She would never admit it, but going out to the Founding Fathers for drinks after a case was one of her favorite things. It was a time when they were all relaxed. No one was trying to one-up anyone else by discovering the evidence first or being the one to solve the case. She took a long sip of her beer. When not pregnant, Dr. Brennan preferred white wine. Or tequila. Angela generally opted for a mixed drink of some sort. And when they were here, Daisy, and even Clark, often chose something resembling fruit punch. But Cam, she'd go for a beer any day of the week.
"It's a real shame about that guy, you know? Committed suicide and all he left behind was his Bucket List." Wendell said, finally bringing up the case.
"I will say that must be one of the only suicide's I have ever investigated." Brennan added.
Sweets cleared his thought, which cause Cam to groan. He had that look on his face again. "Actually, bucket lists are rarely completed. They serve as a sort of list of contempt, a list of things that people will never accomplish."
"Which reminds me," Hodgins piped in. "We can go to the Carousel this weekend. I know it was number one on yours."
The shrink rolled his eyes. "Wow. Another age joke. You know, those never get old."
Everyone laughed as Joe, the bartender, came around to ask if we wanted more drinks.
"No thanks," Booth wrapped his arms around Brennan. "We're headin' out."
"Booth…" She started.
"Bones," he leaned in close to her. "There are a couple things on my bucket list that I still need to cross off." He whispered something in her ear and her eyes sparkled with mischief.
Cam motioned for another one as she watched Dr. Brennan and Booth exit the bar. Soon after, Sweets and Angela followed. She took a long pull of her beer, set the empty bottle down, and looked up to see Wendell and Dr. Hodgins standing next to the table. Joe set down Cam's beer and looked from one scientist to another. A smirk adorned his face and he walked away.
"You know you guys could sit down."
Then men took a place on either side of her. Idle chitchat ensued until another round of drinks was brought to the table.
"Okay, boys," Cam started. "What's on your Bucket Lists?"
"Besides the obvious of getting to name a new species?" Hodgins' eyes were twinkling.
He and Wendell then launched into a discussion of their Bucket Lists. Cam took that opportunity to study the two men in front of her. It wasn't often that she just got to observe her colleagues. She'd always found Hodgins attractive, but now that she took the time to notice, so was Wendell. Both men were different, certainly. Hodgins' sensuality came from his intelligence, his charm, and, dare she admit it, his sheer nerdiness. Wendell, on the other hand, reminded her of her younger days. He had a street quality that was downright sexy. And the first time she saw him in a plain white tank top, tattoos and all, Cam nearly lost it right then and there.
"Dr. Saroyan?" Wendell laid a hand on her forearm. The heat from his touch burned her skin and sent shocks throughout her body. Sneaking a peak at Hodgins, she saw that he noticed how the younger man's touch had affected her.
"What?" Cam barely got out.
"What's something on your list?" Wendell smiled. It was one of those "good ol' boy" smiles. But something told her that he was anything but.
"I've always wanted to learn how to play an instrument." She said, struggling to regain conscious thought.
The men both smirked. "Something not completely lame," Hodgins caught her.
"Trust me boys, the majority of the things on my list are the opposite of lame." As soon as she said it, Cam had to stop herself from bolting out the door. It wasn't the alcohol that caused her to utter such an outrageous statement. Lord knew she could hold her own when it came to drinking. Which meant, that somewhere between realizing how attractive the two men were, and Wendell's innocent touch, she had lost her mind.
It was Hodgins who spoke first, "What do you think, Wendell? Think we can handle it?"
Cam nearly choked on her beer.
"I'm not sure. She might just have to tell us, so we can be sure."
Surely, Cam had died and gone to heaven. If they only knew the top five things on her list…she thought.
"How about this," Hodgins looked pointedly at Wendell. "We'll each write down one of our Bucket List items on a piece of paper," which he so conveniently pulled from his pocket, "And then, we'll burn them, that way they'll come true."
Cam looked at him as if he was crazy. "Excuse me?"
Wendell laughed, "It's one of Booth's ideas. Apparently, it got him and Dr. Brennan together, so it must work."
Skeptically, she grabbed a pen from her purse and carefully wrote down her item, making sure to hide it from her two colleagues. Wendell and Hodgins did the same, and they each folded the paper and set them on the table.
