*****THE PROMPT IS THE COVER PIC FOR THE FIC JUST IN CASE IT WASN'T CLEAR*****
Toby had noticed a change in Happy's behavior over the past few weeks, it was his job as the team's shrink after all, but yet it still didn't cease to ignite curiosity within him over what had caused the change.
Every Friday for the past two weeks, as soon a case was over and Walter said they could go home, Happy would rush out the door like a bullet, shouting goodbyes to the team halfway out the door. At first Toby had thought she was trying to avoid him, but she didn't act any different at work, she still engaged in the sexual-tension-filled banter that characterized their friendship, so the logical conclusion was that the change wasn't because of him. So where was she rushing off too? A date? A guy? Toby hated the thought of Happy running out to meet up with that music guy Peyton again, so after yet another week of watching her disappear out the door in a rush, Toby made the spur-of-the-moment decision to follow her and find out where she was running off too.
Slowly the street he followed her on became a highway, then the highway became a rural road, then the rural road became a forest dirt track, and then nothing at all. It was then that Toby felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and looked at the display to see it was Happy calling him, he quickly answered it with a swipe of his finger.
"Doc, what do you think you're doing?" Her voice was surprisingly calm despite the nature of the call.
Toby tried his best to play it cool, "I'm just going for a nice trek in the woods, I hear the views are great this time of year"
Happy sighed in response and then said, "well look, you've come this far, and even though I realised you were following me the minute I got onto the highway but I knew you're too stubborn to stop even if I asked you to, you might as well come with me considering you're so curious." Quickly Happy parked her car and jumped out before grabbing a sleeping bag and a duffel out of her car.
Toby jumped out of his car far too quickly to be suave, and tried unsuccessfully to save himself by walking slowly over to Happy.
"So are you going to tell me where we are or where we are going or am I just blindly following you into the forest without any sense of direction?" Toby inquired sarcastically, while secretly ecstatic Happy had allowed him to come along.
Happy glared at him, "You followed me here without any idea where I was going, so I'm not going to tell you where we are going but say another word from now until we reach the spot and I will ditch you in the middle of the forest and leave you to fend for yourself okay Doc?" Despite the fact she tried to maintain a cold demeanour, she couldn't help but smirk at the thought of Toby trying to survive in the forest.
Toby opened his mouth to speak, but decided to keep the comment to himself. br / "Good" said Happy in response to his silence, "Now let's hurry up, I would like to get there before dark!" Quickly Happy turned down a hidden path and led Toby through the forest until they reached a shed hidden behind bracken and ferns.
"Oh Happy, could it be I have followed you to your secret lair where all your dead bodies lie? I guess I always knew it existed, but I never thought I would see it with my own eyes!" Teased Toby, faking astonishment.
"If you wanna join them keep on talking, Doc." Retorted Happy with feigned seriousness. Quickly Happy unlocked the shed and pulled out some more tools and wood before handing them to Toby.
"You can at least make yourself useful considering you invited yourself here." Huffed Happy pretending that she wasn't secretly glad he had come along.
"Hey I was concerned for your wellbeing and decided that you needed a guard to protect you on your journey to wherever that may be! And don't lie, you love my company." Happy only smirked in response to his comment, then locked up the shed and continued down the path.
The dense forest opened up to a clearing, and what lay in the clearing was something Toby never would have expected Happy to be sneaking off to build. It was a fort built up between the trees from wood with a steel ladder reaching up to it. Toby stood there, mesmerised at the sight.
He stammered to find the words, "did you...how did you… you built this?" he enquired, taking in the scenery that lay around him.
"Yeah took me two weekends, almost finished too, but I still want to make a few changes, perhaps make wooden steps on the trees so I don't have to keep that metal ladder laying around, and maybe a canopy made from the leaves."
"Wow Happy, so this is where you have disappearing off to? Why didn't you just tell us?" Toby already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from Happy.
"I wanted to keep it a secret, besides, it's not even finished yet, so why would I present an unfinished product? Anyway, now you've seen it, are you satisfied?" Part of Happy wanted to work in the solitude and then spend the night looking up at the stars alone, but then the part of her she had tried to extinguish for so long wanted Toby to stay, for him sit and talk with her while she worked, to fill the eerie silence of the forest.
