Disclaimer - I don't own Bones.

Not much to say but that you to my readers, reviewers, and beta. This wasn't my favorite chapter ever and was a little hard for me to write, don't forget to tell me what you think. Happy reading!

Chapter 37

When Booth and Brennan finally arrived back home, Booth noticed a distinctly somber feeling of tension when he walked through the door and Brennan assessed the lack of background noise of an apartment containing three boys and a baby. Both observations made them uneasy.

Venturing further into the apartment, the partners became aware of the dull sound from the television on low volume. Booth thought that it was odd; his boys liked everything loud when they could get away with it. Finally they came upon the three males planted on the couch, none looking the least bit interested in what was playing.

Parker and Sidney greeted the newcomers unenthusiastically, before lugging themselves up off of the couch and trudging to their room, per Sweets' instructions. It was not a sight Booth nor Brennan was accustomed to, and their feelings of unease and anxiety came back from the recesses of their minds.

"What's up with them?" Booth asked trying to sound less concerned than he was.

Frowning, Brennan interjected, "Yes. I was wondering that too... They are usually much more enthusiastic to see Booth and me after we've been gone, however short that may be. What did you do to them?"

One man smiled at her abrupt accusation while the other sighed.

"Listen, Guys..." Sweets started. "Can you be serious for like, more than five seconds? Something is actually wrong."

The statement succeeded in getting their full attention. Brennan immediately asked, "Why? What's wrong?" She sounded troubled, as if she were afraid of the answer.

Meanwhile Booth, scanned the room, and took notice of his Sweet Pea's absence. "Where's Elsie?" he asked, on the verge of becoming frantic.

Defensively, Sweets' hands rose to slow the agent's impending onslaught of aggression at the prospect of something bad happening to his little girl. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he practically shouted. "Elsie is fine! She's napping, just napping!"

The agent let out a relieved breath, falling back into a chair. Brennan sat on the adjacent arm and scolded him.

"Booth! What were you going to do? Hit Sweets?" She punctuated this with a not-so-gentle slap to the arm. "You know very well that violence is not an appropriate way of communication. Especially, when you had no evidence from his asinine statement that Elsie was in any danger. Sweets just needs to express himself better." It was a very mom-like scolding of both men and Sweets stored the lecture away in his shrink mind for another day, despite the insults aimed at him.

Booth rolled his eyes playfully, more for the kid than anything else. He couldn't let that shrink go around thinking he was whipped, could he? Not that it wasn't obvious, but still, the concept stood. "Easy, Sweets, I won't hit you. So what's actually wrong then? I saw Sid and Parks, they might have been a little moody looking but they're kids, that's what they do. You should know that better than anybody. What did you boys do, eat my pudding or something?"

Sweets was getting frustrated with the agent's offhand remarks and casual attitude. He was trying to discuss his kids' problems for goodness sakes. And it was Booth himself who had asked Sweets for his professional opinion on Sidney's potential issues. The man could show just a little bit of gratitude.

"Look, Booth, like I said, this is serious. I know you just think of me as some kid that messes with your life and I get that, I really do, and I realize that I'm not your favorite person in the world - the signs have been obvious as of late - but despite any mistakes I have made in the past regarding you and your personal life, I'm asking you, please, put your feelings for me aside because right now I'm trying to tell you some important things regarding your children."

As he finished his little speech with a deep inhale, Sweets found his eyes watery and immediately berated himself for becoming emotional.

Booth and Brennan, meanwhile, were shocked at the feelings the psychologist was so clearly displaying. Forgetting for a moment the issues of their other children, right then they needed to deal with their baby duck's feelings first.

"Sweets," Booth breathed out, appalled at the way the younger man had spoken of himself. Did he really think those things? Booth liked to tease the kid, but he hadn't realized that his teasing had gone a step too far.

Brennan took over as the agent tried and failed to find further words to express himself. "Sweets... I know maybe we don't show it often, especially Booth because of his alpha male status, and I have noticed lately we have been quite absorbed in our own lives, but you're one of us. You're a part of our family, as are the rest of the squints, but... you're our baby duck and we love you."

Sweets eyes filled further as he listened to the anthropologist refute all of his statements. On any other occasion it would have frustrated him, but not today, not on this subject. And, through blurred eyes he couldn't resist asking, "What does that mean? That I'm your baby duck?"

The partners hesitated.

"Well, you know," Booth started. "Gordon Gordon kind of started it... well actually it may have been Bones. Anyway, a few years ago someone made the observation that you imprinted on Bones and me like a baby duck. The term just kind of stuck. You're our baby duck. It's a term of affection."

"That's..." Sweets search for the right words. Unable to find them, he stood from the couch and after a near collision with the coffee table, bent down and pulled Booth into a quick hug. "That's really nice of you guys." He sniffed, did the same to Brennan, and then self-consciously sat back down across from them.

Booth just nodded, understanding that now was not the time to mention the fact that men did not hug; instead he pushed the box of tissues from the coffee table closer for the kid to take one and try to compose himself.

He did, his nose sounding like a loud trumpet in the quiet apartment, and his embarrassment heightened. The partners took no notice of it, and instead questioned him about their children.

"So what did you want to tell us about the kids then?" Booth asked.

Brennan tagged on to Booth's question, "Yes, clearly you had eventful day."

Sweets sniffed again and then frowned, still somehow surprised by their lack of teasing, but thankful nonetheless. "Well umm..." his voice cracked and he cleared his throat before starting again. "Both Parker and Sidney are in very delicate positions right now. Major changes to their lives have been made, and even more are coming, and while both boys are pleased with these things, it is common for other feelings to arise when change occurs, whether it be good or bad. In this case it's been mostly good."

