Author's Note: I have been wanting to write a Scorpion fic for awhile, and while I am collaborating with another individual on several Scorpion tales, this piece below came about sitting in my kitchen at 1 a.m. Instead of doing an assignment for one of my education classes, I decided to write this. The setting is a combination of a couple different hiking trails I have been on with friends. Anyways, please read on, and leave a review or PM me with your thoughts and opinions. Have a lovely day!
Happy had not felt this alone in who knows how long, and all she wanted to do was be back in Toby's warm and safe embrace. Following the completion of a stressful assignment in nearby Atlanta, Georgia, Toby and Happy had taken a few days off to tour the mountains and countryside in northwest Georgia and southern Tennessee. On their first day away, the couple had decided to take a hike in an area of the Chattahoochee National Forest known for its thick, mature forests and multiple rock outcroppings. While the trail itself wasn't difficult, the hike was a bit more challenging than normal due to Happy's recovery from a recent bout of bronchitis. Toby felt that she was well enough to enjoy the day out, and the hike had overall been a pleasant experience.
Yet, after eating lunch, Happy decided to take a few minutes of solitude for herself while her boyfriend napped in the sun. However, what began as a quiet stroll through the forest had now become a frantic search to find the main trail. She had been too caught up in her thoughts to pay close attention to her surroundings, and now every rock cropping she saw looked the same. She continued walking, her pace picking up as she seemingly tripped and stumbled on every possible stone and tree root.
Over two hours had passed, and Happy still had no idea where she was. The mechanic finally gave up looking for the trail and sat down on a large, moss-covered rock, as the bronchitis left her out-of-breath despite her otherwise trim and fit physique. The sun was moving westward, meaning there was only a few more hours of daylight left. Her water bottle was about empty, and her medication was still with Toby in his knapsack. The genius mechanic was ready to cry. Her ankle had begun to throb, a residual effect from when she'd twisted it on a mission a few months back, and her throat was starting to burn from her near-constant coughing. Using her knapsack as a pillow and her jacket as a warm blanket, Happy laid her head down and soon dozed off, basking in the warm rays of sunlight scattered by the trees.
Later on, Happy felt a gentle nudging and shaking; she could barely make out a soft voice urging her awake. Immediately on the defense, she reflexively extended her hand to push the individual away, only to have her hand stopped just as suddenly. The individual took her chin and shifted her view upwards. In the light of the afternoon sun stood her boyfriend. Though Happy was ready to launch herself into Toby's arms, he beat her to the punch. Gently enveloping his still-sleepy girlfriend in his arms and laying a soft kiss on her forehead, he whispered quiet words of love and relief at finding her safe and sound. All Happy could do was respond with a small nod, bury herself into his warm embrace, and thank her lucky stars for this man – her boyfriend and best friend. His arms were her favorite place on earth because there, every fear she had of loneliness and abandonment vanished. And in that moment, sitting on a moss-covered rock in the Chattahoochee forest, there was nowhere else she would rather be.