(Season 2)

Merry Christmas

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooo

Booth was wandering through an antique mall, checking out the new items that had been added in the stalls since the last time he'd been there. He didn't usually buy anything, but he was always on the lookout for an old camera or a vintage sign. While he was passing his friend Dave's kiosk, he spied something that he hadn't seen in the kiosk before. "Hey Dave, when did you get this in?"

Patting the object of interest, Dave smiled. "I went to my Uncle Brian's funeral and found out afterward that my Aunt Amy was going to sell Uncle Brian's collection in a garage sale. I bought them instead. I gave her a lot more than she would have got at a garage sale and I saved her a lot of hassle."

"Cool." Booth studied the collection and his gaze was drawn to an older model sitting on a table behind Dave. "How much do you want for that one?"

Dave looked at the piece, glanced at Booth to gauge how much the man was interested in the item then shrugged his shoulders. "600 dollars and that's a bargain."

Startled, Booth shook his head. "600? I can't afford to spend 600 on a present. Hard pass."

Since he really was selling the microscope at a bargain price, Dave sighed. "It's an antique and worth twice what I'm asking for it. I paid my Aunt Amy $300 and I need to make a profit. These are getting harder to find."

"But 600?" Booth shook his head. "I can't . . . you got anything else like this, but cheaper?"

"Not really." Dave looked around. "My uncle liked old microscopes but he just had the four you see here. He also had some stethoscopes and some old surgical instruments, but that's it. Sorry."

Sadly, Booth moved away. "Don't worry about it. I hope the right customer comes a long for you."

"Yeah, me too." Dave felt bad he had to let his friend down, but he was in business and he needed to make a profit on what he sold.

Ooooooooooooooo

Waiting in the Ookey room for Brennan to finish up on the platform, Booth stared at Hodgins' microscope for a moment, moved closer to it and looked through the lens at something Hodgins had on a glass slide.

"What are you doing?" Hodgins had entered his office and found Booth doing a very unBoothy thing.

Slowly, Booth turned to face Hodgins and wondered what it was like to be born rich and be able to afford whatever you wanted to buy. "I'm looking at this microscope. What does it look like I'm doing?"

A little surprised at the sharpness of Booth's reply, Hodgins walked over to his desk and sat down. "Can I help you? I'm still looking at the particulates I found at the crime scene. I won't have a complete report until tomorrow."

Leaning against the table that held the microscope, Booth placed his hands in his pants pockets. "If I wanted to buy an old microscope, where could I buy one cheap? I mean about $200 or less."

"An antique or just old? For less than $200?" Hodgins wasn't sure what to say. There was no way he could find an antique for that price. "Who do you want it for? Parker?"

"No, not Parker." Booth sighed. "I owe someone a Christmas present this year and I need it to be something special . . . the problem is it can't be really expensive. I've got other expenses that I'm obligated to meet and $200 is pushing it."

Slowly nodding his head, Hodgins assumed that the 'he' might be Brennan. "You know Dr. Brennan already has a microscope, but she doesn't really use it as much as you think. She's a bone specialist and she uses her hands and her eyes to do her job. Maybe you can find something better to give her that won't cost too much."

"I said he, Bug boy, so no, it's not for Bones." Rolling his eyes, Booth found Hodgins to be irritating sometimes. "Do you know where I can buy an old microscope or not?"

Amused, Hodgins knew it would be better for him if he kept his face serious or Booth would leave and he really did want to help the agent, plus he wanted to know who Booth was buying the present for. "Can you tell me who it's for? That might give me an idea about price range and if they already have one or not . . . if I know them." He assumed he did. How many doctors or scientists did Booth know outside the Lab?

Reluctantly, Booth decided that he'd have to let Hodgins know what was going on or he'd never get what he wanted. "Okay, I heard Zach mention he missed his first microscope and that gave me this idea . . . remember that robot Zach gave me last year? Well, I gave it to Parker and believe me he loved it. He still plays with it and he thanks me whenever we play with it. His Mom said Parker shows it off to his friends and they're jealous, so I owe Zach for making me look so good to my son."

"Ah, I see." Hodgins had found it hysterical that Zach hadn't really been able to make the robot function like he'd hoped but the fact that a five year old boy loved it seemed charming and worth Zach's efforts after all. "Well, I have some contacts, so let me check with them and see what they can find . . . just to be clear, an old or antique microscope that works and costs less than $200. Is it okay to go over say . . . I don't know, ten or fifteen dollars?"

"Yeah, but not much more than that." Booth appreciated Hodgins' offer to help. "It's three months before Christmas, so you have plenty of time . . . Thanks for the help. I'm not sure I know what I'm looking for anyway."

Glad to help, Hodgins nodded his head. "Not a problem. It's a nice thing you're doing for Zach. He doesn't think you like him."

Moving towards the door, Booth paused and looked back. "Who says I do?"

Once the agent was gone, Hodgins made a call to one of his friends in the antique business. If there was a cheap antique microscope to be had, Harry Bivens was the man to find it.

