The Squinterns

The Man in the Fallout Shelter

"Caroline, come on!" Angela yells, honking her horn outside my apartment.

"Coming!" I yell to her from my balcony, before grabbing a Santa hat and my guitar and running out the door.

"You ready to crash a Christmas party?" She asks in excitement.

"Like never before." I agree.

We drive to the Jeffersonian, where the Archaeology Department is throwing a party. They personally asked me to sing some Christmas songs for them, so I asked Angela to come, since she'd never turn down a party.

After a few rounds of Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and everyone's personal favorite, Winter Wonderland, Angela and I decide to go get Dr. Brennan, who is working tonight.

Everyone's packing up and leaving, while Dr. Brennan keeps checking the bones.

"Sweetie!" Angela scolds her.

"Angela, I don't want to." Brennan says simply.

"Dr. B, could you stop galloping for like, two seconds?"I ask as Angela and I try to catch up to her as she zooms to the forensic platform.

"I'm better able to withstand peer pressure when you two can't catch up to me." She tells us.

"Call it a favor, okay?" Angela asks.

"How is me going to a company Christmas party doing you a favor?" Brennan asks.

"Remember what happened last year?" Angela asks .

"What happened last year?" I ask her.

"I didn't go last year." Brennan says.

"Yeah, exactly, and it took me weeks to collect all those photographs." Angela says, as she and I keep following Brennan. "I need you. Friends don't let friends photocopy their butts at company Christmas parties."

"That's what Caroline's for." Brennan says.

"Hey, I'll probably end up there with her." I shrug.

"There's a Secret Santa." Angela offers.

"I don't like Secret Santa." Brennan argues. "The idea that we are forced by convention to exchange meaningless gifts -"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Angela says tiredly.

"You know, if you rearrange Secret Santa though, you get Secret Satan." I say pointedly.

"What possible meaning could that have?" Brennan asks.

"We've already had some eggnog, if you can't tell." Angela says, gesturing between she and I.

"Now how can we enjoy this party, knowing that one of our best friends in the whole world is in the lab, eye to eye with Skeletor?" I ask.

"Who?" Brennan asks.

"He's a cartoon villain who looks like a- well, the name kind of gives it away. Would you please just come to the party?" Angela pleads.

Brennan sighs. "Twenty minutes."

"Bones!" Booth yells, walking into the lab. "All right."

"Merry Christmas, Seely." Angela says seductively.

"Ooh, what are you , an elf?" Booth asks her.

"Yes. What's wrong with a little Christmas spirit?" Angela asks.

"Hi Booth." I say awkwardly, not making eye contact.

"Caroline," He greets, just as awkwardly.