I guess Avalon told us a lot in that first epi of Bones this season, a lot about what's going to happen, what might happen... A hint (or two) about what's really going to happen might be in this chapter, so pay attention ;)
Scenes from epi 5.1 included
Chapter 1: I shall be too late
"I absolutely cannot believe this!" Cam groaned when she hung up her phone in the office and leaned her arms against the cold surface of her desk.
"What? That I'm still here and we're still wearing all of our clothes?" Hodgins grinned at her from the couch where he sat. His computers and machines were rendering without him and his assistants had the rest under control, so he had decided to spend the rest of his workday hovering over his girlfriend, who he hadn't seen enough these last weeks. Now that Brennan was back and Booth was reinstated it was only a matter of time until the lab would go crazy solving murders again.
"That we won't be able to go on our date- again," she rolled her eyes and pushed the chair away from the desk with the force of frustration.
"Why?" She rolled with her chair over to the couch and stopped beside him.
"Because Booth and Brennan found several bodies under a fountain," she enlightened him.
"You're kidding," he gaped at her, his face falling.
"No, they just called and told me to send over a team to help remove the bodies. Oh, and you're needed as well to take samples and... do what you do in those situations," she finished with a sigh.
"You jinxed our date," he replied accusingly and held up a finger, pointing at her face.
"What?"
"You jinxed it. This morning you said that we could only go on our date if Booth and Dr. B. wouldn't find a body and now they have. Under a fountain. What the hell were they doing under a fountain anyway?" he asked, then pointed with his index finger again. "Therefore you jinxed our date."
"Oh, I did not. And they were sent to the fountain by Angela's psychic, so I guess the psychic ruined our date not me," she disagreed and pushed his hand down by placing her own over it. He caught her fingers with his and interlaced them.
"Since when does Angela have a psychic? Not that I'm surprised," he muttered the last part.
"You're asking me? You were engaged to her," Cam replied.
"Exactly, past tense," he nodded.
"Angela even dragged Brennan with her. Booth just told me on the phone," she said and let him pull her closer by rolling her chair in front of him.
"Oh, and what did she say?" he asked, his eyes wandering over her body and she knew that he was most likely not really wanting an answer to his question.
"That Booth and Brennan are linked in a really profound and spiritual manner," she said anyway and glared at him when his hands came to rest on her bare knees.
"You know, I love this black dress on you," he ignored her glare and let his hands wander up her thighs.
"Her dress is dark blue, Jack," Angela said from the doorway when she came into the room, having heard the last parts of their conversation. "And get this: Avalon also said that Brennan was pregnant with Booth's child in the dream," the artist went on and sat down beside Hodgins, not caring that his hands were still resting on Cam's thighs and she was still glaring at him.
"Thanks, Angie, for walking in at the exact wrong moment," he groaned and finally took his hands away. He glared at her and looked at Cam for back-up but realized that she was still looking at him disapprovingly- not at Angela.
"There's no wrong moment to consult your boss, Hodgins. I've told you this several times already and I've also told you that you should keep your hands off at the lab, remember?" she asked him and raised both eyebrows slowly.
"Yeah, yeah, guess I should go and get my stuff. Maybe we can go on that date if I'm done early?" he wondered and slowly got up and stretched his arms and legs, bending back a bit.
"I doubt it. At least eight bodies are under that fountain and they all need to be dug up and brought to the lab," Cam shook her head.
"Ok, so no date. Your place?" he asked with another sigh.
"Sure, but bring your key, because I might not be home. I'm going out with Booth," she nodded and moved from the desk chair to the couch.
"With Booth?" He didn't like it and that was audible.
"He asked me to grab a drink with him tonight. And since you will be working I agreed. He said he needed to talk to me," she explained.
"Ok, but you're not driving home with Booth afterwards. Take a cab," he told her and pecked her lips when she wanted to protest.
"Every time you two go out together you're doing shots and emptying more than one beer. Even his huge FBI car won't protect you when he wrecks it. Cab or call me and I'll get you," he told her insistently, his face so close she felt his breath on her skin.
"Ok," she finally nodded and had to let him walk off with another peck.
"He's so cute when he's overprotective," Angela gushed when he walked away. Cam looked at her and saw her looking after Hodgins, a small wistful smile on her face. For a second Cam felt jealous and protective, wanted to tell her to take her eyes off her guy's ass. But then she refrained, knowing that Angela wasn't a problem. The artist could look and pine all she wanted, Hodgins belonged to her now.
"Pregnant, huh? Guess the whole baby discussion isn't over yet at the lab," Cam said then, referring to Angela's earlier comment.
"I still have that onesie, but if these two want a baby they should do it the normal way, get down and dirty," Angela grinned.
"I agree," Cam laughed. "So what did the psychic tell you?" she asked curiously when the laughter had died down.
"That I will make a surprising discovery concerning one of my exes, that I will break my celibacy kick with someone I'm not even thinking about in that way at the moment, although I know him or her already and that there will be a development early next year that will have me question a very important life decision I once made," Angela summed up what Avalon had seen for her in the cards.
