Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Kylie!

Kylie Wells first saw it in the papers: High-Esteemed Doctor Zachary Addy Revealed as Apprentice in Gormogon Murders. And she couldn't believe it.

He couldn't do it. Not her Zack – the sweetest, kindest, most selfless boy she had ever known, who just so happened to have saved her ass in high school. While others jeered at his intellect, she admired and respected him. As his speech and debate partner, with whom she had made a formidable team during debate tournaments, she had spent more time with him than anyone else, mainly because she was the closest thing he had to a friend at the time.

"Can I help you?" A woman exiting Zack's hospital room asked Kylie, a slight edge to her voice. She appeared to be in her mid to late thirties with raven black hair and caramel skin.

"I'm just visiting Zack, er, Doctor Addy," Kylie corrected herself with a slight giggle. "Sorry, it's just always been 'Zack' for me."

"You're not Naomi," she said as though she were pointing out an obvious fact.

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea who that is," she said as apologetically as she could. "I'm a friend of his from high school."

"High school, huh?" the older woman raised her eyebrows. "Must be why Zack's never mentioned you."

"It's been awhile," she nodded in agreement. "Five years, I think. I'm Kylie, by the way. Kylie Wells."

"Camille Saroyan, Zack's boss," she held out her hand for her to shake. "Well…former boss. But you can call me Cam."

"Sounds good, Cam. It was nice meeting you!" Kylie's pale pink lips parted in a polite smile as she stopped at the viewing window of his room, observing him before she entered.

He looked the same, she observed. Same mousy brown hair with that cute flip at the end. But his smile was what always got her, with those cute dimples that always made her want to hug him whenever he smiled.

Even if Zack got uncomfortable whenever someone tried to hug him, he could never resist Kylie's embrace whenever she would wrap her arms around his waist and nest her head into the crook of his neck. It took a few times before Zack eventually hugged back, but she never gave up. She knew and accepted from the moment she was assigned as his debate partner that he had different ways of expressing himself and his emotions, and she worked with that. Instead of trying to get him to express himself the way others usually did, she tried to adapt by adjusting her normal style of communicating; in turn, he slowly began expressing himself more. His faint smiles would turn into larger ones, which would turn into laughs if the situation warranted it.

"Hey, Zack," Kylie cautiously walked up to his bedside and settled into the chair.

Zack squinted his eyes to get a better glimpse of his visitor. "Kylie Wells?"

"The one and only," she smiled, placing her hand on top of his bandaged ones.

"Well, technically speaking, both your first name and your surname are quite generic, and…"

"You haven't changed a bit," she giggled slightly, but this time, her eyes were sad.

"Or maybe you have," she continued, looking down before meeting his eyes, no longer caring if she cried in front of him. "Murder, huh?"

"Yes," he merely answered, devoid of any emotion.

"The Zack I know didn't have the heart to take a life," she whispered, sniffling.

"Like I told Doctor Brennan, his logic was irrefutable," he replied. He paused for a moment to look at his old friend. "Are we still friends? I understand we haven't seen each other in quite awhile, and given my current situation…"

"I owe you my life, Zack," Kylie interrupted him. "If it weren't for you, I would've been expelled from school and possibly landed myself in County. You made a mistake. A big one, yeah, but the important thing is that you see where you were wrong and try to better yourself."

"My logic failed me. I'm never wrong. How is that possible?"

"Everyone can make mistakes, even the most brilliant people," Kylie assured him.

"You sound a lot like Angela." She sensed a hint of a smile in his voice. "And a little like Doctor Brennan. But mostly Angela."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Yes, Angela is my friend," he nodded. "And I have utmost respect for Doctor Brennan. I was her grad student before I was officially offered a job at the Jeffersonian."

"What happened to your hands?"

"This would've been Hodgins when the explosion went off," he said quietly. "The magnitude of the explosion caused the skin on my hands to burn off. Third-degree burns, according to Doctor Brennan."

"Hodgins?"

"My best friend," a tear rolled down his cheek. "We'd always compete for King of the Lab. He's an entomologist, while I – like Doctor Brennan – am a forensic anthropologist. What brings you here? Not that I'm unhappy to see you, but from what I remember, you went to school in Seattle…"

"No, of course," she understood. "I'm surprised you remember that, actually. I moved out here with my brother. He's finishing his FBI training, and I'm taking a year off to find an internship or something before I start looking for a grad school."

"Brennan's going to need a new intern now that I'm no longer able to perform the functions of my work," Zack said. "Would you like me to recommend you?"

"So I'll get to do what you do…er, did?"

"That is correct," he nodded.

"That's really nice of you, Zack," Kylie smiled. "But I'm hardly qualified. I wouldn't have passed anatomy or physics if you hadn't tutored me. I'm sure there are a bunch of better qualified people there…"

"None of whom Hodgins, Angela, Cam, or Brennan are fond of," he cut her off.

"What?"

"Your abilities and intellect are more than satisfactory, Kylie," he assured her. "You underestimate yourself. And I am certain they will like you right away. Except for Doctor Brennan, maybe, but she's generally rather difficult to please."

Kylie sensed a slightly bitter edge to his voice toward the end, before smiling at Zack's compliment. "I've never thought of the forensic area before. That does sound pretty cool. My anatomy's rusty though, so..."

"I can have Hodgins lend you my old textbooks so that you can refresh your memory, if you'd like," he offered.

"I'll need some time to think about it, research it. Your field, I mean," she decided.

"My offer stands as long as you're here, but I would make a decision quickly if I were you. I'd imagine Doctor Brennan is stressing to find a satisfactory replacement right now, though I believe she is leaving for London with Agent Booth tomorrow."

"Do you think there's hope for me?" he asked suddenly. "Will I be stuck in a loony bin forever?"

"Of course there's hope. I know you, Zack. You couldn't have killed a man, even if you say you did." She paused before adding, "It was really good to see you."

"It was good to see you too," he nodded. "Will you come back?"

"Only if you want me to," Kylie shrugged, a teasing glint in her eye as the door shut quietly behind her.

"I hate it when she does that," he grumbled slightly before falling asleep.

I'm fairly new to BONES, and I've only just started season 4, so I wrote this based on what I've seen so far. Zack is my absolute favorite character (Angela comes a close second), and the season 3 finale definitely broke my heart. I tried to get his character right, so please let me know how I'm doing/what I can do better for future chapters! You'll meet everyone else in the next few chapters, and you'll also find out what Zack did for Kylie in high school that makes her owe him in due time. Please let me know how I did, as I'm sure there are people out there with better knowledge of BONES that have been following it since the beginning. Thanks for reading!