I whipped this one up in just over an hour. I haven't read it over properly, so sorry for any mistakes. I wanted to get it up before Christmas, and I'm about to leave for my Oma's and Opa's so I'm doing this really fast.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

23rd December

"But I still get to see Parker for Christmas don't I?" Booth pushed open Brennan's office door, his phone pressed to his ear. He turned to her and mouthed 'Rebecca'. She winced and nodded slowly. Brennan had nothing against Rebecca, but when it came to Christmas, there was always a problem.

"No, Rebecca I need to see my son on Christmas day" he ran his hand through his hair in frustration "you always take him up there though. Why can't he just stay with me on Christmas Eve then you can pick him up after breakfast?" Booth paced the office "I can't even see him on Christmas Eve? Rebecca, I need to see my son. This is absolutely ridiculous. I am having Parker on Christmas Eve, I don't care what you say, but you cannot deny me the right to see my son for Christmas. I'll talk to you later about when I'll be dropping him off at Vermont." Booth snapped his phone shut and slumped down onto the couch.

Brennan stood up from her chair and walked over to sit down next to him.

"It is extremely unfair that Rebecca is not allowing Parker to visit you for Christmas" she commented, making sure she had strung her words together correctly.

"It's bullshit!" He yelled, standing up and pacing behind the couch. "I support him, I do everything I damn well have to and more!" He slammed his hands on the back of the couch "why can't I see my son for Christmas?" He asked nobody in particular "you want to know why? It's because she's taking him to Vermont, again, to spend time with Captain Fantastic's family." Despite his better judgement, Booth swung his fist at the wall, cracking the plaster and possibly a few bones.

"Geez Booth!" Brennan exclaimed, jumping off the couch and running over to him. She took his hand and held it in hers, running her finger over his swollen and cut knuckles. "Are you ok?"

"No" he admitted "but for a moment there, it did take away the pain of not having Parker for Christmas."

"You should probably go to the hospital and get it x-rayed" she told him.

"No, it's fine, I'll just tape it up." Booth said, taking his hand away and shaking it "look, I've got to go, I'll see you around."

"See you tomorrow?" Brennan said hopefully, but Booth had already walked out the door.

24th December

"Is mum angry with you?" Parker asked his dad, his face glued to the car window.

"Yes, but you know what? Everything is all good, because I get to spend tonight with you looking at Christmas lights, then take you up to Vermont for tomorrow morning" Booth explained, drumming his hands on the steering wheel.

"So it's like a roadtrip?" Parker said, biting his lips and squinting slightly.

"Yeah a bit."

Parker slammed his hands onto the window and yelled "Dad, Dad, Dad! Stop the car!"

"Why? What's wrong?" Booth asked, pushing his foot down onto the brake pedal and stopping the car abruptly, before he swung into a park by the side of the road.

"Isn't that Bones?" Parker pointed out the window to a woman walking down the path. She was wearing a red beanie, a white scarf, a blue coat and a pair of jeans tucked into her black boots. Definitely something Brennan would wear.

Parker wound down the window, stuck his head out and yelled "Bones!"

Startled, Brennan spun around and took a step away from the source of the voice.

"Oh Parker, you scared me" she said once she had recovered from her shock.

"Bones what are you doing out at this time of night?" Booth asked, leaning over Parker to get closer to her.

"I was" she held her hand up and gestured to the decorated houses "looking at the Christmas lights."

"So are we" Parker grinned "why don't you come with us?"

"I wouldn't want to intrude" she replied, pulling on her sleeves to cover her hands.

"Come on Bones, jump in" Booth insisted "you'll either freeze to death or get mugged by some weirdo."

"The probability of me freezing is close to impossible" Brennan told him, opening up the back door and climbing onto the seat.

"I know, it's a saying" he said as he merged into the traffic.

"I thought it was, although I wanted to check." She grinned and made eye contact with him in the rear view mirror "I'm getting quite good at discerning sarcasm from actual facts."

"That you are Bones" Booth agreed, tapping on the steering wheel. "Hey Parker, check out those lights."

Parker lent forward and gazed at the house covered with lights and an inflatable Santa.

"That is so cool." He said, pressing his nose against the window to get a better look.

"It's beautiful" Brennan commented, looking into the rear-view mirror again.

"Yeah" Booth nodded, keeping eye contact with her "it is."

(Insert line break here)

"Hey dad" Parker whispered "Bones is asleep."

"I know" Booth replied "she fell asleep a while ago. You should get some sleep too."

"Nahhh" Parker shook his head eagerly "there's not much longer left to drive anyway."

"Just over an hour left." Booth pulled over to the side of the road and climbed out of the car.

"What are you doing Dad?" Parker asked, twisting around in his seat to watch his dad.

Booth opened up the back door and crouched between the back seat and the driver's seat.

Carefully, he wrapped an arm under Brennan's legs and the other under her arms. She turned her head on his shoulder and mumbled something incoherently.

"I'm just taking you to the front seat Bones" Booth explained to her as he walked around the car. Parker caught on quickly and climbed over the centre console, and onto the back seat.

Booth opened the door with a finger and nudged it open with his shoulder. Being careful as to not wake her, he put Brennan down onto the seat and began to move a way.

"Where you going?" She groaned, tightening an arm around his shoulders. "Stay for a little longer."

"I've gotta get back in the car Bones" Booth said.

"But you only just got in bed."

She had said it so innocently and sweetly, that Booth had to do everything to not stay there and hold her while she slept. With a smile on his face, he walked around to the driver's side and set off again.

(Insert Line Break Here)

Brennan was just beginning to wake up when she heard the conversation Booth and Parker were having.

