BONES (Cam/Dr. Saroyan, f)

[Sequoia]

So... I just went through my alarmingly large collection of unfinished snzWIPs and found this story that I surprisingly finished about three years ago after @jem encouraged me. Turns out I never posted it, so here it is. 

It started out as a non-snzfic, so there's a lot of bickering from the characters and some H/C before it comes to the sneezing - feel free to skip to 2 I suppose it's set in s2 or something like that, but I haven't watched Bones in ages so I can't guarantee anything. There shouldn't be any spoilers except that Cam exists.

CW: Mentions of spiders (in Part 1+3) and typical Bones stuff (in part 2, they are solving murders, after all)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, they belong to their author & producers of the series

Part 1/3

“… Anyway, I need an analysis of the dirt under our victim’s shoes and the origin of this coral he had in his hand.…”

Dirt. How could she be less precise? Dirt was definitely one of the words Hodgins didn’t want to hear first thing in the morning. And while he was at it, Dr. Saroyan was the one person he didn’t want to talk to first thing in the morning. 

“Sure”, he replied lamely, his eyes still focused on the spider under his microscope. It was hard to inspect, as it was moving around the small transparent box he had put it in. He had seen this eye pattern before. Eight eyes like any spider, but grouped 2-4-2. Combined with the defense display this creature had shown earlier and the dense prolateral scopulae on the pedipalp tibiae and tarsi, that could only mean…

“… And if you think you can get anything out of these broken glasses, please take them before Angela does - Hodgins?!”

“A phoneutria!”, he called out and turned so forcefully that his chair bounced against his bosses’ hips. Dr. Saroyan opened her mouth and closed it again. Slowly, her arms wandered to her waist, brows furrowing. “What for heaven's sake are you doing, Dr. Hodgins?”

 

The entomologist inhaled sharply, nearly biting his lip in the process. “It’s a species of Phoneutria-” Seeing the edge of her brows furrow even further, he changed to: “I am examining a spider.”

“A spider you found on our victim, I assume?” At her glare, Hodgins rolled a few inches back with his chair without even realizing it. Shit. She was serious.

“Not exactly”, he began, cocking his head. She didn’t change her expression. Fuck. Deadly serious. He could either explain himself or blame someone else. Zack, for example. But Zack was on his way to Michigan and would not return for a week or so. “Zack doesn’t have anything to do with this”, he continued nonetheless, buying himself some time to find an excuse. But actually, the truth seemed best in this case. Plus, he really wanted to tell someone. Even if that someone did not want to hear his story. “Mike from the security gave it to me.”

“Because it has something to do with the case?” Saroyan’s eyebrows furrowed even further, but Hodgins was determined to finish the story. “Noooot exactly. It was because they found it in a parcel from Brazil and didn’t know what to do with it.”

“So they put it on your table and threatened you to examine it instead of working on our case?” Wow. What was up with her today? He opened his mouth, but Dr. Saroyan cut him off: “We’ve got a dead body here, for god’s sake! I want this murder to be solved as soon a possible and you’re playing with spiders!”
 

Hodgins blinked and stared at her until she had ended her speech. He did not need Sweets to know that something was off. But he could not let her have the last word, and, more importantly, ruin the ending of the story.
“Actually, no”, he said. “They gift-wrapped it and put it on Angela’s desk with a fake note by me. She opened it and nearly died from a heart attack, so I felt it was my duty to find out who did this to my girlfriend.” He sighed afterwards and leaned back, satisfied that at least someone had now heard of his good deed.
 

Now it was Dr. Saroyan’s turn to stare. She looked as if she was just about to fire him, but to his surprise, she only stifled a laugh and sat down on the chair next to him. “Sorry. Had a family meeting yesterday and -” She shook her head. “Yeah. Then I spend half an hour looking for Zack and just couldn’t find him, so came here to ask and -”

“Order me around”, Hodgins finished, grinning. Yes, that was more like the Cam he knew.

