Hey everyone! Thanks to everyone who has kept up with this fic (especially through my seriously-erratic updates)! In light of some recent odd-character-development events, I just wanted to say that this fic is canon-complacent only through 2x20; it does not include Happy's marriage to Walter or her engagement to Toby. Hope you enjoy!

Toby got up on the small stage at the front of the room to start the tribute. Happy stood off to the side, watching him. His father's casket - closed, as Paige had suggested - was behind him, and a large picture of Jack Curtis was on a small easel next to him.

"Good morning, everyone," Toby said, and the room became immediately silent. "If you would all take a seat, we're about to begin."

As people shuffled to their seats, Happy couldn't help but think that Toby sounded like he was introducing a play.

"Thank you," Toby said when the shuffling had stopped. "As you all know, we're here today to celebrate the life of my father, Jack Curtis. I've prepared a few words." He paused to pull notecards out of his jacket's inside pocket. "Now, I think we all remember my father as this fun guy who used to take the kids to the batting cages on the weekend. He had this zest for life…" Toby trailed off and glanced around the room. "I'm sorry, excuse me."

Without any other warning, Toby slipped off stage and started walking towards the back door of the room. Happy moved to follow him. Paige immediately jumped on stage; as Happy got out the door, she heard the room start to sing "Amazing Grace".

Toby turned into side room and Happy followed him; it turned out to be a small office. Toby half sat, half crumpled onto the desk, his head in his hands.

"Toby, Toby, hey." Happy went over and put a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

He looked up at her, tears on his cheeks. "I hated him so much, Happy. So much."

"…Okay?"

"Why am I so sad?"

Happy sat down on the desk next to him. She wanted so badly to help him, but she didn't know what to say. After a minute, the words to come out of her mouth were, "Stockholm syndrome."

"What?"

"Maybe it's like Stockholm syndrome. Like, you hated him, but you also liked him, too."

"Okay, first of all, that's not what Stockholm syndrome is; that's just a love-hate relationship."

"Okay, okay, not Stockholm syndrome. But there's got to be a word for this. You hate someone for some of the things they did - like gambling - but you love them for taking you to the batting cages on the weekend. Come on, doc, help me out. I didn't go to Harvard."

Toby laughed bleakly. "Well, transactional analysis would suggest that my interactions with my father through different ego states might have contributed to this emotional ambivalence."

"Alright, you're using words I don't know. That's a good sign, right?"

Toby laughed again before sobering. "I don't know, Hap. I could write an entire case report about this situation from a psychiatrist's point of view. It doesn't make me any less sad."

Happy slipped onto the desk beside Toby and took his hand in hers. "I know. Paige keeps telling us that we can't outsmart our emotions."

Toby pressed a kiss onto Happy's hair. "I had this whole stupid speech planned out, about how Dad taught me to ride a bike and chop wood and whatever else, when really what I remember most about him is how he took me to his poker games when I was in elementary school. I don't think I can go back out there and talk."

"Well, then don't. I'm sure Paige can keep them occupied long enough. Let's just sit here for a while."

And so they did. They stayed there until the tribute was over and Sylvester came and found them, telling them it was time for the procession.

The ride to the graveyard was only ten minutes. It really was a nice day; the sun shone over the crowd of funeral-goers. There was a minister there, who read a passage from the Bible that Toby tuned out. Toby's father wouldn't have really cared; Jack Curtis hadn't been to church since he moved out of his mother's house. Then the coffin was lowered into the ground, Toby threw a handful of dirt onto it, and the crowd turned around to leave.

The reception was held in the hotel conference room. When the team got there, they passed through the line for food and then all sat down at a table. Happy sat next to Toby, who pushed the food around on his plate without eating.

A minute after they had sat down, a cousin wheeled Sarah over.

"Toby," his mother said, "it was a lovely service."

"You don't have to lie, Mom. I know you hate 'Amazing Grace'."

"Well, it's not my favorite, but your friend here has a very nice voice."

"Thank you," Paige said, smiling.

"Now, I have to get going. It's getting late." At this, Happy glanced at her watch; it was just past two in the afternoon. "But it was nice to see you, dear." Sarah reached out and patted Toby's hand. "Do tell me when you two" - she motioned between him and Happy - "finally get married."

Happy turned her eyes to her lap, not looking up until Sarah was gone.

"There's my mom for you," Toby said, turning to the table. "A-plus at making people feel uncomfortable."

"She seemed like she was trying to be nice," Paige offered.

"I guess." Toby pushed his chair back. "I think I'm going to go get some fresh air. It's stuffy in here."

Happy started to get up, but Sylvester beat her.

"I'll come, too," he said.

Toby looked like he was going to protest, but in the end just nodded. The two men walked out together.

After a minute, Walter went to use the bathroom and Tim and Cabe got up to get more food, leaving Happy alone with Paige.

"How are you holding up?" Paige asked.

"I don't know, fine. Just, God, you should have heard me try to cheer Toby up. 'Oh, you're feeling numb? Numb is good! It's better than feeling sad!' I'm just an idiot."

"Oh, come on, Happy, you're not an idiot. You're trying really hard, and I'm sure Toby knows that."

Happy frowned. "I guess. It's just, I know if I was in his situation, he would be so good about it, you know? So kind and supportive. I just want to be there for him."

"You are being there for him. You know, all we can do is all we can do. There's no magic words you can say to make him happy right now. Just being here is enough."

Happy shook her head. "No, Toby deserves someone who knows how to deal with this stuff, you know? I just feel like I'm failing him."

"Okay, okay, don't go down the 'I'm not good enough for him' road. I'm sure that's not what Toby's thinking right now."

Happy shrugged, unsatisfied, and then started eating her food.

Clouds had taken over the previously-blue sky when Toby and Sylvester got outside. They stood next to each other awkwardly in the parking lot.

"How are you feeling?" Sylvester asked.

"Oh, you know. Seeing all these people, it's bringing back some bad memories."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. There's a reason I haven't seen any of them in a decade."

"Did you see them a lot when you were younger?"

"Oh, all the time. We all grew up in Brooklyn together. We got together for Sunday dinners every week."

"I had no idea you were so close to your family."

"Well, 'close' isn't exactly the word I'd use. My dad liked me hanging out with the other boys because he thought it'd toughen me up, you know, keep me from reading all those big books. My parents never really got along with my aunts and uncles, though."

"Why not?"

"I think it was a lot of stuff from before I was born. You know, family fights. The dinners were always tense. And then my dad would send me in the backyard to play with my cousins, but they'd just pummel me and call it 'wrestling'."

"Wow."

"Yeah, and then I went off to college and never talked to them again. So it's a little awkward now."

"You know, my dad sent me to bootcamps in the summer to toughen me up, and the boys there pounded on me, too. I don't know what I'd do if I had to see them now."

Toby nodded. "You know what? Let's ditch them."

"Ditch who?"

"All the people here. Let's get Walter and go grab some beers or something."

"Aren't you supposed to say goodbye to them?"

"We'll tell Paige to tell everyone I'm sick or something. I promise you I won't be too missed."

"Well, then, let's go. I think there's a bar a few miles down the road."

Toby smiled and clapped Sylvester on the back. "Let's go."