Same disclaimers apply! Just a heads up, this is probably my favorite chapter of the story. Enjoy!
It had been two weeks since the football case, and the Jeffersonian forensics team (Kylie included) was getting ready to testify against the mother-son duo in court. Cam had found the exact needle that Mrs. Harding used to administer the lethal dosage of anesthesia after they'd gotten a warrant to search the Harding residence. She had to give it to Mrs. Harding; she was smart to use her brain to take him out, as opposed to physical force, but not smart enough to leave behind evidence – in a lingerie drawer, of all places. Angela's computer program successfully worked out the logistics of the necessity of someone with Mrs. Harding's exact height and weight to have punctured the victim at the angle shown in the pictures Kylie had taken, and Hodgins found material on the victim's clothing that matched that of Mrs. Harding's vintage Aston Martin. Why she would choose to ruin a classic car by dumping a corpse in the backseat was beyond him, but the evidence matched, and that was what mattered.
Kylie's last interrogation was the final piece of the puzzle that tied together everyone's findings; having reviewed the case file one more time, Doctor Brennan knew deep down that if it weren't for her young intern, it would've turned into one of many cold case files.
(Five years earlier)
"Miss Wells, did you fight Shana Pinkston two weeks ago from Wednesday?" Mr. Pinkston, Shana's father and lawyer asked her as she took the stand.
"She fought with me," eighteen-year-old Kylie Wells corrected him.
"Is there a difference?" he persisted.
"Yeah," Kylie replied. "If you put two boxers in a ring, does it count as a fight if one of them doesn't fight back?"
"I will be the one asking the questions, Miss Wells," Mr. Pinkston reprimanded the defendant.
"Any punch I threw at her was both self-defense and non-fatal. You can check her x-rays."
"But the two of you were engaged in a fight?"
"Technically, yes. Bu it was one-sided," Kylie stood her ground. "She might have made me angry many times by constantly taunting me, but I've never wanted to hurt her."
"Did you steal Miss Pinkston's boyfriend?"
"They broke up about a month ago, Sir," Kylie replied, "so it wouldn't be stealing if I did. He's always been attracted to me, but I never returned the favor."
"But you did communicate with him."
"I don't understand what that has to do with anything," she furrowed her eyebrows, crossing her arms. "People talk all the time. It doesn't mean anything's going on. If it did, I'm pretty sure half the girls at school would be pregnant by now."
A good amount of the people in the room, including the judge, laughed.
"Your cheek will not be tolerated, Miss Wells," Mr. Pinkston reprimanded her.
"Excuse me, Mr. Pinkston, but I will be the judge of that," the presiding judge replied. "I saw nothing wrong with her response."
"But as you can see, Miss Wells had every motive and the proper amount of emotional instability to attempt to murder my daughter."
"Again, I will decide that," the judge said calmly. "After the witness testimonies."
Kylie put on her best poker face to hide the fear bubbling inside her as she began to process the fact that there was a good probability that she could spend a good chunk of her life in County. There had been no witnesses that she knew of when Shana and she had fought, and Mr. Pinkston was highly respected in the law community. She didn't stand a chance.
"What's up with her?" Hodgins asked Angela as they watched Kylie isolate herself from the group on the stone steps of the courthouse, where they all prepared to testify against Mrs. Harding and her son.
"Will you people give her a break?" Angela sighed, exasperated. "This is her first time in a courtroom. Shit gets crazy in there. I know the first time I went in there I almost passed out."
"Well whatever it is, she better get her shit together. She made this case, I hate to admit."
"Is everything okay?" an emotionless voice asked from about three feet behind them.
The two squints froze. Had their appeal gone through? Had it really been enough to get their friend and former colleague out of the loony bin?
"Zack?"
"Zack!"
Hodgins' face lit up as he threw his arms around the young genius, while Angela wrapped her arms around both of them.
"I find myself unable to breathe," Zack groaned at his two friends' squeezes before looking around for his oldest best friend. "Where is Kylie?"
"Over there," Angela gestured to the young intern. "She's in some trance or something. She's not responding to anything. Or anyone. A crow almost crapped on her and she didn't freak out or anything."
"She is in a catatonic state," the tall, shaggy-haired forensic anthropologist observed. "May I talk to her?"
"Go ahead," Angela shrugged. "I tried getting her to talk, but it's like she didn't hear me, or something. Like she's frozen. But maybe you'll have more luck than I did."
"I don't believe in luck," Zack shook his head, before making his way to the spot where Kylie was hugging her knees to her chest and dressed to impress, wearing black skinny jeans, heels, and a black blazer with a teal top underneath that brought out her porcelain skin. The only thing missing, he noticed, was the normal brightness of her facial features.
"Hello, Kylie," he greeted her.
No answer.
"Doctor Brennan meant for my arrival to be a surprise for after the trial, but Doctor Sweets was able to get the paperwork done quicker than he anticipated."
Still no response. He noticed her hazel eyes transfixed on the ground in front of her; the last time he saw that expression on her face, she was recalling a terrible memory from her past.
