A/N: As promised, here's the epilogue for the story. This chapter is set a year after the previous chapter. Happy New Year, Galaxy Gurl...

It was the second Saturday in December, and things were in an uproar in the Booth/Brennan household as they got ready to leave for their afternoon outing.

"Daddy! I can't find my fuzzy white sweater with the unicorn on it!", Christine wailed from the hallway. "It's my favorite!"

"Daddy! I can't find my other shoe!", Hank yelled as he ran through the living room, stopping suddenly to face his father. "Is it under the couch?"

Brennan brought baby Joey into the room at that moment and handed him over to her husband. "The baby seems quite fussy for some reason. I think he may have an excessive amount of gas in his gastrointestinal tract. Can you try to burp him while I wrap up the cookies for the party?"

"Yeah, sure...no problem." Grimacing slightly, Booth threw a cloth diaper over his shoulder before cautiously propping his infant son up and patting him gently on his back, all the while trying to direct traffic for his two older children. "Christine, your white sweater may be in the laundry. Go put on your red one. Hank, go get a different pair of shoes from your closet. C'mon everybody. We need to leave in ten minutes or we're gonna be late for seeing Santa Claus."

As Christine and Hank ran to get their things, Brennan came out of the kitchen, holding a tray of cookies over her head as a large, friendly dog followed close behind, barking loudly as he bounced happily in circles. "Could you please call the dog, Booth?"

"Mike...here."

The large black lab reluctantly left his mistress's side and came over to sit in front of Booth. Resting his graying snout on Booth's leg, the dog looked up at his master with soulful eyes as his tail thumped loudly against the floor.

"You know dogs don't eat cookies, right, boy?" Balancing Joey in one hand, Booth reached down to stroke the dog's broad head with the other. "But you're a good dog, anyway, aren't you…" Booth smiled as he scratched Mike's ears. "Okay...kennel…"

The dog slowly rose to his feet and ambled over to his crate, groaning softly as he curled up on the blanket inside.

"I'm glad we were able to find an older dog at Lab Rescue, Booth." Brennan sat the cookie tray on the coffee table and took Joey from her husband. "Hank has enjoyed having his big black dog, and it was easier for us, too, since Mike was already so well trained."

"Yeah...the guy who had him before us did a great job with the training the dog, didn't he? Too bad he had to move to Spain and couldn't take him, but I think he felt better knowing that we'd take good care of Mike." Booth walked over and fastened the door on the kennel. "Ready to go, Bones?"

"Yes. Christine? Hank? We need to leave. Come along…put on your coats.", Brennan patted Joey until he offered up a small belch. "There we go. Much better." She put the baby in his carrier and tucked a blanket around him. "Do we have all the gift bags, Booth?"

"Yeah, they're in the back of the SUV. We're gonna help out a lot of families this year." He helped Christine into the car and fastened the belt on her car seat. "I think they collected almost twice as much money as they did last year, so we were able to get a lot of cool stuff."

"I'm glad." Brennan latched the car's seat belt around the base of Joey's infant carrier. "I know you enjoyed shopping for all the toys the children will be receiving at the party this year."

"I did. I don't mind doing the shopping at all, but I'm glad I let Aubrey take over the actual planning of the party. It really is a better job for a younger guy without any kids, you know? Besides…" Booth dropped his voice to a low whisper as he leaned toward his wife. "...I'm also gonna get to play with some toys when we go finish up the shopping for our own kids, right? You and Angela arranged the time trade off for next Tuesday and next Thursday…"

"We're going to the mall next Tuesday, and they're going Thursday. I decided we should wait to finish our shopping until after our children had a chat with Santa Claus, so that we can avoid the issues that occurred last year."

"So, no more big black dog surprises this year?" Booth gave his wife a silly grin. "Oh, c'mon, Bones...that's part of the fun of the holidays, isn't it? All the panicked last minute shopping after you finally believe everything's done?"

"That's not really my idea of fun." She paused as she heard her text alert chime. Smiling broadly, she held up her phone so Booth could take a quick glance at the picture that came up on her screen. "Parker got his Christmas gift today!"

