A/N: sorry for the wait. Real life intruded, unfortunately. I hope this chapter is worth the wait.


Saturday morning found Booth anxiously pacing his living room. Groaning softly, he checked his watch before running a hand through his hair. "I just don't know…"

"What's up, Shrimp?" Hank grinned at his grandson as he entered the kitchen. "You seem nervous about something."

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing…" He shrugged as he smiled at his grandfather. "I guess I'm overthinking things, that's all." Seeing his grandfather's ornery smirk, he rolled his eyes. "Okay...if you must know, I'm trying to decide what to wear to that damn FBI Christmas party tonight…"

Chuckling, Hank shook his head. "Really? That's what's got you worried? Listen, us guys got it easy, okay? Put on some khaki pants and a nice shirt and you're ready to go. What's so hard about that?"

"Well, the stupid invitation says 'festive casual' and I have no idea what that even means…" Sighing softly, he slumped into a chair. "I don't want to look stupid in front of Director Rollins…"

"You mean you don't want to look stupid in front of Temperance, don't you?" Seeing his grandson's scowl, Hank chuckled. "Come on...she's not gonna care what you wear, okay? She's gonna think you look good, no matter what…"

"Do you really think so?" Realizing he probably sounded like a lovesick teen-ager, Booth cleared his throat. "I mean...I guess you're right. It's no big deal what I wear, is it? I'll just put on my regular clothes and be done with it…"

"Right." Hank nodded with a chuckle. "You know, this reminds me of when you took Sharai Bellipini to the prom and you couldn't decide which tux to wear. You were so nervous at that formal wear rental place, trying on all those jackets and worrying that you wouldn't make a good impression…but you ended up having a good time that night, right?"

"Yeah, we had a lot of fun." Booth knew his Pops was right, but he still felt a little unsure. But this is a big deal, okay? Bigger than the prom...this is Bones…

"Anyway…so what to wear is no problem, right?" Laughing, Hank continued. "By the way, don't you worry about rushing home to take care of me this evening. Max called, and we've made plans to go out tomcatting. We're gonna paint the town red…"

"You and Max are going out tonight? Together?" What could possibly go wrong with that? Only everything! Booth bit his lip, hoping he could keep his comments to himself. "Um...that sounds like fun...I guess. So, what are you gonna do?"

"I dunno...maybe we'll check out Club Jiggle, or we may find an all night pool hall or a 24 hour diner. Who knows? Part of the fun of going out like that is not having too many definite plans. We're mostly gonna hang out. I haven't seen him in a while, so we're gonna catch up with each other."

Booth grunted quietly. "Well, I guess that's alright…"

"Whad'ya mean, you guess that's alright?," Hank grumbled. "I can make my own plans, Shrimp. I am an adult, you know." Hank stood up as straight as he could. "Besides, I don't think any beat cop is gonna arrest a couple of fun lovin' old geezers like me and Max unless we're running through the streets naked, and trust me, it's too cold for that…"

Booth shuddered slightly at the mental image Hank's statement conjured up in his brain. "Yeah, okay...just don't drink and drive, Pops…"

"No way! You know me better than that, Shrimp. We're gonna be cabbin' it. Anyway, the point is this...you and Temperance can have as much fun as you want tonight…" Hank offered a broad wink. "...and you don't hafta worry about me. I'll be home in plenty of time to get my stuff picked up and catch a cab to the station so I can take the train home tomorrow."

Booth groaned in exasperation at his grandfather's insinuation. "Thanks, but I'm sure I'll be here in time to take you to the train station, Pops. It's not like I'm gonna be out all night. It's just some boring FBI office party, okay?"

"Yeah, right. Okay, whatever you say, Shrimp." Laughing loudly, Hank slapped Booth on the back. "Hey, maybe we should go buy you a new shirt to wear for the party this evening...you know, maybe something 'festive'...maybe a ruffled pink tuxedo shirt like you wore to the prom with Sherai."

