Author's Note: This is the last chapter of Year Seven. Next will be Year Nine, and there will be no Year Eight... Once again, Year Nine will be dark much like this one was...But I plan on lightening up again soon...

I do not own Bones or any of its characters. Ah...if wishes were horses....;)

Thank you again to everyone who is reading/following/reviewing this.

Cwgirlup: Having to do things at a young age has a downside that I don't think is discussed much on Bones. Yes, Sweets has two doctorates, but what about the sacrifices he had to make to get them....As far as that other quote from Sweets...not to reveal too much, but Sweets will not have to worry about taking a life in any of the stories I have written...thus far...

Aysel Maha: Well Angela had her own ideas about Matt....;) I'm keeping him on the fence....I like to update as often as I can partially because I enjoy seeing the final product too. ;) Thanks for your reviews.

TimeWitch16: There will be more interactions with other teens as Lance gets older. I'm glad you enjoyed that last chapter and my other story (The One in a Thousand). Once again, sharp eye on connecting that work to this one...;)

Buttercups3: Wow!...Thank you so much, that is really flattering. :D I'll admit that there were times early on where I worried that most people would be turned off by the length that I had in mind for this story. It's good to see that people are enjoying it because of that and not in spite of it. :) And please, send me the link for your collection of fics. I'm always looking for more Bones fanfiction that is Sweets-centric. ;) Hopefully you will enjoy my other work as well.

Year Seven—Direction—part 2

Lance was still staring outside through the doorway when Carolyn walked up beside him.

"Lance, a letter came for you today," she said. "It's another one from Peter." He nodded and took the letter from her hand.

"Thanks Mom," he said, walking over to the stairs.

"Dinner will be ready in about an hour," she said.

"Ok."

Carolyn closed the front door and then watched him as he went to his room. She leaned against the banister and sighed.

'He has so much on his mind,' she thought. 'I wish he would share it more often with us.'

Carolyn knew that ever since that session with Doctor Murray, Lance and David had a sort of unspoken agreement to stop keeping things from each other, but she was certain that there were times that Lance wasn't so much trying to hide things as much as trying to figure out how he felt about them.

In his room, Lance sat cross-legged on his bed and tore open the envelope, so that he could read Peter's letter.

Peter had started to write him after Kate had taken a job out of state and moved. He and Lance had patched up any differences between them during that holiday break almost a year ago, and the two of them had actually become rather friendly with each other.

Still, that didn't prepare Lance for Peter's first letter.

'I'm not sure why I'm writing you. I just can't think of anyone else to talk to, and writing seems to make things a little easier.

Mom and Elizabeth don't understand me at all. I think the only person who ever did was Dad, and he's not here. I don't mean to sound bitter, but I'm still a little jealous of the fact that you still have your dad….

But somehow you seem to understand a lot of stuff; I guess I can write to you…'

Since then Peter would write him once a month or so. In his letters, he would talk about school, friends, girls, and life in general.

In his latest letter, Peter talked at length about school and his uncertainties about his future. He was doing well enough as far as his grades went, but the thought of college and an impending office job did not sit well with him.

'Mom doesn't want to hear it, but I'm thinking about joining the Army. Elizabeth, she thinks it's weird, but it's like I can feel my father pointing me toward this direction.

I don't know if Uncle David mentioned this, but my dad spent some time in the Army. He used to tell me that it really helped him find direction and discipline in his life.

I know that Dad would support this decision. I just wish the rest of my family would.'

Lance felt even more saddened after reading Peter's letter. Even though Peter was three years older than him, they both seemed to be at the same stage of life: both of them struggling to make sense of the world and what they wanted out of it.

Lance laid down on his back and tried to sort through his thoughts. But things just kept getting jumbled up with his feelings.

Soon there was a knock on the door, and Carolyn opened it a second later.

"Lance, dinner." He sat up and tried to smile at her.

"Ok Mom thanks."

Dinner was mostly quiet with only occasional chit-chat breaking up the silence. Lance noticed his father watching him, and sighed inwardly. It wasn't so much that Lance didn't want to talk; it was more like he didn't know what to say.

David had picked up on Lance's awkwardness and kept an eye on him. It was something he did a lot recently.

The past three months had been hard on David as well as Lance. After finding out the true extent of Lance's abuse during that session with Murray, he had had a few nights that were filled with nightmares. During those nights, he would eventually move to the family room and sit up all night, trying to clear his mind. He did not always spend that time alone; Lance joined him on some nights. It was never planned, but it was clear that Lance sometimes couldn't sleep for the same reason that David couldn't. They never said much during those nights; they just sat there and drew support from each other.

