(A few months before 'The Pilot')
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Meeting Cam at a nearby Chinese restaurant, Booth waved at her as she came through the door. As she sat down across from him, Booth pointed towards a glass of wine on the table. "I ordered you a glass like you asked me to . . . Having a rough day?"
Grateful the glass of chardonnay was ready for her, Cam sipped some of the wine and afterward rested the glass on the table. Glancing at the menu, she gave her order to the waitress and finally answered he friend. "You could say that. Someone found a submerged car in a lake and there was a body in it. He'd been there for a while so there wasn't much left of him . . . plus his hands were missing."
Grimly, Booth sipped his beer and placed the sweating bottle back on the table. Peeling off the label, he cleared his throat. "Dr. Brennan and I solved that case . . . uh . . . thanks for uh . . . for letting me know about her."
"Uh oh." Her eyes taking in the sad look on his face, Cam sighed. "Okay, what happened?"
Embarrassed, Booth finished peeling off the label. "Nothing happened."
Snorting, Cam shook her head slowly. "I don't think so . . . I know you and I know that look. What did you do?"
Annoyed with his friend's ability to read him so well, Booth piled the little pile of paper bits next to the soy sauce bottle and brushed his fingers. "Well if you really have to know . . . I kind of did something I shouldn't have and now she hates me. She said she'll never work with me again."
Cam closed her eyes momentarily as she braced herself for whatever he was about to say. Opening her eyes, she placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hands. "Spill it big guy."
Refusing to look at her, Booth stared at the torn bits of paper while he talked. "We solved the case and she started worrying about whether or not we had enough proof to convict Judge Hasty. That would have been fine if she'd done it when we were alone, but she did it while we were with the mother of the victim . . . I uh . . . grabbed her arm to get her out of the room and it pissed her off . . . she called me a bully and a stupid man . . . and she slapped me."
The deep blush on his cheeks enough for her to realize that he was embarrassed that it had got out of hand, Cam lowered her hands and reached for her glass of wine. "I should have warned you that she has a reputation as someone who is very hard to work with. She consults for the Metro police department and I've never had to deal with her, but I know someone who has and she's . . . tough. She's very very smart and she doesn't have a lot of patience with people who aren't."
Finishing his bottle of beer, Booth placed the empty bottle next to the torn bits of paper. "I really want to work with her again."
Surprised at that revelation, Cam smiled in shock. "Really?"
Slowly nodding his head, Booth sighed deeply. "She's brilliant. There is no way I could have solved that case without her. I've been spinning my wheels for weeks on that case and Caroline was threatening to shut it down if I didn't show results soon. Bones and those squints of hers did a great job and I caught that bastard Hasty dead to rights. He's not going to get away with killing Gemma Arrington after all."
The waitress brought their food and set the steaming plates on the table in front of her patrons. After the younger woman had left them to their dinner, Cam picked up a fork and pointed it at Booth. "How are you going to get her to work with you again if she hates you?"
"I'm not sure." Removing the chopsticks from the bright red sleeve, Booth poked the strips of steak on the plate and removed the pieces of broccoli, placing them on Cam's plate. "I tried to call her and apologize but she won't take my calls. She's got some kid running interference for her and he just hangs up the phone as soon as he hears my voice or he gives me some smart ass lip . . . I drove over to the Jeffersonian this morning to talk to her, but security wouldn't let me in the Lab. I'm persona non gratis over there."
Moving the broccoli so that she could mix it with her mixed vegetables, Cam thought about his dilemma. "Well, it sounds like she really doesn't want to work with you. Just let it go."
His eyes back on the pile of torn paper, Booth slowly shook his head, "I can't . . . you don't understand . . . there's something about her. I saw it the first time we met. She's special . . . I don't want to let it go. I want to work with her again."
The way he spoke raising alarm bells in her head, Cam placed her fork down and stared at her friend. "Booth . . . what's going on?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Booth decided that Cam didn't really need to know everything that was going on. "Nothing . . . I told you, she's brilliant and I think she could help me solve some of those cold cases we have no one else wants. Don't you think those victims deserve justice? Their families would like closure, but some of those cases are just . . . we just can't connect the dots with anyone. I know if I could get Bones on board with me, we'd close those cases in no time."
"Bones? You call Dr. Brennan Bones?" Not surprised that he had a nickname for the anthropologist, Cam still thought that was an odd choice. "Maybe that's why she hates you. That's a terrible nickname."
Irritated, Booth protested, "It is not. She works with bones and she's . . . well she's kind of a bones whisperer. It's a perfect nickname."
Rolling her eyes, Cam scooped up some mai fun and ate it. Chewing slowly she finally swallowed. "Well, if you're determined to work with her, I guess you'll just have to come up with a plan that will get you close enough to talk to her."
Disgusted with the situation, Booth shook his head. "I know one thing, when I get her back working with me I'm going to have to watch my temper. She pushes my buttons and . . . well I guess I push hers too . . . I really want to work with her, Cam. She's . . ."
"She's special, I know." Amused at the wistful look on his face. Cam smiled and continued to eat her dinner.
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