Bones FF: The girl in the video by Akarana (Chapter 8)
Chapter 8: Resemblances
"Yeah?" Booth answered his cell phone the next afternoon while he made his way into the Institute together with Brennan. They had spent the night in Boston and had made their way back after a breakfast and talking to Kira's roommate again.
"Hello, this is Alain Lennart. Am I talking to Agent Booth?" a deep voice on the other end of the line said.
"Yes, Mr., Lennart this is Agent Booth. Thank you for calling me back," he replied.
"My secretary said it was important?" he said and sounded like he was in a hurry or at least doing some other stuff while talking to Booth.
"It's about your daughter Kira, Mr. Lennart," Booth started but was interrupted.
"Oh what did she do this time? I'm sorry agent Booth but if she is in trouble I'm refusing to help her. I pay for her school, I pay for her apartment and that's it. I'm not bailing her out again because of some bar brawl" the man said and sounded angry.
"Mr. Lennart we have reason to believe that your daughter might be dead," Booth said, not really content that he had to tell him that way. There was silence for a moment and the rustling sounds stopped. Just when Booth wanted to ask if he was still there Mr. Lennart reacted.
"Dead? Kira? What happened?" he said and sounded clearly shocked.
"We found the remains of a young woman who we believe might be your daughter," Booth said vaguely.
"Ask him about dental records," Brennan told Booth and put her bag down on her couch when they reached her office.
"I heard that, I, uh will call my dentist and he will send them over," Lennart said and had to clear his voice. Booth was sure that he was fighting with tears. "Please tell me what happened," Lennart asked again and Booth placed his cell phone on the desk and put it on loudspeaker.
"Mr. Lennart I think we should make sure first that we really have your daughter here. Can you tell me when you last saw Kira or spoke to her?"
"When she moved out three years ago. Ever since then the only contact we had was via email when she needed money," he admitted.
"You haven't spoken to Kira for three years?" Cam asked, when she came into the room, obviously she had listened to the call.
"Camy is that you?" Lennart sounded confused.
"You're damn right that is me. Three years? I asked you about her! I gave you messages for her and you weren't even talking to each other," Cam asked angrily.
"You didn't have her around for the last few years, you don't know how she was," he replied, just as angry.
"Kira was a good kid. What did you do to her?" Cam accused him.
"You know what, I don't want to discuss this on the phone and I want to know what's going on there. I'm coming over; I'm just in Hawaii. You're still in D.C?" he wanted to know.
"Yes, come to the Jeffersonian. You'll find me and the remains here," she spat, then turned around and stalked out of the office, leaving it to Booth to end the call. She had wanted to know what Booth and Brennan had found out, but in her rage she forgot about that.
~*~
"We have another reply," Sweets said when he and Angela came storming into her office a few minutes later. Immediately Angela took control of the computer and Sweets stood beside her.
"Agent Booth tells me Kira's father is coming in?" he asked, trying to evaluate and analyze her reaction.
"Sweets, don't try to analyze me. If you want to know how I'm feeling about it just ask me," she replied annoyed, seeing through his scheme.
"So, how are you feeling about it?" he asked back.
"I can't say that I'm too happy about it. He lied to me, for years. Maybe she would still be alive if he hadn't lied and she wouldn't have got herself into trouble," she replied.
"We don't know that she got herself into trouble," Sweets disagreed. "We don't even know anymore if Kira really is the victim."
"Wrong name, wrong apartment, not studying what she's supposed to study and now dead? That sounds like trouble to me," Cam replied humorlessly.
"Ok, here we go," Angela interrupted them and showed Cam the page. It was only another link to another random video. It was only about the lyrics again. "The numbers left in the comment stand for the minute to which we're supposed to jump in the song," Angela explained when she fast forwarded the video.
Another winter day has come and gone away in either Paris or Rome and I wanna go home. Let me go home! And I'm surrounded by a million people I still feel alone. Oh, let go home. Oh, I miss you, you know. Let me go home. I've had my run, baby, I'm done, I gotta go home. Let me go home. It will all be alright I'll be home tonight. I'm coming back home.
"Do they want to torture me? How cynical is it that now that she's here, hacked up and burned they are talking about 'I'm coming back home'. We need to find them," Cam said when the video was done and she was gone before either Angela or Sweets could react.
"She didn't even let us tell her that we think Kira send this. Sweets, I'm really convinced that she's still alive," Angela said, still looking to the open door through which Cam had hurried out.
"Dr. Saroyan is not able to deal with all of this. First she has a baby at fifteen, raises it for eight years, and loses her because she has no other choice. She wants her back, but can't, then she can but emotionally isn't able to anymore. There's estrangement, anger, and now before they could talk it out she thinks her daughter is dead, only to find out that she might still be alive after all. She cannot take this anymore," he said and looked worried. "Someone should look after her. When she reaches her breaking point she shouldn't be alone," he added.
"I think she already found herself someone," Angela said and pointed with her chin to the lab where Hodgins was just following Cam outside.
~*~
"You shouldn't smoke so much, it doesn't change anything," Hodgins said when they reached the bench in the garden and Cam greedily inhaled the smoke of her cigarette.
"Please, Hodgins, no lectures," she rolled her eyes.
"I'm just worried about your health," he insisted. With an exaggerated eye roll she threw the cigarette away, not caring to put it out.
"How did your talk with Michelle last night go?" he asked while she paced in front of the bench.
"Good. She was shocked, but understanding. I just fear she will use this whole teenage pregnancy thing against me at one point," she admitted.
"Or she will learn something from it and be more careful than you were," he said and she snorted.
"Please, teenage girls are evil."
"Oh I know. I was a teenage boy once, you know," he grinned and was surprised when he found her grinning back. It only lasted for a second, but he was happy that he had managed to make her smile.
"Alain is coming in," she said and sat down beside him.
"You don't like it?" he asked after looking at her for a second.
"He didn't talk to her. Or she didn't talk to him. I keep asking myself what happened between them that Kira would not speak to him anymore. She still spoke to me, even though most of the time it was angry yelling," she replied.
"You should ask him when he gets here," he told her honestly. She nodded without saying something and stared at her hands.
She looked up and said "I just wanted to say thank you, that's why I asked you to come out here with me. If there's anything I've learned it is that you sometimes don't get a second chance to say some things and I want you to know that I truly appreciate everything you've done for me these past days."
"No big deal. We're like a family here at the lab and even though family doesn't always see eye to eye one everything, at the end of the day you should be able to count on them to be there when you need them," he shrugged.
"Still... thank you," she said again.
"You're welcome," he replied with a smile. "Coffee and cherry pie?" he asked her then.
"I'm in. I surely need the comfort food before Alain gets in," she agreed and they walked back into the lab.
~*~
"Still no reply," Angela said when she joined Cam, Hodgins, Booth, Brennan and Sweets in Cam's office that evening. "She wasn't online anymore since this morning," Wendell added when he followed her in.
"Please don't say "she" Mr. Bray, we don't know yet who posted these last videos," Cam replied and leaned back against the couch.
"I don't understand why you're refusing to consider that your daughter might still be alive," Brennan said, in her clumsy but well-meant way.
"Because we know the victim looked like Kira, had her backpack, a USB drive with her videos, her necklace and I double checked the DNA analysis and the hair was Kira's," Cam counted the points off her fingers.
"But the evidence suggests that there are a least some things that don't match Kira," Brennan disagreed and Booth touched her arm to get her attention and then shook his head, signalizing her to stop. "What? I just think she should realize that Kira could still be alive," Brennan stage whispered to Booth.
"Dr. Brennan, I appreciate it, I really do. But I just can't… if I convince myself now that there's hope and then it turns out she really is dead… I don't think I'd be able to take it. It's just all too much already," Cam explained honestly, touched by Brennan's concern.
"If you need someone to talk to," Sweets, who sat next to her offered.
