Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Angela, do you think I'm in over my head with this store? First, that flood ruined a tenth of our stock before we had even opened. Then those kids egged us, and now we're missing a whole order of books. It's too early in the week for this." Bones groans laying back on her couch, head in her hands.

"Hey don't worry, I'm sure nothing else will set us back." Angela says sweetly.

*Ding dong*

"Uh, did I just jinx it?" She asks worried.

"Angela, jinxes aren't real." Bones says standing up and walking towards her front door. "Hello, how may I help you?"

"Temperance Brennan?" A lady in a neat uniform asks.

"That is me." She says nodding.

"Good." The lady says with a tight smile before it falls and is replaced with an apologetic one. "I'm sorry to spring this on you but it appears you may have a brother."

"Of course, I have a brother, his name is Russ." Bones says confused.

"Ah..." The lady chuckles. "Yes of course. We know that I meant a younger brother. Lance, please come here." She says turning and waving down someone.

A young boy with curly hair walks up to the door with his head down. He stands next to the lady clutching a backpack.

"Right sorry. I'm Miranda from CPS, Child Protective Services. This is Lance Sweets, a 16-year-old who was in and out of foster homes until an older couple took him in when he was still little. They've however passed quite recently. Checking his file again it seems his DNA has matched with yours. Not sure why it didn't before." She says kinda uncomfortable.

"Is this your first day? You don't seem like you're used to this." Bones asks.

"Y-yeah, sorry. I'm still new. Could we come in and discuss this?" She asks as the boy beside her shakes.

"Of course you can. Come on in darling." Angela says softly, popping into the door frame. "I'm Angela, a friend. Come sit down." She says mainly to the boy, gently guiding him to the couch.

Miranda follows him in and sits beside him. Bones takes a seat across from them on the armchair and looks at them confused.

"Sweetie ask them gently." Angela says quietly to Bones before turning to the guest. "I'll be in the kitchen, give you some privacy. Would you two like a drink?"

The young boy shakes his head. "No, thank you though." Miranda smiles and Angela walks off to totally not listen in.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure how I can help." Bones states.

"All we ask is for temporary placement. We've seen your record, clean as far as we can tell. Unlike your older brother's. We would send him to a home..." The boy shivers at the idea. "But he doesn't have the best memories of those. It's just until we find a place, although preferably we'd like children to be with family."

"You want me to accommodate this boy? Someone I've never met? No offence, I'm just not comfortable around strangers."

Miranda sighs. "I know it's hard to imagine since I just sprung it on you but please, it's only for a few days."

"How are we related?"

"We know that your parents disappeared when you were nine. We believe your mother was pregnant with him during that time and he was left at a safe dropoff point a few months into his life."

"Oh, that seems plausible. Can I have someone else help me? I don't know how to take care of a child, especially one his age."

"Of course, we will have to run a check on them, however. Angela, I'm guessing will be your help?" Miranda asks.

"Most likely. Also what about school and other things?"

"Right, give me a list of people who might help you. As for school, here is all his information, we've already enrolled him in one, just make sure he gets there on time." She says handing over a piece of paper from her bag.

They swap important details and have a chat. Angela comes back once she knows all the important stuff is over and tries to talk to Lance, taking a seat next to him but he turns away from her.

"I know where she keeps her chocolate chip cookies." She whispers to him.

"I'm not a child." He mumbles.

She fakes gasps. "He talks!" She then looks at him sincerely. "Look, Bones may seem like an alien sometimes but she's a good person and a good sister, I would know she's basically mine. I can give you my number and if you ever need a normal person to talk to, or someone to save you, I'll be here."

"Bones?" He looks at her confused with a slight smile.

Angela chuckles. "Yeah, we call her that because she has a special interest in them. It's a surprise she didn't become an archaeologist or an anthropologist."

"So what does she do?" He asks, opening up a little more.

"We run a bookstore together. I mean she owns it but I help her. I make sure it's not just nonfiction. We wouldn't get any customers."

"Oh, that's cool I guess." He says defeated.

"Hey! Books are cool. I make sure we have the cool ones. Graphic novels too." She says. He shrugs and looks away.

Angela sighs. "Okay then. Good chat." She stands up and walks over to Bones and Miranda.

"That looks like everything. I can't thank you enough for taking him in on such short notice. If anything and I mean anything comes up please call. Even if it's something simple. You'll get a call by the end of the week, about whether or not we find someone to take him. But again we think it would be best for him to be with family. But no pressure, we understand not everyone can or should have children. And I'm rambling so I'm going to go now." Miranda says packing up her stuff and turns to Lance.

She walks over to him and rubs his shoulder. "You have our phone number. Please be nice to her and everyone in her life. If you don't think this is a good fit we'll listen to you. I'm going now. I'll see you soon. Goodbye, Lance."

He looks up at her and nods. "Goodbye." He mumbles.

She stands up and walks to the door. "Okay, I guess I'll be off. I'll see you in a few days." She says before walking out and down to her car.

"Are you okay with this honey?" Angela asks Bones.

"Of course, I am aware of how rough it can be in the system, and I understand the challenges of having an older sibling who is unable to take care of you and ends up letting you go into the system." She says taking a seat back in the armchair.

Lance looks up. "You were in the system too?" He asks quietly.

"For three years, yes. I was in a few foster homes." She says to him, the first proper sentence directed at him. "So Lance..." She pauses to think of what to say.

"Sweets. Uh, everyone used to call me Sweets." He says fidgeting with his hands.

