AN: I don't own Bones (what a twist!) I also don't own the amazing book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which is mentioned in this chapter.
- X -
- Chapter Four : The Squints in Teachers' Positions -
- X -
Haddon opened the SUV door and hopped out with a smile, high expectations of how her first day of schooling done by a forensic team was going to be spinning around in her head. Booth got out as well and went to her side, the two then quickly walked up and into the large establishment. Haddon was even in such a light mood that she dared to wave to the security guards who had come to accept seeing her as ordinary since her first appearance about two weeks ago. Even though they didn't wave back, she didn't let this get her down in the slightest as she continued on to the forensic anthropology section of the large establishment.
Yet when they entered the lab, Haddon stiffened as she saw a tall African American man who she'd never seen talking to Bones. "Don't worry," Booth said, seeing obvious worry play on her face, "He's Dr. Goodman, the suporvisor to what goes on here. Bones is probably just telling him about you and how they'll be teaching you."
Feeling relief, she nodded before following the FBI agent as he went up the the duo, Dr. Goodman's eyes landing on Haddon as she came up.
"I'm sure this is the Miss Haddon I've been hearing about?"
"Y-Yes sir, pleasure to meet you," she said as she held out her hand, at to which Goodman tightly grasped and shook.
"I was sure by Dr. Brennan's words that you were an exceptional girl, but when I looked up your records it seems that I might have to rethink that."
Haddon's eyes widened in worry as Brennan continued to look at a folder in her hand. Although the teen couldn't see what the wording said, she could see her picture from her past high-school yearbook.
"There's a charge of assault on a man," Brennan read, causing Booth to look down at his daughter who was now full-out glaring at the folder; good mood gone.
"That man had it coming to him," she growled as she crossed her arms, Brennan understanding the body language as she wanted to shield herself.
"That's quite a serious charge, even for a minor," Dr. Goodman said in his deep voice, "Yet you were you not sent to Juvenile Jail."
"Is he serious Haddon?" Booth asked in a mix of shock an anger, not expecting her to be able to do a thing as this.
"I did constant community service for my community at my Ma's vet place and at my friends' ranches; the judge felt like that balanced out my supposed 'bad' choice and simply made me do more work without sending me off," she said, not being able to look Booth in the face.
Dr. Goodman raised his eyebrow in questioning and Haddon continued, getting frustrated, "That's the one negative thing, I've done good too!"
"Why did you break this man's arm and fracture two ribs?" Brennan interrupted what Goodman was about to say, causing Haddon to scoff.
"My Ma had a bad taste in men, no offense Booth, you're cool," Booth nodded his head quickly for her to continue, "and one of them got so drunk he couldn't see I wasn't Ma since I have her blond hair. He didn't listen to words, and when he started getting 'touchy' I had no choice but to push him away. But by the time I noticed there was a stair case behind him, it was too late," Haddon drifted off as she moved her arms to hug herself. "Course that wasn't what he said. Said I slammed him into a wall, hah! I'm strong, but not strong enough to jam a one-ninety man against a wall hard enough to break bones."
"Truthfully Dr. Goodman, although there is this charge, I cannot see her doing any harm to this establishment as she will be under constant surveillance and there's security available," Brennan said as she looked up to him. "And I believe her story, on the sheet it said when he was admitted into the hospital there was a high level of alcohol in his bloodstream. The authorities most likely didn't send Haddon to a juvenile correction facility because there was too much reasonable doubt for this charge from the man to be concrete, yet still enough for it to be put on her record as she was only sixteen at the time."
Goodman studied Haddon as she held eye contact, before he sighed and blinked; finally saying, "Lets just say you're on probation young lady. Don't slip up."
"I'm really sorry Booth, really," Haddon said as Dr. Goodman walked away, leaving Booth to glare at his daughter who continued to say, "I know I should have told you but I... I got insecure and..."
"Was worried you'd push her away," Bones finished for her, a sad smile on her face as Haddon nodded down on her sneakers.
"Idiot," Booth said as he pulled on her pony-tail to make her look up at him, "I understand. But promise you won't mess up your record anymore."
"Promise," she agreed a not a second after he'd finished his request, the corners of her mouth curving up to bring back her smile.
"It's going to be cleared when she turns eighteen anyway," Bones said as she closed the folder and handed it to her partner. "But none-the-less, Angela is going to teach you first this morning, so why don't you go to her office."
