Some of the team are introduced to the adorable Quintis twins, Allie turns to Toby for help and Ralph has a chat with Walter.

Thank you so much to everyone for your reviews and comments on this story so far. I'm delighted that you're all enjoying it. I hope you like this chapter too!

CHAPTER 9.

"What are you doing here, Doc?" Cabe strode across the garage as Toby got out of the truck. "I thought Walt told you and Happy to take some parental leave?"

"He did," agreed Toby. "And Day One of Operation Quintis Parental Leave was just perfect. Just us and the girls." He paused, pressing his lips together to quell the emotion that suddenly threatened to overwhelm him. "But they've exhausted Mommy, so Day Two is a Daddy Day while Mommy is on bed rest."

"Oh no, is Happy OK?" asked Paige, walking over to join them.

"She's not a happy Happy today," admitted Toby. "But she'll be fine. It's not unusual at this stage of pregnancy. Baby Quintis is zapping all her energy. I'm going to put together some dietary changes which should help."

"If there's anything I can do…" offered Paige and Toby smiled appreciatively.

"Likewise," added Cabe with a nod. "Where are those cute little bundles of trouble anyway?"

"In the truck," explained Toby. "I figured it was time they met their extended family." He walked round to the other side of the car and opened the door as Paige and Cabe excitedly waited to meet Happy and Toby's newly adopted daughters.

"Hey there baby girl," grinned Cabe as Toby carried Stella towards them.

Stella giggled and reached out to Cabe who took her tiny hand in his and kissed it. Stella giggled again.

"Y'know, we haven't talked about what they should call you," Toby pointed out. "How about Grandpa?" He was only half-joking. He knew Cabe would hate that particular name, but at the same time he knew he'd be proud to be considered as the girls' grandparent.

Cabe scowled. "And how about my foot and your ass…"

"Language in front of my daughters!" exclaimed Toby, unable to supress his grin.

Cabe narrowed his eyes. "OK, OK," he conceded. "I don't know, Doc. What about Pops?" he suggested. "It's what I used to call my grandfather, my mom's dad. I was only a kid when he passed, but he was a good man."

Toby smiled, a genuine smile this time. "Pops it is," he agreed. "Happy's gonna love it."

Stella wriggled in Toby's arms and pointed at Paige.

"Oh, Toby, she's adorable!" exclaimed Paige, then her smile became a look of uncertainty. "Stella or Caitlin?" she asked.

Toby laughed. "Stella," he confirmed. "Caitlin's asleep and she's kinda shy." He lifted Stella into the air. "Why don't you go to Auntie Paige and I'll get your sister."

Paige gleefully took Stella into her arms and the little girl wriggled and squirmed with delight as Paige and Cabe made a fuss over her.

Toby reappeared a few moments later with Caitlin in his arms. She was clutching a small rag doll and she clung tightly to Toby, burying her face in his neck. "It's OK, sweetheart," he whispered to her.

Cabe and Paige exchanged a glance. Toby and Happy had told everyone about how different from each other the twins were and they had certainly been right. While Stella was now on the floor holding Paige's hands and dancing on unsteady feet, Caitlin looked as though she would never let go of Toby as he made soothing noises and gently stroked her hair.

"Why don't we go sit on the floor?" suggested Paige. "I'll get a blanket."

Toby nodded and smiled gratefully.

"I'm sorry, Doc, but I gotta bail," said Cabe, reluctantly. "Walt set up a meeting with Kaye Snyder's boyfriend. Y'know, the creepy looking guy. He and Ralph ran a bunch of tests on the seaweed yesterday, can't say I understand what they found, but it kinda points the finger at either Mr Creepy, or the old army doc."

"Wouldn't mind a look at those test results later," said Toby.

"They're on my desk," said Paige as she tried to spread a blanket on the floor with one hand while Stella had a firm grip of the other. "But you're not supposed to be working, remember."

"I know," agreed Toby, settling himself on the blanket with Caitlin. "But I know way more about biology than One Ninety Seven," he added with a grin.

"I'll leave you guys to fight that one out," said Cabe. "I'm outta here. If Allie drops by tell her I'll be back by two thirty." He blew a kiss at Stella and Toby returned the gesture, earning him a scowl from the older man before he walked out of the garage.

Paige laughed and shook her head in despair. "You're supposed to grow up now you're a father," she said.

"Me? Never!" exclaimed Toby with a wink. Then he looked down at Caitlin. "Come on, sweetheart," he said in a gentle voice. "Auntie Paige wants to say hi." He slowly peeled her arms from around his neck and coaxed her into sitting on his lap, but she refused to take her eyes off her doll.

"It must be so strange for her," said Paige, sympathetically. "After everything they've been through now they have another new home to get used to."

Toby nodded. "That's why it was so important that Hap and I were involved in their lives as soon as we started the adoption process. It's gonna take Caitlin a little longer than Stella to adjust, but she'll be fine."

