December 2011
When they returned home from New York on Sunday evening, they had less than a week to get ready for their Christmas guests. Booth and Brennan both had Friday off and then the entire following week, not returning to work until Monday, January 2nd. Booth left work at noon on Thursday to drive to Baltimore to get Pops, and Brennan made it home in time to make one of Hank's favorite meals for dinner - grilled cheese sandwiches and homemade tomato soup.
As Booth was walking up to the door with his grandfather, Pops was impressed with the size of the townhouse. Booth explained that several years ago, an architect had combined two units to make one large home. The only Christmas decorations he could see as they walked to the porch were the two tall, narrow artificial trees in the bay windows decorated with just white lights. "Very nice Shrimp, but I thought you, of all people, would make a big splash for Christmas in your new home."
Booth laughed. "Wait till you get inside Pops. It's a Booth Christmas in there!" After walking into the foyer and hanging up their coats, Pops entered the main kitchen-living room area and stopped, looking around in wonder. "Oh Shrimp, you did good finding this house." Booth slapped him on the back. "Yep. That was the same reaction that Bones and I had the moment we walked in. We were standing right here when she said we were getting this house, no matter what it took."
Just then, Brennan came over to greet him and give him a big hug. "Welcome to our new home Hank. We have your guest room all ready for you. I hope you will visit us more often now that you don't have to share a room with Parker." Hank waved his hand. "Oh fiddle! I enjoyed bunking in with my little man."
Booth showed him to the guest room, and he was happy that it was on the main floor so he didn't have to negotiate the steps several times a day. "Dinner smells great. What say we eat first and then you and Temperance can give me the grand tour?" Booth inquired whether he would be able to handle the stairs to see the rooms on the second floor, and he assured him it would be fine as long as he took them slowly.
They all enjoyed their "comfort food" dinner and then showed Pops around the house. He was very impressed with the home and gave a whistle after seeing the last of the rooms. "You must have paid a pretty penny for this place in the middle of the District. I can't imagine how much your mortgage payment must be." Booth gave Brennan a wink. "Well Pops. Bones and I both have good jobs, and she makes pretty good money writing her novels, so we'll be able to handle it."
The couple had debated whether to share their financial situation with him, but decided against it. Pops had a pretty good and happy life living in the assisted care facility, and there was really nothing he needed. Plus, he had a nice little nest egg saved in his retirement savings if the need arose. They decided to just keep an eye on things with him and step in with help if it was ever necessary.
Pops and Booth settled down on the sofa in the TV area of the living room to watch the football game while Brennan settled in at the other end of the room to read her latest scientific journal. Pops leaned in to him and whispered. "So Shrimp. An awful lot of bedrooms in this place. Is there something you're not telling me?" Booth chuckled. "I don't know Pops. We'll have to see." Pops winked at him and turned back to watch the game.
Saturday was Christmas Eve, and Brennan's family arrived around midday. Since Pops was in the guest room, Max was given the bedroom that the girls shared the last time. The girls had brought their sleeping bags and were excited to camp out in the reading nook upstairs.
They had a big family meal that evening, and everyone pitched in to chop, stir, and cook. Amy had Emma and Hayley assist her in preparing the vegetables. Brennan put together a salad buffet, with lots of salad ingredients so everyone could customize their own. Booth, Russ, and Max bickered at the stove while they baked the potatoes and grilled the steaks. And Hank sat on a stool at the counter overseeing the whole operation.
They finished off the meal with pies that Brennan and Amy had baked earlier in the afternoon. Although Brennan wasn't interested in the cherry pie, she had a slice of pumpkin - because it wasn't cooked fruit. Brennan explained to Booth that pumpkin is technically a fruit, but since it really always needed to be cooked to be edible, it was fine in a pie. Booth shook his head and laughed. "Sounds like selective reasoning to me Bones." He put his arm over her shoulders and pulled her to him. "But if it's an excuse to eat pie, I'm fine with it." He kissed her cheek and disengaged so he could dig back into his cherry pie.
