Sorry about the delay! I had this for you guys on saturday, but the whole login failure thing happened! As a special bonus I'll have chapter 12 up tomorrow!

Anyway, thank you soo much for all the great reviews, and thanks to al of you who keep coming back! I know you've been asking about Booth, and I missed him too so this ones from him!

Booth could recall with absolute clarity every moment he'd spent with his Bones. He could even recall his thoughts during their very first real case as partner. Cleo Eller.

Is she worth the trouble?

Booth had gone back and forth between his answers. Definitely not. Perhaps…. Hell no. Maybe. Nothing on Gods green Earth would make him could make him stay and put up with this.

Back and forth, until the decision had been made for him. Standing in the shooting range one evening, trying to make the infuriating woman see her place. Not realizing she was in place. She had decided that she was worth it, and he was the one who needed to step up, or fall away. Anyone that direct, that honest, brave, intelligent, and unique was definitely worth stepping up for.

Evening knowing that fact, he found himself asking the same question time and time again, like when things ended with Tessa. She'd gotten tired of all the time he'd spent with Bones, or when she insulted his religion, or when she questioned his having a son. The question came every time he had to feel the panic at the thought of loosing her, and it came every time he took a hit to keep her out of harms way.

But for every time he asked himself that question, is she worth all this trouble, he always got an answer. He found his answer in the way she remained by his side after he took a life, he found his answer in the fact that regardless of who was in danger, or what had to be done save them, to fix things, she did not flinch. Booth found his answer as he waited, panicked, desperate for any sign of life in the cast expanse of sand that threatened to hide his partner from him forever. He knew his answer when he stood to make sure the woman on stage, who had opened up for the first time in a very long time, could continue to sing.

The answer was a simple, unquestionable, unfaultable, unfaltering, resounding yes. She was worth it all.

It was this fact that Booth kept reminding himself of as he watched her walk away yet again, claiming she needed time to think. Booth glanced at his watch; they were to meet with Sweets in 45 minutes.

That took his mind off Bones for a moment. What was he going to do with Sweets?

All day he'd sat blindfolded thinking of control and the letter Bones had written to him this morning. He had though mostly on how odd it was that activity today would be centered on control, when Bones had written just that morning that she was feeling out of control. Booth gave a long sigh and decided to walk down to the pier, needing the movement.

Sweets was playing mind games again. Just like when he'd been shot. Booth sighed again knowing he would be unable to use that against the kid tonight. Both Sweets and Bones thought he had no knowledge about Sweets experiments. He was going to keep it that way for as long as he could. Booth had heard Bones confronting Sweets on the way down to the vault. Honestly, did she whisper a little loud, and a stairwell didn't exactly absorb sound.

He hadn't said anything, knowing that after the fake death disaster, Bones had needed to protect him. To feel she was balancing their partnership. He'd blocked her from a bullet and she would block him from feeling betrayed and protecting him from himself because she knew he'd most likely getting in trouble for hurting the FBI's youngest, most successful profiler and counselor.

She needed to regain control. She had lost control of the situation when he'd "died" and then lost it again when he showed up "alive." Booth could give her that much.

What had Sweets been thinking? He had to have known the paint ball task would do to her. No, Booth corrected himself, the kid had thought that the experience would give Bones the opportunity to relive the moment of the shooting but allow her to make sure that he was not shot.

But that was definitely not what had happened. She wasn't making sure he didn't get shot she was righting a wrong. She was making sure she did get shot. Sweets wouldn't see that.

Booth turned and began to walk back towards around the campsite and heading up the hill where Sweets had set up his "zone of truth."

Beating the kid up wouldn't solve anything, and Booth didn't enjoy hitting people half his size. Not that Booth would have really hurt him earlier, just shaken him a little. Nothing permanent. Booth did know that he would have to set things straight, no more games. He couldn't help his partner if everyone was running around with their own agendas.

Something was off about this entire trip. Bones was thinking, planning, testing whatever theories she had come up with. Not exactly a comforting observation, Booth noted. Sweets was playing games, and Sully was behaving strangely. It didn't sit well in his gut.

Reaching the clearing where he knew Sweets was waiting. Booth glanced at his watch knowing he'd never hear the end of it if he were to show up too early for therapy. He was only six minutes early. Not bad all things considered, perhaps he could have a quick word with Sweets before Bones got there. As he drew nearer though, he heard an all too familiar voice.

"You will keep your promise to me Sweets."

