An Invitation
Dec. 15th, 2008 10:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dr_temperanceDecember 3, 2008
Brennan’s brother didn’t often call her at work. For a second, Brennan had been afraid that something was wrong. Even though everything had been quiet on the family-front since Max’s trial.
“No, no. Nothing’s the matter,” Russ had hastened to assure her. “I just wanted to catch you this morning. Listen—do you have any plans for Christmas yet?”
“Christmas?”
Brennan frowned, her gaze going automatically to her office calendar. Logically, she knew that Christmas was in twenty-two days. Unlike Jewish and Islamic holidays, which moved according to lunar cycles, Christmas held a fixed date on the Georgian calendar.
“Yeah,” Russ replied. “I mean, I know you usually go on a trip during the holidays, but what with Dad around now…”
“No. I wasn’t planning on leaving town this year,” Brennan said, wondering exactly where her brother was going with this line of inquiry.
Brennan didn’t generally make a big deal about Christmas, but she had decided that it might be best to stay in DC because of Max. Not that her father wasn’t capable of looking out for himself, but Brennan is still a little reluctant to let him out of her sight just yet. Fortunately, there were a couple of conferences in and around Washington that could help her fill her time, and there were always the bones in Limbo.
“Great!” Brennan could practically hear Russ beaming on the other end of the line. “Look, Amy and I have had a great idea. See, her mom is having some minor surgery next week, so she’s not really going to be up for hosting Christmas this year. And since most of Amy’s family only lives about an hour out from us, we figured that they could just come out to our place for dinner and stuff. And we thought that you and Dad could come out to Cleveland and spend a few days with us over the holidays.”
He was talking very fast, like he expected Brennan to nip the idea in the proverbial bud if he stopped to take a breath. Unnecessary, since Brennan was a little too taken aback by the invitation to interrupt.
What Russ was proposing—a family Christmas—was something that Brennan had not participated in since she was an adolescent. In point of fact, she hadn’t participated in Christmas at all until just a couple of years ago. Those Christmases with her created family—Angela, Booth, and the others—had been pleasant. Surprisingly so. But the anthropological impact of those celebrations were different from observing the same holiday with biological relatives.
Particularly biological relatives of the Brennan persuasion. Where family Christmases were generally made impossible due to various members breaking the law, going into hiding, and/or landing in prison.
Brennan knew her brother well enough to pick up on the excitement and enthusiasm in his voice. Anthropologically, she understood the reasoning. Russ was finally able to live above-board with his girlfriend and her children, and hosting a major holiday of important cultural significance was symbolic of his status as a full adult both in the eyes of society and his family.
Brennan just wasn’t entirely sure where she fit into such a family anymore.
“Um….Tempe?” Russ’s voice had taken on a note of uncertainty. Brennan realized that she had probably let the silence stretch on too long. “It’s okay if you can’t come. I mean, I know you probably--”
Brennan did interrupt him this time.
“Russ, I’d love to come.” She took a deep breath. “Thank you. Tell Amy I said thank you, too.”
Logically, there was no need for apprehension, Brennan reminded herself over the next week. She knew how to interact with her father and brother. She and Amy had met on more than one occasion, and there was mutual respect between them, even if they didn’t really know each other well enough for familial affection. And Hayley and Emma, at the ages of eight and ten, were old enough for Brennan to relate to with a relative degree of ease.
Besides, Brennan, as an intelligent human being, was more than capable of assessing and adapting to new situations. This would be no different.
Then Brennan had opened her email to find her formal invitation.
And she began to wonder what in the world she had committed herself to.
Brennan’s brother didn’t often call her at work. For a second, Brennan had been afraid that something was wrong. Even though everything had been quiet on the family-front since Max’s trial.
“No, no. Nothing’s the matter,” Russ had hastened to assure her. “I just wanted to catch you this morning. Listen—do you have any plans for Christmas yet?”
“Christmas?”
Brennan frowned, her gaze going automatically to her office calendar. Logically, she knew that Christmas was in twenty-two days. Unlike Jewish and Islamic holidays, which moved according to lunar cycles, Christmas held a fixed date on the Georgian calendar.
“Yeah,” Russ replied. “I mean, I know you usually go on a trip during the holidays, but what with Dad around now…”
“No. I wasn’t planning on leaving town this year,” Brennan said, wondering exactly where her brother was going with this line of inquiry.
Brennan didn’t generally make a big deal about Christmas, but she had decided that it might be best to stay in DC because of Max. Not that her father wasn’t capable of looking out for himself, but Brennan is still a little reluctant to let him out of her sight just yet. Fortunately, there were a couple of conferences in and around Washington that could help her fill her time, and there were always the bones in Limbo.
“Great!” Brennan could practically hear Russ beaming on the other end of the line. “Look, Amy and I have had a great idea. See, her mom is having some minor surgery next week, so she’s not really going to be up for hosting Christmas this year. And since most of Amy’s family only lives about an hour out from us, we figured that they could just come out to our place for dinner and stuff. And we thought that you and Dad could come out to Cleveland and spend a few days with us over the holidays.”
He was talking very fast, like he expected Brennan to nip the idea in the proverbial bud if he stopped to take a breath. Unnecessary, since Brennan was a little too taken aback by the invitation to interrupt.
What Russ was proposing—a family Christmas—was something that Brennan had not participated in since she was an adolescent. In point of fact, she hadn’t participated in Christmas at all until just a couple of years ago. Those Christmases with her created family—Angela, Booth, and the others—had been pleasant. Surprisingly so. But the anthropological impact of those celebrations were different from observing the same holiday with biological relatives.
Particularly biological relatives of the Brennan persuasion. Where family Christmases were generally made impossible due to various members breaking the law, going into hiding, and/or landing in prison.
Brennan knew her brother well enough to pick up on the excitement and enthusiasm in his voice. Anthropologically, she understood the reasoning. Russ was finally able to live above-board with his girlfriend and her children, and hosting a major holiday of important cultural significance was symbolic of his status as a full adult both in the eyes of society and his family.
Brennan just wasn’t entirely sure where she fit into such a family anymore.
“Um….Tempe?” Russ’s voice had taken on a note of uncertainty. Brennan realized that she had probably let the silence stretch on too long. “It’s okay if you can’t come. I mean, I know you probably--”
Brennan did interrupt him this time.
“Russ, I’d love to come.” She took a deep breath. “Thank you. Tell Amy I said thank you, too.”
Logically, there was no need for apprehension, Brennan reminded herself over the next week. She knew how to interact with her father and brother. She and Amy had met on more than one occasion, and there was mutual respect between them, even if they didn’t really know each other well enough for familial affection. And Hayley and Emma, at the ages of eight and ten, were old enough for Brennan to relate to with a relative degree of ease.
Besides, Brennan, as an intelligent human being, was more than capable of assessing and adapting to new situations. This would be no different.
Then Brennan had opened her email to find her formal invitation.
And she began to wonder what in the world she had committed herself to.
