It was the quickly smothered laughter that got her attention. Cam stopped in the hallway outside Hodgins' office and listened again. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon and although she'd seen Brennan headed toward Limbo a few hours earlier, she'd thought the lab otherwise deserted. Other than the quick jaunt to the lady's room from which she was returning, she'd spent a productive afternoon working through the endless paperwork her job required, unaware of any other presence in the building.

But there it was again . . . something . . . A whisper? She backed up a few paces and leaned back even further to peer through the glass walls of her bug man's sanctuary. Through a leaf-filled tank that was home to God-knows-what, she could just make out two small heads, one framed in dusky curls.

Her heart dropped. Zach and William, alone in Hodgins' lab.

Mild panic set in as she rushed toward them. Left to themselves, Christine and Michael were good for at least one broken microscope and a tray or two of spilled instruments. When Zach and William were unsupervised, something might blow up.

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you two doing? And more importantly, where are your parents?"

The boys jumped in surprise and, Cam thought, as she studied them through narrowed eyes, with guilt. Only a few weeks separated the eleven-year-olds but Zach stood a head taller than his cohort. Serious in nature and somewhat awkward, he shuffled on his feet, while William, already an incorrigible flirt, used his dimples to blinding effect.

"Mom is working in bone storage."
"Well, hello there, Dr. Cam. Your hair looks really pretty tied back like that."

"Can it," she ordered William, without a trace of a smile. "What are you up to . . ."

Her voice trailed off when she noticed the jiggly lump of pale gold on the work table behind them. William's quick slide over was too late.

"Is that my ballistic gelatin?" Her horrified gaze skimmed over several other similar, misshapen hunks scattered nearby. "Is that ALL OF MY BALLISTIC GELATIN?!"

"Well . . ."

"We're making a present," William interrupted quickly, blinking innocently as he fastened his thickly lashed, brilliant blue eyes on her. "For Valentine's Day, for this girl in my school. Her name's Chloe and she's not my girlfriend, at least not yet, but I really really like her, Cam. She's so pretty. Not as pretty as you, of course," he smiled, trying to dimple his way out of trouble again, "but I still like her a lot."

Cam wasn't buying any of it. "Why don't you get her a box of chocolate or a pair of earrings like a normal person?" she cried. "Do you know how much money you've just wasted? What kind of present are you trying to make out of ballistic gel!?"

"A heart," William explained, as Zach picked up one of the wiggling blobs. "Not one of those Hallmark hearts but - -"

"A real heart. I mean, a model of a real heart." Zach pointed out sections that had been cut away with jagged, crude strokes. "See, we've been trying to carve out the aorta and the inferior vena cava but it's not right yet."

"But we've almost got it," William said, clearly meaning to reassure her. "One more block of fresh gel should do it. And we need some red and blue dye, so the differences between the veins and the arteries will be obvious."

Zach held the lump higher and studied it carefully. "Dye is a great idea! And we could slice away the front section to expose the right ventricle. We may need to label it," he told William, forgetting all about Cam. "How well does Chloe know anatomy?"

Cam stamped her foot in frustration. "You are not getting another block of ballistic gel! Or dye! Of any color!"

"Is something wrong? Why is Dr. Saroyan yelling?" Brennan walked in, frowning at the small group. Her head tilted when she noticed the block in Zach's hands. "Is that a model of a human heart? The carving is very crudely done."

"I know," Zach nodded, looking at it with disappointment. "But we're getting better."

"We need red and blue dye," William added. Once again, Cam was forgotten as he pursued what he hoped would be a more friendly supporter. "You know, to separate the arteries and veins."

Brennan took the model from Zach and, much as he had done earlier, lifted it up to examine it closely. "Yes. That would make a difference. The pulmonary veins also need more definition. Is this for a school project?"

"No, William is going to give it to this girl he likes at school. For Valentine's Day."

Brennan gave the young Lothario an approving nod. "An excellent idea. I know that I would have been very impressed if someone had given me an anatomical model of the heart, especially at your age."

Cam decided it was past time to intervene. "Excuse me! That is not an excellent idea! None of this is excellent! Number one, they used all of the ballistic gel! And number two . . . they used all of the ballistic gel!"

Scolded, the two boys stared at their feet before stealing a glance at Brennan. She merely shrugged. "Well, if this is the last of it, I suppose you'll just have to do your best. Perhaps I can help. What size scalpel are you using?"

Cam threw up her hands and marched out.

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(I'm working on the next chapter for "Hero." Pinkie swear!)