A/N The usual stuff-don't own Bones, etc.

I had been pacing back and forth for a few minutes when the door opened.

"Agent Booth?" Sweets stuck his head out. "Is there a reason you're hanging around out here and not coming in?"

"I-" I cleared my throat and started again. "I was kind of hoping to talk to you-about my mom."

I could have sworn Sweets' eyes actually lit up. "Absolutely! Come on in."

As I passed him on the way into his office, I remarked, "You know you don't have to look so happy about my talking a painful situation, Sweets."

"I wasn't-" He stopped at my glare. "I wasn't happy that you're going through a difficult time, Booth. Just glad that you trust me enough to talk to me about it. That's all, I swear."

"Yeah I know." I sat down and Sweets parked himself across from me. "I just-this whole thing is getting to me more than I thought, I guess."

"So what's going on that's getting to you?"

I sighed. "I seems like every time I get some answers, it seems like more questions pop up. We've talked about why she didn't tell me when she got here about her new family she was marrying into, or anything about my new 'brother' and 'sister'. I asked her what she told Reggie and his kids about me and Jared."

"And?" Sweets looked at me intently. "Has she answered all of that?"

I leaned forward, my hands clasped together. "Oh she's answered. But it's been like pulling teeth, and I have a feeling there's a lot of stuff she hasn't said."

"What makes you think that?"

I snorted. "You know how often I've interrogated people, Sweets? Long before I met either you or Bones. You don't think I've learned how to tell when people are lying or hiding something? You think I can't recognize all those indicators that you and Bones like to talk about? I do this for a living."

"I grant you that." Sweets paused. "Couple of things. First, Dr. Brennan actually has talked about psychological indicators? That's-"

"Not the point, Sweets."

"Right, right. Well, try this. You just compared talking to your mother with an interrogation. Why is that?"

"Great. Stress the word usage."

"What words we use are important, Booth. You know that. Even if you didn't pick that up here when you were in therapy, you had to have seen it when you question people."

"Yeah." I stared into space for a minute, thinking. When I refocused, I noticed Sweets looking at me. "I guess I'm starting to feel like it's turning into an interrogation. It's like pulling teeth to get answers, I feel like she's holding back information, and she seems to be telling me what I want to hear."

"Similar to the people you question in your line of work."

I nodded. "I don't want to be interrogating my own mom, Sweets. But at this point, I'm not sure what else to feel about it." I stood up, walked over to the window, and stared out at the street. "She's the one who approached me about this, Sweets. She said she wanted to talk, she wanted to give me answers. But when she actually does, all it does is bring up things that raise more questions-questions apparently she doesn't want to answer. All that does is piss me off, Sweets." I smiled slightly "Not to mention how it makes Bones nuts to not get answers. You know how she is about finding the truth."

"Has Dr. Brennan been involved when you've talked to your mom?"

"I talked to her the first time alone, but after that, yeah."

"Do you believe that may have affected your mom's responses? Dr. Brennan can be somewhat-"

"Watch it, Sweets."

"-blunt in her approach."

I glared at him. "That's part of why I wanted her there. I told my mom we were sharing a life-Bones is entitled to know this stuff. Don't shrinks encourage communication between people in a relationship? Anyway, Mom hasn't really reacted all that well to Bones being there. I asked her if she was talking to Reggie and she said she was-so what's the problem? I know Bones has asked some uncomfortable questions, but-"

"Like what, exactly?"

"Does it really matter, Sweets?" I rolled my eyes at him.

"I think it might Booth. Look at the situation. You believe that your mother is keeping something from you-is that in response to your questions or Dr. Brennan's?"

I thought back for a minute. "It seems to mostly Bones' questions. Bones asked-" I stopped.

"She asked, Booth?" Sweets prompted.

"She asked why Mom left me and Jared with our dad. Why she didn't take us with her, or let someone know what was going on."

"Wow." Sweets leaned back in his chair. "Okay that was certainly direct and straight to the point. Did your mom answer that?"

"Not yet," I said slowly.

Sweets raised his eyebrows. "Really."