Haddon grinned widely down at Bones before lunging at her, giving her a quick, tight hug around her shoulders and saying, "Thanks," before sprinting off to Angela's office.
"I got a hug," Brennan said as she grinned, "It's one of the oldest, most fundamental and intimate actions a person can do to another; often showing complete trust as it leaves the back open."
Booth looked away and huffed lightly, causing Bones to raise an eyebrow in confusion before it became clear and she grinned. "She hasn't hugged you yet, has she? You're feeling jealous."
"Come on Bones, we have a case to uncover."
- X -
"Alright, so now for your second lesson of the day: science!" Hodgins said in excitement as he looked up at Haddon who was staring at the seemingly simple items on the table, "We're going to do an experiment that will help in the investigation of the latest murder victim, and be considered your 'lab' for the day."
"Excellent way to kill two birds with one stone Dr. Hodgins," Cam said with obvious sarcasm as she crossed her arms, Angela standing next to her as she warily looked at the stuff on the table.
"Now, what we is going to occur is..." Zack's voice went on to explain what the experiment was doing and how it was functioning to her and the other two women, yet Haddon didn't catch the entire reason for the molecular reactions that should occur, but she knew that there should be a 'fire' or some sorts. When Zack turned her had and asked if she understood, Haddon nodded and said, "For the most part."
"Now," the young genius continued, "We're going to stand behind this blast-wall, which is just for extra-precaution, and Hodgins will ignite the flame and we'll observe what happens."
"We're going to wait outside," Angela and Cam said at the same time, Angela turning to Haddon and saying, "You sure you're gonna watch with these two? They're seriously experiment-crazy."
"This sounds way too cool to give up," Haddon said in glee as she followed Zack to the small window with Jack while the two ladies walked out of the door.
"Alright, you guys ready?" Hodgins asked in mostly-contained excitment as he lifted the switch.
"Ignite it," the genius said and a second later the flame erupting, spooking Haddon enough to grab out onto Zack's nearby arm. Yet Zack, unaffected by her tight grip on him, started counting down, "Ten...nine...eight-"
The sudden eruption caused all three of them to be blown back, Angela and Cam running into the room at the sound, seeing the three of them on their backs, groaning in their own way.
"Are you alright?" Angela asked in a hurry, at to which Jack replied with, "I'm fine, babe."
"I was talking to Haddon," she snapped with a half-hearted glare as she went over to the teen, who had sat up and was coughing, her bright blond hair now slightly singed and darker with soot that covered her face as well.
"That was," Haddon coughed for a few seconds more before taking a deep breath and exclaiming, "Awesome!"
"That explosion," Zack said though a few coughs of his own, "is not what I calculated. It was much larger then anticipated."
"Meaning," Hodgins said as he took off his glasses, "That the person in the hotel may not have wanted the explosion to be so large; it was accidental like here."
"Good work guys," Cam said with sincerity as she put her hands on her hips, a smirk on her face. "You just proved something very viable to the case."
"And it was a awesome!" Haddon laughed as she finally stood and removed her glasses, the protected skin drastic against the soot, before she high-fived Hodgins and then turning to Zack, who hesitantly lifted his hand and winced as the teen slapped her hand against his, hard. She turned to Cam and Angela, but her smile and hand slipping down as she saw their reproachful looks, causing her to cough in now chagrin before saying, "As well as very informative. Yes, more importantly, it was good for the case."
- X -
"Haddon, Jeez! What happened to your hair?!" Booth said in shock as he caught sight of his daughter next to Hodgins when he and Brennan came in later that night, his daghter's hair having been a shade lighter this morning.
"I just got some soot in it from the explosion today," she shrugged as she grinned, lifting a hand to her head as she closed the book in her hands.
"Oh, alright," Booth sighed in relief, causing Brennan to grin and Hodgins to snort. But when Booth really thought over in the next few seconds of what she'd said, his eyes widened as he asked in an exclamation, "Explosion?!"
"Yeah, me, Zacky, and Hodge experimented the explosion on the case and it was a success; really cool stuff!"
"Hodgins," Booth said dangerously as he looked down on the entomologist who turned from his microscope and hurried to say, "I swear, it was an accident, we had no idea it would explode in such a way!"
