Dr. Hodgins was sitting up in the lounge, thoughtfully drinking coffee and occasionally shooting glances down toward Angela's office, where I'd seen Dr. Brennan go in fifteen minutes before, then close the door. As I passed, I could see both their faces were serious, then noted that Dr. Hodgins was missing from his station.

When I looked up, I saw him. Waiting for ... something. Since no one seemed to be doing any work (and why not, we were slow, it wasn't actually as if the team were slackers) I decided I'd see what I could about what was going on.

He arched an eyebrow at me as I mounted the stairs, a serious look on his face. "Hey," he said, giving me a nod as I said hello and went to pour myself coffee. I sat down next to him and turned to look in the same direction as he did.

"Some problem with Dr. Brennan and Angela?"

"We'll see," was his cryptic response.

He took another sip of his coffee, shot me an unreadable look, then asked after the newest batch of resumes that came in for possible replacements for Zack. As if there could be such a thing. But we had to try to move on ... or at least try. I filled him in, and he asked some very informed questions beyond his usual areas of competence-- things more in the line of qualifications Dr. Brennan would naturally consider, beyond the murder weapon analysis Dr. Hodgins and Zack had always been thick as thieves on.

"You've been talking to Dr. Brennan about this," I suggested.

He nodded. "We ... we've started seeing Zack together at lunchtime. The topic comes up."

"Naturally."

He looked at me again and snorted. "You're a real cool customer, Cam."

"Naturally," I added, then spoke again as I remember the events of three weeks ago that I'd inadvertently witnessed. "And ... ah ... is Zack the only thing you two have started seeing together?"

He snorted, ran his hand over his beard, then looked down toward Angela's office. "Not yet."

I couldn't help it, it just came out of my mouth. "And you were going to tell me when?"

"Is it any of your business? We're professionals, and we're not even involved yet." he asked, his eyes suddenly fierce. "I don't recall your asking her if it was alright if you hopped in the sack with her partner."

Ouch. Painful. But true, as far as it went. And she hadn't let it affect my working relationship with her, despite the fact that were I in her place, I would have throttled her just out of sheer territoriality.

"It really hurt her feelings, you know," he said thoughtfully, as he looked down toward Angela's office again. "She didn't say anything, but ... it did."

"That I didn't talk to her?"

He just looked at me. "No-- that neither one of you did. He told her it was none of her business when she asked him about it, and you pretended like it never happened. Very professional."

"I suppose you're right," I sighed. "Not like I didn't know why he ended it later, anyway." He wouldn't admit it, even when I told him point blank, but I knew-- he was in love with the woman and even just screwing around made him feel guilty, though he'd never told her how he felt.

"Yeah, well, it's been two years since then," Hodgins said hotly, "and you two ended it because he thinks that he loves her, well, he still hasn't done anything."

I looked at him, and his face was utterly serious. And angry. And ... determined, though usually he was the joker, the clown, the breath of fresh air when Dr. Brennan was serious, Angela was flaky, and ... I pushed everyone around, half cop, half squint. Sometimes I thought my half-copness left me on the outside, caused me to miss things because I didn't quite have their mindset or priorities. My mind just ran on different tracks. Seeley's too, I suppose.

Ah.

"He forgot, too."

His jaw clenched as he nodded. And he looked at me and said something so utterly true there was no way I could argue. "You all did-- this year. But every year, since then? We all forgot her, and neither one of us would be here at all if it wasn't for her. I mean, I only stayed here this year because Angie forgot and I couldn't very well ask her to distract me. He went back to your place that first time, I assume?"

I shook my head-- he hadn't. "No. I assumed he slept on her couch."

He gritted his jaw again. "No. Didn't keep her company last year, either."

"Oh. Jesus. What did she do?"

"Worked." It came out clipped, brusque, angry-- at himself as well as the rest of us, I suppose.

"And ... none of us remembered. Even Seeley."

"Yeah."

"We should have," I sighed. It was true. Some things you should have to ask for help on. If you've got real friends who aren't too caught up in their own stuff, they'll remember.

"Yeah." He looked at me again, then ran his hand through his beard. "Everyone thinks she's a robot, you know? It's not true. She's just ... quiet, and ... not obvious about the way that she gives. I mean, none of us would be here, have these awesome jobs if she didn't work here. Even you. She ... works hard, makes sure we have good results ... so that stays in place."

I thought, hated to admit it, but didn't run from the truth. At least, I tried not to. "I suppose. So ... what brought this all about, if I can ask?"

His mouth quirked, almost bitterly. "Eleanor Rigby, I guess, to start with. I mean ... we were alone together in the car, and then I scooted off with Angie, but in the end, we were still alone together in that car, and no one else knows what that feels like, even if there are other reasons to care and to try for something more with other people. But ... nearly dying together means something, even if it's a negative way to define yourself against the rest of the world. But ... it's still solid ... still gives you something to work with."

Breaking eye contact, he looked down at the office where the two friends still sat. "They're not screaming at each other. I guess that's good."

His mouth quirked at the corner again, and he looked at me again. "There's something to work with there. She ... she's not a flake the same way Angela is. She answers a direct question with a direct answer. Admits when she doesn't know. And yeah, I admit I'm honing in on the work the G-Man's done to get her to be more willing to actually think about how she's reacting to stuff, but..."

"You're not going to wait around for Angela forever while she gets her head on straight, and she's finally decided that whatever she feels for Seeley, he's not going to act on what he feels anytime soon."

"Yeah. There are some things some people shouldn't have to ask. She shouldn't have to ask. Everything's not always equal. And ... she doesn't always offer stuff readily, but she'll answer you every time you ask her something. That's better than most of us. Better than him, certainly."

I thought for a moment, thought back to Seeley, thought as much as I could over while my colleague regarded me, a resolute look on his face. Though he and I never discussed it, I did think Seeley was being too risk-averse. Funny, that, for a former gambler. Yes, she was inscrutable much of the time, but he knew her better than most of us-- he, more than anyone else, should have been willing to roll the dice. And it was true, as this recent debacle with Jared proved. If he'd just filled her in a bit more ... I decided-- Hodgins was right. They were Seeley's dice to roll, and he hadn't.

"Well, I know you two will be professional if it works out. Or at least Dr. Brennan will."

Hodgins snorted, then grinned. "Yeah. No Egyptian exhibits, though I'm sure she'd have something fascinatingly sexy to say about it if I could just convince her." His tone was only half-sarcastic-- there was a light in his eye as he thought of something I had no knowledge of-- it wasn't just male appreciation for Dr. Brennan's fantastic figure and looks-- there was something else there that he saw in her.

"You're really serious, hunh, Jack?" I offered.

He smiled, nodding. "Tears of a clown, baby. She ... gets it if you just give her the chance." And then that outwardly glad expression actually shifted to something more genuine as Angela's door opened-- Dr. Brennan looked up at Jack, and just ... looked at him before quietly nodding and heading back to her office. She didn't ignore me ... I just wasn't part of the equation. Ockham's Razor-- paring things down to the essentials needed to solve the question.

I wondered how Seeley would feel when he found out he wasn't part of the equation either, because he'd kept his own clown smile on too long. But it wasn't my news to tell.