A/N: The reviews I'm getting for this story have been amazing. Thank you for taking the time to write and let me know how much you are enjoying the story.

~OOOOOOO~

Hanging up his coat, Booth flipped through the mail he'd retrieved on the way home. Several bills and a bright red envelope from Pops made up the pile. Booth smiled, opening it to see a traditional card with Santa on the front. Booth placed it on a shelf where he could see it each time he walked into the room.

Pops never forgot how much he loved Christmas. Even if last year, Booth had tried to do exactly that.

In Afghanistan, he'd hated it. Attempting to hide his feelings from those around him, he'd participated enough to cover his pain. But half a world away from Bones, no communication between them, he'd been sure he'd lost her.

Then, he rescued a blonde journalist from a situation she shouldn't have been in. And lost himself for a little while too.

It had been easy to pretend when surrounded by nothing but sand. His relationship with Hannah was strong and would withstand his return to the civilian world.

Except they hadn't had a relationship. Only a physical connection that was too weak to withstand the reality of his life in DC. Any chance of pretending it would survive was over when his partner was only a phone call away.

No, he hadn't been angry with Bones. Whenever she made a comment about not understanding pop culture, she forced him to remember why he'd fallen in love with her to begin with. Why he was still in love with her. So he snapped back to hide his feelings and drove them further apart. Trapped in a prison of his own making, he'd lashed out at everyone and anyone who dared to be around him.

His apology was nothing but fumbled excuses and she'd accepted it despite all of that. The second chance he never thought he'd receive was right in front of him.

Before sitting down at the table, Booth grabbed the calendar off the wall and a black pen.

They'd only had lunch. And a conversation in his SUV. But the month suddenly seemed filled with possibilities.

For a few minutes, he was going to let himself dream. Something he'd ruthlessly avoided during the harsh hours of day when all hope seemed lost.

The month of December was looking a lot brighter. There were plenty of days and events during this time of year, giving him a variety of ways to spend time with her.

There was the Secret Santa event. Four smaller gifts followed by a larger gift for the party. A visit to Pops that needed to be worked into the schedule. Bones loved his grandfather and he was pretty sure she would accompany him if he asked.

The FBI Christmas party. An overdone black tie event filled with self important people who did nothing but brag about their accomplishments. Or embellish them in order to make themselves feel important.

Still, it was a chance to see Bones in a fancy dress with her hair and makeup done to perfection. He hadn't gone, well, ever, but it gave him another opportunity to ask her to stand by his side.

But not as his partner. Not this year. He was going to ask her to be his date. Enough with dancing around a relationship. It was time to test this out for real.

This time he was going to go nice and slow. Wine and dine her with quiet evenings and fancy gatherings. Show everyone, including her, that he was proud to have her stand at his side. No changing on her part was necessary because she was perfect the way she was.

Except, she had changed, he acknowledged. Tapping the pen against the table, he thought back to what happened in the parking garage that afternoon. The Temperance Brennan he thought he knew so well would never have pushed their relationship that way.

Angela had been right. She was...more open, he decided. More willing to put herself out there and see what happened.

There was still insecurity there. She worried about how others would react when she shared her emotions. It bothered him to know that she lumped him in with that group. But she wasn't being unfair. He was going to prove that her trust in him wasn't misplaced.

The Jeffersonian would have some sort of fancy holiday party as well. He'd have to find out the date and make sure his calendar stayed open. If he was lucky, Bones would ask him to escort her.

Parker had his Christmas pageant too. He'd be thrilled to have Booth there, but having Bones there would be icing on the cake.

Tree decorating. A night ice skating. The list was endless. He couldn't wait.

Then he looked at all the dates he'd marked up. Disgusted, he shoved the calendar away from him before dropping his head into his hands.

Seemed the dreaming was over as reality settled back on his shoulders.

They'd had lunch. One lunch. Talked of missing each other and apologized for things said and unsaid. And now they were...what? Involved in some sort of romance? Going on dates and dinners and declaring to all the world they were in a committed relationship?

Bones would run back to Maluku. And looking at that calendar, filled with his hopes and dreams, Booth wasn't sure he could blame her. He'd gone from hoping she'd talk to him straight to madness.

It reminded him too much of what happened the first time. He'd had months to think about his feelings for her and given her minutes to make a choice. Now, it felt as if he were doing the same thing. Making plans without actually talking to her first. You'd think he would have learned his lesson the first time.

If he wanted to date her, he was going to have to say those words to her. Again. Which meant risking getting his heart broken. Again. Permanently this time, if she said no.

Leaving his work on the table, he rose and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. Before returning the bottle to the shelf and going to the cupboard to get something stronger. Maybe he'd find the answer to his problems and the courage to talk to her in the bottom of his glass.

