A/N: OMG I had so much fun writing this chapter that I hope that you will love reading it. There's just something about writing about Christmas.
Day 2 – December 19th – Of Presents and Christmas trees
"Rebecca is dropping off Parker at five which means we have three hours to shop." Booth explained as he pulled the SUV in the parking lot of the mall.
Temperance was staring out the window. She couldn't believe she had let herself be dragged to that mall twice in twenty-four hours. She didn't think she had come down here that many times since she had moved to Washington.
"Why do we have to shop?" Temperance whined as they climbed out of the car.
"Because that's what people do, Bones." Booth replied, locking the doors.
As they walked towards the entrance, Booth rummaged through his pockets.
"What are you looking for?" Temperance asked.
"My Christmas list."
"You made a list?"
"I have to. I have so many people to buy presents for, it's hard to remember."
"Who are you buying presents for?" Temperance asked, curiously.
"Well Parker, that's for sure. I'm buying him three or four. We'll have to go to Toys 'R Us though. I'm sure you've heard of that store before."
"Not at all."
"I should have known."
Temperance slapped his arm. Booth smiled.
"I also have to buy a present for my parents, one for my brother, another one for my sister, and..."
"You have a sister?" Temperance asked, surprised.
"Yeah. You seem surprised."
"Well it's just that you've never mentionned her before."
Carolers were singing beside the mall's main entrance, a bowl hanging on a chain and attached to a pole. Booth grabbed a handful of change and dropped it in the bowl. A man beside the bowl thanked him.
"Why did you do that?" Temperance asked, even more surprised.
"It's for the Salvation Army. I have to do it."
"Why?"
Booth sighed.
"You know what, Bones? Why don't you just stop asking questions for a while? You don't decorate for Christmas. Do I go and pester you with questions? No. So, just stop questioning my actions."
"Sorry." Temperance said, not understanding why her partner was freaking out about her questions.
"Thank you."
They walked in silence for a few seconds before Temperance spoke again.
"Who else are you buying presents for?" She asked, shyly.
"Other than my parents, my brother and my sister, I also have my newphew and my niece."
"You have a nephew and a niece?"
Booth grinned
"I know. I'm Uncle Seeley." He replied, as proud as a boy who just won something. "There's Micheal, my brother's son, who just turned seven a couple of months ago. Andrea, my sister, gave birth to a little girl last month named Hannah-Lee."
He turned to his partner. Temperance forced a smile. She was having a hard time picturing Booth as an uncle.
"How about you? Will you be buying any presents?"
Temperance shook her head.
"No. I don't think so."
"Oh come on, Bones." Booth replied as he grabbed her arm and pulled her into a store. "Tell me you're at least going to be your brother a present. It's Christmas."
"I just don't see why I should, Booth." Temperance replied as she followed him into the store. "My brother should know that I love him and care about him without having me giving him a present. Presents don't show love, Booth. Actions do."
Booth stopped abruptly in front of her causing Temperance to collide with his back. He slowly turned around and locked eyes with her.
"Yeah, actions do. Giving a present to someone, a present that you know they will love, is one of those actions you're talking about. Trust me, Bones. The feeling you get when you see the person's reaction when they like the present you gave them is amazing. And that's what Christmas is all about."
Temperance blinked back the few tears that had managed to form in her eyes from Booth's speech. They stared a few more minutes into each other's eyes before Booth broke the contact. Turning around, he began walking once more.
"It won't be long. I just have to find the video game my brother asked for and then we're out of here."
She hadn't wanted to shop for her brother's present with Booth. She knew exactly what to give him but she didn't want her partner to know about it. She knew what he would do if he ever found out that she had actually thought about buying a present for Russ. He would have clapped her back and say that he was proud she was getting into the holiday spirit and she didn't want that. Because she wasn't in the spirit of the holidays, she just felt like showing her brother how much she was happy he was back in her life. And she knew just what to get him.
They had agreed to meet back at the entrance in an hour. Temperance didn't know what she would do in an hour since buying Russ' present wouldn't take that much time. After ten minutes, she had finally found what she had been looking for. She still had fifty minutes to go. Sighing, she walked out of the store and began looking around.
She knew Booth was right. She could still remember the first present she had ever bought for someone. She had been thirteen years old and her parents had given her money to buy Christmas presents. She had gone down to the mall with her brother and they had stopped at a store where she had found a very nice crystal dolphin. She hadn't had enough money to buy it alone and she had convinced her brother to split the cost with her. All of this seemed so far away even though it had happened less than twenty years earlier.
