Chapter 37
2 weeks later...
Toby wakes up to a horrible retching sound from his and Happy's shared bathroom.
He rubs the sleep out of his eyes, and yawns as he sits up in bed, glancing around briefly, just to be sure he wasn't still dreaming.
He looks beside him, and sees a mess of sheets, and indents in the fabric and mattress, but no Happy.
The terrible retching sound is heard again, and he jumps up from the bed, despite his dazed and tired state, after realizing what was going on.
He runs around the bed, to the other side, towards the bathroom door. Closed with the dim yellow light shining from the crack beneath.
He raps his knuckles against the door, before pushing it open just a bit, and poking his head in. "Hey, Happy" he says in a soft whisper.
Happy groans in response, as she braces herself against the porcelain bowl. Resting her cheek on the side, as she catches her breath for a moment.
Toby moves to lean against the bathtub, placed next to the toilet, while rubbing Happy's back, and pulling back her hair out of her face. It was sticking to her forehead and the back of her neck, from all the sweat.
Happy groans again, before dipping her face back into the bowl, and emptying the contents of her stomach once again.
Toby crinkles his nose as he watches her. Pulling back her hair, rubbing her back and chanting soothing words into her ear as she rests against him and the toilet.
A series of slow knocks emit from the door, and Sage peeks her sleepy head around the crack in the door to see what was going on.
She sees Toby leaning against the tub, while holding onto Happy. Who looks absolutely miserable, and pale, from all the vomiting.
"Are you okay mum?" She asks, stepping the rest of the way into the bathroom, standing several paces away.
Happy waves her off weakly. Unable to form words without sounding like a mumbling mess.
Toby speaks up for her instead. "Hey Bug, could you get a cold washcloth, and glass of water? That would help a lot" he says, with a weak smile as he continues to rub Happy's back.
Sage nods her head, and exits the bathroom, then running towards the kitchen to fetch what they needed.
She's back in just a few moments, carrying a glass, and a washcloth in each hand.
Toby pulls on Happy's shoulders so she's leaning back, flush against his chest, instead of gripping the toilet.
He takes the washcloth and cleans her lips and around her mouth, and folds it to lay on her forehead, then places the glass of water beside him, for when she's ready.
"Thanks sweetie. Go get dressed for school. We'll be out in a few." He says, shooing her out of the bathroom.
She gives him an uncertain look, before turning to exit the bathroom.
"You feeling better baby?" He asks, interlacing his fingers above Happy's abdomen, and whispering in her ear.
"I don't know why you're talking to the kids, wen I'm the one puking my guts out" Happy says in a huff. Finally able to catchy her breath and relax a bit.
"I was talking to you. I would have said babies if I was talking to them" he cooed, rubbing his thumbs against the fabric beneath his fingers.
Happy sighs. "Don't use that pet name then. It'll get too confusing"
Toby chuckles and nods his head, offering her a drink of water.
She takes it, and swallows small tentative sips one at a time. Unsure as to whether or not she'll have to puke again.
"Is your morning sickness usually like that?" He asks, smoothing down her hair.
Happy shakes her head, "no. I only puke a couple of times usually. Today it just kept coming though. It was terrible" she whined. Turning her face so her cheek was rested near Toby's heart.
They sit on the floor for a while, before they realize that they have to get up if they want to get to work on time, and get Sage to school.
Toby steadies Happy as she stands up, and brushes her teeth. Then goes off to get dressed himself.
And it's not long before Happy is agitated again, while she's getting herself ready for the day.
"Ugh! Toby!" Happy grumbles from in front of the mirror.
She had just pulled on her last pair of jeans she's been wearing for the past week to hide her growing belly. But unfortunately they were no longer able to button around her waist.
Her legs were in, and the zipper was undone as the button hang loosely on either side of her.
She sighed in exasperation, and cursed down at her growing belly.
Toby came running out of the
bathroom with his toothbrush in his mouth. "What's wrong Hap?" He asks, glancing at her picture in the mirror.
She grumbled as she turned around to show off her disappointing situation.
"Your children are preventing me from putting on pants" she said, while crossing her arms over her growing chest. "And I also just puked enough to fill up the entire bathtub. I think that should account for something"
Toby's eyebrows furrowed. "I don't know how much longer we can hide this Hap. We might want to consider telling everyone" he says, as he heads back to the bathroom to rinse out his mouth and toothbrush.
Happy follows him into the bathroom, while puling off her black jeans in the process.
"I don't want to tell the team yet. Not until I can't hide it anymore" she says.
"You can't hide it anymore! Look at you!" He yells, gesturing with both hands at her protruding belly. "And not to mention the fact that Sage walked in, while you were suffering from an unfortunate case of morning sickness".
She slaps his hands, and growls. Spinning on her heels to march back in their room.
She grabs a pair of black leggings, and one of Toby's oversized sweatshirts. Since she's run out of baggy clothes of her own.
Toby comes out the bathroom, fully dressed and ready to go. He looks her up and down and smirks. "Lazy day?"
"Shut up" she grumbles. Throwing open the door of their bedroom, and walking down the broad hallway.
Sage was sitting on the couch watching cartoons, with her back to them as she waited for them to come out.
Her backpack was sitting next to her and her skateboard was at her feet.
"You ready to go bug?" He asks, smoothing down her hair, and placing a kiss atop her head, and grabbing her backpack with his other hand in the process.
He lifts it over the back of the couch, as Happy grabs the keys from the bowl they keep by the door.
"Yeah" Sage says, a little reluctantly, as she turns off the TV, and grabbing her homemade lunch from the dining table, Toby had made for her last night
They ride the elevator down to the lobby, and walk to the car parked outside.
Sage debates on running back inside, and hiding so she doesn't have to go to school. But sadly she thought of the idea too late, because Toby was pushing her into the backseat, next to her backpack.
She rested her chin on her hand as she stared out the window while they rode to the garage.
"Hey, Hap? You got a dress for my sisters wedding this weekend?" He asks, turning to Happy sitting in the passengers seat. Since she wasn't feeling well enough to drive.
She bangs the heel of her hand on her thigh in frustration. "Dang it! No I haven't! I'll just get Paige to go shopping with me and Sage tonight" she grumbles.
Toby seems to regret bringing up the topic, and pats her hand tapping her knee repeatedly. Intertwining their fingers.
"It's alright, don't stress about it. It'll be fine"
OoOoOo
"Where do you want to eat breakfast Sage?" Happy asks, turning her head and body to look at Sage. Grimacing at the lingering pain in her stomach.
Sage taps her finger on her chin in thought. "I dunno. Can we eat at Kovelskys again? Or are you guys sick of that place?"
Toby nods his approval, and grins. Looking over to Happy for approval.
Happy smirks, and nods her head, as Toby merges into the exit lane, leading to the diner.
"Good thing your favorite breakfast is our favorite kid" Happy laughs.
They make it to the diner in record time, and sit at their regular booth, with their regular waiter; Kiera.
"So what can I get the Curtis family this morning? Same as usual?" She asks with a sunny smile. Same bouncy and excited mood as always.
"For me, yes" Toby says, handing her the menu he didn't even glance at, and sipping at his coffee. Just the way he liked it.
Sage nods her head in agreement, handing her menu to Kiera as well.