"Oh, come on Booth," Haddon said with a roll of her eyes before, "And anyway, Hodgins was teaching me about the American Revolution until you interrupted."
"American history and not conspiracies, right?" Booth asked lightly with a warning undertone, annoyed with the squint as it was.
"Well, a large part of the revolution was a conspiracy in itself. It's actually really cool how only a small amount of the colonist wanted freedom and then used any methods, like exploitation and propaganda, to convince the rest. I've never seen it this way before," Haddon said as she re-opened her book and went back to reading, and so not noticing the pointed look Booth gave to Hodgins who shrugged and said with a victory grin, "It's the truth, man."
But thankfully, before Booth could say anything further, Brennan had enough sense to drag the FBI agent away to her office and leave the teen and squint back to their lesson.
Not much later as the day at the lab started to come to a close, Brennan called out to Haddon, who was in Angela's room organizing and filing past sketches. The teen entered the office with slight apprehension as the air around her and Booth seemed tense.
"I have everything you need here," Bones said as she lifted a clip tag and a folder, at to which Haddon grinned at. Eagerly, she walked up and grabbed it, her eyes greedily taking in her own special identification and clipping it safely onto her jeans pocket before opening the folder to see what looked like a schedule of her lessons along with a list of criteria.
"Know that we'll try and keep up that schedule," the successful writer said, "But be aware that cases are our first priority."
"Of course! I fully understand!" Haddon's voice was a tad too loud as her excitement spilled over, her eyes wide and glimmering.
"Also, we can arrange for Hodgins to come pick you up on the days Booth doesn't come here first."
"Oh-ho-ho, no," Booth shook his head, "Like I'm letting my daughter get driven by the squint duo."
"It's fine Booth, no sweat," Haddon waved her hand on her side, dismissing his worries and causing Booth to groan. "And this looks great," she sighed happily as she clutched the folder to her chest.
At that moment, Zack walked in and asked, "Hodgins told me you have the results for what the beetles found?"
"Well, if it isn't Professor Addy who will be teaching me," she looked down at her schedule, "Calculus tomorrow morning at ten, hozzah!" she cheered with a grin and then shocked everyone in the room as she glomped the unsuspecting young man quickly before strutting out of the office.
"Come on!" Booth said with a roll of his eyes as he grimaced in exasperation. "She hugs the anti-social assistant before me? Her Father?!"
"That was quite unexpected; my heart rate has acutely accelerated in shock," Zack said as he put a hand to his chest, eyes wide as he turned to see Haddon walk up to Hodgins to talk about whatever. "But is she completely sane? When she first came to Booth, she was quiet and drawn-away, then she had a 'emotional breakdown' as Hodgins called it, and is now acting energetic and eager. She doesn't exactly seem mentally stable with these great leaps in personality traits."
"What did you just say?!" Booth growled, angered enough at the squint already.
"He means no harm Booth, just observing. And no, she's completely fine Zack. Trauma can greatly change a person's both physical and mental attributes, yet it seems she is getting back to her old self," Brennan said as she grinned, her expression and hopeful information calming down Booth as he slumped back down in the couch.
"I suppose that seems probable from studies I've read about," Zack said as he dropped his arm from his heart, feeling it dip down to it's regular rate. "I wonder if she will continue to change?"
"I doubt that," Brennan said as she handed Zack over a file, "I think she's now comfortable enough to now show her true self to us since she is now sure that she has a constant, set environment."
Booth fully grinned at this, excited at the aspect of getting to know his daughter the way she really was. The young genius, in the meantime, focused on that phrase and what might become because of it, before he opened the folder and was out of the office and back to his seemingly never-ending work.
- X -
"Why did you just turn left? You do not turn left here," Zack said in slight confusion, turning to see his best friend who had a grin on his bearded face.
"Z-man, it seems our car-pool is getting bigger now that we're going to pick up Haddon from now on."
Zack's eyes widened as he turned to Hodgins. "Does Booth know about your reckless, heedless of signs, and anti-speed-limit driving?"
"No, and he isn't going to find out, got it? Just think, if we get on Haddon's good side and help out Booth at the same time, maybe he won't hate us so much and we can hear more of her crazy stories. Like I said when she first came, it'll be interesting to get to know her better."
The brainiac gulped before leaning back in his seat, looking out the window at the unfamiliar roads.
