The day after Valentine's Day was snowy, with lead gray clouds blocking the weak winter sun. Shivering slightly in the damp February chill, Seeley Booth hurried through the Hoover's parking garage toward his SUV. He glanced at his watch, trying to gauge how much time he had. He might have to hurry a bit, but he figured he'd be able to make a quick pit stop before heading over to the Jeffersonian to meet his partner before she left for the evening.

He hummed to himself as he made his way through the late afternoon traffic. As he sat at a stoplight at a busy intersection, he glanced at his reflection in the visor mirror. Not bad, Buddy…I guess you'll pass muster.

Reaching up to push a few strands of hair back into place, he paused. Why was he so concerned about his appearance, anyway? After all, he was on the way to see his partner, and to his knowledge, Bones had never been interested in his appearance at all, unless it was somehow related to a case they had to wrap up.

Besides, he had a girlfriend, right? Booth chuckled to himself as he twitched an eyebrow at his reflection. Oh, yeah...I've got a really beautiful girlfriend…

Lately, however, the fact that Tessa was his girlfriend had been offering less of a thrill than when they'd first started dating. As he drove through the intersection, he remembered their Valentine's Day celebration from the previous evening. Maybe the best term to describe their date would be...uninspiring? Boring? Not that great? Mundane...Booth couldn't help but smile at the thought. Hey, that's one of those fancy words Bones likes to use…

Tessa had been more beautiful than ever last night, looking like a fashion model in her low cut red dress. Their meal at Rigoletto's had been wonderful. When they got back to his apartment, the sex had been...well, the sex had been spectacular. And yet, Booth still felt like something was missing...something he couldn't quite figure out. He'd been happy with Tessa for a long time, but here lately something subtle had changed between them. They didn't have much to talk about any more. She wanted him to get a different job...something safer, with the idea that one day he could go to law school. She couldn't understand why he still wanted to work for the FBI.

He had disagreed vehemently with that suggestion. The thought of being in court all day was more than he could stomach. He needed to be out in the field, investigating...finding out what had happened first hand. He needed to be in on the nuts and bolts of a case.

Booth grimaced slightly as he pulled into a little strip mall. There was something else between the two of them...a barrier of some sort. He never felt as if Tessa completely understood how he felt about his work. There were days when things were rough...when a crime had been particularly heinous, or when he'd had to use deadly force, but Tessa didn't want to know about that. It wasn't as if she ignored him when he wanted to talk...it was more like she didn't see how his work affected him. It was like she heard what he was telling her, but she wasn't listening to what he really saying. She didn't want to acknowledge his pain other than to say that he needed a different job.

Walking into a little hole in the wall restaurant, he picked up his prize and carried the large square box out to the truck. He smiled to himself as he headed for the Hoover. If anyone knew what he'd been going through lately, it was Bones. She always listened to him, and never judged, just giving her blunt opinions when he asked for them. He could trust her to always tell him the absolute truth about anything...even if he didn't especially want to hear it.

Bones was a great person to have in his corner. She was a good friend, and she had helped him become the top agent in his division. It was important to keep his partner satisfied, right? Surely that was the only reason he was going to see her...it didn't have anything to do with her big blue eyes or lush curves, right?

As he pulled into the Jeffersonian's parking garage, Booth had almost convinced himself that this was going to be a purely platonic visit. Never mind that he hadn't told Tessa where he was going. After all, she didn't need to know everything. Grimacing slightly, the agent took the elevator upstairs and walked across the wing to the lab. He was just being a good friend…

"Hiya, Bones!" He stood in the doorway of her office, grinning broadly as he held the box out towards her. "I brought you something."

Brennan's brow knit as she studied the box in his hands. "Pizza? Why did you bring me pizza?"

He laughed as he came into the room. "Well, I'll tell you why, okay?" Sitting in a chair in front of her desk, he opened the box. "It's a very important holiday today." He pulled out a slice of vegetarian delight and put it on a paper plate, which he handed to her with a flourish, much to her surprise. "Today is 'Eat Pizza with your Partner Day'."

She eyed him suspiciously as she took the plate. "I never heard that particular holiday mentioned before…" Seeing his cocky grin as he bit into a slice of meat lover's fantasy, she pretended to glare at him. "You made that up, didn't you? There is no such thing…it's a make believe holiday...a figment of your imagination."

