May 29, 2008

7:00pm

Dr. Lance Sweets makes his way up a flight of stairs to apartment number 722. It's been quite a long day. Apart from his usual clients, Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan wouldn't cooperation, refusing to say anything about their unusual dreams they lightly mentioned. Not to mention the somewhat awkward visit with Zack. He didn't mean to make him angry. To tell the truth, Zack angers Sweets. From the beginning, Zack's been this predictable geeky kind of boy. Socially inept. Incredibly intelligent. But the least likely to start something out of the ordinary, much less kill someone.

Sweets takes a heavy sigh has he knocks on the door of a one Candace Clark. Oddly enough, she's the appointment he's been looking forward to all day. The fact that she was a first strict and uptight and then completely fallen apart. Was in multiple personality disorder? Was it the sudden loss of a loved on that shook her to the core? What's her story?

It's surprising when the door opens to reveal a thin lipped woman dressed in shades of grey. Her hair is pulled back in a rather tight bun. He faces bears an annoyed grimace. The is even more exciting for Sweets.

"I'm sorry, were you not expecting me. I asked Dr. Brennan to contact you."

"No. I knew you were coming. Please, take a seat." she's very formal. Her head held high. Her posture, perfect. She opens the door wider to allow Sweets to enter. Her how is clean. Spotless. Not even a drifting piece of dust.

"Am I in the right place?" he asks a little bewildered. Although, even more excited.

"What on earth makes you wonder that? I assume you're here to ask me if I killed Benjamin." It almost surprises Sweets that Candace is using first names. He would've expected her to call him Mr. Oshiro.

"It's just that Dr. Brennan described your house as-" Candace cuts Sweets off with a sigh.

"A pig pen? I will admit I've been a bit of a mess. I really loved Ben," Candace admits, "like a brother."

"Wait, what? I thought you too were..."

"Oh we were. But you know after you've had strong feelings for someone you can't just stop loving them." Candace seems to break from her strict self for a moment but notices and stands a little straighter. "May I get you a drink?"

"Do you have any coffee, actually."

"Yes sir. Black?"

"Yes thank you. Now how recently have you and Ben been...linked?"

"Oh gosh. Maybe a day or two? It just felt wrong." She speaks as she enters the kitchen.

"Wrong? What makes you say that?"

"Technically she had him first. I can't believe I got in the way of that. I feel horrible of course." Candace says.

"She? Who's she?" Sweets asks with a raise of only one eyebrow. He does that sometimes. Candace purses her thin lips and shakes her head.

"He wouldn't tell me." her expression is a little sympathetic that she has no information on the mystery woman. Another sigh. "So I tried to get him over her and you know, more to me." She carries the drinks to the coffee table and takes a seat on the couch. "That doesn't make me sound evil, does it?"

"A little conceited." Sweets admits taking a sip of the coffee. She glares at him which slowly morphs into an exaggerated eye roll.

"Anything else?"

"Did this mystery woman have mutual feelings for Ben?" Sweets asks.

"Oh yes. They were in a daze. I was a little jealous. But it wasn't as bad as I felt when I took him from her. But you know how girls get when they like guys."

"No...I don't know." Sweets look genuinely confused.

"Oh sure you do. You've got one of those faces." Candace winks.

"Is this girl the jealous type?"

"Well now that you mention...oh...oh my god." She reaches for a tissue box. "I killed him. I killed Bennie!" She starts to cry.

"Ma'am! Are you admitting to murder?"

"No. It's just- she was the jealous type. She sent me and him threats and stuff and. Oh my gosh." She sobs harder. Sweets doesn't quite know what to do with the situation. Should he watch her react? Or comfort her. Her comment about his face has put him in a place where he would like to say at a safe distance from her.

"Did he ever carry a picture of her. Or kept a diary?" Sweets asks, feeling like Booth.

"He kept a piece of paper with her initials on it in his pocket. It drove me crazy. I guess he's always gonna love her too...well I guess not anymore."

"Are you alright Ms. Clark?" Sweets asks.

"I was gonna go back to work today, but but I just can't I can't."

"Ms. Clark, I don't advise you keep this up. I can mess with your life in a very big way. You need to teach yourself to move on to-"

"Get the hell out of my house." Candace scolds. Dr. Sweets does just that.

A/N: Hey, me again I just wanted to let you in on a fun fact. You know the part of last chapter where it's like ""That's like having a favorite element on the periodic table" Zack says, looking to his on rendering of the periodic table of elements, the element Mercury catching his eye all too quickly." Well I threw that in there not only because my favorite is Mercury, but because Mercury used to be used to make hats and people who worked around too much Mercury used to get Mercury poison and literally went crazy. Hence the term "Mad Hatter" or "Mad as a Hatter" I thought it was appropriate in Zack's current situation.

Thanks again to all my readers! I love you all! More tomorrow...hopefully!