Author's Note: Next chapter. Sorry that I didn't get back to this one right away. I am still thinking that it will be about three or four chapters long...
I do not own Bones or any of its characters. And I still do not own this Blake poem either.
Thank you to everyone who is reading/following/reviewing this.
Seletua: Thank you. And it did seem somewhat wrong to me too that the writers had Sweets claim in The Man in the Mud that he was a dog person when he confessed to Daisy in The Shallow in the Deep that he was allergic to them. I also see him as a cat person actually (even though I am fond of most animals) given his contemplative nature and all. I hope you will enjoy more cuteness with Tyger here in the future. :)
Rex01: Thank you. :D I was hoping that you will enjoy this, and I hope you won't be too smug after you read this chapter...:P
FaithinBones: Thank you. And I know exactly what you mean about pets. I have two cats of my own and it does cost a bit to keep them since I make sure to give them good food, toys, etc. But I figure it's still relatively cheap over the long run, especially when you consider what you get in return...I hope you enjoy Sweets' continuing fun with Tyger...
Peanutmeg: Thanks for the review. I do think that it would be fun for Sweets to have a pet on the show, but since I don't think that will happen any time soon, I suppose that there is always fanfic. :) I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.
Fluffybird: Yeah, I know that I tend to lean a bit much on angst, but I like to throw in a fluffier, light bit once in a while to mix things up. :) I enjoy both myself and I hope you enjoy how this fic unfolds.
Lives in the now: Thank you very much. :) I have many fond memories myself of cats having had them since I was a teenager. I agree that pets can be a wonderful addition to someone's life...And it makes sense to me that Sweets would try so hard with someone else's pet, especially when it's a cute little kitten like this. :) Expect more of the same with this update...
Whirlwind421: Thanks. Sorry for the delay in continuing this...but I hope you enjoy this latest set of kitty moments as well. :)
The Therapist and the Favor—Chapter Two
-In what distant deeps or skies/ Burnt the fire of thine eyes…
As he lay in bed, Sweets' nose could not stop twitching. He was caught up in a dream where a giant feather kept tickling his nose and face. Eventually, he opened his eyes and realized that Tyger was standing on his chest and sniffing his face. Sweets shuddered in surprise.
"Mew," Tyger said insistently. Sweets carefully picked the kitten up and held him in front of him.
'I must have slept in,' Sweets thought drowsily. 'And I guess that this is his way of letting me know that it's time for his breakfast.'
The psychologist yawned and sat up, placing the kitten down onto the bed next to him. Tyger jumped down and ran away toward the kitchen while Sweets stretched. It was then that he noticed something sitting on the end of the bed. It took only a second for him to realize that it was the same action figurine that Tyger had kept trying to play with yesterday.
'How did he get up onto that shelf where I had it?' Sweets wondered. 'Can he really jump straight up a wall with no help whatsoever?'
Sweets sighed and plucked the figure off of his bed sheets. As he stood up, he began to think that perhaps hiding it away from sight might be the best plan.
After feeding Tyger and making himself a quick breakfast of toast, coffee and scrambled eggs, Sweets sat down at the table and pulled some files out of his briefcase. He had the day off, but he had been thinking about getting some additional work done on a series of reports his supervisor had requested. He looked over his notes and in the background he could hear the soft tinkle of bells and the rustle of fabric as Tyger played with his toys.
"Mew….Mew…"
Sweets smiled as he heard Tyger meow while he played. He had always enjoyed taking some time to himself for reflection and usually preferred quiet during those times. But for some reason, Sweets was not bothered by the noise the kitten was making. The kitten's mews were relaxing rather than disruptive.
Eventually, Sweets tuned out all distractions and focused on the work in front of him. He was so engaged in what he was doing, he didn't notice it when Tyger began to creep up on him, his eyes glittering with playful intensity. The kitten circled around the chair that the psychologist was sitting in, but Sweets still did not acknowledge him.
