(Mayhem on a Cross)

I don't own Bones, not even a little bit.

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She'd listened when Booth had asked Gordon Wyatt if they were 'the land of misfit toys' and wondered what he'd meant by that. Unwilling to ask her partner what it meant in front of their friend, Brennan knew it was probably a pop culture reference and she could wait for an explanation later. Gordon had told them about Sweets' past and she thought she understood what Gordon was asking them to do. The boy didn't have any family and he was looking for one. Sweets had chosen her and Booth and it was up to them to accept him or reject him. She knew that Booth might protest to Gordon and the world about the former psychologist's conclusion, but Booth would do the right thing with the boy and she could live with that decision.

When they had entered Sweets' office to invite him to dinner, Brennan hadn't planned on revealing a piece of her past but facing Sweets she'd wanted to help the boy realize he wasn't alone just because his parents were gone. His abuse before he'd been adopted resonated with her and in that quiet moment when her own memories flooded her thoughts Brennan blurted out how she'd almost died when her foster parents had locked her in the trunk of their car. That memory was still fresh in her mind and the shocked look on her partners' face made her think she might have done the wrong thing. The nuances of social interaction were a mystery to her and she tried to take her cues from Booth or Angela when possible.

Certain that Gordon was probably right and they needed to reveal their scars to the boy so he would trust them, she took a proffered handkerchief from Booth and decided she had done the right thing after all. She knew that Gordon was right and they were there to imprint Sweets to them like a baby duck. Perhaps too literal. Though she knew her partner was upset with what she had said, she wanted Booth to share something from his past too. She knew it would be a hard thing for her friend to do because she knew he hated thinking about the past and kept his pain to himself rarely sharing but she needed him to share his past at least this once with someone other than her. "Isn't that why we're here? To metaphorically compare scars?"

Booth could see the imploring look on his partner's face and though he wanted to refuse to share anything about himself, he knew this was no longer about Sweets. This was about his friendship with Brennan.

She could see Booth hesitating and she felt she needed him to do this for Sweets and her. She trusted him to do the right thing. Brennan dabbed her eyes with the cloth and sighed. "I still hate psychology . . . Okay your turn, go."

Brennan had revealed a painful memory and Booth realized he would have to do the same no matter how much he thought it was wrong. It was now a trust issue and he needed her to realize she would always be able to trust him even if it pained him to do so. "Okay, if it wasn't for my grandfather, I'd probably have killed myself when I was a kid. That's all I'm going to say in the subject."

He knew he'd probably said too much when he saw the tears in Brennan's eyes but he couldn't unsay what he'd said. "Are you okay Bones?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She folded his handkerchief and tucked it back in his jacket pocket patting his chest and wishing that she could do more for Booth but their relationship wasn't close enough to allow more. They were friends and though they were close they weren't in a relationship and she couldn't hold him and comfort him or Booth comfort her in front of Sweets. That would have made it appear their friendship was more than it was.

After that dramatic moment in their friend's office, they'd taken Sweets to have dinner with them, but both Booth and Brennan felt that something had changed between them. They just didn't know what it meant.

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Stirring cream into her coffee, Brennan listened to Booth brag about Parker's report card. She knew the child was intelligent and her partner had a right to be proud of him. Their breakfast now on the table in front of them, she watched Booth break his fried eggs with a fork and mix them in his hash browns. "What did you mean when you asked Gordon if we're the land of misfit toys. I assume this is probably a cultural thing, but I don't know what it means."

Surprised, Booth placed his fork down and shrugged his shoulders. "There's a TV special they show at Christmas time that has an elf that wants to be a dentist. He doesn't feel like he fits in, in Santa's workshop. He's friends with Rudolph who's a red nosed reindeer." He saw her open her mouth and smiled. He knew exactly what she was going to say. "It's just a kid's TV special Bones. I know there isn't a real red nosed reindeer. Any way these guys don't fit in and they know it. They find a land of misfit toys . . . Toys that no one wants that are broken or aren't perfect. They learn you don't have to be like everyone else to fit in. There is a place for everyone . . . Get it?"

She thought about it for a moment and decided she did know what her partner was telling her. "Are we misfit toys? Of course, you know we aren't toys but I'm using your metaphor."

He appreciated that she was trying to follow along and wasn't trying to argue with him. She really did want to know his opinion. "I understand your question." Giving himself a moment to think about it, Booth picked up his fork, scooped up some of his hash brown/egg mixture and popped it in his mouth. Swallowing he nodded his head. "I guess we are. Yeah, that's us . . . You know that isn't a bad thing. We had bad childhoods but we found a way to overcome that disadvantage. We lived in the land of misfit toys but we found people who like us for who we are even though we're not perfect . . . Sweets was abused as a child so that makes him imperfect too . . . He wants to belong somewhere. Everyone wants to belong somewhere. Gordon was right. I guess we would know better that anyone what it feels to be shutout and to have no one to count on and I think it's okay to let Sweets be part of our friendship . . . Do you understand?"

Slowly nodding her head, Brennan found his explanation to be satisfactory. "Yes, I do . . . Sweets can rely upon us to be his friend."

Pleased that Brennan accepted the situation, Booth picked up his coffee cup. "Yeah, Let's hope he doesn't drive us crazy though."

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