"There's one problem," Cam remembered Joe doesn't allow any type of fire in the bar. Don't you remember what happened last year?"
"How could I forget?" Hodgins almost looked embarrassed. Almost. "He wouldn't let me enter the bar for a month after that."
"Dude. Do you blame him? You set a table on fire," Wendell countered.
"It was tiny!" Both men grinned at Cam. Damn, but they were attractive.
She groaned and placed her pen back in her purse. Placing some money on the table, she stood up. "Well, boys. I've got to get going. We do have work tomorrow."
"And since we were all out so late, it'll be okay if we come in just a little bit—"
"Work is at 8am. Same time as always, Dr. Hodgins."
Came was out the door before they could respond.
"She wants what!"
Wendell placed his hands on Hodgins' shoulders. "When she put her pen back in her bag, I picked up her piece of paper. It's on her bucket list, man."
"I have never been prouder of you than I am at this very moment." Hodgins grinned. "So? When do we do it?"
"Do what?" Cam asked, walking into what she called the "bug room."
"Oh. I was just, um, quizzing Mr. Bray on the exact uses of penetrative double-headed beetles in lower Malaysia."
Silence filled the room for a moment. It was all Wendell had not to crack up laughing. Leave it to Hodgins' make something so scientific so dirty.
"Well, the doctor ordered Dr. Brennan on bed rest, so it's going to be a slow couple of weeks until she gives birth. Unfortunately, very little crime solving can be done without Booth and Dr. Brennan."
"If Brennan is the one on bed rest, why is Booth gone too?" Wendell asked, earning looks from both Hodgins and Cam. "Right," he figured out. "Booth isn't going to let her be alone. Gotcha."
"This means," Cam leaned her hip against Hodgins' desk, "that we'll all be working half days this week. I don't know about you all, but I'd rather be, well, not here, especially if I don't have to be."
The two men looked at each other and smiled.
"And, since you two are started to freak me out, I will see you all tomorrow. Goodbye, gentlemen." Cam exited in the direction of her office and breathed a deep sigh of relief.
It wasn't until she'd gotten home the night before, that she checked her pockets for the piece of paper. Nothing. Which meant that it was still on the table when she left. Which meant that Hodgins or Wendell could have easily seen it.
Cam blushed furiously. She was being stupid. They were all professionals. She could handle this.
Professionals don't flirt with colleagues, her conscience reminded her.
Cam slumped into her desk chair and laid her head in her hands. Maybe they'd been gentlemen. Maybe they hadn't seen it. If they did, maybe they wouldn't say anything.
Groaning, she picked up her things. It was going to be a long, long week.
Hodgins sat on a stylish couch in a small apartment. Wendell paced back and forth.
It had been exactly a week since the night at the bar, and the two men had they're plan complete.
"Hodgins!" Wendell, usually so calm, was on the verge of freaking out. "We broke into her apartment!"
"I'm aware of that Wendell, chill out," Hodgins ran a hand over his face.
"Look. We both saw what she wrote down. We both know that she wants a…a…"
"A threesome," Hodgins finished for him, smirking. "And I know that I want her. I've wanted her for so long. She's what I what down. She's number one on my Bucket List."
"You know she's what I wrote down too. You know I want her just as badly as you do but…"
"But?"
"But is this really the way to go about it?"
They heard a key in the lock. Cam was on the other side of the door. It was now or never.
"It is now." Hodgins whispered and braced himself for her entrance.
Cam entered her apartment and nearly screamed. Thankfully, she realized who exactly was in her apartment before she went into full on defense mode.
"Hodgins? Wendell? What…What are you doing here?" She stuttered, unable to compose herself.
Surprisingly, it was the younger man to speak first. "We know what you want, Cam." His use of her name caught her even more off guard. "We…know what's on your Bucket List."
Her breath whooshed out of her. Not stopping to look at either of them, she entered her kitchen, grabbed a glass, filled it with water, and took a sip. Setting the glass down, she looked up to find they'd followed her, concern in her eyes.
She cocked one hip out, "Why you both here? To humiliate me? No, thanks."
"That's not it at all. And you know it." Hodgins spoke quietly.
"Then fair is fair, I suppose," Cam took a deep breath, building her courage. "What did you two write down? What's on your Bucket Lists?"
They two men were quiet for a moment and then spoke simultaneously:
"You."