"The Face with Two Skeletons"

by: Tropicwhale

Disclaimer: NMIP

Author Talk: I was sick. Everyone was freaking out because I said that I thought I had fever and thus people kept calling me and txting me and asking if I was feeling better and then asking me to do stuff for them…it ended up making me sicker. So when my phone died, I gave my dog a rawhide chew and left the phone off and got some rest. As a result I got better…go figure. Stupid H1N1 getting people all upset over a common cold…guh. (PS: written before the computer coma and finals happened)

Chapter Thirty-One

Booth knew he needed to talk to Zack about stuff. He knew it. He just didn't know how to do it. Zack was…talking to Zack was more complicated than Booth liked his everyday conversation both as a subject as well as a person to talk to. He needed more to go on before that particular conversation happened. So, naturally, because he needed advice about a particularly weird human he went to another weird human that happened to be an expert in human behavior. That's right. He was so desperate that he was going to talk to Dr. Lance Sweets. It took him a day to literally sneak into Sweet's office without anyone noticing which, had Booth actually gave it some real thought, was really bordering a creep factor and was way more suspicious than if he had just walked into the psychologist's office and firmly shut the door. But, alas, Booth wasn't really thinking. This matter with Zack really had affected him more than he consciously realized. Sweets looked up from his work on his computer (aka World of Warcraft with the sound turned off) and smiled. He quickly signed off with a 'RL alert' which was fine because he wasn't really on a quest at the moment and could afford to play catch up later and minimized any window just on the off chance Booth would look at the screen. He really didn't want to be called 'twelve' again, not when he was still trying to earn the federal agent's trust and respect. "Yes, Agent Booth?" then cursed himself for sounding too eager. He cleared his throat when Booth didn't seem to notice in favor of shutting the door and locking it. "Yes, Agent Booth?" Lance tried again, this time in a much more masculine tone that was concerned and yet professional (he hoped).

"Can I talk to you about something semi-personal?"

"How personal?" Lance folded his arms on his desk. No matter how many times he did that he still felt like a little kid playing make-believe with his father's too large suit and home office. It made Lance uncomfortable…even with his qualifications.

"I've a friend."

"Agent Booth…can I call you Seeley?

"No." Came the short, abrupt answer.

"For the purpose of this being a truth zone I'm going to ask you to drop the euphemisms-" Sweets plowed on.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry?"

"This isn't about me."

"Huh?"

"This is about my friend. He lied to me about something…." Booth trailed off, choosing to glare out the window as he after he collapsed in the visitor chair. Lance's training kicked in. Gimmicks aside, he really was a good psychologist.

"And that upsets you?" He prompted

"I thought-why would someone lie about-" Booth looked at Sweets. "A friend of my friend told me that my friend-" Booth broke off frustrated with the language.

"Let's call him Percy." Lance offered. Booth nodded once

"That Percy was in a car accident. A bad one."

"Oh dear."

"It was awhile ago. He's fine now. Can play basketball and everything."

"Okay."

"But, actually it was…Percy's teammate…he had said that Percy was riding his bike and was slammed by an SUV."

"Ouch." Lance winced in sympathy.

"But Percy told another friend who later told me…that Percy had said he was the one who was driving."

"Oh." Lance thought that was very interesting.

"See but Percy's friend was a first responder to the crash. It's sort of how they became friends."

"You don't know who to believe?"

"That's not all."

"Oh?" Lance scooted on his chair.

"Percy…lied to me about his age."

"Is Percy a woman?"

"No. Definitely not. He said that he was older than he is." Lance saw the problem and took a deep breath.

"You're concerned about what else Percy has lied about? And if you can trust him?" Booth sighed sadly.

"Yeah. It's sad, though. I kinda can see why he lied."

"Oh?"

"Z-Percy…he doesn't do stuff without reason. Not while I've known him."

"Reasonable guy?"

"Yeah. Very much reasonable…if a little irritating sometimes." Lance smiled.

"The best of friends can get on your nerves sometimes. We've let them in and around our defenses…it makes us want to strangle them sometimes but we still care about them."

"Yeah. I guess." And Booth was back to glaring morosely out the window.

"You wonder if it's all a lie?"

"Yeah." And Lance thought he heard a hint of heartbreak in Booth's voice. It had to be a big deal to the federal officer for Booth to let down his guard, no matter how unconsciously, around Sweets.

"Did you talk to him about it?" Lance asked gently.

"I'm…gearing up to it. I want to find out more before I attempt that conversation." Booth snorted on the word 'that'.

"Tough guy to talk to, huh?"

"You have no idea."

"Doesn't really open up?"

"Nope."

"Misleading when he does?"

"Confusing."

"How so?"