"Lucky for her she has the world's greatest shrink for a daddy," grinned Paige.

Toby shrugged. "I've never really worked with kids before," he admitted. "The theory's all up here, of course," he added, tapping his temple with his forefinger. "But putting it into practice is a whole different ball game. My speciality - one of my specialities," he corrected himself with his usual lack of modesty, "is getting people to talk. Kinda hard when my patient has a vocabulary of about ten words that all sound like Cabe when you wake him up after a long flight."

Paige chuckled and Stella copied her before pushing herself to her feet and waving her hands in the air. "Oh, Toby, she's so much fun!" smiled Paige and she mimicked the little girl's actions.

Paige and Toby sat on the blanket for over an hour talking and playing with the girls. It didn't take long before Caitlin settled and she started to play with her sister. Paige was impressed that she seemed happy to share her doll with Stella, but just in case it didn't last she borrowed a Super Fun Guy figure from Sylvester's desk and showed Stella how to move its jointed arms. The little girl twirled it around and Caitlin did the same with her little rag doll, occasionally giving it to Toby so he could make it dance in front of her.

"You've really taken to this," smiled Paige. "Fatherhood, I mean."

Toby smiled at the praise. "It feels so natural, Paige," he replied. "Having them at home with us at last, I mean. Heck, I'm sure we still have a tonne of stuff to figure out, but I guess it feels like whatever it is, we can do it. All of us, together."

"Your little family," noted Paige.

Toby nodded. Then his eyes narrowed as he noticed Paige's left hand drift over her abdomen. "Have you ever thought about having more kids?" he asked, casually. He knew all about the difficulties she'd had raising Ralph as a single mother, but now she was with Walter and all their problems were behind them it was obvious to him that the idea had crossed her mind.

Paige's eyes widened. "I… I… I guess," she replied. "I mean, these last few months I guess I've started to wonder… But I don't know if Walter…" she trailed off.

"Why don't you wait until you're settled into your new place and then ask him?" suggested Toby. Before Paige could answer, Stella held out the Super Fun Guy figure for Toby and he took it from her. "Thank you, sweetheart," he said. "Don't tell your Uncle Sly we're playing with his toys," he added with a wink. Then he looked at Paige. "So?" he prompted. "You gonna ask Walt if he's ready for the pitter-patter of little Dineen-O'Brien feet?"

Paige let out a slow breath as he contemplated Toby's words. "What if he says no?"

Toby grinned. "He won't."

"Toby!" exclaimed Paige. "No! I just want us to make a home together. We're already a family, we have Ralph and Walter is his father, no matter what anyone else says."

"When was the last time you talked to Andrew, anyway?" asked Toby.

Paige frowned at him. "I don't want to talk about Drew."

"I know you don't," acknowledged Toby. "But you should."

Paige nodded. "I know," she said, quietly. "He hasn't had any contact with Ralph for months. Can we leave this for another day, though, please?"

Before Toby had chance to argue, Stella snatched Caitlin's rag doll from her hand and Caitlin cried out.

"Hey, hey," said Toby, deliberately keeping his voice calm. He pulled Caitlin onto his lap while Paige took Stella's hands in hers and the situation was quickly diffused.

"Maybe I will just stick with one kid after all?" offered Paige, grinning at Toby's suddenly frazzled expression. "They might be hungry?" she suggested.

"Well I sure am," replied Toby. "Kovelsky's?"

Paige laughed. "With these two? Oh Toby, you've got a lot to learn," she laughed. "Taking a toddler out to eat is a military operation, let alone two of them at once!"

Just then the door opened and Allie walked in. "Hi," she said with a smile, noticing Paige first. Then she saw Toby and the twins. "Oh, my, these must be your girls!" She walked over to them and knelt on the blanket.

Toby did the introductions and Allie smiled warmly at Caitlin and Stella. She picked up the Super Fun Guy figure and Stella squealed and used Paige's arm to pull herself to her feet, but she could only manage a few steps before she fell back to the blanket with a bump. Stella didn't seem at all bothered, but Caitlin was clearly unnerved by the sudden movement and she reached out to Toby, her bottom lip starting to quiver.

"Hey, it's OK," he tried to reassure her. "Ssshh… Daddy's here." He wrapped his arms protectively around her and Paige and Allie couldn't help but smile.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to hearing you say that," said Allie.

"Yeah? Well wait until you hear them calling Cabe 'Pops'," replied Toby with a wink.

Suddenly Allie got to her feet. "I… I'd better be going," she said, her voice trembling as she spoke.

Paige exchanged a worried glance with Toby. "Cabe and Walter won't be much longer," she said, hoping Allie would stay.

"I'll see Cabe at home," replied Allie. "It… it was lovely meeting…" but she trailed off and turned away from them.

