Hoagie could tell something about Abby had been off lately. She seemed not herself. She seemed stressed, and not in the same way as when missions had gone wrong in the past. Hoagie found her standing alone in the control room, seemingly lost in thought.
"Hey Numbuh 5, are you ok?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Just... don't worry about it."
Hoagie could tell she was hiding something. But at the same time, he didn't want to push her too much and make matters worse. He simply placed his hand on her shoulder.
"You don't always have to be the strong one."
Figuring she needed some time alone, he turned to walk away.
"I just don't want to let you guys down." She finally spilled.
"Wha- what do you mean?"
"You know. I already failed as a leader once before."
"Wait, are you talking about what the Delightful Children did to Numbuh 1? That still bothers you?"
Abby looked away, seemingly ashamed.
"Look, Numbuh 1 never blamed you for what happened. He never held a grudge against you. So, you screwed up, we ALL have. Including him. Countless times. But he was never any less of a leader to us. And you'll never be any less of a leader, or friend to us. You gotta let the past go."
Abby remained silent.
"I'm sorry... if I upset you. I'll leave."
"Wait, Hoagie?"
"Huh?"
He was taken aback by the sudden and rare use of his first name.
"Could you do something for me?"
"Anything."
"Well... I've been thinking about this for a while. I understand if you're not up to it, but... will you be my second in command?"
"Uh... I uh... well..."
He was unsure of how to answer, but the mentally exhausted look on her face made his mind up. He took a deep breath to compose himself before answering.
"Normally I'd say no, but considering the circumstances, I'll do it."
Hoagie was mentally kicking himself for agreeing, only to be taken aback yet again when Abby suddenly hugged him.
"Thank you, Hoagie. For everything."
And suddenly, it all became worth it.