Chapter 2. Office Agents
The drive to the New Jersey FBI field office wasn't very long and when the cab pulled up in front of the plain grey office building Lance Sweets felt intimidated. Not because the building looked completely normal, but because he had no idea what lay behind its doors. He didn't know the people, how they reacted, what they looked like. They all could be buffed, biker gang members who found it enjoyable to pick on puny guys like him. A shiver went down his spine. He could almost imagine the tattoos on some of their arms.
"Come on Sweets! Get a move on." He watched as Booth glared at him and held the door open for Dr. Brennan to pass through, following her in as she left them behind. Since they had done this before their body language told Sweets that they were totally at ease, well, Dr. Brennan was set on getting straight to work but that was where she felt most comfertable. He swallowed then stepped through the door.
On the other side he was grateful to see that his fears had been unjustified. There were people everywhere. Normal people. With his mind now at ease Sweets caught up with Brennan and Booth as they introduced themselves to the secretary at the front desk. She then directed them to go up a few floors to the office of the agent that they would be working with. They passed through doorways and squeezed through tight halls, sometimes having to press to the walls for others to get by. And each time, Sweets looked at the partners from behind and he saw that there was always some sort of physical contact. Booth would hold doors open for her which Lance expected would make her spout off something about being able to take care of herself, but nothing was said and she just kept walking. Then as Booth would follow behind her his hand would automatically shift to the small of her back which didn't seem to bother her at all. All of these observations went straight to his mental list of things to ask them about later.
The inside of the building was almost exactly like the interior of the Hoover building. Offices lined the walls while random desks where placed in the middle of the room. They passed several sets of interrogation rooms and lounges where colleges where laughing pleasantly while drinking coffee.
Booth made a sudden turn and pulled Brennan along with him. Sweets scurried after them. Inside was a desk piled high with manila folders and bits of random things which could have pertained to different cases. Looking over Booth's shoulder Lance saw that there was a man currently sitting behind the desk almost completely hidden behind a very outdated computer monitor. After a few strokes to the keyboard the agent looked up and saw them standing there and jumped to him feet.
Coming around the desk he introduced himself. "Hi, thanks for coming, my name's Special Agent Christopher DeLuca. And you must be Agent Booth." He held out his hand and Booth shook it vigorously, a large smile on his face. Agent DeLuca was almost as tall as he was and most definitely worked out because anyone could have seen the contour of his biceps under his suit jacket. His face was long with large brown eyes and deep rust colored hair. His jaw was angular and added a sharpness to his face that clashed with the roundness of his lips. New Jersey's own version of Agent Booth. However, while standing next to the real thing he paled in comparison. Booth had a feeling that the agent knew this and was pleased. But as he noticed Dr. Brennan next to Booth, he offered a smile that would have made any woman swoon. He was, in every sense of the word (much like Booth), handsome.
"And you must be the lovely Dr. Brennan." He held out his hand and she shook it. Being Brennan, as she was, she hadn't noticed the finer details that Booth had seen and instead jumped right into work.
"Yes. Agent DeLuca I was wondering if the person I spoke to over teleconference had followed my instructions on how to preserve the crime scene. I was also wondering if we could make our way there as soon as possible."
DeLuca looked at her for a moment and then laughed. His eyes crinkling as he grinned. "Oh yeah. Everything's taken care of Dr. Brennan, no need to worry. Charlie, the guy you talked to, made sure to perfectly preserve everything. Every little detail. He's a big fan of yours you know. Been going around for the last day and half telling everyone that this famous author he really liked had asked him personally to do her a favor."
Booth noticed that she had the normal I-don't-know-what-that-means look on her face. "That's not possible. I don't know anyone named Charlie." Agent DeLuca laughed again, shaking his head he looked passed Brennan and saw Sweets for the first time.
"And who are you?"
Pushing past the two people in front of him Sweets extended his hand out for DeLucato shake. "Dr. Lance Sweets, psycologist, but I also do profiles."
DeLuca's face fell into a flat expression. "Ah." was the only thing he said. Dropping Sweets's hand DeLuca went around his desk and sat once again. Using his hand to motion to the two chairs in front of him he politely told the partners to take a seat. Sweets (who had no chair) stood to their left, leaning against the grey colored wall. Handing Booth the file, DeLuca started debriefing them on their current case.
"Three days ago a couple, Kristina Remmington and Lucus Clark, were hiking in the woods to the North of here and came across what they thought was an abandoned power facility. Apparently one of them thought it would be cool to have some random sex there but once they got inside they found that." He pointed to the gruesome pictures that Booth had turned to. Brennan's face was completely expressionless and Booth grimaced some but Sweets thought he was going to be physically ill. How do they deal with this stuff. He wondered to himself.
