Note: Just a piece of fluff. A few conversations that I think they should have and just a fun, relaxed side of our favorite couple. In all honesty, this is borderline fantasy though, especially with how they've been written lately. I meant to get this up earlier, but family loss got in the way and I wasn't in the right mind to write. BUT I finally finished it and decided to put it up. If you have a moment, I'd love to know what you think! Thanks! :-)
"We should've just stayed back with the rest of the team," Happy grumbled, placing the hammer she was using to board up the broken window on the counter next to her.
Toby stopped his sweeping and looked up at her, "But then we wouldn't have had the cabin to ourselves for the rest of the week."
"But then we wouldn't have had to deal with fixing this place up," Happy retorted, crossing her arms across her chest. They'd been at it for over three hours already and still weren't finished. So much for their time alone together.
Laughing lightly, Toby laid his broom against the wall and walked over to her, "Somebody had to do it, Hap."
She huffed in response, rolling her eyes, but knew he was right. Nobody else could come, not after their "perfect Scorpion Christmas" was ruined by gun-runners and bombshell announcements. Paige, having dealt with a lot the day before on Christmas Eve, just wanted to spend a quiet day at home with Ralph and Tim, especially before Tim left for Jordan. Walter and Sylvester had plans to Skype with Walter's family in Ireland and after that, Cabe was going over to the garage to have a 'bachelor' Christmas with his boys. They had invited Happy and Toby, saying after Christmas they could all head up to the cabin to fix it up, but they had declined, saying they were more than happy to go up by themselves. When really, after everything that had been going on lately, they just wanted time alone, something they had been short on in recent weeks.
"Besides," Toby continued quietly, sliding his hands around her waist, "this place has already been paid for. And when are we ever again going to get a free vacation for just the two of us?" He leaned down and nipped at the side of her neck.
Happy tilted her head to the side and sighed softly, "Never."
"Exactly," he whispered, sliding his lips up her jaw, "never." He placed a lingering kiss on her lips, then took a step back. "So the sooner we get this place cleaned up, the sooner we can start our vacation."
She let out another slow sigh, "Alright, I just have one more window to board up."
Kissing her nose quickly, Toby beamed, "Great, I'm almost done too." He winked at her, "Maybe after this you could put that Christmas outfit back on. I've never gotten freaky with one of Santa's helpers before."
Shoving his shoulder hard as she passed him, Happy let out a small growl, "What did I say, Doc? We'll save it for the honeymoon and that's it."
He yelped loudly and rubbed his shoulder, but couldn't wipe smile off his face, "I guarantee that you will be back in that outfit before the week is over."
She glared at him before turning towards the window, but didn't say anything because she knew that he was probably right. When it was just the two of them, she didn't mind letting loose and doing things she normally wouldn't do - dress up in a ridiculous elf costume just to see Toby's reaction, being one of those things. Plus, what happened after was always great. A smile grew on her face as she picked up a board and put it in place.
Other than Toby's soft humming of Christmas carols, they worked silently for a few minutes, both focused on the task in front of them, an excited tension filling the room. It was rare for them to have an extended period of time alone together. Cabe was still rooming with Happy, so any night spent at Happy's apartment was also spent with Cabe. And then any nights spent at Toby's were far and few in between, because Happy felt bad about leaving Cabe alone. Both were starting to get frustrated with the lack of time alone together, especially after everything that had happened, so they had eagerly agreed to come back up, only to then realize before they got to spend any time together they had to clean up. They were moving as quick as possible, but it wasn't quick enough.
"Hey, Hap?" Toby said excitedly from across the living room, distracting Happy just enough that the hammer came down on her finger instead of the nail.
"Damn it," she groaned, rubbing her finger and turned around, a bite to her voice, "What?"
He looked over at her, concern on his face, "Are you okay?"
She waved him off and walked towards him, "I'll be fine. What did you need?"
An excited smile grew on his face as he pulled back the curtain on one of the windows that didn't get destroyed, "It's snowing."
"It's what? How is that possible?" Happy asked, peering out the window, her throbbing finger forgotten.
Toby shrugged, "We are up in the mountains."
"But it wasn't cold enough for it to snow."