Booth had arranged with Rebecca to pick up Parker and take him to midnight mass. He would be taking him back home after mass because it was Rebecca's turn to have him there for Christmas morning. Parker had been having doubts about Santa the previous year, and the adults were all convinced that he was in the know this year. But everyone, including Parker, seemed to want to keep myth alive - for at least one more year. So Santa was coming to Rebecca's house this year.
After dinner was over, and the cleanup completed, the adults all discussed the idea of accompanying Booth to mass, but eventually decided against it. They were all tired from the drive up that morning, and didn't relish getting home so late. But then, Brennan surprised him by saying that she would like to go. "Two Sundays in a row? Are you thinking of joining the church?"
She could see by the twinkle in his eye that he was teasing her. "I enjoyed the mass at St Patrick's. And I understand that there is even more pageantry and music and choirs singing at midnight mass. Plus, I will be experiencing it with you and Parker."
Booth took her in his arms and kissed her soundly. "You have made my Christmas, Bones. Not that it hasn't already been the best Christmas of my life, but life with you just seems to get better and better every day."
There were still several hours before they needed to leave to get Parker, so they all decided to watch a Christmas movie. They settled on Love Actually. Several of them had seen it and were excited to watch it again, but it was new to a few of them.
After the movie was over, Booth and Brennan left to get Parker and headed to mass. They usually went to a small neighborhood church, but occasionally went to the large Basilica. Parker was very excited when he got into the car and saw that Bones was joining them. So he and Booth agreed that they should go to the Basilica so they could impress her.
It was a beautiful service. The church was filled with live evergreen trees with strings of lights, and mounds of red and white poinsettias surrounding the altar. And the music was glorious. A large, very impressive choir. The massive pipe organ. Stringed instruments. Trumpets. Brennan recognized several of the instrumental pieces and hymns that incorporated classical themes that she knew well.
As they left the church, they walked out into the crisp night air and were shaken from any drowsiness from the late hour. As they settled in the car, Booth looked back at Parker. "Are you going to be able to stay awake until I get you home? It IS 1:30 in the morning." Parker yawned and mumbled something. Booth just shook his head and started the car.
When they pulled up in front of Rebecca's house, Booth got him out of his seatbelt and carried him up the walk to the porch. Brent saw them coming, meeting them at the door, and Booth carried the boy all the way to his bed. He left him with Rebecca and Brent to get him out of his clothes and rushed back out to get into the warm car.
Before putting it in gear, he looked across at Brennan. "Did you enjoy the mass?" She nodded. "I did. I always appreciate pageantry. It's something that I studied during my anthropological training. I think I'm beginning to understand a little of what you and Parker get from attending mass on Sundays. We'll have to have a discussion about it when things settle down after the holidays." Booth wasn't quite sure what it meant, but he was looking forward to what she would have to say when they had that conversation.
For the first time, he was able to share with her one of his favorite things - the drive home after midnight mass. It was always cold and frosty. There were no other cars on the road. It felt like he was the only person awake in the entire city, and all of the lights and decorations were there just for him to see. He explained the feeling to her, and she immediately understood what he meant. "Yes, it does feel like we're the only people in the whole city. Let's take the long way home and enjoy the lights." He looked over at her, and pulled the car over to the curb, putting it in park. As he reached to pull her into his arms, he mumbled. "Damn console." She laughed and unbuckled her seatbelt so she could lean across the console. They shared a long, loving kiss and exchanged heartfelt "I love you's".
After getting home so late, they slept in a little later than they intended, and immediately remembered that they had a houseful of guests. They grabbed their robes, and when they reached the staircase they heard the sounds of their family enjoying Christmas morning. As they came down the lower half of the staircase, Max spotted them. "Hey you sleepyheads! Come on down! Breakfast is almost ready!"
They were surprised to see everyone in the kitchen putting together a big breakfast spread. Max was making pancakes and French toast, Russ was working on the bacon and sausages, Amy was making oatmeal, and Emma was making toast, while Hayley buttered the slices as they came out of the toaster. And, of course, Pops was seated at the counter, supervising.
