(Season 10)

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She found him in his office working on case files. "Here Cher'. I made pralines last night and I accidentally doubled the batch." Caroline placed a large tin gift box filled with the delectable candy on Booth's desk and smiled. "I couldn't let them go to waste."

Pleased and surprised that he was being gifted the pralines, Booth gave her a radiant smile and pulled the box towards him. Opening it, he picked up one of the pecan confections and bit off a piece. After the sugary candy melted in his mouth and he chewed the pecans, he gave out a small moan of pleasure. "God, Caroline, no one makes pralines like you do. Thank you."

"Well, like I said I couldn't throw them away. I'm glad you like them." Caroline knew that Booth adored her pralines and she usually made him a box of the candy for Christmas and his birthday, but after reading the letter to the editor in the Washington Post two days before, she wanted to show her appreciation. "Don't expect any more until Christmas."

Booth swallowed his next bite and used his finger to push a crumb of brown sugar into his mouth. "I won't. Thanks though."

"You're welcome." Caroline turned and walked back to the door. Before she left she paused in the doorway. "Nice letter to the editor. The Director said it should do."

"Did you make me these pralines because of the letter to the editor?" Booth was starting wonder if Caroline was rewarding him for what he had written.

Caroline shook her head. There was no way she would admit that she had appreciated the compliment Booth had given her in the letter. "No. I was talking to my daughter on the phone and I was too busy yeah yeahing instead of paying attention to what I was doing." Watching Booth pop the last bite of candy into his mouth, she walked out into the bullpen and noticed the agents at their desk busy working which she found very satisfying.

Finishing off his praline, Booth closed the box and tucked it into the bottom drawer of his desk. There was no way he was sharing and he didn't want Agent Aubrey to know he had them. It was a long time before Christmas and he was going to try to make the candy last as long as possible.

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Before lunch, Booth heard a knock on his door, looked up and found a delivery man standing in his doorway holding a box in his hand. "You Seeley Booth?"

"Yeah, what can I do for you?" He hadn't ordered anything lately, so Booth was curious about what was going on.

Stepping into the office, the man placed the box on Booth's desk and handed him a slip of paper to sign. "From Agent Perotta. Enjoy."

After he was alone in his office, Booth read the advertising on the lid of the box and saw the words 'Pie Sisters'. Quickly opening the box, he found a double crust Classic Apple Pie. "Wow." Rummaging in his desk, he found a box of plastic forks he kept there just in case he had to eat at his desk and scooped up a bite of pie. Savoring the cinnamon and apple flavors as he chewed, Booth wondered what he'd done to get a pie from Perotta.

"Oh, pie." Aubrey stepped into the office, a folder in his hand now forgotten. Stepping closer to the desk, he flipped the lid up and read it upside down. "Oh, Pie Sisters." The younger agents mouth started to salivate as Booth flipped the lid back down and scooped up another forkful of pie.

As he stared at Booth, he found it a little irritating that the man wasn't offering him any. "So, can I have a piece?" It never hurt to ask.

Since he knew that Brennan would be unhappy with him if she found out that he had eaten a whole pie, Booth found a fork for Aubrey and a napkin, scooped up some of the pie and placed it on the napkin. After he handed it to the him, Booth pointed at the chair in front of his desk. "Eat it here. I don't want anyone to know I have the pie. The greedy bastards around here don't have any boundaries when it comes to pie and cookies." As he scooped up more pie, Booth shoved it in his mouth and chewed slowly.

Grateful for the piece of pie, even if it was kind of small, Aubrey swallowed a bite and licked his lips. "When did you go buy a pie? I thought you just got out of a meeting with Stark?"

Booth shrugged his shoulders. "Agent Perotta had it delivered to me."

He had never heard of Agent Perotta and wondered what Booth had done to deserve a pie. "Why'd he send it to you? What did you do?"

"Perotta is a she not a he and I have no idea." Booth stopped eating since he was starting to feel full and he had a lunch date with his wife. Careful with the box, Booth stood up, picked up the box and walked over to his filing cabinets. His z file drawer was usually fairly empty and he placed the box in that drawer. That accomplished he sat back down and watch Aubrey finish his bit of pie. "You need something besides my pie?"

