Brennan sat in her office, looking at the screen of her computer. She had been working on a new novel for a few weeks and the progress was a lot slower than she would have liked. It had been almost eight weeks since Angela and Hodgins had brought their daughter home from the hospital and little Bren was flourishing beautifully under her parents' watchful eyes. Bren had gorgeous blue eyes like Hodgins' that could make you stop right where you were and stare as well as a head full of dark hair that contrasted the brightness of her eyes sharply. Angela had commented more than once that her daughter looked a little like her mother, but only at a glance. Brennan also noticed that the baby had Angela's nose and hands. She was proud to have such a gorgeous godchild and couldn't wait to see her grow up right before her eyes.

Angela had returned to work from her maternity leave, but Brennan had made sure that she was able to keep baby Bren close by, insisting to Cam that setting up the playpen in Angela's office would be just fine. Her friend was one of those women that could work and be a mom at the same time, balancing both with grace and ease. Hodgins also appreciated having his daughter close by to keep an eye on her as well as the opportunity to stop by and spoil her whenever he had the chance. Everyone went back to work and had closed another case on a three-year-old murder of a man that worked with the drug cartels in the DC area as an undercover agent. They spent a few days undercover themselves, but it was nothing out of the ordinary for their line of work. As usual, Brennan and Booth solved the case using her irrefutable skills as an anthropologist and his intuition as an FBI agent.

It was Christmas Eve, which was usually Brennan's least favorite time of the year, but this year was a little different since she and Booth were spending it together and he happened to have Parker this year. She stared at her computer screen for another minute, knowing that Booth would be there soon to pick her up to take her back to his place. Her latest book was about Kathy taking a trip to a third world country to identify some remains for a royal family, but she couldn't bring herself to let Kathy leave Andy behind in the United States. People had accused her for years of her main characters being based off of herself and Booth, but until this moment, she had denied it over and over again. However, staring at the screen and the words displayed across them of a scene where Kathy and Andy were arguing about her leaving, it truly dawned on her that they were herself and Booth in some fictional form. That realization made her smile to herself a little. The past eight months were proof that she could love someone and allow herself to be loved. Booth was the man she had always loved all along.

"You ready to go Bones?"

The voice at the door startled her as she turned and saw Booth standing there with Parker beside him. Parker was looking more like his dad each day, which made Brennan smile inwardly. He was a great child and she couldn't think of a better man for Parker to turn out like than his father.

"Yeah, let's go Bones!" Parker echoed his father's enthusiasm. "Hurry up slow-poke!"

Laughing, she saved the documents of her book and closed out the files before shutting her computer down. "Now I am," she replied, standing from her seat and grabbing her coat from behind the chair.

Walking over to Booth and Parker, she started walking out of the door. Parker darted in front of them and went straight for the doors of the lab. As she and Booth walked out behind, she felt Booth's hand slide into her own and smiled. She had never been one for anything couple-like in the workplace, but this was after hours and it was Christmas, so she didn't mind at all.

"Parker seems really excited," she said as they walked out to the parking lot from the Jeffersonian.

"I told him he was allowed to open one present early this year," Booth replied, chuckling. "But I didn't tell him that I am picking which one he opens."

Brennan laughed and smiled. "So he thinks he'll get to open the biggest one tonight?" She smiled and thought of when she and Russ were kids. They always argued over who got to open the biggest present first since their parents never labeled them to keep everything a secret. She would always try to figure out how her parents categorized the presents by what color wrapping paper was used or even where they were placed under the tree, but never figured it out.

"Oh he always thinks that, even on Christmas morning," he replied. "He always goes for the biggest one first, even though he knows I don't let him open it until last."

"My brother and I were the same way when we were kids," she said, smiling softly at Booth as they reached the SUV and got inside.

The ride back to Booth's apartment was filled with Parker's excitement about actually getting to open a present earlier than he was supposed to. Brennan smiled at his enthusiasm and loved how his childlike nature was still present, even at ten-years-old when most children stopped really believing in childish things. She still remembered how she had loved Christmas as a child, up until her parents disappeared. The holidays were always happy times around her home, especially because her mother got into everything for her and Russ. Since her father and brother had come back, Brennan had felt more festive in recent years, but this would probably be the best Christmas she'd had in more than fifteen years.