Booth chuckled. "I see you found all the food we had in for this morning's breakfast. We were planning to get up early to cook for all of you. You shouldn't need to cook - you're our guests."
Max turned from the griddle. "Oh rubbish! We're not guests, we're family. We figured you must have gotten in late last night from midnight mass." Brennan walked over and gave Max a kiss on the cheek. "Yes, it was almost 2:30 when we got home. After dropping Parker off, we drove around the city looking at all of the Christmas lights and displays. Booth was showing me how much he always loves driving home from midnight mass because the city is so empty. We only saw a handful of other cars on the road the entire time we were driving."
Russ looked up from his spot at the stove. "That must be strange seeing DC so empty. I guess any night other than Christmas Eve, the bars would be emptying out at that time, but I don't imagine any of them were open last night."
Booth nodded. "Yes, and I suspect that the hospital emergency rooms are probably pretty quiet then too. Which is nice for them, having to work on Christmas Eve." He looked at the growing spread of filled platters and bowls on the counter. "This looks great everyone - good job!" He grabbed a plate and started filling it. "I'm starving!"
Early in the afternoon, Rebecca, Brent, and Parker arrived with several covered dishes of food for the Christmas dinner. A few minutes later they were joined by Angela and Hodgins bringing their own contributions for the dinner. After breakfast, Brennan and Amy had prepared the turkey and the ham, and they had been in the oven for several hours. Brennan had decided to have more of a casual dinner, so once the turkey and ham were in the oven, there wasn't any additional prep for the meal until it was time to take the meat out of the oven. Rebecca and Angela brought side dishes and appetizers, and Booth had picked up a cake and a couple of pies from the bakery. At the same time, he had chosen an assortment of Christmas cookies, and they were scattered on plates and trays around the living room and kitchen.
The girls were excited to see Parker and he ran up to his room and brought down his newest game for them to play. The adults passed the time before dinner either watching a basketball game or chatting.
Several hours later, after everyone had enjoyed the dinner, and all of the cleanup was done, the gifts were pulled from under the tree. Booth put on Christmas music and everyone sat around the tree, either on the floor or on the sofas and chairs, opening their gifts. Lots of running over to others to give hugs and thanks, and it was a chaotic scene with wrapping paper, bows, and boxes scattered all over the large room.
When things finally settled down, the children were over at the dining room table playing one of their new games. The adults had all wandered into different groups, and between the music, the conversations, and the continuous kibitzing from the game in the dining area, it was a very noisy, but heartwarming scene.
Booth had taken a seat on the floor near the tree, with his back against Brennan's favorite reading chair. He motioned her over, and she sat down in front of him between his legs. His arms went around her waist and he pulled her against him, burying his nose in her hair. "You smell great Bones."
She looked back at him and turned her body so she was sitting across his lap. "It's that new perfume you bought me for Christmas. I love it." He leaned in to smell her neck. "I guess I did a pretty good job picking it out. It's giving me ideas." She chuckled. "Down boy. We have a houseful of guests." He laughed and hugged her just a little more tightly.
They were both looking across the room at the family gathered there. Booth whispered to her. "I think this is exactly the dream I had when we first saw this house. I knew it would be the perfect place for large family gatherings." Brennan nodded. "Yes. I had those same thoughts. And just think. If we start working on it soon, we just might have a slightly larger family next Christmas."
Booth was startled and turned her face so he could look into her amazing blue eyes. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Brennan smiled. "I don't know what you think I'm saying. But if you think I'm suggesting that I don't renew my birth control prescription next month, then you would be correct." Booth tried to tamp down his smile a little so he wouldn't draw attention from anyone who might have been looking their way. So he did the only thing he could. He buried his face in her hair again.
"Oh my God Bones. This is the best Christmas ever." She tried to bring him down to earth. "Well, it doesn't always work right away once a woman has gone off the pill. It could take up to six months before my body adjusts and I am fertile again. And, I am 35 years old, so my fertility is not the same as when I was in my 20s." Booth still had his face buried in her hair to hide his excitement. "I don't care how long it takes sweetheart. Can you just see us with an infant next year at Christmas?"