"Huh, sounds intriguing," Cam replied.
"If you want to consult her as well, just tell me," Angela grinned.
"Maybe once I can be sure she wasn't the one who buried the bodies under the fountain," Cam winked and got up. "You want some coffee? Seems like we're the only ones left at the lab," she asked. As much pain as Angela's mere existence had caused her during the last months she was still a friend and she had been there for Hodgins when he had needed someone. Maybe she had even been the one who had brought them back together and for that she was grateful. It was time that they had one of their girl talks again, since they hadn't had one in months. Just Hodgins was off limits now, because she didn't want to compare notes.
"Sure," Angela smiled and Cam was off to the kitchen.
~*~
"First drink since the brain operation?" Cam asked after taking her first sip of her drink. She sat beside Booth at the Founding Fathers bar after he had picked her up from the lab and they had walked the short distance, both still dressed in their work clothes.
"Yeah, and since, you know, getting back to work," he replied and looked at her, holding his glass with both hands.
"I'm honored. An auspicious occasion," she replied, holding her drink still in her left hand, knowing that something was up. "So, what do you want?" she asked before taking another sip.
"Just wanna share a drink, you know," he stumbled over the words, talking slowly, trying to explain while not really explaining anything, "with one of my closest and dearest friends who, you know, I could trust with, uhm, certain things," he went on and her eyes widened with worry, because she picked up, once again, on the fact that something was bothering him.
"Oh God," she said and looked wide-eyed at him.
"What?" he replied and raised one eye-brow.
"There's lasting brain damage, isn't there? Something you haven't told anyone. Are you hearing voices?" she asked while he looked confused at her and then ordered another round of drinks for the two of them.
"No," he just replied shortly and took the drinks from the waiter.
"Seeley, if you're hearing voices that is really serious," she went on and he handed her one of the shots he had ordered.
"No, I'm not hearing voices, Camille, alright? Relax, I just...well, I did forget that I wore goofy socks, so we can do one for that, huh?" he replied and both clicked their glasses and downed the first shot of the night.
"Mmh, the things that make you a great cop have nothing to do with the socks. What's really on your mind?" she prodded when she had swallowed the liquid, the slight burn in her throat only irritating her for a second. Booth got really nervous, started fidgeting under her gaze, and wiped his mouth nervously with his hand before he started talking.
"Alright, uhm, that place that I went to, you know, in my coma dream... it was just... Bones and I we were so... real," he finally spit out what was bothering him.
"You're in love with Dr. Brennan," she replied without hesitating, a small smile on her face. He was speechless for a moment and her smile got wider. She knew she was right when he gave her a small smile in reply and didn't deny it.
"What I'm wondering is: Am I the same guy?" he asked her next.
"Uh, sweet, kick-ass FBI murder solver with hard fists and a lion heart?" She asked after pretending to think about it for a moment. In reality she just told him what she was really thinking about him professionally. Her evaluations about the private Booth would have been different, but not less flattering.
"Mmh."
"Yup, you're still him", she told him and he looked away from her thoughtfully. She knew that he was lost, not knowing what to do. He had been in love before, but never with his eccentric partner he worked with, had to rely on and needed to trust. "My advice, for what it's worth, forget the bruised brain and go with your lion heart," she added and he looked at her again, nodded. Six months ago she might have given him another piece of advice, one more cautious, more along the lines of protecting the lion heart and waiting for the bruised brain to recover fully. However now she knew that while it was important to guard your own heart and your emotions, especially around the people you work with, there came a point when you only hurt yourself when you held back. It still amazed her when she thought about her reconciliation with Hodgins and how he had bared his soul to her while she had offered him nothing that could have made him hope. He had told her that he was in love with her while they had been broken up, fighting, not really talking. And she had learned from that, at least she hoped so.
"Right... right... and, uh, tell Bones how I feel," he concluded and raised his scotch glass to toast with her again. She lifted her glass as well, but then held up one finger to stop him, an important thought coming to her mind.
"Yes, except: Be sure about your feelings because if you crack that shell and you change your mind she'll die of loneliness before she'll ever trust anyone ever again," she warned him and raised her glass again. She was not as socially awkward as Brennan was, not even close, but maybe just as wary when it came to her heart. She understood the anthropologist and her fears and Booth needed to know that he had to be sure. While Brennan seemed strong she was not, not really and a break-up, especially one with Booth- the person she trusted most, would destroy her.
"Right," he agreed after a moment and clicked his glass against hers. Cam downed the rest of her Scotch immediately while Booth waited another moment, obviously contemplating what she had just told him. He understood. When he raised his glass and took the first sip he looked at her with a small smile then drank the rest just as her cell phone went off.
"Hodgins?" Booth grinned when he saw the smile forming on her face upon seeing who was calling.
"Hey Jack," she answered the phone and grinned at Booth, a bit embarrassed. She knew she was acting like a teenager, but she knew that she could let her guard down around Booth. At the lab she had to keep up her front, be the boss and not smile giddily because her boyfriend called. She had been sure that he would call, had secretly waited for it, knew that he wanted to make sure she was ok, ask her where she was, wanted to know when she would be home and most of all simply hear her voice. She knew all this because he had told her- and because she felt the same way about him and acted the same way when the roles were reversed.
