Sorry...mostly filler chapter. But I need to get them back together so I can finish this up. Only two chapters to go.

"How long is it going to take us to get there?" Parker asked, bouncing in his seat. He flipped the window shade up and down a couple of times, before leaving it up so he had a better view out the window.

Parker had flown many times with his mother, but rarely with his father. Besides, this trip was a surprise and Parker was having a hard time controlling his excitement.

"A few hours, buddy," Booth answered. He stowed their bag in the overhead compartment before sitting down beside his son. "You need to get your seatbelt on."

"I know, Dad. I've flown lots of times before." With ease, he reached around himself to retrieve the two separate ends and join them. "Does Bones know we're coming?"

"No, Parker, remember, I told you we are surprising her for Christmas. Do you have your bag with things to do?"

"I tucked it under the seat, like I'm supposed to."

"That's good. Here, I kept one present for you to open on the flight. I thought it might help you pass the time."

Wiggling in excitement at one more unexpected gift, Parker tore paper off while Booth tried to keep the pieces contained to their area.

Parker's eyes were wide as he looked at his father, before they narrowed in concern. "Mom told me I couldn't have one of these," Parker said. In his hands was one of the newer handheld game consoles.

"I know she did," Booth said. Taking the package from Parker, he started to open it. "But we talked about it before I bought it. She knows you're getting it. And, I made sure to open it and charge it before I wrapped it. So it should be good to go."

Parker reached out slowly, sure that this was some sort of trick. His parents were strict about the amount of time he spent on video games and while his friends were always bragging about what they received, Parker usually couldn't.

"There will be limits on playing time when school starts. But for now, it's vacation. And we have a few hours of flying time ahead of us. So enjoy."

"Thanks, Dad," Parker said. He was still a little in awe that he actually had the system in his hands and fell into a contented silence as he started playing.

Booth wished he could be as relaxed as his son. But what he was doing was impulsive and just a little bit crazy. He was flying across the country, with his son, to see a woman he'd only said goodbye to a day before.

But she'd done the same. And the results had been more than he'd hoped for. But he hadn't made it clear to her exactly how he felt. That he was with her in this, if she was willing to be patient with him this time.

And it was too late to change his mind. The stewardess was closing the door and before Booth knew it, the full plane was in the air, winging its way toward the other side of the country.

BbBbBbBb

"How was your Christmas?" Sarah asked Brennan. The two women, dressed in the standard white laboratory coat, were pulling on plastic gloves.

Brennan's eyes softened for just a moment. "It went significantly better than I expected." She thought about the gift she'd left for Booth on the table and wondered how it had been received. It was the best Brennan could do with the time she had, but hoped she'd accurately portrayed how much Booth meant to her.

The more she thought about the book given to her, the more it helped her realize she was important to the people around her. Not just as a scientist but as a friend. Her circle of people had gotten bigger than she'd ever imagined it could.

After falling silent, she remembered what Booth had taught her over the years and took a breath. "How was your Christmas?"

It sounded awkward when Brennan asked it, but Sarah smiled in appreciation. There were very few in the scientific world who weren't familiar with Dr. Brennan and her reputation for being a difficult woman to work with. Still, Sarah counted herself lucky to be in her presence and to have her assisting in the small museum. "It was very good. I was able to see my daughter and grandchild. Did you get to see family?"

"I did," Brennan said. She didn't elaborate and Sarah let the subject drop. "Since you didn't work, no further progress has been made with this latest skeleton?"

Many would have taken it as an insult, Sarah took it as what the statement was: a fact. "That is correct, Dr. Brennan. I haven't had time to look at the remains since your phone call on Christmas Eve.

"But," she continued, "I did some research. Your comment about this woman walking a significant amount is probably correct."

"Of course, it is," Brennan said. She pointed with a gloved hand toward the upper arms. "It also appears she developed significant muscle mass on her upper arms here."

"The Hohokam," Sarah said, suppressing a chuckle at Dr. Brennan's sure statement about being right, "lived in this area until the 1200s. At that time, much of the area was abandoned due to drought. It's possible this woman walked a significant distance, and carried heavy amounts of water back to the tribe before she left."

Dr. Brennan nodded. "Let's continue to look for evidence of where this woman lived, and how she died."

BbBbBb

"We're going here?" Parker asked, not hiding his disappointment. He'd expected a cool museum like the ones his Dad took him to in Washington, DC, not a building with an old sign that needed a fresh coat of paint.

"Don't judge a book by its cover, Parker," Booth said. "Sometimes you have to get past the rough edges to find the good stuff."

If he was thinking about Bones when he made the statement, his son would never know. Parker had loved Bones from the first moment he'd met her, almost the same way his father had. Unlike his father, Parker had never seen anything but the warm heart Brennan hid so carefully from the rest of the world. Booth had seen her lash out in fear and struggle with emotions that were too much to handle.

"Okay, Dad," Parker said. He didn't want to argue, but he found it hard to believe Bones was working in a place that looked like this.

Ruffling his son's hair, Booth led them into the cool interior of the museum. It was a shock to the system, leaving winter to come to an area where they needed shorts,

"Can I help you?" a young man asked, coming towards them. "We don't get many visitors this time of year."

"I'm looking for-" Booth started to say.

"Bones," Parker shouted beside him. And ducking past the two men, ran forward to wrap himself around Brennan's legs.

Brennan, exiting the research room with Sarah, blinked down at the familiar face. "Parker?" she asked. Recovering, she reached down to give him a hug. "What are you doing here?"

Looking up, her eyes met Booth's and the atmosphere in the room changed. Sarah, making quick assumptions that were very accurate, cleared her throat. "Parker?" she asked, looking toward him and then the handsome man she thought was probably his father. "We have a dinosaur room. And some scientists who are working on cleaning several new specimens. Would you like to help?"

The old museum held new fascination for the boy. "Can I go help, Dad?" he asked, not yet letting go of Brennan's legs.

Booth raised an eyebrow at Brennan. A silent conversation, Booth questioning whether Sarah was safe, and Brennan agreeing, took place in front of an enthralled Sarah. After a moment, he nodded. "Remember your manners, Parker."

"I will, Dad."

Sarah, already half in love with the young man and his father, held out her hand. It was clear she'd have to be satisfied with hanging out with the son. His father's heart was already taken.

Sarah wasn't sure what happened on Christmas Eve, but if this was why Dr. Brennan had hurried home, Sarah certainly didn't blame the woman.

"Where are you from, Parker?" Sarah asked, motioning to her intern, Brian, to follow them out of the room.

Their voices disappearing down the hall, Booth gave his full attention to the only woman left in the room. To him, it wouldn't have mattered if there had been one hundred, she was still the only one he would have seen.

"Booth, what are you doing here?" Brennan asked, repeating the question she'd already asked Parker. She still wasn't sure what had just happened. Her head and her heart were reeling.

Without answering, he tucked his hands into his pockets. She looked at him curiously as he struggled with what to say.

"Hey, Bones."