A/N: Geez, sorry it took so long to update this. After my mini plot bunny explosion, they all took off on me. I found this one hiding in my sneaker. Managed to revive it, but at least it won't be hiding in my shoes again. Next time I'm hiring someone to wrangle my plot bunnies for me.

Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed and/or alerted this story. I send all of you a great big hug. Let me know when you receive it.

Yet again I am well aware that I don't own Bones or any of its characters. I may be deluded, but I haven't reached that level of nuts. At least, not yet.

Sweet Lessons to Learn

Sweets was at his desk, dictating his findings into his mini recorder for his secretary to transcribe when he heard his intercom beeping.

"Yes Gladys?" he muttered, pressing the intercom button while his eyes still scanned his notes.

"Sorry Dr. Sweets, but there's a gentleman here to see you," replied his secretary jovially. "He doesn't have an appointment, but he says he's a good friend of yours. His name is Gordon Wyatt."

"Send him in!" exclaimed Sweets, practically jumping up from behind his desk. It had been a long time since he had seen or spoken to his hero. Not since Dr. Wyatt had announced his retirement from psychology.

"Dr. Sweets, so good to see you!" greeted Wyatt as he stepped into Sweets office and shook Sweets hand warmly.

"The same to you Dr-" Sweets stopped, correcting himself. "I'm sorry, I mean Chef Wyatt."

"Not yet," chuckled Wyatt, slipping his hands into his pockets. "And please, do call me Gordon. I still have one more year of culinary school, then I must work through the ranks of the kitchen staff before I reach my goal of earning the title of Chef."

"I had no idea that becoming a chef was so involved." remarked Sweets.

"Anything worth having is worth the effort," said Wyatt wisely. "Yes, it can be difficult at times but it's worth it."

"Is it worth giving up a prestigious career as one of the world's leading criminal psychologists?" Sweets half joked. He still couldn't quite understand Wyatt's decision to switch careers.

"Most definitely," grinned Wyatt. "I realize that my decision to leave psychology in favor of the culinary arts seemed like a foolish decision to some, but it is a decision I don't regret. I've had a passion and a love for cooking for quite some time now. I've tried to pretend it was nothing more than an interest, that I simply enjoyed cooking for myself and for others - that it would lead to nothing more than feeling fulfilled after preparing a meal. Eventually I was able to see that being a chef, making a living from creating meals that delighted the palate as well as enticed your other senses, it was no longer a hobby to me or an enjoyable way to satisfy a physical hunger. I've had other loves, other interests, careers that I found gratifying for a time, but becoming a chef - this is what I was meant for."

"Why do I get the feeling that this isn't just a casual visit?" sighed Sweets, motioning for Wyatt to take a seat on the chair in front of his desk as he sat behind it. He knew what this visit was about and he needed a moment to brace himself before he began to justify his actions.

"Ah, that is because you - my dear Dr. Sweets - are an exceptional psychologist capable of accurately discerning the motives and actions of others," nodded Wyatt solicitously, taking the proffered seat. "All except your own."

"What do you mean Gordon?" asked Sweets, hating that his voice still squeaked when he was nervous.

"Let's not play games Lance," replied Wyatt, giving Sweets a knowing look. "I'm referring to the unsolicited advice that you gave Agent Booth not too long ago."

"Agent Booth is a patient of mine, I'm quite uncomfortable discussing-" Sweets began.

"I'm not here as a colleague Dr Sweets, or to evaluate you in any way shape or form," said Wyatt gently. "I'm here as a friend, representing another friend who needs help."

"Booth needs help?" asked Sweets, who felt concerned yet he couldn't help but feel a little hurt at the same time. "If Booth needed help, why didn't he just come to me? I've been working closely with Dr Brennan and Booth for years now, no offense, but I don't understand why would he go to you for help."

"What he needs help with is more important than who he sought help from, don't you think?" asked Wyatt, being evasive.

"You're right," agreed Sweets. "What does Booth need help with and what can I do?"

"Booth has had some difficulty with returning to his former self since the surgery," replied Wyatt. "The issue that most concerns him at the present time is his inability to hit his target. He's afraid that he won't be able to pass his marksmanship test and will no longer be cleared for field duty."

"That's why he didn't tell me," mused Sweets, mentally smacking himself in the head. "He's afraid that if he told me, then I would have to report it. He didn't want me to have to choose between his friendship and my duties to the FBI. I feel like such a jerk."

"Is it because you felt excluded when you heard that Booth was having difficulties and didn't turn to you," asked Wyatt. "Or because you suspect that something you've done could be delaying his recovery and in fact be responsible for the dilemma he is currently undergoing?"

When Sweets declined to answer, Wyatt continued.

"I was told, that you showed Booth a PET scan of his brain," Wyatt mentioned. "And I understand that you pointed out the ventral tegmental area, and the dorsal caudate body in an effort to convince him that his feelings for Dr Brennan are a result of the dream he experienced during his coma. You claimed that because those regions were dormant before the scan, and active during his coma and afterwards was proof that his love for her wasn't real, and it would fade in time. Tell me, when you explained that studies have shown that those particular areas of the brain were proven to be linked to romantic love, did you describe to him the manner in which the tests were conducted?"

Sweets once again answered with guilty silence as Wyatt shook his head back and forth, tutting his disapproval as he did so.