"Babe, I'm on my way back to the Jeffersonian. Judging by the noise I'd say you're still at the bar?" he asked and she could make out the sounds of his car radio and the engine.
"Yes, we're at the Founding Fathers," she replied.
"Why don't you come back to the lab after you're done? I can take you home with me and if Booth wants we can stop at his place and drop him off," he offered.
"You want a ride home later?" Cam asked Booth, who looked surprised and thought about it for a second.
"Nah, I'm still good. I think I'll stop by the office and the fountain and check on Bones," he admitted then.
"You heard that? Booth will drive himself," Cam told Hodgins.
"I heard and tell him that as a cop he should know better or else he's just a fool," he replied with a snort.
"You really want me to tell him that?" Cam laughed and Booth raised both eyebrows questioningly.
"Nah, better not. Maybe he's not himself when he's drunk and really will shoot me. See you later and be careful, k?" he said and she could hear the smile in his voice.
"See you later," she replied softly and hung up, looking at the phone in her hand with a smile.
"I've never seen you so smitten before," Booth said teasingly and nudged her shoulder with his.
"I really... like him," she grinned widely and he knew that was all the admission he would get from her. "And if you and Brennan hadn't found those bodies I would be out with him right now, eating at some fancy restaurant, maybe watching some old movie after dinner at a cozy movie theater...," she sighed and put her cell phone back in her purse.
"You had a date planned?" he asked sympathetically.
"Yeah, still our back together date. We haven't had any time so far and with the new case it looks like it'll still be a while," she replied and took the beer he had placed in front of her and sipped, then wiped the foam off her lips. "You know that's actually the downside of dating someone from the lab: We all work those crazy hours and even if I can get out earlier it doesn't mean that he can. Actually, usually when one of us goes home early the other has to stay even longer," she went on, disappointment swinging in her voice.
"Still, you look happy," he said and raised his beer bottle.
"I am," she smiled and clicked her bottle against his.
~*~
"Hey, you can still walk straight," he grinned after turning around on his chair. He had heard her heels clicking on the floor and he would recognize the sound of her steps anywhere.
"We didn't drink that much," she shook her head, placed her bag on his desk and took off her jacket which she laid over the back of a chair. He watched her, caught a whiff of her perfume when she took off her coat and wrapped his arms around her waist when she came to stand in front of him. He looked up at her and she looked down on him, both wearing similar smiles and the same look of affection in their eyes, brown and blue. Finally he stood up and pulled her flush against him before he kissed her, much softer than she had anticipated.
"You taste like beer and something stronger," he smacked his lips to get another taste. "Jaegermeister?" he asked then.
"You're good," she grinned and pecked his lips again before she stepped away from him and took some chewing gum out of her purse. "You want one?"
"No, thanks," he shook his head. "But maybe you could get me a cup of coffee? I can't really concentrate when I'm tired. Honestly, I just wanna go home," he admitted and rubbed over his eyes with one hand.
"Sure. You're the last man standing? I didn't see anyone else when I came in," she replied and took his empty cup, which had been standing beside his monitor.
"Angela should still be here. Or she left without saying goodbye," he shrugged and turned to his other screen when it started beeping.
"She's already reconstructing the faces?" Cam asked surprised.
"Yes, Brennan gave her the first two when we were still under the fountain," he replied and she heard the excitement.
"You liked digging around there, didn't you?" she grinned and cocked her head to the side, thinking about the fact that his excitement was endearing, even though it was about soil samples and bugs.
"You bet I did. After sorting skeletons for the last weeks this is awesome," he nodded. She just laughed and turned around to get his coffee.
"Hey," he stopped her in the doorway.
"Mmmh?"
"What did Booth want?" She thought about telling him the truth, but then decided that this was Booth's thing and he should decide who to confide in.
"Just some friendly evaluation on how bruised his brain still is," she winked and went for the second time that day to fetch coffee for a subordinate.
~*~
The beeping of the computer announcing an incoming video call from the Jeffersonian interrupted Caroline and Booth the next day in the conference room at the Hoover building. When the camera switched on Hodgins came face to face with the both of them, but still couldn't keep himself from making a joke on Booth's account. Just a little payback for the fact that he had spent time with his girlfriend last night, while Hodgins had to work.
"Booth, how many fingers am I holding up?" he asked and switched from five to seven to one to...
"Yeah, brain damage joke, that's really funny," the attorney said disapprovingly and Hodgins saw the look she gave Booth, the one that clearly said "Crazy squints".
"What do you got?" Booth just asked, but to Hodgins great satisfaction with an unnerved look on his face.
"What I got are multiple degrees in botany, geology and entomology, which allow me to discern vital clues like this one, " Hodgins pointed out, hoping to intimidate them just a little bit and knew when he showed them the diagram that they wouldn't have the slightest clue what it would be. And that made him so much smarter than the two of them together.
