Author's Note: Hey, you guys. I am finally on Spring Break so I'm using the time to catch up on my writing before my hiatus (See HEADS UP, YOU GUYS on my profile) and to unwind. Thankfully, school is in the homestretch and soon, it will be summer.

Anyway, let's get back into the story. I'm wired and when I'm wired, my muses are wired so this is a big chapter.

Disclaimer: "Honestly, it's not mine!"

"Okay, let's get started. What do Angela and Hodgins have in common?"

"Sex."

"Zach!"

"What?! They do! I had to hear it, which was very unpleasant to say the least! Put it down!"

Cam sighed and wrote SEX in bold purple chalk on the blackboard. Once they had agreed on this project, he had brought it out, along with a box of chalk that could be compared to Joseph's Coat of Many Colors. His nieces and nephews had sent it to him, he explained. It doubled as sidewalk chalk and he had used it to draw diagrams of bones on the driveway so he could study.

A smile curved her lips as she remembered the fondness in his eyes as he talked about his family and she hoped to meet them soon. Wait, what? Meet his family? Where the hell did that come from?

Well, that's what happens when you fall in love with a capital L, dear. Don't panic.

She wasn't panicked, per se. Just surprised. In the other relationships she had, she had never considered meeting the guy's family, ever. Well, it wasn't like she had the opportunity before. Her string of flings never lasted more than a month and Seeley…yeah, no. Just… no.

"All right, what else?" she asked as she switched to orange.

"Misplaced guilt and self destructive tendencies."

"Do you want them to get back together or not, Zacharoni?"

"I do but honesty is the best policy when it comes to matchmaking. If we skip over the bad things, they'll choke out the good like weeds. Could you please hand me the red?"

Cam just looked at him. Was this the Zach she had met 2 years ago? It couldn't be! He just summed up the demise of a relationship in less than 3 sentences and with no anthropological jargon in sight. He was willingly applying his brilliant mind to helping his haplessly in love best friends. He wasn't even complaining about the irrationality of it all…

"I have changed…" he had said on the futon.

"Camille, what's-mmph!"

She was going to have red chalk dust in her hair but it was okay. Zach responded readily to her kiss but she could still sense his confusion. They broke for air and Cam giggled softly as he scrubbed a hand across his face, leaving a bright red streak.

"Not that I'm complaining but why did you just kiss me?"

"Because I love you."

"And…"

"Because you've evolved past the man I met two years ago. Because you're not hiding behind rationality and reason and…"

"…I'm fully embracing my humanity."

She nodded and he smirked before quipping, "Well, if I had known that embracing my humanity would turn you on, I would've done it ages ago."

A large cloud of orange chalk dust covered his head by the time she finished knocking him upside it.

Neither of them cared because they were laughing so much.

//////////////

Hodgins heard a completely girly shriek and looked towards the garage to see a chalk dust covered Zach chasing a chalk dust covered (and drenched) Cam with the hose. She winged a balloon at him but slipped on the grass, landing firmly on her ass. Instead of soaking her, though, Zach helped her up and handed her a basket full of water balloons and ice.

"Thanks, Zacharoni."

"I like my opponents to have a running chance." he declared before spraying her in the face.

"Oh, it's on!"

Hodgins shook his head as the couple wrestled in the yard for the hose before turning his thoughts inward. Angela had looked different, lately. Not only was she depressed, she seemed to be losing weight and she was feverishly creating. Her office was more like an overfilled art gallery now. The stains on her hands would give the mass spec a heart attack. He was worried about her. He missed her so much…

A water balloon pasted him right in the face.

Sputtering, he glared over the balcony and saw Cam literally rolling on the ground laughing as Zach grinned up at him triumphantly.

"You little bastard! What the hell?!" he roared as he picked balloon bits out of his beard.

"I am perfectly aware of who my father is, Hodgins! Stop brooding and come down here and join us! It will keep you from getting dehydrated and I need reinforcements from the Dark Menace!" Zach called back as Cam resumed their wrestling match.

Well, it was hot as Hades out and it would be good distraction from thinking about Angela.

Plus, he owned at Water War! In, definitely in!

"It's every man for himself, Addy! I declare war in the name of Cantilever!"

//////////////

Angela was nervous.

She had heard about the Water War from Brennan and she wanted in. She was the Queen of Water War and it was just too damned hot and too damned pretty out to be cooped up inside. Besides, all of her art supplies were in dire straits. If she wasn't tinkering with the Angelator, she was drawing, sculpting, painting, anything to not think about him.