Aubrey held up his folder and handed it to Booth. "My notes on the last case." The pie now gone, he tossed the fork and napkin in the trash can next to Booth's desk and sat back down. "Um, that pie was good." He was hoping the owner of the pie would give him some more.

"It is." Booth wasn't in the mood to share. "Thanks for the file."

Dismissed, Aubrey stood up. "Thanks for the pie and tell Perotta thanks too."

Once he was alone again, Booth decided that he would call Perotta that afternoon and find out why she had sent him a gift. In the meantime, he had to go to lunch and pretend he was hungry so Brennan wouldn't question his food choices like she usually did when he ate junk food before a meal. Well, pie isn't junk food. It's apples. Apples are fruit, so I didn't eat junk food.

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Once he was at the diner, Booth realized he was a little full because of the pie and the pralines he'd eaten that morning. Once he sat down across from Brennan he ordered a cup of coffee and a bowl of chili. "So, how's your day going?" He hoped she wouldn't question his lunch choice. No such luck.

"You're just eating a bowl of chili?" Brennan found that to be a fairly light lunch for her husband. "Are you feeling well."

"Well yeah, sure." Booth tried to think of what he could say to put her off, but knew he would just end up worrying her. "I had a snack this morning, so I'm not really hungry . . . Agent Perotta sent me a pie . . . apple . . . from Pie Sisters . . . I'll bring it home tonight so Christine can have some."

Surprised to hear about where the pie came from Brennan frowned as she stirred some sugar into her coffee. "Agent Perotta." She didn't like the idea of the Agent giving her husband gifts. "I thought she was in Richmond."

"Birmingham." Booth leaned back while the server placed his coffee and chili on the table in front of him. "She's the Agent in Charge in Birmingham."

Brennan didn't really care where Perotta was. "Why did she send you a pie?"

"I don't know." Booth could tell Brennan was acting a little jealous, but he didn't have control over what Agent Perotta did or didn't do and he certainly didn't have any feelings for the Agent. "I'm going to call her this afternoon and find out why." He thought Brennan should be appreciative of the fact that he was being open and honest about the pie. "It was pretty good and I ate some. The chili is enough." Since I plan to eat more pie this afternoon. "So, how's your day going?"

Angela entered the diner and saw her favorite couple sitting at their usual table. Once she was near the table, she leaned over and hugged Booth. "Thank you. I'm going to do a painting of Christine for your office . . . maybe Brennan and Christine for your office." With that she breezed over to the counter, picked up the lunches she had ordered for Hodgins and herself and left the building.

A little stunned, Booth watched Angela leave and the turned towards his wife. "What the fuck is going on? First Caroline gives me a couple of pralines this morning." No need to tell her about the big box. "Then Perotta sends me a pie and now Angela is going to do me a painting . . . you don't think this is because people are feeling sorry for me do you? . . . they shouldn't. I'm fine."

A little dismayed with what Booth said, Brennan shook her head. "They are acting rather strangely. You've been out of prison for three weeks and the Durant Case is closed . . . I don't know. Perhaps they are just trying to make you happy because they are your friends or they are showing you gratitude for persevering against Durant and going back to work at the FBI."

"Well, I'm starting to get creeped out." Booth picked up his spoon and scooped up some chili.

Brennan shrugged her shoulders. "Well, it isn't often that you receive gifts from your friends when it's not your birthday or Christmas, so I think you should enjoy it . . . a couple of pralines?"

"Yeah." Booth was not sharing his pralines. "Caroline made a batch last night and she knows I like them."

Somehow, she knew that Booth was lying, but when it came to candy he was not one to share unless he had too. It was just one of his weaknesses she was used to. "Did you eat both of them?"

"Yeah, all gone." Booth stared at his chili bowl. Damn she knows I'm lying, but I don't care. She can't prove it. "So, how's your day going?"

"Fine." Brennan picked up her fork and began to eat her Red Pepper Alfredo Pasta. "I identified one of the lost ones this morning."

Glad that she wasn't talking about pralines or pie or Perotta, Booth listened as his wife talked about the identification of the old bones. I need to call Perotta. Something is going on and I want to know what it is.

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