"What's that? A graph of Russian wheat production in 1955?" Caroline asked and Booth laughed, but they all knew that Hodgins had won this round. He explained to them in detail what he had found and even gave them the info that the navy referred to the suits which matched the fabric as "poopy suits".
"Right, you mean for submarine crews?" Booth asked and looked at the picture of one of the suits that Hodgins showed them.
"Yeah, exactly," Hodgins agreed and then came to his favorite part. "Now my conclusion is that we have uncovered the anonymous grave of the crew of the super secret stealth submarine Hawkfish which disappeared in the late 90s and the US government denies the very existence of a submarine, yet I..." he didn't get farther because Booth ended the connection or closed the laptop, Hodgins did not know exactly. Either way, the screen went black.
"Ignorant, anal,… "he muttered and jumped when he felt a hand coming down on his shoulder.
"Who are you talking about?" Cam asked quietly against his ear before she stepped back from him.
"Booth and Caroline. I was just telling them that I identified the victims and they just shut me off," he replied and leaned against his desk, arms crossed over his chest.
"When were you going to tell me that you identified the victims?" she replied and mirrored his stance.
"I just found out," he replied and pressed a few buttons on his keyboard and then the plan of the Hawkfish showed up. Cam took one look at it and then shook her head.
"Ok, if this is your theory then shutting you up is probably the best way to deal with it," she told him and stood back up straight.
"And just how are you gonna do that?" he grinned smugly at her and licked his lips without being aware of it. Cam saw the tip of his tongue peeking out between his lips though, her eyes lingering at his mouth for a moment. She could taste him on her own lips, feel his tongue gliding against hers, exploring her mouth and was overcome with the desire to kiss him. Grab him by his shirt and kiss him senseless, tongue and all. However, they were at the lab with zooming cameras, curious colleagues and nosy subordinates so she couldn't act on her impulse, not in his lab at least and not at this time of the day.
"By just going back to my office and telling you to send the results over via email," she replied instead, grinned back and turned around. With a smug jaunt in her steps she left his office, knowing that he would come and collect his kiss later. Hoping and waiting for it.
~*~
"Your chocolate frappuccino, miss," he said when he entered her office later that day around noon.
"Aw, thank you," she said and looked up from the report she had just read.
"I bring sandwiches as well," he grinned and sat down on her couch.
"You're lucky I'm still here, because Angela and Brennan wanted me to come with them to the diner," she said when she sat down beside him.
"I heard you declining, so I guess you're the lucky one that I'm taking care of you and making sure your caffeine level doesn't sink too low and you don't starve," he told her and kissed her quickly before handing her the coffee cup.
"Guess you're right," she replied and kissed him again when she took the cup from him.
"Why didn't you go with them?" he asked and handed her her sandwich as well.
"Because I had the suspicion that you would stop by," she grinned.
"You waited for me," he pointed out smugly.
"So what if I did?" she shrugged, still smiling.
"Nothing," he said and glanced to the door and the blinds to make sure both were shut. "Come here," he said then and pulled her in his arms. Both knew that this was strictly against the rules they had set for themselves, but they hadn't seen much of each other these last weeks and they both needed to be close to each other, even if it was just for a moment.
"When do you think we can go on our date?" she asked him and looked up at him.
"Knowing Brennan and you- not before this case is solved. But if it doesn't happen within the next week I might just kidnap you for one weekend," he replied.
"That sounds good," she laughed, nuzzling her nose against his throat. "Lately I feel like the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, running around saying "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!"," she chuckled, impersonating the rabbit. He laughed as well and wrapped his arms tighter around her shoulders, pressed a kiss to her forehead before he let go of her with a sigh.
"We should eat before the others get back and unnerve us again," he told her and un-wrapped his sandwich.
"Don't forget that they're our friends," she smiled and un-wrapped her food as well.
"I know. I just wish we could be alone more often. Since we got back together all we do is work, look after sick friends, drive petulant teenagers through town and go grocery shopping together as the big highlight," he replied.
"I know. Tomorrow night there'll be this month's board meeting which will take forever and Friday is the annual committee meeting."
"Yeah, my secretary faxed the invitation," he nodded.
"You're going?" she asked.
"I never go to the committee meetings," he shook his head.
"I have to go. We could go together," she offered. He looked at her, still chewing his sandwich, swallowed and nodded.
"Ok, we could go for dinner afterwards. Not really a date but at least we wouldn't have to cook," he thought aloud.
"I just have to leave Michelle some pizza money," she agreed, liking his idea.
"Ok, then let's do that. Oh, and tomorrow I'll meet with Wendell," he remembered.
"For drinks?" she asked.
"Yeah, maybe play some pool and just hang out," he said and wiped his mouth with the napkin he had brought.
"You're going to stay at your place?" she asked, knowing that he had everything they needed for that at home.
"No, some bar somewhere. We haven't decided yet," he shook his head and collected the wrappers and napkins from both of their sandwiches and threw them in the trash.
"Afraid he would faint if he sees your palace?" she teased him when he came back to the sofa.
