(The Man in the Mansion)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

She entered the bedroom and stopped in her tracks. "What is that?"

Slowly knotting his tie, Booth looked up. "What's what?"

"Your tie." A little shocked at the solid black tie Booth had around his neck, Brennan stepped further into the room. "Your tie is staid and boring. It looks like J. Edgar Hoover picked it out and where is your cocky belt buckle?"

A little embarrassed, Booth finished knotting his tie and slipped his suit coat on. "Okay, look. It's something I'm supposed to be working on. You know I'm in therapy . . . well, Gordon Gordon says that wild socks and fancy ties are just quiet rebellions helping me suppress other impulses."

Not sure she cared for this explanation, Brennan shook her head. "Isn't that a good thing?" Concerned about what was going on, she stepped closer and touched his drab tie. "Why are you still in therapy? I don't think these changes are necessary."

"You'd think so, right?" Booth sighed and placed his right hand over her hand. "Apparently I have issues that are being suppressed and I need them to rise to the top. Whatever the hell that's supposed to mean."

Brennan distrusted psychiatry and she was certain that making Booth change who he was, was not useful in the least. "I don't think I care for these changes, Booth."

"I don't either, but the FBI is making me see Gordon Gordon." Glancing down at his tie, Booth sighed once more. "If I don't do what he says, they can fire me. It's as simple as that. Let's see what happens. Who knows, maybe I do have issues that I need to resolve although I think it's a load of horse shit."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

The one thing that everyone around Booth noticed after his change in wardrobe style was the fact that his short temper had got much shorter. He knew he was more impatient, but he couldn't seem to fix the problem. He felt like a stick of dynamite waiting to go off and he hated that feeling. He complained to Brennan about little things she had no control over and abandoned Hodgins at the home of the murder victim when he found out that Hodgins had hidden the fact that he and the murder victim's wife had been engaged in the past.

Booth had been so angry at the entomologist that he had been afraid to have Hodgins ride back with him to the Lab. His temper was hot and he felt almost out of control and that was definitely not a good thing.

The case was bothering him along with everything else. A poor child had been murdered, but he was supposed to prioritize the investigation of the murder of a very wealthy man. The child's case meant more to him and he worked on both cases at the same time since he felt they were related.

Adding to Booth's problems, Special Agent Timothy Sullivan was trying to get Brennan to date him and his constantly appearing at Brennan's office was starting to anger Booth. "Tell him you're not interested in him." Booth sat on the couch in Brennan's office and tried to remain calm. "He's not going to give up unless you tell him to leave you alone. I can't do it. You have to do it."

Annoyed at Booth's demands, Brennan remained seated at her desk. "I have told him that I am not currently dating at this time. I would think that would be sufficient, but it appears he doesn't consider that a reasonable excuse not to date him. I can't tell him we're together, so I'm not sure what else I can do."

His impatience growing, Booth stood up and started to pace. "You have tell him that you aren't interested in him. Be blunt, that's what you do best, be blunt. Just tell him to fuck off."

A little shocked, Brennan glared at her boyfriend and tried to remain calm. One of them needed to. "I don't use language like that Booth. It's unnecessary. I will tell him once more that I am not interested in dating him. Perhaps I will also mention that his persistence could be interpreted as harassment. I would hate to do that since Sully is actually very nice and he means no harm, otherwise I am at a loss as to how to make him stop asking me for dates."

Her tone of voice told him that he had crossed a line he shouldn't have and that he needed to stop the conversation. "I'm sorry Bones, I shouldn't have said that. It's just . . . . I don't know what's wrong with me . . . I just . . ." Not sure how to explain what was going on, he glanced at his watch and then moved towards the door. "I have to go, I have an appointment with Gordon Gordon and if I'm late he'll just say I'm acting out or some shit like that."

After he was gone, Brennan stared at the empty couch and decided that if Dr. Gordon Wyatt didn't stop meddling with Booth, she might have something to say about it. The changes in Booth were not acceptable and his temper was worse than it was before he starting seeing the psychiatrist.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Timothy Sullivan entered the Royal Diner and noticed Brennan sitting in the back. Moving down the aisle, he stopped at her table and smiled at her. "Tempe imagine running into you here."

Her patience running out, Brennan placed her fork down firmly on the table and looked at her would be paramour. "Are you following me?"

A little astonished at the question, Tim sat down across from Brennan and crossed his arms. "No of course not. I came in for some chili. They make the best chili in town. What's going on? Are you mad at me? Why?"

Brennan realized that Sully didn't deserve the way she was treating him. He was merely trying to date her and he had no idea she was already in a relationship. She really hated the fact that she and Booth were keeping their relationship a guarded secret. It was inconvenient and it caused unnecessary anxiety. "No I'm not angry with you . . . Sully I have been quite clear that I don't want to date you. You're a nice man, a very nice man, but I cannot date you. I am seeing someone else."

Surprised at her revelation, Sully nodded his head. "Okay, I understand. You should have told me that before now. I wouldn't have been pestering you if I'd known that. Booth didn't mention it."

