From me, an Admirer - Day 12 (Bones - Cadgins)
Title: From me, an Admirer
Author: AccordingToMel
Summary: After Cam starts receiving mysterious gifts, she begins to suspect that she might have a secret admirer.
Pairings: Cadgins
Rating: T
Spoilers: None.
Word Count: 3,501
Disclaimer: Last I checked, no. But let me tell you, if I had my way with the show, things would be vastly different!
Author’s note: Oh my goodness, it’s actually done!! Wow! What a journey. This is the first multi-chaptered fic that I’ve ever finished and it’s quite a satisfying feeling. Thank you again to everyone who’s been so supportive of this. I appreciate it more than you guys know! I hope you get all the answers to any questions you’ve been having, and that you enjoy the conclusion to this tale :). And last, but not least, I wish you all joy and happiness during this holiday season! Much love :D.
Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six,
Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From me, an Admirer - Day 12 (The Big Reveal)
Cam gets up extra early on Thursday morning - Christmas Eve - in order to have enough time to get ready. Today is a special day, she recognizes, and she wants to ensure that things go as perfectly as possible. Cam is the kind of woman who likes to dress up and to look good, but today it feels especially important to her. She initially thinks about wearing a dress or skirt, but considering her still swollen right foot and crutches, she decides that heels will be out of the question.
After searching through virtually every article of clothing she owns, Cam finally decides on an outfit - a form fitting maroon sweater with a U-shaped neckline, and a pair of black slacks. She also wears the necklace and a pair of dangling earrings that match surprisingly well. Lastly, Cam decides to do something particularly bold and uncharacteristic - she curls her hair and leaves it down. When all is said and done, she feels satisfied that she looks both professional and attractive.
She makes the decision to take another cab this morning. Even though she is now allowed to start bearing some weight on her foot, she still needs one of the crutches and thinks it’s probably a very bad idea to try and drive just yet.
Cam is surprised to find that Booth and Brennan are the only two in the lab when she arrives at work.
“You look nice,” Booth informs her with a smile. “And you’re down one crutch. What’s the special occasion?”
“Does there need to be a reason for me to look great?” Cam asks him with a smirk.
“Is that a trick question?” Brennan queries to no one in particular, and Booth just laughs.
“Yeah, I think so.” To Cam he says, “Of course not. But I’m guessing that this might have something to do with that little matter we were discussing yesterday, am I right?” He winks at her suggestively, and Cam rolls her eyes in good humour.
“Perhaps,” she tells him elusively. “Or maybe I just like to look good. Only time will tell.”
He nods knowingly. “Well, I hope things turn out how you want them to.” His smile is soft and affectionate.
“Thank you. I hope so too.” And then she reaches over and gives Booth a hug. She really is grateful for his friendship, even if she doesn’t say it often enough. “Merry Christmas, Seeley.”
“Same to you, Camille,” he replies warmly.
Cam wishes Brennan a Merry Christmas as well and then leaves to go drop her things off in her office.
“Did I miss something?” she hears Brennan ask Booth as she walks away, and she can’t help but laugh as she goes.
* * * * *
The morning drags on painfully slowly, in spite of the fact that she ends up spending most of it on the phone. Sometimes she wonders why she chose a job like this - where she has a valid reason to be working right up until the last minute on Christmas Eve - and wishes she had a normal day job where she could leave at noon. But then again, there are some benefits to spending excessive amounts of time with certain people, she reminds herself with a content smile.
Cam gets bundled up and starts making her way outside to the garden at the back at a quarter to twelve because she doesn’t want to be late. Also because she figures it might take her a good fifteen minutes to actually get out there, though she’s feeling a lot quicker on her feet with having to only use one crutch.
It is snowing lightly again, and it makes everything look even more beautiful. Thankfully someone had cleared away all the previous snow and sanded the sidewalks, so she feels quite confident that she won’t be having another tumble to the ground any time in the near future. Of course, her nerves might still work against her in that respect. She reasons, logically, that she shouldn’t have anything to be nervous about. Cam knows the identity of her secret admirer with one hundred percent certainty now. She’d suspected before, but with the last gift there left no doubt in her mind…
Cam had placed the card down on her desk and picked up the box left by her secret admirer. It was long and narrow, and she had a feeling she knew what it was. Lifting the top lid off the box, she had opened it to reveal a single, red rose wrapped in pink tissue paper. However, it was the paper lying on top of the rose that first drew her attention. She read what it said:
$100 Gift Card to Penner’s Food
Order online. We’ll deliver right to your door, so you don’t have to leave the house!
