There's Never Peace and Quiet Around Here (But Seriously? Lava?)
Disclaimer: I only own the OCs in this story that will be easily identifiable. Scorpion belongs to CBS and, of course, the other respective owners or real-life counterparts of the characters. I started writing this before Season 4, because I'm so excited for its return! In less than 3 hours we'll have Episode 2! Who else is super excited?!
All Happy wants to do once she gets home to her apartment is to collapse on the couch and eat a warm dinner to stabilize her body temperature after being outside in forty-degree weather most of today when she had to go with Walter, Paige, and Cabe to the mountains of Colorado to save a bunch of high school seniors stuck on the edge of a cliff trapped under a ski lift. At most, the mechanical prodigy and genius thinks all she will have to do is eat dinner with Toby since it's almost eight PM and then maybe take their Rottweiler and Beaglemation rescue dogs outside for their nightly walk before bedtime comes for the Curtis household. However, Happy can hear excited screams from down the hall of their apartment coming from Toby and another female voice, and Happy Quinn- now Happy Curtis- sighs deeply, knowing that this night is going to be much longer than she had intended since Toby couldn't manage to complete the small task at hand when he got back from the garage where he was providing assistance to her and the rest of the team while also working on a profiling case of his own.
"Not good," Happy mumbles under her breath when she hears deep barking joining the chorus of shrill screams, knowing that Toby has gotten Artemis- their three-and-a-half-year-old Rottweiler- in on the chaos.
Her fears and predictions are only advanced when she hears one of Toby's Harvard medical books hit the floor with a resounding THUD! No doubt, Artemis had probably jumped onto the couch and then rested her giant paws against the coffee table or small shelf where Toby kept all his medical books on hand in case of an emergency.
Happy quickly rushes to the apartment door and practically throws the door off of its hinges, only to be greeted by Apollo- their spirited three-year-old Beaglemation- as he wiggles his whole body and then proceeds to cover Happy's hands and arms in slobbery kisses when she bends down to stroke behind his ears.
"Hiya, pal," Happy coos to the sweet dog she and Toby adopted a little less than two-and-a-half years ago from the animal shelter about two hours away from the garage. "Have you been keepin' Doc in line for me?" she jokes, accepting another slobbery kiss from Apollo, this one on her cheek, as she strokes up and down his back, a favorite scratching place for the energetic, spotted dog.
Apollo simply barks twice before turning around and leading Happy away from the entrance hallway of their apartment and towards the screaming coming from the living room of the two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment. Happy shuts the front door behind her, letting out an exasperated sigh at hearing the high-pitched squealing coming from the living room in addition to the happy barking of Artemis the usually protective and silent Rottweiler. The sight that Happy takes in is far worse than she could have imagined. The living room is a complete wreck with couch cushions strewn across the snug room as well as Toby's medical books thrown haphazardly around the couch and coffee table as well. Artemis is sitting on the couch, almost about to slip back down to the floor until she hears Happy comes in and then she is on alert and silent once more as two tiny hands move to clutch the massive dog's silver collar.
"Toby, what are you doing, dummy?" Happy calls out, successfully catching the attention of the husband, their two dogs, and the other person on the couch who is holding onto Artemis while laughing hysterically.
"Happy!" Toby shouts out mid-jump as he leaps from the couch and onto one of the couch cushions on the floor, looking like he is attempting to fly like Superman does in the comics. "We weren't expecting you back so early, sugarplum," the behaviorist admits in a sheepish tone of voice, rubbing one hand down the back of his neck and looking for all the world like a guilty child being caught having too many sweets before bed.
"Mommy!" the little brown-haired cutie on the couch shouts out, standing up on the couch while still holding onto Artemis' collar so as not to tumble off of the couch and hurt herself. "You're back!" Thalia Hope Curtis grins, her dimples appearing as she practically beams at her mother.
Happy smiles gently and comes over to scoop her daughter up from the couch, relieving Artemis from having to keep Thalia balanced on the couch. The genius mechanic snuggles her two-and-a-half old daughter to her chest as she blows a raspberry on Thalia's cheek. Thalia leans into her mother's touch, wrapping her small hands around her Mommy's neck before pressing a kiss to Happy's cheek.
"Why aren't you asleep, Thalia?" Happy inquires, rubbing a calming hand through her daughter's light brown hair so similar to Toby's.