“Exactly. So, did Zacharoni tell you where he’s heading?”

Hodgins bit his lip and cocked his head. This was his chance to come back at her. “Nope. He didn’t say a word.”

Dr. Saroyan sighed and rubbed her temples before lifting her head and looking at him with such helplessness that Hodgins nearly regretted his answer. Nearly. “Sure?”

“Yeah. Definitely. He didn’t say anything. At all.” He looked at his boss and waited for the spark of enlightenment. It didn’t come. “And that is…”, he continued, casting her an expectant glance. She shook her head slowly, not remembering in the least. “... Because he isn’t here.”
She blinked. Geez, that family meeting must’ve really taken the last out of her. “He went to Michigan”, Hodgins reminded her, “Actually, you forced him to go to Michigan so he could reduce his accrued overtime.”

“Oh my god.” Cam groaned and let herself fall back into the chair. “This is just - Just-” Shaking her head, she raised and strode towards the door. “Don’t tell Booth or I’ll fire you.”

“Sure.”

Smiling, Hodgins tended to his spider again. Now that he knew what he was dealing with, he found himself rather intrigued. His fascination always grew stronger when the animal he was dealing with was a deadly poisonous one. “What are we gonna do with you, little one?”, he asked the small creature, watching it through his microscope. He would have liked it better if it had been a Cupiennius or something like that - not dangerous, but still very impressive and excellent to scare the guys from the security. But he could not risk that with a Brazilian wandering spider.
 

“Hodgins?” Dr. Saroyan piped her head back in, interrupting his thoughts. “When, did you say, will Zack’s flight go?”

Hodgins raised his eyebrows at her and swirled around, facing one of the many clocks in his lab. “In 35 minutes, I assume.” Slowly, he brought his gaze back to his boss. She looked uncertain and escaped his look for a moment before looking him right into the eyes again. “Do you think he would mind if we… subdued his holiday?” Hodgins slowly shook his head, another grin forming on his face. “I don’t think so.” Cam smiled at this, looking relieved for the first time this day, and gestured towards the exit. “And do you think... you could go get him…?”

The entomologist jumped up and approached her enthusiastically. “Yes. But I’m afraid I’m gonna need a siren. You know, so that I can reach the airport in time.”

“We can’t do that, Hodgins.”

“Well. Then…” He gave her an apologetic look and turned back to his desk. 

“Wait, wait. Okay. You can take my car.” 

“Last time I checked, it didn't have a siren.”

“No. But it’s faster than your... “ She did not dare to pronounce the word toy car, but he knew what she meant. “It’s got feelings, you know…” he muttered under his breath. But when his boss snachtched her keys at him, he caught them with a satisfied grunt and made his way to her car. 
 

Dr. Saroyan sighed, watching him leave before returning to her office. Her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton today. All foggy and very close to bursting, too. Why did things like family meetings even exist? And why, for god's sake, did she always let herself be talked into attending them? Sighing, she sat down. Hodgins was right, Zack wouldn’t mind. He was probably glad - Even though he liked his family (there was no denial of that), he certainly did not prefer spending a Christian holiday with his mother over working on a new case.
 

“Cam! Have you seen Hodgins?” Angela's voice startled her awake.

“Angela! Have you guys ever heard of knocking before entering your bosses’ office?”, she groaned, lifting her head from the desk. When had she laid it down, anyway?

“Whoa. I’m sorry. I came here as a friend, not as your…”

Right. Sighing, Cam shook her head. What had gone into her? She never expected anyone to knock (not after her first week in the Jeffersonian, that is) and would never snap at Angela.

“You okay, Sweetie?” Angela asked, approaching her with a worried expression. Her deep brown eyes (Cam still did not know if she was wearing contact lenses - With Angela, one never knew) met Cam’s, and she felt herself give in. “Family meeting”, she began. Angela cocked her head. “And?”