Hodgins. He was the only one of her “suspects” who’d known the actual reason for her ankle injury.
And with that realization, she’d burst into laughter that lasted for a good five minutes.
She smiles at the memory and decides to take a seat on the bench while waiting for him to show up. Glancing down at her watch, she sees that it’s 11:56. Four more minutes. In an attempt to stave off the nervous fluttering in her belly, Cam decides to relive the last couple of weeks. She has to admit that she’d been quite weary of her “secret admirer” when the whole thing had begun. Cam does not like being in the dark or feeling like she doesn’t have control over something. But over time, she’d warmed up to the idea. Especially when her knowledge of who it could be started to grow.
She finds it funny that a mere two weeks ago Cam wouldn’t have thought about the possibility of becoming romantically involved with Jack Hodgins. Not because she doesn’t think he’s wonderful, but because she’d simply never considered the idea before. Then there’s the fact that there are a few complicating factors involved, including the little detail that she is technically his boss. But at this very moment in time, Cam doesn’t feel like that bit of information is overly significant. She can’t remember the last time she felt genuinely comfortable and at ease in another man’s company, and she is constantly surprised by how well she and Hodgins seem to fit together so far. And maybe it’s the Christmas spirit getting to her, but she thinks that it’s about damn time that they’re both happy again.
Her inner musings are interrupted by a gentle hand coming to rest on her shoulder, and Cam jumps just slightly at the unexpected touch.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” the voice says warmly, and she glances up to see the hesitantly smiling face of Jack Hodgins.
She instantly rises from the bench so they are standing face to face. “Hodgins,” she breathes, staring into his deep blue eyes and gazing at him fondly.
“I assume you’ve figured out who your secret admirer is,” is the first thing he says, smirking. Cam finds him incredibly endearing and wants nothing more than to wrap her arms around his neck and just kiss him.
Instead, she says, “Yeah. I think I was able to figure it out. Though the last clue was pretty obvious.” They both laugh, and Cam feels her heart warming at the mere sight of him.
“So you liked the gift certificate then?” Hodgins asks, eyes dancing with mirth.
Cam considers answering him with words, but suddenly she has a much better idea. Without any real planning or forethought, she reaches up to grab onto Hodgins’ jacket collar, pulling him down towards her. Before he even really has the chance to react, Cam is pressing her lips against his in their first kiss. It is gentle and slightly hesitant at first, but after a heartbeat he begins to respond to her touch and seems to instinctively deepen the kiss. His arms encircle her waist, pulling her flush against him as he begins to explore her mouth more thoroughly. Cam emits a sound that might be classified as a low moan and reaches up to gently stroke the side of his bearded face. There are tongues and touches and Cam only pulls away from him when she discovers that she needs to breathe again.
“Mmm, yeah. It’ll come in handy, I’d imagine,” she murmurs breathlessly against his mouth, resting her forehead against his.
“Good. I wouldn’t want you falling and breaking something, after all,” he tells her, breath warm against her face, and they both laugh once again.
A moment or two passes with the two of them in each other’s embrace, foreheads still resting against one another, before Cam reluctantly pulls back from him slightly.
“I, uh, hope you’re okay with me just jumping in like that,” she says, entwining her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck.
He literally beams at her and shakes his head as if she’s speaking pure and utter nonsense. “I definitely don’t mind. I kind of wish I’d done that earlier, actually.”
“Me too,” she tells him sincerely, thinking back to her brief moments of panic when she thought Fisher might have been her admirer. “Me too.” And suddenly - because it really is quite amusing - she starts laughing. Quite hard and quite loudly.
Hodgins stares at her with a mixture of confusion and affection, waiting until she calms down before raising his eyebrows in silent question.
“I’m just really glad it’s you,” Cam admits with a final chuckle, shaking her head at the memory. “For a couple of awful days I thought it might have been Fisher.”
His laugh is loud and hearty and fills her with a sense of complete joy. “Fisher? Really?!”
She shrugs and grins sheepishly at him. “I know, I know. It’s ridiculous. But I had good reason to suspect him. Or at least I thought so at the time. Angela thought I was crazy too, if it makes you feel any better.”
