It may be June in reality, but in Sweets' world it's Christmas!

Love the reviews! RT, I totally agree! I think others often perceive Sweets as fragile or wimpy, but they fail to take into account that he is very strong indeed. He sometimes even sells himself short. I suspect Booth is aware of what Sweets is made of, though he accuses Sweets of being a Smerf in jest. :) I've always imagined Sweets to like order and cleanliness. Glad you agree! I used to have cats, so unlike, the circus, I know them well. I know that Sweets says he's a dog person, but I really don't see him spending enough time at home to tend to a dog. I was thinking of maybe letting him get one in this story…we'll see. I don't think Knox would care for that much. I'm sorry to disappoint, but Sweets is not going to enjoy his Christmas all that much.

Don't worry, Mendenbar. Bea and Sweets' trajectory will not be like BB. Bea is a single mom and is being protective of her daughter. I don't want to give too much away though. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer…you know.

Cam was occasionally exasperated by Sweets and today was one of those days. He hadn't been coming into the Jeffersonian as much as he had promised, and his work had lacked focus. She had invited him to Christmas dinner along with Bea, Lulu, and Paul partially because she wanted to give him a talking to in a gentler setting. He seemed on edge lately. She didn't want to have to play the scolding mother with everyone, but it seemed inevitable that she would be forced to fulfill this role over and over. She couldn't really comprehend why Sweets was still so stuck on Daisy that it was compromising his efficiency. She was beginning to think that if he wanted to work in academia, he should remove there altogether because his schedule was too grueling to maintain.

Of course, she was also very fond of Sweets and didn't want to see him go.

All morning and into the afternoon, Cam and Michelle had been decorating their home with Christmas ribbons, wreaths, and candles. They went a little overboard in memory of Michelle's father, who loved Christmas. Cam put a large turkey in the oven and prepared some of the fixings. Bea had promised sweet potatoes, Lance was making apple pie (apparently his mother's secret recipe), and Paul (things had improved slightly with him) was bringing wine—he didn't cook.

Paul arrived first and promptly began playing cards with Michelle on the coffee table by the silver-trimmed tree. Cam heard a knock and the rest of her quests arrived.

Lance, Bea, and Cam exchanged Merry Christmases. Cam half-expected Sweets to be donning reindeer antlers but this new more somber Sweets didn't seem to have it in him.

"No moment of whimsy this year, Dr. Sweets?" Cam asked him.

"I…err. No I couldn't find my antlers this year," Lance said awkwardly. Lulu, who was in his arms, kicked at his stomach until he put her down. "Ow, ok, ok, geez, Lulu." She ran over to Michelle, who scooped her up. Lulu immediately began compromising the card game beyond recognition.

"Bea, drinks are in the kitchen. Can I talk to you for a moment, Dr. Sweets?" Cam signaled Sweets over to where they wouldn't be heard.

Lance looked at Cam with heavy eyes.

"You're excellent at your job, but lately you've been slipping. We haven't seen as much of you at the Jeffersonian as you'd promised. Now, I know you're busy, but do you think you've taken on too much? You have a woman and her child staying in your house, you're teaching for the first time, and frankly, you still seem distracted by Daisy being gone. I'm your friend, but I'm also your boss." Cam delivered these lines as if they were a prepared speech.

Lance took this to mean that it was not easy for her to chastise him. He knew he deserved it, and yet he whined a little, "I'm doing my best. It's not easy, you know…"

Suddenly, Caroline's words from last May came back to him. When he had told Caroline that maybe Booth and Brennan would take the success of the hoarder case to mean that they should stay together, she had replied, 'You're a nice kid, but it's time for you to grow the hell up,' or something harsh like that. Caroline was always dealing tough love to Lance and that one had really hurt.

Instead of continuing on with excuses, he said to Cam, "I'm sorry. You're right. I've been taking advantage of you. It won't happen again, boss." He added the last word a little coldly. It was never easy to be criticized. He was eager to get away from her.

Cam and Lance rejoined the group, a little distance between them now, and Lance grabbed a glass of red wine. He moved out onto the balcony for a moment to collect himself, as he was swimming in despair.

He began thinking about how he hated being younger than everyone he knew and just never seemed to fit in. Daisy had been a person he could be a bit immature and silly with when he wanted. He knew that people resented their cutesy text love language and pet names, but it had been nice to just be himself. If that even was himself…God, he thought, isn't 25 too late to have an identity crisis? He hadn't felt as free to express his feelings with April (his former girlfriend)—she had seemed to be constantly scrutinizing him for signs of being too young. He played too many video games, he was insecure around their friends, he brought up too often that he was a trained psychologist. Daisy hadn't judged so much but accepted his flaws as he'd accepted hers, at least ultimately.

Michelle opened the sliding door, "Dr. Sweets? You ok?" She shivered. "It's freezing out here." She wrapped her sweater tighter around her arms and joined him.

"Michelle, how's life?" Lance asked her, his voice unnaturally thick.

"It's all right, I guess. I can't decide what colleges to apply to. My boyfriend and I have been fighting all the time. I think we're going to break up. Everyone wants to know what I'm going to be for the rest of my life…and how am I supposed to know? Don't people change? Don't they evolve over time?" she huffed moodily.

Lance smiled. He kind of adored teenage angst. "That they do, Michelle. That they do. You can choose a vocation, but it's not going to help you figure out who you are for the rest of your life."

"What would you say are the pros and cons of being a psychologist? I like talking to people and helping them with their problems."

"Well, you have the pro side down—you get to help people immeasurably. You help them navigate the complexities of life, make good choices, cope with the pain of living. But on the con side of things, you are not always telling people what they want to hear. They don't necessarily want to listen. And, like in all things, you might be wrong in your assessment or advice. Sometimes people's lives are even on the line. Plus, if you're already an introspective person, which I suspect you are, you can drive yourself crazy self analyzing."

Michelle nodded. "I'll probably take some psych classes when I get to college."

"I think everyone should," Lance agreed.

"Dr. Sweets? Do you like Dr. Vu?"

"Err…" Lance was supremely taken aback.

"Because in most cases, I'd say go for it…but I don't want to see you get hurt again. You're a nice guy. Don't get me wrong, I like Dr. Vu—she's cool. It's just…I'm afraid she doesn't like you back."

Lance was shocked by this harsh appraisal. Later that evening, he was planning on giving Bea a Christmas card that told her how much she and Lulu meant to him along with a thin silver bracelet. Perhaps he should reevaluate. Michelle could be outspoken, but Lance felt she wouldn't have been this direct with him if she weren't really concerned for him.

Neither spoke again. They stood outside for a few more minutes and then went back in to enjoy Christmas dinner. It was warm in Cam's home but cold in Lance's chest. Christmas hadn't been a bright holiday in years for the psychologist. He always missed his parents most deeply when others were singing carols and drinking eggnog. As opposed to last year, when he had his entire Jeffersonian family (and Daisy) gathered around him at Christmas, this year he felt abandoned.

Lance never did give Bea the card or the bracelet. In fact, back at his apartment, he went so far as to toss them into the trash in his kitchen. Once again, Lance found himself alone in the dark with no guide other than himself.