"Nuhuh you're not getting rid of me that easily, there is no way I drove all this way just to get back in my car a few minutes later, whether you like it not, I'm sleeping here." Toby winked as he spoke, and Happy feigned frustration at his response.
"You don't have any sleeping gear, although I may have a spare in my shed in case mine ever got dirty, but I only have enough food for myself, so you will go hungry." She stared into his deep brown eyes, wondering how much he wanted to stay, and whether he was willing to give up eating for tonight to do it.
"I ate a huge lunch so I'll be fine till morning" he grinned, and Happy tried to hide her smile by turning back up the path towards the shed to fetch him a sleeping bag. The smile did not go unnoticed by Toby, but he decided it was best not to comment on it.
After a few hours had gone by consisting of Happy working hard and Toby trying to distract her or engaging in relaxed conversation while she worked, Happy zipped open her bag and pulled out a sandwich she had prepared before she left as dinner. She moved herself so that she sat on the edge of the loft next to Toby, looking out to the mountain and the river in the gorge.
She handed half the sandwich to Toby, "look, if you don't eat I'm only going to have to put up with your complaining for the rest of the night about how your stomach is committing suicide, so just take the sandwich Toby." She looked him in the eye when she spoke, and Toby noticed that here, she felt truly happy, but whether it was because he was here or because of the scenery he couldn't tell, he hoped it was the first option though. Silently he took the sandwich and began biting into it, he recognised it as Happy's favourite, PBJ.
Happy took a deep breath and sighed, "When I was little, the day before my dad dropped me off and left me at the home, he took me here. I remember sitting on his shoulders as he stood at the edge of the mountain, just looking out, trying to remember as much of the scenery as I could so that someday I could return. Most kids wouldn't remember something like that so long ago, I don't think he thought I would remember it, but I guess he wanted the last day to be somewhat okay." It wasn't often that Happy talked about her childhood voluntarily, so Toby let her speak without interrupting.
"It took me ages to find this place, I mean it wasn't the exact place he took me, I think it's further to the east of the mountain, but it's still the same forest, hasn't really changed in 25 years." She stopped and took another bite of her sandwich.
Once he was sure she had finished talking, Toby replied "Leo Carillo Beach." He said with a sigh, and Happy turned to him with a look of confusion on her face.
"That's the place for me," he continued, "the place where I have the fondest memory of my parents. I must have been five, and it was boiling hot, something like 113 degrees, and so my parents took me to the beach. There were no fights, no struggles, no breakdowns, just the three of us." He smiled, looking out to the scenery, and Happy couldn't help but smile too. "I think everyone who struggled with their parents or has issues with their parents has one of those places, a place where they went with them, where everything seemed okay." Happy nodded, wondering if Sylvester and Walter were the same. For a while they just sat there in silence, taking it all in, watching the sun set behind the hill until the darkness of night engulfed them.
Happy was the first to speak, "c'mon Doc, let's go to sleep, but stay on that side of the fort. By the way, don't roll off, I don't want to have to carry your sorry ass back to the car ok?"
"Fine, but you know you would enjoy having the chance to hold me close" he winked and nudged her while he spoke, and Happy only smirked in response and moved to where her sleeping bag lied. Toby got up and moved to his sleeping bag, silently zipping it up. Quickly he rolled his sleeping bag with himself inside towards Happy, and lied right next to hers so that he faced her while she lay on her side towards him.
They both stared each other in the eye, and Happy said, "what did I just say Doc? Stay on that side of the fort." She tried to push him away, but he kept rolling back towards her.
"C'mon, it's cold and we will stay warmer if we share body heat. And, I have less chance of falling off this way" It was true the night had turned cold, but Happy saw right through his excuse, however she let it slide and allowed Toby to lie close to her, so close their heads touched as they lay on their backs.
"Fine, but no spooning me through your sleeping bag ok?"
Toby chuckled in response, saying "no promises Happy, I have no control over what I do when I'm asleep." Happy smirked before turning away from Toby so he couldn't see the smile that she couldn't wipe from her face and allowed herself to drift off to sleep as she felt safer sleeping by Toby's side than she had in a long time.
As always, R&R, let me know wether you guys think I should continue it or just leave it as a single-chapter fic. Thanks guys! xx