14CHAPTER FOUR
**Authors Note: Just in time for Christmas here's a little something to lighten up the darker mood from the last chapter. Plus some of you wanted to hear a little bit more from Sweets and were intrigued by Krys. So here's my gift to you. Please comment/review so I know someone is actually reading this thing. Thanks so much!**
Lance Sweets managed to practically drag himself into the lab about an hour later than he had been anticipating. He had originally left for a quick lunch which his girlfriend Daisy (one of the ex interns at the Jeffersonian) insisted on joining him for.
Now Daisy was very lovely to look at and quite bubbly, but with all that was going on Lance found himself wishing he had gone alone. That wasn't normal in a relationship. He knew that. He had read plenty of books on the subject. He spent most of the hour or so staring at the contents of his glass at the diner, or trying to tune out her high pitched almost squeaky voice. Or the worst part of the 'date', spending about thirty minutes trying to explain the differences between Star Wars and Star Trek. She just didn't get it. And sometimes she pretended to when she honestly had no clue. These things never bothered him before. Why now? She was an amazing kisser. Fantastic even. She took excellent care of her skin.. Very soft. But other than that... He was at a loss. At least right now. She was his girlfriend, wasn't he supposed to be feeling something other than horribly frustrated?
Sweets pulled his grey suit coat, which was far too big for him, over his burgundy dress shirt and striped tie. His black hair that was usually at least brushed was a bit messy: a mix from running back to the Institute in the breeze and Daisy insisting on giving him little noogies during the meal. That was another thing about her... She broke personal space in often childish ways. He thought it was cute at first but now...
Shaking his head the psychologist made himself look up, trying to appear calm and collected as he often did so to garner respect from the scientists and agents. It never worked, but he'd try anyways. At least this time Vince (also known as Mister Niles-Murray) gave him an acknowledging nod before returning to his clipboard work. Lance liked Vince. They were around the same age and the man seemed like a really nice guy even though the rest of the department gave him a hard time.
Sweets broke the news to him a day earlier that he'd have to tough it out because they'd keep treating him the same way no matter what. And then he made up some bull excuse that they were masking their own hurt or some other sort of garbage so Vince would feel at ease. Truth be told all the psychological study in the world couldn't prepare Lance with the answer as to why the people of the Jeffersonian acted as they did. But he could speak from experience and they treated him the exact same way. He could at least offer the guy support. And luckily for him the cliche 'things get better with time' went over and the kid bought it.
Shaking his head in a series of quick back and forth motions as if trying to free his brain of any thoughts by flinging them loose he looked up, taking the scene in. A lot could happen in an hour and a half, and Sweets had long learned how things worked around the lab, and one of them included not stepping on anyone's toes unless invited. A guideline he usually ignored, but today he was just too exhausted to even attempt it.
"As usual I'll need constant progress reports." Cam announced to everyone in the lab whom continued their work as though they hadn't heard a word. Doctor Saroyan had been around far too long to just give up however, and standing there in grey dress pants and a white sleeveless dress shirt, she continued. "We have a new body coming in so make room on that other table." Everyone moved around her but one certain co-worker caught her eye, and planting her feet firmly on the tiled floor she spoke a tad louder. "Hodgins. God help me if you don't get moving."
Lance Sweets was a psychologist. He knew the human mind, therefore he knew Doctor Saroyan's mind to an extent, and he knew that when she was in work mode and in one of these types of moods, it was best to stay your own path and furthermore, stay out of her way. So he did just that.
He continued his walking, originally planning on returning to his office. In order to do so he had to pass by the former closet that had been turned into a makeshift office for their newest visitor. He had every intention of walking right by the closed door when he heard what appeared to be music which caused him to stop in his footsteps. It took him a bit to take it all in. He could feel the pulsing through his shoes that raked through the tiles of the floor from the beat of the song. Even through the closed door he could hear the strumming of guitar and then the lyrics.
"So she said what's the problem baby. What's the problem I don't know well maybe I'm in love (love) think about it every time I think about it. Can't stop thinking about it."
Sweets knew his music. He was a nerd of many a things music and movies and immediately recognized it as Counting Crows, a band he used to listen to extensively through his early teen years. His brow quirking with curiosity he then turned to face the closed door, standing very close to it now he inclined his head. By this point the song was on the second verse and he could have sworn that he heard someone singing along.
Curiosity killed the cat and right now, Lance Sweets was the biggest ball of fur lapping milk ever and his right hand reached out and quietly turned the knob allowing himself to slink inside before shutting the door behind him. The music continued to blare as did the voice (which was no Christina Aguilera) and he guessed that his arrival hadn't been noticed. Now turning around to face the room he could only stare.
Krys Robin had her back to the door and was busy grooving in a bunch of dance moves that should have never been seen by the public (hence why the door was closed). She wore red, plaid pajama pants and a zip-up hoodie as she twisted and turned, clearly goofing around. She held a pen up by her mouth as a makeshift microphone having her own personal rock concert as her computer screen blinked with a neon blue bar that read 'loading'.
