Inspired by the episode Happy Family. Does Bobby know about what Jason collected from reading it in a behavioral studies book, or for another reason?
Collection
His barefeet padded silently on the floor as he ran to his room. Closing the door, he leaned on it, closing his eyes as he listening for anyone following. After a moment, he smiled and opened his large brown eyes. It was a habit to scan the room, making sure that there were none of the monsters or bad men that he lived in fear of everyday.
Satisfied that his room was safe, he slowly walked over to the bed and crouched down, pulling out a shoebox filled with books. His fingers lingered for a moment before he pulled out a smaller wooden box that was scrapped up. He had found it a few years ago. Slowly, he opened it up and smiled as he reached in his shirt pocket and pulled out a button, placing it inside among the other small objects - a tack, a piece of cloth, a small rock...etc. They were his, no one could take them from him. Not his father, his mother, or his brother. His only.
The door opened. He quickly shut the box and put it back, trying to slide the shoebox back before he was noticed. "Bobby, come on," a voice said. Bobby gave a sigh of relief and looked up - it was only his brother. He slid the box back anyway and stood up.
"I'm coming," he said, following his brother out the door.
"Bobby..do you have-..." Alex paused when she looked up, finding the desk across from her empty. She rolled her eyes, never having notice her partner wander off. Unfortunately, it was a common occurrence. It was almost as if Bobby Goren needed a leash to tie him to his desk when they were actually trying to get work done. Though, it might be a good thing that he wasn't there to talk her ear off while she was actually trying to get work done. Since that's what usually happened.
Getting up, she walked over to his desk and pulled open the top drawer, looking for the stapler, since it was evidently not on either of their desks. Looking through the pens and notebooks and other things that Bobby kept in the top drawer for a moment, she noticed in the corner an almost empty space - like it was being protected. Alex raised an eyebrow, looking closer. There was a small pile of objects - a pin, a paperclip, a rubber band, a button, a rock, another tack, a piece of string.
"Eames?" Bobby asked, suddenly next to her as he sat down, and handing her the stapler, "It's right here."
"Oh, thanks," she replied, shutting his desk drawer and walking over to her side of the desks. She couldn't help but think of the corner of the little things in Bobby's desk. Somehow that seemed familiar. Then suddenly, it struck her. The report that she had written up for Bishop before she went on maternity leave, about the Conners case. The boy, Jason, collected small things since...since he had been in the Romanian orphanage, and Bobby said that it was a result of growing up in a horrible or traumatic environment.
Alex looked at her partner for a moment, where he sat hunched over his one sheet of paper, almost as if his large form had been folded into his desk - and oblivious to her. Bobby had the same collection.