"You didn't explain to him that the study required the subjects to look at photographs of their spouses or romantic partners while the scan was taking place?" asked Wyatt. "The studies showed that the subjects who concentrated on their loved ones did exhibit activity in the VTR and the DCB. The problem with Booth's results begin with the fact that when the first scan was taken, he was just informed that there was a possibility that he was suffering from a brain tumor. I can't even begin to fathom what receiving such devastating news that would be, and in addition to that, the poor man was suffering from hallucinations. It would have been reasonable to conclude that the last thing he was considering was romance. During the coma, his mind - inspired by Dr Brennan's mysterious tale - opened him up to a world where it was not only possible but certain that Temperance loved him and he was free to love her back. There were no rules or regulations to prevent them from being both romantic partners and partners in a professional sense. In this dream world, she was his wife and took every opportunity to demonstrate her feelings for him via physical displays of affection. They were even building a family of their own. And then he wakes up from the dream and finds that none of it was real. To add to the confusion, as soon as she is reassured by the doctors that Booth is recovering from the surgery she immediately leaves for Guatemala to participate in a dig. When the third scan was taken, he was no longer concentrating on the tumor itself, but suffering from the effects of the confusion and missing Dr Brennan."

"That sounds like a reasonable interpretation of the scans." replied Sweets stiffly.

"Dr Sweets, I knew from the first moment I saw them interact that they were in love," Wyatt remarked. "The love that they have for each other isn't a recent development, it's something that I suspect has built over time and evolved with their trust for one another and their respect for each other. It's obvious to anyone observing them that they're love. The only ones who seem blind to this are Temperance and Booth themselves, which is why I don't understand your reasoning behind telling Booth that his feelings for Dr Brennan are temporary."

"I had to!" insisted Sweets. "He was on the verge of telling Dr Brennan that he was in love with her, and she wasn't ready to hear it. She ran off to Guatemala practically as soon as he woke from his coma. She couldn't deal with the emotional implications of him waking up believing that the dream world was real and that she was his wife. Rather than staying and helping him with his recovery, she left as soon as the doctors said Booth was on his way to recovering physically. Emotionally and mentally he had a long way to go, but she didn't even stick around to hear that part of the diagnosis. She was out of the country while he was struggling with identity confusion and memory loss. To a certain extent, he's still recovering from the effects of the surgery. If he told her his feelings for her, and she wasn't ready to acknowledge her feelings for him, he'll be devastated. I only did what I did as a friend."

"Then you should have made sure that he knew you were advising him as a friend rather than a doctor," replied Wyatt. "You overstepped your bounds Lance, and you know it. You should have just told him the truth."

"He wouldn't have listened to me," protested Sweets. "He would have just said that I'm just a kid, what would I know. That's why I had to show him the scans. I had to do whatever it took to stop him from confessing his feelings to Dr Brennan. If he tells her before she's ready to accept his feelings for her and acknowledge that the feelings she has for him are more than platonic, she'll either push him away or she'll run. He'll be devastated and their partnership will be shattered, fragmented beyond repair."

"That is certainly a possibility," mused Wyatt. "However, because you didn't trust him to listen to the truth, he's still having difficulty with his identity."

"How is that possible?" asked a doubtful Sweets. "I've had sessions with him to ensure that he is no longer feeling the effects of identity confusion. I myself cleared him for duty."

"And because you caused him to doubt his feelings for Temperance, he's having difficulties with his marksmanship," Wyatt replied. "I'm sorry for putting it so bluntly, but as Booth is required to take his marksmanship test in three days, we don't have the time to be gentle I'm afraid.

"How are my efforts to prevent Booth from inadvertently sabotaging his partnership related to his difficulties with hitting his target?" asked Sweets defensively. "Are you trying to say that his difficulties with his marksmanship are a symptom of psychosexual-"

"No, not at all," Wyatt interrupted before Sweets went too far off topic. "What I'm saying, is that Booth is a man of emotion, of instinct, a man who lives by his gut, who trusted his heart. When you told him that his feelings for Dr Brennan weren't real, you caused him to doubt himself, to doubt everything that he is at his core. All the things he was, he's no longer sure of - he's having difficulty discerning the truthfulness of people when he was once adept at reading people. His instincts once helped give him direction, now he seems lost. As a sharpshooter, his skills with his gun helped him to protect people. Now he can barely hit his target. He's afraid that he's losing who he once was and feels helpless to stop it."

"I never meant for that to happen," said Sweets quietly. "I just didn't want him to ruin his partnership with Dr Brennan. How do I fix this?"

"As it turns out, I do have a solution." offered Wyatt.

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" Sweets cringed.

"Well my dear Sweets, part of the reason redemption is so sweet is because of the effort one must undertake to earn it," Wyatt smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be by your side through it all."

"What do I have to do?" Sweets sighed.

"Let's start by talking to Dr Brennan." suggested Wyatt, getting up from his seat.

"What - now?" sputtered Sweets.

"Yes now," replied Wyatt patiently. "Booth's marksmanship test is on Friday. As I've said, there's not a moment to waste."

"Wait," paused Sweets, confusion etched on his face. "Why do we have to talk to Dr Brennan first and not Booth?"

"Because my dear Sweets, you have to persuade Dr. Brennan into acknowledging her feelings for Booth," Grinned Wyatt. "I'll be with you as soon as I can."

"Hold on a minute!" exclaimed Sweets, spinning around to face Wyatt. "You said that you were going to be by my side through it all."

"And I will be," reassured Wyatt. "There's something that I have to do first."

"What might that be?" asked Sweets.

"I need the assistance of Ms Montenagro in order to obtain something which will help plead your case to both Booth and Dr. Brennan," replied Wyatt mysteriously. "I'll see you and Dr Brennan at the Diner."

Wyatt patted Sweets shoulder in encouragement, and left his office to preform whatever secret mission he had assigned to himself, leaving Sweets to wonder how in the world he was supposed to convince the uber rationale Brennan that she indeed was in love with Booth.

"Whatever he's getting from Angela, I hope that it's a signed confession from Brennan that she loves Booth." muttered Sweets as he left his office. Little did he know how close he was to figuring it out.