She opens her eyes trying to get the picture out of her head. She slips out of bed, and tiptoes into the kitchen. She sits at the counter, on a barstool.
"What are you doing?" Michelle questions.
Cam just stares at her. Michelle doesn't say a word, she just takes the bottle, and pours it down the drain.
"Michelle!"
"Tell me why you wake up in the middle of the night."
"I can't."
"Then go back to bed."
"I can't."
"Why can't you sleep through the night?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"Not if you never let me in."
"You shouldn't worry about it."
"What should I do? Let you fall deeper into the hole that you're digging?"
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not."
"Michelle, please go to bed."
"Not until you tell me the truth."
"I can't. I..."
"Whatever it is, it can't be that bad."
"Yes it can."
"Why can't you tell me?"
"It's not something you should ever have to know about."
"I want to help you."
"You can't."
"You should let me try."
"Michelle..."
"Camille," she says softly.
Cam looks away, blinking away tears.
"I wish that you weren't going so far away for school."
"Why are you having such a hard time with this?"
"I'm not good with goodbye," she answers.
"I'm not going away forever, I'm just going to college. I'll be home for the holidays, and on breaks."
"I just feel like I'm losing you."
"You want me to stay?"
"For you, you have to go. But for me I wish you'd stay."
"Why? Cam why do you have such a hard time letting go?"
"I just hate goodbye."
"Why? What happened that made you this way?"
"Sometimes life has a way of knocking you down so hard that you pray that you don't have to get back up again," she answers tasting her tears.
"We all fall down sometimes."
"And sometimes you don't want to get back up. Sometimes getting back up take everything you have. Everyday I live with..."
"With what?"
"I never told you why I left New York."
"No."
"You've never asked."
"I figured you'd tell me when the time was right."
"One day I woke up, and... I knew that if I didn't leave... if I didn't pack up my stuff, and walk away that I'd never take another breath."
"I don't understand. Someone hurt you?"
"Physically? No."
"So what happened?"
"I thought that everything was perfect."
"There is no such thing."
"Every time that things in my life are as good as they can get, the rug is pulled right out from under me."
"What happened?"
She walks away.
"Where are you going?" Michelle questions.
Cam slips into her room, returning with a box. She flips on the lamp in the living room, and sinks onto the couch. Michelle joins her. Cam slips the lid off the box. She pulls out a tiny box and hands it to Michelle. Michelle stares at the box's contents silently.
"I was married."
"When?"
"When I was in New York I was married."
"What happened?"
"There are some things that you can't overcome, no matter how much you love someone. Love isn't always a fairy tale."
"What happened?"
Booth rubs his eyes as he joins his partner. He stands by her side as she surveys the scene. For once she's silent. He stares at the remains of a house. A mile from the nearest neighbor-no one saw or heard anything. No witnesses to a fire that destroyed a house full of people. The fire fighters turn off the hoses. One comes out of the house, shaking his head. Temperance takes a breath, and steps toward him.
"Dr. Brennan," he greets her as he peels off his gear.
"What happened?"
"We're not sure, but... there's nothing left. We couldn't save anyone. There was nothing we could do. It was too late."
"How many?"
"Three so far, but... the upstairs collapsed, and we couldn't get into the basement. None of the beams are safe."
"We can't go in?"
"No."
"How many gallons of water?"
"More than I can count."
"Any evidence left?"
"I doubt it," he answers it.
"Just give me the bodies, and try not to contaminate the scene any further."
"You'll be back when the scene is clear?"
"You'll call me as soon as it is?" she questions.
"Of course," he agrees.
"Ok," she nods.
The fireman walks away. Booth stares at her in confusion.
"You don't want to look at the scene?"
"I do. But I can examine the bodies first."
"Ok," he agrees.