Parker smiled at Brennan and then turned his attention to his still silent, slack-jawed father. He tugged on his baggy sweatpants and failed to hold back a laugh. "Hey, Dad."

Booth couldn't be sure he wasn't dreaming right now. It had been a long day, so he could have come home and crashed on the couch. He pinched himself, blinked, rubbed his eyes, and shook his head, but nothing erased the image of his son standing by the fireplace. He turned to Brennan, who was biting her lip and looking at her hands. "Bones?"

Brennan glanced at him. "Hmm?"

"How?" Still in shock, Booth looked at Parker and shook his head again. "But I thought you were going snowboarding in Switzerland."

Parker shrugged. "I am. On the 27th 'til the 2nd."

"But your Mom said you were going for Christmas," Booth said, trying not to sound too disappointed that Parker was only staying a few nights; after all, he was extremely grateful he was getting to spend any time at all with his son.

"Yeah, well, we lied."

Booth turned back to Brennan. "Your idea?"

"Not just her idea, Dad; she arranged the whole thing, even our trip to Switzerland," Parker cut in.

Booth coughed. "Our trip?"

Parker beamed. "Yeah! All of us. Christine, too. Isn't that awesome?"

Booth blinked, staring at Brennan. What the Hell? "What's going on?"

Brennan swallowed. "Merry Christmas, Booth."

"Merry Christmas? Merry Christmas?" Booth laughed. "That's all you have to say?"

She furrowed her brow. "I don't understand."

"First you tell me we're having a baby, then you somehow manage to get Rebecca to agree to allow Parker to spend Christmas with us and get him here without me knowing a thing, and now Parker's telling me we're all going to Switzerland in four days. And all you have to say is Merry Christmas?"

"I'm sorry I kept this hidden from you, Booth. You have no idea how difficult it was keeping this a secret. I wanted to tell you and there were many times in the last three months that I almost did, but Angela reminded me that most people enjoy surprises immensely and you would somehow be even happier when you saw Parker if you expected him to be spending the Holidays somewhere else. And I—."

Booth practically tackled her, pinning her underneath him, her shoulders pressed against the arm of the couch. He pressed his lips against hers, effectively shutting her up. He broke the kiss when Parker cleared his throat. He blushed, wiping off his mouth. He wrapped his arms tightly around Brennan and squeezed her, not wanting to let her go. "Bones," he breathed out, "thank you. I don't know how you did all this, but thanks."

She completed the embrace and rested her head on his shoulder. "You're welcome, Booth."

Booth eventually pulled away and jumped up, remembering suddenly that Parker was there. He ran over to the teenager and pulled him into a hug, lifting him up off the ground and spinning him around, as if he weren't sixteen but six. "Bub, I missed you so much." He set him back down, ruffled his hair, and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Parker rolled his eyes. "Daaaad!" He laughed and gave his father another hug. "I missed you too."

"I can't believe it. Your Mom's okay with this?"

Parker waved his hand. "Yeah. It took some convincing on Bones' part, but she eventually got on board. She's spending Christmas and New Year's with Chad and that's a-okay with her."

"Chad?"

Parker nodded. "Her boyfriend," he grumbled. "So, Bones, whatcha got in the kitchen to eat?" he asked her, already on his way towards the refrigerator.

"I wasn't quite sure what you would like, so I thought we could go to the grocery store later and you could pick out some things. There are a few frozen pizzas in the freezer currently, along with those fried chicken sticks you seemed enamored with last time you were here."

"Sweet!"

"You really should think about selecting a few healthier items when we go to the store, Parker."

"Yeah, whatever, Bones," Parker replied, head in the freezer.

Booth smiled, sitting back down on the couch and propping his feet on the coffee table. He still couldn't believe Brennan had pulled this off; he hadn't even suspected anything.

Brennan sank down beside him and leaned against him. Resting her hand on his thigh, she looked at him. "Are you happy?"

Booth blinked. "Bones, you're kidding me, right?"

"No."

"Of course I'm happy!" Booth slid his arm around her back and kissed the side of her head. "First the baby and now this? I couldn't be happier." He paused. "We're really going to Switzerland? All of us?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"You didn't have to—Bones, this is too much. I—you shouldn't have spent so much money. Parker being here was enough."

"You work hard, Booth, and it's been a long time since we've taken a vacation and never as a family. I know how much you miss Parker and you always complain about not being able to spend as much time with him as you'd like. You are an excellent father and an exceptional partner. This is my way of saying how much I appreciate you. I love you. Merry Christmas."

"Any more surprises I should know about?"

She laughed, punching him lightly in the shoulder. "No." She paused. "And don't think that you need to return my gift," she gave him a look after he smirked at her, "—yes, I know you bought me something even though I told you countless times it was unnecessary—and buy me something extravagant. I didn't do this for anything in return."

"How did I get so lucky?" Booth asked out loud, more to himself. "Christine's going to be so happy."

"Yes, she loves him very much. I hope Christine and this baby have a bond as strong as the one she and Parker share." She placed her hand on her stomach and smiled.

"They will, Bones, just you wait." Booth sighed against her hair and covered her hand with his. "You're not gonna be skiing with us, are you? Because it's dangerous and I don't want—."

She glared at him. "Booth!"

"I'm just saying. If you fall or some beginner accidentally crashes into you, or you run into a tree or something—."

She rolled her eyes. "Didn't we discuss your overprotectiveness when I was pregnant with Christine?"

"Yeah, and as I recall, I told you it didn't matter what you said or how much you complained, I was still going to be overprotective because it makes me feel less helpless."

She sighed. "I'll have you know, I am an excellent skier," she huffed. "Why don't you and Parker go to the store now?"

Booth nodded, letting the subject drop for the time being. "Yeah, sure."

"Remember, Booth, not just junk food."

Booth flashed her a smile. "Got it, Bones." He stood up and headed for the kitchen.

"I'm serious, Booth!"

Booth laughed, grabbed his son, and then the two of them left, Brennan still shouting out reminders and ranting about the consequences of a processed-food-only diet even as the door clicked shut.

Hope you liked this chapter :)

Next up: Christmas Day