For Christmas, I bring ya'll the gift of fluff.

Bones had been distant all night. Ever since the night in the car, she'd been more withdrawn, more careful, more quiet, but tonight it was like she couldn't even look at me. We were all sitting in Hodgins' giant living room, complete with a fireplace and a flat screen television that took up a whole wall. Parker was talking a mile a minute, explaining the latest experiment that Max had set up for him. Angela and Hodgins were listening intently, Max was helping out by supplying words like "hydrochloric" and "potassium nitrate", Hannah was on her blackberry, and Bones was sitting on the edge of the couch. She was looking right at Parker, nodding along, laughing at all the right times, but I could tell she was a million miles away. Her eyes had faded some in the past few weeks, but now they looked downright empty. She was sad—I could see it—and for the first time since we'd been partners, I couldn't just go over and hug her and make it all go away.

For one, there was Hannah. She still didn't know the extent of my relationship with Bones, how close we'd been once, so I didn't think she'd be thrilled if I went over and hugged her. Plus, I had a nagging suspicion that I was a big part of why she looked so heartbroken, so it wasn't like I could make that go away.

When Parker finally finished his epic blow-by-blow of the experiment, Bones stood, gathered some plates, and made her way into the kitchen. I quickly finished my drink, grabbed Hodgins' empty glass, and hurried after her. She was standing in front of the sink, washing a plate when I found her. "You know they have a dishwasher, right?" I said.

She glanced at me and smiled. "I know. I just needed to get away."

I walked over and stood beside her. "Mind if I join you?"

She looked at me then—actually studied my face—and I got the feeling that maybe she didn't want to be near me right then, that maybe I was the very thing she needed to get away from. But then her eyes softened slightly and she nodded. "Okay," she murmured and turned back to the dishes.

We washed in silence for a long time. She washed plate after plate and handed them to me one by one to be dried. Her motions were mechanical and careful—I could tell she was barely focusing on what she was doing. Her gaze remained focused on the sudsy water; her eyes had that distant look to them that I had gotten used to. "Parker's really wonderful, Booth."

The sound of her voice was so unexpected that it almost didn't register above the rushing water. "Yeah, he is," I said, feeling that familiar smile tug at my lips, the one that only came when I thought about my son.

"Do you think that you and Hannah will have kids someday?"

I swallowed and focused on the plate in my hand. "I, um, I'm not really sure. We haven't really talked about it." I paused and gave her a sideways glance out of the corner of my eye. "I think she mentioned she might want to adopt one day."

"That's a nice idea," she said. "There are many children in the world in need of a home."

She didn't say anything more after that and I suddenly wished desperately that she would talk to me, that she would confide in me the way she used to, without hesitation, without reservations. "Why do you ask?" My voice was softer now, gentler. I had moved another step closer to her without really realizing.

"I've been thinking about having a baby," she told me bluntly. It occurred to me that she hadn't looked me in the eye during this whole conversation.

"Oh," I breathed. "Just…by yourself?"

"Why not?" she said with a shrug. "Women do it all the time nowadays."

"Right." For some reason, I had the overwhelming urge to beg her not to do it. "So you'd just…go to a sperm bank and pick some random guy to be the father of your child?"

If she detected the bitterness in my tone, she didn't comment. "Yes. It wouldn't be right for me to use your sample now."

I nodded. "Right."

She went back to washing and I was left feeling like something irreplaceable at just slipped through my fingers. I turned towards her and looked at her. Studied the silhouette of her beautiful face, from her sad eyes to the curve of her lips. "Wait," I whispered, the word slipping from my mouth before I could hold it in.

She stopped. She put down the plate she'd been holding and turned to me. "What?" she breathed.

"Just wait, okay? Don't do it like this, Bones. Not like this."

"What other way is there, Booth? For me?"

I shook my head. The urge to touch her was so overwhelming that I had to clamp my elbows into my sides to keep from reaching for her. "Just wait, Bones. Please?"

"Wait for what?"