"Thanks, I might take you up on it once I can actually talk about it without breaking down or getting nauseous every time," she said and Sweets nodded.
"You want another coffee?" Hodgins asked her, but she shook her head.
"I think I'll have a heart attack if I have one more."
"Maybe we should just all go home then, it's already late," Sweets said, got up and stretched.
"You can go Sweets, we're waiting for Lennart," Booth told him and pointed back and forth between him and Cam.
"Me too," Angela said and couldn't hide her excitement. When the others looked at her with disapproval she shrugged. "What? I just wanna see him." At that moment one of the Institutes security guards knocked lightly on the doorframe of the open door.
"Dr. Saroyan, there's a visitor here for you," a security guard said and Cam sighed deeply.
"Speaking of the devil," she said to the others and didn't get up. "Let him in," she told the guard, who looked confused about her mood, but then wandered off again. For a second she thought about throwing them all out of her office, but then she decided that they knew her darkest secrets by now and seeing Alain wouldn't add much.
"If you don't want to see him, I can talk to him in Bones' office," Booth suggested, but Cam shook her head. There was a soft knock on the door and they all turned back around, facing the direction it had come from.
Hodgins raised his eyebrows, wrinkled his forehead. For whatever reasons his eyes had landed on the shoes first; Black patent leather high heels, with at least six-inch heels. He let his eyes wander up the tight black jeans and over the silky pink top that could be worn as a really short dress as well and hugged her slim hips. The V-neck was deep, a lacy bra peeking out underneath. Dark curls fell loosely over her shoulders and reached the middle of her back. She wore heavy make-up that was slightly smudged, especially around the eyes. And boy, what eyes she had; Large, dark-blue and expressive - showing confusion and maybe a bit of fear. This was not Alain Lennart.
"Kira," Cam gasped out next to him, grabbing his arm and digging her fingernails into it without realizing it. Only then did he realize who was standing in the doorway. Yes, now he saw the resemblance to Cam. But this woman was definitely not a girl anymore, as they had all referred to her. And she was definitely not dead.
"You sound surprised. I told you I was coming," Kira replied, her English tinted with just a hint of an accent he couldn't place.
"Oh god," Cam cried out, was off the couch a second later and hugged her daughter as tightly as she could. Kira let it happen but didn't hug her back. She froze.
"Uhm, hi," she just said and looked uncomfortable. Sweets, who observed the scene like all the others, shook his head with a tiny smile on his face.
Suddenly Cam pulled back, grabbed her daughter by the shoulders and shook her, not caring that her girl was significantly taller than her. "Where have you been? I thought you were dead!" she angrily yelled at her.
"What? Why?" Kira asked confused and used the moment to step away from her mother, creating some distance.
"We found a body and we thought it was you," Cam let her know, took a deep breath and really looked at her daughter for the first time. "You had a show tonight?" she asked her, taking in her outfit, "because the only other option that springs to mind seeing you in this outfit is one I don't like at all," she went on, in disapproving mom-mode.
"Yah, just outside D.C. My feet are killing me," Kira replied and placed a hand on Cam's shoulder to steady herself before she took the heels off. Without the heels she was only slightly taller than Cam. "Do you maybe have some socks here?"
"No, sorry, I don't," Cam said calmer, shaking her head and stroked with one hand over Kira's bare upper arm. "You should wear a jacket, it's cold out," she said softly and Kira stepped away from her touch once more.
"Sooo, is that the squint squad you wrote me about?" the young woman asked and looked around the room.
"Hi, I'm Angela," the artist took the opportunity and shook Kira's hand. "You really had us worried here," she added and couldn't help herself, she had to hug her. "I'm gonna go and find some socks for you," she said when she pulled back. Cam smiled, the first real smile in a week.
"Thanks," Kira smiled politely.
"Those are Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth," Cam went on with the introductions when the others all just stared at Kira and her.
"Call me uncle Seeley, Cam and I go way back," Booth grinned.
"Oh, you two had a fling once or twice, I remember your name," Kira nodded and shook their hands.
"Then we have Dr. Brennan's intern Mr. Bray and Dr. Sweets and Dr. Hodgins," Cam introduced the three that now occupied the couch and waved over when their names were said.
"Nice to meet you all, I'm Kira," she waved back and then turned to Cam. "You really thought I was dead. As in 'dead body' dead? This is the Jeffersonian; Dr. Brennan is kind of famous so the body must be in a pretty bad shape. Can I see it?" she asked and did sound more curious than surprised or freaked out.
"Absolutely not," Cam shook her head.
"Oh, come on!" Kira groaned.
"Are you nuts, I'm not showing you a dead body," Cam said and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Wouldn't be the first one I see," Kira replied and mirrored her stance.
"Oh, now I can totally see the resemblance," Hodgins laughed while the two glared at each other, then at him when they heard him.
"Where did you see a dead body?" Cam asked, her voice higher than usual.
"Oh please, I study to be a coroner," Kira rolled her eyes.
"Really?" Sweets exclaimed, seemingly excited by this information and Cam glared at him now before she turned back to her daughter.
"How long will you be able to stay?" she asked her.
"I don't know, maybe a couple of hours," Kira shrugged.
"Here are some socks. They're not pretty, but they're warm," Angela said when she came back into the room a pair of thick, grey woolen socks in her hands.
"Thank you. I'm freezing. This outfit is good when you're on stage, but for the cold D.C. night it doesn't seem the right thing," Kira replied and took the socks and slipped them on, again using Cam to steady herself.
"I think I still have a vest in my locker, if you want," Cam asked her.
"That would be great," Kira smiled thankfully and rubbed over her bare arms.
"Dr. Saroyan, a Mr. Lennart for you," the security guard interrupted them and this time there was a tall grey haired man standing next to him. He had the same piercing blue eyes as his daughter and was even taller than Booth.
"What is he doing here?" Kira asked aggressively when she saw her father. "Did he tell you to make me come here?" she turned to Cam.
"I called him because of the murder investigation," Booth said quickly.
"I told you we thought you were dead," Cam told her.
"So, I see she is still alive and kicking. Guess I could have stayed on Hawaii," Alain Lennart said slowly and coolly, but his eyes were fixed on his daughter and showing emotions he didn't let on otherwise.
"I'm so sorry we worried you," Cam said and he came over to her and kissed her on both cheeks in greeting. When he turned to his daughter to hug her she stepped away from him and addressed Cam.
"Can you please give me the vest, I'm cold," she said.
"I can show her your locker if you want," Angela offered and Cam smiled gratefully and nodded.
"Kira! You could at least show that you haven't forgot all your manners," Alain said loudly when she walked past him and wanted to follow Angela out of the office.
"Leave me alone and go back to whomever you came from," she told him and then followed Angela before he could reply.
"Didn't you learn anything?" Cam asked him, having heard what Kira had said and obviously drawn some conclusion from it.
"Can we maybe discuss this in private?" he asked back and glanced around the room.
"Yeah we should all get back to work, we have a murder to solve," Brennan agreed and they all got up and left.
"Call if you need anything," Hodgins said gently and placed his hand on her shoulder for a second before he left the room and Cam nodded.
"This about your cheating?" Cam asked him as soon as they were alone.
"Yes. I didn't want Jolene finding out and I asked Kira to cover for me," he shrugged and leaned against Cam's desk, half sitting on it.
"You made her lie to Jolene?" Cam gaped at him.
"I was desperate, I didn't know what to do back then and I knew Kira would help me if I asked her," he excused his behavior, just when Kira came back.
"You made me lie to her saying I couldn't go to ballet lessons anymore if I wasn't doing it. I was eleven, dad," she said upset and stayed close to Cam without making any contact though.
"You could have said no. And I find it unfair that you're blaming me years later for it," he replied, obviously not understanding what she was so upset about.
