This next chapter may be a tiny bit angsty for a Christmas challenge, but I think it fits my overall theme well. It is more AU because I've filled in some details that we didn't really have...at least as far as I could tell...

Yawning and rubbing her sleepy eyes as she came downstairs early one Saturday morning, Christine was surprised to find her eldest child sitting at the kitchen counter, eating a big bowl of cereal. Seeley wasn't normally an early riser, but it was obvious that something had been bothering him for the last week or so, and now it appeared that something had also kept him from sleeping well. He hadn't been his usual cheerful, talkative self recently, choosing instead to spend a lot of his free time alone in his bedroom. Always the extroverted life of the party, he had taken up the life of a hermit for some reason, and Christine was beginning to worry about him.

As she poured herself a cup of coffee, she wondered if he'd finally be willing to open up to her about what was upsetting him. Well...here goes… "Good morning, Seeley. You're up early."

"Yup." He poured himself another bowlful and added some milk. "I was hungry."

"I see." She sat down on the stool next to him, quietly sipping her coffee as he munched a spoonful of cereal. After a few minutes of silence, he pushed the bowl away and cleared his throat softly.

"Hey, um...Mom? Can I talk to you about something, and you not get mad?"

A thousand frantic thoughts swirled through Christine's head as she contemplated her son's question. Is his girlfriend pregnant? Is he failing his classes at school? Does he have a sexually transmitted disease? "Of course, Seeley. You know you can talk to me about anything. I mean, I can't promise that I won't be mad to begin with, but you know I usually cool down after…

"After a couple of weeks or so. Yeah, I know." He grinned at her as he got up to put the cereal in the pantry and his bowl in the sink. "It's just that…" Words seemed to fail him for a few seconds as he stood in the middle of the kitchen before opening the refrigerator to put the milk away. "I guess you heard that Beth's brother got called up...he'll be leaving for his deployment next week, and he'll probably be gone about a year."

"Yes, her mother told me the news several days ago. I know it must be hard on her family…"

"Yeah, it is. I guess he'll be away from the main combat zone, but still...it's kind of scary for them." Walking over to the end of the counter, Seeley picked up the battered photo album. "Anyway, with all that's been happening, I've been thinking about Pops." He opened the book to his grandfather's formal service picture. "He was a Ranger, right?"

Christine studied the picture of her handsome father in his uniform, and then glanced at her son, once again amazed at how similar in appearance they were. "Yes. The Rangers are an elite group of soldiers, and Pops has always been very proud that he served with them."

"And his grandfather? And his dad, and his brother? And your brothers? They all served in the military, too…"

Nodding as she leafed through the book, Christine found some more photographs to show Seeley. "The first Pops...Hank Booth...served during the Korean Conflict. Your great grandfather Edwin served in Viet Nam, and Pops' brother Jared was in the Navy. Uncle Parker is an officer in the Coast Guard and an instructor at their academy, and Uncle Hank was a Cyber Intelligence officer in the Army for several years until he married your Aunt Carla and decided not to reenlist." Feeling slightly uncomfortable with the line of questioning, she looked quizzically at her son, reaching out to caress his arm. "Seeley...are you thinking of joining the military? I didn't realize you were interested in that sort of thing..."

"Yeah, well...maybe...I don't know." Embarrassed, he turned away from his mother. "With me being mostly an artist, I'm not sure I have any skills that the armed forces would want anyway." He shrugged her hand away from his shoulder and carried the album into the family room. "I just know how proud Pops is when he tells me that Booths have served in the military for so many years, and even though technically I'm not a Booth, I thought...you know...I want him to be proud of me, Mom. I want him to know that I'm carrying on the tradition…" Quickly brushing away a tear, he sniffled slightly. "I can't join yet...I'm too young...but I could tell him I'm thinking about it…and I think it would make him so happy...I mean, I know you and Dad might not be thrilled with the idea, but it seems like someone needs to make sure the tradition continues..."

