Cabe loved working with the team.
They were like his kids, especially after losing one child to illness and the other to divorce. These kids he watched after every day and kept from harm. Mostly. He did the best he could.
XxX
Walter. He had a definite history with the kid, going back to when he was merely a boy of 11 and Cabe was just starting up at Homeland. He'd admired the boy's intelligence and eagerness to learn, along with his moral compass. He connected with him, and mentored him the best he could, despite living in a different country. Cabe visited as often as he could, and kept in touch through email.
As he'd grown up, Cabe had gladly stepped into the father-figure role and helped him through numerous social blunders. Walter still stumbled over some issues, but he had the basics of social etiquette down. They'd bonded and shared a mutual respect and trust in the other's abilities.
When Walter was sixteen, that trust had shattered. After Baghdad, Walter didn't communicate with him for months, though Cabe reached out often. He knew he'd screwed up, even though he had been given an order from his superior to stay silent. The civilian deaths had crushed Walter O'Brien, especially at such a young age. It had taken a long time for Cabe to earn that trust back, and he was relieved that he had. He didn't know what he would have done if it was gone forever.
XxX
Toby. Cabe had disliked the slightly narcissistic shrink at first, but had warmed up to him after a short while. He didn't mean to insult, he merely observed. Cabe had had to teach him some control as well, since he'd had a tendency to spout everything he saw. That got him in loads of trouble that he'd narrowly escaped. The shrink still got in trouble these days, even though he had a lid on it for the most part.
He'd taken the kid under his wing without realizing it until one day Toby had sarcastically said, "Thanks, Pops."
Cabe hid his smile under a stern look that made the shrink hold up his hands in apology.
XxX
Happy. The easily-angered mechanic had made quite a first impression with her curt nod and firm handshake. She wasn't someone to be messed with, a lot like Cabe himself. She'd never had a mentor, or even a real parent, and he'd gladly filled the role. She was harder to connect with than most, thanks to her raging trust issues. It had taken quite some time to earn her respect, but then it was unshakable. And the self-defense moves he knew from government training didn't hurt, either. Happy was fast learner, and enjoyed learning how to fight. He took pride in knowing that she went from throwing a simple punch to one of the best fighters he knew.
XxX
Sylvester. The math genius had shied away from him at first, but had soon developed a strong attachment to him. From what Cabe gathered, his home life had been less than stellar and he was eager to move on. He had taught the (previously) youngest member how to suppress his fears and anxiety when it was absolutely necessary, something he received a nonverbal thank-you for every day. That made him proud. Even if he couldn't do right by his own kids, he'd managed just fine with this ragtag group.
XxX
Paige. The newest member. Cabe had immediately liked her for standing up to Walter after one of his spiels. The kid had reduced grown men to tears, yet the waitress had taken it like a champ and fired back. She'd helped clear the genius's head and ultimately solve the case. Cabe was glad Walter had offered her a job. If Walter hadn't, he might've.
Paige's brightness and enthusiasm was a great contrast to the others' mostly pessimistic ways. She helped them not end up in jail for saying the wrong thing to the wrong person, and kept their attitudes in check, something even Cabe wasn't able to accomplish.
Paige took all the team's blatant blunders toward her in stride, smoother over obvious problems and ignoring the smaller ones. She gave as good as she got, and Cabe respected that. You saw that in few people these days: ones that didn't poke at others, but were dragons when on the defense.
XxX
Ralph. Paige's son, and the grandchild he didn't have. The youngster was brilliant, full of the same enthusiasm for learning that Walter'd had along with a childishness that Walter had never seemed to go through, or at least had lost at a young age.
The boy always asked questions and understood the detailed answers, drinking in the new information. He adored Walter, and had latched onto him like 197 himself had latched onto Cabe. It was wonderful to watch a kid who would've had no chance at all, despite his mother's enormous efforts, grow and thrive here.
XxX
The relationship between Walter and Ralph was that of a father and son. Heck, if Cabe didn't know better, he would've assumed the boy was his kid. The two thought very much alike, and Cabe knew Walter saw himself in the boy, and wanted him to have an easier life than he'd had.
Ralph looked up to Walter like the father that he hadn't had, wanting to be just like him. It had become apparent when, on picture day, Ralph had dressed up like Walter. He'd even adopted some of the older genius's patterns of speech, along with his use of the word 'efficient'.
XxX
Toby and Happy. They'd danced around each other for a long time, Happy fending off Toby's blatant displays of affection with sharp replies and apparent disapproval, though he'd seen the twitch of her lips whenever Toby flirted. He hadn't missed the longing looks being exchanged, though they were totally unaware. They fought and yelled, but when it came down to it, she'd never let anything happen to him. She cared, in her own way. Cabe sure hoped they worked things out after their failed attempt at a first date.
XxX
Paige and Walter. They were polar opposites, yet somehow mirrored each other. Walter's practical knowledge was matched by Paige's knowledge of society and the workings. He hid his emotions, and she wore them on her sleeve. He avoided physical contact whenever possible, and she often initiated it.
And they both were utterly smitten with each other.
Neither could deny it; Cabe saw the small touches that Walter didn't flinch away from and the smiles sent back and forth. He saw the genius going out of his way to convenience Paige, even though it sometimes caused himself slight troubles. Take the cinnamon in the coffee. Walter used to hate cinnamon with a vengeance, yet now drank it in his coffee every morning without complaint because that's how Paige liked hers. And it wasn't just on his end. He saw how Paige seemed to find the tiniest excuse to touch his hand, his arm, his shoulder while they were conversing.
The art auction had really shown it to him. Walter's reaction to Paige's nice dress, her quick blink at his tuxedo. The dancing made it so utterly obvious he didn't know why they couldn't see it. Paige had talked Walter through the whole thing perfectly, and the device had just 'reset on its own' so they had to dance for a little while longer. Looking back now, Cabe recalled hearing a small beep, like the reset button being pressed. Then, he brushed it off as hearing things. Now, he wasn't so sure.
And the whole ordeal with Sima. A few months ago, Walter would never have been able to pull that off. He would've flinched away at the first touch and probably blown his cover by being uncomfortable. But he managed through it, even though Cabe saw him stiffen slightly at her touch, only relaxing when Paige instructed him as to what to do. And the whole "I love hearing your voice in my ear" thing? A slip that had been the icing on the cake. He obviously meant Paige, and to say it while kissing another woman showed where his affections truly lay. Toby had caught the slip as well, smirking at the prospect of blackmail material. Cabe had silenced him with a look. (Afterward, Sylvester had informed him of Paige's 'flirting lesson'. Cabe had smiled and shook his head. Classic O'Brien.)
XxX
The two couples may deny their feelings, but Cabe saw, and he knew. Despite Happy's 'anger' towards Toby and Walter's claim of no emotions whatsoever, especially ones toward Paige, they loved each other. And love conquered all. Even though the phrase was cheesy and overused, it was true. Cabe hoped it applied to these scenarios, since he wasn't sure if he could take five more minutes of heart-eyes.
XxX
These 'kids' of his grew every day, even if they weren't aware. Some cases made them grow up more than others, but in the end there was one result.
His kids were growing up fast, and they needed his help. He wouldn't let them down.