“I forgot that I sent Zack to his parents. Actually, I forgot everything!” She shook her head once more, leaning on Angela. Her friend had put an arm around her waist, the closest to an embrace they could manage while one of them was still sitting on a chair. “I hate my life”, Cam muttered into Angela’s side. Angela frowned at her, making her smile just a little bit. “This day, at least.”

“Yeah”, the artist nodded. “I can go with that.”

“Hodgins is at the airport, to answer your question.” Cam found that her voice sounded as if she were sighing constantly. Well, it certainly fit her mood. 

“You asked him to go get Zack before anyone notices?”

“Yeah.” She desperately wanted to lay down her head again. Only now she realized there was a low, yet consistent throbbing in her temples. Maybe that was why she felt like snapping at everyone today. Or maybe it had appeared because of that.

“Have you had breakfast already? I wanted to go with Hodgins, but now…” 

“-That he’s away, I am just good enough.” She should probably have smiled when saying this. “Sorry”, she added. “That was… sorry. I’m sorry. I’m crap at everything today.”

Angela smiled, but did not reply. “Breakfast?”, she asked finally after a few minutes of silence, during which Cam had leaned onto her again, enjoying the silent support. “Not hungry,'' she sighed. 

“Mhm. I’m not gonna force you to join me.” Cam looked up, but found no reproach in Angela’s eyes. “Just make sure no one comes in for a few hours, yeah?”, she pleaded. 

“Sure. You can also lie down on my couch if that’s more comfortable than…” Angela gestured towards the other half of Cam’s workplace, where the seemingly normal office turned into a morgue. “They’re dead, Angela. They don’t bother me. And I’m not tired, just...”

“Pissed.” Angela grinned. “Yeah. Just saying.”

Cam returned the smile and released her friend, leaning back on her chair. “Wake me if anything important happens.”

“You meant to say ‘Tell me’, I assume.”

“Yeah”, sighed Cam, letting her head fall onto her desk once more. Maybe a small nap could help her headache…

Edited January 3, 2022 by Sequoia
CW details

[Sequoia]

Part 2/3

Angela kept her promise, for the rest of the morning no one entered her office. Not even the mailmen who were usually constantly bothering her. This was a double gain, as she neither had to talk to them and seem somehow pleased (or at least accepting), nor actually read the mail - Which would have meant even more stress for her eyes and mind. 

But some time after she had heard Hodgins and Zack come in (the both of them were engaged in an argument about the safety of planes), she felt compelled to check on her team. They had a case, after all. Groaning, she got up and pulled her heavy head off the desk. The area where the cool surface had touched her forehead now felt hot and flat. And it probably looked as if she had run against a door. If anyone dared to mention this, she would have them fired. 
 

She strode towards the platform. Not in her usual, firm way of walking. Today, she walked slowly, nearly sleepily. No one seemed to notice her until she stood directly in the middle of the group - That was not unusual, but today, it bothered her even more than on any other day. They were not discussing the safety of planes anymore, but were engaged in a lively argument about… Dogs? 
 

Zack glanced at her and paused, but the others continued their pointless discussion nonetheless.
“Hey! We’ve got a case!”

“I know. We are examining our victim on the way”, Zack explained. She only raised her eyebrow at him and turned to inspect their victim. There was hardly much left of him, this would be mostly Brennan and Zack’s job. “Angela, take the skull”, Cam said, pinching the artist’s arm.

“We have not examined it yet”, Brennan protested, “We were starting with his extremities”.

“And why is that?”, Cam asked pointedly, slowly crossing her arms in front of her stomach again.

“Because he’s been gnawed on while he was still alive”, Angela said. 

“Which is a perfectly normal thing to happen if one’s dying next to a canine”, Hodgins continued, “And it should definitely influence your decision to get a dog.”
 

Cam ignored their discussion and pushed Angela towards the stairs. “Then go and… Amuse Hodgins. Leave Brennan and Zack to their work”, she said. There were definitely too many people on this platform, making her head swim with their looks and voices. And the sight of a completely oblivious Brennan pointing at some part of the body did not help at all. “Is that enough flesh for you?”
“No”, she groaned, looking at what appeared to be the remains of a phalange. 

