(The Doom in the Gloom)

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I don't own Bones.

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It had taken several weeks, but Brennan was feeling fully recovered from her near-death experience. Once she had left the hospital and spent a couple of mind-numbing weeks of boredom at home, she felt she had recovered enough to work part time at the Lab. Her surgeon had recommended that she take it easy but sitting at home had been so boring she had thought she was doing herself more harm by avoiding work.

Of course, Booth had tried to keep her home as long as he could, but even he had to admit that being at work even part time seemed to put Brennan in a better mood and there were people at the Lab that could keep an eye on her and make sure she didn't do anything she wasn't supposed to. Brennan hated her mate hovering over her when she was sick, but she knew that her close call had frightened him and he was still coming to terms with her being shot at the Lab. Even though several weeks had passed, he still called her several times a day to hear her voice and to make sure she was alright.

Sweets knocked on the door frame and waited for Brennan to notice him. He knew that he had to be careful how he proceeded in the next few minutes, but he had a job to do and he was going to do it.

Her concentration broken, Brennan looked up and spied Sweets standing in the doorway. "What do you want?" She thought she knew why the young psychologist was there and she didn't appreciate it. "If you're here to talk to me about being shot then I must say no. I don't need psychiatric help."

Stepping into the room, Sweets kept an affable look on his face hoping it would help the situation. "I'm here as a friend, Dr. Brennan. I'm merely looking in to see how you're doing. That's what friends do in times like this."

His answer caught her off guard. "I'm fine. I have recovered from my wound and I am fully recovered. My physician has removed any restrictions that I had right after I was released from the hospital and I can now work full time."

"I see, that's good." Sweets sat down on the chair facing Brennan's desk. "How does it feel working back at the Lab? Any qualms about working here?"

"Why would I have qualms working here?" Sweets was clearly trying to probe her, trying to ascertain what she was feeling about being at work and she resented it. He said he was there as a friend, but he obviously was practicing his profession. "Dr. Batuhan is awaiting trial for murder and attempted murder. Even if he were to be found not guilty which is highly unlikely, he will never be allowed to return to the Jeffersonian because of the thefts he committed in the antiquities department. Security has been increased in the Lab and the rest of the Jeffersonian therefore there is nothing for me or anyone else to worry about."

Clearly, she wasn't happy with his questions, but interestingly enough she was answering them. "Yes, Booth told me about the security upgrade. He told me that Cam made sure that happened . . . It would appear that the Lab isn't as safe as most of us would wish or at least before the increased security. You and Dr. Hodgins were kidnapped from the parking lot, an intern was murdered and her body was dumped in an incinerator. Vincent Nigel Murray was murdered while he standing on the platform. There have been antiquities stolen a few times from the Jeffersonian and you and a security guard were attacked and shot last month. The guard died and you almost died . . . We can't ignore the fact that this place has had its problems in the past. I just want to make sure that you're comfortable working here."

For a few moments, Brennan considered asking the younger man to leave, but decided that she had a point that needed to be made or he would be back. "Being a forensic anthropologist is not a safe profession, Dr. Sweets. I've worked in mass graves trying to identify victims of pogroms and genocide while being guarded by the soldiers who probably did the killing. I've been kidnapped by soldiers, locked up and threatened with death because what I was doing might expose them. I've worked in countries where revolts were happening and I wasn't sure who was an ally and who was an enemy. I knew these were possibilities when I first took courses in my profession. When I am at crime scenes, I have to wear protective gloves, coveralls, sometimes goggles if I'm dealing with hazardous materials or equipment that use UV light. No glove offers 100 percent protection. No crime scene is 100 percent safe. I've had to deal with bodies immersed in caustic fluids, in human waste, in unsafe environments . . . You're worried that I might feel unsafe at the Lab because of past dangers, but I'm safer here than I am in the field. I accept the risks that I have to take to do my job. Being kidnapped from the parking lot made me more aware of my surroundings when I approach my car. Being shot was not preventable, but the extra security should prevent any further incidents such as that . . . I am fine, Dr. Sweets. I am not under undue stress."

