Mini Booth

The New Psychologist

So, it's been a couple of interesting months since I got out of the hospital. There were a couple of cases Booth deemed too dangerous for me to work on so I got left in Booth's office. 

"You look a little young to be here? Are you waiting for Agent Booth?" An unfamiliar voice asked. I looked up and was about ready to bolt. 
"Not much of a talker to strangers are we? Your parents taught you stranger danger well. I'm Lance Sweets. I'm the new psychologist." He said walking in and holding out a hand. He smiled a nice little smile and me and I shook his hand. 
"Piper Bowen. Nice to meet you." I said staying seated in Booth's chair. Awesome, someone who can read me like a fricking book. That's cool. That's fine. As Jake Peralta would say, coolcoolcoolcoolcool. 
"Why does it bother you that I'm a psychologist?" He asked. I shrugged and leaned back on the chair. The taller man looked me over a little and was about to say something when Booth ran to the door. He stopped, panted and looked around the room quickly. Eyes landing on me. I jumped up from the chair, knowing that he doesn't like people sitting in it. He ran over to me and grabbed me in a bone-crushing hug. I just stood there and Brennan came into view. My eyes met her's and she joined the hug. Her's was softer though. 

"I thought you were gone. I thought they had you and that was news I never want to deliver to your mum." Booth said. He sounded like he was about to cry. I looked at Bren and she understood the confusion. 
"Someone found a cadaver in an abandoned building that looked just like you. Matched your height, build, hair, eyes, and was even in the same suit that you're wearing." Brennan cleared up. Booth had a hand in my hair and an arm around my upper back. 
"I'm here. I'm fine." I said patting Booth on the back. 
"I know that but holy hell kid. If you leave my sight at any point today I'm going to report bad behaviour to your mother." Booth said letting go. 
"I second that." Brennan said. 
"And who was in here?" Booth asked. 
"The new psychologist. Lance Sweets." I said. 
"Ah yes, I hear good things about him." Brennan said. 

Booth eventually let go of me and I went to sit in one of the chairs on the other side of the desk.
"I'm going to the lab. Do you want to come?" Brennan asked. 
"I would!" I said with a smile. 
"Ah ah, I don't think so. You're not leaving my sight." Booth said from his seat at his computer. 
"No offence but if I were a criminal, I'd be a little more scared of Doctor Brennan." I said looking at Booth.
"Ha!" Brennan exclaimed, "Let's go." She said and we turned to the door. 
"Keep your eye on him Bones. I'm going to track that S.O.B. down and either kill him or arrest him." Booth said. 
"Piper will be fine at the Jeffersonian." She assured him. She and I went to the lab and when we pulled in, Hodgens was outside. I got out and he smiled. 

"I didn't know you were coming!" He said. 
"Surprise I guess." I said with a little smile. 
"Yeah! Now I have an experiment buddy!" He said. 
"Ooo, what are we doing?" I asked him. 
"Come with me young scientist and you'll see!" He said and I heard Brennan chuckle behind us as we went in. We went to his little lab and took off my suit jacket. He handed me a blue lab coat. 

"So, we are going to do an experiment where we measure swing speed, hit force and how the watermelons explode." He explained. 
"So we're going to be hitting the watermelons with?" I asked as I followed him into another room. 
"Baseball bats." He said with a smile. 
"Awesome!" I replied. 
"Okay. There are four lengths and four weights of bats. Take your pick." He said and went over to the technology set up on the opposite side of the room. 
"You usually want first crack." I said looking at the bats. 
"I do and once we get the things we need, we can keep hitting them but the person in question is about your build and it was a murder of passion so pick your bat and do your worst." Hodgens said. 
"Do you know if they played baseball growing up?" I asked picking up a blue bat. I measured it against my body and took a couple practice swings to test the weight. 
"I don't think that they did but I can ask Booth." Hodgens said. 
"Okay, well if it was a crime of passion, then I might do a little more damage." I said and lined up my stance. 
"A track star and a baseball player? We got a runner on our hands." He said and turned on the equipment. 
"Yeah. And someone who can blow this melon to oblivion." I said playfully. 
"Alright there champ. Everything is set up so swing when you're ready." He said and I looked at him. 
"You said crime of passion. Is that emotional pain or anger?" I asked. 
"Anger. Why?" He asked cautiously. 
"Then something like this," I said swinging as hard as I could from over my shoulder and throwing my weight into it, "would have happened," I said as the bat connected with the watermelon and it exploded all over the wall to my left where the bat followed through and on the floor. 

"Oh wow! Remind me to stay off your bad side." Hodgens said. He looked at all the data quickly and looked at me. I put the bat back against the wall. 
"Do you need another hit?" I asked. 
"Yeah, but something else needs to get hit. Something, harder. Oh I know! A cadaver head! It's like a real human head and it'll help make sure that everything is right." He said getting up, "stay here." He said and left. Closing the door behind him. The door opened not long after he left. 

"I couldn't help but notice that you could swing that bat hard and fast with little setup. Is there anything that angers you that you can't fix or help?" The psychologist's voice asked. I turned to him. 
"No. I just know how to use a bat fast and effective." I said with a shrug. 
"How is that? Did you get attacked regularly as a child?" He asked. I stilled and looked at him. 
"How?" I whispered. 
"Well, being as little as you are, it must have been a life long thing and you don't fully trust people that are taller than you, other than Booth, Brennan, Hodgens and Angela. You avoid talking to anyone that is bigger than you and I know that you've only met me today but I've been around for a couple of days and when talking to someone that might pose a threat, you aren't far from Booth." He said and leaned on the door frame. I looked at the floor. 
"Do you want self-defence classes?" He asked. I looked up at him. I was confused by his question.
"Why?" I asked. 
"So then you can feel like you can do something more to protect yourself other than run. I heard Hodgens say that you were on the track team and on a baseball team." He said. 
"Oh please. I was the track team." I said sarcastically. He laughed a little. 
"Not one for staying on serious topics are you?" He asked. 
"No, not really and I have minor ADD." I said and the door opened. Hodgens came in.
"Here we go. Ah Sweets! You've really gotta see the power that Piper has." He said and put the cadaver head in the clamp that will simulate the height of the person when they got hit. I picked up the bat as Hodgens went back to the computers. 
"You might want to go stand with Hodgens, Doctor Sweets." I said taking my stance. Sweets went over with him. 
"Ready when you are." Hodgens said and I swung again. 
"Perfect! I'll get these to Angie." He said and I put the bat down. I went to the door. 
"Ah ah, Piper. Where do you think you're going?" Hodgens asked. 
"Uh, I thought that we were done?" I asked. 
"No no, I still have fifteen watermelons," Hodgens said with a smile. Sweets left and we obliterated the watermelons.