Hodgins’ face contorts into an expression of pure amusement. “You told Angela you thought it was Fisher?” he asks, and it really seems like he’s trying not to laugh.
“Yeah. I needed someone to talk to. Why…?” she asks suspiciously.
But Hodgins just continues to smirk and instead wraps an arm around her shoulders. “I’ll explain everything soon,” he tells her, and if she purposely leans into the embrace, he doesn’t say anything. “For now, we should probably head out for lunch. It’s getting chilly out here.”
Cam nods in agreement. However, before she allows Hodgins to move away, she tugs gently on his scarf and pulls him in for one more kiss. His lips are soft and pliable beneath hers, and she can’t remember the last time she felt this happy.
“I could get used to this,” Hodgins murmurs against her lips when he finally pulls away.
“So could I,” she responds cheerfully.
* * * * *
Their lunch plans end up being closer to home than she’d originally thought. Hodgins takes Cam back to her office where he has arranged a picnic for them. They close the blinds and lock the door, which they hope will dissuade anyone from trying to bother them, and sit down beside one another on her couch.
“I imagine you probably have a lot of questions for me,” Hodgins says as he begins to unpack the food that’s inside the picnic basket sitting in front of him. There are various salads and miniature quiche, sandwiches, some sort of warm potato casserole, two types of buns, and what appears to be a ridiculous amount of desserts. It looks absolutely stunning, but then again, she wouldn’t expect anything less from him. “So go ahead and ask. I’m an open book!”
“I have a lot of questions, actually,” she admits. Because she really does. But she’s not even entirely sure where to start. She thinks about all the possible things she could ask him, but finally settles on what she considers to be the most prominent question. “How did you manage to pull this whole thing off?”
He laughs as he hands her a plate and begins opening up various containers filled with a wide assortment of food. “That’s a pretty hefty question, but okay. I’ll answer it.” There is a slight pause before he continues. “I decided I wanted to do it, I went out and bought the presents, and then I sent them to you.”
Cam immediately starts to laugh, reaching over and smacking him playfully on the arm. “Well, that much was obvious. I mean, how did you know what to buy for me? Who wrote the notes on the cards? I didn’t recognize the handwriting at all. And did you have help from anybody?”
“Wow, that’s a lot of questions. But at least you’re getting more specific.”
She smirks. “I try.”
He grins back at her and starts to fill his plate as he answers her questions. “First of all, most of the gift ideas were my own. In spite of what it may seem, I do pay attention to what you say and I do remember the little details. I have for quite a while now, actually.” Hodgins ducks his head slightly, and it looks like he might be blushing just a bit. Cam is tempted to kiss his cheek for being so adorable, but she manages to restrain herself. “So most of it came from my own brain.”
“Does that mean you didn’t have Booth’s help then?” she wonders. She tries a bite of the raspberry spinach salad on her plate and is struck by how delicious it is. Hodgins is either a fantastic cook, or he knows someone who is.
“Oh, I had help,” he admits with a mischievous look. “But not from Booth. Well, not directly anyway. Angela ended up accidentally finding out about my idea about two weeks before I was planning to start it, and decided she wanted to help. And since I didn’t have the entire thing organized, I thought maybe she could be of some assistance to me. I was a couple gift ideas short, so I asked her if she could do some digging for me. I didn’t know until later that some of her digging included talking to Booth.” He shrugs, somewhat sheepishly. “Angela is very good though, and she assured me that he wouldn’t suspect a thing.”
“Well that sure explains why Angela was so excited for me about the whole thing. Of course, that’s probably how she’d react regardless.” A thought dawns on Cam then. “So then when I suggested Fisher...” she trails off and starts to laugh. “She must have thought I was insane! No wonder she told me she was absolutely certain it wasn’t him.”
“Yeah, well, he doesn’t exactly strike me as a candidate for something like this regardless. No offense mean to him of course,” Hodgins shares humorously.
“So what about the writing? Whose was it?”
“That was Zack, actually. His handwriting has changed quite a lot since he had to re-learn how to write. I figured he would be the perfect candidate. Someone who would help me and wouldn’t risk spilling the secret.” He sounds quite proud about this, and Cam has to admit that she’s fairly impressed.
She nods and attempts to clarify what she’s heard thus far. “Okay, so Booth inadvertently helped, and Angela and Zack were directly involved. What about last Friday when you came by with the gifts and the soup for me? Was that all a story as well?”