Booth shook his head in surprise as he backed the SUV out of the garage. "I thought you said you sent him a check…"

"I did, but since he's an aspiring writer, I also sent him a thesaurus and some other books via Amazon. Let's see...oh, yes, here it is...Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury and Steering the Craft by Ursula Le Guin...and also one by Stephen King."

"With all those books to read he'll be too busy to write, won't he?", Booth teased. "Listen, I know much he appreciates that, you being on his side and all. I don't know the first thing about how to write a book, but with you to help him, I know he'll do great."

"Perhaps, although he may choose to write shorter works, such as poetry or essays. Anyway, I thought those volumes would be helpful for someone who's just starting out." Brennan looked at her stepson's picture on her phone and laughed at the next picture Parker had sent. The teenager's excitement was obvious as he held up a small piece of paper. "However, I believe he's probably more excited about the check we sent him."

"Mommy? Will Santy Claus be able to find Parker in England?", Hank asked anxiously, obviously concerned for his older brother. "He'll get some presents, won't he? I don't want Santy to forget about him."

"Of course, Santa can find him, silly." Christine rolled her eye at her younger brother. "Santa Claus has an app that helps him keep track of where people live after they move."

"Yeah, that makes perfect sense.", Booth chuckled. "And I guess Santa knows whether or not Parker has been good...and whether or not you've been good, Hank."

"Are we gonna have the same Santa at the party that was there last year? He was nice." Christine nodded happily at the memory. "I got to go back to school the Monday after the party last year and tell Maribeth what the man said about Santa being real, and it made her mad, but I didn't care."

"Christine, that's not very nice." Brennan turned around and gave her daughter a pointed look. "It's perfectly acceptable for Maribeth to have a different opinion than yours about something like Santa Claus. Even if you think you're correct, you can still be polite when you disagree with someone. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mommy, but it's really hard to be nice to Maribeth sometimes. We have different opinions a lot." Christine paused as another idea occurred to her. "Do grown ups have to be good to get presents, too? Does Santa leave gifts for you, Mommy?" Christine tilted her head to one side. "Do you still get toys, Daddy?"

Booth gave his wife a naughty smirk before he answered his daughter's question. "Mommy's been very, very good lately, so I bet Santa will give her something especially nice on Christmas Eve, and I bet I'll get at least one toy from Santa, too. Don't worry, Christine...you'll still get presents after you grow up."

Satisfied with her father's answer, the little girl shrugged. "Okay…"

Brennan giggled as she winked at her husband. "I can't wait for Christmas Eve, Booth…I find I'm quite curious about what Santa has in mind for my gift."

Cocking an eyebrow at her, he laughed softly. "Wait and see, Bones...wait and see…"

Oooooooooo

The large conference in the Hoover was once again brightly decorated for the FBI's family Christmas party. Brennan balanced Joey on her hip while she guided her two older children in to the room. Booth came in behind them, lugging several large gift bags. After setting the bags aside, the family stopped to admire the decor.

"This is quite spectacular, isn't it, Booth?" Brennan laughed as she looked around the room. "Aubrey did a wonderful job."

"I don't believe it. Disco balls?" Booth grinned, pointing to the ceiling as Aubrey came over to greet them. "Where the hell did you find those?"

Aubrey grinned at the large silvery balls suspended from the ceiling between cascades of silvery tinsel. "Pretty cool, huh? My grandma used to have a whole bunch of mirrored ornaments like that on her Christmas tree, so when I saw them at the party supply rental place, I decided they'd be perfect. See? They reflect all the different colors from the lights…" He smiled as the different colors were scattered around the room by the prismatic surfaces. "What do you think about the tree?"

A ten foot tall artificial spruce stood in a corner, covered with different kinds of small toys. Instead of garland, track for toy cars was wound around it, and miniature cars sped up to the top of the tree and then raced down toward the bottom. A toy train ran through a tiny town surrounding the base of the tree, with its small buildings and dollhouses made of legos, Lincoln logs, and other varieties of blocks. The baby dolls and stuffed animals nestled in the tree's branches seemed to dance to the Christmas music playing in the background, as teddy bears and larger dolls enjoyed their tea and sandwiches as they sat at a child sized table set with toy dishes.

