"Mommy! Mommy!" Hank's excited shout rang through the lobby of the Jeffersonian's daycare, and made Brennan smile and laugh.
"Hey, buddy! Say bye to Miss Jennifer."
"Bye!" Hank says, turning to wave at his teacher. After zipping up her son's coat, Brennan takes his hand and the two run through the breezeway and into the not windy, but still very cold, parking garage. Hank recalled the entire day to his mom, from the story they'd read at circle time, to the mess his classmate Elena had made during lunch, and even the fact that he was next in line to Star of the Week. The car's auto start function came in very handy that day, and by the time Hank was buckled into his carseat, and Brennan had gotten in herself, it was already warmed up.
"And mommy, guess what?"
"Um, your teacher turned purple today?"
"No!" Hank laughs at his mom's silly reply.
"Okay then. You turned purple today?"
"No!" Even more giggles.
"I've run out of guesses. Tell me."
"We got an elf in our class today!"
"An elf?"
"Yeah! It came all the way from the North Pole and he's a kindness elf. He bringed us a kindness job to do."
"He did?"
"Yeah. And if we do them all, then he will bring us a treat at the end of the month."
"Well that seems like a good deal to me. You and your class do kindness acts all month and then you get a reward," Brennan replied. Her son could always use a reminder about kindness.
She still wasn't sure about the whole myth about Santa Claus and the Elves and the North Pole factory where they all worked. But her children, and her nephews, believed in it wholeheartedly. And she was not going to be the one to crush their childish wonder and belief in magic. Besides, seeing them so happy and elated at everything this time of year made her feel so happy as well.
That was the whole point of the holiday season, though: to bring people happiness and wonder and joy during the darkest month of the year.
"And mommy! Guess what it's name is?"
Brennan hums a laugh. This boy and all his guess games. "I don't know, baby. What is it?"
"It's Jasper! Just like the little piggy Daddy got you!"
"That is so cool! You'll have to tell Daddy all about it when we get home."
And when they arrive home, even before taking his coat and shoes off, Hank dashes over to his dad and fills him in on the elf in his classroom and the kindness challenge his preschool class was doing.
A/N: Well, here we are: then end of another year, and another Bonesology challenge. I'm so excited! I've got some fun stuff planned, and I can't wait to show them to you nerds.