But Happy continues to study the menu. "You know...I'm gonna try something different. What about the Jalepeño omelet" she says with a smile, handing off her menu.
Kiera smiles sweetly and writes it down on her pad, before skipping off to the kitchen.
Toby raises an eyebrow at her, over his mug, and sets it down. Studying her face. "You hate spicy food. Why the sudden change?"
Happy gives him a raised eyebrow in response. "You should know...plus, I felt like changing it up a bit" she say with a shrug.
Toby smirks and takes another sip. Then galnces over to Sage with her chin on her arm, while she finishes the puzzle on the kids coloring menu. That she was way too advanced for, but what Kiera gave her anyways.
He smiles down at her, as she continues to ignore their conversation, while she writes out things in her purple crayon.
Toby's phone vibrates in his pocket, then his ringtone blasts throughout the diner, and people turn around to look at them. Giving them weird looks.
Toby fishes out his phone, and answers.
He mouths 'its Paige' to Happy, before standing up and exiting the restaurant to speak, without disrupting the other customers inside.
He hears Paige's calm and tired voice over the phone, as she explains what's going on. "Walter said that Cooper is coming in soon. Apparently it has something to do with Oscar and Barnes' trial. You guys need to be here for the debriefing, since she asked specifically for you and Sage"
Toby purses his lips, and nods his head while Paige talks. He bows his head, and places his other hand in his pocket. "When is Cooper coming in?"
"In about an hour or so. You have time" she says.
Toby continues to nod his head, "okay, we'll be there in about an hour then."
He ends the conversation and stands outside for a little bit, and runs his hand through his hair as he tries to press down the stress racking up in his brain.
After a moment or two he calms his thoughts, and catches his breath, and he walks back inside the diner, and sees both Happy and Sage working together on a very simple number game.
He smiles to himself as he watches the both of them laugh after Happy says a crude remark about a couple sitting a few booths away.
He sits back down, and takes a long sip of his coffee, and leaning his head back against the booth, and closes his eyes.
"What'd Paige want?" Happy asks
His eyes slowly open, as he sits up with a groan. "Cooper is coming in, in about an hour. She's got some info for us or something" he answers with a shrug.
Happy nods her head, and leans to the side to look around him and towards the kitchen, to see if they're food is coming.
When she sees nothing promising she frowns and leans back against the seat. "So...what kind of dress do me and Sage gotta buy for the wedding"
Toby shrugs his shoulders, "I dunno. Something light I guess. I have no clue what my sister is like, or what the color scheme is, if there is one. So just get whatever you want I guess"
Happy nods her head, and taps her fingers on the table, while staring at some random spot on the wall, thinking about who knows what. Neither of them really felt like talking at the moment.
"Finished!" Sage exclaims, with a bright smile on her face.
She turns the paper so both Toby and Happy can see. Toby frowns when he notices nothing different. "What did you finish exactly sweetheart?"
Sage grins, and points to her glass of lemon water. "I used lemon juice, to make an abstract drawing. Look"
She digs in her jean pocket and pulls out a weird pen. Sylvester had bought it for her as a present, and she tinkered with it a bit.
She flips the pen in her hand, and shines light in Toby's eyes for show. "This is a flashlight pen, Sylvester got it for me. 'Just in case I got trapped in a tunnel, and there was no light'" she mocked. "And," she flips a switch, somewhere on the side. "I turned it into a UV light"
She shines the UV on the paper, and a picture is illuminated behind the black ink already typed onto the picture.
Toby shakes his head in amazement. "I don't know how you do it Bug, but that's amazing"
Happy nods along with him, as she continues to look at the detailed drawing. Then she narrows her eyes. "Wait a minute! How did you even get the materials to make a UV light. Some of those chemicals can be dangerous"
Sage put the pen in her pocket, looking a little sheepish. "Uh...just found em...lying around the garage"
Toby squints his eyes, and purses his lips. Before leaning forward. "Sage"
He never used her first name. It was always nicknames like kiddo, Bug, sweetheart, sweet pea, and so on. As soon as he said that, she knew there was no way she was getting out of this pickle.
She rubs the back of her neck, and glances out he window, before looking back at her father. "I may have convinced Uncle Walt"
Toby nods his head and sits back in his seat. "So you're saying that Walter, willingly handed you toxic chemicals without question"
Happy didn't say anything as they both waited patiently for Sage. "No, in Walter's defense, I sort of manipulated him for it. I told him I needed them for an experiment for school. You know how he can't say no to an experiment or education. Sooo..." she trails off, and shrugs her shoulders.
Toby nods his head, and let's out a slow breath, and in all honesty, Sage is sort of scared. Toby was one who usually jumped to conclusions, quick to react, and all in all, not a very calm and collected person. That was more of Happy's forte.
"Uh, Dad...are you okay?"
Toby looks up at her, "oh, yeah. I'm fine"
Sage glances over to Happy, who seems to be just as confused as she was.
"Your sure everything's alright Doc?" She asks, a bit uncertain, "you haven't really made your usual dramatic scene yet"
Toby nods his head, "yes, I'm fine. I trust Walter, and Sage. She can take of herself pretty well, and I should just let her do what she's gonna do" he says though gritted teeth.
Happy and Sage both raise an eyebrow at the same time. They can both tell that he has trouble believing what is actually coming out of his mouth.
Sage looks giddy, "ok then. Does that mean I can go with Uncle Walt to Malawi. He said that the volcanoes there are pretty inter-" Toby's quick to cut her off.
"Let's not go that far"
Happy laughs, and nudges Sage with her elbow. "Don't push him to hard. He might fall"
Sage laughs too, as Toby frowns at them. Mocking there laughter.
Soon there food was there, along with their check Kiera had wrung up for them.
They are in mostly silence as they ate their food. Happy more so than the other two. She ended up picking some food off of Toby's plate, after she had finished her own omlet.
After about the fifth time she reached over for a piece of bacon, Toby grabbed her wrist. "Happy, I love you, but can you please stop taking my food. I need to eat too"
Sage snickers, as Happy frowns, and retracts her hand, but not before grabbing a little piece of his bacon, and putting it in her mouth before he could object.
They finish up, pay, and get into the car, to head off to the garage.
Happy climbs into the drivers seat before Toby could say otherwise. "Happy, are you sure you want to drive. You were just puking your guts up this morning"
Happy scrunched up her face in disgust, as she starts the engine. "Don't remind me"
They reach the garage pretty quickly, since Kovelskys isn't that far from it. They have about half an hour before the kids have to head off to school, so their pretty close to on time.
When they reach their destination, Colby's up, and in the kitchen. Sipping at a coffee, Cabe had made for him. He was sitting on the counter, talking to Ralph and Aiden, sitting at the kitchen table across from him.
Sage runs over to join the group, while Toby and Happy continue into the garage and to their designated desks.
As soon as Toby sits in his chair, Paige is at his desk. Both hands placed on it, as she leans towards him.
He raises his brow at her, and she begins talking. "Walters been acting weird all morning. Especially after he got that call from Cabe. I think something might be wrong, he keeps asking Ralph about Sage and... I think it might be about that trial" Paige says, lowering her voice to a whisper at the last part.
Toby narrows his eyes, "it might also have to do with the fact that he handed over toxic chemicals to an 11 year old girl" he says, a bit louder than necessary. Just so Walter could hear.