"Dr. Brennan the purpose of this trip was to make you face some tough realities. You needed to face your fears, so that you can understand your actions."

Booth stayed back as he watched the Sweets try to stand his ground against Bones. Booth almost pitied the guy. He knew too well how the silent calm stare of hers could blister your very soul.

"You can come out now Booth." Booth cursed himself for not being more careful coming up the incline initially. Bones and her ninja hearing would of course hear him. He entered the "truth zone." A circle made of logs and rocks, with a small fire going in the middle, hidden from view for all those standing below at the campsite.

"What's going on?" Booth asked coming to stand by Bones so she and Sweets would know whose side he was going to take. Before the action would have made her straighten her stance even more. She would have felt empowered by his support. Tonight, she didn't. She tensed as she felt him come into position behind her, and took a tiny, almost unnoticeable step to the side. Away from him. Booth felt as though he'd been sucker punched. She'd never done that before.

"Agent Booth," Sweets said acknowledging his arrival without looking away from Bones, "since you're here early why don't we get started. Have a seat, both of you."

Booth would have taken issue with the kid's tone, but he was too busy trying to get a read on his partner. What the hell was going on here?

"Agent Booth, you were forced to face some emotionally and mentally difficult challenges today. Could you share some of the thoughts you had while you were blindfolded?"

Booth stayed silent for a moment, wondering what would be best. Should he show his anger with Sweets by ignoring the kid's questions, or should he continue as though nothing was wrong, and go for the surprise kill later? Booth decided to go for the surprise, but that didn't mean he was going to make the kids job easy.

'I was thinking that canoeing blindfolded is kind of pointless."

"Agent Booth, this is a serious matter. I would appreciate it if you would treat this time together seriously, and I am sure that Dr. Brennan would too.'

"Don't presume to know what I would or would not appreciate." Bones came back angrily, making Booth smile at Sweets. Some things in life were too easy.

"Agent Booth, you are a man of control. Today had to have been very hard for you."

Booth continued to stare at Sweets debating what to do. He remembered the note Bones had left him this morning, she needed this.

"Fine, I was thinking that it was nice to have a partner who could give good directions."

"Did you think about control at all? That was the purpose."

"You mean, the purpose of today was to make me realize I try to control my partner."

"You do enjoy control, Agent Booth." Sweets was focused fully on Booth now, his staring contest with Bones seemed to be finished. Booth however was very conscious of Bones. She was tense, staring ahead not looking at him or Sweets, but he could sense that she was paying attention, capturing each word in the big brain of hers. He knew what he said was going to be important to her, that she would weigh what he had to say with great value. Booth had had many thoughts today, some memories of past moments when he was blindfolded, but most importantly he had thought of his relationship with his partner. He thought about his life, and how she had turned it up side down, and how the chaos she created felt more right than the ordered structure that had composed his life ever had.

"I did think about control. I realized that I liked control, and that liking control isn't a bad thing." Booth turned toward Bones then, "I also realized that I have control over a lot of stuff in my life, but that the only thing I don't have control over our partnership."

"Do you really believe that Agent Booth?" Sweets asked, recapturing Booths attention, Bones froze with a look of disbeliev and amusment on her face.

"Yes." And he did. Booth had no control over the relationship, he could guide it and prodded at it but in the end Bones would do what she thought she needed to do. Not necessarily what she wanted but what she thought was best based on a logical interpretation of facts.

"How does that make you feel?" Booth refrained from groaning at the clichéd question, forcing himself to be honest.

"Hopeful."

"Hopeful? That makes no sense." This time it was Bones that spoke, her head snapping up to look at him, she looked more than skeptical.

"Because Bones, you make sure life isn't easy."

"Isn't that a bad thing?" Bones asked, her voice sounding unsure, still disbelieving.

"No. Well, it isn't pleasant, but it's good for me."

"Good for you because you feel that you need to earn your way into heaven by repaying an imaginary debt you hold yourself against due to your experiences in the army."

"What? No Bones! Where did you get that from?" Booth shouted immediately angry. Sometimes she was completely ridiculous, the things she said, clearly believing them, when nothing could be further from the truth. "It's good for me because no one wants an easy life."

"Booth, you were abused as a child, forced to kill for your country, you've been tortured and shot, and you have a child whose mother not only refused to marry you but also withholds equal parental rights. Has any part of your life, before or after our partnership, ever been easy?"