Hodgins shakes his head and finishes swallowing his food before speaking again. “For the most part, no. We really were concerned about you and thought someone should stop by to see how you were doing. Angela was the one who told me that this would be the perfect opportunity - I had an excuse to go and see you because I had to bring you the admirer presents. The soup was my idea. Though you should know I would have volunteered regardless.”
Cam looks at him disbelievingly but smirks anyway. “Sure, sure.” She doesn’t doubt what he’s saying, and feels a rush of pleasure wash over her, knowing that he was genuinely concerned.
“So that’s it for me. Now do I get a chance to ask you some questions?” Hodgins wonders, poking her gently in the side. “Because there are a few things that I’ve been curious about too.”
Cam smiles and shrugs nonchalantly. “Yeah, I suppose it’s only fair.”
“Why were you so resistant to the idea of having a secret admirer initially?” he asks her, unsurprisingly. She suspects there are probably a lot of people wondering that.
This is something that can be explained in a lot of ways, but specifically can be traced back to an incident in high school. It’s somewhat embarrassing to share this story, but this is Hodgins, and she knows she can talk to him and feel comfortable and he won’t judge her.
“Okay, look... Back when I was in early high school - a freshman I believe - I had a ‘secret admirer’ as well. I was actually pretty excited, even if I didn’t let on about it. Except that in the end it ended up being a prank that a few of the seniors pulled on me. I guess I’ve been a little wary of the idea ever since.”
“Aww, baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” Hodgins tells her, reaching out to cup the side of her face gently. “I wouldn’t have done it if I had.”
But Cam just shakes her head at him, noting very clearly his use of the term ‘baby,’ but deciding not to comment on it at the moment. “How would you have known? It’s okay. Besides, it wasn’t a joke aimed particularly at me. I was just the random person that the seniors chose. Plus, I’m not very good with situations where I don’t feel like I’m in control. This being one of them.”
“Well, then I’m sorry for what those guys did to you. Men can behave like a bunch of assholes at that age,” he tells her, and leans in to kiss her softly on the cheek, almost as if he wants her to know that not all men are idiots.
A knock sounds at the door then, and after a silent discussion with Cam over the matter, Hodgins gets up to answer the door.
“Hodgins, what are you doing here?” she hears a woman’s voice ask. Angela.
“I was consulting with Dr. Saroyan on something,” he says quickly.
“What would you be consulting with her about? The case is pretty much closed,” Angela points out logically.
He doesn’t even have time to respond before she’s poking her head in the room and looking around. “Oh.” It takes a moment, but then it seems to dawn on her. “Oh! You guys are ‘consulting’ in here. I get it. Sorry for the intrusion.”
Even from where she’s sitting, Cam can see Hodgins’ obvious eye roll. “Don’t make it sound so sordid, Ange. We’re just having lunch.”
“Right. Lunch. If that’s what we’re calling it these days,” Angela teases with an exaggerated wink in Cam’s direction.
“Angela!” both Cam and Hodgins cry at the same time, and all three burst out laughing.
Angela raises her hands in surrender. “Look, I’m thrilled for you. For this. Whatever it is. You both deserve to be happy. I just came in here to tell you that we’re almost ready to do the gift exchange.” She stops, and Cam thinks she’s finished. But just before she’s about to leave, she tacks on, “Of course, I can always tell them that you two are busy ‘consulting’ and won’t be able to make it.”
Cam throws a bun in her direction and this time she really does run away, laughing wickedly as she does.
Hodgins comes back to join Cam on the couch and begins to tidy up the leftover food. “I suppose we should get going,” he says reluctantly after a moment. “Who knows what kind of rumours Angela will manage to start if we don’t get there in time.”
Cam laughs and nods, having had the very same thought herself. She joins Hodgins in cleaning up the table in front of them. “You’re right.” And then, “Thank you for everything. I never said that before, but I appreciate everything you’ve done and every gift you’ve given me. You’re an incredible man, Jack Hodgins.”
And he doesn’t seem to know what to do with this information, so he leans forward and captures her mouth in another lingering kiss. They remain like this for several moments, enjoying the taste and feel of one another, until Cam reluctantly breaks the kiss. “We should really go now,” she says, smirking lightly.
He helps her up off the couch and after one final check of the room, they head to the lab hand in hand.
