A/N: Thank you for reading. Reviews are always appreciated.

~OOOO~

"Bones!" Parker yelled, running across Booth's living room to throw himself into her arms.

Booth had talked her into meeting the two of them at his place to decorate the tree. To be honest, it hadn't taken much convincing on his part. He'd announced, with the same amount of enthusiasm she expected to see from Parker, that it was now the perfect time to purchase a tree.

She didn't understand what arbitrary rule he'd used to determine that this was indeed the correct time, but had agreed to come assist them. Decorating a tree with Booth and Parker wasn't anything she was going to say no to.

While waiting for the pair to arrive, she'd turned on Booth's television and found a channel displaying a burning yule log. She didn't know much about their traditions, but figured it would help set a festive mood.

A plate of cookies she'd purchased from a bakery near his apartment was on the table. Booth told her not to bring anything, but she couldn't come empty handed. And her usual bottle of wine would not be appropriate for his son.

Then, she waited. Impatiently, which was unusual for her. It seemed the more time she spent with Booth, the more she wanted to spend with him. That it didn't make her uneasy to be so tightly bound to another person reminded her how far she'd come in accepting her feelings for him.

To keep herself busy she'd wandered for a time, studying the items he'd collected. On a shelf were several pictures of Booth and her together and she smiled at the reminders. There would be new memories and new photos to add soon. She was sure of it.

Not liking the silence, wanting the apartment to be more welcoming when Booth and Parker arrived, she found a convenient shelf to place the record player on. A quick search through Booth's collection and she found an album of Christmas music.

It was playing softly in the background when Parker raced across the room.

"Careful, Parker. Don't knock her over," Booth said, closing the door. Not once had his son ever reacted this way to any of the other women Booth had dated over the years. Not that he'd met most of them. Booth wanted stability for his son and parading various women in and out of the boy's life had never seemed like a good idea.

If the fates were kind, he'd never have to worry about something like that again.

Prepared for his exuberant greeting, Brennan braced herself before he crashed into his arms. "Hey, Parker. How are you?" She gave Booth a smile over the child's head.

"I missed you! And you brought cookies," he exclaimed. His cheeks were rosy from the cool air. DC was experiencing a rash of cold days and there was more snow in the forecast.

"I missed you, too," she said, and meant it. Distancing herself from Booth had meant keeping that separation with his son as well. There were a couple of things she'd brought home to him from Maluku, hoping someday there'd be a chance to give them to him. "Tell me how things are going."

Watching his two favorite people interact reminded Booth just how different his life was compared to only a month ago.

Not only had things changed with his partner, but they had between Rebecca and him as well. He'd always dreaded calling asking for an extra night or a few hours of time. The conversations usually ended in some sort of argument that he was on the losing end of.

He never stopped trying though. And this time, when he called, she readily agreed to Parker spending the evening with him, as long as he brought him home at a respectable hour. It was a school night, she reminded him.

The conversation was so unexpected, he'd tripped over his own words trying to accept. Today, he'd picked up his son from school, took him to dinner and then brought him back to his apartment to decorate the tree he'd purchased the day before.

Booth wasn't sure what his son had been more excited about. A visit in the middle of the week, Christmas decorations, or Bones. Though he had his suspicions which one it might be.

Hopefully, this wouldn't be a one time thing with Rebecca. But Booth wasn't going to let that worry ruin their night.

Parker was looking around the room, hearing the Christmas music playing. "Dad, you got a new record player," he said. Then looked at Bones and explained, "I broke the old one."

"How did that happen?" Brennan replied as she helped Parker remove his coat, tossing it over the back of the couch. It didn't seem important to mention she'd actually given Booth the player as a gift. With his coat off, she and Parker studied the boxes of decorations.

"I threw a ball and my aim wasn't great." It was said casually, the incident mostly forgotten. "I told Dad he needed to get a new one. That one looks pretty cool. Dad likes old stuff." Moving away Parker came back to the tree. "We do the lights first," he said, pointing at the box. "Is that how you do it?"

Reaching into the box, she pulled out a string. "I haven't had a tree in a few years, Parker. There was the one you and your dad brought me. But I didn't decorate that one. I had a large one in my apartment several years ago." Plugging in the lights to test them, she made sure each bulb was working correctly. "If you usually put the lights on first, that's how we'll do it."

"Why don't you have a tree?" he asked, taking the string from her and haphazardly shoving it between the branches. He didn't understand how anyone couldn't have a tree. There'd always been a tree at every house he celebrated Christmas at.

