Author's Note: Just a reiteration, this is a sequel to my story Sweet Wine to Vinegar, so it's really important you read that first since it sets up the AU aspects of this story! Otherwise, it will come off as weirder than it already is lmao.
I'm planning on having some chapters, meta-AU chapters as I'd like to call them, where Vincent survived and is experiencing Aida's life with Cam. However, some Cam/Arastoo will develop in the normal storyline. *gasp*

As some of you know I was very resistant to the pairing of Cam and Arastoo because I felt like the idea of it was kinda thrown together, but after watching The Devil in the Details from season 5 they had a very emotional little moment and I FELT it omg. Definite heart eyes. Arastoo and Vincent deserve Cam equally.
Ok, enough blabbing, I hope you enjoy.

For a woman who just had a baby, Cam was feeling unglued.

Though the baby had come about a month early, she had viewed her due date as one of life's odd moments that would somehow be skipped on the calendar. The ultrasounds, kicks, and burgeoning stomach certainly implied the presence of her little person. Seeing her now, swaddled at Cam's side, the full reality began to set in; this extension of her and Vincent was no longer theoretical and was now undeniably real.

Yes, the whole pain aspect of birth was widely spread and she completely felt that part, but what about the more complicated-maybe even philosophical issues-that came with it?

The presence of her precious baby, Aida, did bring of course bring a sense of joy. However, it didn't trump a more sneaking, ominous feeling that was building in the back of Cam's mind. Reaching out a hand to rub Aida's small stomach and watching her big eyes stare at Cam in wonder, she tried her best to push it out of her mind. She didn't have to feel everything right now; it would come eventually.

"So, did it feel like you thought it would?" Cam turned away from her gaze at Aida to Angela as she appeared on bedside, balancing Michael on her hip.

"It's just...so bizarre." Cam replied as she laid back in her bed as she took in the physical and mental exhaustion.

"That feeling doesn't exactly go away, just a heads up." Angela said as she sat down on Cam's bed. "This alien just appears seemingly out of nowhere, you're all sore and woozy, and they're attached to you forever. Who came up with the idea anyhow?"

They both laughed as Michael cooed on Angela's lap. "They are pretty darn cute, though." Cam reached out a finger to one of Aida's tiny, perfect fists.

"How are you feeling otherwise?" Angela reached out a comforting hand to Cam.

"I'm okay, considering everything." She squeezed Angela's hand with a smile.

"Well, yeah, birthing another person is a pretty draining thing to do. But don't worry, Michelle will be back soon and the rest of us are going to sort out the murder, eventually, somehow, while you stay and rest." Angela smiled her brilliant, trademark smile.

Cam took a moment to consider her friend, baby in tow. She could remember Angela's own whirlwind of missteps and thrills that brought her to motherhood. Personality-wise, her abundance of love and affection seemed to triple when Michael was born and motherhood quickly became her. The pre-Michael Angela was still there, but the change between the two was instant. Was everyone meant to develop the sense of motherhood that quickly?

"Aida is beautiful and all, perfect even," Cam glanced over at the delicate baby with a smile. "But how on earth do you get used to it?"

"Get used to what?"

"The whole, complete dependence thing. Sure, technically Michelle depends on me but she tries to avoid doing so as much as possible. With this baby, it's different. I feel like I have to grown some extra limbs or an extra cavity in to accompany her." Her situation was unique. She was already a mother and had experienced the general responsibility and selflessness than came with it, but her own infant was a different story

"Like I said, it's so weird. But you just kinda, accept the weirdness because this is where you were meant to be, your baby was meant to be here." Angela replied, full her of brilliant philosophicall musings as always. "You're already an amazing mother."

There was another more complicated question that Cam wanted to ask of Angela, but that moment the rest of their flock was ushered in.

"Hey, sweetie." Hodgins went over to kiss Angela on the cheek with Michael's impressive diaper bag in hand. "I brought the rest of Michael's stuff; what were you mother hens clucking about?"

With a smile, Cam also considered Hodgins' adaptation to the flurry of fatherhood and his complete adoration of Michael.

A part of her brain briefly mused on how Vincent would be adapting to this heartfelt role, maybe even how Hodgins and Booth for that matter would be encouraging him. He hadn't even been able to see her pregnant; he wasn't even allowed that joy. But when he had been alive and they were happy, he had mused about babies once or twice in his young, wistful way. Cam would sweetly laugh it off just because it seemed a bit silly given her age, but now she had wished that she had given his dreams more weight and consideration. She tried to force herself out of this train of thought before the regretful sentiment before it showed itself on her face.

She was shaken out of her lament by a shriek from Daisy who was hanging onto Sweets' arm. "Lance-lot! Look at her! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh she's so cute!" She squealed over the crib, practically jumping up and down.

