(Season 8)

This is a holiday challenge story for Bonesology. The challenge will be explained at the end of the story. No fair peeking.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

It was cold and the wind was blowing snow around their car which didn't help the situation. Frustrated, Booth realized that their stakeout wasn't producing the results they had hoped for. Someone had called in a tip to the FBI and Booth had felt that it had to followed up just in case it was legitimate, but now it seemed like they were on a wild goose chase.

"Are you certain the tipster said that Pelant had been seen in this grocery store?" Brennan was cold and bored. Sitting in a car on a cold snowy day wasn't productive as far as she was concerned.

"The guy said that he'd seen Pelant come to this store for the last two Thursdays." Bored himself, Booth moved his glove covered hands under his armpits and knew he'd need to start the car soon to heat it up. He hadn't wanted to sit in a running car because it might draw Pelant's attention if he arrived in the parking lot. "I know it's a long shot, but right now, it's the only lead we have . . . If you want to get a cab and go back to the Lab that's fine. I can watch for him by myself."

Annoyed, Brennan shook her head. "No, you need backup and I'm not going to leave you here to do the stakeout by yourself."

"Alright, it was just a suggestion." Staring at the store entrance, Booth hoped the murdering hactivist would show up soon. "So . . . um, I'm planning on having a little Christmas lunch at my place next week. Pops is going to be there along with Jared and his wife, Parker is going to be here for Christmas and well, you're welcome to come if you want to. Bring Max or anyone else you want to come. The more the merrier."

Traditionally she left town during the Christmas holiday, but since her father had reentered her life, she had changed that tradition for him. Max hated to be alone on Christmas and they usually got together on Christmas Day to exchange presents and have lunch together. "I'll have to check with Max, but I don't see why we can't come . . . Would you like me to bring anything to eat or drink?"

"Sure, thanks." Booth watched a man that looked like he might be Pelant walking towards the store entrance and realized it wasn't him when the man unwrapped the scarf from the lower part of his face as he entered the store. "Um, you can bring whatever wine you like or beer or whatever. I know you don't really care for the beer I buy . . . I can make you a vegetarian dish if you want, just tell me what to make."

"No, that won't be necessary, I can do that." After she checked her watch, Brennan was certain that they were not going to see Pelant that day. "The tipster said Pelant always showed up between three and four. It's six Booth. He's not coming, if it really was him."

Disappointed, Booth knew that his partner was probably right. "Well, we had to try." Starting up the car, he glanced once more at the store entrance and knew it was time to go. "I'll take you back to the Lab."

"Thank you." Once the car was started, Brennan moved one of the vents so that warm air blew her way. "Pelant may have stayed home because it's so cold."

Amused, Booth chuckled. "Yeah, he is a genius I guess." Once on the street, he relaxed and decided that he'd assign an agent to watch the store for the next several days, just in case Pelant showed up. "Okay, well, I guess it's a date. You're coming to my place for Christmas."

Her heart fluttered a bit when Booth had said they would be dating, but she suspected it was just a saying and not really anything serious. "Yes, it's a date."

His throat feeling tight, Booth nodded his head. Where did this go wrong . . . Shit, you know where it went wrong. You asked Hannah to marry you, she turned you down and you made an ass of yourself. Why did I keep Bones at arms length? I'll never know, but this is my fault. All of it.

Oooooooooooooo

Max found Hank Booth sitting in the living room and joined him on the couch while his daughter carried a bottle of wine and a covered dish into the kitchen. "Hank, how's it going?"

"It's going." Feeling in a somber mood, Hank watched as his grandson took the bottle of wine from his partner allowing her to place the covered container she had brought on the kitchen table. "Those two, I'll never understand why they aren't together . . . they love each other, I know they do."

Of the same mind, Max slowly nodded his head. "She said he asked her to take a chance a few years ago, but she wasn't ready and she turned him down."

"Yeah, I know." The smile on his grandson's face made him feel sad for the boy. "That trip they took to the far ends of the world . . . Coming back and Seeley hooking up with the reporter. I knew it wasn't going to end well. I just hoped he'd move towards Temperance when he got over being mad at Hannah, but he never did . . . it breaks my heart. He says she's his best friend and he won't risk losing her . . . They could have so much more than this . . . so much more."

He didn't know what to say. Max had talked to his daughter many times since Booth had broke up with Hannah Burley, but she was afraid to push the situation too far. "She thinks Booth is her best friend and she won't do anything to jeopardize that friendship . . . They drive me nuts."

"Yeah . . . Those two have got to be the most stubborn people on the face of the earth."

While Max and Hank spoke in the living room, Booth checked on the turkey cooking the oven, while Brennan removed some plates from the cabinets and placed them on the kitchen table. "Where's Parker, Booth?"

"Oh, he's taking a nap in his bedroom." Closing the oven door, Booth leaned against the counter. "He has a little jet lag, the time zone between here and London got to him. I'm going to wake him up in about another half hour."

"I see." Brennan loved Parker and always felt special when the boy was around. "I brought his Christmas present. It's down in the car. I'll go get it after lunch."

Not surprised with Brennan's generosity, Booth smiled and pointed towards the living room. "Your present from Parker is under the tree . . . my present is in my bedroom. I didn't want to risk Parker picking up the box and shaking it." He laughed. "I think he shook ever box under the tree as soon as he saw the Christmas tree . . . He's something else."

Chuckling, Brennan nodded her head. "I bought him something that won't break if he shakes it."

