CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

Everyone had been pretty busy with the trial but some sought solace in their work. Doctor Brennan occasionally snuck away to the Jeffersonian to do some categorizing of remains, Agent Booth spent time with Parker (as much as Rebecca and Captain Fantastic would allow), Vincent and Wendell were playing out the roommates angle to the fullest, Jack and Angela had been spending an increasing amount of time with one another, while Doctor Saroyan returned home to her new daughter every night. Lance however had allowed his casework attention to slide, especially when it came to a certain two partners.

With his newfound bit of free time he decided to hold a makeshift session with the two of them until he could call Krys and spend the night with her. She had asked for some time to herself and Lance wasn't about to trample on that, though he did feel like he needed to hold her on this night, and who knows, maybe she needed to be held. Of course he couldn't tell her that or even text it, she would have probably socked him one in the gut especially if he somehow managed to mess up the utterance of words as he usually tended to.

This particular session was taking place in the Royal Diner, a safe haven for all of the Jeffersonian employees. Hot, greasy food, good company, open 24/7. It was like, twenty times better than Dennys. Could it get any better?

"So you're saying that this case isn't affecting you?" Lance asked with a curious raised brow directed toward the FBI Agent.

"Not at all." Agent Booth informed him with a mouth filled with cheeseburger.

"Even though it directly involves your son and his kidnapper? I find that hard to believe." Lance frowned. He was getting tired of this brave front the agent often put up around everyone.

"Believe it Sweets." Booth swallowed before reaching out for a napkin and wiping his face. "Your girlfriend is involved in this case. Is it affecting you?"

"This session isn't about me." Lance had been a bit surprised by the tables being turned but he managed to keep a calm face, something he was getting better at day by day with the partners.

"That's what I thought." Seeley crammed another french fry into his mouth without making eye contact. "Don't ask questions you already know the answers to Sweets." Booth grunted before looking toward his partner. "Pass the salt, Bones."

"Booth is very professional." Temperance spoke up rather calmly, passing her partner the little salt shaker. "He doesn't allow his personal feelings to get in the way of a case."

"Ya hear that Sweets?" Seeley looked to the young psychologist now giving him a bit of a grin. "I'm a professional."

"Yeah.. I heard." Lance sighed as he watched Seeley steal one of his fries. "Help yourself." Lance rolled his eyes. He knew there'd be no point in arguing any of this. One against two always lost. "I'm almost done with my book." He attempted to try something the partners did, which was discuss work as often as possible. But of course they threw it back in his face.

"The one about us?" Seeley looked up curiously, his mouth finally free of food for a moment.

"Just how our minds interact with one another Booth." Temperance sighed, obviously disinterested. "Sweets is using his 'powers of observation' to write a book. It's just a book." She was an author herself and she had never thought of psychology as a valid profession. Everyone knew this. "And it'll have little to no affect seeing as it's in a fraud field."

"Your irrational prejudice against psychology is noted Doctor Brennan." Lance sighed, tilting his head slightly. "As always."

"That's not true." Temperance looked up with a frown, only to receive an unflattering look from the psychologist across from her. "Alright. It's entirely true." She murmured, taking a sip of her strawberry milkshake.

"After all Sweets has done for our cases you still don't believe that psychology is even a teeny little bit productive?" Seeley asked his partner in disbelief.

"Don't worry Agent Booth. I'll get Doctor Brennan on psychology's side so she eat, breathes, sleeps, and makes love to it." Lance said only to blink realizing his error in dialogue. "That came out wrong."

"Society steers us Sweets, not some sort of accident we have as a kid. The way Booth and I interact with one another is not the product of a terrible birthday party we had at age three." Temperance frowned, about ready to get in another one of their 'debates'.

"That's enough you two." Seeley warned before moving two napkin dispensers to the center of the table. "There's a wall here. No fighting over this wall." His dark brown eyes then looked to Lance in warning and pointed. "And this is not a metaphor for how I'm feeling, I just want you to be quiet."

Temperance stared at the silver dispensers. "Those are just napkin holders." She declared in a flat voice, stating the obvious as she reached out with slender hands and spread them apart from one another.

"I know that, Bones." Seeley sighed, shaking his head before he looked up at the psychologist. "How are you and Krys doing?"

Lance was a bit surprised that Booth was actually asking him about his personal life, but he wasn't about to not answer. This was progress! "Just fine thanks."

"Just... Fine?" Booth questioned and now Lance felt that he was in the middle of one of his interrogations.

"Well yeah... What can you expect with trial and everything? Things have been a little rough. Wicked stressful." Lance fished his hand into his pants pocket, pulling out his phone and checked the front of it before bringing it to his ear and pressing a code of four numbers.

"It is an extremely stressful situation." Temperance agreed, on a rare occasion, with Lance, taking another sip of her milkshake. At the same time Lance's brow was furrowed with concern while he listened to the voice message.

"Sweets." Booth sat up, looking to the young man with concern. "What is it?"

Lance appeared phased, unable to speak. He cleared his throat and brought the phone down holding it close to his chest. "It's Krys.. She's really upset.. I could barely hear her. She kept saying she was sorry.. Over and over.." His eyes darted back and forth, unable to focus on just one thing as he felt his body be overcome with worry.

This was enough for Seeley who was immediately on his feet. "Come on. Lets go."