Title: Logic

Pairing: A hint of Cam/Zach friendship and caring.

Rating: PG

Spoilers: Season Three 'A Pain in the Heart'

Summary: Cam's devious self leads her on a mission to redeem Zack and herself.

It was some ungodly hour of the morning when she felt her devious side take over. One old lab coat, one old stethoscope and she had crumbled the hospital security in one fatal move of donning clothing. She almost laughed when she thought about how hard it would be to explain it to…

She almost laughed, but she was down the hall and starring at his sleeping body before she could. If she had counted him as broken before, he had been shattered with the safety glass in the lab. No guards; if he were to be tempted by escape his trail would be too easy to follow. The twisted drops of blood and fluid from the IV would foil any plans.

She tried to ignore the idea of the pain.

So much pain…

His breathing was slowed and labored, and she remembered Hodgins offhanded comment hours ago about nightmares. His hands had not been cuffed, and Zack managed to push them up slightly in a move she'd plotted out so many times before on the bodies-the victims. Had there been any tangible attacker the defensive marks would've scarred his forearms and hands.

Oh god, his hands. They'd been so burned, so badly burned, and the smell…

She hoped that any pictures left by the security cameras would be quieted and ignore-professional courtesy for the final goodbye. Pressing one palm against the door, her body shuddered. This would not be goodbye. Her body almost found too little strength to open the door. The automated sound caught the attention of the sleeping man-the sleeping boy-and forced some other idea into his drug induced mind that brought a whimper to his lips.

She was supposed to protect them all. She was supposed to protect him…

They had left the book on the table by his bed. Her fingers brushed one strand of curling hair from his forehead as her other gripped the book. Zack's eyelids fluttered. She realized that he would've been off pain medication to give a statement, and Cam found herself leaning over him pressing her lips to his cheek.

"Dr. Saroyan?" He moved, and the small action brushed his nose against hers. "Why are you here?"

"I thought you might like some company."

"It's very early."

"Yes, Zack, it is."

"Why would you enjoy my company? I murdered someone, and then The Master-"

She laughed this time.

"I knew you would be trouble, but I didn't prevent this."

"You cannot be held accountable for my actions when I sought to hide them."

"It's intuition, Zack." She brushed her fingers against his cheek. "I should've-"

"Please don't, Dr. Saroyan. I only wanted to…I thought…My logic was flawed."

"I think I'm going to have to go with Angela and say, 'No, honey, it was manipulated.'"

"She said that?"

"No, but I imagine that's what she would say."

The silence after that left her staring unabashedly at the younger man with downcast eyes directed towards his swathed hands.

"Why would you want to admit friendship towards a murderer?" He met her eyes with the awkward stare she had always associated with him.

"Because you did it because you thought-and were led to believe-it was for the greater good."

"It wasn't."

"No, but you tried to make yourself see that."

"Wouldn't that mean I realized it was wrong?"

"Do you think that?"

"I thought that if I helped the greater good I could return what you gave me. And Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth and Angela and Hodgins. I thought I could help. You're all apart of the whole, and if I helped the whole then I would be helping you."

"You were already helping the families of hundreds."

"But not you! I wanted to pay you back…My logic was flawed."

His eyes darted towards his hands again.

"You sacrificed your livelihood and your freedom for the safety of Hodgins. You couldn't escape or continue your job without your hands. You made that sacrifice willingly. I think that's enough for Hodgins-for all of us to realize that we should've realized something was wrong." She traced the raw skin visible right beneath and beside the bandages. Zack's breathing sped up as his eyes widened. "In the end you helped. You saved a life, and you brought down an awful man."

"I hurt everyone. I compromised the integrity of the lab, I killed a man, I-"

"Yes, but if we never spoke to you again would you realize this?"

"I…I don't know…"

"You'll have time to think about it. You'll do that?" He nodded. "Good, now, what page was I on?" Her fingers pried open the pages of the book as Zack looked on.

"It's three in the morning."

"Dr. Addy, I don't think that's a page number."

"I just wanted to help all of you."

"I know. Let us help you now." She glanced at him. "Page 27 was it? It's another little fishy thing…"

-END-

This was my first Bones fic so please point out character inconsistencies. Thank you.