"I'd give up forever to touch you,
'Cos I know that you feel me somehow.
You're the closest thing to Heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now.
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cos I don't think that they'd understand.
When everything's made to be broken,
I just want you to know who I am."

'Iris', Goo Goo Dolls

oo00oo

Jack Hodgins stood awkwardly in front of the sofa in Angela's holographics lab, watching the artist throw her head in to her hands as she wordlessly berated herself.

Still not sure exactly what had happened, Hodgins had to admit that he didn't actually care all that much. As long as Angela was alright, nothing else really mattered. But right now, she wasn't alright and that bothered him more than he dared to imagine.

Slowly, he seated himself beside her, extending a hand to bridge the gap. He could only let it hover above her back, not sure what else to do.

For Christ's sake, you idiot! She's your friend and she's upset, of course you can comfort her. Just cos you've realised that you've got a thing for her, it doesn't mean you have to turn as socially handicapped as Zach…

He dropped his hand on to her back gently, slowly rubbing small circles as reassuringly as he could. This seemed to be the last straw as the muffled sound of strangled sobs echoed up through the hands covering her face.

Worried for her, Hodgins curled his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, letting her head drop to his chest as he smoothed her hair down with his other hand. After a few moments of rocking her silently, she sniffed loudly and sat up though she made no move to remove his arm.

Eventually, she raised her red-rimmed eyes to his and offered up a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, Jack."

He smiled back, slightly bemused.

"Sorry for what?"

She shrugged.

"For being the emotionally unbalanced, stereotypical artist…"

He grinned and shook his head as she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. Sighing, he squeezed her shoulders slightly.

"Want to talk about it?"

She blinked rapidly and for a moment he was worried that he had triggered another round of tears. Eventually, she sighed.

"Zach let on to Brennan that Booth and Cam have been, you know, sleeping together."

Hodgins frowned.

"And that got you upset? Why, were you wanting the gossip all to yourself?"

She glared at him playfully.

"No, you idiot. It's just that last night…"

She tailed off, her eyes distant as she weighed up whether or not to tell him her news. He prayed that she would, that she'd let him in. Eventually she sighed and nodded slightly as she turned to face him full on.

"Last night, Booth told Bren that he's going out to Iraq. They want him to drill recruits on being a sniper or something but it's still Iraq, you know? It's a war…"

Hodgins raised his eyebrows and shook his head slowly, obviously surprised at the news.

"Woah… I guess Bren didn't take it all that well, huh?"

Angela shook her head and swallowed hard.

"That's not the worst of it. I went round to hers last night after she found out and I… I convinced her that she needed to talk to Booth, to tell him how she really feels about him before he leaves…"

Hodgins nodded slowly, his eyes locked with Angela's.

"And then she finds out about him and Cam, holes herself up in her office and blames it all on you …"

She just nodded, sniffing loudly. Hodgins squeezed her shoulders reassuringly, bringing her head to rest on his chest again. The scent of her hair intoxicated him, the closeness of her body pressing against his…

Snap out of it! She needs a friend right now, not an overly obsessed pervert…

"Ange, it's not your fault. None of this is. And as for Bren… Well, once she's calmed down a bit, she'll see that too. Knowing Booth's about to leave has probably just left her a little… off guard, that's all. Just give her a couple of hours to simmer down and you'll be back to normal in no time."

She looked up at him through thick lashes, her eyes almost pleading with him, and he felt his heart skip a beat.

"You really think so?"

He nodded, a slow smile spreading across his lips.

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it. I'm a scientist, Ange, I deal in facts."

She grinned and threw her arms around his neck as she gave him a quick squeeze, her voice breathy in his ear.

"Thank you, Hodgy. Thank you."

She pulled back slightly, their faces just inches apart. The way she looked at him, Hodgins could feel his pulse pounding in his ears.

God, she's beautiful…

Her lips parting slightly with an enticing smile, he leant in toward her a little. She didn't back away, she didn't run from the room screaming and crying, she didn't slap him.

All good signs as far as I'm concerned. Go for it, dude, take your chance…

He started to lean in again, her eyes drawing him closer to her, their lips almost touching, when an angry voice boomed from the doorway.

"Alright, which one of you two was it?"

They jumped apart quickly as if they'd just received a near lethal electric shock. Hodgins stared down at his feet guilty as Angela scrambled off the sofa.

"Booth…"

He jabbed a finger at her, his eyes flashing with rage and some emotion she couldn't quite place. Whatever it was, it scared her.

"No, Angela, was it you? Did you tell her?"

She backed away from him slightly and Hodgins jumped to his feet to move in between them, his fists balled at his sides as he spoke through firmly gritted teeth.

"Back off, man… You're scaring her."