Angela sits next to him and smiles. "It's nice to meet you, Sweets."

"Okay, Sweets. How are your grades?" Bones asks curiously.

"Bones. Don't ask him that." Angela scolds.

"What? What other things would I ask him?" She asks confused.

He chuckles softly. "It's okay. My grades are pretty good. Mostly As. I've skipped a grade. I get picked on because of it. Or, um I used to at my old school." He explains.

"Good. Children should always strive for excellence, especially during their teenage years." Bones says proudly.

He chuckles again. "I don't study. I'm just "good at learning"." He says using his hands as emphasis. "Or that's what one of my old teachers said."

"Oh, great another genius to add to our collection." Angela jokes.

Sweets tilts his head in confusion.

"This town is full of them. First your sister here, little miss know it all. And Zack who works with us part-time. Plus the little boys who read at our store every day despite there being a library a block away. The café next door is always full of high school and college students. Daisy in particular, Cam's pretty smart too. She runs the café." She lists off.

"Don't forget Hodgins. He knows a lot more than just vehicles." Bones points out.

"You mean that greasy man who forgets how to speak sometimes?" She jokes. "Point is, I think you'll fit right in. Sometimes I think I'm the only normal person in this town."

"Angela, you are smart! You're an artistic genius."

Sweets laughs. "Is everyone as agreeable as you two?" He says looking between the two.

"Oh trust me, sweetie. We don't agree on much. But we're best friends so we get over it. If you want to see her argue with someone though, just wait until you meet Booth. He's pretty normal too." Angela says as Bones scowls. She leans into the boy and whispers to him. "I think they secretly have a thing for each other though."

He gasps giggling. "You two seem okay." His face goes serious. "I just wish my parents could have met you. My adoptive parents." He looks down sadly and kicks his backpack.

Angela and Bones look at each other sadly. "Uh, hey. Why don't I show you to the spare room? You can unpack and get comfortable." Angela says softly to him.

He nods and follows her upstairs.

Bones leans back in her chair and looks up at the ceiling trying to think through what just happened.

Chapter Text

"You can do your homework out here or in the back. I'll be in the back." Bones says as Sweets and her walk through the front door of the bookstore. She points over to two armchairs in the corner by the front window.

The boy nods, walking over to them as his sister leaves.

"Hey Sweets. How was your first day?" Angela asks from her counter. She walks out from behind it, towards him.

"Well, at least I didn't get called a freak today." He sighs slumping into the chair before reaching down to his bag.

"Stop right there. I know Bones told you to do your homework but why don't we go get a snack? The cafe is right next door. We can call it brain food." She says.

"But what about the store?" He asks looking around.

"Eh." She shrugs. "Do you see anyone here? Our "regulars" aren't here yet plus I do it all the time I even have a sign for it." She says walking back to the register and grabbing a "At the café! BRB!" sign, holding it up.

He shrugs and stands up. "Cool, just let me tell Bones and we can head over." She walks to the back of the store and into the office. "Hey hun, we're just gonna head to the café for some brain food. We'll be back soon." She says popping her head into the door.

"Okay, Ange." Bones says looking up before turning back to her work. "Oh and please let Cam know that the latest book in the series she's reading is available."

Angela rushes back to the front, hanging the sign and walking out the door. She locks it behind them before taking literally 6 steps and turning into the warm-smelling store. She walks up to the counter smiling at the excitable girl finishing up an order.

"Good afternoon Daisy. Just starting your shift?" Angela asks.

"Oh hi, Angela. Yep, how can I help you today?" The girl smiles widely.

"I'll just have my regular. What do you want Sweets?" Angela asks turning around.

The boy steps to the side to look at the menu and the food in the display.

A gasp is heard from behind the counter. "You're the new boy at school, right? You're in my psychology class. Oh my god, how do you know Angela? I just-"

"Daisy! Let the boy breathe. I'm so sorry for her." A lady with a short bob says walking out.

Angela chuckles placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I should have guessed you two would go to the same school. Sweets this is Cam and I guess you sort of know Daisy. Cam, Daisy this is Lance Sweets. He's apparently Bones' younger brother." Angela explains.

"Y-younger brother?" Cam asks.

He clears his throat. "Yes. I'm staying with her for a few days until I have a place to stay. And yeah, I'm in psychology." He says awkwardly.

"That's so cool. I wish I had siblings. You're so lucky to have Brennan as your big sister. She's really smart and cool." Daisy says smiling at him.

He smiles a slight blush across his cheeks. "Y-yeah."

Angela watches them with raised eyebrows before turning back to Cam. "I'll fill you in later. First, we're here for some brain food." She turns back to Sweets. "You decided yet?"

"Oh, right! Uh, I'll just have a muffin and a hot chocolate please." He says to Daisy more blush rising to his cheeks.

"Coming right up. You two can sit down. I'll bring them to you." She says with her trademark smile.

Angela nods paying and goes to walk away. "Oh, Cam! Your next book has come in. Just pop by whenever to pick it up." She says before following the boy to a seat. "So what was going on between you and Daisy?" She smirks.

"What?! N-nothing. Just... I don't know. Leave me alone." He says crossing his arms.

Angela chuckles at him. "Don't worry I won't tell anyone. And I'll drop it... For now." She says as she sees two preteen boys run up to her.

One of them calling to her in his thick country accent despite being born and raised in town. "Angela, Angela!" He's out of breath. "Why aren't you at work?" He asks as his shy friend follows.