Krys was far too wrapped up in her own world to even realize someone had entered so she went on singing and flipping her messy brown hair about after what had been a very long morning. "Come on! Come on! Turn a little faster!" She began to spin around and around, enough to make even the most stable of stomachs sick. "Come on! Come on! The world will follow after. Come on, come on cause everybody's after–" Her converse clad feet dug into the floor just in time to see the very blurry figure at her door and her mouth clamped shut. The music still went on but Krys had stopped in her tracks. It wasn't until her vision restored itself that she saw who it was.
There Lance Sweets stood with a wide opened, white tooth-y grin, like a little boy horribly entertained. His brown eyes sparkling as if he was laughing heartily, but no sound came out. It was all in his smile. A smile that could appear so reassuring and kind actually caused Krys to retract as she reached across the desk (practically throwing her body over the wooden surface) and pressed off on the Ipod speakers.
"Hi." Came the quiet voice from the girl as she turned around and moved to situate herself at her desk, running her hands through her messy brown hair to reveal a black hair tie that was pinching into her wrist. Sweets picked up on these things easily, along with certain habits and he couldn't help but notice that this girl was deliberately keeping her eyes on everything but him.
"You were dancing." Lance Sweets began to point out the obvious from where he stood, still smiling like a goof. He just couldn't wipe the look off his face. He had never seen anyone like her around the lab.
"You were watching." Came the fast, flat reply from the girl accented by an almost unamused look in her eyes and a raising of her brow.
Lance immediately picked up on just how expressive this young lady was. Like a small child who had absolutely no perception on how to mask feelings and just let them emerge as they came. The way her brows rose once or twice, or the way her eyes darted quickly to him taking on a forced sarcastic tone. Even the ever so slight way she tilted her head to the right side as she eye balled him. So very expressive. He was fascinated and charmed by it.
"I couldn't help it." Lance began, in an attempt to start a conversation, maybe find out more about her.
"Yes you could." Krys retorted, just as quickly as the first, though her tone this time around was more a matter of fact. Was she testing him? Downsizing him? Lance simply had no idea. All of his studies in psychology couldn't prepare him for this very confusing young lady whom stood in front of him, a good foot or so shorter than him but still holding her own ground.
She intrigued him. He just couldn't help but smile at her as though she were a puppy that had licked his hand, though in reality she kept herself distanced from him. Her brow furrowing even more when seeing his strange reaction but not vocalizing on it.
Krys reached up and pulled the black hair tie from her wrist, stretching it between her fingers. "I just don't like people watching me..."
"Dance?" Sweets finished. He had a habit of doing that, especially when the thought he had people figured out.
"I was going to say being a complete douche.. But yeah. Dance covers it." Krys sighed, pulling her brown hair into a ponytail in one fluid motion before leaning over the desk and moving the mouse around. One click. Two clicks. Maybe if she clicked enough he'd go away.
"But you don't mind people watching you skate across the lab in a rolling chair with your coat wrapped around your head." Lance spoke up with a knowing smile, obviously not being frightened away. He was a lot braver than he looked with his boyish exterior and pouty lips.
"Touche.." Krys nodded moving to sit yet still avoiding eye contact. Lance found himself now pondering running out the door, especially if she was giving him the toughie treatment. It may have been a defense mechanism but it was one that intimidated him, even if he knew exactly what it was. But then, right when he turned to leave: "And it was a ninja turtle."
Sweets' eyes brightened as he looked up and turned to face her. This girl knew Ninja Turtles? Of course she did. She was twenty, as she had stated earlier. She was brought up around it, much like himself. But he somehow doubted that she had as many action figures as he did. And he was not ashamed. Okay, maybe he was... But only a little bit.
Krys then got even more defensive and her tone became more firm, and even more rushed. "I've been running these numbers through various programs to get a hit and I got bored so I downloaded the first two seasons of the cartoon to watch. Is that against the law?"
"No.. It's awesome!" Lance smiled, approaching the desk by walking around it. It was then Krys surprised him and from where she sat, looked right at him!
"You have a doctorate in psychology?" She asked flatly, her right eye brow raised in question.
"This girl loves her sarcasm." Sweets found himself thinking as his brow furrowed, somewhat offended by her words. "Yeah. Why is that so hard for everybody to believe? And how do you know?!" He exclaimed, his lips slightly agape in question. His arms crossed over his chest, still trying to be professional and stand his ground. He had been at the institute a while, he was a regular, therefore he was top dog in the situation. At least he convinced himself of that. Something Freud or other.
Krys shoved some files into his arms. "I'm a hacker remember?" As Lance looked down he noticed the print Lance Sweets. There were his files! He looked down to say something but by that point the young lady was already up on her feet and walking to the other side of the small office. He was on pursuit, following behind her. It was a momentary quiet, and Sweets would be the one to break it.
"So you must be pretty big at the FBI huh?" Sweets gestured with his left hand, his other arm holding his own files which he clutched protectively to his side.
"Well I did break into the government's system at 14 and probably saved multiple lives by preventing a series of attacks that the public will never know about." Krys sighed, obviously not in the mood for common dribble, or her mind was just preoccupied by other things. "Or maybe just sick of me." Sweets found himself thinking as he followed her to the desk where she plopped back down. It was quiet again, and once again it was his turn. But what to say? What could possibly compare to being a practical genius?!