"It was colder today than yesterday and it was cooling down during the day even more. Now, with sun about to set, it's probably even cooler. I looked at the weather map when Paige told us we were coming and it was showing precipitation, but it was unknown at the time if it would be cold enough for it to snow."
"Apparently, it is. And it sounds like the wind is picking up. It could possibly turn into a snow storm."
Toby stepped towards her, pulling her into his body, "Well it's a good thing we have this cozy cabin to stay warm in together."
Happy smiled up at him and slid her hands around his neck, "Mhmm, very good." She leaned up and kissed him teasingly, "What should we do first?"
He pulled back slightly and a smirk formed on his face, "Want to make out like teenagers?"
A grin pulled at her lips, "Hell, yeah," she mumbled, pulling his head back to hers.
Toby began chuckling as she walked them back towards the love seat, he didn't know the last time they acted like this. Happy had been tense lately, with the whole living situation she was dealing with and bombshell after bombshell they were dealt lately, so he loved that she was relaxing and letting down her guard. Happy pushed him down to the couch and he landed with an "ooof". His hands immediately went to her hips as she climbed over him, straddling his hips with her legs and her fingers thread through his hair, while her tongue traced his lips.
With a small moan, he opened up for her and let her deepen the kiss. His hands slid from her hips into her back pockets, pressing her even closer. Neither one knew how long they sat there kissing, letting their hands wander across each other's body. And neither one cared, they were just glad to be able to be with one another.
As Happy pressed her chest into Toby's, a quiet moan escaped from the back of her throat. She pressed her lips to his neck and his hands moved underneath her shirt to the clasp of her bra. But just as she reached down to pull her shirt over her head, the lights in the cabin flickered and turned off. They immediately stopped what they were doing and looked around.
"Uh, what's going on, Hap?" Toby questioned.
Happy rolled her eyes, "The lights went out, dimwit."
Toby sighed, "Well I know that, Sugarplum. I'm not an idiot."
"Debatable," she smirked at him before kissing him quickly to let him know she was joking.
"Should we go see what's wrong?" he asked, pushing her back when her lips moved back to his neck.
Happy glanced down at his lap where the evidence of his arousal was prominent and laughed, "You mean, should I go see what's wrong? It might take a few minutes for you to, uh, settle down."
Toby adjusted himself as she climbed off him, "No, I meant we. I don't want you going off by yourself, just in case. I'll be fine."
Stepping towards him as he stood, Happy cupped him and whispered huskily against his lips, "You sure of that, Cowboy."
He stifled a moan before clearing his throat and pushing her hand away, "I'm sure. We don't know what's going on, so I'm not leaving you alone."
Happy sighed, "Alright, let's go check the breaker then. I think I saw it in the laundry room."
After they grabbed a flashlight, they walked through the cabin and noted that more than just the lights were out.
"I highly doubt anything I do to the breaker will give us the electricity back," Happy grumbled to Toby.
"What about a generator? Why isn't that coming on?"
"This place was built in the 50s. It wasn't standard practice back then to put in generators. And if one hasn't kicked on already, then this place doesn't have one."
Toby held the flashlight on the breaker box as Happy flipped a few switches, but nothing happened.
"Just as I suspected," Happy said, turning on her heel, "Something happened to the power lines outside. I'll have to go out there and see what I can do."
"Well I'm coming with you," Toby said firmly, following closely behind her.
Stopping suddenly, she turned and faced him, "No, you're not."
"Happy-" he began.
"Listen," she cut him off, "I get why you don't want me out there alone, and I love you for it, but we stopped the bad guys yesterday. The chances of something happening again, while it's snowing, is astronomically low."
"But-"
"No, Doc. I can get it done quicker if I go by myself. I promise, I'll be careful."
Toby could tell by the look in her eye that she wasn't backing down, so he sighed and gave in, "Fine, but if you're not back in within five minutes, I'm coming out to get you."
She leaned up to kiss him quickly, "Make it ten and we've got a deal."
She walked over to the door and threw it open, only to immediately slam it shut when she was met with strong wind, cold, and snow.
"Okay," she said turning towards Toby, "I'm clearly not dressed for this."
Toby just laughed before rushing off to their room. He returned a few minutes later with a coat, boots, hat, and gloves in hand. Happy looked at him questioningly as she slipped it all on.
"I knew there was a chance for snow, so I packed it to be on the safe side."
