Fic: Clean and Detached (#62 in ATLBU)

[only_more_love]

Title: Clean and Detached
[I borrowed the title from a bit of Cam's dialog in The Verdict in the Story. She said to the team, "Clean and detached, people -- just the way Dr. Brennan likes it."]

Rating: K or PG
Characters: Cam, Booth, Brennan
Spoilers: For The Verdict in the Story.
Timeline: Set toward the end of The Verdict in the Story.
Word Count: 200
Acknowledgments: HUGE thanks to all the folks who have ever commented on this series. I know some people are a little (ha ha) suspicious of brevity, but writing these moments is such fun for me.
Disclaimer: Though I wish Booth and Brennan belonged to me, they don't.  FOX owns 'em; I'm just borrowing them for entertainment purposes.  No copyright infringement is intended.

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Click here to read the other ficlets in this series.

“I didn’t ask you your opinion of Dr. Brennan’s character. I asked you: did she have time?”

Cam’s breath stutters as she waits for Booth’s answer.

“Yes. She had time,” Booth finally says, implicating his partner as a potential suspect, and as Cam glimpses his face, she knows she’s seeing something intensely private.

She wonders if he knows he’s laid his heart as bare as the hearts of the people she’s examined on her autopsy table.

Her gaze swoops to her jacket sleeve, but it’s too late. Before, it was just a suspicion. Now, she knows. Cam feels an ache in her stomach – a pang of something that isn’t hunger. A self-deprecating smile twists her mouth when she realizes what it is.

Tonight, at home, she’ll sip her wine and finish the book she started last night, her fingertips skimming over paper. Then, on nights when paper turns to skin, the eyes that meet hers will be warm with lust, not the thing gleaming in Booth’s eyes as he looks across the courtroom at Dr. Brennan as if they’re alone.

With Booth, heat’s mellowed into friendship. But is it too much to ask that someone look at her like that?

---

A/N: If you're wondering why the point of view character in this is Cam, the answer's simple. First, I wanted to try something a little different. Second, I'm working on something a bit longer in response to The Verdict in the Story, and I didn't want to cannibalize it for these ficlets. Still, I did want to write something drabble-y related to Verdict. So then I thought a little Cam POV might be interesting.

Anyone out there write using third person omniscient point of view? I tend to favor third person limited. I'm curious how omniscient feels for you, if you've utilized it.

Comments

[justice79.livejournal.com]

Nice change of pace for you, I enjoyed it. Also glad to hear you are working on a post-fic for this episode. It certainly seems to have inspired you. This episode has almost inspired me to write a fic. Almost.

Cam's a silent partner in the patron saints of B'n'B club, so it is fitting to do it from her POV.

[lime-mhc.livejournal.com]

I liked Cam's POV here, since I to me I felt a bit voyeuristic looking at the look on Booth's face in that particular scene. It's nice that someone else saw it, especially a character -- how could you miss that beacon of a look?

[her-lovelyheart.livejournal.com]

Wow, I really love that. I really do. I disliked Cam at first because, well, duh, how dare she be with Bones' man, Booth? Haha. But, I've warmed up to her, she's a good person and I like her.

I really love this because I can just imagine her feelings, completely. I wish they had closed in on the team's faces during this scene because this is probably what we would have seen.

That courtroom scene... I swear, David Boreanaz TOOK MY BREATH AWAY. He was amazing. The man is perfection. His face, his eyes, his voice when he says, "that's a lotta heart, Bones". PERFECTION. And Emily @ the end, the smile on her faces and just... looking at Booth and Booth looking at him. CAN THEY BE ANY MORE PERFECT TOGETHER?! NO, the answer is no, they can't. =]

I'd love it if you'd write more little one-shots from this episode. I am still reeling from how awesome this episode is, I had to watch it again this afternoon and just love love love love it even more! ♥

[inanna-ishtar.livejournal.com]

I really liked the Cam POV.

I've written that omniscient POV before, but I tend to keep away from it now, simply because to me it's a fic cliche and can be cringe-inducing when done badly. I don't think I've ever done it well, and have read a lot of badfic done this way.

Yours was done wonderfully, because Cam DOES see Booth has deeper feelings for Brennan than perhaps he should. Cam knows Booth, intimately, and so if anyone other than Angela is going to spot the sparks between them, it would be Cam.

I think Bones is one of the few shows you could do this, because this season has been full of fanfic cliches. The kiss, Brennan and the baby, etc..