"Wow...that's amazing." Booth stood in awe as he and his family took in all of the action on the tree. "How long did it take you to set that thing up?"

"Jessica and I spent a couple of evenings this week working on it. It was a lot of fun. Oh, look...there's Caroline." Aubrey waved to the prosecutor, who greeted her protege' with a warm smile.

"The place looks great, Cher'. Hey, Booth…" Caroline winked at her two favorite agents. "Everything looks great, Aubrey." She motioned for them to come closer. "Don't tell anyone, but I've got some pralines in my office for both of you…an early Merry Christmas, I suppose."

Booth tried to act cool about receiving the candy, without much success. "Really? That's great. Thanks, Caroline. By the way, Aubrey...is there someone who can help me bring the rest of the gift bags in from my car? I want to be here when my kids talk to Santa, so I'd like to get that done as soon as possible."

"Sure, we'll get somebody..." Aubrey waved the two teenagers over. "These boys are Agent Guinn's sons, and they're here to help at the party so they can get Honor Society points." He turned to the two young men. "I need you to help Agent Booth bring some things in. Why don't you give Tony your keys, Booth? They can go get the bags and you won't have to mess with them."

Booth eyed the teenager cautiously. "Okay. It's on the bottom level in slot 221. Make sure you lock it back up when you're done."

"Yes, sir." The boys chattered excitedly as they raced off to do their chore. "Oh, boy...a real FBI SUV…"

Arching an eyebrow, Booth turned to Aubrey with a chuckle. "I hope they don't go joyriding in my car. So where's Jessica, Aubrey? I haven't seen her yet."

"She's over there, talking shop with your wife." Aubrey chuckled as he watched his favorite redhead try to corral a feisty Hank before he could dive into the punch bowl. "We've had a lot of fun putting this party together. It was sort of dry run for planning a wedding, you know? We got to see what kind of stuff each other likes…like how fancy to make things for a reception...stuff like that…"

Booth grinned at his friend. "Does that mean you finally proposed to that girl? Congratulations! So, what...April, right?"

"Um...maybe...April...maybe May. I mean, we've talked about it, but we haven't made any official plans yet. We're still in the 'what if' stage. There's nothing to announce or anything like that..." Blushing, Aubrey was anxious to change the subject. "Did I tell you that Charlie Burns came to me and volunteered to be Santa Claus this year? He said he had a lot of fun last year, and he couldn't wait to do it again."

"That's probably be true, especially since he met his girlfriend at last year's Christmas party. Agent Prentice Perotta, remember? She works in Domestic Terrorism…"

"Her? Really? Wow! Her and Charlie?" After realizing he sounded snarky, Aubrey cleared his throat softly. "Sorry...it's just that she's really cute, and he's...well, he's Charlie, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. He may not be the handsomest fella in the world, but Charlie is a great guy. He's kind and caring, alright? Always pleasant...always willing to help others if they need something, and an all around upright guy. I think she appreciates that about him. That's what she was looking for in a man, I guess. She told me last week that he's planning on going around to some of the children's wards at the local hospitals over the next couple of weekends, so he can play Santa Claus for them, too. Nice, huh?"

"Yeah, it is. Speaking of which…" Aubrey checked his watch. "It's about time for the guest honor to make his appearance. Talk to you later."

Oooooooooo

Charlie Burns stood in a corridor outside of the conference room, waiting for the music that would announce his entrance. He grinned as he winked at his girlfriend. "You look good dressed as an elf."

Prentice pretended to glare at him as she pulled on the hem of her short green velvet skirt. "I think you're enjoying this just a little too much."

"Maybe, but I've got a reason to enjoy it. You definitely have the legs for that outfit." He stroked his white artificial beard thoughtfully. "Is Peyton bringing her boys today?"

"I think so, but don't worry...I don't think they'll recognize you. Cooper is very excited about talking to Santa, of course, but Jeremy will probably just squirm to get down. I also think Peyton wants to have a picture taken of both boys together with Santa, and this is about the cheapest way to do it. Aubrey had a good idea, you know? Suggesting that people donate a little bit of cash for their kids' picture with Santa here at the party is clever. Most people don't mind giving up a few dollars for a picture here when it costs so much more at the shopping mall, and it's for a good cause, too."

