A/N: I'm going to try and keep up with the everyday or every other day posting schedule, but I have a busy week, so there might be a slight delay between chapters.

~OOOOO~

Panic overwhelmed her when Brennan saw Charlie standing at her door. Sure that he'd come to tell her Booth was hurt, she was on her feet before he had a chance to speak.

Every nightmare she'd ever experienced rushed through her mind. This was exactly what she feared the most and it was cruel to have it happen right after they'd decided to be a couple.

It hurt to lose him when they were only partners. Even if the loss hadn't been real. To lose him now had the potential to crush her permanently.

Knowing where her mind had gone, Charlie felt guilty as he hurried to step into her office. "No, Dr. Brennan. Agent Booth is fine. He's working in his office. I don't think the reports he's trying to avoid are really that dangerous. Though I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you came to rescue him from them."

After the words penetrated, she nodded. It was a poor joke, but she appreciated the effort. "Of course," she managed, keeping her back to him as she slowly returned her jacket to the hook. "But I'm sure he can handle a bit of paperwork." When her hands wouldn't stop shaking, she tucked them into the pockets of the jacket she wore and turned. "Is there something I can help you with?"

There was a haunted look in her eyes she couldn't quite hide and Charlie knew he was going to have to call Booth before he could go find Angela. "I have a delivery to drop off." Holding out his hand, he offered her the small wrapped box snatched from Booth's desk. Remembering the Secret Santa part, he hurried to offer a plausible explanation. Even if neither of them were following the rules. "It was downstairs and I offered to bring it up."

Brennan still felt unsteady as she walked toward Charlie. For months, she'd dreaded every time the phone rang in Maluku. Charlie appearing at the door had brought all of those fears back to the surface. Ruthlessly, knowing Booth was safe and worrying would get her nowhere, Brennan pushed those feelings away.

Their work was dangerous and there was always a chance. But she wasn't going to let the fear of his loss stop her from finding out the joy that would come from being with him.

"Thank you," she said. "I appreciate you taking the time to bring it to me."

Her response was soft and Charlie smiled. While her answer may have been nothing but polite, the emotions in her voice gave away a lot. "I'll catch you later, Dr. Brennan," he said, stepping back out of her office.

When he was out of earshot, he pulled out his phone.

"Booth."

"Learning how to say hello wouldn't hurt," Charlie said. It was a never ending argument between them. "You need to call Dr. Brennan."

"Is she okay?" In his own office, Booth was already on his feet and reaching for his jacket. His heart was pounding as he stepped through the bullpen and toward the elevator.

Charlie laughed. "You two are a lot alike. She's fine, but I scared her when I stopped in her office. She thought something had happened to you. Not that she said as much. But it was clear what she was thinking. Wouldn't hurt her to hear your voice." You know, 'cause only partners called each other for that reason, Charlie wanted to add.

"I can do better than that. Thanks," Booth replied. And hung up the phone as he pushed the down button repeatedly,not that it ever made the elevator come faster.

"Wouldn't hurt to learn to say goodbye either," Charlie said to an empty line. Then turned and went to find Angela.

Alone, Brennan moved to the couch and sat, before turning the package to get a better look at it.

He'd ripped a corner of the wrapping and fixed it with an extra piece of tape. Somehow, it made it more perfect instead of less. Carefully, she slipped her finger under an edge and pulled the paper free. It was foolish, saving wrapping paper, but many of the things she received from Booth were saved.

A gray box was inside and she lifted the lid. Beneath, there rested the figure of a skeleton and she chuckled softly. A string was looped through a hook on the head. She hadn't been sure about putting decorations on her small tree, but she knew at least this one would earn a place. Also attached to a base, Brennan knew after the season was over it would go on the shelf with Brainy and Jasper.

Picking it up to study more closely, she noted marks on a clavicle and several ribs. Wondering if it was a flaw, Brennan reached to rub it off before stopping in mid motion.

It wasn't just any random skeleton he'd gifted her with.

"It's Booth," she said softly. "Or a representation of him." He had given her, well, him. At least, that's how she took it. She hated psychology but knew she'd made the correct interpretation.

Her fist tightened around it before relaxing again. This was exactly what she'd been waiting for and he'd manage to offer it to her in a badly made skeletal ornament. Where he'd managed to find something like this at Christmastime she had no idea. Had he stumbled on the same magical shop she had?

She recognized what those imperfections were supposed to be. They were the damage sustained to his skeleton from protecting her.

Curious now as to the purpose of his gift, what exactly he wanted her to know, she placed the ornament on the couch next to her. Charlie had brought a card along with the box and Brennan opened it as carefully as she'd opened the present.

The front was decorated in blue with a giant white snowflake. Inside, he'd written his note above the generic message.