"It was purely for a scientific experiment, and education" he hears him call from the loft.
He descends with a file in his hand, and a mess of hair and clothes, he looks very out of the ordinary.
"See what I mean" Paige says, gesturing to her mess of a boyfriend.
Toby shrugs his shoulders, and shakes his head. "I honestly have no idea what his problem is"
When Walter's on the ground floor, he begins walking towards Toby's desk, about to start up a conversation. And Toby can tell by the way he raises a finger and opens his mouth, as if he was going to make a point.
The door to the garage swings open before he can get anything out. And Cabe, along with Cooper struts in.
Colby, Sage, and Aiden hadn't met Cooper yet. They've heard of her, but hadn't been around the garage enough to actually meet in person. They were usually off at school, or just not around in general.
Sage walks up, rather cautiously, and stands up straight next to Walter. "She Cooper?" She whispers.
Walter nods his head, and folds his hands behind his back.
"Deputy Director Cooper, how nice it is to see you again" Toby says, tipping his hat, and getting up from his seat, and walking to stand next to the rest of the team.
"You too Dr. Tobias" she says, before turning her attention over to Sage. "You must be Sage" she says, sticking out her hand with a sweet smile.
Sage steps forward and shakes her hand, before stepping back in line with Walter.
Cooper smiles at her, before glancing over at Toby. "I will say, that you two do look quite alike"
Happy walks up next to Toby, with a smirk "don't insult her" she says, elbowing Toby in the ribs playfully.
Toby chuckles under his breath, and Sage gives a weak smile. She can tell that Cooper is about to drop a bomb on them, and it's making her very uncomfortable.
Cooper glances around the garage. "Which one is Aiden?" She asks, looking between Colby and Aiden, still in the kitchen.
Colby juts his thumb over to Aiden, who's mindlessly reading a book he had found who knows where. Tapping his fingers, and fiddling with the corners of the pages.
Toby grunts in annoyance. He had been doing so well, with keeping Aiden's attention in check. He'd gotten as far as getting him to pay attention, or even look up when he heard his name being called from anyone. Not just the people he knew.
They had been working on it for weeks, in their individual sessions. Now, he's back to where he was. All that work for nothing.
"Aiden!" Sage calls a bit louder, and Aiden perks up from his book, and glances around at all the people staring at him.
He doesn't move from his seat, he just looks up, waves at Sage, and looks back down at his book.
Cooper nods her head, with lowered eyebrows. "Well, I don't know whether this news I'm about to tell you is good or bad...but they're having a retrial for Dr. Barnes in a month. He claimed it wasn't a fair trial originally, since he did not have any proper or 'fit' witnesses. And that the government had forced him into it. Claiming entrapment. And it is in a way, with the special circumstances with the congressman and other government officials. "
Toby's face drops instantly into a frown, along with the rest of the teams. Except Cabe and Walter's, who were already frowning in the first place.
"So...Homeland is requesting that you, Dr. Curtis, Sage, and Aiden all stand in as witnesses for the events that occurred. There are no others that have the knowledge of the case, or personal connection"
Toby's nostrils flare, "and if we refuse?"
Cooper frowns at the statement, mimicking Toby's features. "Well, I do not have much control over the matter; but if you refuse there is a chance you will be receiving jail time. Sage and Aiden on the other hand have a choice, since they are minors. But I strongly advise that they do, that way there is less of a chance for an appeal"
Toby frowns some more, if that were even possible. Along with Happy with her arms crossed over her chest.
Sage bites at her lip while she thinks about the issue. It doesn't take long before she answers confidently. "I'll do it"
"No you most certainly will not" Toby objects, straight away. The team chorus their agreements, with nodding heads, and muffled statements. The whole situation has already created enough emotional stress for her, no need to add on to the pile.
Sage scowls, "this is my decision. And if I can help put away Barnes for what he did, for good. Then I will do it. Without question"
Colby had been listening the whole time, and now he's standing next to Sage, and he places a hand on her lower back. "Why don't you think about this, before you make your decision" he coaxed gently. Knowing good and well what her reaction might be.
Sage spins on her heel. "No! Deanna raised me to do the right thing, and so have all of you," she says, pointing to each member of the team, "This is the right thing to do, and that is why I am going to do it" she stomps her foot on the ground for emphasis.
Ralph had followed Colby into the main room, and stands in front of Sage. "Sage, its okay. Toby has by far enough against him to put him away for a very long time. There's no need for you to go in too."
"But there is a need," she says it softer this time, and looks around at everyone standing around her. "None of you except me an Aiden know what it's like to be in there. None of you can imagine or begin to comprehend the fear and pain we had throughout that whole experience. The things they did to us, was cruel and inhumane, and no one should ever have to go through that. And I have lived every day of my life since then in fear, that one day, all this would disappear, and I'll be back in that retched place. It's haunted me from day one, and will continue to haunt me the rest of my life. But I can ease the pain, if I get some closure. And that means knowing that 'I' am the one that put him away for good, and 'I' am the one who looks him in the face one last time as he leaves the courtroom. 'I'm' the one that needs this"
Everyone looks very moved by her speech, and they should be, because they all knew it was true.
Cooper looks sympathetic, and Sage can tell that she regrets telling her about the trial in the first place.
Toby nods his head, and purses his lips. He opens his arms to her, and she slowly walks up to him, with her head bowed, and presses her face into his shirt.
She doesn't cry, she doesn't whine, she just stands there and hugs him, while Toby wraps his own arms around her back.
"Thank You Cooper for coming by. We'll be at the trial" he says, with a soft smile, and wave goodbye as she leaves.
Sage pulls away from Toby's embrace and disappears to the back of the garage until it was time to go. She didn't really want to stick around for the pity party.
Even Ralph knew better than to follow her at the moment. She just needed to let out some steam for a little while.
"No punching bag" Happy calls out, remembering the last time. She didn't need to be missing anymore days of school than she needed to this week.
She hears a muffled reply, and is satisfied enough that she heads back to her desk to tinker on a project she's been making for Sage's upcoming birthday.
She didn't know it, but Toby had told her the date, and the team wanted to surprise her on her first birthday with them.
Everyone looks kind of mopey as they work around each other, until it's time for them to take the kids to school.
Walter volunteers to drive them, because he claims that 'Toby has too much things he needs to catch up on, and he'd rather him be focused on that for the day.'
Toby grumbles, and sticks his tongue out at him when he turns his back to his desk.
Walter grabs his keys from his desk, and calls for the kids. "Let's go. I need to take you all to school on time. So let's hurry it up" he claps his hands together loudly for effect.
"They aren't military drones kid. No need for all that" Cabe snickers, sipping his coffee, and leaning against the counter as the kids file past him.
Toby counts three heads instead of four, and looks around for Sage. Eventually she emerges from the back with a scowl on her face.
Cabe pats her head as she passes, "Buck up kiddo" he says, grinning at her.
Walter's holding the door patiently, while the team yells their encouragement. "Smile sweetie!" Paige says, giving her a quick hug. "Be good" Toby doesn't forget to yell, along with Happy yelling "don't take any crap" not long after.
When she reaches the door she can hear the last comment from Sylvester. Which actually makes her laugh and smile, "and don't forget to wash your hands, you don't want to get sick just before your trip"
Walter places a hand on her backpack as he gently pushes her out the door. And out towards where the cars are parked.
