Not every child has the good fortune of growing up around those where the average IQ is in the 98th percentile. Not every child has the opportunity to grow up along some of the brightest minds in forensic anthropology. Luckily for me, I enjoy science. Luckily for my father, I was able to obtain some of his rapier wit and charming characteristics along with my mother's affinity for perfection and ease with working around the deceased.

Whether they have been dead for hours or centuries, working with a human skeleton can be both revolting, and thought provoking. The work is not easy, and compartmentalization is necessary. Which is why when I am at the Jeffersonian lab, I am just another student. I am just another worker, just another 'squint'. I do not expect a free ride, and I expect to be treated like everyone else around me.

My mother has no problem with my wishes to be 'just another student'. She scolds me just as often as she scolds the others, tests me just as harshly, and is just as quick to point out my mistakes as she is any other person in her lab. There is only one person in the lab that insists on reminding me time and time again of my place in the Jeffersonian, and that person is my father.

"Toni." Booth called from the bottom of the platform as he took a step up.

"Dad, don't…" She said, looking to her father as he stepped up anyway, without running his ID through the card reader. The alarms sounded, and she rushed to the reader. She leaned over and slid her card down, stopping the alarm. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment as everyone looked to see what the commotion was about. "Dad, you know you're supposed to scan your ID card."

"Sure I do. I was just showing Fitz here, what not to do." Booth said, patting the back of the young agent beside him.

"Well… please don't touch anything." She said, turning around to tend to her work.

"That's my daughter, Antonia. She is one of the two most intelligent women in this lab." Booth said, noticing one of the other female interns looking up. "No offense." Booth shrugged, noting that she hadn't even been listening to him. "So this is the forensics platform." He said, watching as the agent stepped around the equipment. He paused for a moment over the skeleton on the table, and watched as Antonia lifted the tibia onto her fingertips to examine it closely. "You don't have to get too close now, it tends to freak some people out when they first get here." Booth said, noticing the agent wasn't watching him, but was watching Antonia. "Hey… Fitz," Booth said, trying to get his attention. "Fitzy?"

The young agent looked up, and caught Booth's eye. "Huh? Oh, sorry, sir. I was just…"

"Uh huh." Booth said, lifting an eyebrow he smiled slightly.

"No, really…" He said, pointing at the table, Antonia looked up at him.

"Don't touch the evidence!" she snapped.

The young agent turned away, and Booth noticed the blush rising in his cheeks. He stepped away from the body and moved toward the steps. "Fitz…" Booth called after him, "Hang on, man."

Fitzgerald was just getting to the bottom step when he nearly collided with Temperance, her hands lifting to block the man in front of her, she stepped back and her expression of surprise turned to irritation. "I'm sorry, Ma'am."

Before she could reply, Booth charged down the steps, shouldering the young agent slightly as he moved in front of Temperance. "Hey, Bones."

"I should have known." She said, saving her disapproving glare for her husband, she held a hint of mischief in her eyes. "Did Grace call you?"

Booth glanced to the young agent, who was now avoiding eye contact. "In a manner of speaking, yeah. Bones, this is Special Agent Aiden Fitzgerald."

Aiden stuck his hand out to shake Brennan's, and with a firm handshake, he could feel his confidence welling back up at her friendly smile. "Doctor Brennan, it's an honor to finally meet you."

"I'm sure that you've been educated on the proper protocol in the Jeffersonian lab."

"Yes, Ma'am." He nodded his head and glanced to Booth.

"That's good then. And I trust you'll be available this evening for dinner? My family would like to welcome you to the team properly."

"It would be my pleasure." He nodded with a quick smile, though his attention kept flashing to the platform. "Uh, thank you."

There was an awkward pause, and Temperance glanced to Booth and they exchanged a look of confusion. "Agent Fitzgerald, are you alright? You seem a little out of sorts."

"Yeah, yes. Yeah, I'm fine." He nodded. "I'm sorry."

"I think the body made him a little squeamish," Booth said, watching the agent for a moment, he glanced back to Temperance.

"Was there something with the victim that you noticed?"

"I just… when I was looking at the bones, I noticed there was a hairline fracture on the medial epicondyle of the femur. Hard to see with the naked eye, but I did notice it." Aiden said quickly, noticing that Temperance didn't seem surprised by his vocabulary, though Booth's eyes widened.

"You have experience in medicine?" Temperance asked, though her tone was that of a statement. She smiled at the young agent, and glanced to the platform. She noticed as he seemed to physically calm at her words, and immediately felt at ease with the young man.

"My father is a doctor. I attended pre-med before I went into the academy. I enjoyed it, but there was something pulling me toward law enforcement instead. There's just something about helping someone before they end up at the hospital that seemed more appealing than trying to help them survive the aftermath." Aiden said, feeling a slight tug on his arm.

"Alright, Fitz… enough with the squint talk, there are other people that you should meet." Booth insisted.

"Agent Fitzgerald, would you like to assist in examining the victim?" Temperance said, ignoring her husband for the moment.

"Bones, we really have to…"

"I would like that very much, Doctor Brennan." Aiden said, turning toward Booth. "Sorry," he whispered, climbing the steps after Temperance, leaving Booth at the foot of the steps alone.

"What's wrong, big guy? Bren take your new puppy?" Angela said, stepping up alongside him.

"Yeah," he sighed.

"Come on, there are donuts in the break room." She nudged him, and he smiled, turning around as the two of them walked toward the break room together.