Said genius behaviorist still remains balancing on the couch cushion in the middle of the living room floor with Artemis watching him with wide eyes and Apollo trots in to sit down next to Happy's sneakered feet.
"I'm not tired, Mommy!" Thalia assures, and then she realizes that her Mommy is standing on the ground itself without anything on her feet but sneakers.
"No, Mommy! You're in the lava!" Thalia practically shrieks as she tries to scramble out of her mother's arms and back onto the couch while also pulling the raven-haired mechanic towards the furniture.
"What?" Happy asks in pure confusion, unsure what fantasy her husband and young genius daughter have been playing and planning while she was driving back from Colorado in Cabe's SUV.
"The floor's lava, Hap! Get out of the lava, sweet pea!" Toby adds in, opening his arms wide enough where Thalia can successfully leap from the couch and into his grasp.
The male genius dutifully catches his daughter before moving his fingers like a spider over his daughter's side, producing the desired shrieks of laughter that Happy heard when she was coming back home to apartment. Happy simply watches the exchange between her husband and daughter with a fond smile, enjoying every last second of seeing Toby snuggle and hug their excitable and simply genius daughter. His skills as a father never ceases to amaze her. One day, she definitely wants to expand their family, but both Happy and Toby have expressed their want of letting Thalia grow up more before they have another child thrown into the mix of Scorpion's busy life, schedule, and knack of getting into trouble.
"There's never peace and quiet around here," Happy mutters under her breath, speaking not only of her overly expressive and vocal husband, but also their enthusiastic daughter and the two dogs named Apollo and Artemis. "But, seriously?" she incredulously remarks, a bit louder in this statement as she wants Toby and Thalia both to hear her. "Lava?" Happy inquires, pursing her lips and furrowing her eyebrows as she collapses on the couch next to Artemis before kicking off her sneakers and then wrapping her arms around the one-hundred-pound Rottweiler that has become a stable force and protector to their family. "Wherever did you two goofballs get that idea?" she continues her interrogation, resting her head against the back of the couch as she pets Artemis' head as the Rottweiler rubs herself against her owner and best human friend.
"Uncle Sly," Thalia smiles in an adorably innocent way, her teeth shining as she jumps onto another couch cushion with Toby not too far behind his daughter, with Apollo watching with a concerned look on his spotted face.
"Sly taught her about volcanoes today while he was babysitting her, Happy!" Toby announces, sliding across one of their giant pillows over onto the collection of Harvard medical books strewn on the floor of the living room. "He used the fridge as the volcano, the water dispenser was the lava flow, and then the floor was the ground that would have rocks, i.e. pillows and other surfaces with rocks that could change the direction of the lava!" Toby excitedly explains with his hands, waving them around like he usually does when punctuating his speech with excited hand movements. "Pretty cool, huh?" he inquires, scooping Thalia into his arms before sitting down on top of his medical dictionary with his beautiful, intelligent daughter sitting in his lap, playing with his signature black Fedora.
"I learned a lot with Uncle Sly!" Thalia grins, thinking of all the fun that they had together while her Mommy and Daddy were helping to save the world in the snowy mountains of Colorado.
Of course, Sylvester Dodd, ever the caretaker, volunteered to stay at Toby and Happy's apartment with Thalia and the dogs, though the only real concern of the day was Thalia, as Artemis and Apollo had stayed at home on cases before and never got into any trouble. The germaphobe is very stellar at following directions, completing Happy and Toby's schedule for Thalia down to a T, including her instructional time. Thalia Hope Curtis, even at two-and-a-half-years-old, is quite the emphatic learner and craves to learn anything and everything her extended family is willing to teach her. Even Ray, ever the absent-minded friend and lovable goofball, wants to teach Thalia about the world, though his lessons typically are about the real world he has experienced instead of the purely academic and often theoretical topics Toby, Happy, Sylvester, Walter, and Ralph tend to imprint on the daughter of the Harvard doctor and expert mechanic.