"Smart man," she said, heading back towards the door.
"Wait, what was that you just said?" Toby called out teasingly, "Did you just call me smart?"
"Shut it, Doc. I'm already starting to regret it."
Toby laughed and followed her to the door, "I won't say any more, for now." He grabbed her before she opened the door and kissed her forehead, mumbling, "Stay safe, baby. You have ten minutes."
Happy just smiled up at him before heading out into the cold. What had started off as a light drifting of snow earlier, had turned into a full blown snow storm. It was coming down hard and the wind was blowing all around her, making it difficult for her to see. She slowly felt her way down the side of the cabin to where the electric wires should be fed into the house. When she reached the spot, it was no surprise that the wires were no longer connected, but laying in the snow ten feet away, having been pulled from the house when a tree fell from the strong winds, hitting a nearby power line and pulling it down with it. She sighed and turned back towards the cabin. There was nothing she could do right now, not with the snow and strong winds. They would just have to deal without electricity for the night.
When she opened the door to the cabin, she didn't know what she was expecting, but it wasn't what was in front of her. She slowly walked in and looked around in amazement, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. In the short time she had been outside, Toby had brought firewood in and started a fire in the large fireplace in the living room. Candles were lit and scattered across the cabin. It all created a calm, romantic ambience.
"Toby?" she called out, taking off her coat and moving to stand by the fire; she was still shivering from being outside.
"Just a second, babe," he called from upstairs.
Just a few seconds later, he came stumbling down the stairs, his arms overloaded with comforters and pillows from the beds upstairs.
"What are you doing?" Happy questioned him.
He grinned over at her as he set them down, "Well, since my goal for a perfect Christmas for you was ruined yesterday, I figured I could still make this Christmas as special as possible. This is me salvaging our 'perfect Quintis Christmas'."
Happy didn't have a response, other than letting her smile grow; Toby always knew exactly what to do for her. She watched him for a few seconds as he set up a bed in front of the fire for the two them.
"So what did you find out?" Toby questioned, pulling Happy from her staring.
"Uh, what?" she asked, a shiver running through her again.
"Outside? What did you find out?"
"Oh, right. Electricity is out, just as I thought."
"Can't you fix it?" he asked, adding another layer to the already comfortable looking bed on the floor.
"Yeah, but the snow storm is raging full blast and it has to be 20 degrees out there, 10 with the wind chill." She shrugged her shoulders and went for nonchalance, but there still was a tremble in her voice, "It may not be as bad as Antarctica, but it's close enough and I really don't want to relive that."
Toby immediately froze and dropped the pillow in his hands. When he looked up at Happy, he looked shaken and white, even more so than normal. "Yeah, that was a horrible time," he said quietly, haggardly.
"Hey," Happy said quietly, making her way over to him. When she got close enough to him, she stepped into him and hugged him tightly around the waist, then looked up and met his eyes, a small smile gracing her lips, "The outcome of it wasn't so bad."
A smile came over his face and he leaned down to kiss her gently, "Nah, it was great."
They held each other tightly for a few minutes, an unspoken agreement between the two of them that it was what they needed. Happy's eyes closed as she laid her head on his chest and she let the memories of that day...and night...and next day, run through her head, just as she knew Toby was doing. Toby finding her. Happy unable to respond, but feeling safe when she heard his voice and felt him slid in behind her. The tent that night filled with cuddling and kisses. Toby shyly, and awkwardly, asking her if she wanted to spend the day with him after they woke up the next morning. Happy agreeing with a small smile and a wink, but only if it was at his apartment. The nervous feeling in the car as they made their way there after stopping for a greasy breakfast, filled with stolen glances and shy smiles. The second their lips met as soon as they walked through the door, Happy pulling Toby down to her level to kiss him the way she desperately wanted to the night before when fear was still stopping her. The feeling of his hands running over her for the first time. Any fear Happy had was long forgotten by the time their clothes were lost and they tumbled into bed. The rest of the day spent in bed getting to know each other intimately and emotionally; Happy had never talked or laughed or felt so comfortable sharing a bed with a guy, actually staying in bed with a guy after she had slept with him, more in her life. With Toby, everything was different, as was the same for Toby. Nothing had ever felt that right before, for either of them.