"Maybe a little," he joked and took the can of soda he had brought for himself and opened it.
"But please follow your own advice and don't drink and drive, especially not with the kid around," she advised him and grabbed her bottle of water.
"Kid?" he didn't get the reference.
"Wendell," she clarified and took a sip of her drink right out of the bottle.
"He's over 21 and allowed to drink," Hodgins just shrugged, not really caring how old his buddy was.
"But he's young enough that people would refer to him as my "boytoy" and to me as a "cougar" if there was something going on between me and him and that makes him "the kid"," Cam explained her reasoning.
"And what does that make me?" he asked and raised his eyebrows.
"The crazy squint I date, to quote Booth," she laughed and made him snort.
"Says the guy who'd love to date the queen of squints," he replied and they both laughed at that.
"Bulls- eye," Cam agreed. They were still laughing when there was a knock on the door and Angela lurked in, not waiting for Cam to reply.
"Aw, too bad, you're decent," she joked and while Cam just shook her head, Hodgins rolled his eyes.
"Was there anything you wanted besides seeing us in a catchy situation?" Cam asked her in the tone of voice that made clear that they were at a workplace and she was the boss.
"I actually wanted to show you the new video results," the artist admitted.
"Ok, that's a reason I can deal with," Cam approved and both she and Hodgins followed Angela into her office. Cam and Hodgins were focused only on the case now and the information Angela was giving them, however, if they were honest with themselves or started questioning their actions they would have to admit that it was kind of pointless that the bugs and slime guy was coming along to watch the video. Sure, it was interesting and sure, he could help, maybe see something only a third pair of eyes could see- which would have worked with any intern as well. The only reason why he was in this room was because he had naturally walked beside Cam, wanting to see what was going on and wanting to be close to her. Hodgins following her through the lab had become a habit he started even before they had started dating, and no one was questioning it anymore. If he was talking to her or was just in the same room, he would come along.
"Ok, I managed to get a partial video file off the minidisc. This is Tom Fargood, el supremo. He sold places in a secret undersea facility he called Harbinger," Angela explained as she showed them the first sequences of the video.
"So these people are all nuts," Cam concluded.
"Not at all. People pay a fortune to visit that giant underwater hotel in Abu Dhabi," Hodgins disagreed naturally. Though they might be a couple now, they still didn't agree on everything. Honestly they disagreed on most random things.
"Yeah, in Dubai. There's another one in Istanbul, Key West, Sweden…," Angela went on.
"So where did Fargood locate his new Atlantis?" Cam wanted to know, the mocking undertone still there.
" A secret site in French Polynesia," the artist supplied.
"Buried under a fountain, that's a bit of a come down from Bora Bora," Hodgins said, sarcasm now his modus operandi as well.
"I count 14 people in this video," Cam added when she had looked over the paused video.
"We dug out 12 from under the fountain," he went on, knowing where her thoughts were going.
"Look at this," Angela said and pressed play and let the video run until two females were visible.
"Is that Avalon?" the coroner asked when she saw the familiar face of a blonde woman.
"No, that's her sister," Angela shook her head.
"How do you know?" Hodgins questioned, not looking convinced.
"Because that is Avalon," Angela said and pointed to the second woman after letting the tape play for another second.
"Oh, they look like they were pretty close," he said when Angela paused the video and the picture of the two sisters filled the screen.
"Her sister ended up in a mass grave that she led us to. Not sure that adds up to pretty close," Cam shot back at him and narrowed her eyes. He looked at Angela, seeking for help or some remark, but she left him hanging.
"You're the one with the sister," he retorted finally and winked when she opened her mouth to say something. "Ok, I won the underwater thing, you win this round. So I guess we're even," he told her and she nodded satisfied.
~*~
She was just leaving her office with the files in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other when he sought her out.
"Hey, you're leaving already?" he asked her and took the files from her hand a second before they would have dropped to the floor.
"Thanks," she smiled when he caught the files. "And yes, board meeting at five," she reminded him, knowing she had told him before.
"So you'll be out around eight?" he asked and walked beside her through the lab.
"Hopefully. Last time some new guy showed up and talked for at least two hours," she rolled her eyes.
"You want me to give you my iphone? You can go online or play some games," he grinned and took his cell phone out of his jeans pocket and waved it around.
"I've got my blackberry with me. And you mean like this incredibly nerve wracking game where one can watch a pond with fish in it and can feed them and pet them by tipping against the screen with the fingertips?" she grinned teasingly.
"Hey, come on! The graphic is amazing and how cool is it when they nibble at your fingers?" he asked with a smile.
"They're cyber-fish, you realize that they cannot really nibble on anything, right?" she wanted to make sure.
"Mmh, nibble… if only we were alone right now," he sighed and made her laugh with his reference that was clearly dirty.
"Maybe you can show me what you're talking about tonight," she said in a low voice and smiled at him.
"I'll try and not get home too late. Send the "kid" to bed early," he winked referring to his night out with Wendell.
"Ok then, see you later tonight," she said when they reached the elevator.
