fic: from debris (you and me could start something) (bones; gen - cam and sweets)
Title: from debris (you and me could start something)
Author: empressearwig
Pairing/Fandom: Gen - Cam, Sweets; Bones
Spoilers: The Beginning in the End
Rating: G
Word Count: ~1380
Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is all for fun. This hasn't happened. Yet. Etc.
Summary: Traditions have to come from somewhere. This is an origin story.
Author's Notes: Written for the prompt "movie night" for the wild card spot on my schmoop_bingo card. More or less a prequel to the fic mistaken for strangers. Thanks to torigates for the help.
Later, after, when it's become just another thing that they do, neither of them will remember how it starts. It starts like this.
***
Cam's in the middle of a conference call when she gets the email from Sweets. If anyone else was around to see it, she'd probably be a little embarassed at the speed with which she clicks to open it, but since all her employees abandonded her for destinations on the other side of the world, she can't bring herself to care. Besides, it's her third budget meeting in the last two weeks. No one could blame her for being bored out of her mind. The email reads:
From: Lance Sweets
To: Camille Saroyan
Subject: I'm bored
Are you bored? Please tell me you're bored.
She starts to laugh and then remembers what she's in the middle of and turns it into a cough instead. She replies.
To: Lance Sweets
From: Camille Saroyan
Subject: Re: I'm bored
Bored doesn't even begin to cover it. Lunch?
She's barely hit send when his reply pops up on her screen.
To: Camille Saroyan
From: Lance Sweets
Subject: Re: Re: I'm bored
1 pm?
She smiles and replies one last time.
To: Lance Sweets
From: Camille Saroyan
Subject: Re: Re: Re: I'm bored
See you there.
Cam closes her email and tries to do her job. Mostly she watches the clock instead. And pretends not to think about how lunch with Sweets has become the high point of her day.
***
They meet at the diner. In the beginning, right after everyone left, they'd tried having their "we got left behind" support group meetings other places, but none of them stuck. Sweets said that it was because their subconconsciouses knew they were avoiding it and that they knew that they had to confront the issues head on. Cam thought it was because she missed the diner's fries. They agreed to disagree.
Sweets is waiting for her when Cam arrives, sitting at the counter, staring down at a menu. She slips onto the stool next to his and sets her purse down on the counter.
"I don't know why you're even looking at that," she says by way of a greeting. "You always order the same thing."
Sweets looks up and turns his head to face her. "I don't think that's true."
She steals the menu from him, tapping a fingernail against it. "Fine, you order one thing for breakfast and one for lunch. You always order the same two things."
He frowns. "I don't."
She nods, amused at his distressed reaction. "You do. Tell me, Dr. Sweets, what sort of psychological insight would that offer you into a patient?"
"The kind I wouldn't share with anyone but the patient," he shoots back, snatching the menu from her hand. He studies it intently, and Cam laughs. She doesn't see the waitress stop in front of them.
"Can I get you something to drink?"
Cam blinks once and turns towards the voice. "Just water, thanks." The woman nods and disappears and Cam turns her attention back to Sweets. "Are you going to share that?"
He shakes his head, still staring down at it with absolute concentration, like if he looks at it for long enough, the answers to all of life's little mysteries will appear there, between the salads and the blue chip special.
She starts to feel bad. She didn't mean it like that. "Sweets," she says, trying for an apologetic tone. "I'm sorry, I didn't --"
He shakes his head again and smiles at her. The smile doesn't make it all the way to his eyes and it's just the smallest bit sad. There's an unexpected pang in Cam's heart. "It's fine," he says and he slides the menu back across the counter to her. "It's just one of those days."
She has to resist the urge to reach out and ruffle his hair and tell him it will all be okay. She thinks that would be beyond either of their diginities. "Anything you want to talk about?" she asks instead, looking down at the menu, but peeking at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Nah," he says, taking a drink of his coffee. "How are things at the lab?"
She gives a short laugh. "What lab? I don't think I've left my office for a week. I didn't realize how much paperwork I got out of by having dead bodies appear on a regular basis. And if I never have to have another budget meeting, it will be too soon."
The corners of Sweets mouth twitch up into a small grin and it makes Cam smile. That's better. "That sounds awful," he says solemnly. "I don't know how you're managing to cope."
And now she's done feeling sorry for him. "I'll have you know --" she starts, but the waitress reappears with her water and she doesn't get any farther.
"What'll you have?" the waitress demands, flipping the page on her order pad.
Sweets looks at her expectantly and Cam chooses blindly. "Ah, the Cobb Salad, please."
"And the Reuben," Sweets adds. "Please."
The waitress nods and disappears with the menu. Cam turns to look at Sweets. "That's different."
He shrugs and gives her a self-deprecating smile. "What can I say, you inspired me."
She laughs at that and takes a sip of her water. "If you say so, Dr. Sweets."
