Second week of December

"Hey, Bren! You have a letter from Booth!" Angela called. She heard the bangs and clangs of pots in the kitchen. Brennan came running to Angela and snatched the mail from her hand.

"Why didn't he send me a letter too? I am the one who keeps sending him pictures," Angela said matter-of-factly.

Brennan ripped open the envelope and started to read.

Hey babe,

The second piece of paper behind this one is for Angela. Give it to her now because we're planning the nursery and you aren't allowed to know if you want to be surprised when the baby is born. I know Angela is probably reading over your shoulder to, so, Ange, take your letter now before Bren tries to read it.

And with that, Angela snatched the letter from Brennan and ran off to read hers.

How's it going, Bren? I want to know everything. Do you have morning sickness? Are you becoming unbearably moody? I bet you are. Angela said last time, you were being way more argumentative than you usually are. And that's saying something.

The guys loved your package from last time. I got to watch the video of your first appointment in the training center. Everyone watched it with me. It's nice to see things of home sometimes. It can get pretty depressing over here. Everyone is a Debbie Downer all the time. I bet you don't know what that means. Anyway, send another video soon if you can. Oh and everyone has said I have the best looking woman of the battalion so you should feel pretty honored.

I have the tent to myself for a while. Teddy was sent on a mission with a few other guys so it's getting pretty lonely. I really miss ya, Bren. I want to come home so bad. There are a few guys who got sent home because they went crazy. Too much death and killing and not enough of home. Teddy and I started thinking of this plan to act crazy so we could come home but I gotta stay. I need to do this for me. I can't leave these guys here. That wouldn't sit right with me. No matter how much I want to come home to you and see our little girl (or boy, right?) come into the world, I have to stay here and do this for myself.

Anyway, Angela has some awesome ideas for the nursery. You are going to love it. I can already tell, Aunt Angela is going to spoil this kid rotten. I've been thinking of names too. But I'm not telling you yet. Mainly because I want to prove to you that I'm right. I know we're having a girl so you don't get to know what names I like until you say that I'm right (Even though you want to be surprised).

I love you and I miss you. Please send me a letter or something soon. I'm dying to hear from you.

Booth

P.S. Merry Christmas, Bren. I'm sorry I can't be there but we'll make up every holiday I miss when I come home. We can have our own Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's day, and everything else I'm going to miss. I love you.

"Ange! What does your letter say?"

Angela shook her head. "I am not allowed to tell you."

"Why?"

"Are you going to find out if it's a boy or a girl or are you going to keep it a surprise?"

"I'm going to keep a surprise."

"Then you don't get to know."

Brennan grumbled and muttered something under her breath about best friends being stupid and went back to the kitchen to make lunch.

"We need to send him something too!" Brennan called over her shoulder. "He loves Christmas. He needs a little Christmas cheer."


Christmas Eve

"Yo, Seel! You got a Christmas present!" Teddy said.

"What?"

"That mail guy was just in the mess tent," Teddy told him, walking into their tent, tossing the package on Booth's cot.

Booth laughed and pulled out his knife to open the package. "Do you even know the name of the mail guy."

"Nope," he said. Teddy Parker moved to sit next to Booth on his cot to get first dibs on any candy Bren had put in the box.

"Dude. Back up! Maybe I'll share with you if you get off my back! Damn, Park."

"What? Your girl sent the best candy last time. My girl says it's bad. She won't send me any!"

"Ha! Bren says it's bad too but she knows not to keep me from my sweets."

He opened the box and read her letter.

Hi Booth,

I hope this gets to you by Christmas. There are some decorations for your tent in the box. It's not a tree (I doubt the Army would let me send that to you) but it's just a few things to help make your tent a little less drab. I sent extra candy this time since I'm sure your buddies ate a lot of it.

I hope your friend Teddy is okay. You seem to like him and I hope to meet him when you come home. Angela has included more pictures of everyone. We picked out furniture for the nursery that could work for either gender. Angela included a picture of that as well. She wants to keep you in the loop, as she said and apparently, picking out the furniture is the only part of planning the nursery I'm allowed to do. However, it says in one of the pregnancy books I am reading that planning the nursery is an essential part of what they call nesting, despite the fact that I won't feel the urge to nest for quite some time. You said you wanted to know everything. I have had morning sickness since you left and it's horrible. I can barely keep anything down and I'm very dehydrated. I've been attempting to drink enough fluids as much as possible but as soon as I begin to feel better, the morning sickness comes back. It seems as if your son or daughter is torturing me for something. I am quite fed up with it but Angela, my doctor, and these pregnancy books I've been reading keep assuring me it should be over soon.

Pops, Jared, Angela and I all sent you Christmas presents. I hope you have enough room to bring everything home that we're sending you.

I wish you were here. It's nice going to my doctor appointments with Angela but I wish it was you instead. There is another tape of my last appointment in the package. I had another ultrasound but the fetus still looks like a small blob. I'm glad you were able to watch the last one.

