3.

The association with Sweets and Barry are going well until Barry spots Sweets with Booth, a known Federal Agent, at lunch with Sweets. Barry suspects that Sweets is not being honest with him. Booth looks into Barry's associates/fellow gang members.

"You get anywhere on that chop shop circle?" Booth asked Sweets who was now seated in the front passenger seat since Brennan was dropped off at the Jeffersonian to look at sewer man.

"Huh? No, not really."

"Sweets, this is important. Look, I know your mind is on that kid and all, but I need you on the case too."

"Sure Booth it's just like there's a dozen profiles to go thru, half of them for you." Sweets whined.

"Well you didn't have trouble getting thru them before." Booth said under his breath and Sweets knew what Booth was inferring.

"I'll get to it tonight." Sweets promised with a heavy sigh. He knew that would be after his time with the kids at the center so it would be pretty late.

"Maybe your friends at the outreach might have some input."

"Booth, I can't betray their confidences for cases."

"I think that's exactly what you can do since they are federal crimes!" Booth said raising his voice near the end.

Sweets rubbed his forehead. He felt a bit like Barry, being pushed into something he wasn't exactly sure what was right or wrong to do.

"I honestly don't know Booth. I'm not that into the circle of their trust just yet." Sweets lied. He had quite a few hunches. While they didn't always talk to him directly he still had ears and his ease dropping skills were honed from a very young age. When your foster father is searching for you with only malice on his mind, you learn to listen for everything.

"Hey, earth to Sweets!" Booth called.

"Oh, sorry, what?" Sweets asked stirred from his not so pleasant memories.

"Look, I didn't mean to yell, I'm just…"

"Yeah, well I know that there has been buzz about the location. They know someone's on them and that someone is snitching on them but they don't know who."

"I have a guy in there." Booth said.

"Well, maybe you'd better get him to lay off or a while." Sweets suggested and for the first time in the conversation felt pretty good that he divulged, possibly saving a life.

"Thanks. I'll do that." Booth said and Sweets went back to looking out the window and back to his dark memories and the realization that he was still stuck in a perpetual cycle of being bossed around by someone older and bigger than he.

"So what did your Fed friend have to say?" D-Dog asked Barry.

"Nothing man. Just said he was at lunch." Barry said hanging onto a hope that Sweets was the genuine deal.

"With other Feds man." DJ-D reminded him.

"What you two been talkin' bout little man?" D-Dog asked again.

"Nothing, just school and…"

"And what you been doin' after school." D-Dog said.

Barry was getting angry.

"Man he don't care about you. You need to start making choices. It's us or him." The tall and imposing D-Dog said stepping forward. "Who you gonna pick little man?"

"Well thank you for your time mam." Booth said as he and Sweets left. "Well that was a waste of time."

Sweets said nothing and had been quiet for most of the interview with Booth suggesting something had come up in their conversation on the way there.

"Yeah, sounds like she wrote him off a while ago." Sweets said, more in the conversation than Booth thought.

"Look Sweets, about earlier, I know you want to help…"

"It's fine Agent Booth." Sweets said snapping. "I'm a big kid, I can take care of myelf."

"Alright Sweets." Booth said but didn't feel convinced.

The car ride back to the bureau was quiet. As they walked inside most of the agents were walking out as the day was done for most of them. Sweets cell was receiving a call but he didn't want to answer it. Booth was equally as distracted as Shaw was calling him back. Both were eager to leave the other.

"So see you later Sweets?"

"Yeah!" Sweets responded and they both retreated immediately to their respective offices.

"Shaw, what do you got for me?" Booth said finding her in the bull pen.

"Well I found him pretty quick considering he has a pretty average name. But his association with the center helped. He's the youngest member of the gang, the South East 8."

"Okay, and what's their deal?"

"Well they run mostly B & E jobs, loaning money and collecting. For being the South East 8 there isn't always 8 of them."

"Revolving door?"

"Yeah, a door that leads to the morgue more than jail."

Booth nodded, he had a feeling about this. "Loaning and collecting, they're pretty into retaliation, that how they lose most of their people?"

"Yeah, none of them are the original members and the gang is about 7 months old." Shaw explained while shaking her head. "Oldest guy known to be in it is 19."

"Agent Booth, it concerned me when you mentioned Dr. Sweets was working with someone associated with this gang. They've got over 42 open homicides associated with them. We haven't been able to pin them with anything since they're pretty much dead before we can get anyone."

"I hear you Shaw, loud and clear." Booth said heading for Sweets office.

"Hey Barry, what's going on?" Sweets said once in the safety of his office away from the prying and judgmental ears of Booth.

"Dr. Sweets, I need your help." Barry said breathless.

Sweets was alarmed.

"Look, are you a Fed or a doctor?" Barry asked point blank.

"It's a little complicated Barry, but I'm always above all, a doctor, now are you in trouble, do you need help?"

Barry sensed that Sweets was being true and honest in his offer to help.