He nudges her with his elbow. "Take the compliment, Dr. Saroyan."
She raises an eyebrow at him. "Is that what that was? I think you could use some work in that department." She means it in jest, but she sees his face start to fall just the slightest bit and she rushes the next words out without even thinking. "So what are you doing this weekend?"
The sadness on his face is replaced with confusion and he gives her a look like she's lost her mind. "Cam," he says slowly. "You realize it's Tuesday, right?"
"Your point being?"
"Fair enough." He shakes his head. "As far as I know, I have no plans. Just like last weekend. And the weekend before." He gives her a half smile. "And you?"
"The same," she admits. "We're kind of pathetic, aren't we? Do you think the rest of them are sitting around doing nothing?"
"Well," he says. "I don't think you can really sit around and do nothing in a war zone. Or on a dig. Angela and Hodgins, maybe."
She gives him a look. "Do you really think Angela would sit around Paris and do nothing?"
He laughs. "You may have a point." He takes a drink of coffee. "What do you suggest we do about it?"
She hadn't really thought that far in advance and the sudden appearance of their waitress with their lunches is a relief. They both apply themselves to their food, but the question lingers between them, unanswered. Cam's just speared a tomato wedge when the answer comes to her. She sets down her fork and turns to Sweets. "The movies."
His head swivels toward her and he looks confused. "Excuse me?"
"Let's go to the movies," she elaborates impatiently. "Isn't there some new big movie out? I thought I heard Michelle mention something about seeing it with her friends."
Sweets nods, confusion still evident on his face. "Inception," he says. "Well, probably. You want to go to the movies?"
She shrugs. She's not really sure she wants to go to the movies, but it's something different. Something to do. Something that doesn't involve staring at the walls, and cursing at all her friends for leaving her behind. "Yes."
"Okay," Sweets says. She can see the excitement growing on his face. "I'm in. This is going to be awesome."
She winces. She doesn't need to be reminded how much closer to Michelle's age than hers he is. "Please don't use that word."
"Sorry," he says, all contrition. "Should we --"
She picks her fork back up. "We'll talk about it later. It is only Tuesday."
"Right," Sweets nods. He picks up half his sandwich, but turns to give her a smile. "Great idea, Cam."
She smiles as she takes her next bite. It wasn't a half bad one if she does say so herself.
***
They go to see Inception on Friday night. And again on Saturday.
Cam refuses to see it for a third time on Sunday. Sweets lets her pick the next movie.
Author: empressearwig
Pairing/Fandom: Gen - Cam, Sweets; Bones
Spoilers: The Beginning in the End
Rating: G
Word Count: ~1380
Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is all for fun. This hasn't happened. Yet. Etc.
Summary: Traditions have to come from somewhere. This is an origin story.
Author's Notes: Written for the prompt "movie night" for the wild card spot on my schmoop_bingo card. More or less a prequel to the fic mistaken for strangers. Thanks to torigates for the help.
Later, after, when it's become just another thing that they do, neither of them will remember how it starts. It starts like this.
***
Cam's in the middle of a conference call when she gets the email from Sweets. If anyone else was around to see it, she'd probably be a little embarassed at the speed with which she clicks to open it, but since all her employees abandonded her for destinations on the other side of the world, she can't bring herself to care. Besides, it's her third budget meeting in the last two weeks. No one could blame her for being bored out of her mind. The email reads:
From: Lance Sweets
To: Camille Saroyan
Subject: I'm bored
Are you bored? Please tell me you're bored.
She starts to laugh and then remembers what she's in the middle of and turns it into a cough instead. She replies.
To: Lance Sweets
From: Camille Saroyan
Subject: Re: I'm bored
Bored doesn't even begin to cover it. Lunch?
She's barely hit send when his reply pops up on her screen.
To: Camille Saroyan
From: Lance Sweets
Subject: Re: Re: I'm bored
1 pm?
She smiles and replies one last time.
To: Lance Sweets
From: Camille Saroyan
Subject: Re: Re: Re: I'm bored
See you there.
Cam closes her email and tries to do her job. Mostly she watches the clock instead. And pretends not to think about how lunch with Sweets has become the high point of her day.
***
They meet at the diner. In the beginning, right after everyone left, they'd tried having their "we got left behind" support group meetings other places, but none of them stuck. Sweets said that it was because their subconconsciouses knew they were avoiding it and that they knew that they had to confront the issues head on. Cam thought it was because she missed the diner's fries. They agreed to disagree.
Sweets is waiting for her when Cam arrives, sitting at the counter, staring down at a menu. She slips onto the stool next to his and sets her purse down on the counter.
"I don't know why you're even looking at that," she says by way of a greeting. "You always order the same thing."
Sweets looks up and turns his head to face her. "I don't think that's true."