She climbs in the back with Colby and Aiden, since Ralph had already called shotgun.
The ride to the elementary school to drop off Aiden was short, and the ride to the middle school was even shorter.
OoOoOo
The whole day mostly consisted of walking sitting, and listening to boring teachers rant about monomials and the cell cycle.
Sage's frown was prominent for most of the day, while Colby and Ralph both hung back a ways to give her the needed space.
Colby had waved bye to Ralph as he headed off to their last class of the day. Gym. While Ralph opened up his locker to grab his own gym clothes.
He glances around, looking for Sage, who had at some point disappeared from his side. Where she had seemed to be attached most of the day.
He was able to spot her a little ways down the hallway talking to a boy. He was tall with messy black hair in his blue eyes. He looked nice from a distance, and Ralph had no reason to dislike him, but seeing the way he was able to make Sage smile for the first time all day, flipped a switch in him, and for one of the first times in his whole life he understood what the term jealousy really meant. Just by watching as Sage laughed at something he said, and didn't have her arms crossed over her chest to block herself off from him. It felt like a harsh blow to the gut, and he now knows how Walter must have felt after Tim came around with his mother.
He waits patiently for the conversation to end between the two, so he could politely interrupt and walk with Sage to their next class.
When he steps in, Sage gives him a weak smile that he can tell isn't genuine. "Ralph, I want you to meet Jett. He said that he just moved here, and Ms. Courtney asked me to help him out last period. I think you guys would get along, he really likes cars and rockets"
Ralph raises an eyebrow and nods his head, before grabbing Sage's hand, and pulling her away, and down the hall. "What're you doing?" She asks, noticing his rush.
"I didn't like him" he says. He can fell Sage's hand slip out of his, and he looks behind him to see Sage glaring at him with her hands on her hips.
"So I'm not allowed to have any friends besides you. Just because you don't like someone means I can't hang around them?" she accuses.
Ralph steps towards her, and tries to smooth the situation out. "That's not what I meant"
"Then what did you mean!" She asks, stomping her foot harshly on the ground. Drawing attention from a few that still hadn't made it to class yet.
"I was just trying to get us to class on time" he says, gesturing down the hallway, and then at his watch. Indicating that they only had two minutes to make it to the gym across the campus.
Sage straightens her backpack strap, and huffed under her breath before taking off. Despite the schools policy against running in the hallways.
Ralph groans, and takes off after, but not quite as fast.
It turned out that Jett had gym with them, along with Colby and a few other upperclassmen.
He could tell by the way Sage was glaring at him during the dodgeball game that she was severely pissed at him, and if she had a ball in her hand, she'd gladly introduce it to his face.
Colby seemed to take notice of Sage's mood too, and jumps over towards Ralph to block a ball flying towards his chest. He catches it, and throws it back at the guy snickering at them, hitting him squarely in the jaw, and knocking him backwards a few feet.
"Hey, why is Sage so pissed at you" he asks, catching another ball that was thrown at him.
Ralph shrugs his shoulders, and steps to the side while the red rubber ball flies past his face. "I told her I didn't like her new friend Jett, and she freaked out"
Colby raises an eyebrow. "You what now?!"
Ralph gives him a sideways glance. Unsure of which part of what he said he didn't understand.
"I said-" Colby interrupts him, and grabs him by the shoulder, shaking him just a little. "Dude, you can't tell Sage what she can and cannot do. Especially when it comes to other people. Cause she knows that she's got a good sense for whose a good person and whose not"
Ralph's nose scrunched up in confusion. "But I wasn't telling her to do anything. I just said I didn't like him" he argues.
Colby sighs and shakes his head, glancing up at Sage leaning her back against the wall as the balls flew through the air.
"Alright, tell me exactly how you said it, and how it came up"
Colby listened carefully as Ralph repeats exactly what he said, and exactly what Sage said and how she reacted.
Colby grunts in annoyance after catching a ball in his gut.
"Well, the way you made it sound is you were jealous, and being all controlling. But because of the way you stupid geniuses," he pause to look over at him, "no offense, process emotions, Sage probably had no clue you were. She just thinks you were telling her she couldn't hang out with the Jett guy"
Ralph hung his head, "how am I supposed to apologize then. I don't want her to be mad at me"
Colby laughs and claps him on the back, "it's alright buddy. New relationships are always rough" he chuckles, as Ralph glares at him, and hits his arm.
"I'm serious Colby! How do I apologize? You know her better than anyone else"
Colby laughs some more, as the coach blows the whistle, signaling the end of the period.
They all trudge to their locker rooms. The boys to theirs and the girls to their own.
They get changed as Colby explains how to win back Sage.
"First off, you gotta put some thought into it. That way she'll know you really mean it. You can't just go up to her and say sorry and expect things to go back to normal" he says, pulling off the sweaty gym shirt over his head, and pulling on his fresh one.
"She will know if you're sincere or not. She's got this weird mind reading thing going for her. Sorta like Toby...I guess that's where she got it from" he says.
If Ralph had a notepad he would probably be taking notes as Colby tells him the stories of how he had to apologize to Sage, or convince her to do something. But instead of taking notes, he has to get dressed.
A couple minutes before the release bell sounded, Jett walked over to the two of them and stuck out his hand. "Hey, I'm Jett. I heard you talking about Sage. I've already met Ralph, but are you her friend too?"
Colby gives him a grin, and shake of the hand, giving him a slap on the back, and giving him a sideways hug, and grinning at Ralph. "What you talking about Ralph, I love this guy"
Ralph tries to appear nice, and friendly, but it's pretty difficult. So he just keeps his normal straight face.
The bell rings and the rowdy boys in their class file out like a stampede of elephants. The three of them wait until it clears up.
"My names Colby, I'm basically Sage's older brother" he says, walking beside him as Ralph trails behind.
He scowls to himself, as he's replaced once again by Jett. Even the name sounded sour on his tongue.
Sage is waiting patiently outside their locker room like she does every day. She smiles brightly when she sees Jett, and Colby falls behind next to Ralph so they can walk and talk together.
Colby nudges him while they walk. "I don't know why you don't like him, he seems like a great guy"
Ralph ignores him, as Sage giggles at something Jett says. Sage never giggles, especially in public.
Colby finally realizes what's going on, and looks between the two.
Ralph looks up at him, with a sad face. "I can't even make her smile like that"
Colby has trouble not frowning with him, because he felt his pain. But he still tries to reassure him. "It's alright. I'm sure it's just a phase, and she'll be over him soon" he says, softly enough so Sage and Jett couldn't hear, "but for now, try and be friendly with Jett, that'll get you on her good side"
Ralph grunts a reply, and continues following down the hallways, while Jett and Sage playfully argue in front of him.
They reach the entrance, and spot Paige's car waiting for them. Jett waves goodbye as he hops in his own ride. Then they climb into their ride home.
All three of them are quiet, while Paige talks about something stupid Sage's parents had done that day at the garage, and about taking Sage and Happy out shopping for dresses.
Colby nudges Sage sitting beside him in the back. "Never seen you in a dress before" he smirks.
Sage rolls her eyes, and pushes his arm away from her. "I've never worn one stupid"
Colby laughs, while Paige gasps. "You've never worn a dress before?!"
Sage shakes her head. She didn't like where this conversation seemed to be heading.
