A/N: You guys guessed it. Zack time. And he'll be around for more than one chapter in a row this time!

28CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

Somehow Lance had managed to pull his cell phone out of his coat pocket and while he was fumbling with it, managed to dial McKinley Psychiatric Hospital. The psychologist had set the phone on the dashboard, and while it was on speaker phone he did his best to keep his voice from shaking in the rush of excitement and lack of time. His heart racing he could barely keep his voice audible and his car at the speed limit (or in some cases five miles above it) as he drove, the scenery whisking by but it all was just a blur to him.

When Vince had uttered that quote back at the precinct, though Lance was sure it was quite insightful, he couldn't help but think it sounded like something someone else he knew would say in the most awkward of situations, much like Vincent Nigel-Murray had done. And that person was Zack Addy. The Jeffersonian's own Wonder Boy who had fallen from grace. He could help. If anyone was intelligent enough and impartial enough besides Doctor Brennan it would be Zack.

Eventually Lance found himself racing up the stairs and swiping his card at the Psychiatric Hospital and hurried into the 'interview room' where he already found Zack Addy sitting rather calmly wearing his hospital outfit, a full body white scrubs, and black gloves that covered his injured hands. He provided a strong contrast to Lance Sweets' flushed and raced demeanor, especially as the psychologist remained standing and Zack sat so perfectly still, merely arching his brow in intrigue when Lance pressed his hands on the cold table and leaned forward.

"I need your help." Lance immediately blurted out, obviously not having taken any time to think.

"Good afternoon Doctor Sweets." Zack responded back calmly, unphased by his friend's rushed attitude and lack of explanation. He tilted his head at the young man who seemed oddly irked by his greeting, did he have something that Sweets wanted? "Why are you acting so insistently?"

"What? Me?" Lance blinked at Zack in utter surprise and disbelief. "Aren't you at all curious why I called and had you brought in here?!"

"I simply assumed that it was the usual routine in a not so usual time." Zack responded once again rather calmly folding his gloved hands on the table in front of him. "Based on the usual facts and possible variables I deducted that it would all result in both of us here, sitting in this room, you across from me just like always, and I answer your usual questions made out of pity or obligation most pertaining to how my day was." Leave it to Zack Addy to cheapen a psychologist's or friend's 'job' to something so primitive and even made it look awful.

Lance could only shake his head as he shut his eyes, trying to gather his thoughts as Zack continued, shifting in his seat. "Everything around this place was pretty much normal. I did do some geometric equations around lunch involving the seating variations among patients in the cafeteria. This was the highlight of my day." Zack looked to Lance as if expecting him to say something and in getting nothing in return he blinked with confusion, not understanding this display. "Are you not intrigued?"

Lance made himself take in a breath. Pace himself. Finally he released it but his cheeks refused to unflush. "I'm sorry Zack. I'm just... Wound up." Lance made himself plop down in the chair on the opposite end of the table, pressing his fingers into his scalp looking extremely overwhelmed. "There's so much going on."

"At the lab?" Zack finished on Sweets' behalf, looking much like a small child with the way he was looking at the psychologist who was younger than him. "With the serial killer case?" He studied him carefully and couldn't help but pick up on the way that Lance was looking down at his lap and looking very upset. For a psychologist he wasn't very good at masking his emotions. "Something is bothering you." The ex-intern declared matter of factly, as was his fashion, tilting his head further as if trying to get a better look to deduct even further.

"Yeah well.." Lance shifted unsurely in his seat, feeling Zack's prying eyes on him he made his dark eyes look up and focus on the young man across from him. "Krys and Parker were kidnapped. We just got Parker back but he doesn't remember the exact location where they were held." Zack could only stare wide eyed at Sweets as his mouth parted ever so slightly showing a rare sign of light emotion and not logic. "He still has Krys." Lance finished in a hoarse, soft voice that he could barely make come out and he noticed Zack straighten in his seat.

"And you want me to help find her." Zack finished, his voice lacking any tone of surprise or anything other than complete calm.

Lance blinked, swallowing he stared down at the table. "Yeah." His voice so soft that it was barely audible.

"With all due respect, what makes you think that I can assist you?" Zack asked with a tilt of his head as he leaned back in his chair, as if prepping himself from the response.