~OOOOOOOO~

She placed her bag on the couch in her apartment and looked around the space. The view inside her four walls rarely changed. Artifacts from her trips around the world took center stage. Shelves with careful lighting to show off the hard edges of her collection.

A long table she brushed her fingers across as she walked past. The number of dinners held in her apartment that needed a large table could be counted on one hand.

Not a single decoration to indicate the time of year. At first, that had been to escape the memories of her teenage years. No one wanted to remember losing their entire family. That's what the holidays brought to mind. Everything lost during the December that changed her life forever.

Then Booth showed up and was forced to spend part of Christmas with her in the Lab. Observing everyone else's families at that glass door, her rational mind refused to consider the emotion that made her muscles tight and her stomach ache.

Looking back, she knew it was jealousy. She wanted what they had. People who cared. A family.

She had that now. It wasn't blood, but it was family. Closer than any relationship she'd ever had as an adult. Even her father and brother were in her life again.

There was only one person missing. The bond with Booth weak and fragile. If they weren't careful, a single act would break what they'd so carefully rebuilt. But what was weak could be strengthened.

They needed to make connections. Lunches, dinners, and stolen moments away from prying eyes. Then, she could ask him to take another chance on a relationship.

Small steps and moments. Until everything fell into place. Booth had asked her to lunch. With her intelligence, she could also arrange a way for them to spend time together.

The holiday season would make it easy and decorations for her apartment might be a good place to start.

Something red would complement her table. Not a Santa or anything like that. Belief in fantasy only went so far. Some candles or a plant would look nice.

Booth would take her shopping if she asked. Help her pick out something to decorate her place with. New memories, great memories to compensate for the bad ones. And another chance to spend time with him.

Circling back to the couch, she dug into her bag to find her phone. "I need a favor," she said when he answered.

It was like no time had passed between them. Her voice, her greeting hinted at something they hadn't been to each other in more than a year. "Of course," he said, leaning back in the chair. Swirling the remaining alcohol around the glass, he waited to hear what she wanted.

Not that it mattered. As long as it wasn't to leave her alone, he'd agree to almost anything.

"Will you take me shopping?"

"Shopping?" he repeated, drawing out the word. "Is your car broken down? Why didn't you call me for a ride home?" After their time at lunch, he'd thought they had some sort of breakthrough in their relationship. A thawing of what was between them. Apparently not enough for her to call and ask for a ride home.

"No, Booth, my car is fine. Why are you asking about my car?"

Booth stared at the glass in his hand. "You asked me to take you shopping. I assumed it was for groceries. Which meant your car wasn't working. Clearly, I misunderstood your question."

"Oh," she said, trying to read what she heard in his voice. "No, I wanted your help with selecting a couple of holiday items to decorate my apartment with. But no Santas," she added quickly, wanting to be clear. "A plant for my table or a candle."

"Bones," he said, not stopping to filter his thoughts. "What happened today? What are we doing?" He'd finished just enough alcohol to lower his inhibitions when it came to asking his partner exactly what he wanted to know.

She took the question literally. "I sent you an email. We went to lunch. I can be more specific if you would like me to be."

"No," he said chuckling, though he wasn't amused. Leaning forward, the glass in his hand hit the table hard. "We have barely seen each other for months. Let's be honest, our relationship has been strained at best for over a year. Now, you're sending me outlines for presentations you are giving and asking me to take you shopping for holiday decorations. I don't know how to read this."

"I decided things needed to change," she said. Her words were clipped. "And what are you trying to read?"

"You deciding things need to change usually means you're going off on a dig somewhere. And I'm trying to read you, Bones." Using his free hand, he tipped the rapidly emptying bottle over the glass again. Then left it on the stand. He knew he'd had enough.

Her frustrated sigh echoed through the line. Followed by a heavy silence. "We need to talk, Booth. I would prefer not to do it over the phone."

And he was breaking one of the first rules he set for himself. Don't push. "You know what? Nevermind, Bones. It's fine. You're right. What do you need my help with? Shopping?" Certain he shouldn't be trying to have this conversation when he wasn't entirely sober, Booth let it go.

It felt like they were speaking two different languages. "I want to buy something for my apartment." How had this conversation gone so far off track? "You can just say no, Booth."

He wasn't saying no to any chance to spend time with her. "Nine work for you?"

Her head was starting to hurt. "Nine what?"

"The time, Bones. I'll pick you up at nine. We'll go into work late. It's not like we have a case."

"That will be fine." She would have agreed to almost anything to escape this phone call.

"Oh, and Bones?" he said before she could hang up, not wanting her to think he was upset. "I'm glad we're talking again. I'll see you in the morning."

Brennan pulled the phone away from her ear and studied it like it was one of her skeletons. "What happened is I want a second chance," she said, knowing he couldn't hear her. "And I'm not going to tell you that over the phone. Tomorrow, you're going to give me a chance to do so."