Suddenly, Sweets heard a loud thump followed by the sound of claws digging into plaster. He looked up to see Tyger clinging to the edge of the wall that acted as a separation from the kitchen and dining area.
"Mew!" Tyger said, his eyes fixed on Sweets. The psychologist jumped out of his chair and reached over to pry the kitten off the wall.
"Ok, ok," Sweets said as he scooped the kitten into his arms. He examined the wall and was relieved to see that there were only a couple of thin scratches where Tyger had attached himself. He then looked down at the bundle of purring fur in his arms and sighed.
"I guess I can work on that stuff later," he said while scratching behind Tyger's ears.
After another unsuccessful attempt to interest Tyger in playing with him and the interactive toys he had bought for him yesterday, Sweets decided to try something different. Susan had suggested that Tyger was at the right age to learn to walk outside with a leash and harness and that supervised outdoor play could be good for him.
"Kittens like to explore and a leash and harness could ensure his safety while you take him outside since you do not have an enclosed outdoor area," she had told him. "Just take it slow and let him explore at his own pace."
Sweets had been worried about getting Tyger into the harness, but was relieved to find that it was a relatively simple process that the kitten did not seem to mind. He then took Tyger outside into the garden area of his apartment complex. He sat the kitten down, and Tyger immediately began to sniff the ground and venture around onto the lawn.
While the kitten wandered about, Sweet let his mind drift. He pondered childhood memories of longing for a pet and of watching other children play happily with their own cats and dogs. Throughout almost all of his childhood, Sweets had been convinced that he was different from the other kids he interacted with, and the fact that he didn't have a pet or even dare to ask his parents for one served as another reminder of that.
Sweets gave the leash some slack so that Tyger could check out a clump of grass and rocks close by. He knew and understood his reasons for not having a pet as a child, but having Tyger around made him question why he had been reluctant to get himself a pet after getting a place of his own. He had thought about it a few times over the years since living in DC and working for the Bureau, but would never work up the desire to go through with it.
'Was I afraid to take on the responsibility? Or didn't I trust myself to take care of another living being?' he wondered. 'What was holding me back all this time?'
The psychologist sighed and leaned against a tree. He knew that he was trying to avoid certain issues in his pondering because, in the back of his mind, he knew that his wishes and fears involving family had some bearing on this issue too. Having a pet was part of making a home for oneself and building domestic bonds. Ever since his parents passed away so suddenly and so close together, Sweets dreaded becoming too comfortable and attached to a familial setting, even though his whole heart ached to have such things in his life. Every step toward that all-important goal had been slow and tentative from the way he furnished his apartment, to his relationship with Daisy and even with the way he built his friendships with Booth, Brennan, Cam, Hodgins and Angela. It wasn't really logical, but every time Sweets thought about getting a pet, those feelings of hesitation and fear would always pull at him.
A sudden yank on the leash broke Sweets' reverie and he looked over to see Tyger leaning over to chew on some plants. The therapist immediately panicked. He had done some reading about pet safety and knew that certain plants could be poisonous to cats. He wasn't absolutely sure if the leaves in question were harmful, but the idea of Tyger getting hurt scared him nonetheless.
"Wait, no Tyger," Sweets shouted at him. The kitten whirled his head in Sweets' direction.
"Mew?" he said. Sweets started to bend down to pick him up, but the kitten darted away and the quick movement startled the psychologist into dropping the leash. Tyger then took the opportunity to run up the tree that Sweets had just been leaning against. With what seemed like lightening speed, Tyger climbed up onto a branch out of Sweets' reach. He then sat down and stared at Sweets.
Sweets looked up and sighed again. The leash was still within reach, but Sweets figured that it wouldn't be safe to try to use it to pull Tyger toward him. Making matters worse, it looked as if Tyger could not figure out how to get back down from where he was.
'What do I do now?' Sweets asked himself. 'I suppose I could call the fire department. That's what people do, I guess…but I don't want to put them out just because I couldn't keep track of a tiny kitten.'