Her thoughts drifted for a few minutes to the Christmas everyone had spent quarantined in the lab. She had seen a whole other side of Booth then, including finding out that he had a son. That year, she opened the very last gifts her parents had ever left for her as well, which had been both emotional and healing in a way. But now, six years later, everything was different and better in so many ways. Temperance Brennan was no longer alone.

When they arrived back at the apartment, Parker rushed right upstairs and waited for Brennan and his father to join him before they opened the door and he darted for the tree that was set up in the living room. Plugging in the lights, Parker stepped back and admired the work they had all done together a few days prior. The room was softly lit with the white glow from the Christmas tree and the outlines of the ornaments were visible. Parker had made a few from school that they added as well as some that Brennan had bought together with Booth when they got the lights and tree topper.

While Parker bounced up and down, Brennan went to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate for them. She listened as Booth and Parker negotiated which present he would open first, with Parker doing most of the negotiating while Booth more or less turned down every argument. A small laugh escaped her lips as she listened to father and son, wondering who was really going to win in the end. Parker was an exceptionally intelligent child for his age, so he might've weaseled his father into getting his way without Booth realizing it. But then again, Booth knew people better than anyone.

As she put the water on the stove, she put the mix in the coffee mugs. It didn't take long before the water was hot enough and she poured it into the three glasses before adding whipped cream to all three and cinnamon to hers. Taking them out into the living room, she set them on the table before taking a seat next to Booth.

"Alright buddy," Booth said, nodding to his son. "You get to open the gold present that is right on top of that green one by the wall. That's the only one for tonight though. The rest you have to wait until morning for."

Parker nodded and went directly to the gift that Booth had pointed out. Booth leaned back on the couch and Brennan sat next to him to watch Parker open his present. The wrapping paper came off quickly and she watched the look on the little boy's face light up as he opened the box to reveal a hockey puck that had been signed by one of his favorite teams. Booth had spent weeks hunting it down and finally had found it about a week and a half prior.

"This is so cool Dad!" Parker cried excitedly, examining the puck over and over again.

"I'm glad you like it bud. I made sure that it was exactly the right team before I got it," Booth explained.

"Brian is gonna be so jealous when we go back to school and I tell him what I got!"

"Well keep that in a safe place because it'll be worth something someday when you're a lot older." Booth smiled at his son.

Parker kept on looking at the puck with all of the signatures before coming over to the table and drinking his hot chocolate. The conversation went on about hockey for a while since Parker's season would start after Christmas. Booth asked him about games and when they would be so that he could come watch and support him as well as asking if Rebecca was going to record the games he couldn't make it to. Brennan knew that Booth was more than proud of his son and she was glad that they were able to share the love of a sport they both played. Father and son bonding was something that was important beyond anthropologically speaking. Parker would learn the necessary things about being a man from his father and Brennan knew that Booth was an excellent role model.

Once the hot chocolate was gone, Booth and Parker did the dishes before Parker went off to bed, leaving her and Booth to themselves. This was her first real holiday to spend with someone else, so she wasn't really all that certain what to do. When Booth returned to the living room, she made room for him on the couch before leaning against his side and covering her legs with a throw blanket. She thought about what lay ahead in the future and smiled. Because this was their first Christmas together, she and Booth had agreed not to exchange gifts to one another, but instead go on a vacation together. Their flight to Hawaii would leave two days after Christmas and they would spend nearly two weeks there, just relaxing and spending time together. Admittedly, Brennan was a little more excited about it than she would ever tell anyone. She knew that she would bring her laptop just in case inspiration hit for another part of her new novel, but otherwise she was going to be a relaxed woman.

The clock nearby dinged when it was midnight and she looked up at Booth just as he kissed her.

"Merry Christmas Bones," he said softly.

"Merry Christmas Booth," she replied.

Looking into his eyes, she smiled softly for a moment before kissing him again. It was a soft kiss, but full of love and tenderness nonetheless. When he broke it, she smiled softly at him.

"I wish you would have let me give you something small," he said.

"Well…technically, you did," she said, giving him one of her crooked smiles that she knew he loved.

Booth raised one eyebrow curiously. "I'm not following. Explanation?"

"I'm pregnant, Booth," she replied, biting her lower lip to keep from smiling so much at once.