THE END!
Author: AccordingToMel
Summary: After Cam starts receiving mysterious gifts, she begins to suspect that she might have a secret admirer.
Pairings: Cadgins
Rating: T
Spoilers: None.
Word Count: 3,501
Disclaimer: Last I checked, no. But let me tell you, if I had my way with the show, things would be vastly different!
Author’s note: Oh my goodness, it’s actually done!! Wow! What a journey. This is the first multi-chaptered fic that I’ve ever finished and it’s quite a satisfying feeling. Thank you again to everyone who’s been so supportive of this. I appreciate it more than you guys know! I hope you get all the answers to any questions you’ve been having, and that you enjoy the conclusion to this tale :). And last, but not least, I wish you all joy and happiness during this holiday season! Much love :D.
Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six,
Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From me, an Admirer - Day 12 (The Big Reveal)
Cam gets up extra early on Thursday morning - Christmas Eve - in order to have enough time to get ready. Today is a special day, she recognizes, and she wants to ensure that things go as perfectly as possible. Cam is the kind of woman who likes to dress up and to look good, but today it feels especially important to her. She initially thinks about wearing a dress or skirt, but considering her still swollen right foot and crutches, she decides that heels will be out of the question.
After searching through virtually every article of clothing she owns, Cam finally decides on an outfit - a form fitting maroon sweater with a U-shaped neckline, and a pair of black slacks. She also wears the necklace and a pair of dangling earrings that match surprisingly well. Lastly, Cam decides to do something particularly bold and uncharacteristic - she curls her hair and leaves it down. When all is said and done, she feels satisfied that she looks both professional and attractive.
She makes the decision to take another cab this morning. Even though she is now allowed to start bearing some weight on her foot, she still needs one of the crutches and thinks it’s probably a very bad idea to try and drive just yet.
Cam is surprised to find that Booth and Brennan are the only two in the lab when she arrives at work.
“You look nice,” Booth informs her with a smile. “And you’re down one crutch. What’s the special occasion?”
“Does there need to be a reason for me to look great?” Cam asks him with a smirk.
“Is that a trick question?” Brennan queries to no one in particular, and Booth just laughs.
“Yeah, I think so.” To Cam he says, “Of course not. But I’m guessing that this might have something to do with that little matter we were discussing yesterday, am I right?” He winks at her suggestively, and Cam rolls her eyes in good humour.
“Perhaps,” she tells him elusively. “Or maybe I just like to look good. Only time will tell.”
He nods knowingly. “Well, I hope things turn out how you want them to.” His smile is soft and affectionate.
“Thank you. I hope so too.” And then she reaches over and gives Booth a hug. She really is grateful for his friendship, even if she doesn’t say it often enough. “Merry Christmas, Seeley.”
“Same to you, Camille,” he replies warmly.
Cam wishes Brennan a Merry Christmas as well and then leaves to go drop her things off in her office.
“Did I miss something?” she hears Brennan ask Booth as she walks away, and she can’t help but laugh as she goes.
* * * * *
The morning drags on painfully slowly, in spite of the fact that she ends up spending most of it on the phone. Sometimes she wonders why she chose a job like this - where she has a valid reason to be working right up until the last minute on Christmas Eve - and wishes she had a normal day job where she could leave at noon. But then again, there are some benefits to spending excessive amounts of time with certain people, she reminds herself with a content smile.
Cam gets bundled up and starts making her way outside to the garden at the back at a quarter to twelve because she doesn’t want to be late. Also because she figures it might take her a good fifteen minutes to actually get out there, though she’s feeling a lot quicker on her feet with having to only use one crutch.
It is snowing lightly again, and it makes everything look even more beautiful. Thankfully someone had cleared away all the previous snow and sanded the sidewalks, so she feels quite confident that she won’t be having another tumble to the ground any time in the near future. Of course, her nerves might still work against her in that respect. She reasons, logically, that she shouldn’t have anything to be nervous about. Cam knows the identity of her secret admirer with one hundred percent certainty now. She’d suspected before, but with the last gift there left no doubt in her mind…
Cam had placed the card down on her desk and picked up the box left by her secret admirer. It was long and narrow, and she had a feeling she knew what it was. Lifting the top lid off the box, she had opened it to reveal a single, red rose wrapped in pink tissue paper. However, it was the paper lying on top of the rose that first drew her attention. She read what it said:
$100 Gift Card to Penner’s Food
Order online. We’ll deliver right to your door, so you don’t have to leave the house!
