CHAPTER 2

While they were in the SUV the next day, Booth kept thinking about their night. Most of it was spent in a typical way, cuddling on the couch after dinner and talking about anything and everything, but something was bothering him about their conversation before dinner.

While Bones was yelling at him, she had said that Sweets did something wrong. Booth couldn't remember Sweets doing anything that night at the Checkerbox that should bother her. He didn't have anything to do with the nut who shot him. Booth didn't think about that comment when she made it because he was still trying to get the bigger picture. But the more he thought about their discussion the night before, the more it stuck out to him as odd. He put it out of his mind when they reached their new crime scene, but on the way to an appointment with Sweets he continued thinking about that night so long ago and what Bones could have possibly meant by her comment last night.

After her little boast about being a better singer than Cyndi Lauper he hadn't been able to get the thought of hearing her sing out of his mind, so he called all their friends to plan a night of fun. They went to the Checkerbox to surprise her; Booth talked to the pianist and showed him her picture and made sure he would start playing the right song when she got there. Sweets did have to talk her into singing, but it was Booth's idea in the first place, and he was the one who literally pushed her onto the stage. She got up there and had that determined look in her eye he often saw when she was trying to prove something to him, and she did prove that she was a very good singer.

It really was one of the happiest moments of his life. The way she looked at him was like she was singing to him, and only him. He felt like they were the only two people in the world. It never ceased to amaze him how beautiful and wonderful this woman was, how much he loved her, or how her voice while she sang was just one more of the many things that made Bones so incredible.

Then everything happened so fast. He heard his name and then he saw Pam Nunan with a gun. In that second, he had realized that Sweets was right, the woman was crazy and now she had a gun pointed at his Bones. He only had time to think "No!" before he felt the burn in his chest, followed by a desperate need to get to Bones. He saw her over him, alive and beautiful; then darkness, and he woke up to Cullen informing him of his assignment.

He understood perfectly why she was angry with him, but what did Sweets do wrong? He decided to bring it up when they got to their appointment.

After the initial small talk of their session, Booth dove right in.

"So Sweets, last night Bones and I talked about the night I was shot at the Checkerbox. I guess that's important or interesting or something, and now we have to discuss it, right?"

Brennan was horrified. "Booth!"

Sweets looked like a hungry dog that had just been thrown a huge steak. "I-uh- yeah, Booth, it is. I'm just a little surprised you decided to share that with me."

"So am I," Brennan threw in.

"Yeah, I thought you'd think that. See, Bones was mad at me because I took the hit and could have died. I get that, I really do," Booth said. "And I hope she understands now that I can't let anything hurt her if there's anything I can do about it, even if she doesn't like it much."

"No, I don't understand or like it at all. Your alpha-male need to be my protector is dangerous and one day it will get you killed again," Bones responded in a huff.

"It's interesting that you say it will get him killed again," Sweets interjected, but Booth was not going to let Sweets take control of his interrogation. Besides, Bones was mad enough that he brought the subject up at all, there was no way he would subject her to Sweets' analyzing if he could avoid it.

"No, Sweets, that's not what's interesting. What is interesting is that Bones holds you responsible. She blames you for something and has felt the need to hide that something from me for years."

Brennan and Sweets suddenly found making eye contact with Booth utterly impossible.

After an awkward moment, Sweets said, "Would you believe she blames me because I supported your plan to get her to get on stage?"

"That's a ridiculous assumption since your little experiment had no absolutely influence over Booth's overprotective alpha-male behavior," Brennan snapped.

"Experiment? What experiment?" Booth asked, jumping on the new piece of information.

They both refused to answer his question. Sweets looked like a suspect who just realized he was caught and was going to jail, while Bones looked more like Parker when he got caught doing something he knew he wasn't supposed to do.

"Bones?" He waited until she finally dragged her eyes to his. "What experiment are you talking about?" She was clearly uncomfortable under his stare, but after a silent conversation between the two of them she finally relented.

In her most detached clinical voice, she said, "Sweets chose not inform me of the actual circumstances of the situation because he wanted to observe how I would react to your death and the subsequent revelation that you were not actually deceased."

"He did WHAT?" he yelled furiously. He immediately stood and got right into Sweets' personal space to intimidate him. "You. Start talking."

Sweets, as soon as Booth stood, attempted to flee from his very dangerous position in front of the very pissed off federal agent, but Booth was too quick to allow him any avenue for escape. "I—I…" Sweets had no way to explain his actions, especially because of his overwhelming fear of Agent Booth's rage.

"I want an answer, Sweets…" he growled, getting even closer to the terrified psychologist.

"She's right," Sweets finally admitted. "That's exactly what I did. I didn't know you two as well at the time or understand the relationship between you, and I hurt you both and your relationship because of my own selfish actions." He hung his head. "I'm so sorry."

"And you think that just because you say you're sorry that in any way makes it okay? Do you have ANY idea what you did to her?" He kept inching closer as he spoke while Sweets tried to back away and simultaneously seemed to shrink into himself.

"Booth…" Brennan began, but he didn't hear her.

"…How hard I had to work for MONTHS to earn her trust again?" He was seething with anger while Brennan felt a little guilty as she remembered how she shut him out for a long time after the incident. "How can you expect us to trust you after something like that? You had NO right to interfere! If I had my gun with me—"

"Booth!" Brennan finally yelled, afraid that he might do or say something to Sweets that he might regret later or that could cause lasting damage to his position at the FBI. "I think it's time for us to go. Now, Booth. Goodbye, Dr. Sweets" she said, dragging Booth out of the office by his arm.

Sometimes I just can't resist an angry Booth. =)