Booth laughed, too. "Thanks for the offer, Pops, but I'm an adult, too, and I think I can find something to wear without your help."

"If you say so, Shrimp...if you say so."

Oooooooooo

Brennan sighed as she glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was 5 o'clock, and Booth said he'd be there around 6:30. She was stuck in that time period between not being ready and it being too early to get ready.

She had already showered and washed her hair. After drying her hair, she'd tried doing different things with it, wondering if she should wear it differently than her usual style, but nothing struck her fancy, so she gave up, brushing her bangs slightly to one side and deciding she looked fine. "After all, the dress code is 'festive casual..," she giggled. "...whatever that means, so my normal hairstyle should be satisfactory."

Angela had offered to come over and help her with her makeup, but Brennan had decided that was unnecessary. "I can put on eye shadow and lipstick by myself.," she murmured as she picked up her mascara. "Anyway, she'd probably want me to go overboard…but I just want to look like me. I think that's what Booth would want, too."

That last thought caught her by surprise, startling her somewhat. Why was she concerned about what Booth would want when it came to her appearance?

She stared at her reflection in the mirror as she considered her answer. "We know that many animals instinctively feel the urge to present themselves as desirable in order to attract a mate. Is that what I'm doing? Am I trying to enhance my appearance to gain more of his attention because I desire Booth to be my mate? And do I want him to consider me as his mate?"

She smiled as she applied another coat of mascara to her eyelashes. "Yes...yes, I do. I want those things. I don't want our relationship to be temporary. I want it to be permanent."

It was another epiphany, although she soon realized she shouldn't be surprised as she considered her revelation. "I believe I've felt that way for a long time, but I've been trying to avoid the truth. Now...what am I going to do to ensure my success in achieving my goal? Of course, I'll be enhancing my chances if he finds my appearance to be acceptable, but I need something more concrete..."

Glancing at her clock, she decided that she'd have to work out that strategy at another time. "Time to get dressed." She walked over to her dresser and took out her new lingerie. Raising an eyebrow, she wondered if those lacy undergarments might assist her in gaining her point with Booth. After all, that's what Angela had suggested…

"Hmm." She smiled to herself as she got dressed. "I hope we have occasion to find out whether or not Angela is correct in her assessment of Booth's taste in lingerie."

She took the dress from its hanger and ran her fingers over the fabric before pulling it on. "Now for the shoes. There we are...done."

Taking one last look in the mirror, she grimaced slightly. "I like this dress, but...perhaps I need to add something to my apparel to make me appear more festive." Looking over at her dresser, she nodded with satisfaction as she picked up the necklace Parker had given her and slipped it over her head. "This should work perfectly. Now I'm ready to go to the party."

Oooooooooo

The doorbell rang at exactly 6:30 that evening. After peering through the peephole, Brennan opened the door with a wide smile. "Hello, Booth." She nodded in approval as she looked him over. "You look very nice."

Grinning shyly, he tugged on the hem of his dark red Henley sweater. "Um...thanks." He cleared his throat nervously as he took in her appearance. "You look...wow…you look amazing...gorgeous..."

She smiled shyly. "Do you think that my appearance will be satisfactory enough to guarantee your dominance at the FBI?"

He was mesmerized as he beheld the vision before him. He knew he was blatantly staring at her, but it was like he couldn't tear his eyes away. "I, um…" He swallowed hard as he noticed that she was wearing the necklace Parker had given her. The colorful beads shone brightly against her fair skin, and the little silver bell rested right above her lovely cleavage...a cleavage that seemed to be...amplified somehow...probably by some sort of fancy bra, but at the moment, he didn't care how it happened...he was just going to enjoy the view. "I...I think your new necklace looks good with that dress...and, er...yeah...based on your appearance this evening, my dominant status within 'my herd' will definitely be elevated...in fact, you look so good that I won't be surprised if they may make me Director of the whole damn FBI next Monday morning…"

Smiling happily, she giggled. "Thank you. And I'm glad you like the necklace." She ran her fingers across the low neckline of her bodice, causing Booth's heart to beat wildly. "I thought it made my dress look more festive." She turned to walk away from him. "Let me get my wrap and my bag…"

Booth tilted his head, watching with intense interest as she moved away. "So, um, Bones...I like your dress...and um...everything else…that goes with it..."