"Well, we're just going to have to buy you the worlds most beautiful dress, to make this special" she grins excitedly, parking the car in front of the garage.
Inside...
Happy can feel Walter staring at them, but at the moment she didn't really care. She leans up on her tippy toes and cups Toby's cheek with one hand while giving him a long kiss.
He drops his head down closer to hers, and wraps his arms around her waist.
When she pulls away, she can sees the dazed look in his eyes. "You do know we're in the garage" he asks, rather huskily, raising his eyebrows just a bit, while her hands wander to the back of the neck, and play with his hair.
She leans over his shoulder to whisper in his ear. "I honestly don't care" she says, giving him a little nip on the ear.
She chuckles when she sees Walter's face turn bright pink, as he picks up the pile of papers he had dropped.
Cabe had left as soon as they started getting handsy. And Sly was riding the bus to pick up Aiden at school, his teacher had wanted to talk with him about something.
So it was just them, and Walter.
Happy kissed at Toby's neck, just beneath his jaw, and Toby closed his eyes as he grinned, and hummed in pleasure.
The door to the garage opened, and Happy didn't jump away from him like she usually did when someone was about to walk in on them.
He leans his head away from her to see who it was, and she improvises by kissing his chest through his shirt, and sliding her hands slowly into his back pockets.
She hears a little yip of surprise from Toby when she does, and that seems to encourage her, as she chuckles into his chest. So she leans up to kiss him again, but he lifts his head high enough where she can't reach him easily. "Happy there are children entering the garage" he whispers, a bit unsure of Happy's new attitude towards PDA.
He was all for it, in front of adults, but when the kids started coming in, that's when he became a little 'eh'.
"It's alright," she purrs, "they're not really as innocent as we think" she says kissing his neck, trying to convince him it's okay.
He can hear the hurried footsteps to the kitchen behind his back, as Happy tries stepping closer to him, trapping him between her body and her workbench.
Toby grabs her wrists, and slowly removes them from his pockets, and then he twists his body and backs up, out of her workstation.
He brings her knuckles to his lips, to give them a quick kiss. "Later Love. I promise. Now just isn't the right time" he says, with a sweet smile.
He knows exactly why she was acting like this, and he knew that if she was herself, she would be really really pissed. It wasn't all because she was pregnant, but that did have a big impact on her actions.
He lets go of her hands and turns to walk back to his desk.
He can see Walter's visible sigh of relief as he passes by.
What he doesn't notice, is Happy following him over to his desk.
He sits down, and throws his feet up on the desk, spinning to face her. "Yes, Sweetie?"
Happy doesn't say anything as she circles the desk, and crawls into Toby's lap.
Leaning her back against his chest, and stretching her legs out on top of his, leaning her head against his chest and neck.
He was absolutely and terribly confused. Even the new, and pregnant Happy wouldn't do something this personal and intimate around anyone but him, and maybe Sage; that's it.
He glances over at Walter, and laughed, when he saw his hanging mouth, as he stared at them. He apparently is surprised by the new Happy as well, and he couldn't seem to figure it out.
Happy ignores both of them, and turns her head, so she can kiss Toby's jaw, "I love you" she whispers, before closing her eyes.
Toby kisses the top of her head, "love you too"
In the kitchen, things aren't exactly normal, and Paige can tell.
The whole day has pretty much been Opposite Day. With Happy showing so much affection, and Sage being so quiet. Along with Sylvester's newfound bravery in certain matters. It was all starting to mess with her head.
Sage was sitting quietly next to Colby, while Ralph was helping prepare the ice cream Paige had promised them in the car.
She opened the freezer to see 3 cartons of ice cream. She didn't remember buying that much ice cream, especially not triple chocolate fudge. She's been trying to buy healthier snacks.
She shrugs, and places the vanilla ice cream carton onto the counter next to wear Ralph had out the bowls.
She opened the fridge next to grab the chocolate syrup. She was about to close it again, when she noticed something. There was a total of 5 large jars of pickles on the top rack.
"Why are there so many pickles in here" she asks, picking one up, and turning it over, just to be sure she wasn't hallucinating.
Sage replied without looking up from her homework she had busied herself with. "Those are Happy's. she's been craving pickles and ice cream like crazy. It's honestly kind of gross."
It all starts clicking together in Paige's mind, as she closes the fridge rather slowly, and places the chocolate syrup on the counter.
Happy's baggy clothes, she's been wearing for a good week or two. Happy's new Found rules on PDA, and finally her cravings for sweet and salty, or...dill...her craving was really odd, but she didn't really care at the moment, because Happy freaking Quinn was pregnant.
She almost drops the jar of pickles in her hand, as she gasps. "Happy!" She yells, running out from the kitchen to go find the mechanic.
The three left in the kitchen have no clue what Paige's freak out was about, and they didn't really care either at the moment. They already had enough on their mind as is.
Ralph finishes with Colby's bowl of ice cream, and places it in front of him. It takes him a couple more minutes to fix Sage's, and she becomes suspicious when she sees he's fiddling with her snack at the counter.
He looks a little nervous when he places the bowl in front of her, and hurriedly turns around to grab his own bowl and spoon.
Sage tries not to smile and keep a straight face when she sees what Ralph spelled out with chocolate syrup. He had flattened her ice cream to give himself a clean, white surface to write on.
'I'm Sorry' was written in cursive, and she couldn't hold back the smile that spread across her face..
She stands up, and stalks towards Ralph and gives him a big hug. "I'm sorry I was such a jerk earlier"
Ralph smiles over her shoulder at Colby, who's giving him a big thumbs up. "It's fine. I probably shouldn't have said anything about Jett"
Sage pulls back, and holds him by the shoulders, "but I'm still pissed at you" she points out, before letting go of him, and going back to eat her ice cream. So hopefully everything is pretty much back to normal. At least that's how it seemed at the moment. They talk and bicker about everything, about the stupidest stuff.
They completely forgot about Paige's weird facade over Happy.
She had strut right up to Toby's desk, and doesn't blink an eye when he sees their position. "Why didn't you tell me!" She insists, pointing an accusing finger at the two of them.
Happy looks innocently up at Toby, unsure of what exactly he had done this time. "Don't look at me, I didn't do anything"
Happy sits up in his lap, and swings her feet down. Pushing them away from the desk, and knocking Toby's feet down in the process.
She stands up to face Paige, with arms crossed over her chest, "what exactly do you know Dineen"
Paige lowers her voice so no one else can overhear, and pokes Happy in the shoulder. "I know you are pregnant, and you didn't tell me about it"
Happy's eyes widen, and her arm wraps around her abdomen absentmindedly. Toby bolts up from his relaxed position in his chair. "How the heck did you figure that out?!"
Both women shush him, when Walter looks over at the group of them suspiciously.
"I just figured it out. And I should have figured it out a while ago." Paige sighs. "First is your choice of clothes," she gestures to Happy's leggings, and Toby's baggy sweatshirt she had borrowed for the day, "plus all the affection in the garage. You hate it when Toby even touches you in the garage, let alone make out with him in the wide open. And the fact that your craving a weird salty sweet combination of pickles and ice cream." It was Paige's turn to cross her arms in front of her chest, as she puffed out her cheeks.
"If anyone was going to figure it out, it was going to be you Paige" Happy sighs, giving up on the conversation, "but yeah, I'm pregnant"
Paige drops her arms, and looks giddy. "How far along are you?"