"Daisy, Daisy you promised me that if I took you to see Dr. Saroyan's baby you'd keep your cool." Sweeties reflexively took Daisy by the shoulders and pulled her away from the baby. "I'm sure that the baby doesn't appreciate the noise."

"Oh Sweets," Booth began as he entered with Brennan and considerable amount of blooming pink flowers and teddy bears. "That's nothing compared to what a baby is capable of, trust me."

"Gosh, please don't remind me, Seeley." Cam said with a soft laugh.

After Brennan sat down her share of the gifts, she excitedly waddled over to Cam. "You won't believe what we found in the gift store!" From behind her back, she revealed an anatomically correct plush heart. "Its an anatomically correct heart! It has all of the arteries, veins, ventricles, and even a little face!"

"Oh, Brennan," Her brows furrowed and her tone became shrill as her joy over Brennan's excitement. The sheer glee on her face was something that Cam sorely needed.

Even the expectation of a baby was already changing Brennan. She always had the ability to be considerate and sincere, though she expressed it sparingly. Now, she had completely opened up and was more forthcoming with her love.

"Dr. Saroyan, could I hold her?" Daisy asked gently from her position by the crib with Sweets behind her, ready to pounce at any sign of untoward intensity.

At first Cam winced, but the presence of a new baby seemed to cancel out any sense of rigidity. "Alright, go ahead, but be careful." She gingerly took Aida out of the crib and handed her to Daisy, though somewhat hesitantly.

Full of careful focus, Daisy took Aida in her arms like she was a fragile piece of bone. "Hello baby," she whispered to Aida as she admired her soft, round face and gleaming eyes. Aida cooed and smiled in response. "Oh, Lance-a-lot can we please please have one?"

Sweets' face flushed as he felt a nervous sweat coming on. He was about to vehemently protest, but he too was consumed by the bouncing baby bliss. "Oh, I don't know, maybe someday." He placed an arm around Daisy and rested his chin on her shoulder, joining in Aida's pure glow.

From her bedside position Brennan too joined the adoration. As she looked at Aida, Cam noticed a slight shine develop in her green eyes which built a sense of worry in her throat. Gazing at Aida, Brennan felt overcome by a startling sense of familiarity when she look at Aida's round, cobalt eyes, full of life. She had seen these before, many times, but the last time she had was seeing life escape them.

"Cam," Brennan began as the sense of sadness grew on her face. "She just looks so..." She trailed off, becoming lost in Aida's imposing looks. She didn't need to say anymore to be immediately understood. It was what everyone was dreading, though no one wanted to admit it.

Trying to control her quivering upper lip, Cam took a deep, shaky breath. She had known from the minute the baby had opened her eyes. While she knew all babies eyes were blue—she had retained that factoid— her eyes were a different kind of blue, the all too familiar blue.

And of course Cam understood human development, and that Aida's looks would change, but everything about her features was almost too much to bare. She had Cam's light tan skin and maybe her chin, but the rest was all Vincent and no one could deny it.

Tears were bubbling out of the corner of Brennan's eyes as Cam's tears took on a similar rush which only intensified the ache in her heart. "Bones," Booth rushed over to Brennan's side, taking her in a tight embrace as a somber air hung in the hospital room.

To Cam's surprise, Brennan gently pulled away from Booth's embrace and went to Cam's side. Brushing away a tear, Brennan tightly held Cam's hand. "I'm just...so sorry. And I understand that my words can't actually change anything about...these circumstances, but if I could I would do so." She said quietly as if it were just the two of them. "A-and I want you to know that I understand the implications of this day, and that no one is forcing you to be happy i-if you can't bring yourself to be."

Feeling a lone tear creep down her cheek, Cam admired Brennan's rational ability to see past the assumed layer of joy, to understand the sense of irrevocable gain with irrevocable loss. Her baby was proof of life, and proof of a death.

Without letting herself get further tied up in this storm of thoughts, she pulled Brennan into an embrace. "I know you understand, Brennan." Brennan was also dealing with a similar duality of motherhood. The loss of her own mother and complicated relationship with her father surely brought up difficult feelings when it came to the birth of her own baby.

Setting Michael down, Angela joined them on the other side of Cam's bed while their male counterparts hung on the edge as they were careful not to disturb the peace of the moment.

Angela tucked a strand of semi-sweaty hair off of Cam's face and behind her ear. "W-we love Vincent, and we love you, and we love this baby. It's not going to be easy, but we'll be here through all of it."

This was the other feeling that was sneaking behind in the back of her mind. She felt her chest constrict and she tried to maintain composure, maintain her strength, for her friends. As tears slowly returned, she thought about the opposing good and bad, and she realized that she had wanted to ask Angela when or if she would ever be able to separate the two.

Looking past Brennan, Cam caught Aida's innocent eyes as Daisy held her. With another hitch in her throat, Cam wondered if or when this hole in her heart would ever be filled.