"Thank you. Angela helped me pick it out..." She gave him a flirty smile as she looked over her shoulder. "...including the shoes and some special lingerie." She shrugged slightly as she smoothed her dress over her hips. "She said to tell you that I'm wearing 'Christmas stockings' just for you, but I don't know what that means…"

However, Booth wasn't really paying attention to her comments. Instead, his focus was on her long, shapely legs...the long, shapely legs that were being shown to their best advantage by her stiletto heels and the sheer black silk stockings she was wearing. The slight pattern in the weave gave her skin an incredible sheen…

...and then there were the seams. It was hard to imagine something as mundane as seams could be so sexy, but…

The dark seams of her stockings ran from her ankles, over her calves, up the back of her knees...up her thighs...before disappearing under the hem of her short black dress, as if they were pointing the way to heaven. Booth moaned softly as he studied those enticing seams. He'd love to follow that road map all the way home. Yeah...they really are the best kind of Christmas stockings. Jesus, I'd love to have those long legs wrapped around me while we made love for hours. Damn...seeing her in those sexy shoes and those silk stockings...and in that short, low cut dress...and knowing that Angela picked out her lingerie? How am I gonna be able to think about anything at the party tonight besides having sex with Bones? Thanks a helluva lot for setting that stage, Angela...and Merry Christmas to me…"

"Booth? Are you okay?" Brennan gazed at him with concern. "You seem unusually quiet…and your breathing is more rapid than normal...you look flushed..."

He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another. "I'm...er...I'm fine. It's just that I think you look really beautiful, that's all…you look incredible." He cleared his throat suddenly' hoping he could regain his composure. "Hey, um...I forgot to tell you. You're supposed to bring a white elephant gift to the party tonight. I guess they're gonna have a dirty Santa gift swap."

"A white elephant gift?" Her brow furrowed in confusion. "For a dirty Santa swap?"

"Yeah, you know...you bring a gag gift of some sort...something silly that you don't want, and then someone else gets it and people swap the gifts around until hopefully everyone ends up with something they don't hate." Seeing that she didn't completely understand, he shrugged. "It's easier to see it in action than to explain it."

"I see." She nodded as she thought over his statement. "What are you taking?"

"A package of fig newtons." Seeing her surprised expression, he sighed. "I couldn't think of anything else. Parker loves them, but I can't stand'em. I usually keep some at home for when he visits, but he won't be over for awhile, so…that's what I'm bringing." He chuckled. "Maybe somebody will be glad to get them. What about you? Do you have something?"

"Hmm…" She walked over to her Christmas tree and selected a large glass ornament. It was a hot pink flamingo wearing a Santa Claus hat and coat. "My cousin Margaret gave this to me while she was here last year, and I've always thought it was extremely ridiculous. I think this will do nicely. Let me find a small bag for it…"

Watching Brennan move around the room was making Booth even more hot and bothered. I think we're gonna make a brief appearance at the party and then I'm gonna bring her home so I can check out that new lingerie…I think it needs a very close inspection...gotta make sure it fits right...

"There." She showed him a small red gift bag. "I'm ready. Shall we go?"

"Sure." Booth held out her embroidered shawl so she could wrap herself in it. "You know, I was thinking maybe we could stay at the party for an hour or two and then maybe do something else for the rest of the evening…"

"Really?" She wore a sultry smirk. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, as a great man once told me, part of the fun of a night out is in not having too many definite plans…" He smiled as they left the apartment. "So let's just see where the evening takes us…"

"Having no plans sounds like an excellent plan, Booth. Let's see what the evening brings."


A/N: I realize it's possible that Brennan would know about a white elephant gift and dirty Santa but it was more fun to write it this way.

If you have time to review, I'd appreciate it. Laura.