His son was going to expect presents under the tree.
The tree up and decorated, Booth found his grandmother's cookbook in the kitchen and flipped through it looking for gingerbread cookie recipes. He had his grandmother's cookie cutters and he wanted to make sure he had the cookie jar full for his boy.
While he was checking the cabinets in the kitchen to see what he needed to make the cookies, Hannah came home and tracked him down in the kitchen. "Hey there, I see the Christmas tree is up. I thought you were going to put it up on Christmas Eve."
"Parker is going to be staying with me for Christmas this year." Booth continued to search his cabinets. "I need to make gingerbread men cookies this weekend for the cookie jar and I need to go shopping to make sure I have the right kind of pies and cake for dessert for Christmas dinner. I was going to make ham, but Parker loves turkey, so I need to buy one of those. Maybe some sweet potatoes. Rebecca says he's eating those now. No cranberry though. He still hates that although I'm not sure why."
"But I thought Parker was going skiing with his mother." Hannah had counted on a quiet Christmas holiday with her boyfriend.
Closing the cabinet doors, Booth jotted down a few notes on a piece of paper. "He wants to stay with me. I told him it was okay . . . I need to buy some ground ginger. I can't find the bottle I had."
"But we were going to have a romantic Christmas . . . It's our first Christmas together." Hannah didn't want to sound childish but having a young boy in the mix was going to stop all the plans they had made.
Turning to stare at Hannah, Booth realized that she didn't understand why Parker needed to be with him. "I was in Afghanistan for seven months. My boy is getting older, old enough to know what's going on in Afghanistan. One of his friends' father died a couple of weeks. He was killed by an IED in Afghanistan. Parker was upset and he the thought it was possible that I might go back to Afghanistan and that I might not come back. He's ten years old and he's figured out what death is. He needs to be with me this Christmas. He needs to be with me, Hannah. It's important."
"Yes, I suppose it is." She knew that Booth's son came first and there wasn't anything she could do but go along with the change of plans. "Well, I'll help you with the shopping and the cooking if you want me to. I make a great pecan pie."
Grateful that she understood, Booth walked across the room and kissed her. "Thanks. This is going to be a great Christmas holiday. You'll see."
Oooooooooooooooooooo
On Christmas Eve, after watching the movie 'Elf', Parker left the living room, retrieved a bag from his bedroom and brought it out to the living room. "Dad, I have Christmas presents for you and Hannah." Handing them each a gift wrapped box, he held up another gift. "I have one for Bones too."
Taking the gifts from his son, Booth shook his present and heard a thunking sound. "Thank you, Parker. Do you want to wait until tomorrow for us to open them?"
"Well, I figured you could open that one and I could open one of mine under that tree." Parker tried to hide his smile, but of course he failed.
"Oh, I see." And Booth did see, after all he had been a boy once himself. "Well, why not? Get one of your presents and we'll open a present now."
Hannah hesitated before she spoke, but just for a moment. "We always open presents on Christmas Day in my family. Don't you think we should wait?"
Since he had already told Parker he could open a present, Booth didn't want to disappoint the boy. "We can open one tonight and open the rest tomorrow."
Eagerly, Parker grabbed a large flat box with his name on it, tore off the paper and opened the box. "Oh boy, a Flyers sweatshirt and a t-shirt. Thanks Dad."
"You're welcome." Booth opened his present and found a brown leather belt with a dark bronze buckle. "Hey, thanks Parker. This will look nice when I wear jeans and my brown leather jacket."
"I know. Mom helped me get the right size." Parker had been proud of that gift. He had saved part of his allowance all summer and fall to make sure he could buy nice Christmas presents for his family. "Now open your present, Hannah."
Holding the gift on her lap, Hannah shook her head and smiled. "I'll wait until tomorrow. I can't wait to see what's in the box."
"But you don't have to." Confused, Parker stared at his father's girlfriend. "You can open it now."
"I know, but I'm going to wait." Hannah got up from the couch and placed it under the tree. "Thank you for the present Parker."
Irritated, Booth frowned as he noticed the confused look on his son's face. "Hey Parks, how about some cookies? I have those gingerbread men in the cookie jar."
His confusion now forgotten, Parker raced to the kitchen. "Thanks Dad."