"Because Finn, I'm treating my guest to some food." She says smiling at them. "Boys this is Sweets. He'll be in the bookstore after school for the next couple of days."

"Hiya!" Finn says waving with a big smile.

His friend smiles slightly. "Hi." His British voice soft.

"Look we'll be back in like 30 minutes. I think Michelle might be here. You guys can chat with her until we're ready to go okay?" She says looking around. Her eyes land on the little girl sitting near the front counter doing her homework.

Finn follows her eyesight and runs over to the girl. The young British boy rolls his eyes and slowly walks over to them.

"That was Finn and Vincent. They're ten and eleven respectively. Part of the genius collection. Our "regulars". They come in every day. Finn loves graphic novels and Vincent has probably read every fact book in our store. They never buy anything, but that's fine. I don't mind the company, they're always quiet and respectful. And the girl is Michelle, Cam's daughter, well, adopted daughter but still. She's 8, a little younger than them and definitely doesn't understand everything they're saying, their accents aside, that is. But she comes over sometimes too." Angela rambles

Daisy stops at their table dropping off their drinks and food from her tray. "Enjoy." She says before hearing the bell ring at the register. She hurries off.

"I think that was the shortest sentence I've ever heard her say." Angela jokes.

Sweets just nods taking a sip of his hot chocolate. "You really like this town, huh?" He says looking around.

"Hmm? Yeah, I guess I do. It's a small town, we all know each other. Help each other out. Sure some people can be a bit annoying but you get over it." She says taking a sip of her coffee.

They sit and finish up in a comfortable silence. With one final sip, Angela places her cup on the table and smiles. "Alright, ready to do your homework mister?" She says lightheartedly.

He softly groans. "I guess." He says standing up.

She chuckles standing and walking back to the counter. They walk past the two young boys who notice and start to follow them. She waves goodbye to Cam and Daisy.

"See ya guys. Gotta take my ducklings and leave." She jokes. They wave goodbye.

The small group walk out and over to the locked door of the bookstore. As soon as the door clicks open the boys rush in and disappear behind the shelves.

"I guess they couldn't wait." Sweets says surprised.

She laughs. "Oh don't worry they'll be back. You better grab a seat before they take it." She warns.

She places the sign back behind the register as the boy sits and begins to take out his homework. She walks back to announce they're back before taking her seat behind the register.

She pulls out her sketchpad and begins drawing aimlessly. She looks up slightly when she hears Finn pout before offering the last chair to his darker-haired friend, taking a seat on the floor and opening his book. She smiles softly at them as they begin to read quietly.

Chapter Text

"Could I go to the electronics store? I want to see what music they've got." Sweets asks as Bones picks him up from school.

"Maybe after you do your homework. It's very important to get your work done before you indulge in "fun" stuff." She says driving off.

"But it's not due until two weeks from now. I might not even be at this school in two weeks." He rebuts.

"It doesn't matter. Learning something extra won't hurt. If you do the same assignment at your new school, you'll be better prepared to do well on it. Also, if you don't change schools, you'll get in trouble for not doing the work." She states.

"I don't even have to do it. I'll get a good enough grade even if I miss one assignment." He huffs.

"Imagine if you really dedicated yourself, you could excel and reach the top of your class. The higher your score, the better the college you'll be able to attend." She says upset.

"Yeah and let me guess, you went to a good college? Look at you now. You run a small empty bookshop that doesn't get any customers. You don't even interact with the ones you do get." He yells.

"Lance!" She stops the car, arriving in front of the shop. She turns to him and stares in disbelief. This was her brother? How could he be so lax in his studies? She sighs as she realises he's still going through a rough time on top of his teenage years. He's already been through so much.

He growls at her once he sees her keeping her calm. "Whatever!" He says getting out and slamming the door. He hikes his backpack onto his back and walks into the store.

Bones sees him wave off Angela. She takes a deep breath before getting out of the car. She walks in, not looking over at the boy and walks to the backroom.

Angela quickly follows her back. "What did you do to him?" She asks.

Bones sighs. "We disagreed about the importance of homework, but I think he'll be fine." She turns to the paperwork in front of her.

Angela hums sceptically before turning to get back to work.

~

"Uh, hey Angela. Bones said if I did some of my homework I could go to the electronics store." Sweets says softly walking towards the lady.

"Did she? Some of it?" She looks at him sceptical.

"Yeah, it's not due for a couple of weeks. I did like half of it already. See." He says holding up his book.

She hums before shrugging. "Alright. But don't be too long."

He smiles at her, quickly putting away his stuff and moving his bag behind the counter. "See ya!"

He quickly walks down the street and across the road into the small, outdated-looking store. Walking in a small bell chimes alerting the man in the centre of the store.

"Hey there buddy! Looking for anything in particular?" The tall well-built man asks.

"Uh, not really just wanted to check out your music collection." The younger man says.

The guy smiles and waves him over. "CDs are over here. Vinyl is one asle back." He says walking over to the left. "What's your taste?"

"Uh, well..."

"I know. Maybe you're a metal guy, huh? All teens are. What about some classics? Metallica? Black Sabbath?" The guy says, picking out some albums.

"Ah, yeah actually. I've already got that album." Sweets says happily as he looks through the rack.

~

"Angela, where is Sweets?" Bones asks walking into the front of the shop.

"He went to Booth's." Finn says looking up from his comic.

"What?" Bones asks looking between the young boy and the lady.

"He said you told him he could if he did some of his homework. He did half of the one that's due in a few weeks. He showed me it. I thought he could use the cheering up so I let him." She explains.

