Author's Note: Takes place during season 6, The Babe in the Bar. Enjoy!
"Camille? Can you please pick up? No...okay. Look, it was the hooch! I'll buy you new shoes. I promise. I didn't mean what I said; I shouldn't have been so-" Beep.
"Fine! I know you're ignoring me, but y-you know I'm going to go sign up for Jeopardy anyway! When I become a zillionare you'll be sorry. By the way, this is drunk. I-I mean this is Vincent." Beep.
"H-Hi, Camille. I'm sorry for my other message...I truly am. I'm sure you won't listen to this, but I'm about to go on the Jeopardy and I simply wanted you to know that I'm thinking-" Beep.
"I'm not sure if you happened to see me on Jeopardy—I guess you didn't—but I just wanted to let you know that I'm about to get on a plane to Thailand and I just wish that-" Beep.
"I loved you so much; I loved your hair and your smile and I loved making love to you but you just crushed my heart in the middle of the street! But I have slept with many, many women so I don't care! I-I think that the booze in Thailand might be a lot stronger than American booze-" Beep.
"W-well I lost my phone in Thailand for a few months, but now that I am back in the U.S. Dr. Brennan has asked me to come back to work at the Jeffersonian since everything has worked itself out...I just wanted to let you know that-" Beep.
Over the past few months, Cam's anger had been festering. It built with every voicemail she received from Vincent, though she had ignored all of them out of regret and shame. A part of her had hoped that if she simply ignored his messages, he would just go away and somehow never enter her mind again. But now, the morning before he was set to return, she was sitting in her car and was finally listening to the them. She still could not handle them in their entirety quite yet.
Her mind briefly settled on that day when he kissed her in all the swirling thrill and surprise. She could also remember how regretful and stupid she felt, though it was nothing compared to how she was feeling now. Yes, she could've given more to him, really gone all the way, but no one could ask her to fully sacrifice her job. Principles and emotional guards, sure, but not work. Furthermore, to have all of that sacrifice thrown in her face—and on her shoes—in front of her friends had truly hurt her, and a simply voicemail couldn't change that.
Suddenly, her phone rang and it made her jump. Oh god, was it him? No, it was Booth.
"Hey Camille. You're probably already at the lab, but I'm gonna need you to come down to a crime scene. It's some crazy stuff; a body was found inside of some huge-ass chocolate bar. Was being cut open right in front of a bunch of kids, and it's quite meaty."
"Wow, how appetizing." Cam sighed in frustration. "Just send me the location and I'll put it into my GPS."
"Will do. You shouldn't waste any time , though, Bones is already getting jumpy over the flesh." He paused, tone changing. "Vincent's coming back today, did she tell you that?"
"Yes, she did. I also found out through Vincent's dozen or so voicemails…" She added bitterly. She still hated the idea of everyone being aware of her romantic goings on, especially since it was someone they all knew.
"Want me to sock that heartbreaker in the nose for ya?"
"No no no, please don't, Seeley." she pressed. "You'd probably break him in half."
Vincent could feel his heart lurch and his nerves electrify the minute he saw Cam stride up onto the platform. He longed to just collapse on his knees and beg for her forgiveness, express how truly awful he felt, but he could quickly pick up on her tense mood.
Cam, too, felt the surge of emotions when she saw his strong, cobalt blue eyes, but their warmth wasn't strong enough to wrench her back into any amicable feelings.
"T-the new styling of your bangs suits you, Dr. Saroyan." He complimented her as smoothly as he could manage, though with a note of apprehension.
Being reminded of their old ways, she felt her throat ache but she still tried to maintain a convincing look of irritation. "Mr. Nigel-Murray, please stay focused on the case. Dr. Brennan does not have to keep you on as an intern if she believes that you don't care enough about your work." Coldy, she began sorting the melted chocolate.
Just then, Brennan entered the platform and gingerly sized up the awkward tension. "Oh, hello, Dr. Brennan." Cam greeted, but a part of her cringed inwardly. Though Brennan was now fully aware of the situation, Cam still didn't want her to pick up on the idea that she was actually upset. She was still supposed to be the figure of authority and all.
"Ah, Dr. Brennan, g-good morning." Vincent stifled. "You know, it was widely rumored that Pope Clement XIV was killed with a cup of poisoned chocolate." He threw a proud smile at Cam, trying desperately to get some semblance of approval or warm, or just anything really.
"Was he a good pope or a bad pope?" Cam acknowledged, but still keeping her eyes fixated on the sifting so as not to completely appease him.
He felt his body jolt, as if coming back to life. "He was no Urban VI."
Maybe playing this act wasn't going to be as simple as she thought as she felt her patience dwindling and quickly being replaced by the oh-so familiar annoyance. "Oh, no...of course not."
"Oh!" He continued excitedly, still stealing side glances at Cam. "Who, by the way, was the answer to my record-breaking Daily Double win on Jeopardy. The category, of course, torture." He remembered when he was dying for Dr. Brennan's approval, now it was completely focused on Cam.
"Was that the game that you played while I was away?" Brennan asked with a bitter tone.
"It was more than just a game; Mr. Nigel-Murray won almost a million dollars." Cam said from her sifting. "I-I mean, so I heard. I didn't watch it." She clarified. Michelle restraining her to the couch and forcing her to watch it didn't actually qualify as watching or so she wanted to believe.
"Which after travel, an overindulgent lifestyle, the occasional game of chance," he tried to look over at Cam for this part. "A little stint in rehab, I no longer possess. But I still have my memories!" It wasn't exactly the best point to woo Cam with, but a part of him hoped it would matter to her. "And oh, Thailand." He said with a flourish which triggered a bizarre look from Cam. Great, she not only got to be annoyed by her delicate heart but constantly reminded of what wild and crazy-and probably sexual-goings on he had while away just to truly complete the picture.
