A NZ plot bunny found it's way back to the States, with the help of Jacey925. This one is for you, Jacey! Hope you like it!
Chapter 1—Wednesday
Booth and the squints were standing on the platform working on the current case. Brennan and Zach were hunched over the body making observations, while Booth and Hodgins were arguing about some conspiracy or other. After almost a half hour, Booth threw his hands up, refusing to argue anymore. A comfortable silence fell over the lab as they went about their work, broken only by the occasional comment about the state of the body.
All of the sudden, Brennan's cell went off, startling the scientists and the agent. Turning off her voice recorder, she answered the phone without looking at the caller ID. "Brennan," she stopped, giving the other person a chance to respond. "Oh, hey Chrissy. Yeah. Yes. No, I told you I wasn't going. I can't get away from the lab right now."
Her friends couldn't hear the person on the other end of the line, but Brennan's facial expression was enough to give away she wasn't happy with what she was being told, and her sudden outburst of anger confirmed their suspicions. "He's WHAT?!?!" she cried out, suddenly stopping mid-pace. "He can't DO that!" she visibly calmed down, as they could almost see her brain trying to look at the problem logically. "What is his argument?" she had reverted back to her composed exterior, but they could still see her seething anger behind the mask. "He can't… you know what, I'm coming," the person on the other end said something, probably pointing out the fact she had just said she couldn't go. "I don't care, he can't do this, and I'm the only one that can stop him!" she calmed even more, and Booth assumed the caller had agreed with her. "Ok, tell Jacey I'll be there," she paused again, a smile crossing her features, "Thanks, that sounds great. I'll email you my flight information ASAP, ok? Great! See you then!" she hung up the phone, turning to see her colleagues looking at her as if she was a bomb ready to explode.
"What?" she questioned her friends, who all looked away quickly, muttering "Nothing" and "Nevermind."
"Hey, Booth," she walked towards her partner, catching his gaze. "You're leaving on your vacation with Parker this weekend, right?"
"Um, yeah, Bones. We leave Monday morning. Why?" he couldn't imagine what his vacation had to do with whatever the phone call had been about, but he figured he would find out soon enough.
"Oh, I just called down to New Zealand for an emergency meeting of the IMA, and since you'll be on vacation next week, we won't have any cases around here… so it won't be too big of a deal if I go," she said, glad to have found something to do while he was out of town. The first time she had turned down the invitation to the conference, it was because she couldn't imagine going anywhere without Booth anymore, as much as that fact had bothered her. Now, though, since he wasn't going to be there, she was thankful to have something to take her mind off of him while he was down in Florida with Parker.
"IMA?" both Angela and Booth asked simultaneously, and then laughed at each other.
"International Measurement Association," Brennan replied, moving to go back to work.
"You're going to that? Really?" Hodgins asked, surprised she had given in when she had been so set against it a few weeks earlier. "What changed your mind?"
A look of disgust crossed her face, surprising both Booth and Angela. "Ronak Patel is pushing to keep the standard system of measurement, and apparently he has found quite a following."
"No way!" Hodgins exclaimed, completely engrossed in the drama happening in the IMA, "I thought they took away his license and doctorate."
"Apparently not, because he is pushing to make this committee look absolutely ridiculous, and I refuse to let him make us look like fools. We will win the vote this time," her determination was evident in the way she carried herself around the platform as she talked, making Booth smile.
"I'm sure you will. You've managed to persuade some of the strongest supporters of the standard system since the last vote," Hodgins said, thinking of Christiana Black, who he had never expected to give in, and yet was the one calling to beg Brennan to go to the meeting to go up against Ronak.
"I need you to be on conference call when we have the vote, okay Hodgins? You hold a position on the committee, and I know how much you hate this, but I'm going to need every vote I can get."
"Of course, just let me know about an hour before I have to be on the call. We'll either be here or at home all week, so just let me know when," he said, content in knowing she wasn't pushing him to go to the actual meeting, he returned to his work, trying to identify an organic compound that was found on the body.
"Ok, explain what is going on," Booth said, looking at Brennan in complete confusion, which wasn't uncommon in the lab, but today it had nothing to do with the case and he was curious.
Brennan sighed, looking up at her partner, wanting nothing more than to tell him everything that was going on. "Most of the committee information is confidential, or else I would tell you. Basically, though, Hodgins and I are both on the IMA committee, and an emergency meeting was called to discuss and vote on switching the US over to the metric system. We had assumed there wouldn't be any competition this year for the vote, but then an old enemy showed up again, and now I have to go to New Zealand for a week or so to deal with this."
"New Zealand, as in down by Australia, New Zealand?" he asked, surprised she could just up and go to New Zealand without thinking about missing work. Not that there was a lot to think about because there wouldn't be any cases, but he was still surprised.
"No, New Zealand as in the Middle East, New Zealand," she replied, rolling her eyes as his blank expression. "Of course, down by Australia, New Zealand, Booth!"
"Oh, okay," he said, pouting a little and making her feel as if she had kicked a puppy.
"I need to go book my flight, so I'll be back in a few minutes you guys. Come get me if you need me," she said, walking towards her office, already dialing her travel agent.