A couple of weeks ago, Lance had finally given his permission to David to tell Carolyn about what he said in that session. David intended to tell her, but he was grappling with it a bit.

'Carolyn has such a tender heart, especially in regards to Lance. Do I want her thinking about all this too?'

Throughout this process, David often felt that a part of him had been drawn into the same darkness that had poisoned Lance's soul. He knew that, given the choice, he would not change his decision to let Lance into his heart as much as he did. Still, it did not make dealing with that darkness any easier.

David looked at both his son and his wife. He knew that he would probably talk to Carolyn later tonight after Lance went to bed, and it was a discussion that he was not looking forward to. But he also thought about a discussion that he would probably be having with Lance later. After that session, David did not worry about Lance not wanting to open up to him; he knew it was a matter of waiting to see how long Lance was going to put off talking to him.

Watching him during dinner, David was pretty sure the wait was over.

After dinner, David picked up a book from the study and sat down in the family room, reading while he waited. This was Lance's favorite place to go to talk to him, and he figured that it wouldn't be long before he joined him there.

Sure enough, a half an hour after he sat down, Lance showed up and David put his book down and watched him. Lance shook his head and sat down beside him.

"How do you always know when I need to talk?"

"I'm your father. I know when you need to talk to me."

"You always say that, but I don't see how that's an answer," Lance frowned.

"Nevertheless, it's the truth," David said. "It's not something I can explain otherwise."

Lance nodded and was silent for a minute while he let that subject drop. David put his arm around him and Lance leaned against him.

"Dad…what were your parents like?" David raised an eyebrow at that: this was the first time Lance asked him about his family.

"Well my mother was very kind, social, homey," he said. "She was the type of person who would arrange bake sales and block parties to raise money to help out a neighbor. She was very dedicated to her home and her family and friends." David leaned back against the couch and Lance curled his legs up so that he could settle in closer to him.

"My father was a quiet man, a hard worker" David continued. "He didn't believe in saying much or being very open with his feelings. Some saw him as distant compared to my mother, but Vincent and I knew that he loved all of us. I think…I think he wanted to express himself more, but it was just too hard for him."

"Then why are you so much more…open…than him?" Lance asked.

"Some of that was my mother," David answered. "However, a lot of it was Carolyn. After I met her, I realized that I wanted to express myself more. She helped me find the courage to share my feelings, and I've been grateful to her ever since."

"Dad…do you…do you think Andrew's father hurt him too?"

At the mention of Andrew's name, David felt rage stir in his heart again, but he forced himself to relax. He knew that this was not the time for anger.

"It wouldn't surprise me one bit if he did," he said. "Some people, when they are hurt, they think the only way that they can soothe their own pain is to inflict it onto others. Especially those who are less able to fight back. It doesn't make it right, though."

"Dad, I don't want to be like him," Lance said solemnly.

"Don't worry, sport. You're nothing like him."

"But I want to do more than just not be like Andrew," Lance said fidgeting a little.

"I see people…like my friend Brian. His parents…they don't get him at all, and he doesn't get them either. They're not like you, Dad. I don't think they even want to understand him. Now, Brian has these jerks bothering him at school, and it's really bringing him down. I...I think he doesn't know what to do."

"High school is a difficult time for a lot of people, Lance," David mused. "I know you are finding that out first hand. I'm sure some of the same people that pick on your friend pick on you and probably for the same reasons as well. There is just so much insecurity, that they feel they need to build themselves up by mocking anyone who is different than them."

"And then there's Peter…you know he's still writing me?" Lance said. "He says that he can't talk to Aunt Kate anymore; all they do is argue….He misses his dad so much…He told me that he wants to join the Army, but he hasn't told Aunt Kate because he's afraid of what she'll say."

David shook his head; his heart often ached a little for Peter. He knew that Vincent's death hit him very hard. He wasn't surprised that Peter wanted to follow in his father's footsteps.

"Peter is very much his father's son," David said softly. "I'm sure Vincent told him how the Army helped him find his way, and now he's longing for the same sort direction in his life. But no matter what he decides, I'm confident that Peter will find his way. He's a good kid, strong, like his father."

"Like you," Lance said, snuggling a little more against his father. David smiled.

"Thanks sport."

Lance stopped talking for a little while, processing what David had said. Then he sat up and faced his father. David noted the intense look in his eyes.

"Dad, everyone keeps asking me what I want to do with my life…and all I can keep thinking about is how you and Mom helped me so much…and I…I want to do something like what you did for me…" Lance looked back down for a moment and swallowed hard. He then looked back up at David, his face resolute.

"Dad…I want to help other people the way you helped me…I want to help people stop hurting inside…That's what I want to do with my life."