What Goes Around

3. The Happiness Effect

"So, Peter's friend, huh? What does he do? Ok, I'm almost done with the cranial structure... I'll just... Here. Does this friend have a friend? What's he like? Is he anything like Pete? Because I didn't like him very much."

Angela was great at multitasking. While inputting facial reconstruction data into her computer, she could sustain multiple conversations and still sound like she cared.

"It was only one date, Ange. Don't get all... excited."

"But aren't you excited? First dates are supposed to..."

A screechy sound pierced their ears. "Eeeeh! You and Booth finally had that date?!" Daisy hopped into the room, clapping her tiny hands.

"What? Why would Booth and I go on a date?" Brennan exclaimed, really puzzled.

Angela was trying in vain to discreetly get Daisy's attention, but the young woman continued in the same tone.

"Oh! You don't have to pretend. I know all about it, Angela told m..." She finally saw Angela's wide eyed warning and understood just in time. She finished her sentence by shaking her head no. "Nah. Just kidding!"

Angela jumped in before the doctor could ask more questions that could get her in big trouble. "Daisy's confused. I told her you had a date and she thought... you know."

"Why would you think Booth and I would go on a date?" she asked Daisy.

Still shaking her head, smiling, Daisy read on Angela's face. Don't you answer that.

"No reason. I jumped to conclusion."

"You know how I feel about that," Brennan replied, with her scary teacher's voice.

Daisy wanted to crawl underneath the floor. "So! Who was the lucky datee?"

Frowning at yet another fake word, Brennan let Angela answer.

"A man named Cal she met years ago. If you're looking for Sweets, he's..."

"Oooh! First dates are awesome!" she yelped.

Printing Angela's work, Brennan replied, "I don't like first dates. They're usually a waste of time."

"Of course, you'd say that," Angela mocked her.

"You said usually?" Daisy chimed in.

Angela turned to Brennan. She typically meant everything she said. Could that Cal guy stick around? She wasn't too sure how she felt about that but she knew how Booth would.

"It was pleasant," Brennan simply said.

"Pleasant is good!" Daisy exclaimed.

Way to state the obvious. You're not making points, honey.

"Well," she continued. "I'm off to meet Lance. He's cooking tonight. Isn't he adorable?"

They watched her leave.

"Don't you feel drained every time she leaves a room?" Angela laughed. "She's so perky!"

"How can she be so happy all the time?"

"I doubt she's happy all the time," Angela clarified.

"You're like that, too."

"What?!" Angela almost yelled, offended. "You're kidding, right?"

Brennan put the copies she just printed out in a folder.

"You look joyful all the time. Even when you're sad, you smile. How do you do it?"