A/N: Ok. First of all, I apologize. This should have been up yesterday, but for whatever reason, my internet was down. I couldn't post it, so I started rereading it. Rereading it let to reediting it. Reediting it led to what you're about to read. Not exactly thrilled with this chapter. Hopefully the next one will be better.

Thanks to all of you who've reviewed and alerted this story. To those who are about to review I salute you.

For the lawyers out there - I don't own Bones or its characters. I like to pretend I do and when I have a cold and I'm hopped up on cough syrup I travel to a place in my mind called Broothville where I do. I stay there for awhile and pretend that it's ok that Booth doesn't own any shirts or pants...

Sorry, I got distracted. On with the chapter.

The Truth about the Trap

She quickly and briefly outlined the details of her new plan. For the first part, she would need Sweets in the initial line of fire, but she assured him that he wouldn't be left out there hanging. They all took a moment to acknowledge the brilliance of her idea. The fact that she had just come up with it made it more impressive.

When she asked if he was ready for this, being an integral part of the takedown, he felt more conviction and less reluctance than he did when it was just about setting Brennan and Booth up. Sure, in a way, Hacker was more of a threat. With a few phone calls Hacker could effectively destroy Sweets career and everything he's worked for. Even though he initially feared bodily harm if his part in Angela's grand matchmaking scheme was uncovered, deep down he knew that the partners would never really hurt a part of their family. Besides, what Hacker was doing was so not cool. Sweets was absolutely certain that if the roles were reversed, that if someone was manipulating him and threatening his career Booth, Brennan and the rest of their family would take action.

That's what family does for each other. They may tease him, they may make fun of him, but they would make sure that no one else messed with him.

He hurried off to his office because he knew that if the partners saw him at the lab talking to Ange, that would ruin Angela's masterful plan.

Angela, for her part set the plan into motion with a call to Charlie.

"Hey Charles, how're you doin'?" she purred on the line to the junior agent.

"Better now that I hear your voice gorgeous." he replied flirtatiously. It was always fun flirting with the artist, even though Charlie knew that it was never really going to go anywhere. They usually talked when he was helping Booth out on a case, and had gone out for drinks once, though it was painfully obvious that she wasn't over her bug man. She and Charlie were still friends though, and she provided him with the best gossip featuring the brooding Agent Booth and his dangerously hot partner.

"I was wondering if you could confirm something for me," began Angela, baiting her line. "I just heard about Hacker and Brennan. Is it true?"

"Yep," replied Charlie conspiratorially. "You didn't know?"

She ignored the unintentional and subtextual barb and waited for him to continue.

"They've been together for the past month and a half. You can tell when they have a date, because Hacker leaves early and doesn't bring his golf bag with him. You know what it's like - when the cat's away the mouse will play. He's been keeping banker's hours since the big boss left for that international crime conference thingy in Geneva. Since he's acting Director, and since it keeps him out of our hair no one says anything to him, although Booth's been grumbling about him taking his responsibilities seriously. As if that's what's really bugging him. To be honest, I feel bad for Booth. Poor guy, I wonder when he's going to catch a break with Dr. Brennan."

"Not anytime soon," said Angela sympathetically. "I heard that Hacker isn't liking how close the partners are."

"Who would?" Charlie snorted. "I mean, the way that they look at each other, the way that they act around each other, the private conversations they have in rooms full of people..."

"I know," Angela cut in before Charlie went on a tangent. "But don't you think that it's rather harsh move to break up their partnership?"

"What?" gasped Charlie. "He wouldn't do that. He couldn't do that. Booth wouldn't let him, and neither would Dr. Brennan."

"I don't think they have a choice in the matter," Angela replied. "He offered Booth a promotion, and according to my sources when Booth chose Brennan over a desk job Hacker wasn't happy. He's hell bent on separating them and if he has to run over Booth's career to do it, he has no problem with that."

"I knew that there was something about the guy that I didn't like," muttered Charlie, his loyalty to Booth evident and exactly what Angela had been counting on. "He just seemed too fake, too friendly. I can't believe that Dr. Brennan is going out with him."

"You're preaching to the choir buddy," she agreed. "Hey listen Charlie, this is all just speculation. Don't tell anyone about this, ok? I don't want it getting back to Hacker, or for anyone to get into trouble."

"Oh, hey Ange, don't worry," he reassured her. "My lips are sealed."

"Thanks Charlie," she grinned. "Knew I could count on you. Oh, and can you send me a text as soon as the boss man gets in. I think I'd like to give him a piece of my mind."

"Can I watch?" teased Charlie.

"Nope, as usual you just gotta use your imagination." she retorted. He called her a spoilsport, which made her laugh heartily. "Are you gonna text me when he gets in or not?"

"Does anyone ever really say no to you Ange?" Charlie asked rhetorically.

"Thanks stud," she giggled. "Gotta get back to work before the boss catches me chatting."

They said their goodbyes and she turned to Wendell, Cam and Hodgins.

"Well, that should do it. Charlie gossips more than your average woman," she informed them. "Everyone at the Hoover will have heard about it within the next hour or so."

"You're sure?" asked Wendell.

"Absolutely," she nodded with a huge cheshire cat smile on her face. "How do you think that everyone found out about the mistletoe incident? If you want news to travel fast, you don't bother alerting the media - you just tell Charlie."

"Now what?" Cam asked.

"We work on the case and wait until the next pieces of the board are in place," replied Angela calmly. "When we get through with Hacker, he won't have time to blink before we call checkmate."

Meanwhile, Sweets was nervously in his office, attempting to do some paperwork as he waited for the signal from Angela. He knew that Angela had Charlie playing the unwitting lookout. Charlie was supposed to text her when Hacker came in, she'd wait until the appropriate amount of time and make sure that Brennan was in place before the next phase. The phase where Sweets sets up the trap that Hacker would arrogantly walk into.

In one fell swoop, they'd ensure the partnership would remain intact and rid Brennan of Hacker in her personal life. Well, as long as everyone's timing is perfect.

Sweets cell phone beeped, signaling that he had just received the text message. It was quick, simple and to the point.

Go time

He opened up his laptop, and set up his video conferencing program. He childishly crossed his fingers, hoping that the person he desperately needed to speak to was online. If he wasn't, Sweets supposed that he could always just call, but then again there were no guarantees that this call would be answered. Why the hell didn't he figure this out before he told Ange that he would do this?

Sweets could feel the sweat beading across his forehead, upper lip and arm pits. He tried as best as he could to still his breathing and slow his heart rate while he wondered why he said yes to not just one of Angela's plans, but to both. When Angela told them of her plan to take down Hacker, it seemed so brilliant, so intricate and genius and delivered with such conviction that no one questioned it. No one asked her what would happen if she didn't get the necessary people in place at the exact moment that they needed to be there. Sweets was supposed to be in his office with an angry Hacker for only a few moments before the boom was to be delivered upon his manipulative head. The problem that he was seeing now was how precariously the plan balanced on everyone else's timing. Angela had to get her part of the job done without Brennan being the wiser for it and Sweets had to get his guy on video chat and keep him long enough for the plan to work.

Oh god, if Sweets couldn't get a hold of him....

He shook his head trying to dispel the bothersome thoughts that were distracting them. He had to have faith in his friends, in the plan, in the idea that this was going to work out the way that it was supposed to. And if it does, he's demanding a better nickname.

Suddenly, an icon in the corner of his screen blinked and the man himself popped up in a window in the middle of his monitor.

"Dr. Sweets, I didn't expect a video conference request from you," the man replied with a half grin. "Is everything alright with and Agent Booth?"

"Well sir," Sweets gulped nervously. "Funny you should ask...."