Update Note*: Hey guys, I know this has been posted already in another one of my fics, and I'm sorry - I'm just doing some restructuring so that all the family-related, [mostly] family-friendly stories are posted in this collection, and Back and Forth will be reserved for BB only stuff. THE NEXT CHAPTER IS NEW! - So go on ahead and check it out if you've already read this :]

A/N: Merry Christmas everybody! This little Christmasy ficlet was inspired by a story I read in the news or on some website about a post a husband made about cheating on his wife while shopping at Walmart. I'm posting it now to tell you all happy holidays over this ungodly hiatus, and to tell you I'll be posting the next chapter of Purak before the end of the year. Sorry it's been so long between updates. Health issues and all. But may the holiday season be filled with love, laughter, friendship, purpose and a dance, for you and all your loved ones!

A Walmart Christmas

A last-minute afternoon shopping run

The rather young, too-perky girl at the checkout counter smiled brightly at him as she chirped Merry Christmas and he absently returned a small grimace. He was slightly hungover and too old for this shit. He continued wheeling his trolley through the store. He wanted to be at home unwrapping presents under the Christmas tree and playing on the x-box with his kids and getting told off by his wife for it while she fed them that delicious healthy Christmas dip she made. He made his way to the canned fruit and food isle - there were entirely too many isles here - and half-heatedly threw in some stuff and made his way to the checkout counter. Oh, who was he kidding, he wanted to be home unwrapping his wife. He looked up absently in the middle of texting her to ask if they needed more milk when the woman standing one space ahead of him caught his eye. What a knockout. Booth stopped. The middle-aged lady directly in front of him have him a disapproving look and he knew the wedding ring on his hand must've been glinting conspicuously in the overhead white lights but he didn't care and absently dismissed her as he stared openly for a moment. The lady in front of him made a few pointed noises. Booth smirked. Then stared some more for a moment. Auburn tresses that ran nearly all the way down to the curve of her back just reaching that shapely ass, high boots that were somehow no-nonsense and sexy at the same time. He almost sighed. The lady hmphed disapprovingly. He may have sighed out loud. He shifted. The lady cleared her throat. He shot off a few quick texts to his wife. The older lady frowned, turning back around so her slightly ghastly orange frock, patterned and lined with lace, moved with her. Her grey hair looked like she still used curlers on it as he looked over the top of it from his taller vantage. Ahead of them, She pulled out a phone from the back pocket of those jeans that were melded to her and huffed slightly. Booth pushed ahead of the woman clearing her throat, with 'I'm sorry, may I -' and stepped behind the vision in blue jeans, leaving his cart behind. 'I'm sorry', She was saying to the chirpy checkout girl, 'my husband-'

He reached out,

'just texted to say he wants-'

He wrapped an arm firmly around her waist.

She had started then instantly relaxed at recognising his touch, exclaiming,

'Booth! what are you doing here?'

'- Is right behind you.'

just as he finished her sentence, talking over her at the same time.

He kissed her neck discretely and murmured 'and don't pick up any more trail mix for the trip, I've already got some.'

She turned to look at him prissily over her shoulder but her face was suffused with a radiant glow. He raised an eyebrow. As she opened her mouth to start speaking, he cut her off. He already knew what was coming.

'Yes, Bones, I got that healthy organic shit...'

'Really?' She smiled up at him widely, so pleased with the choice she forgot even to chastise him for calling it shit. His heart skipped a beat.

'Really.' He nodded, then cleared his throat gruffly. 'Uh, I just thought... Just because I eat all those fats and chemicals and hydrotoxins you keep lecturing me about - and I have no intention of giving up on the jerky by the way -'

She rolled her eyes and turned to pay for all the items on her much fuller cart that was still being unloaded. 'They are not hydrotoxins-' she interrupted. He'd been about to say he didn't mean their kids should do the same and he meant it when he spotted something else. And got derailed.

'Bones- what is that?'

'Oh. It's a meat substitute. Organic tofurkey b-'

'No.'

'Wha - you haven't even tried it yet-'

'No. I am not eating that instead of my usual holiday bird-'

'But Bo-oth you liked the nutri-nugget and peas that day, remember-'

'No. No. No.' He wouldn't hear it. 'Don't pout at me. I'm not looking.' True enough, he looked directly at chirpy girl who was still swiping things from Brennan's cart and smiled.

'You can check that out but I'm not eating it.' He informed his still-pouting wife. Then he pointed at his cart triumphantly. Her pout dropped. 'Good thing I already picked out a nice big full-pounder because I knew this would happen.'

Brennan rolled her eyes again but put back the meat substitute when he wasn't looking - without billing it - and swiped out the rest of her stuff.

'What are you doing here anyway?'

'Well, I wanted to get some of that pie that they make here that you love for some reason - and surprise you', she gestured at it in the bags Chirpy Checkout Girl was handing her. 'But here you are, so'

'I love you.'

He smiled at her, a full-charming-Booth smile and pecked her lightly on the lips.

Behind them, he heard a sigh.

'Thanks, Bones.'

When they pulled away, Brennan blinked. It was ridiculously cute that she blushed as if he'd kissed her right-here-in-public and they were sixteen.

'Sure'. Booth realising she was finished, made to return to his own cart with an, 'I'm sorry, ma'am-' for the woman behind him, but she now seemed to think he was the best husband in the world. [The smile probably hadn't hurt either]. This impression was solidified when Brennan reached out and grabbed at his neck, making him stop.

'Why are you wearing your dog tags?'

'I, uh was showing them to Hank', Booth looked down in surprise, having forgotten he had them on.

'Oh.'

'Remind me to take em off and put them away when we get home, would you?'

