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Season 3

Booth had spent a long time trying to think of the perfect gift for Brennan. They had established a sort of tradition in their past two years as partners and this time when it was their third Christmas as partners, he felt the pressure to find her the perfect gift. He could do without the drama with Rebecca and was upset that he would not get to spend Christmas with his son that year.

But a case involving a dead Santa came along and Brennan was her usual I-hate-Christmas bah humbug self over the Christmas season and somehow he got to spend the day with Parker afterall. As he readied his gift for Brennan, he gazed across at the fence and the barbed wire, knowing that at that current moment she was probably getting as close to what a Christmas could be like with two family members in jail. He was glad he had managed to convince her to postpone her trip. He was glad she would get some semblance of that Christmas she had missed when she was fifteen.

As he set up the tree with Parker alongside him excitedly helping to put up the lights, his thoughts travelled back to that kiss and his gloved hand automatically went to his lips. He still remembered the taste of tequila and the feel of her tongue against his years ago. The mistletoe kiss had somehow caused emotions that he had thought he had forgotten to resurface. Damn that Caroline Julian!

This time round the kiss was minty and sweet and her tongue against his felt just as good, if not better, than their first, sending jolts of pleasure straight to his groin. But it was more than just the physical pleasure, it was that spark again, that connection, that tug at his heart. He chided himself, swallowing hard and forcing those thoughts out of his head. There was a line. He had drawn it. She was his partner. They would never work. He couldn't be in love with her. If he wasn't in love with her then why did his heart beat that bit faster every time he had a whiff of her scent, that mix of perfume and Temperance Brennan? Why was it that her smile made him aspire to make her smile more just so he could see it again? Why did he always want to spend more and more time with her? Why did the thought of losing her in the course of their work cause such pain to his heart?

"Dad! Dad! Look! Isn't it awesome?" Parker jumped up and down excitedly.

Booth was shaken out of his reverie by Parker's voice. He glanced up and down at the tree. "It's perfect bud."

"Light it up! See if it works!"

Booth connected the cable to the battery of his truck. The tree lit up the night sky.

"That's so cool! Do you think Bones will like it?" Parker asked, bubbling with excitement.

"You kiddin' me? She'll love it." He hoped.

This was the best gift his brain could come up with and at the time it seemed perfect. He wanted to make sure she got the Christmas she had wanted with her family, tree included. But now, standing out in the snow with his son, Booth started to doubt. What if she hated it? What if she laughed it off with something squinty?

He shivered. It was cold. He didn't want to risk Parker catching a cold. Rebecca would kill him if he was too sick to enjoy Vermont. He turned up the collar to his warm coat and checked on Parker.

"You cold buddy? Maybe you should wait in the car."

"I'm not cold Dad. And I can't wait to see Bones' face when she sees this. This is such a cool idea!"

Booth hoped his partner thought so too.

"Yeah there's only one way to find out." He glanced at the trailer behind the fence that separated them then up at the guard post. He hoped they wouldn't come down to stop him. He inhaled and blew out a breath, creating a puff of smoke in the cold night air.

"Ready?" Booth glanced down at his son.

"Yup. Call her."

Booth grinned and hit the dial button on his phone. His heart hammered wildly in his chest as the phone rang. When she answered with an exclamation, he worried something was wrong but was quickly assured it wasn't.

"Bones, hey, good news. Turns out I got Parker for Christmas after all. Christmas magic right? Hey, so we figured we'd call and wish you a little yuletide cheer."

He lowered the phone to Parker who gleefully said, "Merry Christmas, Bones!"

"Thanks, Parker." She had grown fond of her partner's son over the past year. It was something that surprised her since she usually didn't like children. But the boy had a sweet demeanor and reminded her of Booth.

"Listen, Bones, I got a little something for you."

"Oh, I got you something, too. We can, exchange gifts in a couple days."

"Go to the window and open up the blinds now."

Booth waited and watched as the blinds went up. Although they were separated by a glass window, a fence and had approximately a hundred yards or more between them, Booth could make out the smile on his partner's face which made him want to smile.

He watched as the rest of her family oohh-ed and ahhh-ed over the Christmas tree but he didn't care. He only cared what she thought.

"I love my gift, Booth."

Her words were like sweet music to his ears. She loved it. Mission accomplished.

"Merry Christmas, Bones." He gazed at her from a distance, hoping the longing he felt for her in his heart wasn't too evident on his face.

I had to use some of the lines from the episode. Credit to Springfield scripts. The Santa in the Slush has one of my favorite Bones endings and I hope I did this chapter justice.