“Are you sure you want Angela to amuse me while I’m examining the dirt under our victim’s shoes?”, Hodgins asked, grinning his usual provocative grin. Cam opened her mouth, another wave of fury overcoming her, but the entomologist continued unfazed: “I’ve got the results on the coral. If you’re… interested?” 

“I’ll read the report.” She growled, taking all her might not to snap at him, too. “Go to work. And Angela, you stay here.”
Brennan lifted her head and eyed her with a strange, very Brennan expression, but did not say anything. Hodgins and Angela exchanged a knowing look before leaving without a word. Luckily, at least one of her people had enough respect to proceed as always: Zack continued his examination, describing the anomalies he found in the bones. Brennan commented on his finding from time to time, and Cam found herself nodding away, the monotony of Zack’s voice slowly luring her into sleep. 

“What do you think, Dr. Saroyan?”, Brennan pulled her out of her dreams. “I…”, She trailed off, casting a helpless glance at Zack. He did not react. Of course he did not. Angela, who had mysteriously reappeared at Cam’s side, tried her best at helping her, pointing towards the left radius. Or did she mean the ulna or even the humerus? “Sorry, could you repeat that? I didn’t quite catch you.”

The forensic anthropologist frowned and inhaled deeply. “Did you even listen to anything I just said?” Cam shook her head, staring at the bones in front of her. Why did Brennan, one of her employees, make her feel like a scolded student in chemistry class again?

“She didn’t, Sweetie”, said Angela, laying her arm around Cam, who fought hard to resist the urge to lean into her and stood stiffly at the platform, her eyes now fixed on the small splinters of metal covering the ulna. “You should give that to Hodgins'', she muttered, avoiding the question 

“I will. After my examination.” Brennan furrowed her eyebrows, mimicking the angry chemistry teacher Cam had to deal with in organic chemistry class. “If you’re not interested enough to follow our examination, why don’t you go and try pulling some DNA out of this phalange?”
 

Cam sighed, allowing herself to give in to Brennan, and was ready to leave the platform with the crushed finger in hand to escape her friends. But Angela was still holding her arm tightly. She did not mind taking her with her, but a second problem had just arisen. The headache that had annoyed her all morning had helped a small itch to blossom in her nostril. She rubbed her nose furiously. “Angela, could you please - ” 

“First, you tell us what’s wrong.” Cam rolled her eyes at her, fighting the sensation in her nose. She was not going to sneeze in front of Dr. Brennan. 

“We’re your friends, you know”, Angela continued, keeping her brown eyes fixed on Cam.

“I know, Angela, and I appreciate that…” She trailed off, feeling the looks of Brennan and Zack on her. They had probably just looked up because of Angela's statement. Zack did seem rather uncomfortable with being referred to as her friend, Brennan simply looked confused. And yet, the tickle was not gone. She would not-

“Then tell us.” Cam felt her face go slack, vigorously fighting against it. She always controlled her body, she could not allow herself to-

“Angela, let her go. She’s clearly-”
 

“HIh’TShieew!” 

Angela lost her grip at the sudden movement, but recovered it within seconds. “Bless you!”, she exclaimed. “Why didn’t you-” “HIh’TSHiieeew! Ihh’SHiiiuu! Heh’PSHieeeww!” Cam blinked, shaking her head apologetically. “I’m sorry. I tried to warn you-”
“You sneezed on the evidence!” Brennan exclaimed, staring at her. Angela shoved her away. “What I was going to say before you all interrupted me: Why didn’t you tell me you’re getting sick?”

“Sneezing can be caused by a variety of irritants-”, Cam mumbled, not really believing herself. Zack nodded at this, most likely because he felt uncomfortable not participating in the argument, but did not know what to say himself. She smiled at him. Maybe he would now finish her statement and support her.