"Good idea." His smile disappeared and was replaced with a sadness that made Brennan wonder if something is wrong.

"Are you alright?" Moving closer, Brennan placed her hand on his arm. "You seem . . . unhappy."

Her touch made his heart beat faster. He couldn't help it. Her touch always had that effect on him. "No . . . no I'm not unhappy. Not really." He glanced at the older men in the living room, took her hand and pulled her towards the door. "Come on, I'll give you your present now. That way we can enjoy Parker's time when he unwraps his presents.

She willingly let him pull her to his bedroom. She had been in the room several times and it always appeared to be neat and clean. Once they were in the bedroom, she stood near the bed while Booth retrieved the present from his closet.

"I found it in an antique store." Booth handed her the wrapped gift and hoped he wasn't making a mistake. "When I saw it, I thought of you."

Flattered, Brennan took the box from her partner, sat on the bed and unwrapped the brightly colored paper from the box. Once she had the box open, she looked up in surprise. "I . . . thank you."

"It's a real Bakelite phone." Proud of his gift, Booth sat down next to her. "The store owner had two, so I bought both of them. I have one in the living room and it works. So does yours."

"Thank you." Although she didn't care for antiques like Booth did, she did love the shape of the phone, the color and the fact that Booth thought they could both own one. It was a lovely gesture. "I'll put in my bedroom . . . the color will match my curtains."

Pleased, Booth nodded his head. "And if anyone breaks into your apartment, you can use it as a weapon." Laughing, Booth used his elbow to poke his partner in the ribs. "That flimsy phone you have wouldn't stop anyone."

She couldn't help it, she laughed. "Well, I buy my telephones to make calls with, not that they can also be used as weapons, but I do see your point."

His smile slowly faded from his face. "Bones . . . Bones, I want to talk to you . . . if it's okay."

Not sure what he wanted to talk about, Brennan could see it was going to be serious. "Of course, we're partners."

Clearing his throat, Booth nodded his head. "When Hannah turned me down, I was angry . . . You know I was and I know now that I was unreasonable. I mean yeah, she turned me down and it hurt, but I shouldn't have put up a wall between us. I shouldn't have pushed you away and I'm sorry . . . It was a mistake."

"We're friends now, Booth. It took a while, but you got over being angry and we became friends again." She touched his knee.

"Bones, we were always friends, I just . . . I just didn't want to risk losing you, so I didn't . . . I made a mistake . . . Bones, I love you and I want to know if you'll ever give me a chance . . . I mean, I'm not asking you to marry me, but . . . can we be more than friends."

Her heart was beating wildly in her chest and she knew that she was afraid. "Booth." She stood up, placing the phone on the bed. "Booth, it's too late. We're better as friends. I think if we tried to be more, we would lose our friendship. I can't lose you again. I just want to be friends."

His head started to pound, his heart was beating hard and he couldn't seem to focus on her words. "Bones . . ." He held out his hand towards her but he couldn't seem to say anything.

Worried, Brennan could see that her partner was in distress. "Booth . . . are you alright?" She couldn't see why turning down Booth again would illicit such a disturbing reaction. While she knelt on the floor next to him, she saw his eyes roll back into his head and she called out to her father.

He could hear her calling for Max, but he couldn't respond. Booth felt darkness pulling him in and he didn't know how to stop it. Her voice faded for a few moments and was replaced with a calmer, steadier voice speaking his name. His heart started to beat slower, his head was still hurting and it made him feel sick. Opening his eyes, he noticed the ceiling looked wrong. Moving his hand, he placed it against his head only to feel someone grab his hand and move it to his side.

"Booth, leave the bandage alone." She was so happy to see her mate awake, she felt relief flooding her body. "You're in the hospital . . . you've been shot, a bullet grazed the left side of your head . . . Do you understand what I am telling you?"

"I don't know." Uncertain, Booth stared at his partner. "I don't know."

Holding his hand so he couldn't move it back to the bandage, Brennan leaned closer over him. "You and Agent Flynn were shot at Serberus while you were chasing Pelant. He got away, but a police car started to chase him a mile away from the parking garage. Pelant was driving erratically took a turn too fast and crashed his car into a telephone pole. He's dead Booth."

Confused, Booth closed his eyes for a moment, trying to understand what was going on. "I don't understand . . . we were at my apartment, we were in my bedroom talking about . . . something . . . Bones, I love you. I want you to take a chance with me this time. I'm sorry I messed up, please think about it."

Not sure what he was talking about, Brennan surmised he was in a confused state. Leaning closer she kissed him. "Booth . . . Booth, I'm not sure what chance you are talking about . . . I think you're just confused because of the concussion you have. It's a miracle that bullet didn't fracture your skull. A millimeter to the right and it would have . . . You were shot, Booth. You're in the hospital. You're going to be fine."

He stared at her intently trying to understand. "Bones . . . are we partners?"

"Yes of course." Brennan saw the look of relief on Booth's face. "You're my mate too. We have a daughter . . . Do you remember Christine?"

"Christine?" The memories started to flood back. He was his partner's mate, her lover. They had a daughter they owned a house. "Yes . . . our daughter, Christine . . . Bones I love you."

She could see that he appeared to be less confused. "And I love you, Booth. I love you do you understand?"

Calmer, he smiled at his partner, his mate. "Yes, I understand. It was a bad dream. We're not just partners. We're more than that."

"Much more than that Booth."

Oooooooooooooooooo

The challenge: In a coma they dream of an alternate life where they never got together with their partner.

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