"About 15 weeks" Happy says, shrugging her shoulders. "My stomach isn't that big yet, and I just ran out of pants. I've been manipulating the button and zipper for days now, but this morning it just didn't work."
Paige nods in understanding, and both Happy and Toby can tell she wants to announce it to everyone, but she doesn't. Thank goodness.
"Have you guys told Sage yet?"
Happy looks a bit sheepish, and Toby rubs the back of his neck, attempting to remove himself from the conversation. "No, we haven't told her yet. We don't know how to tell her without her freaking out"
Paige sighed and shook her head, before grabbing Toby's sleeve and dragging him back behind the desk, from where he was trying to escape. "You're a part of this to mister"
Toby throws his hands up defensively, "I'm not the one pregnant"
Happy glares at him, "yes, but you're the one who got the pregnant lady pregnant. So you're staying,"
Toby sighs, knowing not to argue with her during her frequent mood swings. Only two minutes ago she was all snugly and kissy, and now, just one wrong move could tick her off.
Paige gets right back to the matter at hand. "You two need to tell her. It's better if she hears it from you, rather than her finding out herself. Trust me"
Toby nods in agreement, and Happy grunts in annoyance. "I guess your right. I'll tell her tonight"
Toby's eyes bug out of his skull. "Whoah whoah whoah, hang on. By tonight do you mean while you girls are out shopping, or tonight as in, with me back at the apartment. Cause I feel I need to be there for this conversation"
Happy rolls her eyes. "I'm not an idiot Doc. I wouldn't tell her without you there. We can tell her when we get home this evening. You have to go out to the office tonight anyway. Everything will work out"
Toby scrunched up his nose at the distasteful thought of going back to that stupid office. But he's got to keep working, because they've been low on cases lately, which in the long run means; low on money.
Paige nods along as they converse about the matter, and waits until their done to butt in. "Are you ready to go Happy? The sooner we get going the sooner we'll get back"
Happy nods her head, and pushes Toby back a few steps so she can walk around her desk. Toby's leaning down to give her a kiss goodbye, but she backslaps him in the stomach. "What'd I say about PDA in the garage" she glares.
"Bu-but you were just" Toby sees her raise her eyebrow, "I was just what" she threatens, with a frown.
Toby groans, and collapses in his chair, "never mind. Have fun"
He waves her off, and looks at the various objects scattered across his desk in annoyance.
He dropped his head back and groaned. Tonight was going to be a long night.
OoOoOo
Long after the girls had left, Toby still hadn't moved. Despite the fact that he had a 4:00 appointment, with a very rich man. And he knows very well that he shouldn't be late.
He's about to pack up his things, when Ralph walks tentatively up to his desk, his hands folded behind his back, much like how Walter does.
"Uncle Toby? Can I get your help with something?" Ralph asks sheepishly.
Toby smiles, and checks his watch before nodding, "if it can be done in under 15 minutes, of course"
Ralph smiles, and Toby clears a spot on his desk for him to sit at. He hops up onto the desk, letting his feet hang, as Toby gets comfortable in his chair.
"What's bothering you little man?" He asks.
"It's about a girl...again" Ralph says, looking down and playing with his hands.
Toby waggled his eyebrows at him, "ooh, you like her"
Ralph nods, and continues to avoid eye contact. "She's my friend, but I think she likes somebody else. They're new to the school, and we used to hang out a lot, but now she just talks to him"
Toby frowns, because he knows exactly how he feels. "Well, buddy. How good of friends are you. School friends? Or you and Sage friends?"
Ralph pretends to think about it, because there was no way he was ever going to tell Toby he had a crush on his daughter.
"Sorta like me and Sage friends" he says, nodding to finalize his answer.
He can tell by the way Toby's looking at him, that he knows he's hiding something. But he's thankful when he doesn't say anything about it.
"So what do I do?" He asks
"Well, what's she like. Describe her"
This is where things got tricky. If he gave too much information, Toby would know right away who it was, if he didn't already know. So treading likely was the best option.
"She's really pretty, and closed off to a lot of people. She can be nice when she wants to, and really mean if you get her mad. She has a really pretty smile, and beautiful eyes..." Ralph momentarily forgets that he's speaking to the resident shrink, and fans over Sage for a moment or two, out loud.
Toby grabs him by the shoulders with a grin, to stop his talking. "Alright little man. You are lovestruck. I'm happy to say it. I don't think you'll have any problem winning her over. All girls like to be chased, they like proof that you'll stick around, instead of give up when things get rough. And by the way you were fawning over her, I can tell you aren't giving up on her anytime soon. You just have to use that to your advantage"
Ralph nods along, as he absorbs what Toby is saying. "So, how do I tell her I like her, without actually telling her?"
Toby laughs, "I'm afraid it doesn't work like that little man. Some girls are just really oblivious, and you have to spell it out for them. Others, will pick up on the tiny things, and figure it out themselves right away. It just depends on what type of girl she is"
Ralph nods, and messes with his fingers some more, while he thinks. "Do you think she'll like me?"
Toby arches a brow, "that depends, do you think she'll like you?"
Ralph sulks. "No"
Toby straightens his shoulders, and lifts his chin. "See. That right there. That's your problem. You have to be confident, you have to face your fear. Girls really like guys who know what they want and aren't afraid to work for it"
Ralph smiles a bit, before hopping off the desk, "thanks so much Toby. This helped a lot" he runs off back to the kitchen, to begin writing down what he just learned, and the best way to apply it to his dilemma.
Toby chuckles to himself when he runs off, and pulls his messenger bag over his head, and grabs his spare shirt hanging behind his desk.
"Poor Ralph. He has no clue that she already adores him so much" he mumbles to himself, thinking about the way he and Sage interact, and what they do together. He can tell, and so can everybody else, just not the two of them. Typical love story.
With the girls...
Trying on dresses was tiring, Sage could already tell and she hadn't even tried on any yet. They've been focused solely on Happy the past hour, because there were no dresses her size in the store they were in.
Happy had just walked into the changing room with a beautiful light purple dress, and she still hadn't come out yet.
Sage throws back her head in her chair and groans. Today was anything but relaxing and stress free, while Paige fiddles with her phone next to her, without a care in the world.
She looks over to see Sage's frustrated expression.
"I can tell you're upset, what's eating you" she asks, pivoting her body so she's sitting sideways in her chair; facing Sage.
Sage glances over at her, and sits up after a moment or two. "I'm having trouble in school again"
Paige nods, but doesn't say anything. She knows if she does, the young genius will clam up pretty quickly. She's had experience with that.
"The work is too easy, and the kids are so mean, and I still have trouble being myself," Sage pauses for a moment as she sighs, and hangs her head. "But today, I met this really nice guy. He's new, and I don't really know what to think of him. He seems a bit...too nice. If you know what I mean"
Now it was time for Paige to talk, "I understand. You're not sure if he's faking it or not"
Sage nods her head vigorously, "exactly!"
"What do your instincts tell you" she asks, resting her chin in her palm.
"I don't know. I want to think that he's a good guy, but I just-I don't know" Sage puts her head in her hands, in frustration.
"All this stuff from this morning, and today. It's all just starting to pile up, and I wish it would all just go away"
Paige rubs her back while they sit in silence for a while, as Sage digs the heels of her hands into her eyes.