"I blamed you the second I could without it having extreme consequences for me. You always made me do stuff I didn't want to do, but cheating again and again and making me lie for you, that took the cake," she argued back while Cam stood next to them watching the argument without interfering.
"Oh please, what else did I make you do?" he huffed.
"Law studies? How many times did I tell you I am not interested in it?" she replied.
"It's a good thing to study and I just didn't want you to sit in basements with dead people around you all day. That's no place for my daughter," he shook his head.
"Guess what? I do it anyway. I just write those stupid exams in law and the rest of the time I'm over at the faculty of medicine. And it's a good thing. Mom's a coroner in case you forgot," she told him and fury came to his eyes. Cam chose this moment to speak.
"Alain I guess it's better you leave now. I'm sorry we worried you for nothing but this," she pointed between the two of them, " is obviously not working right now. Leave me your number and I'll call you later," she said calmly.
"Maybe you're right," he nodded with a sigh and pushed himself off the desk. "Talk to you later, Camy," he said and kissed her cheek. With another angry look in direction of his daughter he left the lab again. When he was gone Cam faced her daughter who was looking around the office and silence spread between them.
"Uhm," Cam cleared her voice nervously. "You want to drink or eat something?"
"Yeah, a glass of water?" Kira answered with a question and Cam nodded and left her office. She went up to the platform of the lab and found her colleagues sitting on the orange sofa, close to the kitchen area where the fridge was.
"Hey, where's Kira?" Angela asked when she saw Cam coming up alone, her shoulders hanging and her general appearance not too happy.
"In my office, she wants something to drink," Cam replied and took a bottle of water out of the fridge.
"How is it going?" Hodgins wanted to know and sounded worried.
"She argued with Alain and now that he's gone there's silence," Cam admitted and sat down next to him on the armrest of the couch. "I didn't see her for years and now that I have her here again I don't know what to say or how to start," she shrugged sadly.
"You remember that when you thought she was dead, you said that there was one thing you never told her and that you regretted it. Start with that. Kira is unsure what to make of this situation and she built a wall around herself. If you want to get close to her you need to tear down this wall," Sweets advised without being asked and Cam opened her mouth to reply, but then just nodded quietly.
"I should get back," she said after another moment and slowly got up and walked back to her office.
"Poor Cam," Angela sighed when Cam was gone and leaned back against the couch. "Although I have to say I'm a lot less surprised about the teenage pregnancy now," she added.
"What do you mean?" Hodgins asked and didn't get what she was hinting at.
"Kira's father? He's smoking! Must have been even hotter twenty years ago. Tall, built and those eyes…" she grinned
"Irresponsible, a cheater…" Booth went on and Angela's dreamy smile was wiped off her face.
"True," she agreed.
"How do you know he's a cheater?" Brennan asked, her forehead wrinkled in confusion.
"Kira's comment, Cam's answer, his reaction. It's obvious," Sweets shrugged and the other two with people skills nodded while the two scientists just looked questioningly at each other.
~*~
"Here's your water," Cam said and put the bottle and the glass down on her desk.
"Thanks," Kira replied and put the book she flipped through back in the shelf.
"Kira, could we sit down and talk for a moment?" Cam asked after bracing herself silently when her daughter didn't touch the water.
"Sure," the young woman nodded and followed her mother over to the small couch on the far left end of Cam's office. She kept her distance when she sat down and eyed her warily.
"I… I don't really know how to say this and I'm sorry if I screw this up somehow, but when I thought you were dead, there was something that I just couldn't live with. This is my second chance, so I should maybe change it, make it better this time," Cam started, fidgeting with her hands. Kira just watched her but didn't interrupt.
"I know I screwed up so bad and I'm aware that I will never be able to make it up to you, but I just need you to know that I've always loved you, so much. Kira, all these years I missed you so horribly and I was hurting and I didn't know how to make it stop. Every time I had to leave you again I felt dead inside afterwards. But… I just wanted to tell you that I love you, always have and always will and no matter what happened between us, or what will happen, that won't change, because you're my baby, even in ten inch heels," Cam said. The last part she said with a small watery smile and tried to keep herself from crying.
"It's not your fault," Kira replied so quietly that Cam was barely able to hear her.
"What?"
"It's not your fault, what happened. At least not all of it. You were young and alone and you did what you thought was best for me," she repeated. "I miss you so much and I always just wanted to go home," she went on, her eyes welling up. "Home to my mom," she added.
"Oh smiley," Cam sighed and pulled her in her arms. She was surprised when Kira clung to her and started crying against her shoulder.
"Don't send me away again! Please, let me stay with you. I swear I won't be a burden, just…let me come home," her daughter begged and she wrapped her arms more tightly around her, although that was hardly possible.
"You can always stay with me. Move in with me. You can even sleep in one bed with me again if that's what you want," Cam laughed and cried at the same time.
"That would be a bit weird now," Kira smiled when she lifted her head, then pecked her mother on the lips and fell back in her embrace.
"My princess," Cam sighed happily and placed kisses against her daughter's hair and her temple.
The squints, who had watched the scene from the platform and through the large glass front of Cam's office where the blinds were open, grinned, except for Brennan.
"This is not my area of expertise, but I think neither Cam nor Kira show a behavior that is appropriate to Kira's age. She's 23 not 5," she commented when she saw Cam playing with her daughter's hair while she snuggled up against her, her head on her mother's shoulder.
"No, you're right Dr. Brennan. However for Cam and Kira right at this moment she is eight. They need this unusual closeness to heal and rebuilt what they lost," Sweets told her.
"I think it's cute," Angela grinned widely.
"In the videos Kira resembled Cam more than she does now. Is it the heavy make-up?" Booth asked, still watching them.
"I can't believe we referred to her as "the girl". I mean look at her…just… wow" Hodgins laughed and his comment was met with stares from the others.
"She's too young for you, Jack," Angela immediately said.
"In some cultures younger women prefer older men because of their experience," Brennan disagreed.
"Yeah and because they get their inheritance much faster," Booth told Brennan before he turned to Hodgins. "And you stop it!" he told him, but Hodgins just smiled amusedly.
"Oh, you don't need to worry, Booth. Hodgins shows much more interest in the mother than in the daughter," Sweets grinned and Hodgins face fell.
"Hey! Watch it!" he warned the psychologist.
"Ok, before I do something I'll probably regret later I'm gonna go in there and ask Kira some questions that are case related," Booth said darkly and made his way down to Cam's office, the rest of the team hot on his heels.
"Sorry to interrupt," he said with a smile when he stepped into Cam's office, but the two women didn't change their position.
"It's ok, uncle Booth," Kira grinned teasingly.
"Cheeky beast," Cam chuckled quietly but Kira just buried her face in her mother's hair, which she had pulled down earlier.
"Kira, can I ask you some questions. Case related questions," he started and that seemed to get her attention because she sat up.
"Mom told me that the victim had a USB drive with my videos," she replied. "Could I maybe see the drive and the rest of the stuff?" she asked and turned to her mother.
"It's all out on the platform again," Cam nodded and let herself be pulled off the couch by her daughter.
"We should go and get cleaned up first. You're looking like crap," Kira grinned and pointed to the black traces of make-up on Cam's face.
"Thank you for this nice compliment, honey, but you're not looking better," Cam snorted.
"Maybe, but I'm younger," Kira teased while they made their way to the bathroom.
"Hey," Cam cried and it was the last thing the others heard before the bathroom door shut behind them.
~*~
"Are those the remains?" Kira asked when she stepped onto the platform, following Cam, the rest of the team following her, still curiously observing Cam's daughter.
"Yes, or what's left of them," Hodgins replied darkly.
"And you really thought that was me?" Kira turned to her mother, her voice quiet. Cam just nodded and couldn't say anything. She still couldn't really believe it that her daughter was alive and standing next to her. "Oh, mom," Kira sighed and kissed Cam's cheek, then held her for a moment. "You ok?" she asked when she pulled back and looked into her eyes.