Happy can't help but snort out a laugh at that statement that Sylvester is the one who taught Thalia to pretend that the floor of their apartment is lava. Sylvester Dodd takes his role as a friend, brother figure, and uncle to both Ralph and Thalia very seriously. No matter how far away they live from a volcano and any other type of natural disaster, Sylvester would always make sure that Thalia had a good battle escape plan, regardless of how young she is. And, to be perfectly honest, Happy always thinks it is absolutely adorable and sweet to walk into her and Toby's apartment on the days when Sylvester is watching Thalia to see the youngest founding member of Scorpion sitting on the couch, rumbling snores escaping his lips, with Thalia lying comfortably on his lap with Sly's bigger hand stroking through her light brown hair. And, for that, Happy could never thank Sylvester enough for. He has become an anchor just as much in Thalia's life just like Happy and Toby themselves in keeping Thalia safe, educated, and loved. For that, Happy would always be grateful for having a friend and younger brother figure in Sylvester Dodd, the ever-frightened young man that truly becomes heroic whenever the safety of Thalia and Ralph is involved or hanging in the balance.
"Uh-huh. Well, come on, my little scorpling genius," Happy smiles, pushing herself off of the couch and walking over to pluck her daughter out of Toby's grasp, much to the disappointment of the mentioned Harvard doctor. "You should have been in bed at the latest half an hour ago," the female mechanic softly chastises, pressing a kiss to Thalia's forehead before beginning to walk towards their bathroom with Apollo following behind them with a doggy smile on his face as his tail wags a mile a minute. "So, it's time for your bath and then, Thalia, you will be going to bed because Mommy is tired from saving those teenagers," Happy yawns, continuing on her path towards the bathroom, looking forward to putting her daughter in the bath and then in the bed before taking a hot shower herself and then crashing into bed to sleep until at least ten A.M. the next morning.
"And Daddy will be in to kiss you and read you a story when Mommy's done giving you a bath, my princess," Toby assures, pushing himself off the floor before giving Artemis a loving scratch behind the ears. "Until then, I think I may try and catch up on Velvet," Toby trails off, thinking back to the Spanish telenovela he has been watching on Netflix since he found it in his recommendation list about a year ago. He's on the newest season, season four, and he desperately needs to see if Ana will find out that Alberto, her childhood crush and father of her son, is still alive despite being proclaimed dead after a plane crash.
"No, Toby," Happy calls over her shoulder, letting out a sigh as she thinks how her husband is trying to forget about the mess that practically has thrown up in their living room. "You need to clean up the mess the two of you decided to make in the living room while I was coming back from Colorado," she smirks, knowing that comment will rile her husband up.
"Happy, remember PANNS?" Toby inquires, a slight groan in his voice as he pauses Velvet as soon as the theme song starts to play. "The A is being violated right now. You're not always striving for a positive state of mind, lovebug," the sarcastic behaviorist cracks a smile, though he knows his wife and child cannot see him since they are around the corner and headed for the bathroom.
"Toby, shove the PANNS down someone else's throat right now," Happy says as she kneels in the floor of the bathroom before starting the water for Thalia's bath. "While I appreciate the overall sentimentality, and the love it express, and how much you're dedicated to me and vice versa, we have agreed there are plenty of reasons why a negative and harsh state of mind may be necessary," she adds in, scooping Thalia up and placing her in the bathtub, noticing Apollo sitting dutifully by her side, watching to make sure no harm comes to Thalia, as he often considers the young girl to be his charge. "Love you," Happy concludes, not wanting Toby to think she is entirely angry with him as he is apt to think, she often believes.
"Love you, too, Happy," Toby calls as he kneels down into the floor to start picking up his Harvard medical books while Happy is bathing Thalia and getting her dressed for bed. "Always," he softly adds, staring at the picture of the three of them sitting on the TV stand where everyone can see it upon entering their apartment.
Artemis simply gets off the couch when she feels Toby gets off of the couch from next to her, wondering why her owner is scooting around on his hands and legs to pick up all of the books that he had put there.
"Humans really are strange," the Rottweiler thinks before gently nudging Toby's back and then barking once at him to ask him in her own way what exactly it is he thinks he's doing.
"Hiya, girl," Toby coos, stroking Artemis' neck with one hand while scooping up his medical dictionary with the other. "You wanna help me clean up?" he softly asks, and Artemis simply barks once in agreement before beginning to wag her body back and forth in anticipation. "Great. You can pick up the couch cushions and put them back for me," the genius instructs, and Artemis, the intelligent dog she is, actually goes over and grasps one of the massive couch cushions into her mouth and then hoists it onto the couch before doing the same to the next cushion.