She feels a hand in her hair, and a familiar voice. "What's wrong kiddo?" Happy asks, with the purple dress draped over her arm.
Sage smiles up at her, that she's almost for sure is fake. "Nothing. Just a bit tired is all"
Happy doesn't believe her of course, but doesn't press the issue.
"How did the dress fit?" Paige asks, taking the dress out of her arms, and holding it up against her to get a vague idea.
"It's the best yet. This is the one I'm buying" she says with a smile.
Paige claps her hands in excitement, "thank goodness. I don't think I could've spent another minutes in this place" she says, grabbing both their hands and dragging them to the nearest cashier.
It's takes a little walking, and a little searching, but they eventually find a section of dresses made just for Sage's size.
Paige starts piling dress after dress in her arms, and Happy awkwardly looks through the racks of clothes, to at least pretend she knows how to shop for her own daughter.
Sage sits patiently in a chair near the waiting room, looking down at her phone.
After a couple minutes, Paige saunters up, holding a dress in front of her body, so Sage could see. "What about this one?"
Sage shakes her head, "the hips are too wide"
Paige's nose scrunched up, as she examines it herself, and sure enough the hips were quite wide for Sage's figure.
This went on for a couple minutes. 'Sleeves too baggy,' 'dress too long,' 'dress too short'. And there's only two left that Paige had set aside, that both Sage and Happy had approved of.
Sage tried both on. She tried on a short grey dress, flaring out at the hips, but she didn't like it that much.
Happy didn't either, and she shook her head when she stepped out the changing room to model it for them.
The next one was a pretty beige dress. Thin sleeves, and a tight top. It hugged her stomach and shoulders well, then fell loosely around her legs.
She smiled at herself in the mirror, and for the first time in a while, admired herself. She didn't get to do that very often.
She stepped out slowly, trying to hide a grin, and biting her lip as she watched Paige's hand fly to her mouth, and Happy's eyes widen a bit comically.
"Oh my gosh Sage" Paige says slowly. Standing in her chair to wrap her arms around her. "You are so beautiful in that dress"
Sage blushes, and looks down at her feet when Paige lets go. "That ones a keeper" Happy commented from behind her, with a grin.
Sage nodded happily, and rushed back into the stall to put back on her clothes so they could purchase it and go home.
She's never been excited to go somewhere where it requires formal clothing, but she's been looking forward to this trip ever since her father confirmed that they would be going. She couldn't wait to meet her family, all of them, and she didn't care if they were all jerks, because she was sort of one herself. It sort of runs in the family.
On the way to the checkout line, they pass by the baby section, and there's little onesies hanging on a rack, facing the aisle.
"Aww, look at this one" Happy says, stopping to hold up a cute onesie saying 'you can do this dad' with arrows pointing to the various openings in the clothing. Labeling which body part went where. Happy laughs hysterically. "This is hilarious. I need to send this to Toby" she giggles while pulling out her phone.
Sage looks at her weirdly, while Paige grins, watching her snap a picture of the light blue onesie.
"You should totally buy that. It's adorable" Paige coos from beside her, oblivious to the fact that Sage is standing right there.
"You do know that I am a little bit too big for that onesie right?" She says, raising an eyebrow, as Happy delves deeper into the onesie section.
Paige looks over at her, and gives a sheepish smile before throwing a thumbs up to Happy. "Let's go buy that dress, and let your mom look at the onesies"
Sage is confused. "Why, there's no baby at the garage. Why would she want to look at baby clothes"
Paige sighs, as she leads her farther away from the baby section. "All woman love looking at baby clothes. There so cute"
Sage doesn't seem to believe her, so she just goes along with it, and steps in line. "Okaaay, whatever you say"
They meet up with Happy at the entrance of the mall, and she's holding a new bag in her arms, with a smile.
"What's in there?" Sage asks, pointing to the bag, hanging on her left arm.
Happy's quick to lie, "just some cool stuff. I'll show you when we get home." She says, winking over at Paige, and letting Sage lead them through the parking lot, and to Paige's car.
Paige drops the two of them off at their apartment, because Toby was out at his office, and probably wouldn't be home until later.
They drop the things on the couch, and Happy pulls Sage into the kitchen, when she sees her turn to head to her room. "Nuh-uh. Your helping me with dinner"
Sage grins, and fakes a groan of annoyance, as Happy hands her an elastic to pull her hair back with. And an apron to keep her shirt clean from the flour.
"Let's make some pizza" Happy laughs, putting her own hair up, and changing her black shirt.
Sage gets busy pulling out the ingredients, while Happy pulls up the recipe on her phone.
They both stand back and look at their ingredients. "Alright, so all we need to figure out is the fastest way to make the dough rise" Happy says, glancing around the apartment for anything that would be useful.
"Sage, you start measuring and mixing, while I make the rising contraption"
Sage is quick to do her measurements, and Happy explains what she's doing as she builds the small device on the kitchen table.
"The yeast in the bread thrives in sugar. So as the sugars are metabolized, carbon dioxide and alcohol are released into the bread dough, making it rise. This will quicken the process, by inserting more amounts of carbon dioxide into the dough, and refrigerating it at the exact temperature. And it should rise completely in at least 5 minutes"
Sage nods along, "I will make a larger portion, so the carbon dioxide won't overpower the alcohol, and cause it to mutate" she says, pouring all the ingredients into the bowl. Some of the flour flying up and powdering her face.
Happy grins up at her, "that's my girl"
Sage grins back, and they both work on their designated tasks, until Toby gets home from the office.
He walks in the door, carrying his messenger bag in his hand, and toeing out of his shoes.
He was wearing a somewhat fancy suit, in order to look like an appropriate psychiatrist. Dark jeans with a jacket.
Both Happy and Sage look up from the dough they were just beating the crap out of, and smile at Toby with their powdery white faces.
Sage claps her hands together quickly to get rid of most of the dust, and runs up to give him a big hug. "Daddy's home" she yells, mimicking the voice of a five year old girl, and throwing her arms around his waist.
Toby chuckles, as he loosened his annoying tie, and sheds his jacket. Throwing them both onto the couch, next to their bags. Leaving him in a white button up, and jeans.
"You got me all floury" he giggles, as Sage purposefully rubs her powdery hands all over his face.
Toby scrunched up his nose and mouth, as she runs her hands all over.
She laughs as she finishes, and Toby picks her up, and spins her real quick, before placing her back on her feet.
She runs of back to the kitchen, to help continue beating the dough.
"So, what are we making?" He asks, rolling up his sleeves, leaning in the counter, and watching as Happy drops flour onto the already messy counter, and throws the blob of dough into it.
"Pizza" Sage yells happily. Throwing her hands in the air.
Toby laughs and pokes her nose, after stealing an olive sitting off to the side, and popping it into his mouth.
"Hey" Sage laughs, grabbing her own olive, and placing it in her own mouth.
"Alright children. Calm down and let's make some pizza" Happy chastises, with a playful grin.
"Yes ma'am"
They finish making the pizza, but it isn't without a couple minor food fights. Mostly consisting of flour and cheese, but they eventually get it into the oven.
Happy sends Sage to the bathroom to shower while the pizza cooks in the oven, and she skips off to grab her pjs.
