Chapter Two:
New Zealand. What? I'm going to New Zealand. It just settled into her brain then, and she froze. "Booth…" Came her tentative reply... "We're going to New Zealand…" she said more of a question than a statement.
"Uh huh" He gave a strange look in the rear view mirror, what did it mean?
"When...?" She asked shock evident on her face.
"Tonight, I'm taking you home to pack your bags." Eye brow raise, again she wondered what it meant. Probably he was surprised at how slow she was being tonight.
"Really..." She said slowly.
"Are you okay, Bones?"
"Mm…" she had no idea what to say now.
"Not saying much are you?" Silence enveloped the car, and she felt her stomach clench, why had she agreed? Why New Zealand. How did Booth know Yvonne? Ex-Lover?
Brennan hid her smile behind her hair. Booth's reaction when the airport was busy was definitely worth watching. He had already gotten a few stares from the passerby's but she couldn't tell whether it was because he was a stunning looking FBI agent, or because he was in such a foul mood.
"Are you laughing at me Bones?" He demanded, running his hands over his hair.
"No" Quickly forcing the smile down, and putting on the usual Bones expression. Un-readable; Booth just carried on muttering.
"We're at the gate Booth, you can calm down now." She smiled reassuringly, and he grinned back.
"I'm glad you agreed to coming" he said. She didn't say anything. "Aren't you a little excited about going to New Zealand?" Booth asked as they settled into their seats.
"No, it's work. The only difference is we're going to be doing our work in a different country. Much to my annoyance…" Brennan frowned to compliment her words.
"You love your work!" Booth said, raising his eye brows.
"Sometimes, but generally it's more satisfying, than likeable, or exciting."
"It's exciting when I'm around" Booth boasted, chest puffed out. She couldn't disagree without lying. It was definitely more exciting doing cases with this FBI agent. It was a little better than working with eight hundred year old skeletons, though she'd never admit to it.
xx
They'd been on the plane a few hours when Brennan brought up Yvonne.
"So this Barracks, how do you know her?"
"Yvonne… We go way back. She moved to New Zealand after high school, we were friends." Booth put an emphasis on friends.
"Are you sure?" Brennan asked a hint of teasing in her voice.
"Is that you, joking Miss Brennan!" Booth exclaimed. He chuckled. "Yes I'm sure, why do you ask – it couldn't be because you're jealous of my lovers?"
"I won't even bother responding to that" She muttered.
"Oh but you just did" Brennan sighed heavily.
"I didn't respond to what you said, I just –" she couldn't explain it, she was too tired. "Look, who cares?" Booth widened his eyes.
"You can't prove you're right, so you claim you are tired!" He winked. "I-"
He began to say something else but Brennan punched him in the shoulder, and harder than he had expected. Rubbing it he muttered something about squints being stronger than they looked, and she eyed him warningly. He shut up – not wishing to be on the receiving end of another one of her punches.
She rested her head against the back of the seat, obviously settling in to sleep. He gave an amused smile, most women would have rested their head on his shoulder, and he did seem to have that effect on woman. But this one, this one was just too damn independent for her own good!
Booth was shocked to wake up and find Brennans head resting on his shoulder; had she changed her mind after all? But after ten minutes or so of thinking about her; he couldn't imagine her doing that of her own accord. He knew she noticed the sparks flew between them sometimes, but didn't let on. He wondered if he'd ever break down those walls surrounding her. He resisted the urge to touch her hair.
Xx
"New Zealand is quite…" Brennan couldn't find the right words, she was still feeling a little flustered; as the day before on the plane she had fallen asleep. Her head on Booths shoulder. She was glad he hadn't said anything about it, just shook her awake as they landed at their stop over.
A group of teenagers walked by, a boy spat near her feet and she jumped backwards; straight into Booth. She stepped to the side, grimacing. She hated people spitting, it wasn't only unhygienic, and it also showed lack of manners. The group of teenagers all had out cigarettes, and looked far too young to be smoking.
"Kia Ora," a voice to their left said, and a police officer held out his hand. Booth took it.
"Hi," he said, not knowing what Kia Ora meant.
"What does Kia Ora mean?" Brennan asked abruptly, without saying Hello or taking the officers hand. The officer pulled it back, raised his eye brows at Booth who just raised his eye brows right back at him.
"You must be Dr. Brennan, aye? Well Kia Ora, means Hello in Maori."
"Oh yes, I have read about the Maori culture, I-" but Booth cut her off before she could begin a speech, and offend the officer standing before them – who happened to be Maori.
"My name is Rangi Huatare." The officer said.
"Special Agent Seeley Booth," Booth said smiling. "Forensic Anthropologist, Dr. Temperance Brennan" Booth said for Brennan, and gestured towards her. Even though the officer seemed to already know who she was.
"You can call me Tempe" Booth had nearly forgotten she preferred to be called Tempe, and cringed as she again scowled in his direction.
"Well I'll be taking you to your hotel; will you be sharing a room?" Tempe blushed. And Booth laughed.
"I don't think so…" he said finally, a hint of laughter still in his voice.
"Oh well, I'll get you two rooms then. It's quite a drive, I'll be taking you in to Lower Hutt, as it's closer to the bush track that the remay-" the officer paused and glanced at Brennan, Booth suddenly realised the officer had no idea what a Forensic Anthropologist was, he probably thought she'd be upset hearing the details of the skeleton. Although, the word 'Forensic' should have tipped him off. But the officer's eyes were darting all over the place, as if he wasn't concentrating on what he was talking about.
"She'll be working with the remains," Booth jerked his thumb at Brennan.
"I'd like to go as soon as we've dropped our bags off – if you could tell me where the Regional Park is, is it named 'Belmont'?" Brennan asked, swinging a bag over her shoulder.
"Yes, well – if you're sure…" Officer Huatare said hesitantly.
"I'm sure." She answered. The officer looked more than a little shocked.
The car trip was long, the officer explained everything he could about the skeletons, and about the girl they suspected it to be. Both Brennan and Booth listened in silence, and asked a few questions after he'd finished, but really there wasn't much to the case so far.
"Booth, why do they want me…?" Brennan asked after a few minutes silence.
"Yvonne wants you, I doubt they have a Forensic Anthropologist here… But you'll have to ask her." Booth said.
"But why are you here…?" She looked like she had caught onto him already, and he felt a little apprehensive about telling her why he was here.
"Well, they don't actually need the FBI… But you're involved." Brennan stared at him angrily.
"You think I can't do my job alone? That I need you…?" She demanded angrily, cheeks reddening.
"No, no it's not that. You annoy the hell out of me Bones, I'm not doing it for you – I'm doing it for all these poor kiwis." He gestured to Rangi Huatare in the driver's side, who refused to catch either of their eyes, not wishing to be involved.
Officer Huatare had been listening to the partners arguing, from the driver's side. Booth and Brennan had opted to sit in the back, so that they could go over case notes if needed – but after their argument, both were feeling car sick driving down the highway past the harbour, and decided against reading the files until they got to the Hotel; they knew nearly everything from Officer Huatare anyway.
A/n: Please review! Do you think I should carry on? Is the second chapter a disappointment? Is it too long? Just give me your ideas, or anything!
-- Chrissy
