Warning: mention of rape and suicide.
Hodgins woke up to Cam still nestled in his arms. It was a warm feeling; comfortable and familiar. Her shirt was raised and he saw the healed gashes that marred her otherwise smooth skin.
He couldn't help himself as he traced his fingers over them; they were deep and there were a lot of them. She squirmed under his touch and suddenly her eyes shot open and she pulled herself completely away from him; he recognized shock in her eyes.
"Cam. It's me; it's Jack." He said softly to her, not making any moves towards her.
She turned her head wildly staring at him for moment in confusion before recognition flashed and she finally released the breath she was holding in.
"I was attacked. The first time that everyone left. I was followed home and pretty much ambushed by a man."
She took a deep shaky breath and he grabbed her hand, letting her know that he was here.
Cam left the Jeffersonian after a late night of work, things were tough without her team; cases took longer to solve and her being the head meant she took the fall.
She drove home in silence like she had been doing for a while since the departure of the people she'd considered her friends. Since the departure of him. She didn't like thinking about it all because it was clear that he'd made his decision. She should've known better than to think the outcome would be different. She should've never went forward with anything after game night. But the way he looked at her made her believe otherwise; she should've stood her ground.
Cam was used to being left by the men she loved.
Loved?
She took a long sigh finally admitting to what she knew and struggled with for the last month.
She got out of her car and put her focus on getting her house key ready to unlock the door. As the door opened, she felt a hand cover her mouth, a sharp pain went through her back and she was sent flying to her floor. She heard the door shut behind her and she took the chance to run to her room. She knew she'd been stabbed, she just needed to get to her room it wasn't far.
She felt him grab her by her long hair and cried out as she was yanked back.
Her heart sank and she screamed and kicked and she heard his laugh.
"Nobody can save you now babe."
He turned her over and she couldn't see his face, only his dark black eyes. He grabbed her throat. She gasped in pain as he slid the knife under her skin a second time. And then a third time and a fourth time. Eventually she lost count. He violated her once he was done torturing her. All she could hear was him complimenting her long hair and her soft body. Laughing in her ear about how easy it was for him to grab her. She lay there in shock; whether from blood loss or trauma she didn't know.
He thanked her with another laugh and got up leaving her in the hallway.
"The bastard called 911 after he left my house. I had lost so much blood by that point; I don't remember anything other than waking up in the hospital with Michelle. I'm still healing from the whole thing. They never caught him. So I moved back to my childhood home; and I reinforced it. I sent Michelle away to school and I dealt with it. Alone."
Her body was trembling; he wasn't sure if she'd noticed.
"You cut your hair after we came back though?"
He said.
"I was trying to maintain my normal life but I was spiraling badly. I had to cut it because I couldn't get his voice out of my head." She strained through her teeth. She was visibly fighting back tears. "You guys came back and I started to be better! A little bit. Less stressful at the Jeffersonian with you guys back. So my professional burden was lifted. Emotionally it was tough but I've never had an issue with hiding my true feelings anyways. It hurt so much seeing everyone so happy when I was falling apart. And nobody ever noticed anything. So while things got better at the job in regards to the workload things in general were not. I just came to terms with the fact that nobody would ever care for me and love me the way I wanted to be. I must have done something wrong in my past life. I played second fiddle to someone my entire life and I've never understood why I wasn't good enough for anyone? I wasn't good enough for my father, for friendship, for love. Booth proved it, you proved it- I mean you all proved it by leaving a second time. Sometimes I wish that I would have just died that night. Because it's better than living like this. But I can't take my own life because I'm cursed to care too much about everyone else!" She blinked causing two big tears to roll down her cheeks.
"I have to get ready for work."
She got up and quickly left walking into her bathroom and slamming the door shut.
The shower and music still wasn't loud enough to drown out her cries.
They were deep sorrowful sobs.
Jack's eyes burned and when he went to rub at them he realized they were wet too.
He felt like such an asshole. Because he noticed her behavior; but he was too caught up in emotions to ever check on her.
He never thought about how his decisions could have possibly made her feel; and he knew it was way too late to apologize. Knowing that Cam no longer wanted her life broke him. Knowing that she was so violently attacked and none of them had a clue broke him. Knowing that she went through it all by herself when she was the one who they all had come to at one point or another made him feel like a real dick.
So his only option was to make her want life again. He couldn't fix the past; but he could change their future.
He went downstairs to her kitchen and eventually she came downstairs dressed in her suit. Her eyes were dull and lifeless even with the fake smile she tried to flash him.
"Cam, I just wanted to say-."
"Please don't apologize," She cut him off. "There's nothing to apologize for. You did what made you happy. I won't hold it against you. When I had things that made me happy I didn't want to let go either."
She said with a sigh.
She grabbed an apple and walked out the door before he could say another word.