Tim O'Brien was just heading back to his office from lunch when his cell phone rang and the caller ID indicated it was from Doctor Brennan. Uncertain what his role was going forward in this apparent mess, he took a deep breath before answering the call. He was pleasantly surprised by her tone when she asked him if he could come by her office that afternoon to work out the logistics of their new partnership. Breathing a sigh of relief, he decided to head right over there. Working with Doctor Brennan and her team could be very good for the career he was working to build in the agency, but the events of the last 24 hours had thrown the whole thing into question. Arriving in her office again, the mood was much changed from his first visit the previous day. Doctor Brennan met him with a half smile and apologized to him for the way his first visit ended. She explained that she was so taken by surprise that it was necessary for her to understand the reasons for the transfer of agents before she could sit down with him to plan their partnership. "Now that I know what was behind the decision, I'm ready to move on and I trust that Andrew Hacker would not have chosen you if you weren't up to the task. First things first. I think we need to dispense with the 'Doctor Brennan' and 'Agent O'Brien'. I propose we call each other 'Brennan' and 'O'Brien'. It's much more efficient." O'Brien nodded to indicate his agreement. "Now, onto the direction of our working relationship. I often spent time in the field with Agent Booth interviewing suspects and even occasionally participated in the questioning of suspects in your interrogation room. I now realize that was not the best use of my time. My expertise is in helping you solve crimes by studying the bones of the victim." Again, O'Brien nodded his head. "I think we're on the same page here Doctor Brennan, I mean…Brennan." The first smile from him. "I value your expertise here in the lab and if I feel it necessary to have a partner in the field, there are numerous junior agents who can accompany me - and grow their skills at the same time. But what about the initial crime scenes? Do you still plan to accompany me there, or, when it's more expedient, meet me there?" She agreed. "Of course. It's very important for me to examine the crime scene. I am usually able to give you copious amounts of information about the victim even before getting them into the lab. There are occasionally times that I am not able to get to the crime scene, but my interns are very capable and one of them will always be there if I can't."
Brennen clasped her hands together on the desk, looked down and then looked back up at O'Brien. "I'm going to share with you something personal, and I need to know that I can trust that it will stay just between the two of us." O'Brien tried to hide his surprise, but it didn't escape her notice. "Of course you can trust me. We're partners now and I know that it takes time to build that trust. But I intend to earn it day by day, and I expect that you feel the same." Brennan nodded. "Agent Booth and I were partners for almost six years. We never crossed any lines and never had any type of romantic relationship. I think it's important that you know that. But we did become very close friends after all that time. Unfortunately, over the last week there has been a falling out and there was a breakdown of personal trust - on both sides. I want to be clear that we both contributed to this breakdown and we both understand that the blame is shared. Whatever happened…it's happened. And we are both moving on. But this is why I'm telling you about this very personal matter. I need your help O'Brien. I don't want to be running into Agent Booth either in the field or at FBI Headquarters. This split is acrimonious and it's better that we stay far away from each other. It will be better for all three of us. So, I'm asking you to, I guess it's called 'run interference' for me. I think that's a football term, is it?" O'Brien chuckled. "Yes, it is." Brennan continued. "Well, as I indicated, I plan to spend the majority of my time here in the lab, so I don't plan to meet with you in your office when we need to talk. If you are amenable, we can do all of our planning and brainstorming here in my office." He looked around. "I have no problem with that. You have a great facility here and this office looks like a better place than my small office to really get down to business." Brennan followed his gaze around the room. "Yes, and you're welcome to set up your laptop on the conference table or over by the sofa whenever necessary. Oh, and here is your access card to the platform when we are out there examining bodies." She handed him the card that she had security create for him that morning. A quick thought flew through her mind about how long Booth had to plead for his own card. 'Take that Booth!' It felt like a small victory in just one tiny battle. She planned going forward to live her life on her own terms and put this battle with him in the past. That would be her way of winning the war. She shook those random thoughts from her head and continued. "So that's how Agent Booth and I will keep out of each other's way at FBI Headquarters. I know that I rarely saw both you and Agent Booth at a crime scene, but I'm aware that it's something that could happen in the future. Especially since he is the head of the Major Crimes Division. My ask of you is that when you find out that Agent Booth will be at one of our crime scenes, you let me know so that I can send an intern in my place. I have been at enough of these scenes to know that a slight delay in getting everyone there doesn't compromise the scene since the FBI techs are quite capable of maintaining the site. I believe it will be better for all of us if Agent Booth and I aren't both at the scene." O'Brien nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I believe that can work. Whenever I'm called to a crime scene I have the ability to call up an app on my phone that lists all of the personnel dispatched to the scene. The only time I might not know is if he just decides to stop by for some reason. If that happens, I will do my best to isolate you." Brennan smiled in appreciation. "Thank you. I'm sure you will do your best." She got up from her desk chair. "If you have time, I'd like to take you on a short tour of our facility and introduce you to the team."