Mid December. 14 months since THAT Wednesday (part 2)
'Hannah will not spoil Christmas for me!' Booth was immersed in his annual decorate-the-apartment tradition. When he started pulling the boxes out of his storage cage, all he could think about was how despondent he had been putting them down there last January. But he shrugged it off by reminding himself how much he loved Christmas. Hannah had taken a lot from him, but he wouldn't let her take this. As he put his beloved vintage family ornaments on the tree, he thought about how Christmas always brought out happy memories for him and pushed back any of the ugly ones. Yes, his dad often went on drinking binges during the holidays, but Pops always did everything in his power to keep that away from the two boys so their childhood memories remained untainted. As an adult, his love of the holidays stemmed from those early memories and, as a result, the sights and sounds of the season never failed to thrill him. On top of that was his deep Catholic faith and a reverence for the whole reason behind the holiday. A Christmas tree like his, with both vintage and newer ornaments, symbolized family to him. He knew that Parker would be excited to see the tree again this year and he prayed that one day he would have an even larger family with which to share it.
He thought about Bones and how she missed Christmas every year. He understood why she did it, but he hoped that someday she would find good reasons to stay. He had been talking regularly with Cam since that initial dinner and she sometimes mentioned Bones and how she was doing. She told him about the misadventures with the dating site and he was overjoyed to find out that the date he observed was just a first or second date and not a relationship. He knew that Cam was also telling Bones about the progress in his recovery, and he was starting to wonder if she was secretly trying to facilitate a reconciliation.
It must have been the Christmas spirit that had him in such a good and confident mood the following week when he decided to approach his boss, Hacker. He was actually feeling a strange mixture of confidence and nervousness, but the confidence won over as he made his pitch. He told Hacker that he had still not talked to Brennan since the split up of the partnership, but he was going to ask a mutual friend to facilitate a meeting. Hacker had approached him several times over the last few months about the possibility of his working with Bones again because their solve rate had always been so high. He told him that he felt O'Brien was a good agent, but the combination of O'Brien, the junior agents, and the Jeffersonian team just weren't measuring up to Booth/Brennan numbers. Booth told him every time that it just wasn't in the cards after the falling out they had. But now, his instincts, which he always trusted, were telling him that there might be a little thawing. In his conversations with Cam, it seemed like she was trying to hint to him that Brennan's interest in his well being might be more than just curiosity about an old friend. Normally Cam didn't beat around the bush, but he suspected she was trying to tell him something without breaking the confidentiality of her most valuable employee. Booth told Hacker that he would like to approach her with that proposition, but he needed to be sure that the offer was still on the table. Hacker assured him that it was, and encouraged him to try to convince her.
Booth met Cam for lunch on Saturday and relayed the conversation with Hacker. "Do you think there's any chance she would meet with me Cam? And if she did, do you think I can convince her to be my partner again?" Cam smiled at him across the table. "I think she's ready Seeley. I can tell she's forgiven you by the way she's so eager to hear updates about your life. A few months ago, when I told her about your split with Hannah, she was shocked, but I also sensed that it threw her for a loop. When I told her you had been shot, I gave her the explanation you gave me about your family not wanting her to feel obligated to rush to be by your side. Recently she told me that she wondered if that was just an excuse, and it was really that you were seeing someone and they didn't want it to be awkward. I told her no. As far as I knew, you hadn't dated anyone since Hannah left. Now, that really threw her. She tried to hide it, but I caught a little smile before she turned her head." Cam's smile was joined by sparkling eyes. "Oh, and did you know she's not going away for Christmas this year?" Booth's mouth dropped open. "Angela convinced her to stay because she had too many family members who would miss her - including the Hodgins family. In fact, she went out to a Christmas tree farm with Hodgins, Angela and Michael Vincent and they cut down trees for both of them. Brennan bought a boatload of ornaments and decor and she said her apartment looks like a fairyland." Booth looked at her in shock. "I think it's time. I think you just have to make the first move." He nervously asked. "Do you think you can set up a meeting?"