"Oh, Seeley…", Christine began softly as she slumped onto the sofa. "Come here and sit with me for a minute." She patted a seat on the couch, and he plopped down next to her, allowing himself to be embraced as she tenderly rubbed his back. "Your Pops is already so proud of you, no matter what you do with your life, and he always will be. If you want to enlist in the armed services, then, of course, your dad and I will support your decision, but don't do it just because you want to impress your Pops, okay? He loves you very much just the way you are…you don't have to prove anything to him."

"I know…it's just a thought, Mom. I haven't really made a firm decision one way or another about what to do after high school." He turned to another page in the album, which held photographs that seemed to have been taken in a hospital room. "This was after Pops came home from Desert Storm, right? After he was rescued? That's him and his grandfather..."

"Yes...your Pops with his Pops, there at Walter Reed." Sighing softly, she shook her head. "I was about your age when he showed me this photograph for the first time. He usually doesn't discuss his time as a prisoner of war. After all these years, it's still too painful...on several levels." Christine bit her lip as she looked at the picture in question. She could still hear the raw emotion in her father's voice as he'd explained to her what had happened…

Oooooooooo

Hank Booth stood ramrod straight at the nurses' station outside of the orthopedic floor at Walter Reed, furiously pounding on the counter. "I want to see my grandson...now!"

The nurse was apologetic as she explained the situation. "He's under heavy sedation, Mr. Booth...he probably won't even know you're visiting. Why don't you come back tomorrow? Sergeant Booth should be more alert then."

"I ain't leaving this goddamn hospital without having a look at him, okay? I'm not gonna wait another day to see him, and I don't give a damn about any sedation or anything else like that. I don't care if he knows I'm here or not. You get that doctor on the horn right now and get me permission to go down there if you need to, but permission or not, I'm gonna go see my boy…he needs to know we didn't forget him...that we're gonna be there for him..."

Sighing in exasperation, the nurse finally gave in and walked the stubborn old man down the corridor to the ward where his grandson was recuperating. Gasping softly as he saw the gaunt young soldier stretched out on the bed, Hank let a few tears fall before regaining his composure. He leaned over the bed and whispered quietly. "Shrimp? Shrimp, it's me...it's your Pops. I came to see you as soon as I could. Nana couldn't make the trip this time, but she can't wait to have you home…"

Moaning softly, the young man's eyelids fluttered open and he grunted in pain as he tried to sit up. "Pops? Is it really you? Oh, Jesus, Pops...I'm so glad to see you…owww...what the fuck...I hurt real bad...like I got hit by a semi or something..."

"Easy, son...of course, it's really me. We were sure worried about you, Shrimp, but the doc says you're gonna be fine...you just rest now…I just wanted to make sure you were okay...I had to see you with my own two eyes."

All the fear and anguish his grandson had been trying to suppress over the past few weeks rushed forth in a frenzied torrent of words. "But I'm not gonna be fine, Pops...not at all." Tears rolled down Shrimp's cheeks as he reached for his grandfather's hand. "I'm gonna be a cripple for the rest of my life…my ankle is broken, and a lot of the bones in my feet were crushed by those mother fuckers...I may never walk right again…doc says surgery may not completely fix them, either...I won't be able to work...you'll have to take care of me forever..."

"Now you listen here, Shrimp…you're gonna be fine...", Hank blustered, trying to be brave as he comforted his grandson. "Things are gonna be okay…they know all about patching up soldiers at this fancy hospital..."

