AN: Originally this story was co-written by myself and Tozzyoby, but as I haven't heard from her in over a year, I've decided to finish this story on my own. As you can tell by the original publish date, I've been working on this story for about two years now. I considered editing it to make Cam not so harsh, but I'm going to leave it be for now. I hope to have this finished by Christmas this year, and I apologize for taking so long to post again. Enjoy the story, and remember…reviews help keep me from slipping into a deep, dark depression, so please be kind to your author and drop me a line when you're done.

"Hey, something smells good, Dr. B," Hodgins said as Brennan ushered the group into her apartment. Booth took their coats, a move not lost on Angela as she looked between the pair. Brennan's shirt was slightly rumpled, as was Booth's normally perfect hair, and both of them had flushed cheeks. A quick glance around the room found a sprig of mistletoe on the floor by the couch.

"It's cranberry orange bread. I thought I would visit some old traditions in the spirit of the holiday. It should be sufficiently cooled by now to serve." Brennan turned to make her way to the kitchen while the group moved to the couch to sit down. Angela picked up the mistletoe and twirled it between her fingers before glancing up at Booth with a wicked grin on her face.

"You guys do know this stuff is supposed to be hung in a doorway, right? Any particular reason it's on the floor by the couch?"

"It's there because it fell off of the coffee table." The tone of his voice told her to drop the subject as Brennan came back into the room with freshly sliced bread on a platter for the group.

"Sweetie, you should have told us you were making something. I would have brought something over." Brennan waved her off as she set the platter down onto the table.

"So why exactly did you want us over," Angela asked when Brennan sat down next to Booth. Temperance took in a deep breath and got a reassuring squeeze from Booth before she began.

"I want to provide Christmas for Sarah and the kids." Everyone was silent for a long time, and she was worried that putting herself out to scrutiny was the wrong thing to do. "I mean, the job for the Cantilever Group will help out in the long run, but she's still not able to provide the type of holiday that she wants for Haley and Alex. I just thought that maybe..."

"Bren, that is the sweetest thing. Of course we'll help with whatever needs to be done."

"Well that's just it. I'm not exactly sure what I need to do. I mean obviously we'll need presents for both Haley and Alex."

"I can take care of that Bones. Count on me to get them the best gifts I can." Brennan beamed at Booth, her eyes watering a bit from the support she was getting from her friends. While not sure what type of a reception she would receive for her idea, the support overwhelmed her.

"Sarah can move in to the staff house on property as soon as she wants," Hodgins said, his eyes twinkling merrily at the idea of surprising the nurse and her two children. Angela bounced a bit in her seat, excitement written all over her.

"Oh, I can decorate! I know this really great place that has decorations for really reasonable prices."

"That's wonderful Ange. I'm sure that Hodgins and Zack can help you set everything up in the house."

"No," Hodgins said with a vehement shake of his head. "Have you ever worked with her when she's put in charge? The woman's a task master."

"Yeah, a task master who you want to keep happy, right?" Angela turned her full attention on Brennan, practically bouncing in her seat. "What do you say we go tonight? We can see the house, and I can get a better idea of what I'll need, and we can go look for a tree and some of the other decorations! Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" Temperance looked somewhat leery of a further outing for the day and glanced at Booth. He gave her leg another reassuring squeeze and leaned forward to address the artist.

"Actually Angela, why don't the three of you go look at the house, and then tomorrow you and Bones can look into the decorations. How does that sound?" Angela glanced from Brennan to Booth and nodded in understanding.

"Sure, we can do that. I suppose it will give me more time to plan out something spectacular for Sarah." She stood and took a couple of pieces of the bread as she did so. She then grabbed Hodgins and Zack to drag them from the apartment with her. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early." She looked from Booth to Brennan. "I won't be interrupting anything will I?"

"No Ange, she's all yours tomorrow," Booth said as he and Brennan showed the others to the door.