Happy shifted and looked up at Toby, resting her chin on his chest, "Just for the record, I do know what it feels like."
Toby looked down at her and quirked his eyebrows in question.
Happy looked him straight in the eye and answered, "The unadulterated panic of not knowing where you were. The fear rushing through my entire body at not knowing what was happening to you. The horrible feeling of wondering if the next time I'd see you if you'd be alive or," her voice cracked and she paused, but after a second she began again, "dead." She ran her hands up his arms to the back of his head, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, "All I could think about, all I could focus on was finding you, getting to you before anything more happened. That was my only focus, you, nothing else mattered. I need you, Doc, more than you'll ever know. I'd be completely lost without you." She raised on her tip toes to brush her lips against his and added quietly, "I know I don't say it a lot, but I love you."
"I love you too," he grinned; the awestruck look at hearing her say those three words covered his face.
They were staring at each other intently, when out of nowhere an "attaboy" filled the quiet room.
"What the hell, Doc?" Happy said with an amused, yet annoyed tone to her voice, taking a step back.
Toby's laugh was loud as he lifted his hand with the key fob Happy had given him the night before in his hand, "The moment just felt like it needed it." He shrugged and pocketed the key fob, "It's funny."
A look of concern quickly passed over her face, "Is that what you think of it? It's just a joke?"
Toby quickly realized his gaffe and tried to reassure her, "No, Hap, not at all. I get where you're coming from and I love it. But at the same time, it is pretty funny."
Happy looked up at him and spoke softly, "I mean it, Toby, I do. I know I suck at the whole relationship thing and positive reinforcement. I know I miss a bunch of social cues, but I am trying. And just because I gave that to you doesn't mean I'll stop trying. It's just something so that you know I do appreciate everything you do for me, even when I don't say it out loud."
Taking a step towards her, he squeezed the top of her arms and kissed her forehead, "I know that, kitten. And I already told you, I love it. It's very you, which makes it even more special."
She stepped into him again and shivered in his arms, burying her face in his chest, trying to get as close to Toby as possible.
"You're cold," Toby observed, a chuckle in his voice.
Happy nodded and mumbled against his chest, "And you're a good space heater." She tilted her head up and smirked, then added, "It's part of the reason I keep you around."
He laughed and ran his hands up and down her back, trying to warm her up, "Good to know. But why don't you go get a warm shower? You should be able to do that."
"The water heater is run by gas," she mumbled, her eyes fluttering shut at the soothing feeling of Toby's hands, a sudden tiredness coming over her, "Electricity doesn't affect the hot water."
"Perfect. Because as much as I love being your space heater, the warm water will get you warmer quicker than me," Toby tried to push her back, but she just tightened her grip. "Happy," he chuckled, "you're shivering like crazy now. Go."
She mumbled into his shirt, eyes still closed, "Don't want to move. I'm too tired. Just want to stay here."
Toby smiled sweetly down at her, even though she couldn't see it, "Well then why don't you get a bath instead, sweet pea? That way you don't have to do anything but sit."
Happy sighed and took a step back, "Alright, I'll go." She took a couple steps away from Toby before turning back around and holding her hand out to him, "But only if you take one too."
Toby's grin lit up his face as he took her hand, "With pleasure, my kitten pie."
Toby slid in behind Happy, her small sigh of contentment as she laid her head back on his shoulder instantly making him smile, his chest expanding in pride; only he had ever seen her like that and that alone was enough to make him feel better than type of high he'd ever experienced before. He loved, more than anything, that he got to see this side of Happy, to see her be completely at ease and relaxed around him.
Happy nestled further into his chest, letting her eyes drift shut as the warmth from the water and Toby enveloped her, lulling her into complete relaxation - for once, letting her mind go completely blank. She hummed quietly, happily, as he ran his fingers across the skin of her stomach, his thumb brushing the underside of her breast every so often.
They didn't speak, they didn't need to. Simply by being there with one another was enough for them. Even in the silence, the love they felt for one another was obvious. It was seen in the tranquil look on Happy's face or in the twinkle in Toby's eyes, the shared smiles and looks that were private, for their eyes only. They didn't need to continually express their feelings, for it was times like these that they could clearly feel it.
But Toby was never one who could stay quiet for too long. With a kiss to her temple, he murmured, "I love you, Hap."