All that is left for Toby to do on the couch cushion end is flatten the cushions down on the couch where they are not sticking up at odd angles and then preventing anyone from sitting on the couch at all. When he finishes that, Toby pats Artemis on the ears and gives her one of her favorite treats before hearing the tell-tale sound of the bathtub drain and then heading into Thalia's bedroom to give Thalia a goodnight kiss, hug, and bedtime story all wrapped into one. His darling girls are the most important people and concepts in his life, and Tobias Meriwether Curtis knows for a fact that will never change, so long as he shall live on this Earth.
Once Thalia is dressed in her Wonder Woman pajamas Cabe had given her for her birthday six months prior, Happy tucks Thalia in and gives her a goodnight hug and kiss before Toby settles down on the bed to read her another chapter of Junie B. Jones the Graduation Girl, one of Thalia's favorite books in her current favorite series. Thalia snuggles up close to her Daddy's warm chest, laughing at all the right places, sinking further into her blanket as her father's smooth and relaxing voice couples with the relaxing noise of the shower Happy is taking in the next room over slowly begin to send Thalia into a happy state of sleep filled with knowledge, her family, and wolves. Wolves happen to be Thalia's favorite animal at the moment, so her drawings and dreams have been absolutely filled with them this evening, especially after Happy's father Patrick got his granddaughter a giant plush wolf on their last trip to the zoo about three weeks ago when Happy and Toby went on a much-needed date night at the restaurant where they were supposed to have dinner had Toby not fallen asleep due to the medication he was on at the time. Upon seeing his little angel asleep, Toby folds the covers tighter around Thalia, pressing a soft and reassuring kiss on his daughter's forehead before marveling not for the first time how this amazing little human is half of him and half of Happy. He had loved genetics before, but Toby Curtis surely has a greater appreciation now for the combination of alleles and phenotypes now that he has his very own daughter with the woman of his dreams. Toby is thoroughly convinced that life doesn't get any better than this as he walks towards the door of his daughter's room before stopping in front of Apollo, the loyal Beaglemation who is keeping a silent vigil over Thalia's sleeping form.
"Good boy, Apollo. What would we do without you, huh?" Toby coos, pressing a kiss to Apollo's head before rubbing the Beagle-Dalmatian mix's back and then heading into his and Happy's bedroom.
A yawn escapes Toby's lips, and he thinks of how exhausted Happy must be since she has actually been running around through the snow in Colorado all day to try and save the teenagers who got trapped on a perilous ski lift about fifty feet in the air above a sharp cliff. Tonight would not be the night to make plans for the future, for the weekend, or even for tomorrow, for that matter.
When Happy gets out of the shower, her raven hair still dripping as she comes into the bedroom with one of Toby's old Harvard shirts on over some black athletic shorts, she finds her husband already lying on the bed with snores and drool coming out of his mouth. Artemis is lying next to him in Happy's place, offering the doc some of her body warmth as he is used to cuddling with Happy at night and tries to hold off on going to sleep until she is wrapped in his embrace and cuddled up next to him like normal. However, today's events have taken its toll on both geniuses and their daughter, so Happy doesn't blame him for completely falling asleep without her next to him.
"Down, Artemis," she gently says to the Rottweiler, and Artemis dutifully leaps down from the bed before giving Happy a kiss on the hands and then settling down to sleep at the foot of Happy and Toby's bed. "Good girl," Happy praises, hoisting herself into the king-sized bed and she silently laughs to herself upon seeing Toby move his hands around as if feeling for her and the warmth that have left the bed.
Happy slips under the covers, curling into a ball before pulling herself closer to Toby, resting her petite head onto his warm chest before making the move to entwine their hands together and cross her legs with his below the blanket. Toby stirs in his sleep, waking up once he realizes that Happy has returned from her shower and is now settled down beside him, safe once more after another hard day's work that could have ended in a serious disaster given the proper and unfortunate circumstances.
"Hi, Happy," Toby sleepily slurs, moving closer to his wife, wrapping her in his embrace before he even has a chance to think. "I missed you today," he admits, and Happy leans into his touch more as he continues to wrap his hands around her waist and stomach, pulling her small body closer to his own.