Having nothing better to do, she simply walked around, examining stores and their content. Stopping in front of an antiquities store, she browsed around for a few minutes but found nothing in the shape of a dolphin. She walked out only minutes after stepping in.
She couldn't understand how people could do this for fun. She passed several teenage girls on her way, each of them carrying bags full of clothes, Temperance presumed. She had never been into shopping. Sure, she liked the occasional purchase of a piece of clothing or a new ornament for her apartment but it was pretty much the extent of it. She would never do this for fun, she was pretty sure of that.
People zoomed past her, bumping her on their way. She crossed paths with mothers tagged with three whining children. She passed couples holding hands, exchanging quick kisses. She sighed. It had been so long since she had been in a relationship. Sure, there had been David who had turned out to be a real jerk. There had been Micheal who had betrayed her, her boyfriend before that with whom she had absolutely nothing in common and lately, there had been this guy named Will who had ended up killing his own brother. No matter how hard she tried, or didn't try, she always fell on a bad guy.
Angela's response to that was that it was a sign that she belonged with Booth and Temperance always snorted at her comment. Booth and her didn't belong together. They were just partners. Besides, he was with Cam and frankly, she was pretty sure it was the best decision he could have made. 'They' would never work out. They were too different. She didn't believe that opposites attracted, at least not in their case. They were just really good friends, Booth had told her so himself.
As she passed in front of yet another store, Temperance found herself wondering if maybe there was more between them. A few evidences did point in that direction. She stopped in front of the store and examined the objects through the window. Something caught her attention and as she set eyes on it, she instantly knew what she had to do.
As planned, the duo met up at the entrance of the mall.
"Have you bought something for Russ?" Booth asked as they stepped out of the sliding doors.
The carolers were still singing and Temperance wondered if they were tired. Surprised by her own thoughts, she grew even more surprised when her free hand reached into her purse and rummaged through it.
Booth watched as Temperance grab a handful of change and dropped it in the hanging bowl. A smile tugged at his lips which stopped the second Temperance turned to face him. Booth raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"It's Christmas." Temperance simply replied as she began walking towards the SUV.
Booth, momentarily stunned by her actions, followed quickly after.
"Daddy!" Parker screamed as he stepped inside the warm house. "Daddy, I'm here!"
At the sound of his child's voice, Booth stepped out of the kitchen and walked to the front door.
"Hey Buddy. How was Grandma Patty's house?" Booth asked as he picked up his son and kissed him.
"It was so cool! She gave me a new car and I got to help her make chocolate for the Christmas party."
Booth set his son back down.
"Wow!" Booth replied. "Did you have fun?"
"Uh-huh."
Then, looking up at Rebecca, he nodded curtly.
"Dr. Bwennan!" Parker cried as he ran up to the anthropologist.
Booth turned around to see his partner standing a few steps behind him. He watched as Parker wrapped his arm around her waist. Their eyes locked only for a second before Temperance pulled the little boy into a quick hug.
"Did you have a fun afternoon?" Temperance asked.
Her tone had been awkwardly cheerful but Booth overlooked it. After all, this was all new to her. He didn't think his partner had been hugged many times by children.
"Yeah. I made candies."
"Wow!"
Letting go of Temperance, Parker turned back to his mother.
"Come give Mommy a kiss." Rebecca beckoned him.
Parker obliged.
Rebecca picked him up, kissed him before putting him back down on the floor.
"When will you be picking him up?" Booth asked, already dreading the day when Parker will have to go back to his mother's house.
"Christmas Day, probably around one or so."
Booth nodded.
"Okay, say goodbye to mommy."
"Bye Mommy!"
After one more kiss on the top of her son's head, Rebecca turned around and walked out of the house.
When the door had closed and Rebecca had gotten in her car, Booth turned to his son.
"Guess what we're doing today?"
"What?" Parker asked, eagerly.
"We're decorating the Christmas tree."
"YAY!"
"And Temperance will help us decorate it."
Parker beamed at her. Temperance shyly smiled back.
"Let's get ready." Booth said before walking off down the hall.
Temperance watched, from the couch, as father and son began setting up the tree. She smiled at Parker's willingness to help, taking out the fake tree branches out of the worn box and placing the branches in the correct hole. Soon, the fake pine tree stood tall and proud in Booth's living room.
"Now it's time for the lights." Booth said as he took out a long string of lights out of the box. "And, as always, we'll have to untangle them." He added with a frustrated sigh.
Taking this as her cue to help him, Temperance got off the couch and sat down on the cold floor beside her partner. She grabbed one end of the string and began untangling the lightbulbs. Parker sat, cross-legged, beside them.
"Daddy, can we put some music on?"