It didn't take too long before they saw two people on the side of a road, one of them waving her hand, it obviously being Haddon with her bright (back to soot-less) hair. Pulling up on the curb to pick her up, Zack had enough sense to roll down his window when Booth knocked his knuckles against it.
"Now Squints," he said as Haddon opened the back door in the small car and jumped in, "If something, anything happens to her because of bad driving I'll make it so you can't ever drive again. And I don't mean through paperwork."
"Got it, Mr. Big-Bad-FBI man," Hodgins said with a salute that Booth only narrowed his eyes at, before he leaned away from the window.
"You keep him in line," he added to Zack as he turned to go to his own car.
"Bye Booth!" Haddon yelled out after him as they pulled away, causing Booth to turn and smile lightly, lifting his hand to say good-bye back.
"Morning, teen," the Jack said as he looked in his review-mirror to see her sitting comfortably in middle of the back, having just buckled her seat-belt.
"Morning, bug-fanatic," the young blond shot back before adding with a grin, "Morning to you too Zacky."
"A-Ah!" Zack stuttered in shock, having forgotten to say a morning greeting to her like Hodgins had told him to do with others. "Good morning," he replied with an uneasy smile.
"So, Booth was seriuously against me getting a ride with you guys," Haddon said as she leaned forward a little, elbows resting on her knees, "Were you a past drag-racer or something?"
"Hah!" Hodgins scoffed, "Far from it, he just doesn't want you spending time with squints. Although I guess you can say I don't follow all the road rules, but don't tell him that."
"One of his habitual habits is to go over the speed limit by a minimum of ten miles per hour," Zack extended, the teen catching with his tone that he didn't approve of it one bit.
"Do you drive?" she asked at to which Zack stiffened and said quickly, "Never."
"It's not hard, and aren't you a super-genius?" Haddon continued on, knowing the first time she had driven by herself was when she was ten at a friend's farm on a tractor.
"With his crazy-smart processing brain," Hodgins talked for Zack, "He knows a bunch of all too real horrid scenarios that he's afraid of making with the slightest mistake."
"That's tough," Haddon said with a grimace, "Do you not like flying either? I freaked when I had to fly over here, first time on such a big plane and a bunch of my own scary scenarios, like if we'll get struck by lightning or if the wheels buckled when we land, were going through my head."
"Not to such a degree as automobiles," Zack said in thought, "Airplanes have a prominently far lower probability of maiming or fatalities. And in your fear of lightning or wheel-failure, those are both almost entirely improbable. If there's bad weather ahead, the captain will most-likely steer miles wide of it and before every take-off the entire plane is checked, so obviously the wheels are constantly regulated and so if there's the slim chance of a failure or glitch, they will correct it before you even step onto the plane."
Haddon blinked at her hands in her lap before she grinned and looked up, saying with earnest, "Thanks. I don't think I'm as afraid after hearing that anymore. Sorry I can't help you with your car phobia."
Zack sighed. "There's no one that can help me with that aspect until car companies invent and distribute better models."
She nodded, and the car was silent before they arrived at the Jeffersonian where they piled out. When they got to security, the blond giddily swiped her new card through the security system before walking into the lab, grinning as her second day of 'school' was about to be in session.
"I have an hour before my class with you," Haddon said as she stuck next to Zack's side, waving bye to Hodgins as he went to his multi-machine covered workplace.
"If you would not find displeasure in it, I have files that need to be organized and then put away," Zack said as he went to the remains room where his newest bones were waiting.
"Course," Haddon said as she grinned, glad to be of some help.
An hour of filing and bone-analysis later, Haddon was sitting down with Zack who took out a daunting text book with the word 'Calculus' printed in large red letters from his bag.
"This was my own math book," Zack sighed with a calmed expression on his face, Haddon knowing without asking that he was remembering old times.
"For high-school?" she asked as she hesitantly pulled out a pencil as Zack pulled out a notebook as well, handing it over to her.
"Fourth grade; with my superior intellect it would have been a disgrace for me to take Calculus in high-school," Zack said as he quickly flipping to the first chapter in the multi-hundred page tome.
"Of course," Haddon laughed nervously, too afraid to tell him she hadn't even finished Pre-Calculus, and had been failing it the time that she had been in it before she had to relocate here.
