After a month of living with Booth Sweets found the rules easy to follow and Booth's home was a great place to live. They were even bonding. Like brothers or something. He had also met Booth's younger brother Jared and Jared had warned him about how his brother was controlling and over protective at times. Sweets agreed with the summary. But he had given Booth no reason to be upset with him. Yet.
Bones got an offer to go check out some really old remains in a Shanghai cave and Booth was going with her. And that meant that Sweets had to go too since Booth was his guardian.
On the plane.
Booth was in coach and Bones and Sweets were in first class sleeping.
Booth who got tired of being slept on got up from his chair and went to first class where the first thing he saw was what was obviously a kid drinking.
"Hey. How old are you?" Booth asked flashing his badge at the youth.
"Come on we're at 3600 feet That's outside the 3 mile radius." Eli said.
"This is American soil until we reach Shanghai so come on. Hand them over." Booth said holding a hand out and taking the vodka shot bottles from the kid.
The father got involved then. "Eli what are you doing now? You know your mother isn't feeling well. Is he bothering you?" the father asked Booth.
Booth looked at the kid then decided to let it go. "No. We were just talking." he said.
"Yeah. You can sleep dad." Eli said and his father laid back down in his chair.
Then Booth began making his way to Bones walking backwards he eyed the kid and gave him the "I've got my eyes on you." gesture and the kid gave Booth an innocent look then Booth looked over at Sweets who was sleeping he was glad sweets wasn't like that boy the thought then he sat next to Bones and woke her up. They had a short talk before the flight attendent came over and made him go back to his own section. At which point the kid no longer had the agent watching him and so he got into the vodka again.
Booth waited maybe an hour before sneaking back out of his seat. He watched as the flight attendent went down the stairs and then in the corner of his eye he caught the kid trying to open more vodka. Booth didn't even bother saying anything. He simply confiscated it as he passed the kid taking it right out of his hands and the kid stared in annoyance and he even glared at the agent's back. But he laid back in his chair and ended up accidentally kicking the seat in front of him.
Lance Sweets woke up from the light kick. He tried to go back to sleep but then there was a scream and Booth and Bones ran down the stairs to check it out.
Sweets heard the sounds of glass behind him and when he turned he saw that a kid his own age was grabbing alcohol from the cart beside him. Eli wasn't sleeping. So sweets got up from his seat and then sat next to the other boy.
"Hi." Sweets said.
"Hi." Eli said back opening the bottle.
"You know you really shouldn't do that." Sweets warned about the vodka.
"Yeah well. I have nothing left to lose." Eli said.
Well that was suspicious. Sweets thought.
Eli tossed Sweets a mini bottle. "Here. Try some. Really chills you out."
Sweets knew better but he thought he could relate better to the other boy if he drank with him.
So he opened the bottle and chugged it while Eli chugged his too.
He hid the bottle in his jacket pocket and waited to see if Eli would start talking again.
"Why do you have nothing left to lose?" Sweets asked.
"My mom. You know? She's sick. Dying. We're suppose to be going to see the wall like some last family vacation. Not that that makes any difference. She's still dying." Eli said and Sweets felt bad for the boy.
"I know how you feel. I lost both my parents not that long ago. I just recently found a new foster father. It's hard adjusting." Lance said.
"Yeah. So what happened to them?" Eli asked.
"They were old. Really old. They died withing weeks of each other." Lance said.
"You know there's a cop on board." Eli said.
"Uh actually he's an FBI agent and yeah I know. He's my foster father." Lance said it was still strange saying that even though Booth had legally adopted him and yet he was still allowed to work as a shrink but he was supervised at work.
"Whoa. You live with that guy? He's scares me." Eli admitted with a smirk and then grabbed another vodka. For him and handed another to Lance.
Lance again chugged it not wanting to get caught actually drinking it.
Booth and Bones were taking a long time doing whatever they were doing.
"He scares me too sometimes." Lance admitted with a smirk of his own.
"Yeah he keeps snatching my vodka when he sees me with it. So not cool." Eli sighed.
Sweets smirked Yeah he could see Booth doing that.
"I'm not surprised. I wonder what that scream was about?" Lance asked.
Eli didn't respond he only kept drinking which made Sweets even more curious.
They sat in silence while Eli passed him drinks and also drank his too. Lance quickly capped the bottle and shoved it in his pocket when Booth appeared and headed their way.
