He impatiently looked at his watch for the fifth time in as many minutes. Why the hell were they still at the lab at 6:30 on a Saturday afternoon? If they didn't pack it up soon, he would leave without them.
"Are you ready to go Dr. Brennan? It's time."
She instinctively looked at her watch and confirmed his assessment. She quickly finished up her task at hand and grabbed her belongings.
"I'm ready Hodgins. Do you have everything we need.?"
Jack smiled at her as he followed her out of the Jeffersonian. "All stocked up, Dr. B."
When they arrived at Hodgins house, jackets and shoes were tossed aside in abandon as they raced to the couch. They smiled at each other mischievously, as they did every time they got together like this, at least once a month.
Their gaze was interrupted by the front door slamming voices filling the hall. "Is it on?" an excited Cam asked.
"Just about," Jack replied. "Sweets, it's your turn to grab a round of beers."
Sweets reluctantly obeyed, mumbling "it's always my turn to get the stupid beers" on his way to the well-stocked fridge. Trying to save himself from the future trips he knew they would send him on, he quickly prepared a tray of an array of snacks for the different tastes of each of the guests.
As usual, no one recognized his efforts as he handed out beers and placed the snack tray on the coffee table, but he had given up fishing for compliments over the last 2 months and just joined the others in front of the television.
"Do you two have excuses for Booth and Angela if they call?" asked Cam, one eye on the opening sequence.
"I was going to tell him that I grabbed food with you guys after leaving the lab and just want to finish a chapter on my book. I'll have to promise to see him tomorrow probably, but it should be enough to get him to leave me alone for the night."
"I don't usually plan what to say. It seems more genuine when I come up with things on the spot to tell Angela."
"Remind me again why they are not invited and why we lie to them?" asked Sweets, the relative newbie to the goings-on of the group.
"They both think it's barbaric, Angela especially. It's just better that they don't know. Got it Sweets?" Jack glared at Lance as threatening as he could, demanding cooperation.
"Got it, but I think they would, at least Booth would…"
Sweets stopped talking as Brennan and Cam both joined in glaring at the young therapist.
"Fine," Sweets grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest and once again stared at the TV.
"The first fights starting! Everyone have there bets ready?" Cam exclaimed.
"I want to put 20 on the guy in red shorts!" Brennan grabbed the money out of her purse and gave it to Cam, the keeper of the bets.
For the next three hours, the night consisted of Sweets making beer and snack runs as the rest of the group screamed at the TV, routing for their favorite martial artists duking it out in the octagon.