Part 11: Eggnog

She watched as the rolled away the gurney with the body bag with the last dead body in it for that year. They were off for Christmas and done with death and murder for the rest of the year.

"I'm still impressed we solved that one, wasn't too much left of the guy," Angela said while they watched the remains leave the lab.

"That's because you're my squints," Booth grinned and leaned against the railing with a grin.

"I'm no squint," Cam protested and leaned against the now empty autopsy table on the platform.

"You work with them, you date one, I guess that makes you one yourself," he replied cockily.

"And what does that say about you?" she grinned, raised her eyebrows and glanced in Brennan's direction who was just finishing the report on the PC on the platform. Booth only glared at her before a new idea seemed to form in his head.

"Hey, what happened during our phone call yesterday? I was afraid you dropped the phone into the water." he wanted to know.

"Uhm… the snow crashed the phone line?!" she replied more in a question than an answer and blushed, what didn't go unnoticed.

"Snow's your new pet name for Jack?" Angela grinned naughtily and Cam blushed even more. She just rolled her eyes at her two grinning friends.

"Speaking of Hodgins, where is he?" she asked then looking around, suspicious because she hadn't seen him in a while. Just at that moment she found him sneaking along the gallery, a smile on his face and a large test tube in his hand, filled with a clear liquid.

"I don't believe this," she muttered when she saw him, Fisher following him with an excited look on his face, well, as excited as Fisher could look. "Hodgins!" she yelled then. "Freeze!"

And freeze he did, Fisher as well. He turned slowly in her direction, her expression making it unmistakably clear that she knew what he had planned and did not approve of it.

"Oh come on, Cam!" he groaned.

"No way," she shook her head, her hands now placed on her hips.

"But, baby, I just wanted to…only a bit," he begged. Booth started to laugh and Angela could not contain her grin either.

"Baby?" the FBI agent teased her.

"Don't even start Seeley," Cam turned to him, shutting him up with the warning that showed in her eyes as well. "And you, don't baby me and get rid of that moonshine. No more spicing the eggnog. Last year was bad enough when someone threw up all over the couch," she yelled up at Hodgins.

"Spoilsport," he muttered, but still loud enough for her to hear.

"Hodgins!" she replied in an unnerved tone.

"Guess he's in the doghouse if he doesn't shut up now," Angela whispered loudly to Booth who nodded. Meanwhile Hodgins and Fisher trudged back to where they had come from.

"Stop gossiping you two and instead start decorating," she told them and then marched off.

"What did you say?" Brennan asked when she looked up from the PC, but Cam had already disappeared into her office. Looking for help she turned to her two friends, but they just smiled at her and Angela handed her a bag with tinsel.

~*~

"Sorry, the new director was taking a bit longer to say "Merry Christmas"," Cam excused when she finally made it up to the gallery where the others were already waiting for her, sitting on the couch each of them with a cup of eggnog in their hands.

"Isn't that the same guy who called you at home three times already?" Hodgins asked while Cam fetched some eggnog for herself.

"One and the same. He called me more in the three weeks that he's here than the old director has ever called me," she replied and made her way over to the couches where the team was sitting. The interns had brought chairs from the lab for themselves. All the seats were taken though and so she remained standing.

"Looks like you have concurrence, Hodgins," Booth teased and handed a cookie to Brennan.

"No way," Hodgins shook his head and grabbed Cam's hand and pulled her in his lap. She shrieked because she hadn't seen his move coming, but welcomed his arms around her.

"Jack, I nearly spilled the eggnog," she rolled her eyes at him, but adjusted her position and leaned sideways against him.

"If he doesn't stop going after my woman I'll have to talk to him," Hodgins muttered darkly.

"I could come with you, I know some people…" Wendell offered and used the opportunity to pull Angela, who was sitting next to him, closer to him.

"Don't ruin your future, my friend. Love isn't everlasting," Fisher told Wendell and made everyone laugh.

"I sure hope this one is," Hodgins whispered in Cam's ear so quietly that the others wouldn't hear. His words hit her like an anvil fallen from the sky and her heart sped up, heat spreading throughout her whole body. Suddenly it didn't matter anymore that her subordinates were around or that her friends would tease her. She didn't even realize they were still there. She only saw Hodgins, heard his words and pulled him closer the next second to kiss him. Of course he kissed her back and when they others started to whistle they realized they had let the kiss get a little deeper and a little more intimate than was suitable.

"You know Cam, once upon a time I had a boss who always threatened me and the boyfriend I had back then, with cold water or told us to stop jumping each other. Does that sound familiar?" Angela teased her.

"Huh, and I thought you didn't want to talk about that video tape I saw last week," Cam replied in the same teasing tone and while Angela just laughed Wendell blushed bright red and moved a bit away from his girl.

"What video tape?" Brennan, who had been talking with Booth so far, wanted to know.

"Nothing case related sweetie," Angela just told her. When she turned back to Cam and Hodgins she found that these two had started a private conversation in quiet whispers, deep looks, happy smiles and soft touches. She watched them with a small smile of her own, nudged Wendell and nodded in their direction.

"Hey, you two," she called then and made them both look at her, as well as the rest of the team. "I know I was just teasing you, but if I remember correctly, Jack, you still owe her a kiss. You refused when you were under the mistletoe together," she grinned.

"I guess, she's right," he smiled at Cam.

"Can't mess with the traditions," Cam laughed and laced her fingers through his.

"In front of all employers?" he asked her with raised eyebrows, his smile having a teasing touch to it now.

"Nothing they haven't seen before," she shrugged.

"If only that director were here," he sighed and leaned in.

"Maybe it helps you to remember that you sign his paycheck each month," she winked and lowered her lips to his. This time they didn't mind when the others whistled. They just had to get used to it.

End of part 11