"Bones said she wanted a considered answer, so I was giving her time to consider how she wanted to reply to that." I sighed. "I was giving her another pass on that, wasn't I?" And damn it, she's taken advantage of that-again."

"OK, back up. What do you mean giving her a pass again?"

"When we argued-when she first told me about her second family, I told her I forgave her. That I'd given her a pass all those years she wasn't around."

"And now you feel as if she expects another pass about answering the question Dr. Brennan asked."

I shrugged. "I don't know, maybe. I've tried to make it clear that I need to know the answers to my questions, but I can't get past this, Sweets, if she won't tell me. I'll just have a bunch of unanswered questions and a lot of anger. I don't want-" I shook my head.

"You don't want what?"

I hunched over. "I don't want to be my dad. I acted like him in my office the first time I saw my mom in there. I could practically feel myself turning into him. Bones and Christine deserve better than that guy, Sweets. And if I can't work through what I'm feeling about my mom right now, I'm scared that's the guy they'll end up with."

"First, Booth, I don't believe that's who they'll end up with. Yes, your background has influenced who you are-but that's true in everyone's case-you, me, Dr. Brennan-everyone. Second, if you feel that strongly about it, you need to insist on the answers. If you have to, treat it like it is, in fact an interrogation. There you would press for answers-do the same thing here. Even if they are answers you don't like. You have a great support system here, Booth. Dr. Brennan, Dr. Saroyan, me, your grandfather, your friends at the lab and the FBI. You aren't alone in handling this. Regardless of your mom's answers-or even whether she chooses to answer honestly or not-you have a bunch of people who, I promise you, don't believe that you will end up like your father."

"Aren't you the one who said I have this deep reservoir of rage, and wondered if I had it under control?"

Sweets sighed. "You do have that rage inside you Booth. I think it's not reasonable to pretend it isn't there. But I also think it's not nearly as close to the surface as it used to be. You're in a committed relationship with Dr. Brennan, you two have a child together, you've accepted and worked through your father's death-these are all things that help to eradicate the rage. Perhaps this conflict with your mother will help you get rid of a larger part of it."

I leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "I'm not even sure I know what to ask her anymore, Sweets."

I heard the tap of his pen on his notepad. "So make a list. Consult your grandfather, Dr. Brennan-me if you need to-to figure out exactly what it is you want to know. I told you, if you have to treat it as an interrogation, do it. You usually have a general list of what you want to know when you face a suspect, right? Notes from a case file, whatever. Use that same procedure here."

I slowly lowered my head. "Treat my mom like a suspect."

Sweets gave an impatient wave. "I'm not saying that. I'm saying prepare for the next conversation like you would for a suspect. Create your own sort of 'case file' for that-notes, details she's seemed to have left out, and so on. You don't have to stick to the list when you talk to her, but at least it will give you a place to start. I assume Dr. Brennan plans to be there for that?"

"And Pops."

He looked surprised. "Hank, too? Well that's good. Use both of them to make your list-I'm sure, based on what you've said, that they have their own questions. Do you know if her new husband will be there at the next conversation?"

I looked startled. "I sort of doubt it, Sweets."

He shrugged. "Just trying to get a feel for the dynamic. Maybe you might suggest he join her at some point, but that's up to you."

"I'm trying to deal with the people I know now, Sweets. Throwing an unknown into the mix may be a little much for the time being." I paused. "But it's not a bad suggestion for a later date, though."

"Hey just because Dr. Brennan doesn't believe in psychology doesn't mean I'm not useful."

I rolled my eyes. "Seriously, the two of you just can't let this go, can you? And if you think I'm getting in the middle of this argument, you need your own shrink." I stood up. "I appreciate your ideas on this."

"Anytime, Booth. But I did want to ask about Dr. Brennan mentioning psychological indicators-"

I held my hand up. "No way-not happening. You want to know, you ask her." I grinned as I imagined that conversation/argument, and walked out.

Anyone else sort of looking forward to Marianne being subject to a Booth/Brennan interrogation? With Pops thrown in? Heh-heh. Hey, I get to take out my frustration with her that way, which I've discovered while writing this can be fun.