Lance looked back up right away. "Because in the rare occasion that Doctor Brennan misses something you're always there to pick up the slack. Between the two of you you're an unstoppable force. A team. Together you guys can figure out anything, I've seen it first hand." Lance told him breathlessly, speaking rather quickly though it wasn't by choice. When Zack didn't respond Lance knew it wasn't a good sign and stood right up as if to further his point. "I've seen you do it a hundred times before on other cases. You can do it with this one."

"As I've told you many times Doctor Sweets.." Zack sighed, shaking his head at the fact that Lance didn't seem to understand.

"I know.. But.." Sweets matched Zack's tired expression as he looked away and shook his own head.

"Faulty logic." Zack continued, his response short and to the point, but still he showed no sign of budging.

"And so what?!" Lance leaned suddenly against the table once again, he too standing firm and showing no sign of budging. "I'm so sick of you using logic to base all of your decisions. That's what got you here in the first place! Basing everything on your mind. I study the mind for a profession and I don't even believe in that!" Lance nearly shouted but for some reason the nurse/guard didn't come rushing in with how loud he was being and how panicked he sounded. They were running out of time. "You have no idea what you're capable of until I get you into that situation."

Zack looked to the man for a very long time allowing the silence to drag on before he finally gave a single nod. "Alright."

In having convinced Zack, Lance found his body dealing with a rush of adrenalin as he went onto the next step without thinking. Really he had concocted the ultimate game plan on the way over but he didn't have any idea that he was capable of such actions until he was put in the situation that he was in now. He was going to break Zack Addy illegally out of the psychiatric hospital under false pretenses if caught. Emotions made you do crazy things sometimes, he knew that better than most.

"I gotta... I gotta get you out of here." Lance reached into his pocket, fumbling with his ID card as he made the way toward the door.

Zack meanwhile rose to his feet very quietly as Lance's pockets jingled. He stepped toward Sweets standing just behind him as he studied his fumbling, shaky hands with his own interested brown eyes. How peculiar this man was acting, and for once, Zack seemed to key into why.

"You like her." The ex-intern deducted with a certain tone of detachment, much like one would make an observation after looking through a telescope. This particular observation caused Lance to perk up in his spinal area as he continued to fumble with the card on his chain.

"Wha?" He couldn't even form words as he pretended to have not heard what the man said.

Zack Addy saw the door open out of the corner of his eye but continued looking at the psychologist. "You wouldn't be doing this if you didn't have an emotional attachment to her."

Lance bit the inside of his cheek purposely avoiding the question as he reached for Zack's arm, holding him gently he began to guide him out of the room trying to act superior in case they ran into anyone. Luckily the nurse/guard was occupied chatting it up with another surly looking orderly and so, like the jailbirds they were, Lance dragged Zack around the other corner while he hunched over. Once they got past that point it was a fast paced power walk which soon turned into a jog, and once they were down the stairs it was a run across the parking lot.

Zack was still unaffected as he glanced over to Lance as they ran. "You're holding my arm rather tight." He informed the psychologist who was actually squeezing his arm out of nerves. It was beyond Zack how people could be so incredibly nervous, especially when a weapon wasn't even involved. They were just on the run. It could have always been worse.

Climbing into the front side along side Sweets Zack watched as he turned the key and started the engine. Backing out rather quickly Lance didn't even look at the road. Zack could hear his heart beating from where he sat. Poor guy, Zack actually found himself pitying him.

"I'll need to see Parker." Zack spoke up as he had no sense of when to talk and when not to do so. Now there was only the puzzle that needed solving and that's what his mind was focused on. "Perhaps some samples still remain and I can do an analysis." Lance nodded in response though he wasn't able to vocally speak.

Another long quiet and Zack found himself looking out the window. He hadn't been in a car for so long. It was actually like a Christmas gift to be back in one. He felt a bit like he was a kid again, as much of a kid as he had ever been anyways, and he thumped his hands against his upper thighs of his white pants. Pulling his attention away from the whisking street he looked up at the rear view mirror.

"It's okay to be worried Doctor Sweets, Agent Booth assures me it's a completely normal emotion to have." Zack tried to reassure the psychologist as best he could which just ended up being another awkward attempt.

"Right." Lance couldn't help but give a weak little laugh. He felt sick all over again.

Another long quiet as both stared at the road.

"Thanks for getting me out of there." Zack added, a comment that made Lance blink in surprise. "It was fish stick day. I hate fish sticks."