I have seen up to the end of season two, so this fits in at a Christmas sometime after that.

I hope you enjoy!

Please review and let me know if I should continue with this story!

"Hey, Bones, you still here?" Special Agent Seely Booth called across the quiet lab. He could already see the light on in her office, but since she almost knocked him unconscious last time he surprised her, he figured it was best to give her fair warning.

"In here, Booth," she called back. He reached the door to her office, where his partner, Doctor Temperance Brennan, was yet to look up from whatever she was typing on her laptop.

"I need your signature on a few things so I can hand them in before everything shuts down for Christmas." He threw the yellow folder on her desk and collapsed onto her couch.

"I still fail understand the assumption that life should take some sort of 'time out' just because one religious community decrees it to be a holiday."

Booth rolled his eyes, listening to the rant he had been subjected to numerous times over the last two weeks – normally every time he dared to ask her what her plans were for the holiday.

Brennan finally dragged her eyes from her laptop, flicking open the file instead. Her eyes scanned the documents, signing quickly and efficiently. Closing the folder again, she glanced over at her partner for the first time that night. Instantly, she noticed the tense set of his shoulders, the slight tightness of the muscle in his neck. She knew him well enough to pick up the indicators of when something was wrong.

"Booth… What happened?" Brennan asked cautiously, standing up and walking over to the couch.

He looked up at her with raised eyebrows. "I didn't say anything was wrong."
Brennan sat down on the couch next to him. "I'm sorry, I just assumed because of the tension visibly present in your musculature that you were under some sort of duress." She tilted her head to the side, applying her quick mind to the problem of Booth's concern. "It's two days before Christmas. By now you're usually worried about not getting Parker a good enough gift. But I know you already bought him a bike…" Brennan watched as Booth shifted at the mention of Parkers name. "It's something to do with Parker?"
Booth lent back on the couch, picking moodily at his fraying jeans. "Rebecca 'decided' that he was going with her to visit her family, rather than our usual arrangement. It means that next year, I get him all to myself, but for this year…" He sighed again. "I'm going home to visit my family instead. Without Parker."
Brennan felt a rush of sympathy for her partner, understanding the need he felt to spend Christmas with his son. "I'm sorry, Booth," she said warmly, placing her hand over his. His lips twitched in a slight smile.

"It's alright." Booth shook his head, trying to clear the melancholy. "He really liked the bike. I got to give it to him early. They left this afternoon. So," he paused, giving Brennan time to pull her hand away and reassert the distance between them. "What are you doing for the holiday you refuse to acknowledge?"

Brennan frowned. "I don't refuse to acknowledge Christmas, Booth. I give gifts to those I care about," she said defensively.

He nodded, conceding to that point. Since their Christmas trapped in the lab with a deadly virus, she had become much more open to the giving and receiving of gifts. "True. But you didn't answer my question."
Brennan tilted her chin, looking over at her desk. "I'll go visit my father, and then I'll get some work done on my novel."

"What? I thought Angela and Hodgins invited you to go with them?" He asked, hardly surprised that she had turned down their offer.

"I didn't want to intrude on their first Christmas as a couple," she admitted.

"Well, you're not spending another Christmas on your own. I'm putting my foot down," he said emphatically. She glanced at him in confusion

"On what?"
He blinked. "Huh?"

"What are you putting your foot down on top of? I don't understand."

He sighed in frustration. "It's a figure of speech, Bones, it means…. You know what? Never mind. Come with me to visit my family."

Brennan gaped at him. "Booth, I don't want to…"

"You would not be intruding, you would be doing me a favour," he insisted. "They've wanted to meet you for ages, now they'll stop pestering me. Come on. Please? Would you really deny me this small favour at Christmastime?" He turned the full force of his pleading eyes on her, and watched as she relented.

"I -."

"Great! So we'll leave tomorrow at around midday, and we should get there at six-ish. I'll even let you drive." He grinned at her stunned expression. "I'll send Angela over to help you pack. Nice clothes, Bones. Dresses. We go to church and go out for dinner at a friends place."

He stood up and stretched. "But right now, I think it's time for bed. Want a ride home?"
She shook her head mutely.

"OK. Take tomorrow off, like normal people. Go visit your Dad."