“But in combination with your pale face, the flush on your buccae and your absentmindedness, it is a reasonable conclusion”, Brennan finished instead. Now, Zack was nodding at her. Cam sighed. One could always trust Zack to submit to logic.
 

“If I remember correctly”, Cam began, scrunching her nose for a second, feeling her eyelids flutter slightly, “I’m the one with the medical degree.” Brennan nodded, her expression serious as always. “Yes. So you would certainly agree with my thesis. Unless you don’t want-”

“Brennan, stop!”, Angela shook her head at her and turned back to Cam. “You should have told me.”

“Anthropologically speaking, it is unlike alphas to show weakness in front of others-”

“For god’s sake, I sneezed. Could we please concentrate on our victim?!” Cam closed her eyes while saying this, not able to endure the critical looks her employees gave her.
 

“Sure”, Hodgins voice sounded from behind. He climbed the stairs with large, jumpy steps, joining the group and looking around questioningly. “Whatever it is you’re talking about, I disagree with you, Dr. Saroyan.” He grinned while saying this and seemed rather taken aback at the look his girlfriend shot at him. 

“Hey! What’s this all about?” None of the three women answered. They were staring at each other, though Hodgins could make out that Cam was the main center of attention and did not exactly look as if she liked that. Zack stood a few feet away, wearing his usual blank expression. “Zackaroni? Care to explain what they are… doing?”

“They are disagreeing about Dr. Saroyan’s health”, replied Zack slowly, biting his lip. When Cam did not react to this, he relaxed. “Okay”, Hodgins exhaled. “So I’m not interrupting an intimate moment?” 

“I don’t think so”, said Zack, still not seeming entirely sure whether his actions would get him killed by Cam or worse: Fired. 
 

Cam blinked slowly, eying her colleagues one after another. Brennan and Angela did not show any sign of retreat, but Zack grew several inches shorter. Hodgins only stared back, not letting the size difference between them let her win. “Anyways, you wanna hear the news I got from the dirt or would you rather continue your… ?“ Not knowing how to call their silent argument, he gestured towards the three of them. 

Cam sighed. “Is it by any chance relevant to our case?” Hodgins could not tell whether she actually knew that she was rubbing her eyes while saying so, but he decided not to point this out to her. “Yes.” He cocked his head, waiting for Cam to open her eyes again. She had closed them somewhere between the rubs and seemed to have forgotten to open them. 

“I think I get what you mean”, Hodgins finally said, nodding at the two women that were still awake. “I didn’t know it was possible to fall asleep while standing!” He emphasized the last word, hoping to regain Cam’s attention. Of course he knew that it was not possible. Zack, however, did not trust him on that. “Technically, it is impossible for a human being to actually sleep while also standing, since the-” 
 

“Shut up!” Dr. Saroyan had opened her eyes and mouth at the same time. Zack flinched and retreated to Brennan’s back. Hodgins rolled his eyes at him. “He’s from Michigan”, he explained.

“I knew that, Dr. Hodgins.”

The entomologist raised the corner of his left mouth and shook his head. “I didn’t mean Zack. I was talking about him.” He tapped at their victim’s skull.

“Hey! You can’t do that without gloves, Dr. Hodgins!” Brennan stepped forward and pushed him away from ‘her’ body. This was enough to set Cam off: “Just. Shut. Up. I have a headache. If you don’t stop talking, I’ll come over and sneeze at you. Don’t try me.” She turned at her heels and strode back to her office without so much as looking at her colleagues. The four figures at the platform gazed after her, seeing her duck into her elbow several times before reaching the safety of her own workplace. 
 

“Whoa. Take the report, Zack, I’m not risking my life going in there”, Hodgins announced, pressing the stack of papers into Zack’s arms. Zack, who had been absent-minded enough to take the sheets, now looked at the door of Cam’s office with apparent panic. He opened his mouth to protest, but all he could do was shake his head and make a funny noise. “Mmhhnnn.” 