'Sure', Brennan replied, returning to her now bagged and filled cart as he made his way back into the line.

'Oh no, you go on ahead and check out so you can join your lovely wife. I'm in no hurry.' The older woman told him, eyes twinkling kindly beneath thick spectacles.

'But you were hear first-'

'Oh no dear', she smiled at him indulgently. 'I insist. You have far fewer items than me anyway.'

Booth thanked her and smiled, then moved his cart ahead to join Brennan.

'Thank you', Brennan said with an appreciative smile.

'You're very welcome', the woman replied. 'You're lucky to have such a wonderful husband. And in the service, too!'

'Yes', Brennan replied in her matter-of-fact way. 'But he's no longer on active duty. He's an FBI Agent now.'

'Bones?' Her attention was called away from the conversation.

'Yes?'

'Do we need more of the-'

'No, I already bought some last week. Christine took three boxes up to her room but I had her return one of the chocolate-chip, don't worry - because her father eats like a twelve-year-old as well', she finished pointedly. Booth chuckled.

'You'll put on weight if-'

'Hey, I'm in great shape, baby-'

'You say that now, but one day it'll catch up with you Booth. You're not getting any youn-'

'Bones, I'm in great shape, OK? Shut up. Come here.'

She rolled her eyes but stepped over to him anyway.

'I didn't recall you having any complaints about my physique recentl-' he began cockily, resting his hip against the counter.

The checkout girl was looking back and forth between them as they bickered with her mouth slightly agape.

'Is that all?' Booth turned to look at her.

'Y-yes'. She stammered and blushed, looking down. 'I'll just bag these for you.'

'As I said, Booth, you may not be able to maintain your physique forever. You're getting older, and you cannot rely on your metabolism to-'

'Um, ma'am-'

'Yes?' Brennan turned to look at her.

'Sho-uld I double bag that for you?' She asked, chirpilly, composure fully restored now that she had accepted they were just strange and she had no hope of understanding why they looked at each other like that only to keep fighting like that.

'Yes. Thank you.'

'Paper bags?'

'Please.'

'No-o problem.' She returned peaceably to her task, humming. She went back to the zen place in her head.

Brennan looked prepared to return to their argument so Booth quickly changed the topic.

'Look at that, hey, roller candy-'

'This proves my point exactly; you-'

So maybe not quite changing the topic. He rolled his eyes.

'-keep eating that junk and you know it's bad for you but-'

'Bones', he pinched the bridge of his nose.

'What?' She blinked innocently.

'Nothing', he glared down at her.

'And we're all done!' Chirpy Checkout interjected.

'Great!'

'Bill these together?'

'Yes.'

'No.'

Booth looked down at her in confusion. 'Why?'

'Because neither of us is carrying enough cash as of this morning and you left your credit card at the office. I'm not carrying mine; Christine has it-'

'I have my visa' Booth waved it, handing it to the checkout girl, and she saw his MasterCard in the wallet as well. She pointed at it.

'Oh, you went into work to pick up the credit card as well.'

'Yeah, decided to stop here on the way back. Because I knew we'd need a bird for tomorrow.'

'Alrighty, all done.'

'Thanks.'

Booth and Brennan exchanged glances. She knew he hated fakely chirpy people in customer service. He was in a considerably better mood now that his wife was here though so he offered the young girl a genuine smile and even filled the tip box. This girl really was timely in her interruptions, too. Booth's hand rested absently on the small of her back as he took his card when it was returned to him, and began to turn to lift their bags.

'But Booth- wait, who's watching the kids?'

'No one'.

'What?'

Surprisingly, Brennan was having a much, much harder time letting go and allowing them to take care of their everyday safety than Booth, in what hew knew was a very motherly way. Booth was still tougher about things like locking doors at night, sleepovers at friend's places without leaving numbers and contact information behind, and curfews when they travelled too far as well as phone-calls checking in when it came to their kids. But that was about it. They balanced each other out in this as in everything else. It was like leaving Christine at daycare- it hadn't bothered him nearly as much, but he'd spent much time soothing a nearly hysterical Brennan as she tried to calm down and consider the idea 'rationally'. It hadn't been much better the second time around with Hank. He knew he had to tread carefully in his answer.

'Bones, Christine is 14 years old, and she's watching Hank. We've discussed this', he lifted a few of the bags and turned to her, examining her silently, then stooped and picked up some more - all the heavier ones - and stood, looking at her fully. 'I'm sorry, I didn't know you still felt this way about it. Christine, she offered to stay with him, and it's only a couple hours. Should I not have-?'

'No', Brennan shook her head with a sigh, pinching her nose. 'No you're right, it's just- you're right.' She looked to be running through the list of reasons she'd given for agreeing that the kids should be left alone if Christine was baby-sitting on short trips from the house now. Important to cultivate responsibility etc. 'No- ofcourse. Yes.'

'Relax, baby', he soothingly rubbed circles on the small of her back absently. 'It's only a few minutes that we're both not home, and we'll be back soon.'

Someone sighed dramatically behind them again - it was the same lady.

'You two have a good Christmas now!' Booth wished her the same over his shoulder with one last smile, as Brennan seemed capable of little more than tightening her lips in imitation of one, and kissed the top of Bones' head as he turned back around, relieving her of a few more bags so she was carrying just the one - ironically, it contained some substitute meat cubes he hated but he ddn't know this.

'You're right', she relaxed into him, with a yawn. 'You're right.'

'Tired?' She felt his voice vibrate through his chest and shivered.

'Yes', she replied, wrapping her arms about him as he held her closer. 'Let's go home.'

A/N: Happy Boxing Day, everybody! I hope you have a wonderful last week of the year. Look out for a chapter of Purak before it's finished. Best