Booth had to give it to her, when Bones hit, she hit hard. "Bones, no. What I'm trying to say is that, I have always controlled everything in my life to some degree. I controlled my anger, I controlled every shot I took, I controlled what I did and did not say, I controlled the situation with Parker enough to make sure that he had my name, but from the instant I started working with you, I lost that control. You can't be controlled Bones, and that is good for me, that gives me hope."

"Hope for what?"

"Hope that I am changing, that I'm doing something right."

"I stand by my statement. That makes no sense."

"Why don't we move on?" Sweets suggested. He had that foolish, eager smile that let Booth know he was reading too far into the topic. Sweets would definitely not be moving on from this. "Dr. Brennan, how did you feel while you were blindfolded?"

"I felt fine." Bones replied.

"Even when you found out you would be shooting at your partner?"

"I wasn't shooting at my partner, I was shooting at a target, but yes even then I felt fine. It was just math."

"Just math?" Sweets asked incredulously.

"Yes."

"Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth opened up tonight, and was honest enough to share his thoughts. Perhaps you could extend the same courtesy."

"Fine. I felt increase awareness from my other primary senses due to the loss of my sight. What else would I feel? It's not as though I haven't been blindfolded before." Booth winced at that. He'd been hoping that his openness would prompt her to do the same, but she obviously wasn't going to do that.

"Okay, we can work with that." Sweets said sitting forward. "How did you feel the last time you were blindfolded?"

"Whoa! I'm not really sure we want to be hearing that Sweets." Booth exclaimed shifting uncomfortably in his seat, banishing memories of deep-sea welders and FBI agents that weren't him from his mind.

"It's not sexual Booth.' Bones said a hint of annoyance in her tone.

Booth decided not to say anything and settled for a shrug that clearly said he surrendered, but wasn't sorry, because with Bones you never knew.

"Come on Dr. Brennan, share with us. What happened the last time you were blindfolded?" Sweets encouraged.

"That's classified information."

Booth normally would have smiled at the chase she was leading Sweets on, but was too busy studying the change in Sweets. He bit at his lips until they were a tight white line, he sat straight back in his make shift chair, and folded his arms across his chest defiantly. Booth new what ever came next wouldn't be good. Sweets and Bones were staring each other down.

"Fine. Let's talk about something else. Let's talk about Pam Nunan." Booth watched as the heat rose in Bones' cheeks, it seemed as though Sweets had hit his mark.

"What about her?" Booth asked, not comfortable with the topic.

"It's just that I find it very interesting that Dr. Brennan went to the woman's funeral."

Booth felt his mouth drop open, as he turned to look at his partner. No way she went to that crazy woman's funeral, not after what she had almost done. Bones didn't believe in funerals. She didn't want to go to his funeral, thought it was a waste of time. Bones wasn't denying it so it had to be true. Why the hell would she go to Nunan's funeral?

"How did you know about that?" Bones asked tightly.

"That's not important right now. Why did you go to Pam's funeral, Dr. Brennan?" Sweets asked sounding triumphant.

Bones was silent clearly unwilling to answer the question.

"Answer the question Bones." Booth said trying not to sound too demanding.

"I suppose I was feeling- I had felt- as though I had done something incorrectly and was trying what it was so that I could fix it."

"You felt guilty Dr. Brennan."

"No."

"Of course you did, Bones, it's natural to feel guilt after taking someone life, you know that." Booth said trying to catch her eyes.

"Dr. Brennan there was an emergency situation, you did what you had to do."

"No, I did what I wanted to do." Bones said and then stood. "I think we are done here Sweets. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bones!" Booth called as she walked away.

"Running Dr. Brennan?" Sweets called after her, no sign of his own guilt for saying these things. "Your actions were necessary, it is okay to feel bad about them, however illogical you feel it may be. But you need to talk about it, you can't keep it all inside, it's not healthy. It's not rational."

Bones froze at the edge of the truth zone turning to face Sweets, her blue eyes bright in the darkness.

"I'm hyper-rational, Dr. Sweets. I'm capable of rationalizing almost anything.

Without hesitation, without remorse, without guilt."

"You are not your father, Dr. Brennan!" Sweets called as she walked away, not turning around again.

"When are you going to learn Sweets?" Booth asked angrily. What the hell was going on? Nothing made sense anymore; everyone seemed to be playing a game. Well his partnership wasn't a game. He wanted answers. Turning to Sweets Booth stepped towards him, determined to get the information he needed.