So this has been sitting in my Drive for awhile now, just waiting to be published. I figured that now that Bones is over, it would be an excellent time to publish it.

The First Time

The first time Dr. Jack Hodgins claimed himself as King of the Lab was only a few weeks after he started working there.

The Time it Almost Ended

Zach was gone. He had made a stupid mistake, he should have known better… that was what was going through Jack Hodgins's head, but his heart was nearly drowning in tears at the thought of losing the man who was like his younger brother.

And while it was far from his top priority at the moment, the only thing that would go through his brain at the moment was this:

"Now there's no one for me to compete for King of the Lab against."

Every Time

It irritated him to no end every time they got a new intern. It meant breaking them in - teaching them the proper protocols and behaviors, how to act around everyone else, not to fangirl over Dr. B. Most importantly, they had to be taught proper respect for the King.

Some of the interns were more fun to play with than others. Like Zach, Vincent or Opie. Even Wendell, when he wasn't dating Angela. Hell, even Fisher had managed to have some fun with it. Others weren't as fun. Like Daisy. She was about as annoying as an intern could get.

But every intern had taken part in the competition for King of the Lab at least once.

Some people - like Cam and Dr. B - didn't understand why it was so fun. They didn't get it - didn't understand the thrill, the rush of adrenaline that came when you figured out the last piece of the puzzle needed to solve the case. A little competition was healthy, after all.

The Last Time

Hodgins came rolling into the newly rebuilt Jeffersonian Forensic Laboratory with a grin plastered on his face and a large, gaudy plastic crown on his head. An even gaudier scepter that Michael Vincent had helped to make was sitting on his lap.

"Honey, please just take it off already." His wife called after him.

He snorted. "Not a chance, Angie." he said, doing a wheelie in his chair before calling out for everyone to hear him:

"I'm King of the Lab!"

I know that this is short - sorry about that. I was using this more as a way to get me back into the practice of writing, and to finish up an old piece that I had sitting around.

Please review!