"You don't look at Hannah the same way you look at Bones" Parker commented. "You look at Bones like you want to hold her and never let go, but you look at Hannah like she's already gone."

"What do you mean Parks?" Booth replied.

"Why are you dating Hannah? Why aren't you dating Bones?"

"Bones doesn't like me in that way Parker."

Yes I do Brennan thought.

"She doesn't want to date me." Booth continued.

I do.

"Have you asked her out?" Parker questioned, grilling his father.

"Well, kind of." Booth answered.

"Just ask her dad. Go up to her and say 'Bones, will you go out with me?'"

"It's not that simple Parker." He sighed "I can't just ask her out, we work together."

"So what. Besides nothing is stopping you, you and Hannah aren't together anymore."

Why wasn't I told about this?

"When did you find out about that?" Booth asked "I haven't told anybody."

"Hannah told me. And she also said to make sure that you get your but into gear and tell Bones how you feel." Brennan could hear the swishing of Parker's clothes as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'll tell her how I feel when she's ready to hear it, ok Parker" Booth said, his voice stern and leaving no room for argument.

"Yesssss Daaadd."

(Insert Line Break Here)

"Hey Bones…wake up Bones…wakey wakey eggs and bacey." Booth shook Brennan's shoulder gently.

"I don't eat bacon" she grumbled, keeping her eyes clamped shut.

"We're at Vermont" he told her "do you want me to leave you in the car or do you want to come out?"

"I'll come out" Brennan replied, opening one eye slowly so she could adjust to the light.

"Awww Bones, your so cute when you're sleepy" Booth grinned and went to pick her up.

"Ok, ok I'm up!" She protested, hitting his hands away "alpha male."

(Insert Line Break Here)

Brennan and Parker were standing next to the fireplace at the Ski Lodge. Through the wall, they could hear Rebecca and Booth arguing.

"I don't like it when people argue" Parker commented.

"Neither do I" Brennan agreed "sometimes, my foster parents used to argue. I would cover my ears and sing to myself."

"When I hear people arguing I go into my room and shut the door" he shared with her "but I can't go into my room here."

"Why not?"

"Because I will drag snow up there" Parker told her "I need to get changed before I can go to my room."

"I'm not intruding Rebecca!" Booth yelled as he stormed through the door "I am seeing my son! That is not intruding. I have missed out on so many holidays with Parker. You can take away Easter, Halloween, heck, even Father's day, but you cannot deny me Christmas."

"C'mon Booth" Brennan said, grabbing onto his arm and pulling him away from the room that Rebecca was now exiting "don't make a scene."

"Listen to your partner Seeley" Rebecca pleaded.

"I just want to spend Christmas with my son" Booth spat "I will leave this time, but next Christmas…I will have Parker."

"I am willing to compromise with you Seeley" Rebecca said "we will spend next Christmas together, in DC."

"Neither of our apartments are big enough to have your family and Drew's family as well as me, Pops, Jared and Padme."

"My apartment is big" Brennan piped in "actually it is very large. You are welcome to use it during the holidays next year as I will be on a dig."

"We couldn't do that Bones. We couldn't just celebrate Christmas at your place without you." Booth turned to her and continued "it wouldn't be right. Besides, you're family too."

"Max could come too" Parker suggested "and I would like to see Amy again."

"Aww Bones isn't that sweet" Booth gushed "my son has a crush on your niece."

"I do not have a crush on her!" Parker protested "she's just cool."

"Ok" Brennan concluded "I will contemplate staying in DC for Christmas, and you guys can all share my apartment for Christmas. Does that sound reasonable?"

"You're a lifesaver" Rebecca beamed and hugged Brennan "thank-you so much."

"It's nothing. We will organize everything at a closer date." Brennan pulled herself away from her embrace and smiled awkwardly.

"Are you ready to go Bones?" Booth asked, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the door.

"Yes."

(Insert Line Break Here)

"Thanks for that Bones" Booth said when they were in the car, driving away from the ski lodge "you did a really good thing in there."

"There's no need to say thank-you" Brennan insisted "it was the logical thing to do."

"You know what you did in there proves?" He asked rhetorically "that you have an open heart."

She ducked her head and blushed "I learnt that form you."

When Booth did not reply, she blurted out "I heard you talking to Parker" for clarification she added "when you thought I was asleep."

"What did you hear?" Booth questioned, his jaw tightening visibly.

"I heard that you and Hannah are no longer together, and that you are waiting until you think I am ready to tell me how you feel." Brennan paused and placed a hand on his juggling knee "I'm ready Booth."

"Are you sure you are Bones? Because if I tell you and you run, I don't know if I could follow you again."

"I've been ready to hear it since we came back from our opposite ends of the world" she told him.

"I thought I was over you" he admitted, pulling over to the side of the road so he could look at her "I really thought I was. But after a few weeks with Hannah, I realized there was no spark. I knew I would never get over you. I didn't want to get over you."

"I didn't want you to either, but it seemed the best option for you."

"It's not always about what is best" he said "it's about taking risks."

"I'm willing to take the risk with you" Brennan gripped his knee tighter "because I know that you're worth it."

"Goddammit of course it will be worth it" Booth said, grinning at her "Bones, you've just given me all my Christmases at once."

"You still haven't asked" she pointed out.

"Bones will you give us a chance?"

Brennan leant over the centre console and pressed her lips against his softly.

"Merry Christmas Booth" she said as she pulled away, leaning her forehead against his.

"Merry Christmas Bones."

So maybe it got a bit OOC towards the end, but anyway. Please leave a review on your way out. BTW story name is inspired by the song 'I didn't want to need you' by Heart.