"Angela, we discussed it but I never gave him permission. Did he not complete his work?" Bones groans.

Angela shrugs. "Sorry, I didn't know."

Bones sighs. "It's ok. I'll just go and get him."

~

"You from around here? I don't think I recognise you. Or maybe you've got strict parents." The guy says turning to the curly-haired boy.

"Actually I'm sort of new. I'm-" Sweets was cut off.

"Sweets! I never said you could run off like that. You didn't even tell me where you were going." Bones says walking into the store.

The boy groans. The man's face lights up before falling in confusion. Looking between the two people in his store. "Bones!" He fakes a smile. "Why are you yelling at my customer?"

The boy freezes as the woman gets closer. "Because he's my responsibility and he's supposed to be doing his homework in my store."

"Someone put you in charge of a teenager?" The man asks.

"I am more than capable of taking care of another human being, Booth." She says crossing her arms.

"Sure you are. Well if you will excuse us, I was trying to sell this young man some music." He says turning away. He leans into the boy. "If she kidnapped you blink twice." He whispers.

"She's my sister." The boy responds, also in a whisper.

"Damn, I feel sorry for you." The man says louder.

"You two can't ignore me. Sweets, we're leaving." She says grabbing his arm.

"Hey, hey hey. Calm down. Look I'm sure he'll get it done when he needs to. Surly he has time. Right?" The man tries to bargain.

"Yeah, it's not due for two weeks." Sweets butts in.

"See, two weeks. He's fine." Booth says with a smile.

Bones sighs. "Fine, whatever, but it needs to be done on time." She says taking a step back.

"Good. Now can we talk about how you two are related?" Booth asks.

"You told him?" She asks betrayed.

"Y-yeah, sorry I didn't know you wanted to keep it... Me a secret." Sweets says looking down.

"I- No, Sweets... I just meant you told a stranger. And especially him." Bones explains.

"Hey, what's wrong with me?" Booth asks offended.

"Is that a rhetorical question?"

"Oh, your Booth! Angela told me about you. She said you were one of the normal people." Sweets says innocently.

"Yeah, and I have to put up with her." He says pointing at the woman.

"Angela was right." Sweets laughs.

The man and woman stop their staring contest to look at him. "What?" They say simultaneously.

"Nothing don't worry. Bones could I stay here a little longer? I want to take a proper look. I'll come back soon though. Maybe after I go to the café." Sweets says smiling.

She sighs again. "Okay, I guess, but please be back before we close. I don't want to have to return here." She says before walking out.

"Again, I feel sorry for you." Booth says.

Chapter Text

"Hey." Bones says popping her head into Sweets' room.

He looks up at her from his book. "Hey, I finished all my homework. Sorry, I was being so difficult earlier."

"Actually, I should apologize. I don't understand why teenagers don't like doing their homework. I always did mine as soon as I got home, but I know that's not the case for most. Anyway, I wanted to tell you about Zack." She says walking in.

"He works for you, right? One of the geniuses?" He tilts his head.

"Yeah, he's similar to me. Not very comfortable talking to strangers. He'll be working with us tomorrow. Just be gentle and patient with him. I just wanted to inform you." She explains.

"That's very nice of you, for looking out for him. I will, don't worry." He smiles.

She nods and walks out of the room. "Goodnight." She says from the door.

"Night."

~

"Hey, don't you have to pick up Sweets?" Angela asks swinging into the backroom.

"He said he's going to catch the bus with Daisy. They're in the same class." Bones says looking up at her friend.

"Oh! Daisy huh? Good for him." She says smirking.

"What about Daisy?" Bones asks confused.

"Oh nothing, just he kinda has a crush on her."

"Oh, well, as long as it doesn't get in the way of his schoolwork."

"I'm sure it won't." Angela says walking out when she hears the door open. "Sweets!" She exclaims.

"Hi, Angela." He says smiling at her and getting his homework out. "I've just got some questions to answer today. Won't take long. Did you need any help around here?" He asks.

"Nope, we're all good today, Zack's here." She says pointing behind her at the man sitting cross-legged on the floor of the middle aisle stocking shelves.

Sweets looks over at him. Zack looks up at the boy. There isn't much of an age gap between them. The man is maybe three years older. Sweets waves at him with a smile. He awkwardly waves back before turning back to his work.

"So you're free to go exploring, as long as you tell your sister where you're going." Angela says sitting back at her post.

"Ok, cool." He says, taking a seat. He reads through his work before writing down his answers to the worksheet.

After about ten minutes he finishes up, double-checking his work. He packs up his stuff and moves his bag behind the counter smiling at Angela. He quickly walks down the middle aisle carefully past Zach and into the office.

"Hey, Bones. I'm done with my homework." He says standing before her.

"You finished already?" She questions looking up at him.

"Yeah, it was only a quick worksheet. Uh, could I go next door? I don't have anything else to do. I already asked Angela if she needed help but she waved me off." He explains.

"Okay, you can go. Just-"

"Be back before closing time. Got it." He says smiling.

"Yes!" She says with a slight smile.

"Thank you!" He says rushing out of the room and to the front of the store. "I'll be back soon. Just going next door." He says passing Angela.

"Say hi to Daisy for me." She says smirking.

He glares at her jokingly before almost running into the two children walking in. "Oops, sorry guys." He says walking past them.

"He don't let no grass grow under his feet, that's for sure!" Finn says to Vincent laughing as they walk into the store. (I spent so long looking for any other saying because I didn't want to use "hold your horses".)