He stopped at Eli's chair and gave him a stern look "Okay kid. Let's have it. Gimme the vodka." Booth demanded because they needed the alcohol for a test.
Eli gave him two bottles of it and then Booth paused and gave Eli dagger looks "I come back here and ketch you drinking again I am gonna give you the worst lecture you ever had in your life. You get me?" Booth asked and Eli nodded.
Then Booth looked over and noticed Lance looking a little guilty.
His tone got dark "And you...I find out you been drinking along with him I will turn you across my knee do you understand me?" Booth demanded sternly looking at Lance and Lance's eyes widened partly in disbelief and partly in fear. Booth was very skilled at intimidating people.
Sweets found himself properly subdued "Yes. Sir." Was all he could say. Then Booth left again.
"Wow. He spanks you?" Eli asked finding that thought unbelievable.
"No. He's never even threatened me before now. I only been living with him for a month. I can't believe he threatened to spank me. I'd say it was an empty threat but I saw the look in his eyes. He wasn't bluffing." Sweets said then added "Well since I'm dead anyways might as well enjoy my time. It's not like he'll do it here on the plane. And he'll bust me anyways. FBI and all. He'll figure it out." Lance said. And Eli happy to have a buddy going down with him handed over another drink.
Eli and Lance hid their drinks as Booth came back out and talked with Eli father about something. They couldn't hear anything but then he sat back down. And Booth went over to give the boys a warning look before heading back to Bones.
Sweets noticed that Eli was more nervous now. "Is something wrong?" Sweets asked.
Eli shook his head. "I just want to get trashed. Will you get trashed with me?"
"Sure." Lance agreed "Promise?" Eli asked.
"Yeah." Lance said easily. They took out their drinks again and finished off those bottles.
Lance\ had about three of the bottles stored in each coat pocket but wasn't really feeling the effect yet.
Booth and Bones came out and shut off the lights. Lance gulped. That was a hint that they were looking for blood and Bones followed the floor until the light hit Eli. His sock had blood on it.
And Lance felt mixed feeling. Shock for one. And sympathy for Eli too.
Bones confirmed that it was blood and Booth declaired the motive for murder and Eli's father tried telling him not to say anything but Eli admitted to killing the woman. Sweet's had pretty much already determined that Eli was unstable as it was and traumatized from knowing that he was gonna lose his mother. Booth got clearance and before Lance could say anything Booth read Eli his rights and took the alcohol from his hands again. "Now I see why you were getting drunk." Booth said and then the plane landed.
Once the plane was cleared of people and Eli was cuffed to a seat Booth and Bones were sitting and talking while Lance who was annoyed with Booth got up from his seat and went back to Eli at which point Booth demanded "Hey where do you think your going?"
Lance sat in a seat across from Eli who looked over at him curiously. "Are they gonna kiss now?" Eli asked and Booth raised his voice "Hey. Be quiet. You lost your right to talk. Lance get your ass back up here. You don't get to sit back there with the killer." Booth said annoyed.
"Technically Eli, Agent Booth can't take your right to talk away. And he certainly didn't take mine so I am free to talk as much as I please. And you of course are free to answer me. He can only give the right to remain silent. It doesn't mean that you aren't allowed to talk. And Agent Booth matters in psychology are my area of expertise. I have the right to evaluate Eli." Lance said and Booth got up and went back to glare at Lance "Excuse me?" Booth asked.
"Wow. Dude I really don't know where you find the guts." Eli said.
"I told you to be quiet." Booth said then turned back to Lance "Keep it up kid and you'll find yourself grounded real quick."
"Grounded? For what? You can't punish me when I haven't even done anything wrong." Lance said.
"You didn't do anything wrong? First of all your back talking me. Second of all your trying to under mind my authority as I have already placed Eli in custody. You don't run the show Lance." Booth said.
"Okay so your gonna ground me because I'm trying to be fair and for doing my job? And that makes sense how?" Lance asked sarcastically.
"Don't you dare shrink me Lance! Okay fine. You know what I don't care. Shrink him. But when this plan lands again you are grounded for a week." Booth said then he turned back to first class and sat next to Bones.
Sweets had smuggled some of the alcohol in his pocket and he landed one to Eli who gratefully took it with his hand that wasn't cuffed.
"What did he mean by Shrink me?" Eli asked.
"We'll I'm not just your average 16 year old kid. I'm also a physiologist that works for the FBI. That's how Booth and I met. I was pretending to be 22 at the time. But he discovered that I was 16. Now lets get to you." Lance said.