She smiled at the thought. "It would be nice. But you have to realize that the baby will not remember anything that happens when they're that young. Of course, he or she would probably be dazzled by all of the lights on the tree." Booth finally pulled his face from her hair and looked into her face. They were both smiling broadly. He cupped her face with both hands. "I can't wait to start trying." She chuckled. "It will be fun, won't it." He leaned forward and kissed her soundly.
As they broke the kiss, Russ' voice cut through the cacophony of sound in the room. "Hey! What are you two doing canoodling over there?" Every head in the room turned to the couple sitting on the floor and there were smiles all around. Booth responded. "Can't I have a little time with my girl here?" Brennan slapped him on the shoulder. "Your 'girl'?" Everyone laughed and Booth gave her his best charm smile. "Figure of speech, Bones. Figure of speech."
January 2012
Shortly after the new year, Angela invited Brennan out to lunch one afternoon. They were in the diner and had given their orders. As the waitress walked away, Angela leaned across the table. "I have something exciting to tell you. Hodgins is the only one who knows so far." Brennan turned her head to the side. "Are you?" Angela jumped in. "Yes! I'm pregnant!" Brennan clapped her hands and stood up to go around the table to give her a big hug.
When they had both returned to their chairs, Brennan told her that she wondered why Angela wasn't drinking any wine on Christmas Day, but figured that she was acting as the designated driver so Hodgins could kick back and drink with the guys. Angela laughed. "Well, I'm going to be the DD for the foreseeable future. Hodgie is kind of loving it."
She told her that her due date was in August, but asked her not to say anything to their friends for now. "You can tell Booth, but we want to wait until I'm through my first trimester before announcing it."
Brennan told her she understood. She sat there wondering if she should share her news about their baby making project, but decided not to for two reasons. She didn't want to steal Angela's thunder - this lunch was to celebrate Angela's good news, and she didn't want to turn the focus on herself. She also thought it best not to disclose that they were trying - better to wait until there was actual news. But she couldn't help smiling to herself that they just might be experiencing pregnancy together, and their children would be very close in age.
The carpenter, Carlo, spent two weeks at the townhouse installing the custom built shelves and cabinets in the living room. They also had him build some custom cabinetry in both of the dens, and they were very pleased with the results. The following week they had the movers bring all of the items that had been left at Brennan's apartment, and she was thrilled to see how good everything looked on the new shelving.
They were both excited at how the Christmas village was going to look on top of the lower cabinets, and the following week they took Parker back to the antique store and picked out ten more buildings so they had them all set for next Christmas. They were able to store them all in two of the lower cabinets, so they had more than enough storage for their current needs.
Shortly after purchasing the house, Brennan was having a catch up on the phone with Mary, and Mary decided that she and Nigel should plan a visit. They had both decided to take a semester off from teaching to spend some together, and they wanted to do some traveling.
So they planned a two week trip to the US late in January. The first week in Washington DC, and the second in New York City. Brennan insisted that they stay with them for the first week. Although she and Booth would be working all week, they could come and go from the townhouse and see all of the tourist sites in the Capitol. They decided that Brennan and Booth then would take the train with them to New York and spend the weekend together. They were going to play it by ear, based on whether they were in the middle of a case, but would try to take a day off during the first week. And, if their schedules made it possible, stay with them in New York until Monday - returning on the train Monday night.
Brennan and Booth were waiting for them outside the immigration hall, and Mary and Brennan shared a tight hug when they found each other. Nigel told her how good it was to see her again and he gave her a bear hug. Brennan turned to Booth and introduced him to the couple and they all headed toward the car. Booth had flashed his badge to leave the SUV at the curb outside of the arrivals area. Brennan had given him a side eye, but he just smiled and shrugged. "I want to impress our guests. You think that will do it?" She assured him that they would be impressed.
