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A gun, a rope, a very tall roof, hell, even a freezer would be nice at the moment! Anything to take him away from this! He wasn't particularly suicidal…Yet. But seriously, how could anyone possibly tolerate this woman? She was the most irritating, completely rational, blunt and straight forward person he had ever met, taking almost everything he said as truth and repeating the same damn sentence over and over again 'I don't know what that means' how can't you know what a reference to the loony toons meant? Did she grow up under a rock? Sure she was older than him, but not by much. They should have grown up with the same television shows and sayings, but for some reason she just didn't understand any of them. Was there such thing as a stupid genius? He had thought that dealing with Walter day in and day out was hard enough, but ever since Dr. Logical had shown up at the lab, he was starting to prefer spending time with his clinically insane father. At least the man made sense to him! He was a genius for Pete's sake yet still had a hard time following her form of scientific jumble which completely perturbed him. And it wasn't just him that was having a hard time with it. Poor Astrid looked like her brain was about to melt just trying to keep up with everyone. Having an insane genius and a sarcastic genius was enough, but then add in a completely logical one and you had better build a bomb shelter since their clashing personalities and views were already building to an inevitable blow up…They had only been in the same room for an hour.
"What you're saying is impossible." Brennan insisted, looking around the lab and giving Gene an appreciative glance. Being a vegetarian she had a strong liking for animals.
"I've told you, this is fringe science, everything that you would think is impossible is possible here." Peter groaned, having told her the same thing over a dozen times already.
"That makes no sense. You're trying to tell me that the reason Booth is dead is because of some sort of mind control? Mind control doesn't exist; the brain isn't susceptible to such a thing."
"The brain is more susceptible to things than you may think." Walter grumbled, also getting annoyed with her. Convincing Dr. Brennan that fringe science existed was proving to be more challenging than getting Walter to admit that he was wrong about something.
"Booth got blown up, not shot by someone being controlled!" Brennan stated aggressively.
"Then why are you here?" Peter yelled slamming his fist against a metal table, causing everyone to jump. "My partner was killed because someone was being controlled! She saved my father only to die in my arms! Our partners are dead and it's because of mind control! You can choose to accept that or not, but it's true and standing here questioning everything we tell you isn't going to get anywhere and sure as hell isn't going to get us the closure that we both need, the justice that we crave for our partners deaths!"
A stifling silence fell between them for a few minutes before she let out a soft, unrecognizable noise and he could see a flash of emotion cross her steel like eyes.
"He was all I had." She finally said quietly before quickly leaving the room, the slamming of the heavy door the only noise in the now completely silent room.
"It's not much different." Astrid piped up after a few minutes had passed. "What she's going through, and what you're going through."
"You don't know what I'm going through." Peter denied, shaking his head slowly.
"You're right I don't, but she does." Astrid pointed out. "She's going through the same thing Peter, and she's just trying to understand it."
"I know." He said softly, instantly feeling guilty for yelling at the poor woman who was obviously hurting. He looked to the door for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh and quickly making his way out of the lab and scanned the halls where he quickly found her standing in front of a window, her shoulders shaking slightly. 'Great' he thought, 'I made her cry.'
He slowly made his way over to where she was standing, watching her frantically wipe at her eyes to try and hide the fact that she had been crying. Reaching out, he gently touched her shoulder and sighed.
"I'm sorry."He admitted.
"Do you think they're really dead?" She asked confusing him.
"She died while I held her." He chocked out, swallowing a large lump. "I felt her go limp in my arms while her blood seeped into my clothing."
"I'm sorry." She said cringing at the mental image and remembering what it had been like to tightly press her hand over Booth's bullet wound and feel his hot blood seeping out of his strong body and through her fingers. She had felt his life draining from him, but he had still been alive when they took him away, still responding. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it would have been like if he was in her arms and had gone limp like Peter's partner had.
"What did you mean by asking if I think they are really dead?" Peter asked not wanting to drop that odd comment just yet.
"Booth faked his death once to catch a killer." She admitted. "But I don't think he's faking this time."
"I don't think Olivia would do that." Peter sighed, his heart giving a little flip at the thought. She wouldn't lie to him about something like that, she just wouldn't. It took them so long to build trust that if she were to fake her death, he wasn't sure what he would do. What it would do to their relationship.
"Hey, guys! Walter wants you for something!" Astrid called to them, sticking her head out the lab door.
"Are you okay?" Peter asked truly concerned after he had brought her to tears.
"I'm fine." She nodded, wiping the last of the remnants of tears away, the steely glint in her eyes instantly coming back as she straightened her shirt and breezed past him like nothing had happened. He watched her leave before shaking his head and following her.
"It's back to the wonderful world of Wonka!" He called after her making her turn around and face him with a perplexed look on her face.
"I don't know what that means." She stated for the hundredth time.
"Never mind." He stated, shaking his head and holding the door open for her letting her pass before closing the door behind them and preparing himself for whatever it was Walter needed this time.
"Oh good there you are!" Walter exclaimed ambling up to Peter and leaning in close to him. "There is something that I need."
"And what could that possibly be?" Peter cautiously asked.
"Twinkies!" Walter practically yelled a huge smile stretching over his face making Peter smack his palm against his forehead, groaning at his father's sudden sugar cravings.
"Twinkies, really, that's what's so important?"
"Yes. I haven't had a Twinkie in years. They don't have them at St. Claire's."
"The mental hospital?" Brennan asked with a shocked and uncertain look on her face. Apparently no one had filled her in on that detail.
"Yes." Walter nodded as if that revelation was nothing compared to his sugar need. "Could you go out and get some Peter?"
"Okay." Peter nodded knowing how his father could get if his glucose level got too low and also just wanting to get some fresh air.
"Why don't you bring Dr. Brainiac with you?" He asked nicely apparently oblivious to his calling Brennan by a different name, something that highly amused Astrid.
"Walter, its Dr. Brennan." Peter rolled his eyes, turning his gaze to her. "Want to go with me or stay here?"
"There doesn't seem to be anything I can do here." She shrugged, putting her coat on.
"Alright then, let's go." Peter said gesturing her out of the lab.
Walter waited for the door to close and practically bolted to the window and watched them get into the car and drive away before turning back to Astrid with a relived look.
"Thank god." He groaned before going over to a cabinet and pulling out a box of Twinkies handing one to Astrid who burst out laughing at the thought that even Walter was having a hard time adjusting to the new doctor.
"That was a little mean." She commented throwing the wrapper away and taking a bite of the spongy treat.
"I did to be able to think." Walter shrugged and took off to some unknown part of the lab leaving her behind with an amused look on her face.