Disclaimer: Bones and its affiliated characters do not belong to me. I mean no copyright infringement. All characters and places are meant to be fictional.

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait. Final chapters make me nervous and play funny tricks on my muse. I hope this is enjoyable for you. I've had a lot of fun writing Sweets' Plan for the Truth! Thanks for reading!

Sweets' Plan for the Truth

Chapters 48: Founding Fathers

Booth enjoyed his alone time with Brennan in the evenings. Walking into Founding Fathers reminded him of the days when they celebrated cases with just each other. He was all too aware that he almost threw it away. On this night, they were celebrating the closure of two cases and the whole team was there. It was the opportunity they were waiting for.

"Ready for this Bones?" asked Booth before they left the SUV.

"I mentally prepared myself for this before now, Booth. Now's not the time to have second thoughts."

Booth chuckled. Despite her words, he knew Bones was nervous.

"I think we should surprise them soon and then I won't have to remind myself not to touch you," she continued.

"That's definitely something we can agree on. You first." He held open the door for her.

"It's an unnecessary ritual for the man in a relationship to insist that the woman walks in first," she argued even while walking in.

"Well, we can't agree on everything now can we Bones? It just wouldn't be right."

When they walked in, most of the team was already there. They talked about how the cases ended since their time was divided between the two. The Sherwood brothers were in jail without parole. Hannah was given community service hours, but the real consequences harmed her professional career. She was fired and most likely she would be blacklisted from other national and big city newspapers.

It turned out that the men buried under the museum were targeted because they knew too much about the largest donator to the cancer wing at the hospital. The money that he was donating had been obtained illegally. Further investigation would be done to find all the means the money was gained, but since the murder itself was solved, Booth and Bones were done with their part of the case. They were more than happy to hand it over to the white collar crime division.

"Here, here, to Brennan," said Cam. "Her snooping paid off after all!"

"You don't have to encourage her, Camille."

"Oh, I think I have a right, Seeley. Who didn't prevent Sweets from getting a gun permit?"

"How was I supposed to prevent something I didn't know was happening?" he defended himself.

Rachel was helping Sweets walk in behind Booth. "It could have happened to anybody," Sweets argued while his face turned three shades of red. He quickly changed the subject. "How is Agent Marks doing since his surgery?"

"He's already at home. Eight to twelve weeks of medical leave. He's already griping about it, but he knows he's lucky to be alive. And he gets the extra time to spend with his kids." Booth explained.

"The department is probably already missing him. I know I'm missing Angela. Hodgins, when are you going to get your butt back to the lab?" she chastised in a friendly manner.

"Hey now, it's only been a week. I'm surprised this beer hasn't put me to sleep, yet." Hodgins dug his phone out of his pocket. He showed his phone to the group as if they could read it. "The new mom wants to know when the new daddy is coming home," he announced.

"Not yet, not yet!" cried Brennan. "We haven't made our toast, yet. Booth, you make the toast this time."

He gave her a lop-sided smile. "Come over here. We'll make it together this time."

"To two solved cases we can pass on to Rachel," started Booth.

"Here, here," said Sweets turning to Rachel.

"We're not done, yet, Sweets," groaned Booth.

"And to the brilliant forensics team, especially me," Brennan said proudly.

"Bones! You're not supposed to toast yourself."

"Why not? I'm part of the team and I do have the highest IQ and the most degrees."

"Now's not the time, Bones."

"And to the best FBI agent, Booth," she added and ignored Booth's rebuke.

"Well, I had help, Bones."

"But you're still the best, Booth."

"Hey!" cried Hodgins. "I thought this was supposed to be a toast."

"That's what it is," offered Cam. "They said they were doing it together. Is there anything they can do without bickering?"

Booth and Brennan looked at each other with amusement. "It happens once in awhile," Booth informed the group. He looked back at their friends. "And now we end this toast without any winners…"

"Huh?" sounded collectively.

"Well, that's not exactly true," countered Brennan. "I think we're the winners."

Booth beamed his most charming smile.

"Yes, we're the winners. Booth & Bones. Because we are both telling you and showing you the last part of our toast."

Booth and Bones clinked their beer bottles together while the rest of them watched with curiosity. Bottles still in hand, they stepped close together and kissed for what had to be close to a minute. Hodgins was the first to recover from his shock and quickly took a picture for Angela before the two partners separated.

"Dude! That's just not right. There should be winners and money floating around," declared Sweets!

"I thought you dropped out of the betting pool," said Brennan.

"I dropped out of the FBI one. I never got around to talking to Hodgins," admitted Sweets with a guilty shrug.

"How do you plan on preventing any winners in the FBI pool?" asked Wendell.

"We've been thinking about that and we're going to need some squinty help," chuckled Booth. "And we need you, too, Sweets."

"Me?" he asked with pride.

"Yeah, we need a copy of the convoluted excuse for a pool. It's so detailed we need to make sure we get it right. So do you still have it?"

"I have a backup copy safely tucked away."

"Where would that be? In your gun safe?" teased Wendell.

Booth gave Wendell a proud high five.

An hour later, Hodgins was at home pacing the rooms of his mansion with Michael while on speaker phone with the rest of the team that was at Sweets' apartment huddled around the kitchen table. They agreed that if they pulled it off, it was going to be one sweet surprise for the agents that would be the talk of the bureau for months!

~ THE END ~

Yes, I really did end it there! The surprised agents will be in the beginning of the sequel

which you can read about at the end of the author's notes.

I seriously appreciate all of the reviews I received from so many readers. You really have a way of encouraging writers like me.

Stats on this story at the time the last chapter was posted are awesome:

Chapters: 47

Words: 105,297

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Reviews: 377

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If you haven't left a review, yet, please take a few moments and let me know what you liked best about this story. (I accept anonymous reviews.)

Sequel: A Sweet Surprise

Booth and Brennan are finally together. A surprise enters their lives and it seems to create all kinds havoc. Can they learn to live with their differences?

After completing 3 multi-chapter Bones stories I still have going, I have plans for three new Bones stories: The Partners in Hollywood, He Called Me Doc (a sequel to He Called Me Baby) and A Sweet Surprise (a sequel to Sweets Plan for the Truth.) I'm hesitant to give a time frame because life tends to throw me through loops when I do that. If you have me on author alert, you will be notified by email when I post the new stories.

My profile page has an outline of the stories I'm currently working on in both fandoms I write for now: Bones and Criminal Minds.