"Sure, Parker. Why don't you pick a CD out of our Christmas collection."
"Okay." Parker replied, getting up and running to the stereo.
"He just loves listening to Christmas music while we decorate the tree." Booth whispered to his partner. "Watch that, he'll pick the 'choir mix'."
Upon seeing Temperance's frown, Booth added:
"It's this tape I used to listen to when I was a child. My sister was in a choir and they recorded an album with their songs. I turned it into a CD when I got my new stereo."
Temperance nodded. This felt weird; being with him, at his house, only days from Christmas, and talking about Christmasie things felt all surreal to her. For the first time in years, she was celebrating Christmas, something she never thought she would be doing after her parents' disappearance. Yet, somewhere deep in inside, it felt almost normal to be doing this with her partner.
Seconds later, music was blasting through to the living room. Temperance jumped, startled. Booth chuckled.
"Parker, turn the volume down please."
The volume was turned down.
"Thank you."
You know Dasher, and Dancer, and
Prancer, and Vixen Comet, and Cupid, and
Donner and Blitzen
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all
Booth smirked and Temperance immediately knew that his assumption had been right. As Parker began to sing along, Temperance found herself smiling at the cuteness of his performance. She giggled softly as Parker began dancing around. Encouraged by Temperance's reaction, Parker began to sing louder.
Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
had a very shiny nose
and if you ever saw it
you would even say it glows.
Booth smiled tenderly at his partner. It was nice to see her having fun. Their eyes met and locked. As the second part of the chorus started, Booth's voice joined his son's.
All of the other reindeer
used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolphplay in any reindeer games.
"Come on, Bones. Sing along." Booth encouraged her.
Temperance shook her head, blushing slightly.
"No, Booth. I don't know the words."
Booth rolled his eyes.
"It's Rudolph the rednosed reindeer. Everybody knows that song. Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say..."
And for a reason Temperance couldn't quite pinpoint, she found herself singing in spite of herself.
"Rudolph with your nose so bright,
won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Then all the reindeer loved him
as they shouted out with glee,
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,
you'll go down in history!
You'll go down in history
You'll go down in hiiiiss-tooo-ryyyyy.
The song end and Parker immediately began clapping. Booth joined in, soon followed by Temperance who let out a quiet laugh.
"Okay." Booth said as the CD changed to a new song. "Let's get these things untangled so we can start decorating."
Up on the housetop, reindeer pause
Out jumps good ol' Santa Claus
Down through the chimney with lots of toys
All for the little ones, Christmas joys
And about an hour later, the three of them were standing, looking proudly at the fruit of their labor: a very sparkling Christmas tree illuminated the now dim-lighted living room. Booth looked down at his son. In his eyes, he could see the reflection of the twinkling tree in front of them. He sighed happily.
His gaze continued its trail until it reached his partner. Temperance was staring intently at the tree. Her face showed no emotion whatsoever but Booth knew that whatever emotions his partner might have been feeling, it was all happening internally. He couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked at that moment. Her hair was temporarily died by the colours of lights on the tree. Red, blue, green, yellow and purple all mixed together in her hair like a rainbow. Booth felt a wave of a certain familiar emotion wash over him.
He watched her a few more seconds before turning back to the tree.
"Okay, who wants hot chocolate?"
"Me, me, me!" Parker replied, immediately.
Temperance chuckled softly at the boy's excitment.
"Bones?"
Temperance nodded.
Booth began to walk to the kitchen, his son on his heels, when he realized his partner wasn't following. He turned to her and was going to open his mouth when she said:
"Go. I'll join you in a minute."
Booth nodded, immediately understanding what his partner was silently asking. Pulling his son closer to him, they walked to the kitchen.
Temperance stayed behind and turned back at the tree. The beauty of it was breathtaking and Temperance couldn't remember the last time she had seen such a beautiful scenery. A few tears shot to her eyes and one managed to fall. It slowly made its way down her cheek and dropped on the collar of her shirt. The tear was soon followed by another one.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun around, startled.
"It's okay to feel overwhelmed, Bones."
Temperance blinked back the remainder of the tears.
"I'm not feeling overwhelmed. I'm fine."
She sniffed.
"Really, Booth. I'm fine."
Booth nodded. He wasn't going to argue with her on that one.
"Come on." Booth said, trying to sound cheerful despite the feeling of sadness and sympathy he was feeling for his friend. "Let's go make some hot chocolate."
Okay, I desperately need your help. What do you think Temperance should get Booth for Christmas? I just can't seem to find something for him. So if you have any ideas, feel free to let me know. I might just pick your idea. :-)