Having said that, your fic did not come across as a cliche. You wrote it with class, and kept the characters true.
I enjoyed reading this :0)

[bertie456.livejournal.com]

Lovely ficlet. Cam rarely seems to get mentioned in fics (other than "OMG, evol!!1!") so I love seeing things written sympathetically from her POV.

With Booth, heat’s mellowed into friendship. But is it too much to ask that someone look at her like that?
*melts* And this is why I adore Cam. (And you. Obv.) :)

[witchofthedogs.livejournal.com]

I'm working on something a bit longer in response to The Verdict in the Story

Nowplz?kthxbye.


*g*

[pipergirl07.livejournal.com]

Poor Cam. I took a liking to her character as soon as the writers removed that silly competition between her and Brennan. Their relationship is just so full of layers (omg! they're, like, Shrek! ;)

"is it too much to ask that someone look at her like that?" Tugged at my heartstrings, you did.

[nonores.livejournal.com]

Very well done.
I don't especially like Cam but you make me feel sorry for her. *shakes fist*

In all fairness - she does bring the awesome sometimes. But the ep where she asks him to go to dinner with her family and when her sister kisses Booth she gets mad at Booth - - sort of sealed my dislike. She definately had ulterior motives in asking him but to side with her sister when she knows what Booth (and her sister) are like just seemed....wrong.

I agree with her_lovelyheart - - it would hae been great to see the reaction from the rest of the team. That's been something that was lacking in a couple other eps, too.

quote: "Nowplz?kthxbye."
HEE!

[makd.livejournal.com]

I like the change in POV. You've picked up on a tiny detail in TVITS that I noticed the second time I watched it: namely that Cam is watching Booth on the stand, wondering WTH happened and when. I am so glad I wasn't the only one who noticed it! ::hugs::

And yes: I'd love for Cam to have someone look at her that way. Just not Booth. :-)

Jeez - I wish we could all get together and watch an episode together, with coffee. :-)

[buffyangellvr23.livejournal.com]

nice work...I can't put words together like the other commenters but I loved the fic :)

[tempertemper77.livejournal.com]

I loved this. I've been thinking about Cam and her lack of love lately.

This was fab: Then, on nights when paper turns to skin, the eyes that meet hers will be warm with lust, not the thing gleaming in Booth’s eyes as he looks across the courtroom at Dr. Brennan as if they’re alone.

Great imagery with the paper to skin.

Re: Third person omni.. I almost always write like this.. it's just the way stuff comes out. Obv you have to stick to one POV in each paragraph at least (!) and it tends to come in blocks of POV for me, like a conversation almost. Sometimes it feels a little shaky and needs correcting - eg. if I focus too much on one character, then the others POV is a bit of a jolt. Mail me if this makes no sense/you want to ask anything :)

[fangirlgonewild.livejournal.com]

This is probably because I started watching Bones only recently, and therefore already knew Cam didn't last long, but I like Cam. (Actually, given that she barely impeded B/B I was shocked to discover the amount of hatred for her. I mean, I get shipper hate. I hated both Hannah and Duncan for coming between LoVe on Veronica Mars...but Cam was...well, another story for another time.) I admire her very practical point of view and I think she conducts her duties with immense poise. But she, like Brennan, is very isolated in her own way, which I think you captured perfectly here.

The only time I've ever come close to third person omniscent is switching between people during a fic, which isn't really the same at all. I think so many novels use 3p limited that it's hard to wrap my mind around it when I write.

[freevortex.livejournal.com]

Nice little story. I have wondered for a while what exactly Cam thinks of the whole thing; how she reacts to it.

I usually write as a weird sort of limited/omniscient point of view- basically I climb into different characters' minds at different times- which sounds strange but (I think) works. Personally, if I had to choose one, I would write in limited because although you can't say everything, you can show details details details about specific things and get into the character's mind.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_missmargaret_/]

Ahh...what a breath of fresh air. Good Cam fics are pretty scarce in this fandom, yes?

Really, I loved the tone of this fic. And you gave Cam such a relate-able (sp?? I don't even know :)) idea to share with the readers. That longing for someone to look at you in a certain way. And not quite sure how much sense I'm making as I'm running on virtually no sleep, but just know that this was a very lovely fic and I'm adding it to my mems for later! :)

As always well done...

[obsidianagirl.livejournal.com]

I like the closure we get here. The pure emotion in the look on Booth's face and the choked way he says, "That's a lotta heart, Bones.", was very powerful.

Thanks for the Cam POV...Have you posted the larger fic based on this episode? What is the title?

Sid

[amilyn.livejournal.com]

Excellent.