DeLuca continued. "There are six bodies in total. Three women and two men. Five of them are strapped to what I think are electric chairs and the last one was lying in the middle of the room." Booth closed his eyes, not really wanting to look at the photos anymore and willingly let Brennan take the file. "It's easier to look at it now so you don't faint when we get to the crime scene Agent Booth."
Booth's eyebrows came together."I wouldn't faint, it just doesn't get any easier to look at photos and bodies. Every new one makes me want to puke."
"Ah. Well, your rental is outside in the garage." DeLuca tossed him the keys. "I'm going to head over to the scene. There's a map inside the file. I'll meet you there. Unless you want to come with me?" He was looking at Brennan when he asked this, though she didn't look up from examining the gruesome photos that none of the men could stomach. Booth saw this and the pinch of jealousy caused the back of his neck to burn.
Booth nodded his head at their luggage. "No thanks. We're going to stop by the hotel first. Get situated, then we'll join you. Say...in about 30 minutes?"
"Fine."
Brennan swiftly closed the case file with a snap. "Booth why do we have to go to the hotel? Our luggage can wait, you have a murder to solve and I have remains to examine. There's no time to waste!"
Booth rolled his eyes. "Bones come on. For once could you please not argue and just go along with what I say? No one's going to touch the bodies until we get there." He stood up, picking up his and Brennan's bags he slung them over his shoulders. Turning back to Agent DeLuca he held out his hand once again.
DeLuca hesitantly took it. "Bones?"
"Yeah, long story."
"Well, since it looks like we'll be working together for awhile you'll have plenty of chances to tell me all about it." The agent chuckled. "It was very nice meeting you Dr. Brennan." She gave a nod to him, not saying anything. Is she pouting? Sweets had seen many different sides of Brennan but he had never really experienced how odd it looked to see her pout.
Dr. Brennan doesn't say anything when pouting. He stored that bit of information away.
DeLuca told Booth where to head to get to the underground parking lot, and since he figured the agent didn't want to shake hands with him again Sweets left the room before Brennan or Booth. Rolling his suitcase along behind him. As he turned around in the elevator to wait for them to catch up he saw that even though Brennan was angry at Booth she still allowed him to keep his hand on the small of her back.
It was very dark and cold in the parking garage. Even though it was well into spring and temperatures where somewhere in the mid seventies, Sweets was shivering. There was a long line of black SUV's similar to Booth's back in DC and it gave the place an eerie uniform feeling. Booth clicked a button on the car remote and when one of them had their headlights light up Sweets headed to it. The partners had been a ways behind but caught up to him as he loaded his suitcase into the back. They did the same and all three came around the sides of the car to get in. Opening the passenger side of the front, Sweets was met with resistance.
Booth was the first. "Whoa, Sweets. You can't sit there, that's Bones's seat."
Brennan next. "Yes, sorry Sweets but I always sit there."
Surprised and a little downhearted he let Brennan brush past him to climb into the front seat while he slipped into the back seat with a quiet apology. As they pulled out into the city streets Lance brightened up a bit. "So Dr. Brennan, why is it that only you and Agent Booth are aloud to sit in the front?"
Booth let out a loud groan. "Sweets, I thought I made it clear to you that we didn't bring you along to bore us to death with your psycho-babel shit."
Brennan lightly hit him in the arm. "Booth!. Don't be so mean to him, he's only a child."
He was slightly annoyed at being called a child but waited patiently for her to answer. Brennan turned slightly in her seat to face him. "Well since Booth asserts his alpha-male tendencies through unjustified means he believes that it is a 'mans' job to drive. And since I am not allowed to drive I believe that I should be able to have the next best thing, which is the seat next to it." She used air quotes to emphasize her meaning, which Sweets thought was very laughable.
"Bones I didn't say it was a 'mans' job to drive. I just like driving, that's it. And don't go putting words in my mouth. I never said that."
She turned back to him. A deep frown on her lips. "Well you implied it."
Booth let out a deflated sigh. "Look Sweets, Bones rides shot-gun. End of story."
Question answered, Sweets sat back in his seat. Wishing he had his notebook he made another mental note. Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth are very protective of the front seats.
(--)
A/N: When I first started writing about Agent DeLuca I thought I had made his character a little too mean, but don't worry he gets nicer as the story goes on. And btw his name is Italian so its pronounced De-Lucha. 3 u guys. please keep reviewing!