Angela found out.

Brennan had figured it was probably just a matter of time, and sure enough, within an hour the artist marched in without knocking and stood in front of the desk, arms folded across her chest.

"Is it true?"

"What are you talking about?" Maybe if she presented a calm front and gave it no credence, Angela would assume it was just an unsubstantiated rumor. That seemed reasonable.

Unfortunately, Angela was very, very good at this. "You kissed him, didn't you?"

"Who?"

"Booth. You know – tall, handsome, wears skinny ties, always hangs around you like a lost puppy –"

"He does not hang around like a puppy."

Angela sat, indicating that she had no intention of letting this go before she was finished. Brennan groaned internally. "But you kissed him."

It was no use trying to stall. Angela could smell fear. And deflection. "Yes."

"You have a lot of explaining to do. How exactly did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?"

Brennan quickly explained Caroline's bizarre blackmailing. "There was no other way to make her agree."

"I can't believe I never thought of doing that," Angela sighed. "Blackmail is such a beautiful thing."

"It's illegal."

"Whatever." Angela wasn't going to get hung up on technicalities. "I want details."

"There's nothing else to tell," Brennan shrugged. "I kissed him, and I got what I wanted."

Angela grinned a little too evilly. "You 'got what you wanted?'"

"Caroline talked to the judge," she hastened to explain, flushing slightly as she understood Angela's implication.

"And I thought that meant tongue -"

"Angela!!"

"What?" Angela shrugged, then leaned forward conspiratorially. "So . . . is he a good kisser?"

Was he a good kisser? She had no idea how to respond truthfully to that. It had been a fairly innocent kiss, though she had felt herself panic at the end. But if there was any way to judge based on the sudden, tingly shimmer that had run down her spine, or the way she'd found herself sorely tempted to lean back in and try again –

"I don't know. It wasn't much of a kiss."

"Oh, that's not what I heard." Angela gave a cat-like smile, leaning back in her chair. "From what I hear, there was just a tiny bit too much tongue for 'just friends.' And you two were grinning like lovesick idiots afterwards."

Brennan chose not to respond to that. Because . . . it was all true. And she had no intention of affirming to Angela that Booth's tongue might have accidentally been in her mouth for just a second. She wasn't completely sure, but she knew her lips had parted involuntarily. "How did you even hear about this?"

"Hodgins saw the whole thing. And . . . he might have grabbed his phone and sent me a picture . . ."

Tempe sighed. "Don't you two actually have work to do here?"

"Not when you and the Living Hotness Commercial are giving 'Days of Our Lives' screenings for free."

"Angela!!"

Angela sailed out, smiling serenely. Brennan sighed and covered her face with her hands. This was getting out of hand. She wanted to just move on, ignore the previous embarrassing episode with the stupid mistletoe that had been stuffed quickly into the trash, and forget it all happened.

XXX

Later she happened to walk by Angela's desk on her way to speak to Zack.

"Angela, take that off right now."

"Why?" Angela smiled. She had taken Hodgins' cell phone picture of the kiss, enlarged it and clarified the pixels, and it now graced the desktop of her computer, ringed with a border of vivid lilies and poinsettias, with curly script beneath it reading "Christmas Magic" on a banner carried by pudgy winged cherubs. Damn the fact that she was an artist and it had probably taken her all of three minutes.

"It's completely unprofessional."

"Oh, come on. No one's going to see it."

"Angela, please, just get rid of it -"

"- Tempe -"

"- just keep it out of the workplace."

"Bones - what the hell?"

Her eyes went wide as she turned, too late to stop Booth from seeing Angela's computer. Dammit, she hadn't even realized he was here yet. He stared at her, a mixture of confusion, puzzlement, and embarrassment on his face. "Where did you get that?"

"A friend," Angela smiled sweetly. "Isn't it cute?"

"Well - it's not - I mean, it's not real -" he stumbled over his words, face turning pink.

"I told her how it happened," Brennan assured him.

"I think it's so sweet. You played tonsil hockey to bring Christmas to her family."

"Angela!!" they both hissed, Brennan's face as pink as Booth's. She was avoiding his eyes now. Angela smiled and sighed contentedly. Brennan could deny it all she wanted, but they wouldn't be so embarrassed about the whole thing if they hadn't really enjoyed it. A lot more than they wanted too.

"Y'know what, Bones, I think I'm gonna go - I, uh, have to get Parker -" she nodded, thankful that he was leaving so she could continue pretending the whole thing had never happened.

"Merry Christmas," Angela trilled after him. He just shook his head and walked away.

"Will you please take that picture down?"

"I will, sweetie." With a few clicks, Angela's desktop background changed from the garishly flowery kiss to a picture of Charlie Brown with his little Christmas tree. "Hey, have you decided? You still going to Peru?"

Was she? Brennan didn't know. Half an hour later, she was staring at her plane ticket, trying to figure out what to do. The dig was important . . . but there would be scientists there from seven countries. Her presence wasn't absolutely necessary.

Christmas in Peru, or Christmas with her family?

At the thought of family, her mind drifted back to earlier in the day, at the diner. Parker had pleaded with his father - he didn't want to go skiing - and Booth had assured him that it would be a wonderful vacation, but Parker wanted none of it. A child, who by all means should have pursued his own enjoyment, instead just wanted to stay with his father.

She stood, glanced one last time at her plane ticket, and within minutes she tossed it into her desk drawer before pulling out her keys and heading for her car. She had to hurry if she was going to get to the jail in good time.

XXX

As the tree out in the parking lot lit up, for the first time in years she could feel the sting of happy tears in her eyes. It was beautiful. As the little girls crowded around the window, shrieking with delight, she just stared at the little tree and the two figures beside it. Even at this distance, she could see the smile on Booth's face, which she knew must match her own. He was infuriating, and annoying, and stubborn, and this was one of the kindest things anyone had ever done for her.

"I love my gift, Booth."

"Merry Christmas, Bones."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: Well, originally this was going to have been a one-shot, but now I'm thinking there'll probably be one more chapter. Anyway, thanks for reviewing, and I hope you've enjoyed it!