"Missed you, too," Happy admits, a slight yawn overtaking her voice as she closes her dark brown eyes momentarily. "Would have liked to have been with Thalia more today, though," she says with disappointment evident in her voice. "I feel like we're never really all home together very much, Toby," the female mechanic reveals her silent fear to her husband, wanting nothing more than to get that piece of news off her chest as she thinks of how much she truly loves Toby and their precious daughter Thalia. "Seems like as soon as I came home she was going to bed for the night. It's not ideal for anyone, and I feel bad about leaving her with Sylvester and my dad whenever we're out on cases," Happy continues, and here her voice sounds a bit more emotional than Toby is used to hearing.
He completely understands Happy's fear, because he feels exactly the same way towards their little family. Toby would never have forgiven himself if he had missed Thalia's first word or had missed seeing her first step. It seems like, at least to the behaviorist, that Thalia seems to be subconsciously aware of her parents' fears, as all of her major milestones have occurred in the presence of both of her parents. And that, in Toby's opinion, is a pretty remarkable talent that his young daughter seems to possess.
"So, you're not mad I kept her up playing Dodge the Lava?" Toby sheepishly questions with a goofy smile on his face as he looks down at Happy as she nuzzles her face against his forearm.
"No," her answer is curt and to the point. "I'm still mad that Thalia was up past her bedtime, but I'll forgive you because the two of you looked so cute and innocent playing together like that," Happy continues her response, an involuntary smile creeping on her lips as she thinks of her husband and daughter utilizing their larger than life imaginations to play a game together they both seemed to enjoy. "Quality Daddy skills, Doc," she compliments, and Toby takes that statement in and of itself as a win.
It's one of the rare "Attaboy"s Toby gets from Happy, and he is sure to treasure it whenever Happy gives him compliments on virtually anything.
"Thank you," Toby softly remarks, and then he returns the compliment. "For what it's worth, Happy, you have truly outstanding Mommy skills," he praises, and Happy does not respond verbally but instead snuggles closer to Toby's warm chest as he strokes a hand through her raven black hair.
A beat of silence passes before Happy responds, though her statement is not completely on the topic being discussed previously.
"There really hardly is any peace and quiet around here," Happy admits with a sigh, relaxing into Toby's warm and comforting embrace.
"Happy, is that your way of saying we need to get a bigger place, lovebug?" Toby inquires, shifting on the bed where he can look his wife in her eyes, love shining in his smile and his voice.
"No!" Happy immediately assures, turning where she and Toby are now chest to chest with one another. "Yes. No- Yeah, okay. Maybe," she admits in a quiet tone, revealing the thought that's been eating her. "But, don't think that I'm dissatisfied with our life here, Doc. Because I'm not," Happy commands as a yawn escapes her lips while Toby runs circles down her back.
"I'm not thinking that. I know you love our life, Happy. No matter where we are," Toby assures, pressing a light kiss to her lips. "And, I do, too," he reminds, wanting Happy to know just how much she truly means to him.
"That's because I have you and Thalia, dummy," Happy teases, smacking him softly on his chest. "Toby, I don't care where we are, because you're my home regardless," she admits, voice filled with love and devotion. "Gee, was that ever corny," Happy attempts to recover, still not used to wearing her heart on her sleeve and being vulnerable.
"You know you mean it," Toby counters, and Happy kicks his calf in return. "And I love you," Toby practically gushes, holding Happy in his arms and reflecting on how truly lucky he is to have her.
"Love you, too," Happy admits, placing a kiss on his cheek. "I just think it'd be nice to have more space soon. You know, give us more room to accommodate more people in our apartment," she states the facts behind her previous statement.
"Happy, is this your way of telling me you're pregnant?" Toby enthusiastically inquires, thrilled at the prospect of having a second child with Happy, the love of his life.
"No, Toby," Happy announces, a bit of longing in her voice. "I wouldn't wait to tell you that. You'd be the first to know," she assures, and they both laugh, thinking of the memory of when Happy told Toby she was pregnant with Thalia. "I don't intend to have Baby Number Two in my tummy for at least another year, Doc," Happy explains to her husband as he cradles her stomach with both hands like he did when Happy was pregnant with Thalia almost three years prior. "Give Thalia some time to grow up."