Jack was everywhere. She saw him at the Lab, in her dreams, in her nightmares. It was torture. She could barely get an hour's rest and her appetite was affected. She still ate but nothing tasted right anymore, like wax fruit or old pizza.

Something had to give but she was afraid of what give it would be.

She wanted her Hodgepodge back. She had found her…Grayson and broke it off with him. He had tried to convince her to stay married, to return to the islands with him. He had even built her a house with his bare hands but she just couldn't. She couldn't leave the Lab. She couldn't leave DC. She couldn't leave Bren or Studly or Cam or Zach. Most of all, she couldn't leave Jack. Nothing, not even her stupid, stupid, godfuckingdamn stupid actions, could stop her from loving him. But, what if he rejected her?

Unconsciously, she pressed down on the accelerator, looking to go past his place and back to her apartment…

No! No more running! You are going to grow up, you are going to soak your friends, and you are going to corner and talk to Jackson Thomas Hodgins and settle this shit once and for all! Rejection is better than not knowing, Pearly Gates!

With the fire of Billy Gibbons in her soul, she pulled to a defiant stop in his driveway and turned off the car, throwing the keys into the backseat so she wouldn't chicken out. Grabbing her ice water filled Super Soaker, she stepped out of the car and onto the lawn. Her bare feet squished in the grass and she scanned the battlefield, scoping the scene.

Brennan was on top of the SUV, pelting a laughing (and very shirtless) Booth with water balloons. Her laughter could be heard easily and she didn't karate chop him as he picked her off of the SUV and into the sprinkler. Progress? She hoped so.

Zach was rapidly climbing a tree, Cam hot on his heels with a balloon full of…Cherry Slush?! This was a no holds barred war! He was also shirtless and Angela's brow arched at the definition his body showed. He was no Studly or her Jack but Z-Man looked good. In another life…

Angela gasped as he launched out of the tree and did a mid air back flip into the Pool, looking every bit the Cirque De Soleil performer. Cam just looked dumbstruck at him and sputtered, "Forget Zacharoni! Your new nickname is Crazy Ass Daredevil! What if you missed?!"

A balloon to the back of his head cut off his technical explanation and Angela's mouth went bone dry. Jack…looked…delicious. He always did. The man looked like Michelangelo himself had returned from the grave just the sculpt him but he looked different. He was even defined if that were possible and he had a tan: a natural, all over tan that made his eyes look like the sky had broken two chunks and put them in his face.

Her knees started to give out but Brennan's strong hand pulled her up.

"I see him too, Ange. Perhaps you should go talk to him…or at least soak him a little more so the water can run down his abdominals again."

"Brennan!" she giggled.

"What? I'm not blind! Seriously, Angela. Go talk to him. What do you have to lose?"

"My dignity." she replied seriously.

"Dignity is nice but sometimes, it's overrated. Now, scoot. I have to go find Booth and put ice in his swim trunks."

And then she was gone, a Big Gulp cup worth of ice in her giggling hands. Brennan was giggling? She knew how to giggle? And she had just said that she was going to molest Booth with ice. Brennan didn't molest people, especially her "just" partner and not with ice…

What is this, The Twilight Zone? Oh well. Even if it is, she's right. It's time to man…er, woman up.

//////////////

"Angela is here."

Hodgins turned to see her approaching and his mouth went dry. She had on a pair of paint stained Jeffersonian sweats and a black bikini top with red ladybugs on it. He remembered buying it for her during a jaunt to the mall and taking it off of her time and time again. She had certainly lost weight and she was pale from lack of sun but she was still the luscious hourglass he knew and still loved.

When she stepped into the pool area, she set down her water gun and looked shyly at him and her feet.

"You're not gonna kick me out, are you? I…I'd understand if you did."

"Of course not. You know you're welcome here. Zach, could you go find Cam, please? I think she's in the kitchen."

The comprehension in his gaze was yet another sign of improvement with the little weirdo. Cam really was good for him…

"Okay. I'm glad you could make it, Angela."

He climbed out of the pool and shook his hair out, sending water everywhere like a dog…or a hippie. Hodgins snorted. Of course, he'd actually do it. He was Zach, Lifelong Emperor of the Lab (Hodgins was still King, Boss Lady girlfriend be damned!) and Sultan of Literal.

"Me too, sweetie. I'll see you later."

"Of course you will. War's not over until midnight." Zach replied with a barely sane smirk.

The door shut behind him and she asked, "Is he serious?"

"As a heart attack. Dude's crazy when it comes to this stuff. Did you see him jump out of the damned tree?"