Brennan, equally annoyed but for completely different reasons, tried to shift back to the case. "Reassembling the chocolate made it easier to scan, but the condition of the chocolate is still less than ideal."
"Holy crap." Angela entered the platform, floored by the imposing scanner. "Why is it so cold in here?"
"We have to make sure no chocolate melts during the CT scan, it's actually on loan from Johns Hopkins." Brennan supplied.
Cam's attention perked from its previously dampened state. "Johns Hopkins! Almost forgot that. Another one for Michelle's shortlist." She said excitedly. Maybe she was a lackluster girlfriend and boss, but she would be damned if she wasn't a competent mother.
"I can't believe she's already applying to colleges! Does she know what she wants to study?" Angela acknowledged.
"Oh, she's kinda all over the place, you know how it is." Cam said with a wave of her hand. "She's actually gonna be here in a few minutes so we can go over our application strategies."
Angela raised an eyebrow. "Do you mean her application strategies?"
Cam paused, wide eyed. "Didn't I say that?" Well, she was at least trying her best to be competent mother.
As she turned to go, Vincent spoke up. Having met Michelle a grand total of once, he felt obligated to offer some insight; that and he wanted to hold Cam's attention as long as he could. "Oh! You know, there are many fine universities in England. Oxford and Cambridge of course but there's-"
Did he really think he had cause to say anything about Michelle after a hungover interrogation in her car? Did he really think he had cause to say anything to her at all? Did he have any idea of crushing his mere presence was to her?
Cam didn't ask these things, and they only added to the mounting tension in her face. "You so as much mention leaving the country to my daughter, and I will choke you on your own trivia and stuff your lifeless body in a locker." With a smile gleaming in pure irritation, she quickly turned away.
Well, Vincent thought, maybe he hadn't managed to impress her. "On the other hand, Georgetown is quite lovely..." His blue eyes cast down in their sad-puppy manner as he felt his throat constrict. It felt like every muscle was tense yet numb at the same time. He knew that she was mad based on how she ignored his voicemails, emails, and text messages, but he still retained some hope that if she saw him and he managed to pull back that restitstance as he had managed all that time ago she could forgive him.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Nigel-Murray..." Brennan said sympathetically. She never liked to get involved with the private lives of her interns, but seeing the pure heartbreak compelled something within her.
"I-it's quite alright, Dr. Brennan." He continued, voice breaking. "I did throw up on her in the middle of the street and...break her heart. I'm sure I deserve it." He tried to smile and retain some sense of dignity over his crushed spirit.
"Actually, since the heart is a muscle it can't break."
"Sweetie! So not the time…"
"You said this was my decision; you told me that you'd support me." Michelle's frustration was growing in tandem with her mother's, it seemed. She wanted to follow her boyfriend Derrick to a college in Maine. It was a truly fine school though, maybe, not a fantastic one but she wasn't about to let Cam onto that.
Cam's face became more sincere or at least tried to be. She didn't hate Derrick, but she didn't like him either. "Yes, but when I see that you might be making a mistake-"
"So, you're not supporting me?" Michelle retorted coldly. It was a tense mood, but they had been in these types of arguments so often lately that it was almost down to a routine.
"Unconditionally?" Cam wanted to add that she meant unconditionally until she noticed Michelle might be steering towards similar mistakes that she had herself made, no matter how fresh they were. It was what most mothers wanted, but Cam knew that mentioning this would only bring up more scorn and Michelle was upset enough already
Michelle knew that Cam was obligated to be a stingy mother in times like these, but so intense was her pressure it had to be something more. "You know, just because your British boy toy is back doesn't mean you can take it out on me." She scoffed. It wasn't exactly hard to figure it out. Though Cam tried very hard to keep everything from Michelle, it had been fairly easy to piece together what had happened between her and Vincent through the several voicemails he had left on their home phone. She stood up to go, her patience completely wanning at this point.
"B-British boy toy? What on earth are you talking about?" Cam stood up too. She had thought teenagers were easy to hide things from considering their typical self-absorption.
"Cam, do you seriously think I don't know? He doesn't just call your phone, he calls the house phone too and he has been for the past seven months." Michelle crossed her arms.
Cam's mouth gaped as her face cringed. "Y-you didn't talk to him, did you?"
"No, but you should be the one talking to him." Michelle asserted. "What makes you think you can judge Derrick and I when you can't even figure out your own relationship?" If her mother was going to judge her, she was going to throw it right back.
"We were not in a relationship, Michelle! It's not that simple." Cam clarified. She was being unfair, granted, but it was what she was supposed to do. "He was selfish, immature, and it bothered me; and he's clearly been seeing other people so it doesn't even matter anymore!" Saying it out loud, giving her hurt full life, brought a tightness in her chest and tension behind her eyes.
Michelle raised an eyebrow. "If it doesn't matter anymore, why are you yelling?"
Cam made an annoyed face. She had thought that her coworkers knowing about her "non-relationship" with Vincent was bad, but she now realized that her daughter knowing was much worse.
"He's obviously still crazy about you; if he wasn't then he wouldn't be still calling, dudes aren't that complicated." Michelle grabbed her bag. "You seriously need to chill out your expectations for everybody's sake. I'll see you at home." She threw the comment over her shoulder as she left Cam, startled and off balance once again.
Author's note: I know I said there would only be two more chapters after chapter 11, but ahh I might end up going to fourteen chapters! It's so much, I know, but I need to relish in this ship for as long as I can, and I know that super super long chapters can be a bit much.