"For…" I trailed off and lifted my hand. Let my fingers brush the soft skin at the inside of her wrist. "For me," I breathed.

She sighed. She closed her eyes. She leaned towards me almost imperceptibly. I was torturing her, I knew, and it was unfair and cruel and I couldn't help it. She'd tortured me for years. "Booth…"

"Hey, guys, what are you doing in here? Parker's all ready to open presents."

I glanced towards the doorway where Hodgins was standing, looking confused. Bones had already moved away, turning back towards the sink to discreetly swipe a few stray tears from her eyes. "Yeah, um, we'll be right in," I said, my voice thick.

Hodgins nodded and walked back down the hall. Beside me, Bones let out a long breath. "We should get in there," she said, already moving away.

"Bones—"

She paused and looked at me. "They're waiting, Booth."

I caught up with her in the doorway to the living room and grabbed her by the elbow, pulling her to a stop beside me. "Bones, I think we need to—"

"Dad! Bones! Look! You're under the mistletoe!"

I glanced over at Parker, then up at the green leaves dangling over my head. "Oh," I mumbled.

"You have to kiss now!" my son announced excitedly. "Those are the rules, right Max?"

"Yes, I do think your son is right, Booth." Thanks, Max.

I looked at Bones who was determinedly keeping her gaze focused on her shoes. I thought I could see a hint of pink blooming in her cheeks. "Those are the rules, Bones," I said, choosing not to look at my girlfriend who was sitting a few feet away. "Bones?"

When she finally lifted her head and met my eye, I was surprised to see anger brewing in her gaze. "On the cheek," she instructed softly.

I nodded, leaned towards her, and was surprised when, a moment later, my lips landed on hers. I had been aiming for her cheek, but somehow in the breath between nodding and leaning into her, my mind had shut off and my heart had taken the lead.

At first, her lips were stiff and unmoving, but after a few seconds, she relaxed into me. I felt her give in, felt her shift towards me, her hand drifting up to press against my chest. Surprisingly, I felt no guilt at all, only an odd sense of homecoming as I parted my lips and felt her tongue meet mine. She tasted like wine and cinnamon and Bones and I suddenly knew that I loved her more than I could ever love the woman sitting a few feet away. Bones had me, she'd always had me; no one else ever could. I wanted to have a baby with her, I wanted to spend my life with her, I wanted to spend the next thirty or forty or fifty years trying to convince her that love was real.

After an amount of time that could've been seconds or minutes or hours, we finally pulled apart, our lips separating with an audible pop. We didn't look away from each other. The room was absolutely silent. My arms were still wrapped around her waist; her hands still rested gently against my chest. Her lips were slightly swollen, her hair a little disheveled, but what I noticed first were her eyes. They were bright and blue and beautiful. They were the eyes I remembered.

"Hi," I breathed.

"Hey," she whispered back, her voice husky and slightly wondering.

I knew I should say something. I knew I should step away and release her, but I didn't want to. I had the sudden, irrational wish that we could stay like this forever. It was Parker who finally stepped forward and broke the spell, calling me back to the reality. "Dad?" he called. "Can we open presents now?"

With some difficulty, I tore my gaze away from Bones and focused on my son. "Um…"

"Hey, Parker, why don't you come look at my bug collection. I just got some new shipments from Africa that I think you'll like."

"Cool!"

I shot Hodgins a grateful smile as he led my son away.

"I need a drink," Max breathed. He downed the scotch in his glass and moved towards the kitchen for a refill.

Then, suddenly, Bones was pulled from arms as Angela leapt up and took her hand, mumbling something about colors for the nursery. I crossed my arms against the chill her sudden absence brought and turned to Hannah.

She was sitting on the couch, her expression guarded—impassive almost. "Well," she said quietly, dropping her gaze to the carpet. "I guess I can say with some certainty that this relationship is over."

The guilt that had evaded me as I kissed Bones was now descending on me, swift and overwhelming in its strength. "Hannah—"

"It's funny, because I could almost see this coming. I part of me has always known that I would never be enough for you, that you would never love me as much as I love her."