"Great. I'll see you in the morning, and happy holidays sweetie," Angela said as she hugged Brennan goodbye. Once the three were gone, Booth closed the door and turned back to Temperance. He pulled her flush against him and placed a gentle kiss onto her lips.

"I'm proud of you Bones. You're really doing a great thing for Sarah."

"Well, it's just that she deserves so much, and has had such a hard time recently. She feels the same way that you do about the holidays, and I think it's time she gets what she should out of life."

"I guess I shouldn't have expected any less from you, especially after that funeral you paid for last year." Brennan made a noise to brush off his comment and waved her hand in a non-committal manner.

"Maria and her father were Catholic, and deserved to have a proper burial. It was nothing."

"No, it wasn't nothing. Do you have any idea how few people would have made the effort? You're an extraordinary woman, Temperance." When she looked away from him, he placed a finger under her chin and maneuvered her face until she was looking at him again. He leaned in and captured her lips with his own. She was amazed as always about the depth of emotions she experienced when they kissed. Curious about one thing, she pulled away from him and looked him in the eye.

"You don't cheat." Booth quirked up an eyebrow as he held her gaze.

"No, I don't."

"Then am I to assume that you and Dr. Saroyan have ended your relationship?"

"I can assure you that I would not have kissed you the first time if I were still with Cam, so yes, my relationship with her is over. Why the sudden curiosity? I would have thought you knew the answer to that."

"Logically I did, but whatever has gone on between us within the last week has had me somewhat confused. I'm not quite sure where our relationship is currently." She pulled away from Booth and sat down on her couch, and leaned her head against her hand. "Are we dating? Are you expecting to have sex with me? Angela seems to think so, and based on our recent behavior I'd have to agree with her, and yet as much as I find you aesthetically pleasing, the thought of moving our relationship further along than it is currently makes me nervous. Normally I have no problems with satisfying urges, but I can't help thinking that what we do together would be different." Booth opened and closed his mouth a few times before he sat down next to her. He took one of her hands between his and turned her to face him.

"Bones, you know that I would never pressure you into anything you weren't ready for, right?" She nodded, and he continued on. "I get that we've made a jump in our relationship, and I'm glad that we have. For now, we just move one day at a time." Booth grinned at her. "Although I do have to say I'm shocked that you're looking beyond biological urges."

"I'm not. I just think that things are different with you."

"Thanks Bones. That means a lot. Now come on, we have some supplies to buy if I'm going to make those secret Santa gifts."

XxXxX

"Merry Christmas Sweetie," Angela said as she knocked on Brennan's door the next morning. She was a tad bit surprised to see the door cracked open, especially with how protective Booth was about Bren keeping her apartment. When she peeked into the apartment, a smile broke out onto her face. Booth and Brennan were asleep on the couch, surrounded by various paper reindeer and angels. Temperance had her head on Booth's shoulder, and his arm was around her, holding her to him.

Angela stepped into the apartment and straightened up the coffee table, dividing the little paper figures into two piles for Haley and Alex. She stopped moving when she heard the couple shift on the couch. Brennan nodded forward until her head landed in Booth's lap. With a soft sigh, she curled her legs up onto the couch and kept on sleeping.

The artist moved to the kitchen and put on some coffee while doing a search for some food to make for breakfast. As the aromatic scent of the coffee made its way into the other room, the partners stirred on the couch, finally waking. Angela popped around the corner and smiled at them as they looked around, confused.

"Morning my little lovebirds. It's Sunday morning, are you ready for some holiday cheer?"

"Ange, what are you doing here?" Brennan stood and made her way into the kitchen to take over in the search for breakfast.

"Well, we are going shopping for decorations today, and it's best if we start early. Jack took me by the house last night. Oh my god, Bren it is the absolute cutest thing. It's just perfect for some Victorian inspired decorations, and I have a whole plan worked out. Everything's going to be great."

"I'm glad to hear it. We need to stop by the motel Sarah's living at to drop off the secret Santa gifts for Haley and Alex, and then I think we can head out for the decorations."