Her speech surprised him. He had never really considered what Brennan did to do her job. "I don't really think I've ever thought about what you have to do when you're in the field, Dr. Brennan. I know the risks that law enforcement officers takes to do their jobs, but I never considered what you have to put up with and . . . and yes, I can see the risk . . . But consider this, your job is inherently dangerous being at digs, in war zones, but the Lab should be safe or at least safer than being in a war torn country."

"There are many professions that are dangerous in the work environment." Brennan clasped her hands and placed them on the desk. "Coroners, pathologist, virologists and hazardous materials management chemists come to mind. All of us do our jobs knowing the risks and we do it well. We're cautious and try not to expose ourselves to dangers, but that can't always be the case. We have a job to do and we do it. My being shot here at the Lab was an unforeseen hazard but considering all of the valuable antiquities that are stored here, it's amazing that no one has raided the museum to steal those valuables before. Dr. Batuhan was involved in a theft ring and he needed to kill me to stop the identification of one of his co-conspirators. He failed and he will pay for what he did. His co-conspirators are dead. I'm alive and I'm comfortable here."

Slowly, Sweets nodded his head. "Alright . . . If you ever need to talk to anyone about what you went through, you can call on me anytime."

"I have talked to Booth about being shot. He has been the victim of various attacks and he knows what it is like to be shot. He gave me very good advice and I took it." Brennan doubted that Sweets had the special insight that Booth had. Her mate was a warrior and he had lived through things that Sweets could barely imagine. "I really do have a lot of work to do. Is there anything else you wish to talk about?" She hoped not. Sweets had already wasted enough of her time.

Standing, Sweets knew that he was being dismissed. "My door is always open if you need a friend to talk to."

"Thank you." Brennan had no intention of talking to Sweets about anything personal. Not when her lover was also her best friend and she trusted his judgement above all others. Booth had helped her through the nightmares and she was certain that she was fine.

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Hesitating, Sweets wondered if he should leave well enough alone. Before he could make up his mind, Booth looked up and frowned at him. "Yeah?"

"Um, I went to see Dr. Brennan." Sweets entered the room and stood in front of Booth's desk. "I wanted to make sure she's alright, being shot is very traumatizing."

"And she told you she's fine." Booth knew his partner and he knew that she hated psychiatry. "She really is fine, Sweets. She had a rough few weeks after she was shot, but all in all, she's recovered. Security has been increased at the Jeffersonian and specifically at the Lab. No unauthorized personnel can enter the Lab now. They have to have a pass and if they don't, they have to have an escort. Hell, they've even beefed up the mail room and all packages have to be opened and examined before they're sent on to the person that is supposed to get it. They needed to do that after Dr. Klimkew killed that intern because she figured out he was stealing stuff from the museum, but I think Dr. Batuhan was the final wake up call. The guy killed a guard and tried to kill Bones and the board finally decided they needed to upgrade security in every department. The mail room could have stopped the thefts before it got too far and someone got killed . . . anyway, if you were over at the Lab today you probably had to have your pass updated, so you can see that they're trying out the new system."

Obviously Booth didn't see anything wrong with his partner. "I talked to her and Dr. Brennan mentioned that you helped her through her recovery . . . I'm glad you were there for her. I told her that if she needs to talk to me, my door is always open."

"You're a good kid, Sweets." Booth glanced at his monitor and noticed he had two new emails. "Hey, I have to check these emails . . . Bones is fine. She really is. She's recovered and I think having Christine as company those first two weeks helped her a lot." He turned to face his PC. "Bones is strong. She's been through some rough stuff in her life an she's handled it pretty well. Thanks for checking on her, I appreciate it."

With nothing else to say, Sweets left the room. He knew from experience that the partners would handle things their way and use each other for support.

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