- X -
"I feel dead inside," Haddon muttered dejectedly to herself as she dropped her head on the table in front of her, this time being careful as to not forget about gravity like at Wong Foos.
"What did you do to her, Zack?" Hodgins chuckled as he slid next to the two.
"I did nothing I was not asked to do," Zack said as he opened his mac-n-cheese container, "I taught her Calculus from nine to ten and then advised her to work on the homework I assigned until she finished them all or until lunch; whichever event occurred first."
"I'm not even done with a quarter of them, I understand less. I probably got ten percent of the stuff he tried to teach me today," Haddon shared with Jack, her head yet to come off the table, causing her dejected voice to be slightly muffled.
"You underestimate yourself," Zack said before a bite, causing Haddon to sit up in hope. "The actual percentage of your understanding is closer to twelve percent."
Haddon gaped at him for a second more before she slumped her shoulders in renewed defeat.
"So you've been doing Calculus homework for the past two hours?" Hodgins tried to stifle his chuckle, yet failed, at seeing the two act around each other and how broken Haddon looked from only math.
"My brain is going to explode with information," the blond declared as she grabbed at her hair, pulling out the wavy locks from her ponytail.
"I do not understand how a person can find so much difficulty in the first chapter of Calculus."
"Dude, you were suppose to only teach her the first lesson."
"If we are to fully accomplish Calculus," Zack said as he stabbed another bite of pasta, "and proceed to Arithmetic in the estimated six month time amount we have to educate her, I need to compile my lessons accordingly."
"I don't want to do math," Haddon groaned as she grabbed at her sandwich in front of her, viciously ripping the clear wrapping off it.
"Zack, she's seventeen," Jack said as he saw her bite onto the sandwich aggressively before snapping her head up to state, "Almost eighteen!"
Hodgins rolled his eyes before continuing with, "And she's not as intellectually advanced as you or me. She's what people would call normal."
"That word is immaterial in your phrasing of her intelligence," Zack said as he looked across to the young woman in question, who had started to jam food into her mouth.
"I'm sorry Zack," she sighed, actually using his name for once, "I don't want to annoy or frustrate you. I'm just not capable of learning that complicated stuff."
"That's entirely inconsequential. Almost anyone, especially of your age and 'normal' intellect, can understand rudimentary Calculus. My edition of the book even has limits."
"Hodgins," Haddon looked across to the older man who raised an eyebrow in question. "What does 'inconsequenty' mean."
"Inconsequential; adjective, not important or significant," Zack piped up before Hodgins could answer.
Haddon groaned again as she rubbed at her temples, "Did anyone tell you you're too smart for your own good?"
"Correct," Zack said in slight shock, "How is it that you know of this constant past occurrence?"
"I just had a feeling."
- X -
Haddon held her hand out warily before rapping her knuckles on the outside of Angela's office door, waiting a few seconds as she heard some shuffling before the shorter woman appeared as she opened the door, a wide smile on her stunning face as she said, "Come on in."
Now grinning herself, Haddon quickly went in and sat on the couch, Angela sitting next to her a minute later. Although writing had never been Haddon's strong point as she'd explained it was always hard for her to word herself correctly, the teen enjoyed Angela's first lesson yesterday. Although it wasn't as challenging as Dr. Brennan's, which she'd just come from, Angela's time was intriguing in how she made Haddon see words and phrases in ways she would have never thought herself.
Today's lesson was fairly self-controlled, as Angela was busy with sketches, and so Haddon was ordered after a half an hour of lecture to simply read the next chapter of the book they had picked first, The Great Gatsby being chosen by Dr. Brennan, before jotting down her reactions in her notebook.
"You know Haddon," Angela said as she worked, knowing it was fully possible to talk and draw as both activities oriented form different parts of her brain and so wouldn't clash with each other, "I noticed that you haven't worn anything other then t-shirts, jeans, and loose pants or sport shorts since you've come here."
"They're mostly not mine," Haddon said with a breath of laughter, "My boys thought they'd switch almost all my clothes with theirs in a last prank."
"In a way, I guess that's thoughtful," Angela said as she hide a smile, thinking thoughts of wanting to meet this group of six guys mentioned before.
"They're stupid like that, but I still love um all the same," Haddon said before she could stop herself, feeling like when she talked with Angela a lot just slipped out.