Hodgins. He was the only one of her “suspects” who’d known the actual reason for her ankle injury.
And with that realization, she’d burst into laughter that lasted for a good five minutes.
She smiles at the memory and decides to take a seat on the bench while waiting for him to show up. Glancing down at her watch, she sees that it’s 11:56. Four more minutes. In an attempt to stave off the nervous fluttering in her belly, Cam decides to relive the last couple of weeks. She has to admit that she’d been quite weary of her “secret admirer” when the whole thing had begun. Cam does not like being in the dark or feeling like she doesn’t have control over something. But over time, she’d warmed up to the idea. Especially when her knowledge of who it could be started to grow.
She finds it funny that a mere two weeks ago Cam wouldn’t have thought about the possibility of becoming romantically involved with Jack Hodgins. Not because she doesn’t think he’s wonderful, but because she’d simply never considered the idea before. Then there’s the fact that there are a few complicating factors involved, including the little detail that she is technically his boss. But at this very moment in time, Cam doesn’t feel like that bit of information is overly significant. She can’t remember the last time she felt genuinely comfortable and at ease in another man’s company, and she is constantly surprised by how well she and Hodgins seem to fit together so far. And maybe it’s the Christmas spirit getting to her, but she thinks that it’s about damn time that they’re both happy again.
Her inner musings are interrupted by a gentle hand coming to rest on her shoulder, and Cam jumps just slightly at the unexpected touch.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” the voice says warmly, and she glances up to see the hesitantly smiling face of Jack Hodgins.
She instantly rises from the bench so they are standing face to face. “Hodgins,” she breathes, staring into his deep blue eyes and gazing at him fondly.
“I assume you’ve figured out who your secret admirer is,” is the first thing he says, smirking. Cam finds him incredibly endearing and wants nothing more than to wrap her arms around his neck and just kiss him.
Instead, she says, “Yeah. I think I was able to figure it out. Though the last clue was pretty obvious.” They both laugh, and Cam feels her heart warming at the mere sight of him.
“So you liked the gift certificate then?” Hodgins asks, eyes dancing with mirth.
Cam considers answering him with words, but suddenly she has a much better idea. Without any real planning or forethought, she reaches up to grab onto Hodgins’ jacket collar, pulling him down towards her. Before he even really has the chance to react, Cam is pressing her lips against his in their first kiss. It is gentle and slightly hesitant at first, but after a heartbeat he begins to respond to her touch and seems to instinctively deepen the kiss. His arms encircle her waist, pulling her flush against him as he begins to explore her mouth more thoroughly. Cam emits a sound that might be classified as a low moan and reaches up to gently stroke the side of his bearded face. There are tongues and touches and Cam only pulls away from him when she discovers that she needs to breathe again.
“Mmm, yeah. It’ll come in handy, I’d imagine,” she murmurs breathlessly against his mouth, resting her forehead against his.
“Good. I wouldn’t want you falling and breaking something, after all,” he tells her, breath warm against her face, and they both laugh once again.
A moment or two passes with the two of them in each other’s embrace, foreheads still resting against one another, before Cam reluctantly pulls back from him slightly.
“I, uh, hope you’re okay with me just jumping in like that,” she says, entwining her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck.
He literally beams at her and shakes his head as if she’s speaking pure and utter nonsense. “I definitely don’t mind. I kind of wish I’d done that earlier, actually.”
“Me too,” she tells him sincerely, thinking back to her brief moments of panic when she thought Fisher might have been her admirer. “Me too.” And suddenly - because it really is quite amusing - she starts laughing. Quite hard and quite loudly.
Hodgins stares at her with a mixture of confusion and affection, waiting until she calms down before raising his eyebrows in silent question.
“I’m just really glad it’s you,” Cam admits with a final chuckle, shaking her head at the memory. “For a couple of awful days I thought it might have been Fisher.”
His laugh is loud and hearty and fills her with a sense of complete joy. “Fisher? Really?!”
She shrugs and grins sheepishly at him. “I know, I know. It’s ridiculous. But I had good reason to suspect him. Or at least I thought so at the time. Angela thought I was crazy too, if it makes you feel any better.”