"I'll be fine now that I know you're alive," Cam replied with a brave smile.
"Give it some time Dr. Saroyan, It will take a while to get over the effects of a mental breakdown," Sweets reassured her and made Kira twirl around to him.
"She broke down?"
"She fainted when she thought you were dead," Hodgins replied instead and gave Cam's shoulder a squeeze, just because he was glad that she was ok now.
"We SO need to talk," Kira told Cam before she turned to Hodgins. "Could you hand me some gloves?" she requested and he nodded.
"Just as bossy as the mother," he grinned when he handed her the latex gloves.
"Thank you Dr. Hodgins, I take that as a compliment," she laughed and slipped on the gloves before she carefully picked up the first bone. Brennan wanted to interfere at first but Booth placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a look that made her stop. And when she observed the young woman she had to admit that she looked like she knew what she was doing.
"This girl had Morbus Panner," Kira said when she found the hole in the humerus after a few minutes and even Brennan looked impressed. "How could this be me then, I could never dance with this?" she turned to her mother.
"Long story," Cam just shrugged.
"Do you know what caused it?" she asked next.
"17-hydroxy-11-dehydrocorticosterone, beta2-adrenoceptor agonists, systemic steroids, Methylxanthines and ketamine," Hodgins replied, testing her in his own way.
"That's asthma medication, but only the cortisone could cause Morbus Panner," Kira nodded thoughtfully and Hodgins smiled back proudly.
"Oh my god," Booth suddenly exclaimed and everyone, except for Kira, looked at him. "You gave birth to a squint?" he asked Cam somewhat accusingly and made her roll her eyes, while Brennan slapped his arm.
"Can I see the USB drive?" Kira requested and interrupted their banter. She had a worried look on her face and the frown got deeper when she saw the USB drive, the backpack, the necklace and the other things they had found.
"That is my backpack, my USB drive and my necklace," she said when she saw the things; she didn't even had to take a closer look. "I know who this is," she added and turned around to the remains.
"Her name is Juliana Starov. I rented my apartment on campus out to her. We met on campus because everybody was saying that we looked so alike and when she needed a place to stay I offered her mine. I never wanted to live on campus. She grew up in a very similar way, but her dad had spend his time in the Middle East," she went on and Booth was already taking notes.
"How did she get your stuff? You never took off that necklace," Cam asked.
"I always took it off for dance classes, afraid that it would tear," Kira replied and slowly took off the gloves. "Juliana had some bad ass boyfriend and was always short on money. One time I came to the apartment to collect my rent they were arguing pretty badly and afterwards we started talking. She started asking me for money but when she stopped paying rent altogether and someone told me that she was no longer studying I didn't give her any more. About five weeks ago she came to my apartment when I just got home from dance class. I had left all of my other stuff at university because I only wanted to change. I declined and hopped into the shower and told her to wait, because I wanted to talk to her and help her. When I got out I realized she had taken my empty backpack and was gone. The only things still in there were the USB drive and the necklace. I guess she hoped that I would have some money in there, but as I said, everything else was at university and I had taken out the clothes already," Kira said.
"That's why the DNA analysis of the hair from the necklace said it was you. It was your hair," Cam nodded in understanding.
"Do you know the name of the boyfriend?" Booth asked Kira.
"No, I don't. But he was studying international management, just like she did before she dropped out, same year. Tall guy, blonde hair, I don't really remember, I'm sorry," she apologized.
"Ok, I will go and check that…" Booth said and looked at his watch. "…first thing tomorrow morning. Anyone coming for some late dinner and a drink?" he asked the others.
"Oh, a drink sounds so good right now," Kira sighed.
"You're not having a drink… we'll some soda maybe," Cam immediately said and Kira raised her eyebrows.
"Next thing you're gonna tell me I can't stay out later than ten and I'm not allowed to have sex?" she asked Cam in a duh- kind of way.
"Oh god, please tell me you're not having sex!?" Cam was not too far away from panicking.
"Mom, I'm 23 years old. When you were my age you had an eight year old at home," Kira laughed and wrapped and arm around Cam's shoulders. "See the positive side, you don't have to give me the bees and birds talk anymore," she joked.
"I so messed that one up with Michelle," Cam groaned and made Kira laugh harder.
"Was that why you had the book with the talking penis cartoon?" Brennan asked bluntly and made Cam groan again and hide her face at her daughter's shoulder.
"I so wanna hear the full story on this," Kira said and grinned at Hodgins who came up next to her while they made their way out of the lab.
"Me, too" he agreed and grinned at Cam.
~*~
"So the boyfriend wasn't the bad guy, but her own father?" Kira asked when Booth told them what he had found out the next evening. They were all standing on the platform around the remains, getting them ready to be shipped over to the funeral home. The case was closed.
"He wanted his daughter to be successful but she had the wrong friends and dropped out of school. When she admitted that she had been stealing several things he freaked out and hit her with the ax he was holding, because he had been making firewood. Once he realized he killed her he freaked, hacked her up, burned the remains and brought them to the neighborhood park, close to their former home," Booth summed it up.
"I'm glad my mom just faints when she freaks and doesn't hack me up," Kira said with the same sarcasm Cam used to hide her empathy. Then she placed a hand on the closed casket though. "Bye Juli," she sighed and took it off when they rolled the casket away.
"So, did you think about our offer from last night?" Angela asked her when the remains were gone.
"You mean about the internship here? It would be great working here, but I'm just not so sure mom and I are there yet," Kira admitted and squeezed Cam's hand gently.
"I could counsel you two, help you working through your issues," Sweets offered excitedly. "I promise it won't take long. Just some trust exercises," he added when they didn't look too convinced.
"I will not write any essays," Cam immediately said. "Booth told me there were essays and I'm not writing them," she insisted when Sweets looked confused.
"You're just afraid mine would be better," Kira grinned challengingly and earned herself a slap on the back of the head.
"Hey, I doubt you're allowed to hit me once I'm your intern," Kira complained.
"You haven't said yes yet," Cam shrugged unimpressed.
"Ok, yes, I'll work here," her daughter rolled her eyes. Angela squealed happily and hugged her.
"This will be so much fun having you work here," she gushed.
"I agree, but next time you two exchange knowledge about guys, make sure I'm out of earshot. For me you're still four," Cam told them, pointing at Kira and scrunched up her face upon remembering the last night.
"Talking about guys… you didn't say anything last night," Kira grinned at her mother while the others slowly went back to their work, leaving Kira and Cam alone on the platform.
"Because I have nothing to say," Cam shook her head. "How about some dinner before we come back here and finalize your internship?" she tried to change the topic.
"Sounds good," Kira nodded and followed Cam down the stairs.
"Then let's go," Cam added and waited in front of the stairs for Kira to catch up to her.
"This Dr. Hodgins is damn cute," Kira said and linked her arm with her mother's while they walked towards the exit of the lab. "And I think he likes you," she added.
"Oh please," Cam laughed out loud.
"What? You deny he's hot? Have you seen those eyes? And that chest? My god!" her daughter pressed on.
"I'm too old for him," Cam said and waved at Hodgins when they passed his workstation and hoped that he couldn't hear them, smiled when he waved back.
"Not true," Kira disagreed.
"Five years is a lot when the woman is older,"
"Five years, huh? That makes him only ten years older than me. Mind if I try?" Kira grinned and Cam gaped at her before she laughed and shook her head.
"I'll kill him if he ever touches you. You're still my baby," she said.
"Then you better act fast before I think about it again," Kira teased.
"I'll think about it" Cam gave in and the glass door slid open.
"Uhuh! So you admit it!" Kira grinned at her.
"I don't admit anything!" Camille protested and they both laughed. The door closed behind them and drowned out their teasing chatter and laughter. Hodgins grinned to himself behind his workstation, having heard every word and agreed silently with Kira. Five years was nothing.