She steals the menu from him, tapping a fingernail against it. "Fine, you order one thing for breakfast and one for lunch. You always order the same two things."
He frowns. "I don't."
She nods, amused at his distressed reaction. "You do. Tell me, Dr. Sweets, what sort of psychological insight would that offer you into a patient?"
"The kind I wouldn't share with anyone but the patient," he shoots back, snatching the menu from her hand. He studies it intently, and Cam laughs. She doesn't see the waitress stop in front of them.
"Can I get you something to drink?"
Cam blinks once and turns towards the voice. "Just water, thanks." The woman nods and disappears and Cam turns her attention back to Sweets. "Are you going to share that?"
He shakes his head, still staring down at it with absolute concentration, like if he looks at it for long enough, the answers to all of life's little mysteries will appear there, between the salads and the blue chip special.
She starts to feel bad. She didn't mean it like that. "Sweets," she says, trying for an apologetic tone. "I'm sorry, I didn't --"
He shakes his head again and smiles at her. The smile doesn't make it all the way to his eyes and it's just the smallest bit sad. There's an unexpected pang in Cam's heart. "It's fine," he says and he slides the menu back across the counter to her. "It's just one of those days."
She has to resist the urge to reach out and ruffle his hair and tell him it will all be okay. She thinks that would be beyond either of their diginities. "Anything you want to talk about?" she asks instead, looking down at the menu, but peeking at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Nah," he says, taking a drink of his coffee. "How are things at the lab?"
She gives a short laugh. "What lab? I don't think I've left my office for a week. I didn't realize how much paperwork I got out of by having dead bodies appear on a regular basis. And if I never have to have another budget meeting, it will be too soon."
The corners of Sweets mouth twitch up into a small grin and it makes Cam smile. That's better. "That sounds awful," he says solemnly. "I don't know how you're managing to cope."
And now she's done feeling sorry for him. "I'll have you know --" she starts, but the waitress reappears with her water and she doesn't get any farther.
"What'll you have?" the waitress demands, flipping the page on her order pad.
Sweets looks at her expectantly and Cam chooses blindly. "Ah, the Cobb Salad, please."
"And the Reuben," Sweets adds. "Please."
The waitress nods and disappears with the menu. Cam turns to look at Sweets. "That's different."
He shrugs and gives her a self-deprecating smile. "What can I say, you inspired me."
She laughs at that and takes a sip of her water. "If you say so, Dr. Sweets."
He nudges her with his elbow. "Take the compliment, Dr. Saroyan."
She raises an eyebrow at him. "Is that what that was? I think you could use some work in that department." She means it in jest, but she sees his face start to fall just the slightest bit and she rushes the next words out without even thinking. "So what are you doing this weekend?"
The sadness on his face is replaced with confusion and he gives her a look like she's lost her mind. "Cam," he says slowly. "You realize it's Tuesday, right?"
"Your point being?"
"Fair enough." He shakes his head. "As far as I know, I have no plans. Just like last weekend. And the weekend before." He gives her a half smile. "And you?"
"The same," she admits. "We're kind of pathetic, aren't we? Do you think the rest of them are sitting around doing nothing?"
"Well," he says. "I don't think you can really sit around and do nothing in a war zone. Or on a dig. Angela and Hodgins, maybe."
She gives him a look. "Do you really think Angela would sit around Paris and do nothing?"
He laughs. "You may have a point." He takes a drink of coffee. "What do you suggest we do about it?"
She hadn't really thought that far in advance and the sudden appearance of their waitress with their lunches is a relief. They both apply themselves to their food, but the question lingers between them, unanswered. Cam's just speared a tomato wedge when the answer comes to her. She sets down her fork and turns to Sweets. "The movies."
His head swivels toward her and he looks confused. "Excuse me?"
"Let's go to the movies," she elaborates impatiently. "Isn't there some new big movie out? I thought I heard Michelle mention something about seeing it with her friends."
Sweets nods, confusion still evident on his face. "Inception," he says. "Well, probably. You want to go to the movies?"
She shrugs. She's not really sure she wants to go to the movies, but it's something different. Something to do. Something that doesn't involve staring at the walls, and cursing at all her friends for leaving her behind. "Yes."
"Okay," Sweets says. She can see the excitement growing on his face. "I'm in. This is going to be awesome."
She winces. She doesn't need to be reminded how much closer to Michelle's age than hers he is. "Please don't use that word."
"Sorry," he says, all contrition. "Should we --"
She picks her fork back up. "We'll talk about it later. It is only Tuesday."
"Right," Sweets nods. He picks up half his sandwich, but turns to give her a smile. "Great idea, Cam."
She smiles as she takes her next bite. It wasn't a half bad one if she does say so herself.
***
They go to see Inception on Friday night. And again on Saturday.
Cam refuses to see it for a third time on Sunday. Sweets lets her pick the next movie.