Grateful that Sully was being so understanding, Brennan smiled and picked up her fork. "My private life is private. I appreciate your interest in me and if I weren't seeing someone else I would certainly not hesitate in having a relationship with you. I should have been more forthright, but I thought I could discourage you and not have to reveal my involvement with someone else. Please don't mention to anyone that I'm dating someone. I don't want anyone to interfere in my private life."

Disappointed that she was dating someone else, Sully had no choice but to accept it. "Sure, not a problem. Too bad you're seeing someone else. You don't know what you're missing. I'm a pretty good date and I make a really good boyfriend."

Amused with Sully's wiggling eyebrows and his charming smile, Brennan returned his smile. "I'm sure you are . . . would you like to join me for lunch? We can still be friends can't we?"

"Of course." Sully had hoped to have something more with Brennan, but friendship was a nice consolation prize. "Like I said this place has the best chili."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Tired of seeing a psychiatrist, Booth wanted his life back. "Why are we still meeting?"

Gordon could see the rebellion on Booth's face, but he needed the man to cooperate with him if he was going to get to the bottom of Booth's problems. "Because you discharged your weapon at an ice cream truck. My provisional certification of your mental health only holds as long as you continue to meet with me."

Frustrated with the answer, Booth leaned back against his chair. "Great! For how long?"

"Till I'm satisfied that you won't start firing at confectioners again." Gordon stared at the tense way Booth was sitting and he knew that the agent was angry and very unhappy. "What's your objection to therapy?"

"I don't have anything to hide." Booth crossed his arms and shook his head. "You've read my file, you know who I am. I don't need this. I just lost my temper and took it out on a mechanical clown. I'm not going to do that again. I learned my lesson besides no one was ever in any danger. I only hit what I aim at."

Not willing to release Booth from therapy, Gordon shook his head. "But I have to make sure Agent Booth. Why don't we talk about your case for now? I am a trained forensic psychiatrist."

His case not going as well as he'd like, Booth explained about the murdered rich guy and an at-risk youth. The connection was heroin and he blamed the rich man for the death of the child. The boy had been a mule for some drug dealers and Terry Bancroft, a rich man with more money than sense, had taken the drugs from the boy. Now they were both dead.

After a brief conversation Booth explained how he hated that the boy had died because Terry had confiscated the drugs from him and hadn't turned them into the police in time. That delay had made the owners of the drugs angry and they had killed the child trying to find out where the drugs were. Now both the millionaire was dead as well as the boy and it was definitely Terry Bancroft's fault.

Booth's animosity towards Terry was blatant and fascinating to Gordon. "So is there a chance that you'd rather catch the boy's murderer than the wealthy fellow's murderer, so you have decided that they're one and the same? Any chance that you've based this assumption purely on your bias against rich, entitled people? Hm?"

His exasperation rising to the top, Booth leaned towards the psychiatrist and glared at him. "You know what? I did the belt buckle. I did the tie. I did the socks. What else do you want from me?"

"What would you say if I told you that my name actually is Gordon Gordon Wyatt? That my first and middle names are the same?" Gordon waited to see how Booth would respond and the man surprised him.

"I got work to do." Booth stood up and shook his head. "I'm not really a toy that you should play with Doc."

Once Booth was gone, Gordon leaned back against his chair and smiled.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

The case over, Booth met Brennan at her apartment where they planned to spend the evening. The case had been arduous and they were both glad it was over. Booth entered the apartment and surprised Brennan with a bottle of wine and a passionate kiss. "I'm sorry I've been a pain in the butt lately. I . . . I think I have it under control now."

Their kiss had been pleasing and Brennan liked that Booth was in a better mood. "Thank you for the wine and the kiss." Brennan studied Booth's demeanor and noticed a few changes in his wardrobe. "Your bright ties are back as well at the cocky belt buckle."

Pleased that she'd noticed, Booth pulled up his pant legs and grinned. "The socks are back too. I talked to Gordon Gordon while you guys were trying to find new evidence to use against Robert Frazier at the trial. He told me that the socks, the tie, the belt buckle are all escape valves for my socioeconomic rage."

Her nose wrinkled at her declaration. "I hate psychology."

Booth knew that she wouldn't understand, but he thought he needed to explain it further. "They help me deal with the day-to-day irritations of dealing with people that are more privileged than me. At least that's what Gordon Gordon says."

Still not certain she liked Gordon Wyatt tinkering with Booth, Brennan sighed and shook her head. "Well, you do seem less tense . . . I talked to Sully and I told him I was seeing someone. I didn't divulge who, but he now understands why he should discontinue pursuing me as a sexual partner."

Glad to hear the news, Booth took the wine bottle and carried it into the kitchen in search of a cork screw. "Great. As long as he doesn't know it's me then great. I was getting tired of his hanging around trying to find a way to get you into his bed. You belong in my bed or I belong in your bed . . . you know what I mean."

While Booth uncorked the bottle, Brennan retrieved two glasses. "Oh yes, I know what you mean and you're right. I did tell him that if I wasn't seeing someone then I wouldn't hesitate to become involved with him. He seems to be a suitable candidate for a sexual liaison, but I am more than satisfied with you."

Not sure how to take what she had just said, Booth decided to ignore it. Somethings were just better left alone.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.