The end
"Yeah?" Booth answered his cell phone the next afternoon while he made his way into the Institute together with Brennan. They had spent the night in Boston and had made their way back after a breakfast and talking to Kira's roommate again.
"Hello, this is Alain Lennart. Am I talking to Agent Booth?" a deep voice on the other end of the line said.
"Yes, Mr., Lennart this is Agent Booth. Thank you for calling me back," he replied.
"My secretary said it was important?" he said and sounded like he was in a hurry or at least doing some other stuff while talking to Booth.
"It's about your daughter Kira, Mr. Lennart," Booth started but was interrupted.
"Oh what did she do this time? I'm sorry agent Booth but if she is in trouble I'm refusing to help her. I pay for her school, I pay for her apartment and that's it. I'm not bailing her out again because of some bar brawl" the man said and sounded angry.
"Mr. Lennart we have reason to believe that your daughter might be dead," Booth said, not really content that he had to tell him that way. There was silence for a moment and the rustling sounds stopped. Just when Booth wanted to ask if he was still there Mr. Lennart reacted.
"Dead? Kira? What happened?" he said and sounded clearly shocked.
"We found the remains of a young woman who we believe might be your daughter," Booth said vaguely.
"Ask him about dental records," Brennan told Booth and put her bag down on her couch when they reached her office.
"I heard that, I, uh will call my dentist and he will send them over," Lennart said and had to clear his voice. Booth was sure that he was fighting with tears. "Please tell me what happened," Lennart asked again and Booth placed his cell phone on the desk and put it on loudspeaker.
"Mr. Lennart I think we should make sure first that we really have your daughter here. Can you tell me when you last saw Kira or spoke to her?"
"When she moved out three years ago. Ever since then the only contact we had was via email when she needed money," he admitted.
"You haven't spoken to Kira for three years?" Cam asked, when she came into the room, obviously she had listened to the call.
"Camy is that you?" Lennart sounded confused.
"You're damn right that is me. Three years? I asked you about her! I gave you messages for her and you weren't even talking to each other," Cam asked angrily.
"You didn't have her around for the last few years, you don't know how she was," he replied, just as angry.
"Kira was a good kid. What did you do to her?" Cam accused him.
"You know what, I don't want to discuss this on the phone and I want to know what's going on there. I'm coming over; I'm just in Hawaii. You're still in D.C?" he wanted to know.
"Yes, come to the Jeffersonian. You'll find me and the remains here," she spat, then turned around and stalked out of the office, leaving it to Booth to end the call. She had wanted to know what Booth and Brennan had found out, but in her rage she forgot about that.
~*~
"We have another reply," Sweets said when he and Angela came storming into her office a few minutes later. Immediately Angela took control of the computer and Sweets stood beside her.
"Agent Booth tells me Kira's father is coming in?" he asked, trying to evaluate and analyze her reaction.
"Sweets, don't try to analyze me. If you want to know how I'm feeling about it just ask me," she replied annoyed, seeing through his scheme.
"So, how are you feeling about it?" he asked back.
"I can't say that I'm too happy about it. He lied to me, for years. Maybe she would still be alive if he hadn't lied and she wouldn't have got herself into trouble," she replied.
"We don't know that she got herself into trouble," Sweets disagreed. "We don't even know anymore if Kira really is the victim."
"Wrong name, wrong apartment, not studying what she's supposed to study and now dead? That sounds like trouble to me," Cam replied humorlessly.
"Ok, here we go," Angela interrupted them and showed Cam the page. It was only another link to another random video. It was only about the lyrics again. "The numbers left in the comment stand for the minute to which we're supposed to jump in the song," Angela explained when she fast forwarded the video.
Another winter day has come and gone away in either Paris or Rome and I wanna go home. Let me go home! And I'm surrounded by a million people I still feel alone. Oh, let go home. Oh, I miss you, you know. Let me go home. I've had my run, baby, I'm done, I gotta go home. Let me go home. It will all be alright I'll be home tonight. I'm coming back home.
"Do they want to torture me? How cynical is it that now that she's here, hacked up and burned they are talking about 'I'm coming back home'. We need to find them," Cam said when the video was done and she was gone before either Angela or Sweets could react.
"She didn't even let us tell her that we think Kira send this. Sweets, I'm really convinced that she's still alive," Angela said, still looking to the open door through which Cam had hurried out.
"Dr. Saroyan is not able to deal with all of this. First she has a baby at fifteen, raises it for eight years, and loses her because she has no other choice. She wants her back, but can't, then she can but emotionally isn't able to anymore. There's estrangement, anger, and now before they could talk it out she thinks her daughter is dead, only to find out that she might still be alive after all. She cannot take this anymore," he said and looked worried. "Someone should look after her. When she reaches her breaking point she shouldn't be alone," he added.
"I think she already found herself someone," Angela said and pointed with her chin to the lab where Hodgins was just following Cam outside.
~*~
"You shouldn't smoke so much, it doesn't change anything," Hodgins said when they reached the bench in the garden and Cam greedily inhaled the smoke of her cigarette.
"Please, Hodgins, no lectures," she rolled her eyes.
"I'm just worried about your health," he insisted. With an exaggerated eye roll she threw the cigarette away, not caring to put it out.
"How did your talk with Michelle last night go?" he asked while she paced in front of the bench.
"Good. She was shocked, but understanding. I just fear she will use this whole teenage pregnancy thing against me at one point," she admitted.
"Or she will learn something from it and be more careful than you were," he said and she snorted.
"Please, teenage girls are evil."
"Oh I know. I was a teenage boy once, you know," he grinned and was surprised when he found her grinning back. It only lasted for a second, but he was happy that he had managed to make her smile.
"Alain is coming in," she said and sat down beside him.
"You don't like it?" he asked after looking at her for a second.
"He didn't talk to her. Or she didn't talk to him. I keep asking myself what happened between them that Kira would not speak to him anymore. She still spoke to me, even though most of the time it was angry yelling," she replied.
"You should ask him when he gets here," he told her honestly. She nodded without saying something and stared at her hands.
She looked up and said "I just wanted to say thank you, that's why I asked you to come out here with me. If there's anything I've learned it is that you sometimes don't get a second chance to say some things and I want you to know that I truly appreciate everything you've done for me these past days."
"No big deal. We're like a family here at the lab and even though family doesn't always see eye to eye one everything, at the end of the day you should be able to count on them to be there when you need them," he shrugged.
"Still... thank you," she said again.
"You're welcome," he replied with a smile. "Coffee and cherry pie?" he asked her then.
"I'm in. I surely need the comfort food before Alain gets in," she agreed and they walked back into the lab.
~*~
"Still no reply," Angela said when she joined Cam, Hodgins, Booth, Brennan and Sweets in Cam's office that evening. "She wasn't online anymore since this morning," Wendell added when he followed her in.
"Please don't say "she" Mr. Bray, we don't know yet who posted these last videos," Cam replied and leaned back against the couch.
"I don't understand why you're refusing to consider that your daughter might still be alive," Brennan said, in her clumsy but well-meant way.
"Because we know the victim looked like Kira, had her backpack, a USB drive with her videos, her necklace and I double checked the DNA analysis and the hair was Kira's," Cam counted the points off her fingers.
"But the evidence suggests that there are a least some things that don't match Kira," Brennan disagreed and Booth touched her arm to get her attention and then shook his head, signalizing her to stop. "What? I just think she should realize that Kira could still be alive," Brennan stage whispered to Booth.
"Dr. Brennan, I appreciate it, I really do. But I just can't… if I convince myself now that there's hope and then it turns out she really is dead… I don't think I'd be able to take it. It's just all too much already," Cam explained honestly, touched by Brennan's concern.
"If you need someone to talk to," Sweets, who sat next to her offered.