Hodgins ignored him and grabbed the victim’s ulna. “This looks as if I can pull something out of it. Do you mind?” Before Brennan could stop him, he left the platform. 
 

Angela rolled her eyes at her boyfriend and freed Zack of the report. “I’ll take it. Brennan, tell me when I can have the skull.”

“Yes”, Brennan replied. She looked as if she wanted to say more, so the artist waited patiently. “Yeah?” “You should check on her. Sneezing and a headache are clear symptoms of-”

“Sweetie, I don’t need a doctorate to see she’s not well.”

 

Angela left the professor and her intern to their work, making her way to Cam’s office. Sometimes she really felt like the mother of everyone at the lab. No matter how intelligent these people were, when it came to everyday problems, they always failed in one way or another. They seemed especially fond of denying illness - That was something Angela had learned from the very beginning. Even Hodgins still tried to do this - Honestly believing she would not not notice despite living at his place.
 

“Cam?”, she asked softly, not daring to open the door without former approval. The forensic doctor did not react, but Angela could see her through the glass door. Slowly, Angela pulled it open and joined her friend. Cam sighed, raising her head to cast her a weak smile.

“Hey”, Angela said, “I know a place that’s way more comfortable than your chair.”

“Mhmm…”, Cam mumbled, “I can’t leave before noon, I-” Her expression changed in a split second, and she inhaled desperately, looking up into her office’s ceiling lamp. “HIh’SHiiihh! Ih’Shiew! Hihh… Hih! Shieww-hihh Ihh… Ihh! IhpShiiiew!”
 

“Bless you. I think you should definitely leave before noon.” Angela dropped Hodgins’ report on the table. “You know, they can manage a day without you. I’ll make sure they do.” 

Cam smiled again, but did not seem to be convinced. “Thanks, Angela, but I really have to-”

“No. You don’t, Cam.” Cam just pressed her lips together, avoiding Angela’s eye. “Look, Cam, everyone falls ill from time to time. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’m not a medical doctor - not any kind of doctor, I’m afraid, but-”

“I am.”

“Yeah. And just like Brennan said, you should know better.” Angela sighed. “You know, you look awful.”

“Thanks. Ihhh! Hih… Hih’HIPShieww! HiShhieew! Hah’SHIEW-ihhSHhhiew!” 
 

“We found the cause of death.” Brennan stood in the doorway, eying Cam and Angela. 

“Brennan, thank god. Please tell her…?” Angela looked pleadingly at her.

“He was stabbed. There were hardly any marks, but Zack found a-”

“I wasn’t talking about the case”, Angela interrupted, “I need you to convince Cam that she’s not capable of working right now.”

Brennan opened her mouth and looked at Cam. “She might actually still be able to work, though the headache might slow her down. She won’t be as productive as usual.” The anthropologist paused with a frown, as Angela was shaking her head vigorously behind Cam’s back. “What are you trying to tell me, Angela?” 

The artist rolled her eyes. “Look, Brennan. Cam has to go home. We both agree on that, don’t we?” 
 

“You know, I can hear you”, Cam said, but neither of her friends paid attention to her. Rubbing her nose again, she freed from Angela’s grip to fetch a tissue. But the mere sight of the tissue box was enough to set her nose off again. Her breath hitched and she felt her eyelids close once more. Angela’s voice sounded in the background, but Cam did not even try to listen. The need to sneeze grew stronger and she kept fighting it until the soft fabric of the tissue touched her sensitive nose. “HIHSHIiiiieeew! Hh’Shiew’Shhiiew! Hhhh… Ihhh-IH! ISHHeewww!”
 

“Bless you.” Angela laid her hand on her back and guided her back to her chair, taking the tissue box with her. “You should listen to Brennan.” Cam blinked and wiped the sneezy tears away that had invaded her sight. “Alright”, she sighed. She was not up for an argument with either of her friends. Or anyone at all.
 