Sweets looked at the boy amused before shaking his head and walking off. He walks into the café taking a deep breath and walking up to the counter.

Cam greets him with a smile. "What can I get you today Sweets?"

"Could I have a chocolate frappé please?" He asks.

"Of course, anything else?" She taps in his order.

"Nope, thank you." He smiles. He pays quickly deciding to wait by the counter and look around the small café.

For a place so small it was quite packed. There were six tables inside and two out. Only two inside were free, he could see Daisy wiping one down with her tray on the seat next to her. He smiles watching her ponytail swish as she scrubs at a dried-up spill.

"Here you go, Sweets." Cam says pulling him out of his thoughts. He smiles at her politely, taking his drink.

He passes by a customer who walks in, hearing him order. "Hello, Camille. I'll have my regular, thank you." He says confidently.

"Of course Clark, one moment." She replies hurrying off.

"You! Wait one moment."

Was this man talking to him? He turns to get a proper look at him. Fairly young, probably a college student, confident, demanding even. "Y-yes?" Sweets answers.

"You're new, right? A high school student?" He says looking Sweets up and down with a serious look on his face.

Sweets nods. "Yeah, I'm new. Why?" He asks scared.

The man lights up. "Well, then you probably would need to know where the library is. I work there. Clark Edison, by the way. It's just the next street over. Left out those doors and then two more at the corners you can't miss it." He smiles.

"Oh!" Sweets sighs in relief. "Thank you. I'll have to check it out." He says trying to not laugh awkwardly.

"Clack are you scaring the boy?" Cam asks, the man's drink in her hand.

"Just trying to get kids interested in reading." He says turning to her.

"His sister owns the bookstore next door. I'm sure he can't get away from books long enough." She says shaking her head.

"Oh, you're Brennan's brother? I didn't know she had a younger brother." The man tilts his head.

"Nether did she until Monday night." Sweets responds. This time the boy did laugh awkwardly.

A gasp behind him before someone latched onto his back. "Sweets! You're back!" The young girl says sweetly.

Sweets cringes but smiles. "Hi, Daisy. I just saw you at school." He says as she lets go and walks around him.

"I'll just go!" Clark says pointing to the door, walking off not bothering to wait for a response.

"I know but tomorrow might be the last day we get to see each other." She says sadly.

"Oh? You're leaving already?" Cam asks from where she was watching them.

Sweets rubs his neck. "Yeah, well maybe. I could stay with Bones if she wants me to. But I'll probably go to live with some strangers somewhere. Not that I really want to. We should find out soon." He says shrugging.

"You should tell her you want to stay." Cam says confused.

"Yeah and then you won't have to leave." Daisy says smiling.

"Uh... But she already has a lot on her shoulders. I mean like I said, a week ago she didn't even know I existed. I should just let her resume her life. Two more years and I'll be out of the system." He says sadly.

"If you don't tell her I will. I'll go over there right now." Cam threatens.

"But what if she doesn't want me? I just show up and she's gotta change her whole life." He says.

Cam goes to speak but she's beaten by another customer. "Sorry to eavesdrop but you're what, 16? You're practically old enough to take care of yourself. You seem polite, and if you're in Daisy's class you're smart. Bones is probably over there reading every parenting book in her store right now. If she hasn't stated that she wants you gone then she's probably thinking the same thing. Just tell her, talk it through." Another young man says, looking up from his laptop.

"That's very profound Arastoo but you shouldn't be butting in on my customer's drama. Don't you have some college work to do?" Cam says giving him a knowing look.

"You're right ma'am. But I do love to help." He says with a smile turning back to his work.

She shakes her head at him. "Anyway he's right. Bones isn't known for her subtlety. She's very open about when she doesn't like someone. Although she's not one to talk about her feelings."

"Right. I'll think about it." Sweets says unsure.

"Don't think, do!" Daisy says before dragging him towards the door. "Come on let's go."

"Daisy!" Cam says warning her. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Ah! Work, right! Sorry." She says stopping.

Cam sighs. "Just be right back. Make sure she comes back." She says seriously.

Sweets nods in a daze. The hyper girl pulling him along. As they walk through the door Angela looks at them confused. Sweets goes to say something but closes his mouth walking past into the back.

"Tell her!" Daisy says loudly startling Bones.

The woman sighs. "This is an employee-only area, Daisy."

"Right sorry. I'll just be out here." She says giving sweets a thumbs up and leaving.

"What do you need to tell me?" She asks.

"Uh, um... I want to stay with you. Like, live with you properly. Not just for temporary placement." He says rambling, clutching his coffee.

"Yes, I got that Sweets. I think that would be a good idea too. You already seem settled here and I wouldn't want you to be in a place that stresses you out. Not after everything you've already been through." She says calmly, a soft smile slowly forming across her face.

"Oh! So you're going to... Adopt me?" He asks scared still.

"Preferably. I believe children need a stable family to thrive. I've already spoken to Miranda about my thoughts. We have a meeting on Saturday to discuss everything. Of course, it is the government that has the final say." She says noticing his worry. "If I had known about you sooner I would have wanted to be in your life."

Sweets relaxes. "Me too." He smiles.

"Is that all you wanted to speak about?"

He nods.

"Very well. You need not worry. You can take Miss Daisy back to work now." She says moving back to her work.

He nods and heads out. Daisy practically jump-scares him as he walks back out onto the store floor. "How'd it go?" She asks excitedly.

"Yeah, good." He says walking towards the front of the store. The bouncing girl behind him, gaining weird looks from everyone in the store. "Let's go back to the café." He says finally taking a sip of his frappé.