"Thanks, I might take you up on it once I can actually talk about it without breaking down or getting nauseous every time," she said and Sweets nodded.
"You want another coffee?" Hodgins asked her, but she shook her head.
"I think I'll have a heart attack if I have one more."
"Maybe we should just all go home then, it's already late," Sweets said, got up and stretched.
"You can go Sweets, we're waiting for Lennart," Booth told him and pointed back and forth between him and Cam.
"Me too," Angela said and couldn't hide her excitement. When the others looked at her with disapproval she shrugged. "What? I just wanna see him." At that moment one of the Institutes security guards knocked lightly on the doorframe of the open door.
"Dr. Saroyan, there's a visitor here for you," a security guard said and Cam sighed deeply.
"Speaking of the devil," she said to the others and didn't get up. "Let him in," she told the guard, who looked confused about her mood, but then wandered off again. For a second she thought about throwing them all out of her office, but then she decided that they knew her darkest secrets by now and seeing Alain wouldn't add much.
"If you don't want to see him, I can talk to him in Bones' office," Booth suggested, but Cam shook her head. There was a soft knock on the door and they all turned back around, facing the direction it had come from.
Hodgins raised his eyebrows, wrinkled his forehead. For whatever reasons his eyes had landed on the shoes first; Black patent leather high heels, with at least six-inch heels. He let his eyes wander up the tight black jeans and over the silky pink top that could be worn as a really short dress as well and hugged her slim hips. The V-neck was deep, a lacy bra peeking out underneath. Dark curls fell loosely over her shoulders and reached the middle of her back. She wore heavy make-up that was slightly smudged, especially around the eyes. And boy, what eyes she had; Large, dark-blue and expressive - showing confusion and maybe a bit of fear. This was not Alain Lennart.
"Kira," Cam gasped out next to him, grabbing his arm and digging her fingernails into it without realizing it. Only then did he realize who was standing in the doorway. Yes, now he saw the resemblance to Cam. But this woman was definitely not a girl anymore, as they had all referred to her. And she was definitely not dead.
"You sound surprised. I told you I was coming," Kira replied, her English tinted with just a hint of an accent he couldn't place.
"Oh god," Cam cried out, was off the couch a second later and hugged her daughter as tightly as she could. Kira let it happen but didn't hug her back. She froze.
"Uhm, hi," she just said and looked uncomfortable. Sweets, who observed the scene like all the others, shook his head with a tiny smile on his face.
Suddenly Cam pulled back, grabbed her daughter by the shoulders and shook her, not caring that her girl was significantly taller than her. "Where have you been? I thought you were dead!" she angrily yelled at her.
"What? Why?" Kira asked confused and used the moment to step away from her mother, creating some distance.
"We found a body and we thought it was you," Cam let her know, took a deep breath and really looked at her daughter for the first time. "You had a show tonight?" she asked her, taking in her outfit, "because the only other option that springs to mind seeing you in this outfit is one I don't like at all," she went on, in disapproving mom-mode.
"Yah, just outside D.C. My feet are killing me," Kira replied and placed a hand on Cam's shoulder to steady herself before she took the heels off. Without the heels she was only slightly taller than Cam. "Do you maybe have some socks here?"
"No, sorry, I don't," Cam said calmer, shaking her head and stroked with one hand over Kira's bare upper arm. "You should wear a jacket, it's cold out," she said softly and Kira stepped away from her touch once more.
"Sooo, is that the squint squad you wrote me about?" the young woman asked and looked around the room.
"Hi, I'm Angela," the artist took the opportunity and shook Kira's hand. "You really had us worried here," she added and couldn't help herself, she had to hug her. "I'm gonna go and find some socks for you," she said when she pulled back. Cam smiled, the first real smile in a week.
"Thanks," Kira smiled politely.
"Those are Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth," Cam went on with the introductions when the others all just stared at Kira and her.
"Call me uncle Seeley, Cam and I go way back," Booth grinned.
"Oh, you two had a fling once or twice, I remember your name," Kira nodded and shook their hands.
"Then we have Dr. Brennan's intern Mr. Bray and Dr. Sweets and Dr. Hodgins," Cam introduced the three that now occupied the couch and waved over when their names were said.
"Nice to meet you all, I'm Kira," she waved back and then turned to Cam. "You really thought I was dead. As in 'dead body' dead? This is the Jeffersonian; Dr. Brennan is kind of famous so the body must be in a pretty bad shape. Can I see it?" she asked and did sound more curious than surprised or freaked out.
"Absolutely not," Cam shook her head.
"Oh, come on!" Kira groaned.
"Are you nuts, I'm not showing you a dead body," Cam said and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Wouldn't be the first one I see," Kira replied and mirrored her stance.
"Oh, now I can totally see the resemblance," Hodgins laughed while the two glared at each other, then at him when they heard him.
"Where did you see a dead body?" Cam asked, her voice higher than usual.
"Oh please, I study to be a coroner," Kira rolled her eyes.
"Really?" Sweets exclaimed, seemingly excited by this information and Cam glared at him now before she turned back to her daughter.
"How long will you be able to stay?" she asked her.
"I don't know, maybe a couple of hours," Kira shrugged.
"Here are some socks. They're not pretty, but they're warm," Angela said when she came back into the room a pair of thick, grey woolen socks in her hands.
"Thank you. I'm freezing. This outfit is good when you're on stage, but for the cold D.C. night it doesn't seem the right thing," Kira replied and took the socks and slipped them on, again using Cam to steady herself.
"I think I still have a vest in my locker, if you want," Cam asked her.
"That would be great," Kira smiled thankfully and rubbed over her bare arms.
"Dr. Saroyan, a Mr. Lennart for you," the security guard interrupted them and this time there was a tall grey haired man standing next to him. He had the same piercing blue eyes as his daughter and was even taller than Booth.
"What is he doing here?" Kira asked aggressively when she saw her father. "Did he tell you to make me come here?" she turned to Cam.
"I called him because of the murder investigation," Booth said quickly.
"I told you we thought you were dead," Cam told her.
"So, I see she is still alive and kicking. Guess I could have stayed on Hawaii," Alain Lennart said slowly and coolly, but his eyes were fixed on his daughter and showing emotions he didn't let on otherwise.
"I'm so sorry we worried you," Cam said and he came over to her and kissed her on both cheeks in greeting. When he turned to his daughter to hug her she stepped away from him and addressed Cam.
"Can you please give me the vest, I'm cold," she said.
"I can show her your locker if you want," Angela offered and Cam smiled gratefully and nodded.
"Kira! You could at least show that you haven't forgot all your manners," Alain said loudly when she walked past him and wanted to follow Angela out of the office.
"Leave me alone and go back to whomever you came from," she told him and then followed Angela before he could reply.
"Didn't you learn anything?" Cam asked him, having heard what Kira had said and obviously drawn some conclusion from it.
"Can we maybe discuss this in private?" he asked back and glanced around the room.
"Yeah we should all get back to work, we have a murder to solve," Brennan agreed and they all got up and left.
"Call if you need anything," Hodgins said gently and placed his hand on her shoulder for a second before he left the room and Cam nodded.
"This about your cheating?" Cam asked him as soon as they were alone.
"Yes. I didn't want Jolene finding out and I asked Kira to cover for me," he shrugged and leaned against Cam's desk, half sitting on it.
"You made her lie to Jolene?" Cam gaped at him.
"I was desperate, I didn't know what to do back then and I knew Kira would help me if I asked her," he excused his behavior, just when Kira came back.
"You made me lie to her saying I couldn't go to ballet lessons anymore if I wasn't doing it. I was eleven, dad," she said upset and stayed close to Cam without making any contact though.
"You could have said no. And I find it unfair that you're blaming me years later for it," he replied, obviously not understanding what she was so upset about.
"I blamed you the second I could without it having extreme consequences for me. You always made me do stuff I didn't want to do, but cheating again and again and making me lie for you, that took the cake," she argued back while Cam stood next to them watching the argument without interfering.
