The couple sat side by side on the couch in Dr. Sweets' office. "That's perfectly normal," the young psychologist said, then caught himself. "Actually," he corrected, "at her age, it could be a sign of heightened understanding of spatial awareness."
"See, Bones? Nothing to worry about," Booth assured.
Dr. Brennan was about to respond when the door swung open. A small redhead holding a paper bag with the Royal Diner logo on it strolled in, then noticed the two other people. "Am I interrupting anything?" she asked, blushing as she set the bag on Sweets' desk.
"Oh! Um, kind of," Sweets answered honestly. He turned to the couple. "Sorry about that. This is my..." he searched for the word.
"Girlfriend?" Booth suggested.
Sweets let out a small snicker while shaking his head, but the girl looked almost aghast. "More like protege," she corrected, trying to regain her composure.
"She's new here, so I'm just showing her the ropes," Sweets explained coolly.
Booth examined the young lady and wondered to himself if the FBI had some unspoken rule about only hiring psychologists that looked like they were barely qualified to work for a school newspaper advice column, let alone a federal agency.
She extended her hand out to them. "I'm Dr. Zoe Simon." Booth nearly scoffed. Zoe. Even her name sounded too young. "You must be Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan," she said. "Dr. Sweets has told me a lot about you two."
"Nothing that violates doctor-patient confidentiality," Sweets was quick to add.
"Right," Booth said, seeing this as an optimal opportunity to leave and getting up from the couch. "We'll just leave you two to stare at some inkblots or whatever shrink-y stuff you do together." He nodded as he followed Dr. Brennan out the door.
Sweets shrugged at his younger colleague as they left. "Maybe you three will learn to love each other?" he suggested.
"You'd better watch out, they're gaining on us," Booth joked as he and his partner walked down the hallway, arm-in-arm. "Next thing you know, there will be more shrinks on the team than squints. They might even try to take over the Jeffersonian."
"I find your hypothesis highly unlikely," Dr. Brennan replied sincerely.