“I’m brilliant!”, Brennan exclaimed. “I didn’t even start talking yet.” Cam only groaned and blew her nose. “I was going to say that you endanger the whole Jeffersonian because you’re spreading the rhinoviruses which are currently infesting your sinus cavities. That is not beneficial for our work on the case and-” 

“Alright! I already agreed! So, please, just stop talking.”

“Right, Cam. I’ll drive you home. Brennan, you go inform Booth or whatever it is you do when you’ve figured out the cause of death.”

 

Brennan nodded and turned to leave, but bumped into Zack during the process. “I found some flesh. Hodgins says it’s enough to pull DNA off.” He paused and looked at the three women in front of him. “Why are you all looking at me like that?”

 

Cam sighed. “I’ll do that. It won’t take too long.” In fact, it would take quite a while. She stifled a cough into the crook of her arm before extending her hand to take the nail Zack was holding. He stiffened at the touch and, to her surprise, did not let go of the object. She could literally see him trembling under her glance, but he seemed to be convinced to stay firm. “We can find someone else to analyze it”, he said. His voice was trembling as much as his arm, but he looked her into the eye with determination. “I just wanted you to know that we can identify our victim within a few hours.”
 

Angela gave him a thankful smile and nodded reassuringly. “See? We have everything under control.” Cam nodded slowly, lowering her arm. She could feel the sleepiness getting the better of her and leaned back against Angela.

“With Hodgins’ findings we can also determine the exact scene of the crime”, Brennan added. “And Zack and I will check the Bones again. We won’t miss anything, Cam.” She probably wasn’t aware how concerned she sounded when saying this, her face blank as always. Cam smiled at her. “I have no doubt about that, Dr. Brennan.”

“And I will make absolutely sure they don’t discuss pets on the platform anymore. Or anything that has nothing to do with the case… Especially unauthorized experiments'', Angela added, making Cam chuckle slightly. “Alright, alright”, she sighed. “I… Ihhh” She trailed off, feeling her nose rebel again. And even though all eyes were on her, she did not even try to stop the sneezes now. “IHSHieew! HEh’SHhhishh’IHShhh’IHshieww! Hihh… Hih’Ishieeew!” There was a chorus of bless you’s, and when Cam looked up again, she found that Hodgins had joined the group. 
 

“Er… I know where our victim was murdered. Did I miss something?” 

“Dr. Saroyan is taking a sick day”, Zack explained. 

“Ah. Sounds like a great idea to me. I’ll go look at my… bugs and slime and… You know. All that stuff you’re not interested in”, he mumbled, backing off again. Angela chuckled and pulled Cam into standing. “I guess that’s his way of telling you to feel better soon.”  

“Yeah”, Cam sighed, following Angela without offering any opposition. Zack and Brennan nodded at her with expressions that could actually be called a smile. That was their way of telling her to feel better soon.

“Come on, Cam.” Angela laid her arm around her waist and led her outside.

“Thanks”, Cam said, taking a last look at the Jeffersonian. If she had to choose between her team and her real family, she knew what her decision would be.

[Sequoia]

Part 3/3

Cam woke by a distant knock in her dreams. What first felt like an especially hard throbbing in her temples turned out to be an actual knock at her door. It was nearly 5pm. Who would come to visit her at this time? Groaning, she dragged herself to the door, grabbing a bathrobe on the way.
 

“Er, hey”, a familiar voice reached her ear. She frowned and looked outside. On her doorstep, wearing his blue lab suit, stood Jack Hodgins. “Hodgins”, Cam nodded, trying not to look too surprised. “What brings you here?” She sniffled slightly after the last sentence, feeling a slight congestion thickening her voice. The bug and slime guy did not even so much as flinch at this and smiled at her. It was a forced smile, probably hiding his own uncomfort. Had he ever visited her before? No, the only time they met after work was when the whole team gathered up in a bar or somewhere else. 
 