"I know, me too," she responded, barely coherent.
Toby could tell, he could feel it in her body against his, that Happy was almost asleep, which meant the filter that normally closed her off to talking was turned off. She was always the most chatty, the most willing participant in conversation when she was almost asleep. So he decided to take his chance and broach the subject they had barely talked about, that she refused to mention to anyone but him.
He kissed her temple again and asked quietly, "So, have you thought about the wedding?"
"Doc," she whined, turning her head to bury her face in his neck, "Don't ruin this."
Unable to stop himself, he brushed his lips against her forehead and said, "So I guess that's a no?"
With a long sigh, she opened her eyes, the peaceful moment starting to fade away. She thread her fingers though his resting on her stomach and kissed his jaw before saying, "I told you, I don't care. Do what you want."
Happy could almost hear his brow furrow before he responded with his normal response.
"I'm not doing all of this without you, Hap. This isn't just about me. I want it to be perfect for you too."
"Toby," she said on a sigh. She sat up and turned around to face him, straddling his legs. Reaching up, she cupped his face in her hands and spoke firmly, but lovingly, "It will be perfect, as long as I get to marry you in the end. That's all I really want. You already know, if I could have it my way, we'd already be married. I don't care about the rest of the stuff, just that I get to be with you at the end of the day, as husband and wife."
"But what if you don't like it? I don't even know if you like what I've already planned."
"I do like it," she reassured him, sliding her hands down to his chest, "Like I said last night, I'm just not good at the whole positive reinforcement thing. You can just ask me, you know."
Toby rolled his eyes at that, "I have asked you, many items. But each time you either ignore me, glare at me, shrug your shoulders, or say you don't care."
Happy bit her lip to hold back her smile because he was right, she did ignore him more often than not. "Okay, you may be right about that, but, Doc, seriously you know me. If I don't like something, then you'll know it, so if I don't say anything, then you can just assume I'm fine with it."
"Still would be nice to have some reassurance sometimes," he grumbled, a small pout on his face.
She laughed lightly and leaned in to kiss him gently, "I'm trying, Tobes, I am."
He sighed and kissed her again, "I know. It's just hard sometimes. I feel like nothing I do is enough at times."
"That's not true, Doc. Everything you do is more than enough, more than anything I've ever had done for me before. And I don't know what to do with it. I've never had someone who does things for me because they want to, because they want to make me happy. So I really am sorry if I don't give you the right responses. I want to, believe me, I do," she shrugged, "I just can't help it."
"I know you're trying and I'm sorry I'm complaining. I know how you feel and that's all that matters, that we love each other." He pulled her into his chest for a hug and kissed the top of her head before chuckling, "This isn't how I wanted the night to go."
Happy pulled back and smiled at him, "That's okay. It's a conversation that was bound to happen at some point."
He smiled kind of sadly, "That is true." He then pushed her back and made a move to get out of the tub, but was stopped when she grabbed his wrist. His smile turned sweet at her confused look, "The water's starting to get cold, sugar lips. You finish up and I'll go make us some hot chocolate. Thankfully it's a gas stove and I found some matches earlier."
Happy nodded silently and watched him as he dried off. When he turned to leave the bathroom, she couldn't help but ask quietly, "Are you still mad?"
At that, Toby whirled around with a surprised look on his face, "What?"
"Are you still mad at me?" she asked again, a little louder this time.
"Hap," he whispered, making his way back over to her, "no, not at all. I was never mad at you."
"You sure?" she asked.
"Positive," he smiled down at her, then leaned down to kiss her reassuringly.
When he pulled back, there was a smirk on his face that Happy knew all too well, but she spoke before he could say anything, "You could just stay in this tub with me," she whispered wickedly, moving her hands to the towel around his waist, "There are a few things we could do to stay warm."
The smirk on his face grew, "Oh I have plans for that later, my love, in front of the fire, all night long." He kissed her teasingly, "But I'm not letting anymore of my plans for the night get ruined. And those plans start with hot chocolate." His hand wandered from its place on her neck down to her chest, gently brushing her breast. He bit back a laugh at her gasp, but pulled back when she tried to kiss him again, "Hurry up, soon to be Mrs. Curtis."
He turned and left the room with a laugh as she grumbled behind him, "I hate you."