"You've been through some trauma. It's tends to be hard on young people when a loved one is lost. And it's five times worse when you know it's coming and your just stuck waiting for it to happen. I think that alone could help your case. I think if your willing to seek treatment in a hospital ward for troubled youth then it would be a better use of your time then Jail. And you can get the medications you may need and maybe even get out and function like a normal person someday. I'll have to ask you more questions to determine weather or not you have a metal disorder but it's very possible. And if it's proven that you have a mental disorder then that could help your case with being sent to the hospital instead of jail." Lance explained.
"Why do you care?" Eli asked curious.
"Because I can already see it. And a kid like you wouldn't do well in prison. It would do more harm to your mental state then good. I just need to determine what you have." Lance said.
"Why are you so sure I have something?" Eli asked.
" Because not many teens couldn't kill someone in cold blood unless they had a serious mental disorder. Your lack of emotion tells me that and since you didn't start drinking until after you killed her I already know it isn't the alcohol affecting your emotions. If anything it's keeping you calm enough to cope." Lance said.
That made sense to Eli.
They talked for about ten minutes and then the flight took off and they were the only ones on the plane.
Sweets kept passing alcohol to Eli secretly and drinking more himself while still evaluating him.
Sweets quickly found out that the other kid had several different disorders which wasn't uncommon in teens.
Booth suddenly showed up again and saw Eli downing a vodka. He then saw three empty bottles of it on the floor and glared at him then he realized that Eli was cuffed and couldn't have gotten it on his own and he grabbed Lance by the arm which shocked Lance and then he checked his pockets and found about six bottles in each pocket and once all the empty vodka bottles were on the floor and three that were still full Booth sharply slapped Lance on his backside then threw him back in his seat and Lance winced and looked up at Booth in shock. "I can't believe you did that." Lance said.
Booth glared "Yeah well I can't believe that you smuggled alcohol back here after I specifically said no more alcohol for him! And I know now that you've had some too because frankly 12 bottles of vodka would get him trashed and since he's not trashed that means you drank some of those. Didn't you!" Booth asked knowingly having already smelled the alcohol on Lance's breath when he had yanked him up.
Looking sheepish Lance admitted "Yes sir."
"Your double grounded!" Booth said.
What? Double grounded? "How can I be double grounded?" Lance asked.
"Simple. Now your grounded for two weeks. your grounded from watching TV. And your also grounded from the phone. Keep mouthing me junior and I'll make it three weeks. And your already getting a spanking when we land. So don't push me. And I don't care if your done or not. You get your ass over there and sit down. Away from him." Booth warned.
Lance sat stunned at the parental actions. But then his own emotions made him continue this "Booth I refuse to leave Eli alone. You have no idea what he's going through. His emotional state is out of control. He needs company. He certainly doesn't need to be left alone with his turmoil. He's very fragile right now. I can't leave him alone. It would be very unprofessional of me and very selfish of you to try and force me to do that. I admit the drinking was juvenile but it seemed like a good compromise at the time. I would advise that you allow me to do my job. After all I don't step in when your doing your job." Sweets said trying to separate Booth from the professional relationship and the paternal one.
Booth wasn't pleased. In fact he was sorely tempted to blister the kids ass right then and there.
Then he looked at Eli and realized that maybe Lance was right,. "Fine. You can both Talk quietly. But when we land Lance Eli is going to the station and we are going home. And then you are in big trouble young man!" Booth warned and then turned after making sure that there was no more alcohol around.
He made sure to have water shoved their way for the rest of the trip. Lance gripped once and Booth threatened " Lance do you wanna make it three weeks? Don't make me come back there again!"
Lance decided that shutting up and not complaining would be a safe course of action for the rest of the flight.
Sweets assured Eli that he would pull some strings and make sure Eli got the help he needed and then since neither of them got much sleep during the night they both nodded off to sleep.
Booth heard the quiet. And looked back and when he saw both of them asleep he was relieved.
It hadn't been all that hard to get used to Lance in his home. And he was never that bad. He always did as he was asked and was cooperative. Booth thought that maybe the infulence of Eli or maybe the alcohol had something to do with Lance's sudden urge to defy Booth. Or maybe it was just that Lance was finally started to remember how to act his age. Which was good and bad.
Once they landed Eli was taken by an officer and Booth drove Bones home and then drove himself and Sweets back to their place.