“I, er…” Hodgins furrowed his brows and turned to recover his bag. He set it down and began rummaging through it. A small set of pills, something that looked like asian noodle soup and a box of tissues were set aside before he finally lifted a transparent box. Cam felt as if she had already seen it somewhere earlier this day. But her memories were blurry, much like her sight was right now. 
 

“I, uh, wanted to ask if- “ Hodgins paused, eying her sceptically. But Cam did not take any notice of this, as she was desperately searching her own pockets for tissues. Just as she started wondering why she could not even locate the pockets themselves, Hodgins offered her an unopened pack of tissues. 

“You’re wearing your bathrobe. I don’t think you’re gonna find pockets anytime soon.” The entomologist grinned slightly when saying this, gradually growing more comfortable. Cam smiled at him and unfolded one of the tissues, softly blowing her nose. This would have helped her voice, but it was not enough to erase the tickle. “Hih’Shieeew! ISHhheew! IHShh-IhShieew!”
 

“Bless you.” Hodgins looked at the box in his hands while Cam tried to calm her rebelling nose. “Thanks”, she mumbled, “I can’t seem to stop. It’s been like this all day.” 

“Yeah. That’s one of the most common symptoms in head colds”, the man stated lamely, eyes still fixed on the box. She had expected him to say something more sarcastic, but this statement lacked his usual bite. Cam sniffed again and then tried to straighten enough to look halfway acceptable. “So, what were you going to say?” She tried not to look at the obvious care packet at the floor of her hallway. 
 

“Uh, I only needed you to sign this.” He passed her a sheet of paper. Cam blinked a few sneezy tears away. The letters blurred in front of her eyes and she found her mind was too foggy to read them. “What’s that?”

“Umm... “ The entomologist raised the box. Cam took a look at the content and backed away. “No spiders at my place, Dr. Hodgins”, she said, sounding much more controlled than she felt at the moment.

“Yeah, that’s what this is about. I need you to sign this so that I’m allowed to take it away from the Jeffersonian institute”, he explained, smiling widely as the spider began to move and posed a threatening gesture at his finger through the thin plastic walls of its enclosure. 

Cam blinked and cocked her head. “It is already outside the Jeffersonian.”

“Yes. That’s why I need you to sign this very quickly.”

“Aren’t you the one who’s responsible for dangerous spiders and bugs and everything?”

“No.” The entomologist shook his head. “Though I wish I was. Maybe you can recommend me to the people in charge?“

Cam rolled her eyes before taking the sheet and the pen that was sticking out of Hodgins’ front pocket, signing the paper. “There you go.”

“Thanks. They are kinda petty when it comes to deadly poisonous animals at the security department”, Hodgins said, putting the box back into his bag. Cam observed his every move. “Are you sure that’s safe?”

“Yeah. I even secured it with sticky tape.” The entomologist grinned and got up again. “So, then, er, get well soon”, he said a tad more nervously than before. 
 

“Thanks.” Cam looked at him for a few seconds, taking in his unsure expression. He was shifting his weight and seemingly wanted to say something else, as he took a quick glance at the floor. Oh. 

“You forgot to pack your stuff, Dr. Hodgins.”

“Oh”, he said, overly surprised, “Now that I think about it, I don’t even need that stuff. Carrying an extremely poisonous spider around at the supermarket must have distracted me from my shopping list. Why don’t you keep all of that?”

“You didn’t come for the spider, did you?”, asked Cam, picking up the soup and medicine.
“Of course I did. Why else would I come by my bosses’ place?” Hodgins huffed and quickly ran down the stairs before Cam could say anything else.

 

fin

 

[jem]

Well, hi! What a fantastic story! Thank you so much for sharing. I'm happy to have encouraged you to post. I'm not too sure what I did, but I'm happy nonetheless lol. I love Bones and I really enjoy reading Bones fics here. You did a great job with the characters! I'll definitely keep an eye out for more stories you write :)) 

[Xsneezelover3932]

Excellent! I absolutely love Bones! Great story!