"Sounds good to me sweetie." Angela poked her head around to the living room again where Booth was straightening out his clothes and checking the time. "Care to join us Booth?"

"Sorry, but I can't. I have to go to Mass, and then I have a few errands of my own to run. You ladies have fun though." He smiled and planted a kiss on Brennan's lips before he left the apartment. He really didn't care if Angela knew that something had changed between him and Brennan. She'd find out soon enough as it was. Once the door to the apartment was shut, the artist rounded on Temperance.

"So how is everything going between you and Booth? You don't seem quite so…nervous about the whole thing." Brennan poured herself a cup of coffee and took a sip as she contemplated her answer.

"I think it was all just needless worrying. We discussed a few things last night and I'm much more comfortable with our current situation."

"Only you would call dating a hottie like Booth a 'situation'."

"We're taking everything one day at a time, and that's all you're getting out of me on the subject. Now, just give me about half an hour to get ready and we can get going."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be here," Angela said and waved off her friend. As Brennan headed to her room to get ready for the day, Angela started breakfast. They could at least eat before starting a whole day of shopping. She smiled as she thought again about what Brennan was doing for Sarah and her two children. There weren't very many people who were willing to help someone out, even if just from the goodness of their hearts. She was sure that she was right about Temperance. The reason the anthropologist often came across as a bit cold was to shelter herself from hurt. She was one of the most compassionate and sincere people she ever had the privilege to know.

XxXxX

"Bren, are you sure this is the right place?" Angela looked at the rather seedy motel with a frown. It looked to be the type of place that was rented by the hour. There was no way that this was a safe environment for those two kids.

"This is the address that Sarah gave me. How soon did Hodgins say before Sarah could move into the on site house?"

"He said they can move in when they want. I'm going to interpret that as today. There's no way she should have to live here any longer than necessary." Temperance turned off the engine as she and Angela got out of the car to look for the number of Sarah's apartment. There were a couple of shifty looking tenants eyeing them as they walked around the motel property, which was something that gave Angela a serious case of the willies.

"Good, because I was going to suggest that she and the kids stay with me until they could move in. Ah, here we are." Brennan knocked on the door, glad when it was opened fairly quickly. Haley looked at her from the other side and beamed when she saw who it was.

"Mom, Dr. Brennan and Angela are here! Can I let them in?" Sarah came to the door and smiled at the two ladies. She unchained the door and opened it for them to come inside.

"Of course sweetheart. Dr. Brennan, Angela, what can I do for you?" Brennan took in the interior of the small hotel room and frowned for a moment before schooling her features into a more neutral expression. This was no place to raise children.

"Oh, well I have something to drop off for Alex and Haley. I seem to have overheard them talking about secret Santa gifts and thought that these might help." She handed a bag filled with paper angels and reindeer to the nurse with a smile.

"You didn't have to do that. Honestly Dr. Brennan, there's no possible way for me to pay you back if you keep this up." She handed the bag to Alex and pointed to a small circular table. He poured the figures out onto the table where he and his sister began to sort through them excitedly.

"Honestly, it's not a problem at all. That's not the only reason we're here. We spoke with Dr. Hodgins, and he informed us that the house set up for your quarters is available to move into, so as soon as you can have everything packed up, you can head over. He'll have the keys waiting for you at the front gate." Sarah looked from Brennan to Angela and threw her arms around both women.

"Thank you for everything you've done the past week. I've been praying for help, but I honestly didn't think that it would do any good. It seems like I've been given a guardian angel after all." Angela looked over at Brennan, glad to see that the anthropologist was holding her tongue on the comment.

"I know it's not the same as providing gifts for your children, but I hope this helps out for the holiday," Brennan said and offered Angela a wink over Sarah's shoulder. A warm feeling filled her chest, and she wondered if this was truly what the season was all about. After all, it was the season of giving, and she wasn't nearly through yet.