Hodgins’ face contorts into an expression of pure amusement. “You told Angela you thought it was Fisher?” he asks, and it really seems like he’s trying not to laugh.
“Yeah. I needed someone to talk to. Why…?” she asks suspiciously.
But Hodgins just continues to smirk and instead wraps an arm around her shoulders. “I’ll explain everything soon,” he tells her, and if she purposely leans into the embrace, he doesn’t say anything. “For now, we should probably head out for lunch. It’s getting chilly out here.”
Cam nods in agreement. However, before she allows Hodgins to move away, she tugs gently on his scarf and pulls him in for one more kiss. His lips are soft and pliable beneath hers, and she can’t remember the last time she felt this happy.
“I could get used to this,” Hodgins murmurs against her lips when he finally pulls away.
“So could I,” she responds cheerfully.
* * * * *
Their lunch plans end up being closer to home than she’d originally thought. Hodgins takes Cam back to her office where he has arranged a picnic for them. They close the blinds and lock the door, which they hope will dissuade anyone from trying to bother them, and sit down beside one another on her couch.
“I imagine you probably have a lot of questions for me,” Hodgins says as he begins to unpack the food that’s inside the picnic basket sitting in front of him. There are various salads and miniature quiche, sandwiches, some sort of warm potato casserole, two types of buns, and what appears to be a ridiculous amount of desserts. It looks absolutely stunning, but then again, she wouldn’t expect anything less from him. “So go ahead and ask. I’m an open book!”
“I have a lot of questions, actually,” she admits. Because she really does. But she’s not even entirely sure where to start. She thinks about all the possible things she could ask him, but finally settles on what she considers to be the most prominent question. “How did you manage to pull this whole thing off?”
He laughs as he hands her a plate and begins opening up various containers filled with a wide assortment of food. “That’s a pretty hefty question, but okay. I’ll answer it.” There is a slight pause before he continues. “I decided I wanted to do it, I went out and bought the presents, and then I sent them to you.”
Cam immediately starts to laugh, reaching over and smacking him playfully on the arm. “Well, that much was obvious. I mean, how did you know what to buy for me? Who wrote the notes on the cards? I didn’t recognize the handwriting at all. And did you have help from anybody?”
“Wow, that’s a lot of questions. But at least you’re getting more specific.”
She smirks. “I try.”
He grins back at her and starts to fill his plate as he answers her questions. “First of all, most of the gift ideas were my own. In spite of what it may seem, I do pay attention to what you say and I do remember the little details. I have for quite a while now, actually.” Hodgins ducks his head slightly, and it looks like he might be blushing just a bit. Cam is tempted to kiss his cheek for being so adorable, but she manages to restrain herself. “So most of it came from my own brain.”
“Does that mean you didn’t have Booth’s help then?” she wonders. She tries a bite of the raspberry spinach salad on her plate and is struck by how delicious it is. Hodgins is either a fantastic cook, or he knows someone who is.
“Oh, I had help,” he admits with a mischievous look. “But not from Booth. Well, not directly anyway. Angela ended up accidentally finding out about my idea about two weeks before I was planning to start it, and decided she wanted to help. And since I didn’t have the entire thing organized, I thought maybe she could be of some assistance to me. I was a couple gift ideas short, so I asked her if she could do some digging for me. I didn’t know until later that some of her digging included talking to Booth.” He shrugs, somewhat sheepishly. “Angela is very good though, and she assured me that he wouldn’t suspect a thing.”
“Well that sure explains why Angela was so excited for me about the whole thing. Of course, that’s probably how she’d react regardless.” A thought dawns on Cam then. “So then when I suggested Fisher...” she trails off and starts to laugh. “She must have thought I was insane! No wonder she told me she was absolutely certain it wasn’t him.”
“Yeah, well, he doesn’t exactly strike me as a candidate for something like this regardless. No offense mean to him of course,” Hodgins shares humorously.
“So what about the writing? Whose was it?”
“That was Zack, actually. His handwriting has changed quite a lot since he had to re-learn how to write. I figured he would be the perfect candidate. Someone who would help me and wouldn’t risk spilling the secret.” He sounds quite proud about this, and Cam has to admit that she’s fairly impressed.
She nods and attempts to clarify what she’s heard thus far. “Okay, so Booth inadvertently helped, and Angela and Zack were directly involved. What about last Friday when you came by with the gifts and the soup for me? Was that all a story as well?”
