I finally got 15 min. on my grandparents computer to use the internet… I finished this chap. yesterday on my laptop and have been dying to post it… so here goes. And Happy Thanksgiving!

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The grandfather clock in the old hotel rang 11 times. And Temperance Brennan couldn't sleep. She was tired. Working a case, especially in cold, snowy upstate New York, will do that to you, but she absolutely couldn't fall asleep. Something Booth said was keeping her awake. Why couldn't she just let it go? He'd tell her what he really meant later if she asked. She intentionally slowed her breathing and emptied her lungs; then slowly filled them back up. Calm. Calm. Calm. Crap. This is all his fault.

He was talking about me right? Maybe it was one of those 'things' that she just didn't understand. She hated not understanding normal people's speech, Hyperbole was something that she didn't catch until it was too late; Idioms went right over her head; References, unless they were historical, confused her; and Personification just plain annoyed her. Scientific speech was what she knew and understood, but apparently that meant she couldn't converse with a normal guy like Booth.

Tempe you need to sleep, he's gonna kick your butt in the morning if you are too tired to work efficiently. She flipped over and tried the other side of the huge bed. Too cold.

What if it was an insult? No, Booth was far too respectful of her to insult her in a way she wouldn't understand. Well he did call her his 'grandmother' once, on that tunnel case last spring… Nope. There wasn't any noticeable malice in his body language when he said it. There were all the earmarks of a joke, but somehow it seemed different than when Angela or Hodgins made a joke like that. He seemed less detached, less sarcastic almost, for lack of a better word, loving. Angela! I could call her and ask… but she'd probably just laugh and tell me to ask Booth or squeal and tell me to go jump him.

Her warm feet hit the cold floor and she searched for the hotel's white fuzzy slippers. She had left the fire burning but two hours later it was just embers. The room had begun to grow cold and she shivered a little as she pulled on a big sweater from her suitcase. A brisk walk to the dining room and back will be good for me. Some hot chocolate will help too.

Brennan never made it all the way downstairs, because as she passed the second floor she saw Booth's door. 203. A subconscious force tugged at her and she found herself in front of it. She began a mental debate whether to knock or not. As she was arguing with herself, a voice behind her said jovially "Caught ya, Bones. Now you can't short my sheets or steal my clothes."

Her brain's debate shut off as she realized who was behind her. "Why would I do that Booth?"

"It's a prank, like at sleep- away camp in Junior High."

"Oh."

"I'm glad you came down, I was actually on my way up to bring you this."

She finally noticed the two steaming mugs in his hands. She laughed. He was bringing me hot chocolate."Booth, that's why I was down here, I came down to get some. I had noticed the machine in the Dining room earlier and figured it would be left on at night. What a coincidence that we had the same idea."

"Well, I wouldn't really call it that much of a coincidence, I heard you tossing and turning up there… Your room is right above mine. Are you alright?"

She was touched, and making eye contact with him, she knew he knew it. "Yea, I just can't seem to sleep."

"Ok. Why don't you come in and we'll see if some hot chocolate and excellent conversation can make you a little sleepier." He waggled his eyebrows at the word 'excellent' and she smiled at his typical over-confidence.

"Sure." He held the door open and motioned to the big pair of faded red velveteen armchairs that stood in front of Booth's still roaring fire. She plonked down gladly in the toasty chair as he handed her her mug.

"This really is a beautiful hotel, I'm glad it's the only one in town so I can get away writing this off as an expense to the Bureau."

His statement about the hotel reminded her why she had come down here in the first place. I might as well ask him…

"Hey Booth… can I ask you something?"

"Always." He answered sweetly between sips of the rich cocoa.

The questions tumbled out so fast he could hardly hear them. "Why did you call me Clarice? And why'd the bellman laugh when you called him 'Hermey'? His name was George. And what's an abominable snowman? Is it one of those things I don't understand? Because I really do try."

He nearly burst out laughing into his hot chocolate, but he looked up at her first. She looked so eager and confused; it was so adorable that his mirth overflowed into a wide, saccharine smile.

After a minute he stood and walked over to the large antique armoire that opened to reveal a television. Searching through the local TV guide as he spoke, he explained his references; "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. It's an old kid's Christmas movie. Clarice, Hermey and 'the Bumble' are all characters in it. Hermey is an elf that wants to be a dentist instead of a toy-maker, and 'the Bumble' is a big abominable snowman who turns out to be nice. And Clarice" He paused in his perusing and looked her in the eyes as he said softly; "… She's the nice, pretty reindeer who accepts Rudolph even though he's different.

She broke eye contact first, and leaving him internally flustered. He flicked on the TV and consulted the guide again tuning it to channel 35. "Anyways Bones, you asked this question at the right time of year because three weeks before Christmas this movie is on all the time. We can catch most of it right now; besides, the first part is just Rudolph not fitting in and stuff."

Booth flopped onto the king-sized bed and watched with her, explaining as it went on. He observed as she assimilated the movie, taking everything in, almost like a child. The look innocence on her face was something he'd never seen in her before. She began to giggle, also something Booth had never heard before.

"Booth I can't believe you called the bellman Hermey… he probably should have hit you!"

"It was a compliment… Dentists are very highly regarded in some circles." He laughed in return. "I'm glad you're enjoying it. Most people have seen this so many times they hate it. It's nice to watch it with fresh eyes."

Temperance got up from her chair, and leaving her mug on the mantle flopped onto the bed right next to him. "Thanks. It's good to feel like a kid sometimes."

She is feeling childish! That's why she's being so playful. It's sweet. She's sweet.

They silently watched Rudolph until the clock struck twelve. As the ancient clock in the hall bonged its way to twelve. Booth noticed a change in his partners face. She smiled like she was remembering something.

"What's up Bones? It's midnight."

Her smile got wider and her eyes lit up, but she kept her concentration on Rudolph's adventures with Hermey. "Yea, that's it Booth; Midnight. It's my favorite time of day."

"How come?"

Turning to look at him and leaning up on one elbow, she described her midnight. "It's so different from all the other times. It's exciting and yet it happens everyday. It's an end and a beginning at basically the same moment. It's a time that begins years and ends days. It's also the exact moment I was born. It makes me remember my family as it was, not how I know it now. Midnight seems alive to me, and when your life is about death, you cling to things that seem more alive than their surroundings." She paused here, obviously thinking hard about something.

She looked him straight in the eye, as determined as he'd ever seen her. "Booth, I think that's why I value you and Angela as friends; you seem to live more than anyone I've known. Angela loves everything; she sees value and beauty in so much that it comes through in her lifestyle. And you… you make other peoples lives so much better by what you do, enriching your own in the process. I don't know where you get your hope Booth, but the way you live… it's beautiful."

He regarded her caringly. "Thanks Bones, that's probably the best compliment I've ever gotten."

Another warm smile matched his. "You're welcome, but Booth? Why is the abominable snowman good now?"

They laughed and talked for a while longer, and as the credits began to roll Booth noticed that his partner had fallen asleep, just like a worn out kid. The soft glow of the TV created an ethereal light upon her sleeping form, and it took everything in him not to wake her with a kiss and lead her upstairs, but he couldn't. So he did the next best thing, he gently scooped her up into his capable arms and carried her back to her room.

As he laid her under the soft down comforter and tucked her in, he thought about what she had said to him about midnight, and about his hope. The clock read 1:05 as he reached past it and tenderly tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, lingering slightly as he pulled away. He whispered something as he turned to leave, barely discernable from the sound of the wind and snow whipping outside the windows.

"Most of my hope comes from you Bones. You and your beautiful mind."

As the door closed behind him, a small blissful smile gave her away.

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