"See you later!" he replied and gave her arm a squeeze when he handed her the files back. He would have preferred to kiss her goodbye, but there were just too many people around.
~*~
"Who is distracting you with text messages? You're losing, man. That has never happened before," Wendell said to Hodgins after he had missed another shot because his cell phone had started beeping.
"It's not text messages, it's direct tweets," Hodgins told him and laughed when he read the message.
"You know it's not really polite to text on your phone while you're out with a friend," Wendell lectured him playfully and glanced over his shoulder to read the message.
"Hey, that's private," Hodgins complained and turned away from the blonde intern.
"Should have known," Wendell grinned, having seen Cam's name on the screen. "Is she bored at home?"
"No, worse: Bored at the board meeting at work. She's a second away from either falling asleep or exploding into a ball of fury," Hodgins laughed and put his cell back in his pocket.
"Another drink?" Wendell asked and pointed to the bar after he sunk the last ball.
"Yep, I buy," Hodgins nodded and sat down on a stool before they ordered their drinks.
"So… you haven't told me yet how this whole thing started. And when," Wendell grinned when he took his Vodka lemon. Hodgins chuckled about his friend's curiosity and took his own drink.
"You remember that night when you introduced me to your female buddies from university?" he grinned, referring to the night they had met Cam by chance at the bar and they had somehow ended up at his place afterwards. Just the two of them.
"Oh man, this long? That was what? Six months ago?" Wendell exclaimed.
"No, nearly five," Hodgins shook his head. He could have told him exactly how many weeks, days, hours or minutes but doubted that Wendell would want to know.
"And? Is it serious?" Wendell wanted to know more.
"As serious as it can get if you ask me," Hodgins replied honestly.
"I had a feeling about you two back then. I knew something was going on, I just didn't know it was that serious," Wendell replied.
"That evening we weren't a couple yet or anything," he replied and wrinkled his forehead, taking another sip of his drink.
"I just remember wondering why you were suddenly on a first name basis and knew what her place looked like," the intern replied and ordered another round of drinks with a wave of his hand.
"Oh, that's a whole other story, my friend," Hodgins laughed, remembering how he had helped her move in Michelle and his late night call after Angela's dad had tattoo-ed him.
"Mind sharing it?" Wendell grinned.
"I might need another drink to do that. Or two," he replied and gulped down the last of his vodka before taking the new glass from Wendell.
~*~
"Thanks baby for coming to get us," Hodgins slurred two hours later when Cam had found them at the bar after her meeting was over and Hodgins had called her.
"No problem, the meeting was just over anyway," she replied and kissed him quickly. "Boy, what did you two drink? Absinth?" she winced when the smell of alcohol hit her.
"The crusher," Hodgins grinned back drunkenly.
"Yay, the crusher!" Wendell cheered and nearly fell off his stool when he raised his arms and let go of the counter which he had been holding on to.
"Can you two even walk?" she asked skeptically and narrowed her eyes at Hodgins, already wondering how she would get those two in the car.
"I can walk," Hodgins assured her and got off his stool to prove his statement right.
"Ok, at least you can stand straight," she nodded with a smile.
"I can stand straight, too!" Wendell proclaimed and stumbled off his chair, nearly toppled over and was steadied at the last second by Hodgins, who grabbed him by the back of his shirt.
"You let him get wasted," she shook her head and pointed with her chin at the intern.
"Told you he's old enough to drink," Hodgins shrugged and helped Wendell straighten up.
"If he throws up, I'm here with your Mercedes," she mentioned disapprovingly.
"I know, because we drove to work together," Hodgins remembered and smiled proudly, like he had just achieved something enormous.
"Glad you still remember me," she just smiled and took Wendell's coat from the chair and helped him into it while Hodgins held him upright.
"Of course I remember you, I love you," he insisted immediately and maybe a bit too loudly, because several heads turned in their direction and Cam saw the smiles.
"He really does. He told me," Wendell assured her and wrapped one arm around her shoulder while he pointed with the other to his own chest, making sure she would understand him.
"Good to know, Wendell," she grinned and exchanged a look with Hodgins. "Ready?" she asked him.
"Whenever you are," he smiled at her. He steadied his young friend from one side while Cam steadied him from the other and together they made it out the bar and to the car. They shoved Wendell into the backseat while Hodgins took his seat on the passenger's side.
"Is he still breathing?" Cam asked when she saw Wendell slumped in the backseat, eyes closed, head bent at a weird angle.
"Yup," Hodgins replied after holding a hand in front of his mouth and checking. "Your meeting took forever," he complained then.
"Believe me, I know," she laughed humorlessly. "This new jerk was there again and he obviously likes hearing himself talk. I really don't understand why Anderson wasn't shutting him up."
"Because Anderson is a disinterested jerk who doesn't care about the Institute?" he replied.
"He represents the main investors at the Jeffersonian, he should be interested," she rolled her eyes. "Do I turn right here or at the next crossing?" she asked him then, not really sure where Wendell lived.
"Next one," he replied and fiddled with the radio. "Anderson represents just the main investor, by the way. Meyer is the attorney in charge of the representation of the investors' board," he informed her.
