Chapter 9.

Booth didn't stop Sweets from walking away and sitting on the nearby steps. The others looked to one another, searching for a reason that it wasn't her, it wasn't Daisy, but they knew the sickness that was Pelant and could hardly dispute the possibility it was, especially if Pelant was wanting to target Sweets.

No one wanted to touch the body. Instead they covered it and walked closer to Sweets, keeping a distance though Booth was nearest to him.

"Hey Sweets, I can take you home…" Booth offered but Sweets shook his head.

"Daisy and I weren't together anymore…"

"But you were once." Booth pointed out. Booth couldn't tell if Sweets was just in shock or worse, if he were just so far gone emotionally that the latest shock was nothing new. Under normal circumstances he would have expected Sweets to be curled up on the floor inconsolable. This new Sweets was stoic, but maybe a little too much.

"Look, I don't know what I'd be feeling if…" Booth wasn't sure how to describe this exact situation, combined with the week Sweets had already been having. He felt sorry for the kid, mostly because he refused to feel sorry for himself. He was moody sure, but never pathetic.

"We've got to find him." Sweets said rubbing his tired head. "That's what we have to do." He said standing up but on wobbly legs.

"Whoa," Booth began trying to pause him. "I don't think so Sweets, you're not up for this, you need rest. I mean I would be being kind if I said you looked like hell."

"He's getting closer Booth." Sweets said ignoring his comment. "Which one of them do you want to risk next?" Sweets said in a low tone nodding to the group. Booth swallowed hard as the thought of the ultimatum came back to him again.

"Right." Booth said realizing that Pelant was only trying to get closer to them. "Christine and Michael Vincent go home from daycare now." Booth said. "Bones, call your dad. He'll watch them at our place."

"Are you sure that's…." Angela began fearing for her child.

"We all need to work on this, together." He said eyeing Sweets on the last word. "And Max won't let anything happen to those kids." Brennan, Angela and Hodgins nodded in agreement to that statement.

"Curious, if Pelant is getting closer, then why Derringer?" Cam asked as Brennan made the call to her father.

"To show us he could do what we couldn't." Sweets said gaining their attention. "He wanted to show us, even dead, he could stop Derringer, which we failed to do."

"Alright, the way I see it," Booth began having accepted what Sweets said but didn't like it all the same. "Hodgins, you take the kids to our place, watch your back okay? Sweets, Angela, me, we are going back to the FBI building. Angela can work with the IT team to try and track down something about catching the virtual life that is Pelant. Sweets will work on getting into Pelant's head. Squints can do squinty things, okay?" He asked as everyone nodded in agreement.

Angela kissed Jack goodbye and followed Sweets and Booth to Booth's SUV. Sweets opened the passenger side front door and waited, Angela realized he was opening it for her.

"Oh, thanks Sweets." She thought as maybe there was still hope for him in there somehwere. She watched him shut the door with balled up fists. It was then that she realized he had been walking with his hands in his pants pockets the whole time he had been there. While he often carried his hands in his pockets, she knew now it was for a different reason- he was hiding them.

In the car Booth was on the phone setting people and resources up to work for Angela when they got to the Hoover building. Angela turned in her seat to look at Sweets who still gazed out the window.

"So, how are you doing Sweets?" She asked trying to smile.

"Fine. How are you Angela?" He asked in an autopilot conversational mode.

"I'm asking Sweets because you don't look very good."

"Thank you." Sweets added sarcastically. "That's always helpful to hear." Sweets kept looking out the window and Angela wanted to reach back and slap him.

"I'm saying it because I'm concerned Sweets. What's going on? Besides all this stuff? Do you want to talk about Daisy?" She asked feeling like she was treading on touchy ground.

"Do I want to talk about my ex-girlfriend being murdered by a computer glitch? No, not really." Sweets said continuing the cynicism.

"Well, I want to help Sweets, I know this is about more than Daisy, what…."

"Look Angela, I thank you for acting concerned, but I'm fine, I'll take care of myself."

Angela was pissed now. "First of all, I'm not acting concerned and if this is your version of taking care of yourself, well you're terrible at it." She turned and sat in her seat her mood taking a nose dive at the fact the one thing she thought she might be able to improve upon was not going to be happening.

Angela looked over at Booth who had finished with his phone call and shared the expression of 'welcome to my irritated and worried world.'

They arrived at the bureau and Booth's assistant met them as they headed up the elevator. He informed them of his plans to start a dinner order since it appears they will be working late.

Angela and Booth struggled with the thought of food over poor Daisy. She hadn't been their favorite person in the world but she was smart and a good if somewhat distanced member of the team. Still food was necessary so they added something to the order.

"Sweets? You?" Booth asked.

It pulled Sweets from his daze of thoughts and he shook his head with a "no thanks" and as soon as the doors opened left for his office.

Angela and Booth had been working on being more eye to eye on friends lately and on this there was no doubt that were in completely agreement over Sweets. As much as they didn't want to, they put Sweets behavior to the side. If they didn't figure out a way to catch Pelant, Sweets could be next.

"How secure are we here?" Angela asked Booth as they headed to the room Booth had set up.

"Why?" He asked, it was the bureau building but then again, this was Pelant.

"Well, Pelant must have figured out that Sweets was alive, why else kill Daisy?"

"You think he'll go after him next?"

"He tried once before."

"Yeah, but he's not real this time. There's a mortality that's missing from his ego this time around."

"You're starting to sound like Sweets." Angela said with a smile.

"Someone needs to." Booth said as he headed to his office.

"Okay gentlemen, let's get started." Angela said to the room of young and techie men before her when a thought occurred to her. The only hope we have is a damaged psychologist and a room of awesome geeks. I sure as hell hope this works.