"Well, you just tell me when you want to go shopping for new stuff and we'll go," Angela offered, which caused Haddon's blush to only deepen.
"I don't look good in girl-clothes," Haddon revealed as she ducked her head in shame, the reason why she was blushing.
"Nonsense," Angela said in slight anger, "That just means that you haven't looked hard enough for what fits you."
"It doesn't matter much anyway, I'm not trying to impress some guy at the moment or nothin," the blond said with a slightly bitter laugh.
Not missing the tone, Angela looked up at her for a moment before back at her sketch book. "Promise me you'll go shopping with me when you change your mind, guy or no guy?"
Haddon genuinely laughed out before nodding her head, "Course. But it may take some time, so I wouldn't get your hopes up or anything."
"I'm sure the time will come before you know it," Angela smiled, "But also promise me that when you meet this guy you won't change for him."
"Why would I do that? If he doesn't like the true me, he isn't worth my time."
Angela laughed out this time too, but stopped as she heard a knock on her door. Hodgins opened it a few seconds later, his blue eyes crinkling on the sides slightly from his wide grin as he greeted the two females.
"I'm gonna go. Thanks Angela," Haddon said as she stood, closing the small book and notebook before leaving the room without a look back.
"It's weird to me how she's suddenly dropped out of no where and is suddenly part of the flow here," Jack said as he went to sit on the couch Haddon had just vacated.
"What do you need Hodgins?" Angela asked with a roll of her eyes, although inwardly agreeing to what he said.
"I can't visit you from time-to-time without a reason, fellow colleague?"
"If it's something to do with the case, I'm all for it."
"Well, if you insist in knowing, I just wanted to tell you I just called in a terrorist threat. On Booth's request."
Angela almost dropped her pencil in shock before looking up with her eyes wide and asked, "Are you serious?!"
"It was the one of the coolest things I've done for this job!"
- X -
"I don't know about this..." Booth said in worry as he rubbed the back of his neck, looking down to see Haddon in the driver's seat of Hodgins' toy-like car.
"Come on, I got my liscense a while ago," Haddon grinned, "And I'm doing Hodgins a favor since they're going to probably drop him off at his home and not here."
When Booth only narrowed his eyes, Haddon added, "Plus Zacky here needs a ride home."
"That is true," the genius spoke up from the passenger seat, "I am quite discouraged to ride the bus or subway home."
"And you're going to be meet me there," Haddon said with a slight grin. "Nothing is going to happen, Booth."
He stared at the blond for a few more seconds before his gaze turned to Zack, who slightly stiffened as Booth said, "You make sure nothing happens." Zack started to think about how Booth seemed to say that to him a lot when dealing with his daughter, but Haddon interrupted his thought process a few seconds as Booth had pulled away.
"Alright then!" Haddon said in excitement, not waiting for Zack to confirm what Booth had ordered, as she jingled the keys before jamming it in and turning the ignition on, the engine now purring with energy.
Gripping the wheel tightly, Zack's eyes widened as he saw a grin split her face as she suddenly jerked the gear stick into reverse, quickly spinning back before slamming the gear back up to drive and literally peeling out of the parking lot; all without using the break.
"Oh...no..." Zack couldn't say anymore as his fingers dug into his seat drastically in fear, his back pressed back as his mind began overloading him with scenarios of accidents.
Haddon, in the meantime, hollered happily as she spun the wheel, slightly drifting in doing so, as she turned to the entrance of the parking lot. She quickly slammed on the brakes there, turning to a petrified Zack and asking, "Right or left?"
"I do not feel comfortable with you driving after that display of recklessness," Zack said as he tried to lesson his death-grip on the edges of his seat, unblinking eyes wide in fear.
"I've never gotten caught; don't worry. Now, answer my question please."
"Never got caught?" Zack repeated her words as he turned to her with his frightful, dear-caught-in-the-headlight brown eyes. At seeing how afraid he obviously was, Haddon sighed as her tight grip came off of the wheel, favoring to use one to pat the assistant on the shoulder.
"I'm sorry. I promise to drive careful from now."
Sighing in relief at her vow, Zack posture slumped slightly as he informed, "Right."
Smiling, Haddon placed her hands on the wheel again before clicking on the blinker and slowly turning out after she double checked that both lanes were clear.
- X -