Out of earshot of his son, Booth stood up and faced his girlfriend. "You couldn't open it?"
"I have traditions that I like to honor, Seeley." Moving back to the couch, she sat back down. "You and Parker can do what you like and I'll do what I like."
Feeling challenged, Booth decided that arguing over presents wasn't the best use of his time on Christmas Eve. Moving over to the kitchen, Booth called out to Parker. "Hey Parker, want to go over to Bones' apartment to give her, her present?"
"Oh boy." Parker met his father in the doorway. "I hope she's home."
His phone on the coffee table, he walked back toward the couch and scooped it up from the table. "We'll call her to make sure she's home . . . Hey we can invite her over for dinner tomorrow. She might have other plans, but we can ask just in case she doesn't."
Oh Goody. Hannah crossed her arms against her breasts. This wasn't the Christmas she had planned on.
Oooooooooooooooooo
Brennan had insisted that she would come over to Booth's apartment. She thought logistically it was easier for just one person to make the trip instead of three. Upon arriving at Booth's apartment, she knocked on the door and heard pounding foot steps racing towards the door. The door flung open, Parker threw his arms around Brennan's waist and gushed. "Thank you for coming. We have ginger bread cookies and some chocolate turtles and we have presents for you and . . ."
"Parker, let Bones in." Booth stood at the end of the hallway and grinned at his partner.
Stepping aside, Parker allowed Brennan to enter the apartment and slammed the door behind her. "We're watching a Christmas movie. You can watch it with us."
Amused, Brennan nodded at Booth and spied Hannah on the couch. "Hi, Hannah." Handing her bag to Booth, she removed her coat and knit hat. "I brought my presents. If you wish to open them you may."
"We're going to open presents tomorrow." Hannah was irritated. Didn't anyone honor tradition? "We've already opened one present."
"Nonsense." Booth opened the bag and stacked the gift wrapped boxes on the coffee table. "These are from Bones and we can open them tonight."
Excited, Parker grabbed his present to Brennan from under the tree and handed it to her. "This is from me . . . open it." He could barely contain his excitement.
Her resentment growing, Hannah glared at Brennan while she unwrapped her gift. What was supposed to have been a quiet sexy Christmas holiday with her boyfriend was turning into a disaster as far as she was concerned. She knew that Booth loved his son and was happy to have the boy with him for the holiday, but was it necessary to invite his partner over too? No one seemed to honor Christmas traditions either and her holiday was slowly being ruined. Christmas was meant to be celebrated with family not friends and co-workers.
Removing the lid from the box, Brennan smiled when she saw what was inside. "Thank you, Parker." Charmed that she had been given such a sweet gift, Brennan removed the toy panda from the box and held it up for Booth and Hannah to see. "This is a lovely gift."
"That's a giant panda. It's a member of the bear family." Excited, the boy recited what facts he knew about the creatures. "They eat mostly bamboo, but my book at home says they also eat birds, rodents and carrion . . . carrion is dead animals which is gross, but I like Pandas anyway. I used to like lions a lot, but my best friend Tommy likes pandas and we got to see one at the zoo last summer and it was pretty cool. It wasn't eating dead birds though." Breathless, Parker stopped talking and grinned at Brennan.
"You are remarkably informed, Parker." Brennan loved knowledge and she was so proud of Parker for researching the Panda. "On average, a giant panda eats as much as 20 to 30 pounds of bamboo shoots a day to compensate for the limited energy content of its diet. But they are carnivores and they can eat meat."
Bored and annoyed, Hannah crossed her arms against her breasts. "Do we really need a lecture on pandas? It's a toy, Temperance."
Her cheeks a bright pink, Brennan placed the panda back in the box. "Thank you for the present, Parker. I do like it."
"Parker that is a great present and I really liked learning about the Panda from you and Bones. Thanks." Booth glared at Hannah. "We don't discourage learning new things, Hannah. Not in this house. No one is too old or too young to learn."
Shifting uncomfortably on the couch, Hannah sighed. "Christmas is about family and fun. It's about traditions. I don't discourage learning new things either, but none of this represents Christmas. Presents are to be opened on Christmas day. Christmas is for families, not co-workers. Christmas is . . ."