I miss you more than I ever thought it was possible to miss someone. Please stay safe and come home to me soon.

Merry Christmas. I love you,

Bren

P.S. You will also be happy to know that I have decided to not go to Africa for the dig. Dr. Kent has assured me to keep me in the loop and set up video conferences so I can keep my dissertation on track. It should be done about this time next year, when we'll be celebrating the baby's first Christmas. That seems so far off but I can't wait. I know I say this a lot but please be safe. I need you to come home in one piece. I love you.

Booth tucked the letter into his pocket and started pulling stuff out of the box. He tossed a bag of candy to Teddy and said, "Here, Park, it's from my girl."

"She is a saint!" Teddy cried, ripping open the bag.

He set the other candy aside and pulled out the Christmas decorations. There was a Merry Christmas banner to hang on the wall and a Christmas tree decoration that went from the ceiling of the tent to the bottom. Booth told Parker to hang the decorations while he explored the box for more contents. He pulled three small wrapped items and set them off to the side. Booth couldn't decide whether or not to open the presents now or wait until morning. He found the tape of her appointment. He started getting anxious. Not nervous, just excited to hear her voice. Booth found more magazines, which would give him something to do when he couldn't sleep. He knew the Car & Driver and the Sports Illustrated were from Bren but the People and the Us Weekly was from Angela. He didn't really care though. It was something that didn't have to do with the war, something that didn't have to do with guns and death and roadside bombs so he was willing to read up on celebrity gossip that he didn't really care about.

Booth found the pictures of the house, the nursery furniture and Bren. He had been taping almost every picture they sent him to the tent right next to his cot, so when he lies down at night, he could look at his home. The little collage was starting to grow again and soon, he was going to run out of tape.

Booth decided he couldn't wait to open the presents. He found the one from Pops and tore the wrapping paper from the gift. Booth laughed out loud. His Pops had sent him What to Expect When Your Wife is Expanding along with the note: Shrimp, I'm sorry you can't be here to witness this miracle and some of the things in this book are going to make you wish you were here, but don't go and do something stupid just so you can come home. I know how you are. But I also knowthat you are a brave man who knows what needs to be done. I found this when Jared and I were with Bren's friend, Angela, while we were shopping for baby things. That Angela is a firecracker! Oh, Boy! Your brother is smitten with her, let me tell you. But, Bren doesn't know we went shopping so don't tell her. I know you're convinced it's a girl, but Angela says she has evidence it's a boy. Anyway, be careful, Shrimp. Merry Christmas. Love, Pops.

He put that book next to all of the other goodies and attempted to figure out what the other three had sent him. He took Jared's gift in his hands and wiggled it around.

"It's a book. Damn, I guess I have to study up on this pregnancy stuff," he said to no one in particular.

"Yeah, but isn't your girl a genius or something? She's gonna make you sound like an idiot when you get back if you don't know what you're talking about," Teddy said through a mouthful of candy.

"Hmm. That's a good point. Oh dear God. Only Jared would pick out something like this," Booth said, flipping through his new copy of My Boys Can Swim!

Booth read Jared's note out loud. "Atta boy, Seel. Merry Christmas"

Teddy laughed. "Lemme see that! Ha! Your brother sounds hilarious!"

"I'm sure Angela's will just as…wonderful," Booth told him, flexing her gift to indicate that it, once again, was another book.

"Hey, Corporal Studly," Booth read to Teddy, "Now, I know you want to be back here for all of this and I know you know Bren wants you to be here but here's the deal: You are going to not die, for me, this kid, and Bren and I am going attempt to be you while you're gone. Now, I'm not saying Bren and I are going to do everything you two did ('Cause, let's be honest, I don't see Bren like that) but I'm going to do my best to be there for your wife while you're gone. Another thing, you married a genius so do yourself a favor and read the books your brother, grandpa and I sent you. If anything happens to you, I will kick your ass. Love ya, Angela P.S. Start thinking of themes for the nursery. I'm thinking of jungle animals if you have a boy and maybe just flowers, like a giant garden, if it's a girl. Let me know and Jack and I will start getting things together the moment we find out." Booth pulled out the book Angela had sent: The Dude's Guide to Pregnancy: Dealing with your Expecting Wife, Coming Baby and the End of Life as You Knew It.

"Ha. Great. Really funny, Ange," Booth mumbled. He took Brennan's present and took off the note attached to read to his buddy.

"B- Angela said you'd like this a lot and Pops seemed to think this was a good idea too. Like I said before, he or she is just an embryo but soon, she or he will actually start looking like a baby. I'll send another picture as soon as I can to update it. Love you, B."

Booth unwrapped the small present to find a small frame. "Huh. She was right. She really doesn't look like much yet. Park, heads up!" Booth said, tossing the ultrasound picture to his buddy, "That's my kid!"