"I thought Cam was going to kill him for that!" she laughed.

It had been so long since he heard her laugh and even longer since he had heard laugh around him. It was nice but…

"Jack, can we talk? Like really talk? No bullshitting, no blaming… just please? Something's got to give."

He knew the haunted look in her almond eyes. It was the same one he had every time he looked into a mirror. He pulled his shirt back on and gestured for her to follow him.

Zach's place was empty and quiet. They would need empty and quiet for this.

//////////////

She was entranced by what was on the blackboard.

Everything about her and Jack had been laid out in an objective rainbow, written by two obviously scheming friends. She couldn't even get mad. If she had to put two eternally stubborn people back together where they belonged, she'd employ this same tactic.

"I just love how big Cam wrote sex and Zach… misplaced guilt…yeah, that's good. Real good. Way to state the obvious, Z-Man." Jack sniped quietly, betraying his true feelings behind the bitter sarcasm.

He was just as entranced as she was.

~Hodgins and Angela: Common Ground~

SEX

Self destructive

Misplaced Guilt

Want to change the world

Feel emotions (+ or -) intensely/Protective towards ones they care about

Miserable apart

Losing weight/ sleep/appetite

Perverted Sense of Humor (ties into first item)

Creativity (her art, his experiment ideas, again linked to first item)

Still in Love.

It all sounded right to her, especially the last item. If she were looking at it objectively, she would conclude that the subjects were in love, were going to remain in love and their fucking issues wouldn't stop the love, just the being together part. She would then conclude that being apart was not good for the subjects, that it was wearing down both their physical health and their spirits. So, the obvious solution was to work through the issues.

But, damn it, she didn't know how! Art could not make science her bitch this time and now, Angela couldn't even run. She had told him that they had to talk, to give, and now she was just frozen and confused and pissed and sad…

A soft sob escaped her before she could stop it and she could already feel herself start to shake.

When Angela cried, she cried. It was ugly and gut wrenching and it was a full body act. By the time she was done, she was exhausted and had a splitting headache. She didn't do it often but when she did…

"I'm sorry!" she managed to say before dissolving into hiccuping sobs.

//////////////

If his eyes got any wider, they would fall out of his head.

"…I swear to God, I didn't know I was married, Jack! I swear to fucking God I wouldn't have gotten involved with you if I did know and I'm so fucking sorry…"

He had only seen her cry like this once and that was after he and Dr. B had been rescued.

"…and I totally get why you broke up with me and pawned the ring and everything! I mean, if the person I fell ass over heels for against my better judgment had a spouse and I had to find out in front all my friends and God, I'd be pretty damn mad too…and I'd get drunk too! You reeked of Cuervo, just to tell you…"

When she cried like this, she talked and interrupting was not a good idea until she was done.

"…and then I slapped you! I slapped you and embarrassed you in front of everyone again just because you were right and...I'm a lowdown horrible person and I'm worse because I still love you and you deserve so much better than me!"

She stopped talking and stood in front of the blackboard sniffling, waiting for him to say something, do something.

"It wasn't all your fault, Angie."

"Yes, it was!"

"It wasn't! Okay, you had a husband which totally sucked but I could've stayed with you! I could've helped you find him and stuck by you but I didn't!"

"Because you were hurt."

"Yeah. But, people in love hurt each other all the time and you really didn't know, Angela. No one can fake that level of horrified. I was an idiot. A drunken, cowardly idiot when I yelled at you. You needed to slap me. I shouldn't have called you a whore. You're not a whore."

"The evidence says otherwise." she replied bitterly.

Okay, enough with the self pity!

"Fuck the evidence! Woman…look at me!"

She shook her head and he sighed deeply before grabbing her arms and turning her around. She met his gaze beseechingly and he kissed her. Her lips were trembling and salty but yielding. He pressed a hand to the small of her back and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, tentatively twining his tongue with his.

Do you remember me? Accept me?

Yes. He did. He pressed her against the blackboard and let her wrap her legs around his waist, supporting her as they became reacquainted.

"You…are not... a whore and…I love you, too." he murmured between kisses.

"Still? After everything?"

"Mm-hm. We're going to make it work this time, Angela."

//////////////

"Victory is ours."

Cam looked at him with confusion until he nodded towards Hodgins and Angela. A kissing and chalk covered Hodgins and Angela. Aww…

"You think we should tell them that we started this Water War just to get them back together?"

"No. Let them think that it's a happy coincidence. Now, come on. I'll make us something to eat."