"I touched a human brain about a month ago." Sweets offered with an almost sick look on his face. He placed the files back on Krys' desk and actually sat on the edge which caused her to look at him showing a momentary loss in coldness as she blinked in surprise. "It was a reward." Inwardly he was cringing. "Great job Lance. That sounded like an adult." His mouth moved faster than his mind could function, which was odd for him. Usually they both worked at the same speed, unlike Zack Addy's (whom had recently been institutionalized) who worked in the exact opposite.
"Oo..." Krys looked up again, feigning amazement and awe. Her brown eyes purposely wide as she raised her hands to wiggle her fingers. "What do you have to do to touch eyeballs?" Sweets blinked at this. He could feel his cheeks begin to warm right up and even so, he smiled.
"Lance Sweets. You left your ID at the cafe." Came an over bubbly, girlish voice from the door. Both Krys and Lance glanced over their shoulders to see Daisy Wick standing in the doorway looking very radiant and princess like in a pink dress and sparkling earings. Blush on her cheeks, pink lipstick. So much pink. She had been smiling as she held eyes only for Lance until her eyes found Krys, and her smile immediately wiped from her lips. "Who's this?" Her tongue clicked against the back of her white teeth impatiently.
"Daisy...I uh.. This is.. Um... Well..." Sweets blinked. What had caused her sudden mood change? Had he done something wrong?
"Krys Robin. Here for computer things. Codes and whatnot." Krys was quick and calm to reply and Lance couldn't help but stare at the two women, his eyes shifting between their two faces. He couldn't help but wonder how Krys did it. Despite the daggers from Daisy she appeared calm as a cucumber, or maybe she just didn't notice. "Sweets was just telling me where everything was." Krys now stood, approaching Daisy whom was taller by at least 3 inches. Sweets could only watch the scene unfold. "This place is just so big, I don't know how I'll find everything." And Krys then laughed. Daisy didn't pick up on it but Sweets did after only a day or so of knowing of the young lady. She was faking it. But Daisy bought it. And then the cherry on the top. "I like you dress." Sweets somehow doubted Krys liked pink at all, or dressed judging from her exterior.
Daisy was easily diverted and she looked down at herself, smoothing out the hem looking very busy bodyish. "Thank you." And then she was off, a mile a minute as she rambled. "Oh yes, well, I saw it in Macys on my last trip to New York City with my mother and she really liked it but I wasn't sure about how I felt about it but then before I left I decided that the pros outweighed the cons of the price and it was definitely my color so.. There you have it." A dopey smile graced her features and her eyes shifted unsteadily back and forth.
"Okay then..." Krys finally said as she swallowed, obviously a bit surprised by all the words Sweet's girlfriend managed to fit into under twenty seconds.
Daisy, blinked several times blankly before walking over to Lance and giving him a quick peck on the lips. "I'll see you tonight then. I'm going to make Thai." She squealed. "Oh god. She's cooking." Sweets felt his stomach do a sick turn. "Well, I better get going. I bet Doctor Brennan is back from her lunch break by now and I want to say hi. I think she'd like that don't you?" "No." Daisy then turned around and nodded toward Krys. "It was great meeting you." And she practically fluttered out, leaving the two in another awkward silence.
"She's... Perky?" Krys finally spoke aloud, staring at the door that the girl had left wide open.
"Yeah. I get that a lot." Lance sighed, he was looking at his lap. He knew that relationships shouldn't be a chore and yet this one was turning out to be not so much fun anymore. He leaned forward, his hands folding in front of him from the edge of the desk that he was sitting on.
"But pretty!" up again, facing him now which caused Sweets to go rigid. She was poking fun! At him! Was she playing with him? A moment ago she seemed to hate him. And now: "Very pretty.." Then as an afterthought. "But also very perky.." Sweets shook his head and stood up, moving toward the door, but now Krys was tailing on his behind. He did his best to take on the role that Krys held just minutes earlier. "Like cheerleader on too much red bull perky!"
Somehow Krys managed to get in front of him in an attempt to block his path, but Sweets weaseled right around. But this didn't put a damper on Krys' taunts. "Like Spice Girls perky without the accent!"
Lance Sweets shook his head and strode out the door, not even looking back. Krys calls out after him: "Disney Channel child star perky!"
Now left alone in the doorway with Hodgins and Angela staring at her from the lab, framed in the doorway she gave an acknowledging nod before slipping back inside and closing the door. Walking back to her desk she sat down in her rolling chair, glimpsing at the computer before opening her desk drawer and pulling out two dinosaur figurines.
Leaning back in the chair she lifted the figures and made them walk through the air, and slowly her smile faded as if she had realized a big secret and was puzzled by it. Lowering her head she made the T-Rex figure walk over to the Stegosaurus figurine, shrugging her shoulders. "She's pretty.." Came the hopeless sigh and dropping the figures in her lap she rested her chin in her right hand, defeated.