"Shut ya trap 'n pack, Jim," Bones told her.

She just looked at him, "I don't need your pity."

He folded his arms over his chest and looked at her, "Is that what this is, darlin'? I thought I was asking my friend to come home with me for Christmas."

The first four months at the academy were relatively good. The pair had became pretty good friends; he made sure that she took care of herself and she made sure he relaxed every once in a while. They shared meals, studied together and watched out for each other. She dragged him to a party on Halloween, and promptly hooked him up with one of the girls on the engineering track. Jamie couldn't help but smirk the next morning when the pair stumbled into the kitchen for coffee. She laughed at him when he tried to explain, "Not a big deal, Bones. You looked like you needed to get laid anyway."

They spent Thanksgiving in San Francisco hanging out, Jamie had some practical applications to do during the break and Bones decided not to leave her alone. When she wasn't in class, they spent time watching movies and telling stories. On Thanksgiving Day, they both cooked, then shared a bottle of bourbon and spilled some of their secrets, Jamie learned about Bones' daughter and Jamie told Bones about her family. She didn't tell him about Tarsus –she wasn't that drunk- but she knew she would have to eventually since he was her doctor and the gap in her medical was getting to him, "it's 2255 for fuck's sake. We shouldn't have information missin' like that."

"You aren't staying here by yourself for Christmas. I won't let ya and mama would kill me if I did. She wants to meet ya, anyway. Ain't gonna disappoint my mama are ya Jim?" he asked her.

Mrs. Eleanora Holbrook McCoy was a sweet woman who Jamie got to talk with a few times when Bones comm'ed home. If it had been anybody else, Jamie wouldn't have cared but Mama Ella –as she was instructed to call Bones' mother- wasn't just anybody and if she wanted Jamie there than she would show up. The look on her face must have given her away, because Bones smiled.

"Mama has that affect on people."

It was a good thing that Jamie went him, his knuckles were white the whole flight to Atlanta. She had been working on getting him more comfortable flying but he was still scared most of the time. She held his hand and talked to him just like that first day.

"Leo!" They landed and were in the terminal when a guy approached them.

Bones hugged the man and turned to Jamie, "Jim, this is my brother-in-law, Fred." She went to shake his hand and was pulled into a hug; she glanced at Bones who just chuckled.

"Welcome to Georgia, Jim. Come on, Mama Ella is waiting for us and it'll take us 'bout 45 minutes ta get there,"Fred told her. They walked to his car and Fred opened the door for her.

"You never hold the door for me, Bonesy," Jim teased.

He snorted, "Start acting like a lady and I will."

"Daddy!"

They made it to Bones' childhood home in Ellijay and before they were even out of the car, Jamie spotted a little brown and purple blur running to meet them, she glanced to the backseat and found a smile on Bones' face that she'd never seen before. The little girl jumped into her friend's arms the second he was out of the car. Joanna looked over Bones' shoulder at Jamie, who waved.

"Who's that, daddy?" the girl asked.

Bones turned, "That's my friend from school, wanna meet her?" Bones sat the girl –who is a cuter version of her dad- on her feet.

She walked up to Jamie, "Hi, I'm Joanna Eleanora McCoy."

Jamie knelt to the girl's level, "Hi, Joanna. I'm Jamie Teresa Kirk. It's very nice to meet you, your dad talks about you a lot." Joanna's face lit up, she looked at her dad.

Bones nodded, "I do." Bones talked about Joanna all the time now that Jamie knew. His face softened every time, it looked good on him.

Joanna took Jamie's hand and pulled her to the house where Bones' older sister, Donna, was standing at the door. The woman hugged her brother before giving Jamie a once over. The younger woman must have passed inspection because Donna hugged her too and welcomed her to their parent's house. The Holbrook Home was a large house that sat on an apple orchard, it had been in Mama Ella's family for generations. Jamie looked around while they went in search of Bones' parents; there were pictures all over the place and she picked out Bones right away.

"That's Leonard before he graduated from medical school." David Andrew McCoy entered the room from behind her, at 72 the man didn't look a day over fifty. She smiled and introduced herself to her friend's father.

The elder McCoy smiled, "Ella told me that Leo was bringing home a friend but I didn't expect for Jim to be a beautiful girl." Before she could reply, Bones and his mother walked into the room.

"Well look at you, as pretty as a magnolia in May," Mama Ella said to her. The woman pulled Jamie into a hug –how the hell was her grumpy friend from a hugging family- and welcomed her.

They talked and got settled as more of the family showed up, eventually, Jamie found herself sitting on the porch.

"I know you're from Iowa and all but you're gonna catch your death out here. You alright?" Bones asked. Jamie nodded at her friend who sat down next to her and put arm over her shoulder. The temperature had dropped as the sun went down and it was a little chilly.

She glanced at him, "I'm not cold, I just needed some air. I don't have enough family for gatherings like this. It's a bit much."

Jackson, David's younger brother, got to the house about an hour after they did. With him was his son, Thomas and his daughter, Ellie; both were around the same age as Jamie. David and Jackson's father, Thomas Jackson –or TJ- was at the house when Jamie and Bones arrived, Mama Ella's sisters were there as well. The two younger Holbrook sisters swooped in on Jamie the second she was introduced.

Everyone was going to stay at the house and after some fast-talking, Mama Ella agreed to letting Jamie and Bones share his old room but she warned them that there was to be "no funny business." They had both just chuckled at her, "We're friends, mama but we ain't that friendly." Jamie told Bones that he didn't have to sit outside with her but he stayed anyway.