He quickly waves to Angela who is giggling softly and winks at him. He knows he's gonna have to explain himself later.

Chapter Text

Sweets looks up from his work as a tall blond teen rushes through the door, down and into an aisle. A familiar-looking blond. He stands up and follows the boy.

"Wendell?" He asks.

The boy turns quickly, sighing in relief. "Oh hey, Sweets. What are you doing here?" He asks.

"This is my sister's store." He explains.

"Your sister is Angela?" The older boy asks a slight blush across his face.

"No? My sister is Bones." He says looking at his friend sceptically.

"Oh, that makes sense. Not that you're like her it's just, looks wise it makes more sense." He says rubbing his neck.

"Uh-huh, okay... So do you need help looking for a book?" Sweets asks.

"Uh, no. I'm just browsing. Had some free time."

"Really? Because it looked like you came in here with a purpose. You're acting kinda weird." Sweets says crossing his arms.

"U-uh. Weird? How so?" Wendell says looking over the shelf to Angela who is watching them sceptically from the counter.

Sweets follows his eyesight and smirks. "Oh! Angela huh? Okay, I'll leave you to your "browsing". See you later." He says walking off.

"Sweets, wait! It's not..." The older boy sighs, turning away from the lady's gaze and disappearing behind some books.

"Sweets!" Angela calls. "He a friend from school?"

Sweets walks up to her. "Yeah, we're in the same class. Does he come in often?"

She hums. "Yeah, occasionally. Seems kinda shy but he's nice. I'm glad you're making friends around here." She says smiling.

"Yeah me too." Sweets says as the door opens again.

Angela turns to the man at the door. "Hodgins, wipe your feet." She says before turning back to the boy in front of her. She sighs. "This is Jack Hodgins. He's the town's best mechanic. He can be kinda gross but don't let that bother you." She jokes.

"Ha ha, Angela!" The man says after checking his shoes are clean. "So who is this you're talking about me to?" He says standing next to the boy.

"This is Sweets." She says smiling.

"Sweets? Is that some kind of nickname? Isn't he a bit young for you?" He says.

"Uh, actually it's my last name but everyone calls me that. Um, I'm Lance Sweets." Sweets says.

"Oh, well nice to meet you, kid. I go by my last name most of the time too." Hodgins says.

"Sweets here is a relative of someone in town." Angela says vaguely smirking.

"Oh, who?" He says leaning his elbow on the counter.

"Bones. She's my sister." Sweets says shrugging.

Hodgins' arm slips in surprise. He coughs slightly. "Bones has a little brother? How come I didn't know about this?"

"Because she didn't know. Anyway, we're hoping he can stay with her. Right Sweets?"

"Uh, Yeah, hopefully. The social worker said I should be able to." He says smiling.

"Cool! Oh hey, Angie are there any new Palynology books in? I'd love to refresh myself with new information." Hodgins' says moving on.

"That's the study of..." She looks at him confused.

He sighs. "Pollen, spores and microorganisms. You know what, it's fine." He smiles. "I'll just have a look myself. I'm sure I'll find something even if you don't have it."

"Oh ok." She says as he walks away. She turns to Sweets who just shrugs. "He's such a weirdo." She says lightheartedly, shaking her head.

"Uh-huh. Well, I'm just gonna get back to work." He says walking back to the chair.

"Oh hey, Zack!" Hodgins' loud voice could be heard from the back of the room.

"Hey!" A meek voice responds.

"Could you pop down to the shop sometime tomorrow? I want to pick your brain on something." A pause can be heard. "Awesome. I'll owe you lunch to pay for your help."

The shop falls into a comfortable silence, only the occasional sound of a page turning or a pencil gliding gently across the paper.

After a while, Hodgins makes a noise of
acknowledgement and brings a book to the small reading area. His nose is already deep in the book as he sits down.

Sweets chuckles at the man's engrossment before returning to his homework. He works hard to finish only getting distracted on the last question by a quiet sigh. He looks up to see the curly-haired man no longer looking down at his book but still entranced by something or someone. He follows his eyeline to see Angela quietly sketching.

He holds in a laugh, quickly finishing his homework before standing up. He walks to the back of the store and finds his friend leaning against a shelf watching the same woman.

"Looks like you have some competition." Sweets says causing Wendell to jump.

"Stop that." He says in a hushed whisper. He pauses and glares at Sweets. "What do you mean competition?"

"Hodgins. The mechanic. He seems to like Angela too."

Wendell turns and looks over at the man before turning back. "What do you mean too?"

"Dude, it's obvious you have a thing for her. You haven't even looked at a book. You do know you're in a bookstore right?" Sweets says crossing his arms.

"Shut up. Fine, whatever. Just shh!" The blond boy blushes.

Sweets laughs. "Dude you're gonna need to buy a book. And preferably not from this section." He picks up a pregnancy book, holding it up for his friend to see.

A small laugh is heard at the end of the aisle. Sweets looks over his shoulder to see Zack, who's genuinely smiling, returning to his work.

Wendell roughly grabs the book and shoves it back on the shelf before hurrying to the manga and graphic novel aisle. Sweets chuckles and follows him, holding his finger against his lips as he passes Zack. The older boy nods zipping his lips.

"Hey, you know what I've heard is good." Sweets calls after his friend. He scans the shelf and pulls out a sci-fi graphic novel handing it over. "This one. It's about this teen guy who got transformed into a kid. And he's gotta find a way to change back."