"I'll hold you to that, Hap," Toby smirks, and Happy cannot help but smack his arm playfully in response. "What was that for?" he jokes, knowing fully why his wife of three-and-a-half years smacked him.
"You can't time these things perfectly, Doc," Happy says with a half-grin, closing her eyes and preparing to sleep after an absolutely tiring day. "But, that's where the magic lies, right?" she inquires, and Toby can't help but agree.
"Indeed, Happy. I'll just be excited whenever Baby Curtis Number Two decides to join our family," Toby assures, and Happy hums in agreement as she slips off into sleep. "But, you, Thalia, and those other nerds we call family are enough for me right now. Thalia and you are all I need to be happy, no pun intended, darling," the genius behavior and doctor jokes, but his joke falls in the thin air, because Happy is already sleeping soundly at his side.
Toby presses one last tender kiss to Happy's head and then slips off into a dream-filled sleep of his own. So much for not discussing any big plans or goals for the future tonight.
When the doorbell to their apartment rings at exactly three A.M., Happy is definitely peeved.
"See what I mean, Toby?" she groans in annoyance while trying to cover her ears with the pillow as the door rings again, causing Apollo and Artemis to start barking in fear of someone trying to harm their family. "We never get any peace and quiet around here," Happy mumbles from under the pillow, hearing the nails of Artemis and Apollo clattering on the hardwood floor of the hallway entrance.
"I'll go see who is at the door. Stay in bed in case Thalia comes in here," Toby lightly instructs, slipping his socked feet onto the floor and then sluggishly walking into the hallway to head for the ringing front door.
Happy is almost asleep again when Toby comes back into the bedroom, car keys in hand and his emergency suitcase trailing along behind him.
"Who is it?" Happy grumbles, knowing that Toby only has their suitcase and car keys for one reason.
"Cabe. Says he has an important case in Europe to save some kids at a daycare from being cloned for profit while the kid's parents are out," Toby answers almost immediately, rubbing all traces of sleep from his eyes. "Also says that he called your dad and that Patrick would be happy to watch Thalia for us while we're gone," the world-class shrink addresses Happy's unasked question, knowing that his wife would instantly address that point upon regain her total cognitive function.
"You see my point?" Happy mumbles as she gets out of bed and slips on her pair of tennis shoes while grabbing a spare change of clothes. "There's never any peace and quiet," she brings up her previous point they had made when going to bed earlier in the night. "When we move, can we please not give any of them our address? I don't think my sanity can take much more of a hit after today."
"Deal."
And with that, the two geniuses collect their last-minute necessities, go into Thalia's room, and get her ready to go over to her maternal grandfather's house while her parents prepare to save the world once more in the span of only twenty-four hours.
"Welcome to Scorpion, Thalia," Toby jokes as he hoists her into his arms and begins to carry her towards the waiting federal agent better known as Cabe Gallo.
Author's Note: And there it is! My first contribution to the Scorpion fandom! I will not lie; it took me a lot of effort to get to this point. I started watching the show after Season 2 was off the air because my parents had been watching it and thought my younger sister and I would really enjoy it. They were not wrong. And so, I binged the entire first two seasons on Netflix DVDs for about a month of weekends and then watched the first twelve episodes of Season 3 my parents had kept on the DVR for us. I LOVE SCORPION SO MUCH! It is literally one of my favorite TV shows of all times, and I now proudly own all three seasons on DVD, which I am still re-watching to get inspiration. Quintis is by far my favorite ship, and I kinda predicted them being together and getting married as early as Season One Episode 7; I am not even lying. I have a word document on my phone dated in September 2016 where I expressed the prediction of Toby and Happy becoming romantically involved. Anyway… I'm starting to linger and my free period at school is almost over. (I'm a teacher's assistant and she's absent today, so I finished this story while she was gone.) So, I hope everyone enjoyed, and all reviews would be completely welcome and appreciated! Also, if you have any ideas for more Scorpion stories from me, drop your suggestions in the comment box or in a PM! Thanks so much for your support, guys and girls, and I hope to hear from you soon! Have a great morning, afternoon, or night!
P.S. I had a companion piece for this one-shot that is actually set after this one mostly completed, but then my flash-drive with 3,000 files on it broke, so not only do I have to finish handwriting the story, I also will have to type that up again. Be on the lookout for its release!
