Slowly people began leaving Dr. Brennan's dinner. Hodgins planted himself by the tree, wanting at once to be alone and invisible but with people and loved. Angela was on the couch, conversing with Brennan's cousin, her eyes devoid of mirth even as she would let out a short laugh now and again.
As the party dwindled to Booth, Brennan and her relatives, Hodgins and Angela found themselves reaching for their coats at the same moment, Angela's hand covering Jack's.
"Here, Ange." Hodgins helped her into her coat. As his hands smoothed down her sleeves, a breath caught in her throat.
"Thank you, Hodgins. Always the gentleman." Angela choked out as her breath tried to return.
After brief goodbyes, the two found themselves waiting at the elevators together.
"So, Jack, any plans for tonight?" Angela kicked herself mentally for starting such an awkward conversation. Just two years ago they had been entwined on their couch, sequins and glitter in their hair, the ornaments they had been making forgotten on the coffee table.
Jack had the same memory and paled.
"Angie." It came out as barely a whisper. He cleared his throat. "No, No plans." And then before he could stop himself from saying it, "Would you like to come over?" fell out of his mouth.
"I'm glad you asked me that or I was going to invite myself over. It's Christmas, Jack…" Angela trailed off, Hodgins seeing in her eyes the way that sentence would end I don't want to be alone.
The elevator ride was quiet. The walk to their cars was quiet. "You want to leave your car here and come with me?" Angela nodded slowly. Climbing into the passenger seat of his car was at once familiar and alien. She had sat here nearly every morning for over a year, the radio playing NPR softly as had Zack slept in the back. Snow was beginning to fall and collect on the sidewalks.
"Maybe you should just stay the night." Hodgins suggested, then quickly covered, "I'll make up the guest room." His eyes met Angela's cautiously. The longing in his eyes Angela had no doubt was mirrored in her own. She thought of similar nights together in that big bed in his drafty house. When it had been their drafty house. Those nights had been perfect. Those nights were over, Angela reminded herself.
The big house she once called home unfolded before them as the car climbed the hill, seemingly reaching out to wrap its arms around her in welcoming.
"I really missed this place." Angela sighed, kicking herself again for not thinking before she spoke. Jack just smiled and stopped the car on the gravel drive in front of the looming front doors. Angela jumped out quickly before Jack had a chance to open her door for her.
"Why don't we open a bottle of wine and watch 'The Grinch' or something?" Jack knew that a concrete plan would ease Angela's troubled mind. And quiet his own mind that was at once screaming at him to drive her home and protect his heart and to kiss her senseless.
"Sounds great, Hodgins. Got any popcorn?" Angela beamed. She could see that Hodgins was trying to make her comfortable, putting her whims over his own needs like always and the smile just broke out on her face. He could read her and anticipate what to do better than anyone she had ever met. This was a skill that he had learned through much trial and error, but then again, Jack always did like experiments.
Nestled under a blanket on the living room couch a few hours later, Angela smiled widely again. "Thank you, Jack. This was just what I needed."
Angela awoke around three in the morning, warm and happy at first, then completely disoriented. She had been covered in a blanket after falling asleep on the couch. His couch. It wasn't hers any longer, just as this was no longer her den, no longer her house. Angela realized that she had a serious crick in her neck.
Slowly ascending the stairs, Angela noted that Hodgins had not taken down the artwork she had hung. Had it really been that long ago since she had last been here? Even with the passage of time, Angela could make her way with only the moonlight filtering through the windows to illuminate her path.
The master bedroom had become messier since her last night there, books and clothes strewn around. Angela had to watch her footing as she made her way to the bathroom. Flicking on the bathroom light, she heard a small exhale and rustling of the covers from the bed.
"Sorry Jack, I'm just getting some Tylenol."
"S'ok, Angie," Jack grumbled groggily from under the blankets. "Come back to bed."
Angela smiled; he was still asleep having a conversation they had had many times back when this had been their bedroom. She knew it wasn't a good idea, but the memories reached around her and pulled her towards the bed, like an old friend pulling her into a hug. She unclipped her bra and maneuvered it out her sleeve, peeled back the covers and climbed in next to Hodgins. His arms snaked around her waist, his well-muscled chest pressing along her back. She was asleep again in moments.
The sun shining through the slightly parted curtains woke Jack from his slumber. He was surrounded by the scent of Angela's shampoo. He turned over to realize that this was because she was curled up on the next to him In bed, still dressed in her clothes from the night before. Jack exhaled a small laugh. "Merry Christmas, Angie."
Angela blinked her eyes open, taking a second before realizing why she was in their old bed. "Merry Christmas, Hodgins."
"Six other bedrooms in this house and you have to steal the covers all night?"
She laughed and sat up. "I fell asleep downstairs and got a crick in my neck. I come up here for some Tylenol and you invited me in." She held up her hands as if to say hey, buddy, this is your fault, "You know I'm a sucker for this bed, Jack."
Instead of the immense pain that tended to cloud his brain when she would bring up their almost happily ever after, he smiled, feeling warm and happy.
"I'm glad you're here, Ange. It only ever felt like Christmas in this house after my parents died when you were here."
"Well, buddy, you are just going to have to put up with me all day then."
They ate pancakes. They watched bad movies. They built snowmen by the lake. They didn't talk about the last Christmas they had spent together, curled up by the fire.
When the sun started to set, Angela felt a pang of loss. "I should get going, Jack, you've wasted your whole day catering to my whims."
Hodgins laughed. He didn't say what he wanted to, which was I would spend the rest of my life catering to your whims if you would let me. "Angie, you know I'm having a blast. At least stay for dinner. We could order Chinese and watch Rudolph's Shiny New Year. I know you love that one."
The space that had opened in Angela's heart with the pang she had felt moments before closed up again, filling with warmth and a fluttering she couldn't pinpoint.
"Just make sure you get extra egg rolls."
In her apartment, alone, late that night Angela felt the loss and loneliness in her heart again. For a few hours after Hodgins had dropped her off at her car with a brief hug, she had tried to write it off as a bad reaction to MSG in the food they had ordered for dinner. Now as the glowing red numbers on her alarm clock read "3:52" she shivered in bed, realizing that it wasn't the food that was to blame, it was the man who had ordered causing her mind to reel.
Her cell phone began buzzing on the nightstand, Jack's face popping up the caller ID.
"You can't sleep either, huh?"
"I'm sorry if I woke you." They both said in unison.
"I miss you."
"I miss you." Again in unison.
"I'm so sorry Jack." Angela's voice cracked with emotion. There was a tap at the front door. Angela remained frozen in bed for a moment before springing into motion, down the stairs from her loft and to the front door, flinging it open. Hodgins was already down the hall, turning towards the elevator and sliding his phone into his pocket. "Jack!" Angela called out, running down the hall after him.
At his name, Hodgins stopped and turned back again, only to be met with the full force of Angela jumping into his arms, kissing his face furiously. "Angie." Jack said simply, his hands moving to cup her pink Fruit of the Loom clad bottom.
"I love you Jack. I'm so sorry." She kissed him full on the mouth, the rest of the world fading away as they became wrapped up in each other.
Later that night, or rather later that morning, the pair were tangled in Angela's sheets as she lightly traced the outline of his tattoo with her fingertips.
"You know, you don't have to get this removed now if you don't want to."
"I wasn't planning on ever getting it removed." Jack laughed softly. "It is true, Angie: forever. I feel that way. I've always felt that way."
Angela leaned over to plant a slow kiss on his lips. "Good. Because that is how long you're stuck with me."
And in the glow of the early morning they both knew that it was true. They lay together like spoons and fell asleep, smiles plastered on their faces.