And they were. Nigel slapped him on the back when they approached the car with its blinking lights and saw Booth wave to the policeman who was patrolling the front of the entrance. Nigel sat up front with him so the girls could sit together in the back and catch up. At one point, Mary leaned toward her and whispered. "Temperance, he's even more good looking in person!" Brennan gave her a sly smile. "I know. He sort of knocked me off my game the minute I met him." Mary responded. "Well, I would say you are a matched pair, but well done!"
Booth half turned from the front seat. "What are you two giggling about back there?" Brennan decided to pay him back for his use of endearments. "Nothing dear! Just turn around and drive." That set off the giggling again, and Booth and Nigel just exchanged looks and shrugs.
Their guests were very impressed with the townhouse and Mary told her how happy she was that they had found such a perfect place together. After getting them settled into the guest room, Booth left them to go get Parker. It was his weekend with them, but Rebecca had offered to take him for a few hours while they made the airport run.
Mary and Nigel fell in love with the young boy, and he kept them entertained the rest of the weekend while they did some sightseeing and went to one of the Booth family's favorite restaurants. On Sunday, Brennan wanted to cook for them, so she and Mary worked in the kitchen to prepare the meal while the three boys were immersed in the football playoff game.
Brennan left them her car for the week so they could get around the city and drive out to Mt Vernon and Baltimore. One evening when they came home from work, they found Mary and Nigel in the kitchen cooking dinner for them. It was a traditional English Sunday Roast, with potatoes, mushy peas, and Yorkshire Pudding. Booth declared that he had died and gone to heaven, and insisted that they leave them recipes for everything.
The couple managed to take a day off during the week, and they drove them out to Shenandoah National Park to experience the views in the Appalachian Mountains. It was a nice mid-week break from investigating murders, although it was pretty chilly on top of the mountains. Mary and Nigel had no problem with the cold, and they were enthralled with the views of the valleys and mountains beyond from the scenic outlooks.
On Saturday morning the two couples boarded the train for New York City. After dropping off their luggage at the hotel, they strolled over to Times Square. Nigel expressed interest in seeing a Broadway musical, so they checked with tkts to see what shows had tickets available. They decided to see a show both Saturday night and Sunday night - Book of Mormon, and Anything Goes.
They had a lovely weekend together and Brennan was happy to see how well the couples meshed. There was never a disagreement when deciding what tourist destination to visit, or where to eat. All four of them were pretty open to going anywhere the group decided.
On Sunday morning, Booth and Nigel went down to the coffee shop next to the hotel to get coffee and pastries to share in lieu of a full breakfast. Brennan and Mary stayed behind in Mary's room and chatted about their time in Maluku. Brennan had been thinking about saying something all week, and decided that she was going to share her secret with Mary. "I stopped my birth control earlier this month." Mary's eyes opened wide. "You're trying for a baby?" Brennan smiled and nodded her head. Mary jumped up and grabbed her in a bear hug. "Oh, Temperance, I'm so happy for both of you! Nothing's happening yet?"
Brennan explained that it had only been a few weeks, and she knew that it could take a few months before she was ready to conceive. Mary, also being a scientist, understood completely. "Please don't tell Booth that I've told you. We haven't told anyone yet - not even Angela." Mary nodded in agreement. "Oh, that's right. Angela is pregnant. That would be so wonderful if you two could go through pregnancy together." Brennan smiled. "Yes it would. But it wasn't planned. Booth and I made the decision before we knew Angela was pregnant." Mary clapped her hands together. "Well, that is what I call serendipity!"
Monday afternoon, the Davies saw the Booths off at the train station. They thanked them for the great week in DC and the fun weekend in New York. As Brennan and Booth walked toward the platform, Booth kept turning around and shouting out additional places they should visit during the week. Brennan finally grabbed him around the waist and laughed. "I'm sure they'll remember all the places you made them write down all weekend. You really liked Mary and Nigel, didn't you?" He threw his arm over her shoulder. "They're great Bones! Nigel insisted we come to visit them next time. We'll have to make plans."