"Stop!" Incensed Booth held up his hand. "Stop right there. Bones is family, she's not just a co-worker. She's my partner and my friend. Neither one of us has a big family, hardly any family at all really and we both realized that it was up to us to create our own family. Bones is family just like Parker and Pops and Jared. They are my family and I hope that Bones considers me part of her family."
Not sure whether she should leave or not, Brennan grabbed her coat and hat. "I'm going to go home, Booth. Happy Christmas."
Startled, Parker grabbed Brennan's arm. "No Bones. You have to stay. Dad's right. You're part of our family. Hannah is just Dad's girlfriend. She can't make you leave and we don't want you to leave."
A little shocked, Hannah stood up. "I am not making anyone leave, Parker . . . I thought I was part of the family now that I'm living with you Seeley. Am I just your girlfriend?"
Hesitating, Booth wanted to say the right thing, but this situation was escalating too fast. "Look, Hannah . . . This is getting out of hand. Bones is family and we want her to stay. You have to see that. I've always been upfront about Bones. She's a close friend and yes part of my family, part of Parker's family. We've had our rocky moments, but all families go through that. I value Bones' friendship . . . Bones, please stay. We have gingerbread cookies that I made myself . . ."
"And they're really good, Bones." Parker held Brennan's arm and refused to let it go.
"And I have eggnog and we're going to watch another Christmas movie and . . . and we can open all of our presents if you'll stay. It'll be fun . . . please stay."
Torn, Brennan placed her coat back on the table. "It does sound like it might be fun, Booth, but I can leave if you need me to. I don't want to interfere with your relationship with Hannah." Brennan turned to look at her partner's girlfriend. "If my presence makes you uncomfortable then please tell me and I'll leave."
All eyes on her, Hannah knew that if she said anything bad or snippy she would be the 'bad guy' in this scenario. "Do what you want to do, Temperance. They want you to stay so stay." Stepping past Booth, she walked over to the bedroom she shared with Booth, entered the room and closed the door behind her.
"I'm going to leave, Booth." Brennan gently removed Parker's hand from her arm. "Parker I really liked your present and I hope you like my gift to you . . . I'll see you after the holidays, Booth." Her coat now on, she pulled her hat on.
"Bones, please stay." Booth was embarrassed. He didn't know what Hannah's problem was, but treating Brennan like she was just a co-worker was too much. "You don't have to be alone on Christmas."
A slight smile on her lips, Brennan nodded her head. "I won't be."
Once she was gone, Parker sat on the floor next to the tree and stared at the presents. "Why is Hannah so mean, Dad? Bones is family. You said so. She was happy and now . . . now she probably hates us for asking her to come over here." A tear fell down his cheek. "She's all alone, Dad."
His throat tight, Booth nodded his head. "Go get your coat and hat. We're going to take our presents over to Bones' apartment. You're right. She's alone and that's not right." Walking over to his bedroom door, Booth opened it and entered the room. "Hannah . . ."
Before he could say anything further, Hannah held up her hand. "You didn't answer my question. I asked you if I'm just your girlfriend? Am I part of your family too?"
"Yes, you are part of my family, Hannah, but that means that you need to see that it's not just me and Parker. My family is bigger than that. It's Parker and Pops and Jared and Cam and Bones and Caroline and a few other people. Not all of these people are related to me by blood, but that doesn't mean anything. My family is the family I chose. My family consists of the people that I can trust. You talk about traditions, but traditions aren't always that great . . . When I was growing up Christmas was a big deal. We put up a tree, Mom made a big dinner. We opened presents on Christmas Eve and . . . and then my Dad would get drunk and beat the shit out of everyone. Yeah, some traditions suck . . . I've done the best that I can over the years, Hannah. My life hasn't been a perfect picture postcard, but it is my life. I won't turn my back on family because you have a different definition of what a family is . . . You're part of my family if you want to be. Okay? I want to be part of your family too, but Hannah . . . I can't let you tell me who is and who isn't part of my family. If all of those people I listed showed up at the door at this very minute, I'd let them in and welcome them all. Christmas is about family . . . I won't give up my family for you or anyone else . . . We're going over to Bones' apartment with our presents. You want to come?"