"Oh please, what else did I make you do?" he huffed.
"Law studies? How many times did I tell you I am not interested in it?" she replied.
"It's a good thing to study and I just didn't want you to sit in basements with dead people around you all day. That's no place for my daughter," he shook his head.
"Guess what? I do it anyway. I just write those stupid exams in law and the rest of the time I'm over at the faculty of medicine. And it's a good thing. Mom's a coroner in case you forgot," she told him and fury came to his eyes. Cam chose this moment to speak.
"Alain I guess it's better you leave now. I'm sorry we worried you for nothing but this," she pointed between the two of them, " is obviously not working right now. Leave me your number and I'll call you later," she said calmly.
"Maybe you're right," he nodded with a sigh and pushed himself off the desk. "Talk to you later, Camy," he said and kissed her cheek. With another angry look in direction of his daughter he left the lab again. When he was gone Cam faced her daughter who was looking around the office and silence spread between them.
"Uhm," Cam cleared her voice nervously. "You want to drink or eat something?"
"Yeah, a glass of water?" Kira answered with a question and Cam nodded and left her office. She went up to the platform of the lab and found her colleagues sitting on the orange sofa, close to the kitchen area where the fridge was.
"Hey, where's Kira?" Angela asked when she saw Cam coming up alone, her shoulders hanging and her general appearance not too happy.
"In my office, she wants something to drink," Cam replied and took a bottle of water out of the fridge.
"How is it going?" Hodgins wanted to know and sounded worried.
"She argued with Alain and now that he's gone there's silence," Cam admitted and sat down next to him on the armrest of the couch. "I didn't see her for years and now that I have her here again I don't know what to say or how to start," she shrugged sadly.
"You remember that when you thought she was dead, you said that there was one thing you never told her and that you regretted it. Start with that. Kira is unsure what to make of this situation and she built a wall around herself. If you want to get close to her you need to tear down this wall," Sweets advised without being asked and Cam opened her mouth to reply, but then just nodded quietly.
"I should get back," she said after another moment and slowly got up and walked back to her office.
"Poor Cam," Angela sighed when Cam was gone and leaned back against the couch. "Although I have to say I'm a lot less surprised about the teenage pregnancy now," she added.
"What do you mean?" Hodgins asked and didn't get what she was hinting at.
"Kira's father? He's smoking! Must have been even hotter twenty years ago. Tall, built and those eyes…" she grinned
"Irresponsible, a cheater…" Booth went on and Angela's dreamy smile was wiped off her face.
"True," she agreed.
"How do you know he's a cheater?" Brennan asked, her forehead wrinkled in confusion.
"Kira's comment, Cam's answer, his reaction. It's obvious," Sweets shrugged and the other two with people skills nodded while the two scientists just looked questioningly at each other.
~*~
"Here's your water," Cam said and put the bottle and the glass down on her desk.
"Thanks," Kira replied and put the book she flipped through back in the shelf.
"Kira, could we sit down and talk for a moment?" Cam asked after bracing herself silently when her daughter didn't touch the water.
"Sure," the young woman nodded and followed her mother over to the small couch on the far left end of Cam's office. She kept her distance when she sat down and eyed her warily.
"I… I don't really know how to say this and I'm sorry if I screw this up somehow, but when I thought you were dead, there was something that I just couldn't live with. This is my second chance, so I should maybe change it, make it better this time," Cam started, fidgeting with her hands. Kira just watched her but didn't interrupt.
"I know I screwed up so bad and I'm aware that I will never be able to make it up to you, but I just need you to know that I've always loved you, so much. Kira, all these years I missed you so horribly and I was hurting and I didn't know how to make it stop. Every time I had to leave you again I felt dead inside afterwards. But… I just wanted to tell you that I love you, always have and always will and no matter what happened between us, or what will happen, that won't change, because you're my baby, even in ten inch heels," Cam said. The last part she said with a small watery smile and tried to keep herself from crying.
"It's not your fault," Kira replied so quietly that Cam was barely able to hear her.
"What?"
"It's not your fault, what happened. At least not all of it. You were young and alone and you did what you thought was best for me," she repeated. "I miss you so much and I always just wanted to go home," she went on, her eyes welling up. "Home to my mom," she added.
"Oh smiley," Cam sighed and pulled her in her arms. She was surprised when Kira clung to her and started crying against her shoulder.
"Don't send me away again! Please, let me stay with you. I swear I won't be a burden, just…let me come home," her daughter begged and she wrapped her arms more tightly around her, although that was hardly possible.
"You can always stay with me. Move in with me. You can even sleep in one bed with me again if that's what you want," Cam laughed and cried at the same time.
"That would be a bit weird now," Kira smiled when she lifted her head, then pecked her mother on the lips and fell back in her embrace.
"My princess," Cam sighed happily and placed kisses against her daughter's hair and her temple.
The squints, who had watched the scene from the platform and through the large glass front of Cam's office where the blinds were open, grinned, except for Brennan.
"This is not my area of expertise, but I think neither Cam nor Kira show a behavior that is appropriate to Kira's age. She's 23 not 5," she commented when she saw Cam playing with her daughter's hair while she snuggled up against her, her head on her mother's shoulder.
"No, you're right Dr. Brennan. However for Cam and Kira right at this moment she is eight. They need this unusual closeness to heal and rebuilt what they lost," Sweets told her.
"I think it's cute," Angela grinned widely.
"In the videos Kira resembled Cam more than she does now. Is it the heavy make-up?" Booth asked, still watching them.
"I can't believe we referred to her as "the girl". I mean look at her…just… wow" Hodgins laughed and his comment was met with stares from the others.
"She's too young for you, Jack," Angela immediately said.
"In some cultures younger women prefer older men because of their experience," Brennan disagreed.
"Yeah and because they get their inheritance much faster," Booth told Brennan before he turned to Hodgins. "And you stop it!" he told him, but Hodgins just smiled amusedly.
"Oh, you don't need to worry, Booth. Hodgins shows much more interest in the mother than in the daughter," Sweets grinned and Hodgins face fell.
"Hey! Watch it!" he warned the psychologist.
"Ok, before I do something I'll probably regret later I'm gonna go in there and ask Kira some questions that are case related," Booth said darkly and made his way down to Cam's office, the rest of the team hot on his heels.
"Sorry to interrupt," he said with a smile when he stepped into Cam's office, but the two women didn't change their position.
"It's ok, uncle Booth," Kira grinned teasingly.
"Cheeky beast," Cam chuckled quietly but Kira just buried her face in her mother's hair, which she had pulled down earlier.
"Kira, can I ask you some questions. Case related questions," he started and that seemed to get her attention because she sat up.
"Mom told me that the victim had a USB drive with my videos," she replied. "Could I maybe see the drive and the rest of the stuff?" she asked and turned to her mother.
"It's all out on the platform again," Cam nodded and let herself be pulled off the couch by her daughter.
"We should go and get cleaned up first. You're looking like crap," Kira grinned and pointed to the black traces of make-up on Cam's face.
"Thank you for this nice compliment, honey, but you're not looking better," Cam snorted.
"Maybe, but I'm younger," Kira teased while they made their way to the bathroom.
"Hey," Cam cried and it was the last thing the others heard before the bathroom door shut behind them.
~*~
"Are those the remains?" Kira asked when she stepped onto the platform, following Cam, the rest of the team following her, still curiously observing Cam's daughter.
"Yes, or what's left of them," Hodgins replied darkly.
"And you really thought that was me?" Kira turned to her mother, her voice quiet. Cam just nodded and couldn't say anything. She still couldn't really believe it that her daughter was alive and standing next to her. "Oh, mom," Kira sighed and kissed Cam's cheek, then held her for a moment. "You ok?" she asked when she pulled back and looked into her eyes.
