Discovery

Chapter 23

Booth nervously shifted in his chair at the diner, waiting for Willow's adopted parents to arrive. They had called him earlier that week, arranging to have dinner one evening. Booth had suggested the diner and the Rosenbergs agreed.

Glancing up at the door, Booth saw a well-dressed couple enter and knew that they were them. He recognized them from Sweets' book firstly and secondly, the way Sheila Rosenberg moved told him that she was used to studying people. They both seemed to have him picked out reasonably easily too, because they walked right over to the booth he was sitting at.

"Special Agent Booth?" Ira Rosenberg asked. Booth nodded and offered Ira, and then Sheila, his had to shake. They both accepted the gesture and sat down opposite Booth. A waitress came over and took their orders, bringing them both coffees along with their meals.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us," Ira said and Booth nodded.

"It's no problem, I wanted to meet you. You've done a great job raising Willow. She's a wonderful girl."

Sheila smiled. "Thank you. We've never had a problem with her."

"Willow told us of your visit to Sunnydale," Ira said. "It's a pity that we only just missed you."

"Yeah, at least we could meet up now."

"She said that you have invited her to visit you over the Christmas vacation?" Sheila said. Booth nodded.

"Yeah, I've got a son, Willow's half-brother, and he really wants to meet her. I would like to be able to spend some more time with her as well."

"We never planned on telling Willow she was adopted, not before her 18th birthday, at least. She found her birth certificate by accident up in the attic, but she sounds so happy about finding you," Ira said.

"I didn't approve of Willow's decision to track you down, but then when she spoke to Ira on the phone she was so excited that she'd found you. I knew she'd done the right thing for her. Do you know what happened to Willow's mother?" Sheila asked

"She died, Mrs. Rosenberg, about a year after Willow was born," Booth quietly informed them. Carmen's death still hurt him to talk about.

"Poor thing," Ira said. Sheila nodded in agreement.

"Mr. and Mrs. Rosenberg, I promise that I'll keep Willow safe while she's here. Nothing will happen to her, I give you my word."

"Your reassurance means a lot to us, Special Agent Booth," Sheila responded politely.

"What does the Christmas vacation mean to you and your family, Special Agent Booth?"

"I was raised a Catholic and I plan on attending Mass on Christmas Eve, but I understand that Willow has been raised Jewish, so I don't expect her to come with me. She can make her own choice if she wants to or not, and I'll respect whichever choice she makes. On the afternoon of Christmas day, I will pick up my son and he'll spend the week between Christmas and New Year's with me. I have that week off and we'll spend some time together, go to some parks, play some sports, and play in the snow together. We might spend some time with my work colleagues over the week. Then my son will go back to his mom and I'll have a few more days off work, assuming I don't get called in. Christmas is an important time of year for me and I cherish spending time with my son at this time of year. Christmas is about family and spending time with the ones that you love. For me that now includes Willow, as well the rest of my family."

Ira and Sheila looked touched by Booth's words and he discreetly crossed his fingers under the table. The couple exchanged a glance and Ira slightly inclined his head at Sheila.