Chapter 1: Any Other Day
Dr. Lance Sweets was having an average, run-of-the-mill day at the Jeffersonian. Which, to paraphrase, meant he had to deal with the constant teasing of his young age (despite him initially thinking it wasn't a problem, and something to be proud of rather than ashamed), and his choice of study. Oh, don't be mistaken, he loved his job and his friends there, but as he personally believed, every positive came with a negative.
For example, his getting the job of resident psychologist at the Jeffersonian was followed after the death of both of his adopted parents. Booth finding out that he had scars on his back gave him the ability to be more open with his friends and coworkers, and form a little….surrogate family, of sorts. His break up with Daisy had given him….
Well, still waiting for that one, he thought to himself sadly. It was no lie that Sweets hadn't felt exactly the same after the breakup. Although he felt that he had gotten over her, or as much as he could have, he felt that there was a part of him now that was empty, but he knew very well that Daisy was not the one to fill that gap. He missed her, but not for the conventional reasons. He liked being able to say he had someone, someone to hold and cuddle with, but the biggest problem was he didn't like her. She was beautiful, and smart, and kind, but she was too intense and fast for him.
Lance sat in his office, filing paperwork, when Cam walked in through his door. "Dr. Sweets, may I borrow you for a second?" she asked, although Lance concluded that it was more of a command than a question. "Sure, is something wrong?" he asked casually. She smirked. "Dr. Sweets, always so busy worrying. Nothing is wrong; I just have someone I want to introduce you and the team to." she said rolling her eyes. He took a tired breath and closed the files he was looking at.
"Come on, Dr. Sweets, we don't have all day." she said with a smirk. Lance quickly followed her out of his office.
Camille led Lance to the lab area, where the interns, Booth, Brennan, Angela, and Hodgins were all standing respectively. "Now that I have all of your attention, I am more than pleased to announce we have made an addition to the team."
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A petite woman, most likely only 5'2" without her heels, with a lovely figure walked over to the team. She wore a light pink, silky short-sleeved button up blouse with light grey flared slacks, and a pair of stiletto pumps. With reddish brown, big curls that reached just a few inches below her shoulders and warm hazel eyes, she was most likely one of the most beautiful women Lance Sweets had ever seen. "Team, I would like to introduce you to Dr. Cassidy Blackwood. She has a Ph.D in linguistics, and also has a Masters in animal-assisted therapy, and is also qualified to work with children and individuals with special needs. I am hoping you all show her the utmost respect, and cooperate with her." Cam explained. Lance, out of curiosity, looked around at his fellow colleagues, and saw that they all looked pretty impressed. He was too of course, she couldn't be any more than 22 years old, with studies in things he also had interest in, and she was absolutely stunning. Unsubtly, Lance continued to stare at her, when he noticed that she too, was staring at him.
Lance gulped loudly and a noticeable blush ran across his cheeks. Seeing this, the woman blushed too, but a warm grin that was slightly shy, but nonetheless adorable spread on her face. He noticed that she has freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks, and that she had a very…positive energy surrounding her. He almost jumped when he heard her speak. "Hello everyone, I look forward to studying closely with all of you, and I hope none of you mind, but due to the fact that I am working as an animal-assisting therapist and linguist, a part of my job is to work with animals. So assuming everything goes to plan, I will most likely be moving in a few of my non-human friends tomorrow!" she explained in a cheerful manner. Everyone, even the interns, seemed pretty interested in this, and nodded in understanding. Lance took in her bell-like, melodic voice, and just as he was about to replay the beautiful sound in his head, Cam cleared her throat. "Dr. Sweets, I expect that due to the fact that both you and Dr. Blackwood seem to have similar fields with the exception of linguistics, you show her the ropes around here per sae, and help her feel comfortable in this new environment." Cam said, with a mischievous gleam in her eye. Lance quickly calmed himself down, and nodded.
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Lance POV:
After everyone returned to their responsibilities, and I had a quick conversation with Cam about basic information I should give to Dr. Blackwood, I decided I would show her around the lab and offices, and give her a more personal introduction to the team. But out of my own curiosity, I first wanted to show her the office where she would be working. After a few awkward seconds of us both walking down the hallway, I decided to man up and talk. "So, Dr. Blackwood…"
"Oh, call me Cassie, Dr. Sweets, Dr. Blackwood sounds so…impersonal. I assume that since Dr. Saroyan said we would be seeing a lot of each other, we at least get comfortable!" she said with a giggle. Lance laughed nervously, not really expecting her to even acknowledge him, never mind actually want to get 'comfortable'. "Okay, Dr. Bla-I mean, Cassie. So as I was saying, what brings you here? You seem fairly young."
"No offense Dr. Sweets, but so do you."
"...Touche."
"And in response to your question, I went to Yale up until last year. I skipped several grades when I was younger, so I was able to achieve all this…academic success…even though I'm 22 years old. One of my professors told me about an opening here at the Jeffersonian, so here I am!"
I widened his eyes in surprise. "Wow, that's pretty impressive. I'm 22 years old as well, actually. So, as a fellow therapist, what exactly is your job? What will you be doing around here?" I asked. She glanced up at me with a proud smile. "I'm able to speak over 10 languages; so much of my work will be translating and the like. When I'm not doing that, I will be working with children or special needs adults that are involved in any of the investigations the team is working on. Many kids or handicapped adults prefer stress free environments, especially if they are a victim, or have experienced some form of trauma. So while you are talking with adults, I will be with kids and special needs patients, using the psychological study that certain animals are able to comfort and coax the patient."
Thoroughly interested, I realized that he and this woman had a lot in common. This meant that I would not be the only one working with some form of psychology, and I would hopefully stop feeling so unimportant in a department full of crime investigating agents who actually went out and helped the country. Finally after what seemed like hours (not that I would have minded in the least), we reached Cassie's new office. I opened the door for her, being a gentleman and all, and she gave me a quick heart-stopping smile. The office was quite large, which I assumed was to keep her animal friends and other necessary equipment without being too crowded. The office was light brown with wooden flooring, and a white rug. There was a simple desk and lamp, a brown Laz-E-Boy and a couch. Cassie seemed content, and then turned towards me. "So, what's next, Dr. Sweets?"
Authors Note: So this was the first chapter! Sorry if it wasn't that great, I've never been good at beginning stories, but I promise it will get better! Please review!