"The Cantilever group is the main investor, which would make Anderson your employee," Cam thought out loud and then looked accusingly at him. "You're actually responsible for the torture I had to endure today. If you would go to those meetings then Anderson wouldn't annoy me anymore," she accused him.
"Hey, I was assured that he's a good attorney and knows what he's doing. I'd rather die than go to all those boring meetings," he insisted.
"No, you rather get wasted with the interns and I have to listen to his speech and make up excuses why I can't go to lunch with him this week. He's insisting on next week, by the way," she told him with a shudder and turned right after the traffic light.
"Anderson is hitting on you?" Hodgins asked.
"We're obviously the only two unmarried people amongst those twenty and we were seated next to each other," she said. "Again," she added as an afterthought because when she thought about it they had always ended up sitting next to each other so far.
"I'm coming on Friday," Hodgins decided and crossed his arms in front of his chest, determination written all over his face.
"Yeah, if you're not still nursing your hangover," she replied skeptically.
"Stop here, that's Wendell's house," Hodgins said then and Cam looked up the large apartment building that was typical for student apartments.
"You'll face the parents alone or you want me to come?" she asked her boyfriend.
"There are no parents," Hodgins snorted. "But I got this. Just lock the car while you wait," he told her and got out of the car and then opened the backdoor and shook Wendell awake. Cam just rolled her eyes. Even when he was drunk and could barely walk straight he was still nearly as overprotective as Booth.
~*~
"Going on the Harbinger video, Avalon's names and Dr. Brennan's analysis, this is most likely Luis Lamcoff," Cam said the next afternoon to Angela while she was walking with her up to the platform at the lab. She was still wearing her autopsy clothes which she had needed earlier that day and Angela was for once also dressed in her lab coat.
"The man with the whole in his skull," Angela said when they stopped in front of the skeleton.
"The only victim we know for certain died violently," Cam nodded.
"My 3D imaging suggests that a shaft shot from a spear gun through the soft pallet would have caused the wound," Angela told her and went to the computer to show her the rendering. The short 3D clip had just stopped when Hodgins hurried up to them. He was actually productive again, even after his alcohol excess the day before. Cam's sympathy was restrained to handing him some Advil and she was glad that he was his usual cheery self again that afternoon, compared to his more shallow performance earlier that day.
"I know how everybody else died. Not Mr. Hole- in- the- skull, but the others," he announced and hurried up to the computer. He pressed some keys and a picture showed up that Cam knew because he had shown it to her earlier that day.
"That's the crystallized calcium oxalate you found in the soil," she nodded.
"Right. Minute amounts in the soil layer beneath each and every body," he agreed.
"Well, is it poisonous?" Angela asked, not really understanding what he was getting at. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Cam shaking her head even before Hodgins replied.
"No, but it makes sense to ask ourselves what processes might result in crystallized calcium oxalate," he let her know and Cam now understood why he was so excited.
"Liver or kidneys?" she followed his train of thoughts while Angela stood beside them and watched them like she would watch a tennis match. She had no idea what they were talking about. The days when she had understood Hodgins' chemical gibberish were long over.
"Kidney function would do that to plain old oxaline which is derived from glycolate," Hodgins went on and Angela watched with amazement that Cam could follow him.
"Well, glycolate is poisonous," the coroner provided and Angela wondered if maybe she could follow him because she was a doctor and not because she was his girlfriend. Or maybe it was both?
"Glycolate is a converted version of Glycolaldehyde via the aldehyde dehydrogenates in the liver," he sputtered and showed them the chemical formulas on the PC monitor.
"A poison that isn't a poison until it's metabolized," Cam said and that was actually the first sentence that made sense again to Angela.
"Ethylene glycol," Hodgins grinned and revealed his discovery.
"That's anti-freeze," Angela knew, proud that she got at least the gist of it.
"Sweet to the taste, easily disguised, administered over time which gives the kidneys time to crystallize the stuff. It's virtually untraceable," Hodgins said slowly and with much enjoyment, a small smile playing on his lips. He was so proud of himself.
"Well, unless some brilliant bug and slime wonk finds it in the soil," Cam replied, deciding that he had done good and she needed to tell him.
"And that, ladies, that is why they call me king of the lab," he cockily grinned at her and she nearly let an answer slip to that comment, but then decided to bite her tongue. Angela wasn't as merciful.
"Nobody does that but you," she informed him and he wrinkled his forehead in disbelieve for a second.
"The early symptoms of ethylene glycol poisoning: fatigue, nausea, headache," she quickly said, not wanting to discuss his king fantasy again.
"Indistinguishable from MCS," he agreed with her and then the wrinkles were back.
"Dr. Brennan is gonna want to confer with that Harbinger doctor," she said and then quickly hurried off, knowing that he would most likely corner her if she wouldn't flee now. And she hated destroying his little fantasies.
"That true about the king of the lab?" he asked Angela instead after Cam had hurried off.