"Like…he's open about stuff no one really wants to hear about to near strangers and then…when people around him actually gives a damn he clams up unless some disaster forces him into speaking….and then, apparently, he lies!" Booth really was quite agitated.

"Then why bother being his friend?"

"Because…" Booth sighed and all that anger was let out in one 'whoosh'. He slumped in his seat looking forlorn and miserable. "Because he's a really sweet guy and loyal and he needs someone watching his back or else he'd get in trouble….not that he's trying to get into trouble…it just sort of happens to him." Lance felt the desire to pat Booth on the shoulder in a show of solidarity and comfort but squiched it due do the fact that Booth would probably break his hand. He was looking for an insight into his friend…not sympathy. Didn't stop Sweets from feeling that sympathy but from acting on it.

"It sounds like he's really defensive about something. Probably afraid that someone's going to hurt him again."

"Again?"

"Yeah." Lance couldn't keep that sympathetic tone out of that word. Darnit! "I guarantee you that something happened to him that shook his faith in the goodness of humanity when dealing with him. It doesn't mean he's a bad person. I bet his version of the car accident changes every time he tells it because, hey, he probably doesn't really remember all that well to begin with if it was that bad and he doesn't want people feeling sorry for him. He makes himself to be the 'bad guy'." Lance used finger quotes "So people won't throw a pity party for him. He's a real tough guy."

"So what do I do?"

"Confront him about it. Get as much information as you can about the stuff he's lying to you about, sit him down and don't let him get away with it. Would you let Parker lie to you?"

"No." Booth was indignant about that.

"Then don't let Percy do it. Let him know that he can trust you, that you're not going to run away or abandon him or hurt him or let him get away with lying like that. If he's retreating from the world that badly something is seriously wrong and he probably needs to talk to someone about it or if not talk than to know he's not going to lose you as a friend if he" Lance spread his hands wide "if he's not perfect." Booth sat there for a moment and considered it. It was some of Lance's better advice in the psychologist's own opinion. He didn't push Booth, just let the federal officer sit there for a few moments in silence considering his words and probably planning some action that probably involve cornering his friend somewhere and forcing him to communicate. Lance could tell that Booth was upset about this 'Percy' enough that he was brisling at everything Lance said which Lance took to be a good sign. Booth may be insanely frustrating and intimidating and gruff as all rodeo showdowns but he really did care for the people in his life. Sweets had not read in his files or seen Booth ever putting himself before someone else. He was always willing to sacrifice and go that extra mile for his loved ones.

Huh, now there was an interesting, if not impossible thought. Was Booth in love with his friend? It seemed like it. If not a romantic love then a friend love. If Lance wasn't a) absolutely positive that Booth was straight and b) even more positive that it would earn him a punch in the face he'd ask Booth point-blank about it. But a & b were true so c) Lance kept his mouth shut.

Booth finally shifted, looking away from the window and toward Lance. He nodded and stood. "Thanks" and he was gone as quickly as he had come.

Lance sat for a long time starting at his shut door and empty office. Booth was definitely one of the good guys. Lucky 'Percy', to have the attention of such a great guy. It made Sweets want to befriend Booth even more. To have status by association. Who knows? Maybe some of that selflessness and charisma would wear off on Lance and he'd be the one envied over….

Nah. Never gonna happen. Lance logged back onto WoW.

Author After Talk: Wow….It was both difficult and easy to write from Lance's PoV. Easy once I got the voice right but...see, he's grown up a lot since Zack left but back when he was first introduced when no one liked him, personally I now realize that I didn't like him because he was basically replacing Zack on the team as the 'young guy' which actually was a really good plot/character/storytelling as everyone thought he was Gormogon and really it was Zack. It's a shame that Bones doesn't…it just jumped the shark. Because, really, Gormogon was the best storyline that "Bones" has ever had and I would really like to see that production team try to beat that best but instead they started resting on their laurels lately. It doesn't mean that I don't still watch the show. It's good entertainment but…I'm hungry for more. Anyway, back from that tangent….Sweets was very insecure in his place in the team because, hey, he didn't have one. And, he's stopped now but then he used a lot of gimmicks to establish his credibility which actually made him lose credibility with both Booth and Brennan. It was when he stop trying to rely on gimmicks and actually used his skills did they start to respect him. Also, I think that what happened to Zack effected Sweets too. It sort of made him grow up a little seeing the team suspect him and it turning out to be someone not even he (Sweets) considered capable of murder or any of it. And remember back in season one Zack was the one that was excited by how intelligently Howard Epps was manipulating the Squint Squad. Look back and you'll see that there were actual clues to Zack being the Apprentice. It was very cool. But we all missed them because we were looking at Sweets (who we thought was Gormogon) blame Hodgins. "Look at my Right hand while I'll slap you with the left one." It was great. Also? Lance playing World of Warcraft? Couldn't resist.

Tropic