1Title: Prelude to a Tree

Spoilers: Santa in the Slush

Disclaimer: I own nothing. In my opinion this is what should have happened in the end.

Brennan sat on the ugly-plastic wrapped couch, watching her brother and his family open presents with a content smile on her face. Her father watched her as he crossed the small trailer to sit next to her.

"Here, I want you to try this, honey." Max said, pouring a clear liquid into a paper cup.

She was silent for a moment before she spoke. "Are they having fun?" She asked, looking between the two girls and her brother. She was so unsure that this was the right thing to do, thus the nervousness that ran through her. The girls were so excited to see her when she walked through the door, as was the other occupants in the room.

"What are you talking about? Of course they are." Said Max, handing her the paper cup. "And by the way, this is the best Christmas I've had in sixteen years." He was truly proud of his daughter and the effort she placed to give him what he wanted.

Brennan turned and smiled. "Me too." Came her response as her cell phone rang and she took a sip of the liquid, it burned as it traveled through her body causing her to wrinkle her nose in disgust. She pressed talk on the phone as she choked out. "Oh my god."

"What's wrong?" Came the voice that belonged to her partner, obvious worry etching along his face.

"What is this?" The doctor asked her father, ignoring Booth's calls into the phone.

"Just a little good cheer I made under the mattress." Explained Max, amused by the look on her face.

"Booth?" She asked, returning her attention to the man on the phone.

"Bones, hey good news, it seems that I get Parker for Christmas after all." He said, she could see him glowing with fatherly pride.

"Christmas magic, right?" She said with a smile, a warm feeling pulsed through her body that she didn't understand.

"Yeah, so we just called to wish you some yule tide cheer." He said, with a small chuckle, before the voice of his son come on the line.

"Merry Christmas, Bones." Parker said, with a smile.

"Thanks, Parker." She said softly, Max looked at her-to realize that she was smiling softly, a smile that he had never seen before. The con shot her a knowing look before he spoke up.

"If that's Booth, wish him a Merry Christmas from me too." He said, this man was the world to his daughter, and Max understood that.

She relied the message, looking at her father. "Listen Bones, I've got a little something for you." He said, she could her him fiddle with something in the back ground.

"I've got something for you too, we can exchange gifts in a couple of days." She responded, surprising him that she had given in to the gift giving exchange.

"Go to the window and open the blinds now." He said with a sense of urgency.

"What?" She asked confused, but got to her feet and walked to the small window and pulled open the blinds. Her partner and his son stood there as he turned the lights on a small Christmas tree that was connected to his car. The two Booth men waved at her, she waved back stunned. "Hey, everybody looks like we got our Christmas tree after all." She turned to the rest of the room, her eyes not leaving her partners, his charm smile was brighter than the multicolored ones that surrounded the tree. Emma and Haylee were the first to run to the window with their excited cheers, followed closely by Amy, Russ and Max-each holding their own excited smiles.

Brennan's eyes began to fill as a lone tear ran down her cheek. She turned on her heels and threw her cell phone onto the plastic wrapped couch and rushed out of the trailer and startling the guard, who opened the gate for her.

She ran down the hallway and out the door towards her partner, who moved passed his son and opened his arms allowing her to jump into his embrace. He smiled into her hair, taking note that she still smelled of vanilla and Christmas, he held her tight as the heavy snow began to fall and her coat had been left in the trailer.

The adults left in the trailer watched with matching smiles on their faces, admiring the man that had went above and beyond his call as a partner just to bring her family a Christmas tree. They watched as the pair stopped spinning and she said something to him that made him laugh, which she promptly silenced him, as her family watched in surprised, pressing her lips to his.

The kissed deepened as her knees nearly gave away and his arms held her tighter, only to stop when the little boy pulled on the coat of his father with a look of disgust on his face. The father and the anthropologist laughed and held each other close. Brennan leaned down and gave the boy a kiss on the forehead and whispered something gaining a fond smile from Booth.

After a long moment Brennan turned back to the window and took notice of the three adults, who only waved, each wearing a matching smile.

The red flushed in both Brennan's and Booths cheeks before she waved back, taking Booth and Parker by the hand and leading them inside to the celebration. The three adults had taken their places around the trailer trying to act natural, but could hide their smiles.

Brennan walked in first, followed by Booth and Parker. "Merry Christmas, Brennan's." Said Booth with a smile, in fact he was truly happy that they could have a Christmas.

Max stood up and clasped the man on the shoulder. "Thanks Booth, you made this holiday special for us." He said as Parker dragged Brennan to her brother and nieces.

"You're welcome, Max." Booth responded. "It meant a lot to her."

Max nodded and turned to watch his daughter, who had the little boy sitting on her lap and was laughing at something he said to her. "You've done really well at following up with my request and keeping her safe, you've gone well beyond with keeping her happy."

"She deserves to be happy and its been a long, hard road, but she's happy now. She knows that if she isn't happy, she can come find me and I'll fix that." Booth answered with a whisper, also watching the woman with a smile on his face.

"That's good." Max answered, distractedly as random holiday music started to play from the small speakers resting in the corner.