Toby and Happy lay on the couch while she showers. Happy's head is in his lap, as he massages her head, with one hand, and laying his other on her small bump of a stomach Sage still hadn't noticed.
"I saw that onesie you sent me" he chuckles.
Happy smiles up at him, "what'd you think"
"In all honesty. I found it offensive, but it was pretty hilarious"
Happy grins, and closes her eyes. "I knew you would like it. That's why I went ahead and bought it. I just couldn't help myself"
Toby leans down and kisses her nose. "I should've known you'd pick that one... but my real question is: did you find any dresses?"
Happy nods, and hums, when he begins massaging the back of her neck. "Yep. Sage really looks pretty in her dress"
Toby nods, "she looks beautiful without a dress"
Happy laughs and nods along with him, "this is true"
He kisses her forehead, "and so do you by the way" he says.
Happy smiles up at him again. For some reason she just couldn't stop smiling today, despite the unsettling news they had received earlier that morning. It was like she was under a happy spell, and she never wanted it to go away.
The timer went off, and an annoying beeping sound filled the air. Disrupting her thoughts, and just around the time Sage came out of her room, and running down the stairs.
Happy was already in the kitchen, pulling the pizza out, and Sage was pulling Toby by the hand, towards the kitchen. "Come on! I'm starving"
Toby chuckles, as he stumbles along after her.
Happy slices the pizza, while Toby and Sage both wait patiently at the set table. She walks over, carefully carrying the pan of pepperoni pizza, and places it in the center of the table. Within reach of everyone.
They have to wait a couple minutes to eat it, because it was a bit hot, but it was still delicious.
"Ahh!" Toby yells, letting his bite of pizza slide off his tongue and back onto his plate, and then grabbing his glass and gulping down his water.
Happy and Sage laughed at him, while he chugged his drink. "I told you not to take big bites dummy"
Toby whimpered as he set his cup back down, and tried taking another bit of his pizza, but much smaller this time. But he still couldn't taste it as good as he would've liked. If only he hadn't burned his tongue on that stupid pizza.
They finish up with no more accidents, and they all work together doing the dishes. Toby washes, Happy dries, and Sage puts them all away.
They get done pretty quickly, and by the time they're finished it's already 7:00.
Toby and Happy get dressed in their room, as Sage waits for them on the couch to watch the TV, like they usually do.
She hears stumbling, and then a loud crash, as the door to their bedroom flies open. Toby was hopping out on one foot, gripping his other in his hands.
Happy follows after him, rolling her eyes. "We really need to baby proof this house. He keeps hurting himself" she says, before siting down on the couch, next to Sage.
"What'd he do?" Sage asks, watching as he hopped to the kitchen to grab some ice.
"He stubbed his toe on the dresser" she says, kicking her feet up onto the coffee table, and picks up the remote. Turning on the TV and switching it to mute while they wait until it's time for their show.
"Okay, Sage. Me and Happy have an announcement" Toby winces, limping back to the couch, holding a bag of ice in his hand. After a couple minutes.
Sage gives him a weird look, as he sits down next to her, with Happy on her other side.
"What'd do you guys do this time?" She sighs, looking way much older than she really was. And some might say that she was the parent for the other two.
"We didn't do anything...well, we sort of did, but we do not need to go into that" Toby says, after glancing at Happy glaring at him.
"Shoot" Sage says, crossing her legs up underneath her.
It was Happy's turn to speak, but she didn't really know what to say, so she went with something basic. "How would you feel about having a sibling" she asks slowly. Watching Sage's face for any sort of reaction.
Sage scrunched up her nose, not quite understanding the gist of what she was getting at. And both Happy and Toby could tell she didn't understand.
"Uhm...I wouldn't mind, I guess. But what are you two getting at?" She looks between the two, suspiciously.
"Well, Bug. It seems that we will be getting two extra editions to our family" Toby says, with a bright smile.
Sage's eyes widen, as things begin to click in her mind. And she stands from the couch in a rush. Almost tripping over her own feet as she scrambles.
"Wait, wait, wait! You're saying that you-you...you are pregnant!" She yells pointing at Happy. "With twins!"
Happy gives a sheepish smile as she nods her head, and Toby starts to rise to his feet, still smiling as he opens his arms. Expecting a hug.
But Sage pushes him back down on the couch forcefully. "No, not now! I need to wrap my head around this"
She sits down on the coffee table, and puts her head in her hands, as she adds everything up.
She looks up at them, after a couple moments. "Just, promise me something" her voice was shaky as she spoke.
"Anything sweetie" Toby says, nodding his head.
"I-I know that I'm not you're real daughter Happy, and I get that you'd want one of your own. But please just promise that you aren't doing this to replace me with someone that's part of both of you"
Happy has trouble not crying, because this is exactly how she knew Sage would react to the news. And there was nothing she could do to prevent that. She knows from experience.
No matter how many times Toby or her would prove it to Sage. That they loved her, and would never get rid of her, she would still have that doubt in the back of her mind because of what she's been through.
Happy kneels down beside Sage, and wraps her arm around her side, pulling her towards her. Toby copies her movements, and cups her cheeks, with a sad smile.
"Sweet heart. You need to understand that we love you. So so much. And we would never try and replace you. You're too special to replace" Toby laughs, rubbing her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.
Happy nods along, because she doesn't know what to say right now. This was all Toby's forte.
Sage gives a weak smile, and she can easily tell that she has trouble believing him at the moment.
Happy frowns, and pulls Sage's face out of Toby's hands and turning her head, rather forcefully, to be face to face.
"Listen here kid. Stop doubting us. I know it's just your nature cause of what you've been through; but guess what, I've been down that road myself, and it is not a pretty place. We are not going to leave, we are not going to abandon you. And we will fight to the end and back to keep you safe. Do you understand that?" Happy asks, raising her eyebrow.
Sage's eyes turn red, but no tears fall, as she hugs Happy around the neck, while Toby rubs her back.
After a minute or so, Sage springs back, almost as if she was frightened, and stares at Happy's stomach in horror. Her hands fly to her mouth, "did I hurt them?"
Happy and Toby laugh, because of how worried she looks.
"No sweetie. You didn't hurt them" Happy says, rubbing her cheek with her hand.
Sage leans back towards them, as they both sit back on the couch, shoulder to shoulder.
"Ca-can I see?" She whispers, slowly climbing into Toby's lap, and turning so she's sitting facing Happy.
Happy smiles, and pulls up her baggy sweatshirt to reveal a good sized bump on her abdomen. Toby places a hand on her back to keep her stead as she bounces excitedly on his leg.
She reaches out a gentle hand to touch Happy's belly, and retracts it quickly, as if it shocked her.
Toby laughs, and grabs her hand, "she's not going to bite you baby" he places her hand on Happy's belly, and covers it with his larger one.
He kisses the side of her head, resting his forehead right above her ear. "That's your brothers or sisters in there. And they're both going to love you so much. Just like we do" he says, kissing the side of her head again.
He removes his hand from Happy's belly, and wraps them around Sage's waist, as she continues to rub Happy's belly.
"Hi there. I-I'm gonna be your big sister"
Sorry that it's been forever since the last update, things have been a bit hectic around here. But I have updated, and I have no clue when the next one will be, so enjoy it. Tell me what you think of this chapter. I know there's a lot going on, but thanks for reading. Love ya! :)