Lance could tell that Booth was mad. For one because Booth was calling him Lance. Which he almost never did. Everyone called him by his nickname which was Sweets. No one called him Lance.
So Booth calling him Lance now suggested that Booth was beyond annoyed and that Sweets had really made him mad.
Once inside the house Booth snapped his fingers at Sweets "Go to your room. Now." he said sternly.
Sweets went to his room to wait and see what would happen.
Booth came in moment later and sat beside him on the bed.
"Okay look. I'm not angry anymore. I want you to know I wasn't trying to be unfair with Eli. But I wanna why you did it. Why did you drink? And why did you go against what I was telling you to do?" Booth asked.
"Well I have to admit I have no logical excuse for the drinking thing. That was just teen dumbness kicking in I guess. As for the rest of it. I didn't think you were being fair and that's why I did what I wanted instead of doing as you asked. I know that's not a good enough excuse to disobey you but I was more focused on his mental health then what you wanted." Sweets explained.
"Your right Lance. It's not a good enough excuse. There is never a good excuse to disobey me. And you have the common sense to know better. But instead you chose to just do as you pleased even after I warned you." Booth pointed out.
"I know. Your not really gonna spank me are you?" Sweets just had to ask.
Booth sighed heavily "I'm afraid so kid. I warned you and promised you a spanking if I caught you drinking. I will always keep my word to you. No matter what it's about. You did the right thing by making me understand that he was in a bad place but you could have been more respectful about it. And the alcohol thing...Well that was just exactly what you said it was. Teen dumbness. But yeah. I am going to spank you for it. You have two options. I can use my hand on you. Or I can use a hairbrush on you. But keep in mind you only get to chose for this first time. All the other times I will decide. So chose. Hand. Or brush." Booth asked.
"What's the difference?" Sweets asked.
"Well with the brush you'll get less whacks that's for sure. Course that's cause I won't need to spank you that hard to get the result I'm looking for. With my hand it'll take longer. So what's it gonna be?" Booth asked.
"Uh. Booth. I've never been spanked before." Sweets told him.
Booth then decided that he would chose for the kid in that case.
"Okay. Hand it is. Stand up." Booth ordered and despite the butterflies that had somehow made it inside his stomach Sweets stood up and let Booth lead him to stand in front of him.
Then he paled when Booth lowered his pants. "What are you doing?" Sweets asked nervous.
"Come on Lance. Your a big boy. Big boys get spanked on their bare bottoms. Trust me...you'll thank me later. Sides I need to see what I'm doing." Booth said and he lowered Sweets to where he was now positioned over his lap in his underwear.
One sharp slap landed and then another and another and after ten Lance was yelping and squirming slightly but Booth kept a tight hold on him and spanked him.
Another five and then Booth paused. Lance now had tears pricking his eyes and then they fell when he felt Booth pull down his underwear and bare his bottom. Then Booth landed ten sharp smacks fast all over the bare reddened bottom. And now it was a deeper red and Lance was crying and Booth now felt that Lance had been punished enough.
Booth pulled the underwear back up and stood them both up and pulled up Lance's pants and then Lance flung himself against Booth's chest hugging him. Booth hugged back understanding that it was important to let Lance know that he still cared about him even though he had just blistered his butt for him. It was all a part of growing up.
Lance winced when he sat down on the bed and decided to lay down instead and Booth after making sure he was okay went to make something edible for dinner.
at the dinner table lance had a pout on and booth jus smiled and lance asked "am i still grounded for two weeks "yes you are " booth said lance eyes widend "but you said i could go and watch the new star wars movie with hogginds and angerla and cam come on please " booth felt bad but as the pearent it was his job to make sure lance understands what grounding is "but booth please i will never do it again please you gave me a spanking isnt that anought i think it is" booth sighed " lance yeah i gave you a spanking but i said youwas grounded and i will always keep my promisis"
lance rolled his eyes and booth raised an eye brow and grabbed himm and gave him two sharp smacks to his bootom SWAT SWAT " owwwiii" lance cried " what was tht for " lance cried " for rolling your eyes at me and no you are grounded and will stay grounded for to weeks ok now go and get ready for bed " booth said
and n half an hour lance was ready for bed and booth came inan dsat by him and said "lance you know i hate spanking you right " lance looked up and nodded booth smiled " good night love you son " lance smiled and said " love you to " and booth puled up the covers and turend the light off
lance laid in bed and thought bout how lukie he was