"No, I'll stay here thank you." Hannah was torn about what to think, what to do. She loved Booth, but he clearly valued his family over her. What would that mean down the road? If Temperance was family . . . well, she could accept that, couldn't she? It was just that he hadn't included her in his list of family and that hurt. It hurt a lot. "I have a headache."
Nothing else to say, Booth grabbed his coat from the closet and put it on. He kissed her cheek and smiled. "Hey, this is all new to us, okay? I know you were counting on just us during the holiday and it didn't work out, but it's Christmas. When we get back, we can do what you want to do. We'll follow your traditions tomorrow."
After he left, Hannah sat on the bed and stared at the mirror. "He didn't include me in his list of family. Am I part of the few other people? I know I'm not number one on his list not even number two but am I on his list at all?" She heard the door close in the distance and knew that it was time for her to move on. She had really loved living with Seeley and she did love him, but she wasn't on his list of family. She wasn't anyone to him except his girlfriend and she would never settle for a relationship like that. Grabbing her luggage from the top of the closet, she started to pack. "I love you Seeley, but I don't think you love me as much as I do you."
Ooooooooooooooooooo
He knocked on her door and she didn't answer. "Well, Buddy. Maybe she did mean it when she said she wouldn't be alone . . . We'll stay for a few minutes, but we can't stay too long. There's no guarantee Bones will be back tonight."
Disappointed, Parker sat on the floor. "Okay . . . I wish she had stayed."
"Me too." Booth heard the elevator door open and turned to face it. When Brennan stepped out carrying a takeout bag from the Thai place down the street, Booth hefted the bag he was holding. "Hey, Parker and I came over to open presents with you. And we brought my world famous gingerbread men cookies."
Shocked, Brennan moved over to the door and stopped. "I . . . I didn't expect you to do this."
"Yeah, well, we're unpredictable, aren't we Parker?" Booth nudged his foot against his son's shoe."
"Oh yeah, we're un . . . unpre . . . what Dad said." Parker stood up and gave Brennan his charm smile. "Merry Christmas Bones."
Amused, Brennan chuckled and opened the door to let her guests in. "Please come in and your gingerbread cookies really are very good . . . Is Hannah coming?"
"No, she has a headache, so you're stuck with us." Booth carried the bag of gifts and the box of cookies over to where the tree was and smiled. "Merry Christmas Bones."
"Merry Christmas Booth." Brennan had thought her Christmas holiday was going to be a lonely one, but having Booth and Parker in her home somehow made her feel like she belonged and that there was no reason for her to be alone. "Merry Christmas Parker."
Excited, Parker raced over to the tree and pulled the packages from the bag. "We brought the presents you brought over and the one that Dad has for you and you already have my present and we even brought a Christmas movie if you want to watch one with us."
"That sounds wonderful, Parker." Brennan smiled and sat down on the chair near the Christmas tree that her father had helped her put up for the holidays the previous weekend.
"Oh and Bones, you are invited to Christmas dinner tomorrow at my place." Booth sat on the couch and opened his box of gingerbread men cookies. "You can invite Max if you want to. The more the merrier."
Surprised that she was being invited, Brennan felt a sense of warmth flood through her body. "Thank you. I will call him tonight. Is there anything you'd like me to bring? I have some things that I was going to cook. I can still do that and bring them to your apartment."
"Well, if you want to, but you don't have to. I'm just expecting you and your Dad if he wants to come."
Parker handed her the present from Booth and urge her to open it. "I helped him wrap it."
Taking the gift from the boy, Brennan opened it and found a knit scarf done in various hues of blue. "This is lovely Booth."
"Thanks. Agent Jones' wife has a little business and she'll knit stuff on order. I looked at her website and I thought this would be nice." Booth knew that Brennan was rich and could afford anything she wanted, so he wanted to buy her something that she might not think to buy. "I'm glad you like it."
"I do, Booth." Brennan placed the scarf around her neck. "Thank you for coming over this evening."
Pulling her hair from the back of the scarf, Booth smiled at his partner. "Hey, it's a family holiday and we didn't want to do this without you."
"Yeah, Bones." Parker tugged on the scarf. "We needed you to make it a happy Christmas."
Oooooooooooooooooo
Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.
A/N: If you're interested, I posted chapter 2 of my story 'Twelve Days of Christmas'.