This one takes place after Man in the Cell. I'm not in love with it, but let me know what you think. As usual, I don't own the characters, just this story.

------------------------------------------------------------------

She heard his soft footsteps as he came in the room. Opening her eyes, Dr. Camille Saroyan smiled as Seeley Booth took a seat next to her bed, putting the vase of white daisies on the table next to her. His expression was a mix of worry and guilt as he took her hand, never quite looking her in the eye. He rubbed light circles by her thumb as he stared at their joint hands, lost in thought.

"It's not your fault, Seeley," she croaked out, reading him easily. His eyes shot up to her face at this, his expression bent in pain.

"How can it not be?" He asked, the rubbing on her hand becoming quicker as he became more agitated.

"I told you before, it was Epps. Not you," she supplied, "He was after Brennan, which means coming after you."

"I know he was after Bones, but I'm just her partner. You're my girlfriend," he replied earnestly, suddenly feeling like he was back in high school, convincing his girl that "Cindy" from the squad wasn't going to come between them.

"Which is why the poison hitting me worked better than he anticipated," she finished quickly. Cam sighed internally as she slowly put together the pieces of his various expressions throughout the ordeal. She simply couldn't sit in denial any longer. She took a breath to steel herself for what she had to say next.

"Seeley, this isn't because of today," she started, watching as his eyes clouded over in apprehension and guilt (though he did try to hide it. He knew how much she hated his guilt), "but we should stop this."

His eyebrows knitted together in surprise and the finger on her hand stopped rubbing those soothing circles. She stared into his brown eyes and almost lost her resolve, though she did continue.

"You and I both know that deranged serial killers are the least of our worries."

"What do you mean Camille," he questioned, pleading edging its way into his voice, "I'm with you, I love you."

Cam let a rueful smile slip into place while she patted his hand softly, "No, you aren't. No you don't."

She supplied each of these answers to him while his eyes remained wide, indignant answers not quite reaching past his throat.

"You told me before. 'You're with Dr. Brennan all the way'," she stated this as a fact, like her coworker would have; instead of like the broken ex-girlfriend she may have been once. Booth tried to protest, gripping her hand a little tighter, his guilty conscience weighing on him. She stopped him, wanting to get everything out.

"It's ok," she reassured him. And it was. She realized she felt better, good even, about this, if only slightly cracked. "We knew there was always a chance for this to happen," she said, motioning to the hospital machines decorating her room. "'High risk situations' as you used to say. But, I think the only 'high risk' for you, is missing out on her."

"Look Cam," he started, every apology written on his face.

"I know," she responded softly. And she did. She knew he felt bad about everything, but their half-hearted relationship didn't serve her any better than it did him. His hand reached up to cup her cheek, then moved up to shift her bangs out of the way as he laid a soft, final kiss there. They locked gazes one more time and both took in what the other couldn't say.

As he walked towards the door, Camille Saroyan (Doctor Camille Saroyan her inner voice added impishly) settled lower into her pillows, a soft smile on her face. Those two would figure it out eventually. Until then, she'd talk to Hodgins about getting in on a certain betting pool.