The younger Booth was unashamed of his tears as he tightly gripped his grandfather's hand. "We topped that ridge, and they jumped us, spraying us with gunfire...there were so many of them...they just kept coming...I tried, Pops...I tried to get away...I really did...but Jeff and Mike...they were just lying there dead, you know? I tried to protect them, but I couldn't do it. And then I tried to run, but there were too many of them chasing me...and they caught up with me. I was surrounded...and they grabbed me. They wanted me to tell them things about my platoon, but I didn't...no matter how much they beat my feet and legs with those rubber rods, over and over again...I didn't tell them anything…it hurt so bad, Pops, but I was trying to be brave..." Sniffling softly, he shook his head. "I tried to do the right thing, and now I may never walk again…and Jeff and Mike...goddammit, Pops! They were my guys! I was supposed to be in charge…I was supposed to keep them safe…and now they're gone...it was all my fault..."

Hank's heart broke as he rubbed his grandson's hand. "I know you feel bad, son...I know, but it wasn't your fault. I know you did everything you could for them, right? You did your best. Now you just rest, okay? We're gonna get through this together, because we're family...you'll see…we're gonna make it…you're gonna walk again…we just gotta trust the doctor, okay? Don't give up...me and Nana are gonna be with you all the way, too, Shrimp...I'm sorry about your buddies, but I'm so glad you're home..."

Oooooooooo

"So that's why his feet hurt so bad all the time? Why it's hard for him to get around now? Because his captors crushed his feet with those rubber hoses? Jesus, that's terrible!" Seeley closed his eyes and shook his head, not wanting to think about the horrible torture his grandfather had endured while he was a prisoner of war. "But I don't understand, Mom. If this is such a painful memory for Pops, why would he keep these pictures? I'd imagine he'd rather forget about that time in his life..."

"Well, partly because those are pictures of his Pops, but also because they serve as a reminder for him...for all of us, I suppose. He overcame those injuries with a lot of hard work and determination. He wasn't going to let 'those bastards' have any say over his life. He's always said that he was living proof of that saying 'you can't keep a good man down'. After several surgeries and months of physical therapy, he was able to walk again, and then eventually he was able to pass the FBI's physical so he could go to Quantico. You know Pops...he's never going to be a quitter…"

"True." Seeing his mother's pensive expression, Seeley grimaced slightly. "So did you tell me that story so I'd think twice about enlisting?"

She shrugged, wearing a tender smile as she closed the album. "Maybe that was part of it, but I was more interested in you seeing what makes your Pops tick. It's not so much the military service he values, although he does value that a lot. I think it's more that he values a life filled with duty and honor in one form or another. Whatever you choose to do, Seeley, you need to do your best at it. You always need to think of others, too, and be the leader you're meant to be, whether it's as an athlete, a student, an employee, or even in the artwork you do for your own pleasure. if you're interested on making your Pops extra proud of you, always do your very best no matter what it is your doing." Glancing at the clock, she smiled as she patted her son's knee. "You know, it might be a good idea for you to go talk to him this morning...just the two of you...see for yourself what he thinks about you enlisting." Giggling as Seeley rolled his eyes at her, she pretended to be annoyed. "Just don't tell him you want to join the Navy, okay?"

"Okay, Mom." Pushing himself up off the couch, Seeley bent down to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Hey...don't tell Dad anything about this yet, alright? I still need to think it over...do a little research...and I don't want PaJack to freak out if Dad lets it slip…"

"It'll be our secret, son." She winked at him, and he grinned back at her. "Go get dressed. I'll call Pops and Grammy and see if they're going to be home. Who knows? They may have left for Timbuktu…"

She sighed softly as she watched her son sprint up the stairs towards his room. Of her three children, Seeley was the one who was most like her own father...the one with the strong sense of pride...the strong sense of duty. It wouldn't surprise her if he'd come home from visiting his grandparents and announce that he was ready to join the Army. And he was right...Pops would be so proud if his grandson were to make that decision.

Picking up the old book from the table, she thumbed through the worn pages once again. Her little boy was growing up. Soon he might be ready to add his name to the long line of Booths who'd served their country proudly, and if he did, she'd make sure there would be a page ready for him in that old album.

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

Starting with tomorrow's chapter, I'll be posting in the afternoon. Thanks for reading.