Oooooooooooooooo

Hodgins had done his best, but in the end, he decided that Booth needed help with his quest. Harry had found a 1930 Carl Zeiss Jena Microscope that was in great shape and came with a case and slides, but it was being sold for $350. It was probably the best deal he was going to get at the moment and he decided to buy the microscope for Booth. Excited about the purchase, Hodgins called the Agent and asked him to drop by the Lab when he had time.

The next day, Booth showed up hoping that Hodgins had come through for him.

"Booth, I went ahead and bought this for you from my friend Harry." Hodgins walked over to the table and opened the case. "It's 76 years old and it's in great shape."

Worried about the price, Booth studied the microscope and it appeared to be in good condition for something that old. Of course, he didn't really know a lot about microscopes, so he hoped Hodgins was right. "Um, this is great, but how much was it?"

Waving his hand, Hodgins smiled. "That's the best part. It cost Harry $125, so it's actually under your budget."

"$125? Really?" Gratified, Booth moved closer to the microscope and checked the case to see what came with it. "Thanks, Hodgins. Your friend did me a big favor finding something that cheap."

"Yeah, Harry has a nose for bargains." Hodgins knew that Booth paid child support and living in the District was expensive, so he didn't mind helping the agent out. He could afford to pay the difference and it would make Zach happy as well as Booth. It was a win win situation for everyone. "So, what do you think?"

Since Hodgins had bought it and it looked like the bug guy had found a gem, Booth was pleased. "I hope Zach likes it, but if he doesn't at least I tried."

"Yeah, I don't think he has one, so he'll like it." Hodgins wanted to be in the room when Booth gave Zach the present. The look on the younger man's face was going to be epic. "Let me know when you plan to give it to him. I want to be there."

"Sure, why not." Closing the case, Booth picked it up. "Thank your friend Harry for me and thank you. I'll bring you a check tomorrow. My checkbook is at home."

Pleased the agent was happy, Hodgins smiled. "Hey, you're welcome." Once the agent was gone, the entomologist sat down at his desk and turned on his PC. "Now that I've helped Booth, I need to find something cool for Angela for Christmas. Something really cool to get her to notice me."

Oooooooooooooooo

A few days before Christmas, Booth entered the lab carrying a large Christmas bag containing his present for Zach. Spying the young man on the platform with Brennan, Hodgins and Cam, he sauntered over to the platform, slid his card in the security scanner and bound up the steps. The surprised looks on everyone's face tickled Booth. It wasn't often he got to flummox geniuses.

Handing the bag to Zach, Booth smiled. "Merry Christmas."

Stunned, Zach took the bag and stared at the agent. "You're giving me a present?"

"Sure, you made me a hero last Christmas to my son and I wanted to show you my appreciation."

Not sure he trusted the situation, Zach opened the bag, found a case and lifted it from the bag. Glancing at Hodgins who gave him a thumbs up, he placed the case on a table and opened it. "Oh my."

"You said you missed your microscope, so I figured I'd get you one." Booth saw the puzzled look on the scientist's face and wondered if he'd made a mistake. "Merry Christmas." Turning to face Brennan he gave her a cocky smile. "I have your present at my office and I plan to bring it over tomorrow before you take off for wherever you plan to take off to this year."

Surprised that her partner had brought her intern a present, Brennan shrugged her shoulders. "I had planned to visit Russ, but now that he has fled with my father, I have no plans for the holiday."

"Hey, you can have Christmas dinner with me and Parker." Booth knew that Brennan was still feeling the sting of her brother's betrayal. "I can make some vegetarian dishes for you and . . . well, you know Parker likes you and . . . say you'll come. It'll be fun."

Since she had no other plans, Brennan nodded her head. "I will bring some vegan dishes, you just make your turkey and whatever else you make. Thank you for the invitation."

"You're welcome."

Curious, Zach interrupted their conversation. "You didn't have to give me a present, Agent Booth. Why did you give me one?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth sighed. "My answer is why not? Enjoy it."

"Okay, thank you." Zach knew he was going to have to talk to Hodgins about what was happening, because he didn't really understand what was going on. "I will."

"Good." Booth flashed Cam a smile. "I have a present for you too, Cam. I'll bring it tomorrow."

Slowly nodding her head, Cam knew she'd have to go shopping after work. She'd procrastinated too long. "And I have something for you too."

His mission accomplished Booth was ready to leave. "Bones, you can come early on Christmas Day if you want to and watch Parker open his presents or come later, it's up to you just let me know what you want to do."

Grateful her partner was being so generous, Brennan smiled. "I will bring donuts to help celebrate the festive occasion."

"Great, that's great." Booth walked over to the stairs and left.

Once the agent was gone, Cam shook her head. "What just happened?"

Amused, Hodgins chuckled. "Booth loves Christmas . . . that's what happened."

Oooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.

A/N: Brennan: I miss organic chemistry class. Those were good times. Zach: I miss my first microscope. Booth: I miss normal people.