"That only you care?" she asked and he nodded. "Yeah," she let him know and then left him as well. However he knew he was good, and he knew he was king of the lab. The others just didn't want to admit it, he decided and the grin was back on his face, the good mood still there.
~*~
"Cam? Can you come over, Caroline and I just got here," Booth asked when he called her on her phone in her office.
"Be there in a second," she said and hung up.
"They want your results?" Hodgins asked and pulled on the sleeves of his suit jacket.
"Yeah and they want to show Caroline the video. Shouldn't take too long though. You're waiting here?" she asked him and adjusted his collar for him.
"Yup," he nodded and flopped down on her couch.
"Ok, I'll be right back," she said and was off with a peck on his lips. Checking her watch she saw that they only had twenty minutes left until the committee meeting would start so Booth and Brennan had better be quick. She had already changed into her black suit and had re-done her hair and make-up before Booth had called, so that wasn't a problem anymore.
"Hi, what have you got? And make it quick I'm in a hurry," she told them when she saw them on the platform.
"Meeting?" Booth asked and she nodded, not caring to elaborate. Brennan started the video and for the first time she saw how they had collected the DNA material from Fargood by using Avalon's rage.
"That is sneaky," Caroline commented when she saw what they had done.
"Is sneaky good or bad?" Brennan wanted to know, most likely for the future, less for the exact definition of the word. Although that was a possibility as well, when Cam thought about it.
"Good, if it holds up in court," the lawyer replied and they watched the end of the attack scene.
"Next time, make it look more like you're taking advantage of the situation, not scripting it," Cam advised when she saw Brennan's strange reaction to Avalon's attack on the tape.
"Don't keep me hanging people. Are Alexander Gallo and Tom Fargood the same person?" Caroline wanted to know.
"Yup, perfect match," Cam replied shortly. Caroline didn't look too thrilled though and even Brennan noticed.
"What? Your facial expression suggests that you are dissatisfied," she addressed her.
"Well, you proved that Gallo is Fargood, fine, but now you gotta prove that Fargood killed those people and dumped them under that fountain," Caroline explained.
"Just charge him with murder, give us time to find the spear gun and the van," Booth spoke up for the first time.
"Cherie, what are the chances of that happening?" the lawyer asked and Cam hung her head, knowing what that meant.
"A million to one," she replied.
"Oh, we don't have all the variables so…," Brennan immediately disagreed. Cam only closed her eyes and the anthropologist seemed to understand. "You're not being precise," she concluded and Cam shook her head. "You're simply illustrating the difficulty," Brennan finally got it and Cam nodded before she opened her eyes again. Someday the squints being so literal would be the death of her.
"Everything maybe adds up all the time in the lab, but in real life sometimes you lose one," Caroline said and then left the platform.
"Well, what shall we do? Kill him?" Brennan turned to Booth, not satisfied with the outcome.
"Still in earshot cherie, still in earshot," Caroline said and waved, which made Cam smile amusedly.
"Ok, I let you two plot, because I have to go. Call when you need me," she told them and then hurried off to her office again.
"Ready to go?" she asked when she entered and found Hodgins lying on the couch.
"Physically yes, mentally never," he replied and slowly got up.
"You know you don't have to come. You can go home and I'll take a cab later," she told him, knowing how much he hated meetings. She had been surprised in the first place when he had actually brought a dress shirt in this morning so he could really go with her. Sure, he was refusing slacks and a tie, but the suit jacket and dress shirt went just as well with his jeans, she had to say.
"Oh, I absolutely have to come this time and make sure Anderson knows that he has to keep his hands of my woman," he snorted and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her close.
"Men," she rolled her eyes.
"Man, one man to be exact," he told her and leaned his forehead against hers and looked her deep in the eyes. "One man who is totally nuts about you and loves you oh so very much," he said and made her sigh. How could she ever resist him or refuse him anything? Her heart flew out to him, sped up, made joy rush through her whole body.
"I love you, too," she replied quietly and kissed him, the cameras the last thing on her mind. He kissed her back, deepened the kiss. As always she felt her knees weaken as desire shot through her. Maybe they should just skip the meeting and go home. They could come up with some excuse tomorrow.
"We have to go," he was the voice of reason for once and broke the kiss.
"Mmhp," she made dissatisfied, less interested in going to the meeting than ever before.
"Remember there's a reservation waiting for us at Grace's after the meeting with amazing tiramisu," he smiled at her, happy that she wanted to be alone with him just as much as he wanted to be alone with her.
"I think my favorite part will be when we get home after Grace's," she admitted and stroked over his suit jacket to smoothen the wrinkles their embrace had caused.
"They repaired the whirlpool yesterday," he grinned and kissed her quickly.
"Maybe we should just skip the meeting and Grace's," she smiled and then wiped his lips with her thumb.
"Lipstick?" he asked.
"Not anymore," she replied and squealed when he caught her finger with his teeth and bit it lightly.
"Oh dear! Oh dear! We shall be too late!" Hodgins said when he let go of her thumb and she laughed out loud. They were still smiling when they finally made their way out of her office and to the meeting, arms wrapped around each other.
TBC