Chapter Text

The door opens with a ring of the bell. A cool morning breeze flies through as a tall young man walks in.

Angela looks up at him with a smile. "Good morning Fisher!"

He sighs. "I'm glad you find it good Angela. For me, however, not so much." He says leaning on the counter.

She chuckles. "Dramatic as always. How's your mother?"

"Oh, you know, on my case about something." He says monotonously.

Sweets looks up at the two through half-closed eyes, half asleep, curled up in one of the armchairs. He shifts around accidentally kicking something. The two turn to him and he mumbles a soft apology.

"Fisher meet Sweets, Brennan's little brother." Angela says.

"Oh hey, kid." The man says seemingly uninterested.

Sweets waves softly and lays his head back on the arm of the chair.

Angela hums. "I think you've met everyone now, Sweets or at least the people we see frequently."

Fisher turns back to her. "Oh, we're hoping for him to stay here with Brennan. That's why he's here so early, she wanted to get some work done before their meeting. We get to find out if he'll be a part of our Bones' bookshop family."

"Might see you around then." Fisher says.

Sweets sighs, growing uncomfortable in the small chair. He sits up. "Yeah, or maybe not. Not up to me. My future is either basically living in a bookstore with my long-lost sister or in a foster home with a bunch of random people. Don't know which is worse." Sweets says sarcastically, stretching as he stands up.

"Wow, someone who gets it." Fisher says laughing but somehow still sounds unenthusiastic.

"Stop being dramatic, both of you. It's not that bad, I thought you made some friends Sweets?" Angela says.

Sweets sighs again and walks up to her. "Yeah, I'm just tired and trying not to get my hopes up. I would love to stay here. " He rubs his eye. "So... Uh, Fisher? What do you do?"

"He mopes around jobless. Trying to avoid his mother." Angela says smiling.

"How am I meant to know what to do? They tell you to do the job you love but I don't really love anything. Plus if I got a job it would be purely arbitrary. She would love it if I got one and well I don't want that."

"Right... Ok, sorry I asked." Sweets says. "I'm just gonna go look at some books now." He walks off.

"He totally thinks you're weird." Angela says in a joking way. Fisher just shrugs and walks off.

After an hour or so, Bones walks out of her office. Fisher and Sweets are reading in the chairs. A few customers are looking around at a leisurely pace. It's still quite early on a Saturday, everything is calm.

"Sweets." Bones says walking up to him. He looks up at her.

"Hello, Brennan." Fisher says smiling politely at her.

"Hello, Mr Fisher. Sweets, let's go get something to eat before our meeting." She says turning around and walking to the counter. "Angela, we're going next door and then to our meeting. Can you handle things for the next few hours?"

"Of course sweetie. We shouldn't be too busy. Go try to convince them to let us keep him." Angela says smiling and waving as Sweets walks past.

They walk into the cafe, greeted by Cam. They order and take a seat in the surprisingly busy store. Chatting about Sweet's schooling and if he thinks he'll be able to catch up if he needs to move. He really doesn't want to, sadly rubbing his eye of sleep, as their order arrives.

Spending the next 15 minutes slowly eating and preparing for the worst, they stand up and thank Cam before heading out the door and into Bones' car.

The ride is both long and short. The anxiety that rushes through them, the sadness and hope, makes them feel sick.

Bones doesn't like to feel worried about things out of her control, sure, she does her best to control most things but she tries to just accept that for some things she can't and she just ignores the feeling, but this time she can't. This time it bubbles in her stomach, she can't push it down and act like it doesn't affect her. A week ago she didn't even know this kid. Five days ago she didn't want to care for him.

But he fit right into her pseudo-family, the missing piece, a blood connection, real family. Something that deep down she had dreamed about since her parents had left and her older brother had moved on, leaving her to fend for herself.

The same could be said for Sweet's. The boy loved and adored his adoptive parents but he had always longed to find his blood family. Not "real family" because the Finleys were his real family, but someone to connect to, to find out what happened, why he was left alone.

He felt at home with Bones and Angela. And all their friends were warm and accepting of him. He had made friends here, and if he gets to stay he knows they'll become like family to him. He wishes that this was entirely his choice but since he's still a child and a ward of the state at that he doesn't have a choice only an opinion.

The car stops. They both turn to look at the building, it's a boring average-looking office building but it fills them with so much dread. With a sigh, Bones steps out of the car and turns waiting for her brother to follow suit. He does. They look at each other before walking into the building.

Walking up to the desk they state their reason for being there and take a seat waiting. Sweets fidgets with his fingers, a leg shaking softly. Bones smiles softly at him to try and calm his nerves but secretly hers are just as bad.

It doesn't take too long before they're called into a room. "Lance, how good to see you again." Miranda says, smiling from behind her desk. She motions for them to take a seat.

They do so, watching her not knowing what to do next. She hums softly collecting Sweets' file from a filing cabinet next to her, turning back to them.

She smiles reassuringly. "How have these past few days been?" She asks.

Sweets tries to talk but is unable to express what he wants. Bones jumps in with her side of the story. "Surprising! For me at least, I quite enjoyed having him around, except when he was at school and I was busy working."

Miranda hums again. "And for you Lance?"

"Yeah, it was nice. I got to help out at the bookstore, and meet many of the regular customers, and since this is a small town there were a lot of them. The school was okay. I think I made some friends there. Bones, or uh, Temperance was, she felt like a big sister. We had a few disagreements but I could tell it's because she cared." He says trying to make everything sound as best as he could.