Booth blinked rapidly, dropping his hand to his side as he raked the other through his hair. He glanced at the artist, offering an apologetic smile.

"Angela, I'm sorry. That was out of line."

She nodded slowly, stepping round Hodgins to pat a friendly hand on his arm.

"It's ok. Things didn't go to well with Bren then, huh?"

He shook his head as he dropped himself on to the sofa, his head lolling back to stare at the ceiling. Hodgins watched him with a wary eye. Just because Angela forgave him so easily didn't mean that he would. She was his girl and he wouldn't let anyone intimidate or scare her, not if he could help it.

Angela perched on the arm of the couch, glancing up at Hodgins with a sheepish smile before turning her full attention on the crumpled FBI agent in front of them.

"What happened, sweetie?"

He sighed heavily.

"Well, I don't think me and Bones are exactly on speaking terms now, especially as she doesn't want us to have any kind of personal relationship anymore."

His words dripped with bitterness. Angela's eyes widened as she looked up at Hodgins who just stared back, equally surprised.

"She actually said that?"

He nodded mutely, staring at his shoes. Hodgins just shrugged at her.

This is Angela's territory. And anyway, I'm a man. What do I know about this kind of thing? I'm like Booth, I'd just screw it all up…

Angela slid down on to the cushions beside Booth, laying a gentle hand on his arm.

"You don't get it, do you?"

He looked at her blankly as she threw her hands up in exasperation.

"God, you two are as bad as each other! Do I have to do all the work around here?"

He blinked slowly and shook his head.

"Ange, what are you talking about?"

"Why do you think it bothered Bren so much the idea of you and Cam being together?"

Hodgins watched as Booth's eyes narrowed before he finally shrugged and turned his eyes back to Angela.

"Because Cam's her boss and I'm her partner. It's not like those two are best buds or anything… I guess she's right that it could cause problems at work."

Angela rolled her eyes.

"This has nothing to do with work, Booth. You know how I spent my evening last night? I went to Bren's apartment and consoled her as she worried about you, about you leaving. That's not something people do when they don't want a personal relationship, sweetie."

Booth just stared at her, his mouth open slightly.

"You mean…"

She nodded, a slow smile crossing her lips.

"So do you really want to leave with all this mess waiting for you when you finally get home? It's Brennan. Don't let her shut down again."

He got to his feet and Hodgins watched, mildly amused, as the normally confident Fed walked towards the door then turned back then walked away then came back again. Eventually he stopped, his full attention on Angela.

"So, what do I do? How can I put this right?"

The artist gave him an almost frustrated look as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Well, you need to break things off with Cam for a start…"

He blinked slowly, looking almost confused.

"But it is over. It was just a mistake, a stupid mistake, and I told her so. It was just one night and then I ended it. You try breaking up with that woman and not being scared for your life."

He glanced at Hodgins, a glint in his eye.

"And your manhood…"

Hodgins smirked but quickly wiped the look off his face at the glare he received from Angela. Rolling her eyes, she turned back to Booth.

"So tell her that, sweetie, though I'd leave out the part to do with your manhood unless you want her to remove it for you... Tell her your night with Cam was a mistake and it didn't mean anything. Tell Bren exactly what it is that you feel about her because I guarantee, she feels the same way."

He stared at her, obviously trying to process this revelation, before a grin spread across his face and he grabbed Angela in an enormous bear hug, almost squeezing the life out of her. Hodgins had to desperately resist the urge to jump in and stop it.

With a final thank you, Booth practically sprinted out of the office leaving Hodgins to grin at the artist.

"Check you out, Little Miss Fix-It."

She grinned back and pretended to dust off her hands.

"And my work here is done."

They stood there smiling at each other for a few more moments before an awkward silence started to descend. Wanting to get away before the blush creeping up his neck became too obvious, Hodgins cleared his throat loudly and broke her gaze.

"Well, I'd better let you get back to, you know, drawing or holographing or whatever…"

He turned away but she grabbed his elbow, stopping him in his tracks. Turning back to her, he was surprised when she laid a lingering kiss on his cheek. Staring at her, unsure what to say, she smiled shyly.

"Thank you, Hodgy. For everything."

She moved back to her desk, flicking open her sketchpad, and he just watched her for a few more moments.

God, she's beautiful…

Regaining his composure, Hodgins left the office with a distinct spring in his step and massive grin plastered across his face, unaware that Angela was watching him every step of the way. Just like she always did.

A/N: Just for any Brits reading this, as soon as I wrote Angela as Little Miss Fix-It, I had an immediate flashback to good ol' Jim'll Fix It... Now collapsing in giggles at the image of our favourite artist in a red shellsuit, Mr T worthy bling, and a cigar being wiggled between her fingers... Hee hee! Also, just a quick thanks to Ava yet again. She's my muse!