Finally, Brennan found her voice. "You can't just abduct me and take me to your family with a day's notice! I have plans, commitments! I promised my dad I would visit on Christmas day!"
Booth lent down, his face centimetres from hers. "And I promised your father that I would take care of you. What kind of friend lets his partner be alone on Christmas? I'll pick you up tomorrow morning, and I'll come with you to visit your father. See you at 10?" Unable to resist, he reached out and brushed a strand of hair off her face. "Sleep tight, Bones."
He walked jauntily out of her office, leaving Brennan feeling like she had just lost control over her own life.

Angela searched franticly through her handbag for her ringing cell phone, finally managing to catch hold and press the talk button moments before it went to voice mail.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Angela. It's Booth."

Angela glanced around at the crowded shopping centre and made her way over to a quiet corner. "Hey, sweetie. Have you dragged Bren out of the office yet?"

"That's kind of why I'm calling. I invited her to come home with me for Christmas."
Angela beamed at her phone. "Taking her home to meet the family? Nice move, G-man. I'm impressed."

"Yeah, well, now I need your help."
Angela looked guiltily at the few shopping bags she had managed to accumulate. "What with? I'm kind of struggling with some last minute shopping here."

"I need you to help her pack – and to make sure she's actually going to come."

Angela checked her watch. If she hurried here…

"Sure. Let me guess? Decent outfit for church, nice dress for Christmas dinner… any other requests? I'm sure I could convince her to pack that lingerie I b-."

"Angela… let's not push her too far, OK?"

Angela sighed. "You're no fun. I'll be there soon."

"Thank you, Ange."

She smiled at the sincerity in his voice. "No problems."
She hung up her phone, sliding in back into her bag. As though by divine chance, her eyes alighted on a dress in the window of a store. She grinned. "At least this makes getting her Christmas gift easier."

Brennan looked imploringly at the open suitcase on her bed, wishing the inanimate object could offer up a few suggestions. Every rational thought process told her to empty out the practical necessities she had already packed, to call Booth and tell him she couldn't come. But the irrational, emotional need to not be alone this time of year seemed to be winning out. She sighed. She had been spending way too much time around the emotionally governed Booth and Angela.

At that point, her musings were interrupted by a sharp knock on the door.

"Sweetie, open up. I'm here to help."

Brennan opened the door and let in her best friend, followed quickly by Hodgins and Zack.

"What… what are you all doing here?" She asked, baffled, as Hodgins plonked himself on her couch and Zack examined the artefacts on her bookshelves.

"We figured, since you were going away with Booth, we would come over and give you our presents now." Angela beamed, holding out a medium-sized package wrapped in silver tissue paper. "Merry Christmas, Sweetie."

"Angela…" Brennan murmured, taking the gift. "Thank you."
Hodgins scooted up on the couch, hanging his head over the arm. "Come on, Brennan, open it up. Ange has been itching to see what you think." Brennan shot a smile at Hodgins, before carefully unwrapping the gift. From the mess of tissue paper, she pulled a dress made of delicate blue fabric. It had thin, beaded straps that crossed over at the back, merging neatly into a line of beads on the heart-shaped neckline. It was fitted around the bust, the beading continuing in intricate patterns across the top, before falling loosely to the knee.

"Oh, Angela," she gasped. "It's beautiful."
Angela smiled smugly. "That is your Christmas dinner dress. Jack?"
Hodgins stood up obediently and handed Brennan a black bag. "I don't believe in wrapping paper," he told her obstinately.

"Thank you," Brennan said, reaching into the bag and pulling out a pair of shoes that matched the exact shade of the silver beads. She grinned at Hodgins. "Thank you, both of you."

Zack suddenly pulled himself away from his examination of the room. "Oh, that would make it my turn. Merry Christmas, Dr. Brennan," he said, handing her a heavy package wrapped messily in paper covered with images of Santa. She knew what it would be before she even removed the paper, and was proved right when she ripped it off to reveal the latest anthropological journal.

She smiled at her ex-student, feeling tears of gratitude forming in her eyes at the actions of her friends. "Thank you." She lent over and kissed Zack's cheek. He blushed furiously.

"Wait here, one second," Brennan said before disappearing into her room. She emerged seconds later, a pile of gifts balancing precariously in her arms. She gently laid them down on her couch, before picking up the first and handing it to Zack. He took it without a word, removing the paper deftly from the conical shaped package and glancing up at her in surprise as he was met with a large plastic tube.

"Open it," Brennan insisted. Zack pulled off the top of the canister, taking from within it a rolled up piece of card. Unrolling it, he was met with a large and detailed world map.

In the spot that indicated Iraq on the map, Brennan had placed a red dot. She handed Zack the second part of his gift, which she had not bothered to wrap. It was a brown, leather bound journal.

