A/N: Thanks everyone for the views. (Seriously, I looked at the traffic graph this morning and was like, "Oh my gosh, I have people in the UK and Germany and Japan reading my stuff!") I have most of this story already written out and I'll try to get it posted as soon as possible, so there probably won't be too much of a wait time between chapters, but don't get too spoiled by this two days in a row updating. Anyway, enjoy!

Hodgins had begrudgingly followed Cam's advice to stay home for a few days. When he returned to work, the impact of Angela's absence had begun to show in the current case. While the Jeffersonian had found a substitute sketcher, he came short of her skills in depth perception, making identifying victims several times more difficult.

"We checked the note. It matches her handwriting exactly," Cam told Hodgins shortly after he came in. "There didn't seem to be any sign of it being written in a rush, though. She probably wrote it willingly."

It was comforting to know that they most likely weren't kidnapped, but it was still painful to think of her running away like that. He ran his ID card through the platform's scanner before walking up the steps. Dr. Brennan and Daisy Wick were analyzing a set of remains together.

"I think I know what happened to the body," Hodgins announced.

The two ladies both responded positively.

"But I need help to perform an experiment to test this theory." He motioned to Daisy – not his first choice in lab assistants, but she was the only intern there that day.

"Miss Wick, can you go help out Dr. Hodgins?" Dr. Brennan requested.

She nodded and quickly crossed the platform to him.

Daisy knew the entomologist didn't like it when she tried to carry out conversations during an experiment, but she just couldn't help it sometimes. "Dr. Hodgins, are you alright?" she asked meekly as they were working in the lab.

Great. Just what I need: Little Miss Chatterbox prying into the details my personal life. "My wife just left me in the middle of the night and took our son with her!" he snapped. "Do you think I'm alright?"

"Sorry," she apologized, handing him the beaker.

As he took it, he hardheartedly apologized back to her. Don't shoot the messenger, after all, even if she does have a "mouth with a mouth of its own."

Though he mixed all the right chemicals, the cantaloupe remained almost completely unaffected.

"Maybe we should add some more of this," she motioned to a small glass flask containing an acidic liquid.

His mind quickly processed what she was saying. "That could also explain why the body decomposed so quickly."

"Can I say 'Queen of the Lab' now?" she beamed.

"Hold your horses, we haven't tried it out yet." Hodgins slowly poured a small amount of the liquid into the other beaker. Unsurprisingly, his assistant's idea worked.

"Now can I say it?" Her green eyes sparkled like those of a begging puppy.

He nodded, deciding to at least humor her this once.

"Queen of the Lab!" she declared with a large grin.

Hodgins thought to himself what Zack would think of Daisy joining in on the competition.

"Hey, look at that. You're smiling," she noted.

Hodgins didn't even realize the small smirk on his face until she pointed it out. It was the first time he'd smiled since the other night.

"Look, I know we may have gotten off on the wrong foot when we first met, but you're going through a rough experience, and I'd be happy to help you," she said earnestly.

"Thanks," he half-mumbled.

"You just need to take your mind off things for a little while," she suggested. She waited for a response before finally offering, "How about tonight, after work, we go to Founding Fathers? I'll pay."

Though he wasn't particularly excited by this idea of being stuck with her, he accepted anyway.