"Aubrey is smart, although he still has a lot to learn about running a division. Booth will be a good mentor for him, just like he was for me." Charlie grinned as Prentice tried to adjust her hat. "And just like I've been a good mentor to you."

"Now, wait a minute…", Prentice protested before she giggled softly. "I was an experienced agent before I got here, remember, Charlie?"

"I know, but you didn't know anything about life in DC, did you? Like how to get around town, or how much housing is…"

"The housing thing has been a big surprise." Prentice wrinkled her nose in mock disgust. "I'm not sure it's worth it to pay so much more for a place to live."

"But your parents are happier since you moved here, right?" Charlie rolled his eyes at her. "C'mon...DC is a great place to live…oh, there's my cue! We're on…"

Santa Claus is Coming to Town was playing loudly as the Jolly Old Elf entered the hall, waving and nodding to all the cheering children as he walked up the aisle to his large red chair. Smiling happily, he gestured to a smaller chair next to him, and the helper elf sat down, smoothing her skirt demurely. "Okay, boys and girls...today we have a special guest. Not only did I get to come see you, but I also brought an elf who works in the toy production division of the North Pole!" Prentice waved to the audience as they applauded. "Are you ready to take notes, my little pixie?

"Ready, Santa…" Prentice opened a large green notebook, which was decorated with a picture of Santa's sleigh and the reindeer. "Let's go…"

"Okay, so who's going to be first to sit on Santa's knee?" Assisted by their parents, the children quickly lined up to talk to St. Nick, jostling each other slightly as they all tried to get to the head of the line first.

"Slow down, boys and girls…", Santa chuckled. "I won't leave until I talk to everybody, so it doesn't really matter who's first, right?" Seeing all the heads bob up and down in agreement, he held out his hand to Agent Palmer's little girl. "Alrighty then...let's start with Heather. Come on up here, Sweetheart, and tell old Santy what you want for Christmas."

The line quickly moved along as each child told Santa Claus about what they were dreaming of finding under their tree on Christmas morning. After a half hour or so, Charlie looked over the crowd before leaning over to whisper to his helper. "Peyton's family is about three kids back in the line. You may want to excuse yourself so Cooper doesn't give your real identity away."

"Good idea.", she said quietly. Smiling, she hastily left her seat, leaving the notebook on the chair. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Walking to the back of the room, Prentice stopped at the refreshment table and poured herself a glass of punch. After choosing a cookie, she turned to see her nephews bouncing happily on Santa's lap. "Charlie is such a good guy…look at how good he is with those boys...", she murmured to herself.

"That he is. He's real good guy." As she overheard Agent Perotta's comment, Caroline Julian beamed with pleasure while she watched Charlie, who was having a great time greeting all the youngsters in the guise of Santa Claus. "You'd have to go a good long ways to find a man as good as that one...one that wasn't taken, I mean. Best not let that one get away from you, Cher'."

Prentice nodded as she finished her punch. "Don't worry, Ms. Julian…I won't. I'm gonna hang on to Charlie Burns for a long, long time."

Oooooooooo

The party had been a grand success, and all the gifts had been distributed to deserving families. The children all left with assurances that Santa Claus would personally take care of their Christmas wishes. After the last party goer left and the doors were closed, Charlie puffed out a tired sigh, watching as Aubrey began to clean up the remnants of the celebration.

"That was a lot of fun, but for some reason it wears me out." He grinned at his girlfriend. "I guess talking to a hundred kids in a span of two hours will do that to a guy."

"I think there were over a hundred kids here today, Charlie, but everyone had a good time, didn't they? That makes it all worthwhile, right?"