"You should never forget the places you travel too, or what you learn from those experiences, Zack. This way, you never will." Zack carefully rolled up the map once more, placing it back inside the cylinder and putting it aside. Then he turned to his mentor and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, Dr. Brennan."
She smiled. "You're welcome, Dr. Addy."

They broke apart as a throat was cleared from behind them. "That's sweet, and all," Hodgins said, "But it's late, and the rest of those presents are looking pretty good."
Brennan's mouth twitched. "You're as impatient as Booth." She pulled the next item off her couch and handed it to Hodgins.

The group all laughed as he ripped the paper off with the gusto of a six year old on Christmas morning.

"Wooow…" Hodgins breathed as he took in the heavy, expensive book in his hands. "Where the hell did you find this?"

Brennan shrugged. "I came across it when I was on an assignment with Booth. I figured you might like it."

"Like it? I love it! Thank you!"
Angela rolled her eyes. "Give the guy a book on bugs and you'd think it was a winning lottery ticket."

Hodgins snorted. "This isn't just any book on bugs. This is THE book on bugs." He glanced up at the amused face of his fiancé. "You wouldn't understand." He sighed dramatically, taking over Brennan's spare armchair with his book.

Brennan felt a warm glow at how well received her first two gifts were. She took the last item off the couch – a small, thin envelope.

"Merry Christmas, Ange." She handed the white paper to her best friend.

Angela opened it quickly, pulling out the card inside. "Oh, Bren…"

"What? You don't like it?" Brennan said quickly, her stomach sinking. "I'm sure I could get a refun-."

The arms thrown around her neck cut her off. "A day at a celebrity spa? Brennan! Why would I not like it? Thank you."

Brennan hugged Angela back, relieved. "You're welcome."
When Angela released her, the two women glanced at the males on the furniture – Hodgins absorbed in his book, and Zack busy writing everything he could remember about Iraq with the pen Brennan had clipped inside the journal.

"Now, while they're busy…" Angela grabbed Brennan's dress and shoes. "Let's get you packed, shall we?"
*******

It took half an hour for Angela to be satisfied with the contents of Brennan's suitcase. It was just past midnight when she closed it up. "Done. And we did good, if I do say so myself."

"Mmhm." Brennan agreed, staring distractedly at the floor.

Angela sighed. "Just roll with it, Sweetie. Don't analyse, don't question… just be happy that you're spending Christmas with your partner and his family. OK?"
Brennan looked sharply at Angela, her blue eyes containing something similar to panic. "I don't do families, Angela! He has a brother with three kids and a wife, and parents, and I do parents even worse than I do kids! Anthropologically speaking, taking me home to meet his family is some sort of test that I can either emerge from with a stronger relationship to Booth or as someone he no longer wishes to spend time with, depending on his family's impressions of my nature. And my nature is not one that promotes easy friendship."

Her friend looked so nervous that Angela couldn't help but laugh. "Sweetie, it's OK to be scared."

"I'm not scared! I will be in no physical danger, therefore…"

She trailed off at the amused expression on Angela's face. "Maybe I'm a little scared." She admitted.

"Booth will take care of you," Angela said with a sigh, lying back on Brennan's bed. "His family could hate you with a passion and that guy would still be dragging you from life-threatening situations."
Brennan lay back beside her friend. "His alpha-male tendencies do seem to centre around protecting me."

"Uh-huh," Angela agreed sleepily, yawning widely. "Sweetie, I think it's time that I got those two home."

Both women stood up and walked back into the lounge room, where Zack had fallen asleep on the couch, journal open on his stomach and pen fallen to the floor. Hodgins hadn't seemed to notice any passage of time, his eyes still roaming page after antique page.

"Come on, you two. Up. We're leaving." Angela clapped her hands loudly. Zack stirred first, almost falling the floor in his attempt to stand up. He looked like he had before receiving his doctorate – messy haired and sleep affected. He gathered up his things as though on autopilot, while Angela attempted to drag Hodgins away from his book. Brennan watched, as a few whispered promises in his ear seemed to do the trick.

"Thank you, everyone." Brennan said with a smile as she walked them to the door. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," they chorused, Angela kissing her on the cheek.

"Have fun, Bren. Don't be too good." Angela wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Brennan rolled her eyes and pushed her out the door in response.

She closed the door and turned back to her empty apartment, back the concerns for the next few days that were sure to keep her up all night.