"Parker," Booth said, coming up behind him and fixing the lights. "We don't need to ask about that right now." His son didn't need to know that both he and Bones had some pretty terrible experiences in their lives. Not for a few years anyway.

He'd been watching the two of them from the other side of the room. Fantasizing about other afternoons and weekends where the three of them could go sledding or to the movies. So much had been lost during their time apart. This was one more piece finally falling back into place.

"It's fine, Booth," she said, stepping back to get out of the way. She wasn't sure who was more into the decorating, father or son. "I wasn't always home this time of year, Parker. I went away to foreign countries to learn about other cultures or to work. It wasn't rational to have a tree if there was no one there to enjoy it."

"Oh." Parker thought about what she'd told him. "But you're staying home this year, right?"

Booth turned to look at her, also interested in the answer. While he'd asked about Christmas morning, she had yet to agree to come. Was it because she'd already made plans for the holiday? Plans that would, once again, take her far away.

She'd mentioned Scotland, but that wasn't scheduled until after the new year. Was there something else before that trip?

"Yes, Parker, I'm remaining at home this year." She tested a second string of lights before handing them to the pair. "I may go spend a couple of days with my brother and his family after Christmas."

Parker nodded, his face turning serious. "I'm spending Christmas here this year, so you'll come too." It wasn't worded as a question. Booth's stubborn streak, it appeared, was alive and well in his son. "You can't be alone on Christmas."

"Yeah, Bones," Booth added, though his tone was a bit softer than his son's. "We don't want you to be alone on Christmas."

Two pairs of brown eyes stared at her beseechingly. When faced with such pressure, what was she supposed to do?

"How early would you like me to come?" She gave in with a smile, knowing in the end, she'd always planned to say yes.

"Once I get the timing down with Rebecca, I'll let you know," Booth promised as Parker let out a cheer.

Their eyes met and the stare went on a little too long, broken only when his son popped up between them. "Why are you guys looking at each other like that? Come on, we need to get the ornaments out. And the stockings. I can't stay all night." He frowned. "Mom said I have school tomorrow."

"School is important, Parker. How are your classes this year?"

They fell into a comfortable rhythm, Parker doing most of the talking. Booth and Brennan shared glances over his head communicating without words.

Opening another box, Parker gave his father a look full of concern. "Dad, Bones doesn't have a stocking. We need to get her a stocking."

"It's okay, Parker," Brennan reassured him. Digging into the bag she'd hung on a chair, she pulled out the one Booth gifted her with. "I have one right here." She looked between the two Parker now held and the one in her hands. The one Booth purchased for her matched the other two, making it appear as if it was always part of the set. "Where do you want me to hang it?"

Parker helped her place all the stockings in the appropriate place then returned to put more ornaments on the tree. Soon, he declared the tree complete then asked Booth if he could eat a cookie. Or three.

After giving him permission to have one, not wanting to upset Rebecca, he and Bones stood back to look at what they'd created. Casually, Booth wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in tight. "Best I've ever had, I think."

Her head tipped against his shoulder. "It is rather pretty," she agreed.

Parker looked at them suspiciously. "Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?" he asked, making sure to swallow his cookie before he started talking.

Booth felt Brennan stiffen at the terms, but also trusted she wouldn't say anything to Parker about it. "Yes," Booth answered. Straight and simple seemed like the best approach to take. "Are you okay with that?"

He shrugged. His mom had been dating for years. At least he liked Bones. "That means Bones will be here all the time. I missed her. We haven't seen her for a long time. And my science fair project will be coming up soon. I didn't have her to help me last year."

If anything, she stiffened even more before pulling away from his arms. "You guys better get going," she said, trying valiantly to cover whatever it was she was thinking. "I'll see you on Christmas, Parker."

His face brightened. Excitedly, he put his hat and coat back on and called out to his father. "Come on, Dad! We need to talk about a gift for Bones."

Booth waited until he'd opened the door and was racing toward the elevator to touch her arm. "You good, Bones?"

"I'm going to head home," she said, ignoring the question and the concerned look in his eyes. "It's a school day for us too," she tried to joke.

Hand coming up to cup her face, he brushed a thumb over her cheek. Her eyes were overly bright, filled with emotion he didn't quite understand. "Wait for me to come back?" he asked her softly.

After a pause, she nodded. Pressing a quick kiss to her lips, Booth hurried out the door after his son.