"Right." Charlie took off his fur trimmed hat and removed his beard. "Hey, after we get things wrapped up here, how about an early dinner at the Founding Fathers? Maybe we can watch It's a Wonderful Life when we get home…"

"That sounds great, but I want to change clothes first." Prentice narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend's smirk. "I'm not going anywhere in public dressed as an elf, especially in a skirt this short. I have to maintain my reputation as a hard nosed FBI agent…"

"...and you don't want to flash everyone in public." Charlie laughed as he began to unbutton his red coat. "I get that...believe me. I don't go out in public dressed as Santa. I always get into my costume when I get to the party. C'mon...let's go change."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Thirty minutes later, Charlie and Prentice were happily ensconced in a booth at the Founding Fathers, talking about the party.

"So Cooper wants more dinosaurs?", Charlie asked as he looked over his menu.

"Yeah, he loves them. I guess he has a dozen or so..." Prentice paused as the waitress came over to take their order. "All different shapes and sizes."

"I about fell over when Christine Booth asked for a kitten." Charlie was practically bubbling over with mirth. "Her dad hates cats...I mean, he can't stand them at all! It's gonna be interesting to see what's more important to him...making her happy by giving her what she asked Santa for, or making himself happy by not having a cat."

"That was pretty funny. Did you see the look on his face? He about passed out. And Aubrey...well, if I didn't know better I'd think Aubrey planted that little seed of catnip in Christine's mind…" Prentice shook her head as she chuckled. "I hope for Aubrey's sake Booth never finds out who gave her the idea…"

"You got that right...oh, look...snow…" Charlie pointed to the fluffy white flakes as they slowly fell through the dark sky. "See? Almost as good as Minnesota."

"I suppose." Prentice shrugged slightly as she sipped her drink. "Don't you miss it, though? The real white Christmases, and all the lakes, and the Twin Cities? I mean, I still do...just a little…"

"Nah…" Charlie shook his head resolutely. "I've got a good job. DC is a great city, even if it is expensive to live here, and I've got friends in the area." He paused as the server brought them their meal. "I think I've talked my parents into moving to North Carolina, so they'll be closer to me. My brother is participating in a job exchange program where he works, and he'll be in Singapore for a year, and it's my turn to help them anyway…" He winked at the woman across the table from him. "And I have a very cute girlfriend here in town, so I guess I'm gonna stay put…"

"Thanks, Honeybunch." Prentice smiled gently as she continued. "My parents are thrilled that I've moved closer to them, as is Peyton, and I'm adjusting very well, thanks to you. I still miss a few things about Minneapolis, but you've made the massive changes in my life much easier." She reached over to pat Charlie's hand. "By the way, I have a little something for you...it's an early Christmas gift, I guess...kind of silly, but here…"

She put a Christmas gift bag on the table. "Open it."

"But I don't have your gift here…", Charlie stammered, thinking about the diamond engagement ring that was sitting in its velvet box in his sock drawer. "I didn't know…it's not Christmas yet."

"Of course you didn't know. It's a surprise. Besides, this isn't your real gift. This is just a taste of what's to come, okay?" She pushed the bag closer to him. "Come on...please? Open it…"

"Oh, okay." He pulled the tissue from the bag and pulled out a magazine. "Oh...um...this is...nice…"

"Weird, right? Why would I give you a magazine made up of ads for apartment listings? Well, here's why." Prentice opened the magazine to a dog earred page. "I was looking at this one...two bedrooms, two baths...walk in closet in the master...nice sized kitchen. I think, if we wanted…" She hesitated slightly, wondering if she was doing the right thing, and then decided to go for it. "If we wanted, we could afford it if we moved in together and pooled our salaries. We spend a lot of time together anyway…"

Charlie's heart began to thump wildly as he realized what she was trying to say. "Prentice...are you asking me to move in with you?"

"Yes…" She nodded slowly. "Yes, I am. I love you, Charlie, and I want us to be together...if that's what you want, that is…"

"If that's what I want?" He could hardly keep from doing a crazy dance around the room. "Of course, that's what I want...of course, we can live together. Wow...this is crazy...I love you, Prentice, and you've made me so happy. Wow…" He exhaled slowly as he grinned at her. "This is amazing, you know?"

"So...yes?"

"Definitely, yes." Charlie was grinning from ear to ear. "Wow! Merry Christmas to me!"

Relieved that Charlie had agreed, Prentice smiled back. "Yes...Merry Christmas to both of us, Charlie Burns!"