Miranda chuckles. "So you enjoyed it? No need to sugarcoat anything." She smiles.

Sweets and Bones look at each other not sure what else to say.

"Okay, how about we have some one-on-one chats? Just want to make sure everything is correct for the final verdict. Lance, why don't you go wait outside? This won't take too long." She nods at him reassuringly and turns to Bones.

He nods and heads back out to the waiting room, closing the door behind him. The lady at the desk sees him and offers him a drink of water with a soft smile, which he takes. He sits down and periodically takes a sip to keep his hands busy. He watches the door, waiting until his sister's smiling face peeps through.

"Your turn now, Sweets." She says walking towards him. He nods and heads into the room.

Time passes, ten minutes, twenty and then the door opens once more. Sweets waves his sister into the room and they both sit watching Miranda once more.

"Okay, we've had our discussions. And I have the decision in here." She says holding up Sweets' file. "Just know even if it's not the decision you want we'll find a way to keep you connected. You two seem to have built a bond with each other." She smiles.

Anxiety bubbling its way back up in their stomachs. Sweets' leg bouncing once more.

Miranda pauses and looks down at the file before smiling widely at them. "Which is why I'm happy to say, you've been approved to be a family. As you know we try our best to bring and keep families together. We're so happy you want to try being siblings." It takes them a moment to comprehend what they just heard but their anxiety washes away, smiles rising to their faces.

"Temperance you pasted all the checks and stated that you want to care for Lance. Now you can." She says happily. "You'll get a care worker who will check in from time to time."

Miranda quickly wraps everything up, having them sign forms and sends them on their way.

As they step out of the building they look at each other and let out a breath. "I guess I'm staying." Sweets jokes happily.

"Yeah, welcome little brother, to my hectic life, and even weirder family." She smiles back. "Now let's go tell Angela the good news."

They hop in the car and make their way back to the bookstore. The trip was both long and short once more but this time completely without a worry. Filled with warmth and excitement.

Little did they know how weird their little family actually is now that it's complete. For now.

Chapter Text

So I'm (probably) not gonna write anymore for this story.

You are very welcome to continue this yourself. I wrote this because I wanted to read this. And now that I've set this in your mind maybe some of you will write something similar.

If you do continue this or make something similar, please tag/mention/credit me. I'd very much love to read it.

Here are the character descriptions to help you understand what I was going for:

Bones (25) runs a small town bookstore (I feel like she would) with a large educational section. The sore is named Bones' and much to her dismay, she wanted to call it The Lab.

Angela (23) basically co-owns the store, working in the front area talking to customers and has plenty of time to work on her art as it's not a busy store. Makes sure to have arts and crafts books. And well everything so it's not just nonfiction.

Hodgins (25) works in the mechanics shop down the road. He often stops by the bookstore "because he likes to learn" and totally no other reason. He can be found getting caught in a thick book about slime and bugs or whatnot in the bookstore or the café next door on his days off.

Cam (27) runs the café next door to the bookstore, despite being terrible at baking. It belonged to her family, she inherited it due to her management skills and she's pretty good at making coffee. She became friends with the group when she asked a customer about a book they were reading, so she popped in and had a chat. They have a lot of shared customers.

Zack (19) made a deal with his parents that he could work part-time in the bookstore and at the mechanic's if he made some friends. He also occasionally helps out at the café.

Sweets (16) is still in high school, a smart kid. At first, he tries to be nice and well-behaved but once he gets comfortable (and realises that no one is gonna abuse him) his cheeky/sarcastic side comes out. He is a teenage boy after all. Sweets eventually works with Booth in the music department of the electronics store.

Booth (29) works at the electronics store down the road to the bookstore. He thinks Bones is strange and endearing. Teases Sweets constantly. Eventually dates Bones.

(The other Squinterns and other characters that act as recurring characters.)

Daisy (16) is Sweet's classmate and eventual girlfriend. (I swore she was older than him but the Wiki says they're the same age) She works at the café but wishes to work at the bookstore.

Wendell (17) is a student, a year older than Sweets. A kind young man who becomes friends with Sweets. Has a crush on Angela.

Arastoo (22) college student who often does his classes at the café. Kind and helpful. Loves a good conversation when he's not busy.

Clark (21) works at the library. Busy man tries his best to stay out of shenanigans with people at the café and bookstore but is always dragged into their dramas. Eventually gives up and embraces this friendship with them.

Fisher (20, that feels wrong ahhh!) is just a fresh adult trying to find his purpose in this dreary world. Frequents the café and bookstore just to get away from his mother.

Vincent (11, what the fuck? I'm crying right now. Lil baby Vince!) smart British kid who hangs around at the bookstore. Best friends with Finn. Just moved to town.

Finn (10, I can't do this anymore, I'm stopping with him.) smart farm kid who hangs around the bookstore, trying to make his ma proud. Best friends with Vincent.

Michelle (8, actually I had to put her in too) is Cam's adopted daughter who is occasionally at the café. Sometimes hangs out with Vincent and Finn but she doesn't quite understand everything they say.

Miranda (27, my OC, you don't have to use her) is new to the family services job. She's trying her best. Possibly their caseworker.

Again if you use anything from this story please let me know. And if you find something similar from another author let me know. I love the Bones and Sweets being siblings idea.

This story was totally based on the joke in the fandom where Bones and Booth are Sweets' parents but I always felt it was more of a sibling vibe. Even the way Booth treats Sweets is more like how the main character's partner would treat the younger sibling of the show.

Goodbye for now

Drew X