"I'll be fine now that I know you're alive," Cam replied with a brave smile.
"Give it some time Dr. Saroyan, It will take a while to get over the effects of a mental breakdown," Sweets reassured her and made Kira twirl around to him.
"She broke down?"
"She fainted when she thought you were dead," Hodgins replied instead and gave Cam's shoulder a squeeze, just because he was glad that she was ok now.
"We SO need to talk," Kira told Cam before she turned to Hodgins. "Could you hand me some gloves?" she requested and he nodded.
"Just as bossy as the mother," he grinned when he handed her the latex gloves.
"Thank you Dr. Hodgins, I take that as a compliment," she laughed and slipped on the gloves before she carefully picked up the first bone. Brennan wanted to interfere at first but Booth placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a look that made her stop. And when she observed the young woman she had to admit that she looked like she knew what she was doing.
"This girl had Morbus Panner," Kira said when she found the hole in the humerus after a few minutes and even Brennan looked impressed. "How could this be me then, I could never dance with this?" she turned to her mother.
"Long story," Cam just shrugged.
"Do you know what caused it?" she asked next.
"17-hydroxy-11-dehydrocorticosterone, beta2-adrenoceptor agonists, systemic steroids, Methylxanthines and ketamine," Hodgins replied, testing her in his own way.
"That's asthma medication, but only the cortisone could cause Morbus Panner," Kira nodded thoughtfully and Hodgins smiled back proudly.
"Oh my god," Booth suddenly exclaimed and everyone, except for Kira, looked at him. "You gave birth to a squint?" he asked Cam somewhat accusingly and made her roll her eyes, while Brennan slapped his arm.
"Can I see the USB drive?" Kira requested and interrupted their banter. She had a worried look on her face and the frown got deeper when she saw the USB drive, the backpack, the necklace and the other things they had found.
"That is my backpack, my USB drive and my necklace," she said when she saw the things; she didn't even had to take a closer look. "I know who this is," she added and turned around to the remains.
"Her name is Juliana Starov. I rented my apartment on campus out to her. We met on campus because everybody was saying that we looked so alike and when she needed a place to stay I offered her mine. I never wanted to live on campus. She grew up in a very similar way, but her dad had spend his time in the Middle East," she went on and Booth was already taking notes.
"How did she get your stuff? You never took off that necklace," Cam asked.
"I always took it off for dance classes, afraid that it would tear," Kira replied and slowly took off the gloves. "Juliana had some bad ass boyfriend and was always short on money. One time I came to the apartment to collect my rent they were arguing pretty badly and afterwards we started talking. She started asking me for money but when she stopped paying rent altogether and someone told me that she was no longer studying I didn't give her any more. About five weeks ago she came to my apartment when I just got home from dance class. I had left all of my other stuff at university because I only wanted to change. I declined and hopped into the shower and told her to wait, because I wanted to talk to her and help her. When I got out I realized she had taken my empty backpack and was gone. The only things still in there were the USB drive and the necklace. I guess she hoped that I would have some money in there, but as I said, everything else was at university and I had taken out the clothes already," Kira said.
"That's why the DNA analysis of the hair from the necklace said it was you. It was your hair," Cam nodded in understanding.
"Do you know the name of the boyfriend?" Booth asked Kira.
"No, I don't. But he was studying international management, just like she did before she dropped out, same year. Tall guy, blonde hair, I don't really remember, I'm sorry," she apologized.
"Ok, I will go and check that…" Booth said and looked at his watch. "…first thing tomorrow morning. Anyone coming for some late dinner and a drink?" he asked the others.
"Oh, a drink sounds so good right now," Kira sighed.
"You're not having a drink… we'll some soda maybe," Cam immediately said and Kira raised her eyebrows.
"Next thing you're gonna tell me I can't stay out later than ten and I'm not allowed to have sex?" she asked Cam in a duh- kind of way.
"Oh god, please tell me you're not having sex!?" Cam was not too far away from panicking.
"Mom, I'm 23 years old. When you were my age you had an eight year old at home," Kira laughed and wrapped and arm around Cam's shoulders. "See the positive side, you don't have to give me the bees and birds talk anymore," she joked.
"I so messed that one up with Michelle," Cam groaned and made Kira laugh harder.
"Was that why you had the book with the talking penis cartoon?" Brennan asked bluntly and made Cam groan again and hide her face at her daughter's shoulder.
"I so wanna hear the full story on this," Kira said and grinned at Hodgins who came up next to her while they made their way out of the lab.
"Me, too" he agreed and grinned at Cam.
~*~
"So the boyfriend wasn't the bad guy, but her own father?" Kira asked when Booth told them what he had found out the next evening. They were all standing on the platform around the remains, getting them ready to be shipped over to the funeral home. The case was closed.
"He wanted his daughter to be successful but she had the wrong friends and dropped out of school. When she admitted that she had been stealing several things he freaked out and hit her with the ax he was holding, because he had been making firewood. Once he realized he killed her he freaked, hacked her up, burned the remains and brought them to the neighborhood park, close to their former home," Booth summed it up.
"I'm glad my mom just faints when she freaks and doesn't hack me up," Kira said with the same sarcasm Cam used to hide her empathy. Then she placed a hand on the closed casket though. "Bye Juli," she sighed and took it off when they rolled the casket away.
"So, did you think about our offer from last night?" Angela asked her when the remains were gone.
"You mean about the internship here? It would be great working here, but I'm just not so sure mom and I are there yet," Kira admitted and squeezed Cam's hand gently.
"I could counsel you two, help you working through your issues," Sweets offered excitedly. "I promise it won't take long. Just some trust exercises," he added when they didn't look too convinced.
"I will not write any essays," Cam immediately said. "Booth told me there were essays and I'm not writing them," she insisted when Sweets looked confused.
"You're just afraid mine would be better," Kira grinned challengingly and earned herself a slap on the back of the head.
"Hey, I doubt you're allowed to hit me once I'm your intern," Kira complained.
"You haven't said yes yet," Cam shrugged unimpressed.
"Ok, yes, I'll work here," her daughter rolled her eyes. Angela squealed happily and hugged her.
"This will be so much fun having you work here," she gushed.
"I agree, but next time you two exchange knowledge about guys, make sure I'm out of earshot. For me you're still four," Cam told them, pointing at Kira and scrunched up her face upon remembering the last night.
"Talking about guys… you didn't say anything last night," Kira grinned at her mother while the others slowly went back to their work, leaving Kira and Cam alone on the platform.
"Because I have nothing to say," Cam shook her head. "How about some dinner before we come back here and finalize your internship?" she tried to change the topic.
"Sounds good," Kira nodded and followed Cam down the stairs.
"Then let's go," Cam added and waited in front of the stairs for Kira to catch up to her.
"This Dr. Hodgins is damn cute," Kira said and linked her arm with her mother's while they walked towards the exit of the lab. "And I think he likes you," she added.
"Oh please," Cam laughed out loud.
"What? You deny he's hot? Have you seen those eyes? And that chest? My god!" her daughter pressed on.
"I'm too old for him," Cam said and waved at Hodgins when they passed his workstation and hoped that he couldn't hear them, smiled when he waved back.
"Not true," Kira disagreed.
"Five years is a lot when the woman is older,"
"Five years, huh? That makes him only ten years older than me. Mind if I try?" Kira grinned and Cam gaped at her before she laughed and shook her head.
"I'll kill him if he ever touches you. You're still my baby," she said.
"Then you better act fast before I think about it again," Kira teased.
"I'll think about it" Cam gave in and the glass door slid open.
"Uhuh! So you admit it!" Kira grinned at her.
"I don't admit anything!" Camille protested and they both laughed. The door closed behind them and drowned out their teasing chatter and laughter. Hodgins grinned to himself behind his workstation, having heard every word and agreed silently with Kira. Five years was nothing.
The end