"Yeah, I'm in trouble. I have to make a choice, now and I don't think I can hide out forever, they're gonna…"

"Look Barry, there might be a way out. I do have a friend that's an agent. If you can give him information he might be able to get a deal for you to get out of there."

"Really?" The kid asked, his voice full of hope.

"Yeah, I can make a call. But first are you safe?"

"No, not really."

"Well where are you, I'll come and get you." Sweets said ready to scribble down the address.

"Fifth and Central. I'll be hiding out until you get here. You're coming right?" The kid's voice was full of promise.

"Yeah, I'm coming."

Sweets hung up and called Caroline Julian to see if she could make the kid a deal. She wasn't in so he left a message. Then Sweets decided to change into his 'street' clothes to look less like a fed in a suit. Sweets picked up his bag he had planned to change into after work and in seconds looked even younger than usual in his jeans, ringer tee and grey Converse. He stuffed them in a bag and shoved the bag under his desk. He felt like he should be in a hurry. He grabbed the address and left for the hall. His phone call and change of clothes only took a few minutes. Sweets could hear Booth heading down the hall so he turned for the staircase instead.

Booth decided to knock but upon no answer opened the door anyway.

"Sweets?" Booth called but no one was in the office.

Booth had a suspicion that Sweets wasn't letting Booth in right now and that didn't sit well with the agent. Why does Sweets keep forgetting we're on the same damn team?! Booth wondered as he approached the young doctor's desk. He pulled out his phone and called Sweets cell, only to hear a muffled ring nearby.

Booth pulled back the desk chair only to find a hastily duffle bag stuffed with a suit. Sweets pulled the suit out only to find Sweets cell in the pocket, left there in his hasty exit.

And the kid wonders why I worry, Booth thought to himself as he headed back to Shaw's desk.

"Agent Booth!" Shaw said surprised to see him again. "What did I forget?"

"Tell me where they do their business."

The sun had set about a half hour before Sweets got across town to Fifth & Central. He would have preferred if Barry had called him about three hours ago instead of near 7 p.m. and dark out. This wasn't the part of town that seemed really concerned with replacing street lamps that were out.

He knew Barry said he was hiding so Sweets parked and got out on the empty street. He half wondered where everyone was and was half glad that no one was around. Sweets walked along one side of the street wondering if he should be calling out the kid's name but he wasn't a lost dog. Sweets felt a shiver and wondered if it was because the cool night air was settling in or if it was because…

"Oh! Hey Barry." Sweets said as the kid stepped into the dim light from a store lamp above gave off. "I was looking for you."

"Yeah, you found me." Barry said when another eight larger, taller and more menacing figures stepped in behind him. "And it's not Barry anymore, it's Big Dog."

Even the way he said it sounded silly but Sweets knew this wasn't time to laugh. He knew they were trying to sway the kid in their direction by treating him with more respect with a "big" name, literally too.

"Yeah, you see man, you don't need to be here no more." DJ-D announced carrying something in his hand that Sweets couldn't see.

"Look, I'll go if you want but I want Barry to come with me." Sweets said hoping the words weren't getting caught in his throat as he spoke. The group seemed to be encircling him.

"No man, you see little man here, I mean, Big Dog here, he knows who is family is." DJ-D looked down at Barry to make sure he was still in agreement.

"Yeah, this is my family now."

Sweets wanted to argue to get Barry to change his mind but mostly now he was more interested in the mathematics of the situation.

"Fine, you make whatever choice you want." Sweets said backing up to leave.

"Not so fast dog, see you lied to my family here. You said you were a doctor, but you're a Fed and Feds ain't part of our family." D-Dog explained as he waved the bat in his hand in front of Sweets face.

Sweets tried to keep a calm expression and figured some fancy explaining might just clear this up and if all else failed, maybe he'd just make a run for it and call the cops. Call….where's your cell phone dummy? Sweets asked himself mentally checking his pockets while taking his eyes off D-Dog. Shit.

"You're not my family!" Barry, Big Dog said while rushing forward and hitting Sweets across the head with a pipe of some kind. Sweets wasn't expecting it, not from Barry and the strike threw his concentration.

There was no chance to run now that Sweets head swam in disorientation. In fifteen seconds Sweets needed not worry about running, his legs were useless, in thirty seconds his arms felt destroyed, in forty five seconds he knew that over 18 sets of shoes had kicked him and by the time a minute had passed he couldn't open his eyes. Sixty more seconds went by though it swam in a sea of approaching darkness and anguish.

DJ-D leaned in to shout in Sweets ear. "See what you can accomplish in such a short amount of time when you have friends to help out!?" They all laughed when he was done.

D-Dog handed Big Dog a pocket knife. "Up to you kid, you want to finish him or you can leave him there night and be dead by morning? Ain't no one going to find him here, no one around her is calling anyone." He added looking around at the empty streets. People knew well enough to stay out of their business.

"Which way is worse?" Big Dog asked.

"Leaving him here means it's going to take longer." D-Dog explained.

"Let's do it that way." He said handing the knife back.

"Good job kid."

The group left but Sweets only thought he could piece together was that morning was too optimistic a timeline for him to make it.