Sweets was gaining his confidence back as he spoke and seeing that he had the partner's full attention, he continued.

"Originally you wanted me to come here regarding Sidney's nightmares, but in my opinion, everything is still so fresh in his mind, that these nightmares and the accidents it may cause, it's nothing to be really worried about yet. It's not at all surprising that whatever he went through with his aunt and uncle still haunts him and it will take time to go away, if it does at all. It's quite possible it won't - you two are perfect examples of how a traumatic childhood can affect a person even into adulthood."

Sweets saw the warning in Booth's eyes as he brought up the sore subject, and focused again on the boy. "He didn't want to talk about it, naturally, and I didn't push it. But talking is important. Sidney needs to know that this, his home, or wherever you two are, is a safe environment. I think that as he becomes more confident with his new family, his nightmares will fade away as will his accidents."

"I think he knows that, Sweets," Booth inputted. "We love him and treat him no differently than Parker and Elsie, he sees that every day."

Sweets shook his head. "You're right, to a point. Sidney knows that you love him, but he also knows from experience that people change and he's deathly afraid that you will, that he'll do something wrong or you'll find someone better and that he'll be left in the dark like before."

"What do you mean before? Did he talk about his past with you?" Brennan asked.

"Briefly," Sweets answered with a shake of his head, it was Sidney's story to share when he was ready.

Booth interjected. "Okay, so what can we do to help him?"

"Well before I answer that, there's more I need to talk to you about. Parker is having trouble, too. For so long he's been your only child, Booth, and now everything is changing around him. Recently, something happened concerning you and him specifically that he became very upset about today. I decided that it would be best that he talk about it to you himself, which is where I come to my solution to both issues. You're probably not going to like it very much, but I think it will actually help you guys in an area of communication where you're currently struggling."

Sweets was hedging, that much was obvious to Booth, but Brennan was the one who finally spoke after the psychologist's failure to do so.

"So what is it?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah, of course. Well, you see... you guys need to have a family meeting." He waited for their complaints, only to be disappointed.

Following a short pause Brennan said, "That may actually be a good idea." She turned to Booth. "Anthropologically, family meetings have been important and a commonly occurring means of communication within the family unit, all throughout history. They are used to 'clear the air' as you might say. It may very well be of great aid to us."

While he may not have been thrilled with the idea, now that he was aware that something was actually wrong, Booth had to admit that something had to be done to fix his family. Recently he'd been living in a cloud, a perfect little bubble where nothing was complicated. But it'd been a sham, he'd basically sat on the sidelines pretending everything was alright while his sons were hurting. What kind of a father did that make him? How had he let his own happiness outshine his children's?

"If Bones thinks it's a good idea... I guess I'll do it." He didn't sound thrilled about it, in fact his tone was more akin to dread and the smallest hint of self-pity that Sweets latched onto like a leech.

"Booth," the psychologist started. "This wasn't your-"

"Don't tell me this wasn't my fault, Sweets. I could have gone about... well everything in a different way, but no... I was perfectly content to pretend that nothing was wrong, that my kids were perfectly fine. But they weren't, were they, Sweets? They aren't. And I wasn't able to see that."

As Sweets formed his reply, Brennan cut him off. "Don't do this, Booth. I understand that you have this irrational 'white knight' complex, but you can't do everything." She laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You've been distracted lately, with the case and with me and with purchasing a home. You are only one man, a very good man, but there's only so much one man can do alone. So, you missed a few signs that something was amiss? So did I, but we have the rest of our family to help us. My point being, it doesn't actually matter if you were the one to discover that there was something going on with Parker and Sidney, all that matters is that it did get noticed, and now we're able to do something to help."

Stubbornly Booth let go of his self-deprecation - it was hard to argue with Bones' logic and quite frankly he didn't have it in him to even try at the moment. Instead he looked up to his partner and whispered, "I love you." A small smile graced his lips as he said it.

"I love you, too," she whispered back, the sentiment rolling of her tongue eagerly.

For a moment their eyes were locked on each other's. Then they heard a third reply.

"I love you guys, too."

After Sweets had left and dinner had been consumed, Booth, Brennan, Sidney, and Parker sat around the coffee table in the living room, waiting for someone to begin the family meeting. The television had been switched off, leaving the family bathed in only the soft glow from the lamps as silence settled upon them. The partners sat adjacent to each other in the two chairs, while the boys were perched next to one another on the couch. Elsie had already been put down for bed and all that was left was for one of the living rooms occupants to start talking.

Booth finally took the initiative.

"Okay, so... Sweets thought it would be a good idea to have this meeting. And normally I would not put too much credence in what he says but," he looked directly to the boys, leveling his eyes with them, trying to convey his sincerity. "You two are my kids, and I'd do anything for you, absolutely anything. If Sweets thinks this could help us communicate with each other a little better, than I'm game. I think we've all been avoiding many of the issues we have and Sweets said we should just kind of get what we've been feeling lately out in the air to start with and then we talk more about anything that you want to. Does... does anyone want to start?"

Parker chewed on his lip and Sidney picked at his fingernail, both avoiding eye contact with their father, neither wanting to be the first to speak about the inner workings of their minds.

The agent looked beside him, signaling for Brennan's help. Her eyes widened at his not so subtle hint. Taking a deep cleansing breath, the anthropologist said, "Well, I guess I'll go first then." She looked questioningly at Booth who nodded for her to continue.

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