"Kylie." He raised a gloved hand to her shoulder and shook it lightly, only for her body to move back and forth lifelessly with the shaking.
"Could you please say something?" Zack was getting worried. It was the first time he'd seen her in over two weeks, and for some reason he had yet to be informed of, she was in a catatonic state.
"You could insult my lack of social aptitude," he offered. "You always did that when we were younger, though your intent was never malicious. You were what Angela, Booth, or even Hodgins would call a smart-ass."
His friend's face had only grown whiter than it already was, and she still had not budged. I don't understand, he thought. She was the reason the case was solved. She should be satisfied.
"Are you scared?" he decided to ask as he scooted closer to her. When she didn't react even with the slightest movement, he cautiously placed an arm around her, gripping her shoulder in a similar manner that she used to do with him. In the past, she had been the one to comfort him the majority of the time. Now, it was his turn.
"As you know, I would usually say that fear is not rational, but in this case, your fear is very much so," he said. "The last time you were in a court, even though it was technically a hearing, you faced the possibility of jail for a crime you didn't commit."
Angela and Hodgins exchanged surprised glances. Jail?! They silently exclaimed.
"It's impossible to know exactly what you are thinking right now," he went on. "And I don't know that your state of mind allows you to respond to me, but please listen. I took your advice, Hodgins was able to get his lawyer, and we built a case. Everyone helped, except you, because you were too busy running the case with Booth and also because they wanted to surprise you."
Zack had never been one for open sentiment, but his time in McKinley, combined with therapy from Doctor Sweets, had changed that, and he had since become more open to getting in touch with his emotions. "You were the first friend I ever had. I still think it was illogical of you to get suspended from school the first day we encountered each other, but...looking back, I realize now that you were being a friend, despite the fact that you barely knew me."
"Did Zack get here okay?" Lance huffed as he had half-powerwalked, half-ran to catch up with them after finally finding a parking spot. "And where's Kylie?"
"Shh," Angela whispered, gesturing to the two young friends sitting on the step. "Zack's having a moment."
"Oh," Lance looked on at his now-girlfriend and her best friend, pleasantly surprised at the amount of emotion that Zack appeared showing.
"You were also being a friend when you smacked me across the back of the head because I could not see the error in my logic the first time you visited me at McKinley," Zack continued. "With that said, it is only logical that, as your best friend, I am here for you as well."
With his free hand, he reached forward and gently wrapped his hand around one of hers. "We are more similar than you realize, Kylie. You shut people out when things are difficult. I used to do the same, but as you can see, that resulted in me getting sent to a mental institution. Doctor Sweets has taught me the value of letting people in sometimes, allowing them to help me. I think it would benefit you, as well."
Lance gave his former patient an encouraging smile while resisting the urge to intervene on his own behalf.
"Two years ago, I'm fairly certain I never would've said what I'm about to say, but it's acceptable to be afraid sometimes, given that you do not let it overpower you, which you are currently doing right now."
"Zack!" Lance gave him a disapproving look.
"It's true, Doctor Sweets," he replied. "Would you agree that her current catatonic state is due to her allowing fear from past experience consume her at this moment?"
"That's a fair assessment, but did you have to say it out loud?" Sweets argued.
"Yes," the former McKinley patient replied bluntly without explanation, before turning to Kylie. "While there is no denying that I outmatch you physically, you are one of the strongest people I know."
His voice grew more confident as he continued, "Strength is not limited to physicality. You have displayed exceptional emotional strength in the face of adversity for as long as I have known you, and I see no logical reason for you to stop now. If your parents were alive, they would be very proud of you, just like I am."
Angela clapped excitedly, teary-eyed at her friend and former colleague's speech. Maybe all those times of attempted social and emotional bonding with him paid off after all.
"Wow. Since when did Zack get all Mr. Emotion?" Hodgins smiled.
"He's always been," Sweets told them. "He just needs the right person to bring it out of him. For him, that person happens to be Miss Wells and, to a certain extent, Doctor Brennan."
All four of them looked toward Kylie, holding their breaths in anticipation. They were due in the courtroom in less than five minutes, and all their hard work (excluding Zack) would go down the drain if their intern did not recoup within the next thirty seconds.
"Why are y'all looking at me like that?" Kylie suddenly snapped out of her stupor, dazed and slightly disoriented. She turned to Zack. "And since when did you become Captain Kirk and Spock at the same time?"
There she is. For the first time, Zack didn't have a response, and he actually knew what Kylie meant, not just because it was Star Trek. He'd always considered Kylie to be the best friend he'd ever had, but he never realized how much she meant to him until that moment, when he thought he'd lost her. And having experienced that, he made a mental note to show his friends that he cared more often, which he was sure everyone, especially Hodgins, would appreciate.
Holy crap, 30 followers?! Y'all are amazing! I was going to wait til Friday or so to update, but I don't really feel like doing my homework, and I was in a creative mood all day (I even partially drew something that may or may not become a first tattoo), so I updated sooner. Hope you enjoyed it as much I did writing it! Thank you so much for keeping up!