Hodgins shakes his head and finishes swallowing his food before speaking again. “For the most part, no. We really were concerned about you and thought someone should stop by to see how you were doing. Angela was the one who told me that this would be the perfect opportunity - I had an excuse to go and see you because I had to bring you the admirer presents. The soup was my idea. Though you should know I would have volunteered regardless.”
Cam looks at him disbelievingly but smirks anyway. “Sure, sure.” She doesn’t doubt what he’s saying, and feels a rush of pleasure wash over her, knowing that he was genuinely concerned.
“So that’s it for me. Now do I get a chance to ask you some questions?” Hodgins wonders, poking her gently in the side. “Because there are a few things that I’ve been curious about too.”
Cam smiles and shrugs nonchalantly. “Yeah, I suppose it’s only fair.”
“Why were you so resistant to the idea of having a secret admirer initially?” he asks her, unsurprisingly. She suspects there are probably a lot of people wondering that.
This is something that can be explained in a lot of ways, but specifically can be traced back to an incident in high school. It’s somewhat embarrassing to share this story, but this is Hodgins, and she knows she can talk to him and feel comfortable and he won’t judge her.
“Okay, look... Back when I was in early high school - a freshman I believe - I had a ‘secret admirer’ as well. I was actually pretty excited, even if I didn’t let on about it. Except that in the end it ended up being a prank that a few of the seniors pulled on me. I guess I’ve been a little wary of the idea ever since.”
“Aww, baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” Hodgins tells her, reaching out to cup the side of her face gently. “I wouldn’t have done it if I had.”
But Cam just shakes her head at him, noting very clearly his use of the term ‘baby,’ but deciding not to comment on it at the moment. “How would you have known? It’s okay. Besides, it wasn’t a joke aimed particularly at me. I was just the random person that the seniors chose. Plus, I’m not very good with situations where I don’t feel like I’m in control. This being one of them.”
“Well, then I’m sorry for what those guys did to you. Men can behave like a bunch of assholes at that age,” he tells her, and leans in to kiss her softly on the cheek, almost as if he wants her to know that not all men are idiots.
A knock sounds at the door then, and after a silent discussion with Cam over the matter, Hodgins gets up to answer the door.
“Hodgins, what are you doing here?” she hears a woman’s voice ask. Angela.
“I was consulting with Dr. Saroyan on something,” he says quickly.
“What would you be consulting with her about? The case is pretty much closed,” Angela points out logically.
He doesn’t even have time to respond before she’s poking her head in the room and looking around. “Oh.” It takes a moment, but then it seems to dawn on her. “Oh! You guys are ‘consulting’ in here. I get it. Sorry for the intrusion.”
Even from where she’s sitting, Cam can see Hodgins’ obvious eye roll. “Don’t make it sound so sordid, Ange. We’re just having lunch.”
“Right. Lunch. If that’s what we’re calling it these days,” Angela teases with an exaggerated wink in Cam’s direction.
“Angela!” both Cam and Hodgins cry at the same time, and all three burst out laughing.
Angela raises her hands in surrender. “Look, I’m thrilled for you. For this. Whatever it is. You both deserve to be happy. I just came in here to tell you that we’re almost ready to do the gift exchange.” She stops, and Cam thinks she’s finished. But just before she’s about to leave, she tacks on, “Of course, I can always tell them that you two are busy ‘consulting’ and won’t be able to make it.”
Cam throws a bun in her direction and this time she really does run away, laughing wickedly as she does.
Hodgins comes back to join Cam on the couch and begins to tidy up the leftover food. “I suppose we should get going,” he says reluctantly after a moment. “Who knows what kind of rumours Angela will manage to start if we don’t get there in time.”
Cam laughs and nods, having had the very same thought herself. She joins Hodgins in cleaning up the table in front of them. “You’re right.” And then, “Thank you for everything. I never said that before, but I appreciate everything you’ve done and every gift you’ve given me. You’re an incredible man, Jack Hodgins.”
And he doesn’t seem to know what to do with this information, so he leans forward and captures her mouth in another lingering kiss. They remain like this for several moments, enjoying the taste and feel of one another, until Cam reluctantly breaks the kiss. “We should really go now,” she says, smirking lightly.
He helps her up off the couch and after one final check of the room, they head to the lab hand in hand.
THE END!