Protecting you is my first, last and only choice. You are everything.

Shaking fingers traced the message. "I'm still mad at you for stepping in front of me," she said without looking up.

"I know," he said. Leaning against the frame of her open door, hands tucked in his pockets, Booth watched her. She looked fragile, unsteady. Charlie had scared her, but Booth didn't think he realized just how badly. If he had, he would have waited with her until Booth made it to the office. "Doesn't change how I feel. What I wrote in that card will always be accurate. At least to me."

She didn't seem surprised to see him. "Charlie called you." she guessed.

"He didn't mean to scare you, Bones. Is the work that I do, that we do, going to be a problem?" She had first hand knowledge of what it felt like when he died. There was a chance she'd change her mind to avoid dealing with it again. Every muscle in his body tensed, waiting for her answer.

As usual though, and more often in the last several days, she surprised him. "No. Our job is dangerous. I can accept the risk. I have already chosen to do so. I will always fight for you, Booth. Being scared of the outcome won't change that."

Placing the card down to pick up the ornament, she stared down at the tiny figure. "You gave me you," she said softly, then continued before he had a chance to respond. "It seems foolish to pretend we don't know who the gifts are from," she said. Then laughed. "I am usually better at this with following the rules. You," she said looking up at him, "are a bad influence."

Coming into her office, he closed the door and sat down on the couch next to her. Her laughter eased his mind over the gift. "We don't have to, if you don't want to. We both know we were set up." His hand disappeared into the pocket of his coat to pull out a package of pens and notecards still in their wrapper. "But I thought, maybe, we could mess with Angela. Just a little."

"Fake gifts to cover for the real gifts?" Brennan couldn't help but laugh again. "It will drive her crazy."

He took the ornament from her hand, replacing it with the wrapped office supplies, and dangled it from the end of his finger. "I'm not sure I got the placement right. But I knew you'd understand."

"You did okay." High praise coming from her. "Considering the bones are grossly out of proportion." Reaching out, she closed the skeleton in her fist. "Charlie did scare me. It was foolish to jump to conclusions."

Booth grimaced. "Probably not the best gift to give you after something like that. Or at all." He pulled his finger free of the string attached to the ornament. "I should have gone with flowers."

"No," she disagreed immediately. The ornament was tucked back into the box and put into her messenger bag before she spoke again. "Just because I don't agree with what you did that night, doesn't mean I don't understand why you felt you had to do it. But you are also worth it, Booth. Don't forget that when I choose to do something reckless to protect you." Stepping behind her desk, she rummaged in a drawer to find what she was looking for.

He hissed out a relieved sigh. Until that moment, he'd been sure he made a mistake. "Do you want to give up on pretending? I feel like our gifts aren't really designed for some sort of office game. Besides, I think we both know neither of us signed up for this."

"Yes," she agreed. "Pretending is a waste of time. For us. Angela, however…" Her voice trailed off, knowing he would understand. "I have an ugly candle you can take with you. To use as your fake gift." Holding out her hand so he could see it, she placed it on the corner of her desk.

Looking over at him, her eyes caught the wrapping paper and empty box. For some reason her mind drifted to the gifts hidden in the back of her closet. Eyes clouding in anxiety, she turned away from him. He was going to ask eventually. She might as well just tell him.

"Whatever it is, Bones. Just say it. Or ask me." He had no idea what she'd just thought about, but it was clear she was uncomfortable with it.

Her brow furrowed. "It's going to hurt your feelings. I don't want to do that."

Well, that didn't sound good. "So are secrets. I'd rather have the truth."

Nodding, she approached him. When she hesitated to sit down, Booth patted the couch next to him. "Talk, Bones," he said as she sat, softening his voice to make it sound less like an order.

To Booth's surprise, she didn't take any time to work her way up to the confession. "I still have the gift you sent me last year. I never opened it," she blurted out. "I also have the gift I planned to send to you."

That answered that question. Unsure how to respond, he finally shrugged. "Okay. Why didn't you open it?"

She mimicked his action. "Don't know." But knowing she owed him an explanation, she tried. "It was becoming obvious that leaving hadn't solved a single thing. I wasn't less worried about you. I dreaded every time the satellite phone rang, sure it was terrible news. At times, the worry almost consumed me."

Reaching out, he took her cool hand into his warm one and threaded their fingers together. Turning his body on the couch, he moved their hands so no one walking past could see.

"Your gift was a reminder of you. It had been so long since we'd spoken, I wasn't sure my gift was welcome. So I didn't do anything with either. For a time, it was easier to close myself off again than think about the alternative."

"And now?"

Looking at their joined hands, the answer to that question was easy. "Now, I refuse to run anymore. I know what I want now. And I'm brave enough to try."

"So no more just partners?

The grip on his hand tightened. "No more just anything."