Christine was sitting at the dining room table had drawing her valentines on 30 small squares of red, pink, and white construction paper that Brennan cut to size for her. "Mommy?"
"Yes, Christine?" Brennan looked up from making heart shaped fruit snacks for Christine's class.
"Did you make Daddy a valentine yet?"
"Daddy and I don't celebrate Valentine's Day, Christine."
"Why not? Don't you love Daddy?" Brennan abandoned her task and went over to the table and knelt down beside Christine and took the little girl's hands. "Christine, I love Daddy very, very much…"
"How's he going to know if you don't make him a valentine?!"
Brennan smiled and brushed the few strands of hair that had come loose from Christine's braids back from her face. "Sweetheart, Daddy knows I love him. Just like I know he loves me. We show each other that every day, not just Valentine's Day."
"How?"
"Well, we spend time together. When you and Hank go to grandpa's for the weekend Daddy and I usually stay here and talk to each other and do things we enjoy doing together. We keep each other safe. When I'm upset about something Daddy always makes me feel better about it. Little things like that."
"But you're supposed to get valentines on Valentine's Day! Miss Milton said so!"
"Christine, valentine cards don't really prove that you love someone-"
"They do!" Seeing a meltdown start, Brennan stood up and sat down in her own chair.
"Okay. I'll make a valentine for Daddy."
"Yea!" Christine grinned and went back to drawing.
Brennan smiled and started to cut a piece of white paper to size. "No, Mommy use the whole sheet, Daddy needs a big valentine 'cause you love him lots!"
Brennan smiled, "Okay." Brennan carefully folded the paper in half to make a card, and picked up marker to start decorating.
"Use the glitter makers, Mommy so it's sparkly! " Christine pushed the box of glitter markers toward her mom.
"Okay." Brennan selected a marker and began drawing a larger and neater version of the valentines Christine was drawing for her class. The valentine had small hearts drawn in different colors all over it. Brennan wrote 'Happy Valentine's Day!' on the front and on the inside she wrote, 'l love you very much, Booth! Love Bones' once Brennan was done with the card she held it up for Christine to see. "Do you think Daddy will like it, Christine?" the six year old studied the card and slowly nodded, "Uh-huh."
"Good I think he will too. I'll put it in my bag and give it to him Tuesday when we have lunch together."
Tuesday afternoon Brennan beat Booth to the diner and placed his card at the place across from her. Booth came in a few minutes later. "Hey Bones, I didn't think you'd beat me here. Have you been waiting long?"
"No, just a few minutes."
"That's good." Booth noticed the card, "What's this?"
"Christine insisted that I make you a valentine that is the result…"
Booth opened the card and read it. "I love you very much too, Bones. I love my valentine." Booth looked at the card for a few seconds before reaching in his suit coat pocket and withdrawing an envelope. "It isn't homemade, but it reminded me of you…" Booth passed Brennan the envelope. She tore it open and found a card with a bunch of skeletons holding hearts. "I love it Booth, thanks. I love you too."
"I thought you would. When I stopped at the pharmacy to get Hank's meds the other day I still had to wait for them. I was wondering around and saw it and had to get it for you even though we don't do Valentine's Day. Why'd Christine insist that you make me a valentine?"
"When she was making hers for her class she asked if I'd made you one and I told her that you and I don't celebrate Valentine's Day. She started to get upset because she got it in her head that giving someone a valentine means that you love them….she was afraid that I don't love you…. I explained that you and I love each other very much and that we show one another every day that we love each other, not just Valentine's Day. I also explained that giving someone a valentine isn't really prof that you love them. She was still on the verge of a meltdown so I went ahead and made you a valentine. It made Christine happy and I have to admit I enjoyed making it for you…Christine told me to use a whole sheet of paper because you needed a big valentine because I love you lots…"
Booth laughed, "I love you lots too, Bones "
"I love you lots too, Booth."