Sweets then studied the tree in front of him. It looked sturdy and had solid branches. Plus, Sweets had experience climbing trees, having done it often both as a child at the orphanage and a few times as a pre-teen. He had little trouble doing it…save for a couple of unfortunate accidents he had had as a kid.
Decision made, the psychologist rubbed his hands together and reached up for the highest branch he could comfortably reach and began to climb. He was inches away from Tyger when the kitten looked over and tilted his head at him.
"Hold on, Tyger," Sweets told him. "I'll get you down from here in a minute."
Tyger, however, clearly had plans of his own and began to back away from the therapist's outstretched hand. Sweets worried that the kitten did not trust him, and felt his stomach sink at the idea.
Then in a flurry of movement, Tyger dashed back down the tree onto the ground and sat down on the ground and looked up at Sweets.
"Mew?" Tyger said with the same quizzical look and tilt of the head that he had had earlier before he ran up the tree. Sweets rolled his eyes and began to carefully navigate his own descent when his foot slipped, and he fell to the ground.
All he could think about on the way down was that he was grateful that he wasn't going to fall very far.
Sweets continued to pick bits of leaves and grass out of his hair as he walked toward his apartment with Tyger curled up on one arm. It had been a hard landing, but fortunately, Sweets suffered nothing worse than a couple bruises and some embarrassment when a couple of tenants from the building offered to help him up. Tyger had tried to help by licking and nipping at his hand as he lay on the ground, but Sweets scowled at him.
Still, by the time he made it up to his floor, Sweets found that he couldn't stay mad at him and was now holding the kitten close to him.
'I need to be more careful about letting him outside in the future,' he told himself. 'That or I need to consider trying harder to improve my indoor play techniques. I wonder if that remote control mouse I saw at the pet store could be the answer.'
Sweets yanked the keys out of his pocket when he saw the apartment superintendent hanging around Barclay's apartment door.
"Hello, Mr. Holman," Sweets said, turning toward him. "Did you need something from Mrs. Barclay? Because she went to the hospital yesterday and she said she wouldn't be back until…."
Sweets stopped when the super looked over at him with a somber expression.
"I suppose no one told you," Holman said. "Ellen Barclay passed away late last night at the hospital. Heart failure the doctors say. Her daughter called me a couple hours ago. She was pretty torn up over it. So, I offered to keep the place for her until she was ready to come for her mother's things."
"Wait, what?" Sweets gasped. "She died? That can't be. I was talking to her yesterday. She asked me to take care of Tyger for her. She said that her visit wasn't anything major. She…she seemed fine."
"Yeah," Holman said, shaking his head. "That's how it goes sometimes, kiddo. One day, everything's fine and it looks like nothing's wrong and then the next it's all over. I had an aunt who died the exact same way. None of us saw it coming."
Tyger pawed at Sweets' sleeve, and the super looked down at the kitten.
"Well, at least someone has been feeding her cat," Holman said. "Looks like his fate is up to you now, kiddo."
Holman shook his head again before walking away and leaving Sweets alone in the hallway. The psychologist fell back against the wall and hung his head.
He thought about all the times he had stopped by to see her and the talks they had shared, but he also thought about all the missed opportunities when he could have gotten to know her better and didn't due to his being too busy or rushed to take advantage of them.
"Why does it have to be this way?" he asked himself. "Why does death have to be so sudden all the time?"
Sweets swiped at his eyes and stood back upright. This was not the first time he had dealt with someone dying unexpectedly in his life, and he frequently worried that it wouldn't be the last. Still, it never ceased to bring a sharp pain to his heart when it happened, and Sweets knew that he would be feeling this for a while.
He pushed the key into the lock and turned it. As he walked back into his apartment and felt Tyger curl up in his arms again, Holman's words came back to him.
"He's right. Tyger doesn't have anyone else now. He doesn't have a home to go back to. He needs someone to take care of him'
'And it looks like that someone is going to have to be me,'