"Yeah, well, maybe, but you don't always remember to eat dinner, and I thought you might like something special for a change. Anyway, if the candy companies, the jewelry stores, and the florists can get away with making a big deal over a made up holiday like Valentine's Day, why can't we make a big deal with having pizza with our partners? After all, it's probably a lot more fun...it doesn't cost a lot, and I bet it'd even be good for office morale…

"Perhaps." Brennan removed a sliver of bell pepper from her slice and popped it into her mouth. "Although our significant others might disagree…"

Somewhat startled, Booth turned toward his partner. "You have a significant other now? Who is it?"

Rolling her eyes, Brennan picked up another slice of pizza. "I'm not seeing anyone special right now, Booth, but if I was, that person might wish to indulge in a more traditional celebration...you know, a nice meal, followed by a night of sexual activity…" Dabbing at her lips daintily with a napkin, she smiled at Booth. "By the way, how was your special dinner date with Tessa? I assume your Valentine's celebration was most satisfactory...you two seem to be quite compatible sexually…"

"Um...yeah, it was nice." Booth picked up some crumbs of sausage from the bottom of the pizza box and added them to his slice. "The dinner we had at that Italian place was really good. I think you'd like their eggplant parmesan…" He hesitated slightly, unsure if he really wanted an answer to the question forming in his mind. "So...um...did you go out last night? For Valentine's Day, I mean?"

She shook her head as she studied her plate. "No...I find the whole idea behind the celebration to be ridiculous. Why pick one night a year to tell someone you care about them? It seems like it would be more meaningful to demonstrate one's affections with little acts of thoughtfulness on a more random basis...you know, like sending a sweet note with a favorite candy bar, or showing up at their place of employment with a favorite meal, or acting concerned about their welfare...those little things that show a person that you care about them…that you're thinking of them..."

Swallowing hard, Booth suddenly felt his appetite slipping away. He gave his partner a sidelong glance to see if she was being sarcastic, but, of course, that wasn't her style. She was simply making an observation, without actually applying it to their current situation. Is that why I'm here? To demonstrate my affections to her? Jesus...I'm in a helluva lot of trouble, aren't I...

Realizing that her normally chatty partner had become very quiet, Brennan turned to him in concern. "Booth? Are you feeling okay? You haven't eaten very much pizza…"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He glanced at his watch, pretending to notice the time. "Wow...it's later than I thought it was. I guess I'd better be getting home…"

"Yes, of course...I'd hate to have Tessa worry about you." Brennan pointed to the pizza still left in the box. "You should take those meat covered slices with you. I won't eat them…"

"That's a good idea." Booth hastily closed the box and picked it up. "Listen, I'm glad you spent this 'holiday' with me. I'm sorry I've got to eat and run...but you know how it is...with Tessa. She's kind of a worry wart." Biting his lip nervously, he shrugged his shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yes." She smiled as he stood up to leave. "Thank you for the pizza, Booth. It was most enjoyable, even if you did make up a silly holiday in order for us to eat it together in my office. Perhaps we can have another one of these special occasions soon."

"Yeah...maybe." He caught himself staring at her lovely face. Embarrassed, he waved before turning away. "I've gotta go. Bye." He left the office quickly, striding across the lab to the elevator. As the doors opened, he practically jumped into the car, jabbing at the button that would take him down to the parking garage.

He sat in is SUV, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as he thought about what had just happened. Was Temperance Brennan the reason that he was becoming disenchanted with Tessa? Was he really that fickle? Was he there to show his affection for Bones? Is that what he felt? Was he in love with his partner?

Glancing at the pizza box on the seat next to him, he shook his head. He wasn't sure he wanted to find out the answer to those questions.

Putting the truck in gear, he drove away from the Jeffersonian as quickly as he could...away from temptation and back to the safety of his apartment and his girlfriend's loving arms.

Carrying the box inside when he got home, he sighed sadly as he thought about how happy Bones had been to see him that afternoon. It had been a very interesting 'Eat Pizza with Your Partner Day'...

...and, unfortunately, in the interest of keeping the peace with his current girlfriend, it might be a long time until he and Bones celebrated another one.