"Look, Hannah—"

"But the really ironic thing is that I was going to break up with you tonight."

I froze. Frowned. Blinked at her a couple of times. "What?"

"I was going to break up with you," she said bluntly. "I got a job offer in London and I'm going to take it."

"Oh."

"But this still hurt, Seeley," she said. "I mean…that was a low blow."

I didn't even attempt to defend myself. What was the point? "I know."

She nodded and stood up. "You know," she said, her tone suddenly light—teasing almost—as she made her way over to me. "In a movie, this would be the part where I slapped you and called you a jerk."

I nodded. "That sounds about right."

She smiled and her gaze was surprisingly loving, surprisingly forgiving. I suddenly remembered why I fell in love with her. "But I'm not going to do that."

"No?"

She shook her head. "No. I've never liked being a cliché."

"You're anything but a cliché," I promised her.

"So let's not be a cliché, okay? Let's just call this what it is, just break up and go our separate ways, no worse for wear."

I gave her a wry smile. "No worse for wear?"

"Well," she amended, "maybe a little worse for wear."

I nodded. "Okay." She smiled and moved away. Picked up her purse and walked towards the door. "Hannah?" She turned. "I am sorry."

"I know you are."

—BB—

I found everyone in the kitchen, sipping drinks and laughing over Parker's Spongebob impression. As soon as he saw me, he charged over and I scooped him up into my arms. He was starting to get a little too big for it, but for some reason, in that moment, I needed to hold him. "When can we open presents?" he asked.

"Right now," I told him. "Why don't you go with Angela and Hodgins and Max and get started and I'll be out in a second."

"Cool!" he said, grinning.

I set him down on the ground and he charged back into the living room. As Angela moved past, I caught her eye and she pointed down the hallway. I turned and walked over to the door she had pointed out, knocking softly. "Come in," came the answer from within.

I pushed open the door and found her sitting in the middle of an empty room. "What is this room?" I asked, eyeing the bare walls and hardwood floors.

"The nursery," she said.

"Cheery," I commented, taking a seat beside her.

"Angela was showing me a couple of possible colors for the walls," she explained, her voice soft—dreamy almost.

I nodded and waited for her to continue. When she didn't, I moved closer and slipped my arm around her waist. She leaned into me immediately, resting her head on my shoulder. "You okay?" I asked, turning my lips into her hair.

"You kissed me," she said.

"Yes."

"In front of Hannah."

"Yes."

"Why?"

I sighed, feeling ashamed. "I don't know."

She lifted her head and looked at me. "Really?"

"I wanted to kiss you," I confessed. "But it wasn't the right time."

She seemed to agree that this was true. "Are you and Hannah…?"

"We broke up."

She nodded and looked away, towards the white walls. She seemed immensely unsure and confused. "Are you…sad about that?"

I thought about explaining how guilty I felt, how complicated it was, how I was sad in some way for hurting Hannah, a woman I had loved in some way. But I knew that wasn't what she was asking. "I'm happy, sitting here with you."

"You are?" she asked, a smile spreading across her face.

I nodded. "I am."

She leaned into me and I lifted my hand to her face. Tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Trailed my fingers over her shoulder and down her arm. When our lips were only a breath apart, she paused. "I'm happy too," she told me and pressed her lips to mine.

Outside the door, just down the hallway, our friends were sitting around the fire, opening presents and laughing. In a moment, we would join them. But for now, I relished the feel of having Bones in my arms, the feel of this new, fresh future and knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

Okay, so a little corny, but I blame Christmas. All this holiday cheer is ruining my writing. Lol.

And I know that some of you might have some objections to Booth kissing Bones in front of Hannah. I didn't actually think I was going to do that, but it kind of…write itself that way. I know, lame excuse, but it happens sometimes, and when it does, I don't question it.

Anyway, either way—like it or hate it—press that button and let me know!