Toby lifted Caitlin from his arms and handed her to Paige, who was even more concerned about Allie now, before getting to his feet. "Allie?" he said, gently. "What's wrong?" He had a fair idea what was wrong, but he wanted to hear it from Allie in her own words.

Allie sighed deeply. "Cabe… hasn't given me an answer yet," she admitted.

Paige gasped. "You… you proposed to Cabe?" she said, not quite able to believe it.

Allie spun round, a broad smile replacing the anxious look she had been wearing moments earlier. "No! Goodness me, no," she answered. "Not that… I mean I would, that is I don't mean…" she blushed hard, realising how it might have sounded. "No, I didn't propose, but I am waiting for a different answer."

Allie and Toby sat back down on the blanket and she quickly explained to Paige about her fostering idea.

"He just needs more time," said Toby. "He was mulling it over a couple days ago when we went to question Captain Sanders."

"How much time, Toby?" asked Allie, sounding a little desperate. "If he's taking this long to decide, it makes me think he doesn't want to do it. I wish he'd just say, I would understand."

"I don't think it's as simple as that," began Toby. "I've noticed a few markers these past few days. Grief markers."

Allie closed her eyes. "Amanda," she said sadly.

Toby nodded. "Last time I saw him like this was when his ex-wife came back into his life."

"That was four years ago," Paige pointed out. "Are you saying he hasn't thought about his daughter in four years?"

"Of course he has, but you know Cabe, he's almost as bad as Walt for ignoring his feelings," replied Toby. "So he thinks about Amanda all the time, but his psyche only allows him to remember the good things."

"Isn't that the best way to deal with a bereavement?" Allie queried.

"It is, but only if you've gone through all the stages of grief first," Toby explained. "Depending on what model you follow there are five, six or seven stages. I think part of him is still stuck on stage two - denial. He's gone through some of the later stages - all the guilt and anger ones – but he's never going to reach the final stage and move on if he doesn't figure out the rest of it."

"And that's why he can't contemplate becoming a foster parent," sighed Allie.

"It's a big part of it," acknowledged Toby. "It doesn't mean he doesn't want to, Allie, he just doesn't know how to process how he's feeling. His psyche knows he should have dealt with this years ago, so now he's confused. The idea of becoming a parent – even a temporary one – has opened old wounds."

Allie nodded sadly, but her introspection was interrupted by Caitlin who had shuffled over to her. "Hey, sweetie," smiled Allie as the little girl reached out to her. Allie took the little girl's hand and gently swayed her arm from side to side. Caitlin giggled and Allie stroked her soft hair with the back of her other hand before the little girl copied her, touching Allie's hair with her chubby fingers.

Paige smiled at Toby, acknowledging Caitlin's apparent empathy.

Allie looked up at him. "Can you help Cabe, Toby?" she asked. "This isn't about the fostering - we can put that idea on the backburner for a while, or maybe just forget about it completely - but I hate to think of him still in so much pain after all these years."

Toby let out a slow breath. "I can try," he replied. "But it won't be easy for him. I'll need to dig deep. It'll be harrowing, really raw, until we work through it all."

"You helped him before, when he was repressing the details of his father's death," Allie pointed out. "That hurt too, but he knows how much better he felt because of those therapy sessions."

"Of course he did, I'm the world's greatest therapist," winked Toby. Then his face became serious again. "I can't force him, Allie," he said. "He has to want to do it."

Allie smiled gratefully. "Thank you," she said. "I know you've got a lot on your plate right now. I'll talk to him, try to persuade him to allow you to help again." Then Caitlin climbed into her lap and rested her head against her chest. "Oh, sweetie," said Allie, gently wrapping her arms around the little girl. "You're the only therapy I need."

xXxXxXxXxXx

"Where's Mom?"

"She's gone to Toby and Happy's," replied Walter as Ralph dropped his school bag onto the floor. "Apparently Happy is feeling unwell again. Toby was here with the twins earlier."

"Oh, I wanted to meet them!" replied Ralph with a look of disappointment.

"I'm sure there'll be ample opportunity," said Walter. "Did you collect further samples?"

"Yes," replied Ralph. "I got some more of the seaweed and another water sample."

"Excellent," smiled Walter. "I've set up the test equipment. If your theory from yesterday is correct, the level of nitrates in the seaweed will have fallen by point two five percent."

"Which proves Captain Sanders and Mr Creepy are both innocent," concluded Ralph. "And Dr Sametti is our killer."

"We still haven't ruled out blackmail," noted Walter. He and Ralph had spent much of the previous evening reviewing the evidence and considering the possible motives of each of their suspects. Ralph was convinced the former military medic was guilty, but Walter was more inclined to believe Kaye Snyder's creepy looking boyfriend was the culprit. They didn't have enough concrete evidence to prove either theory yet, though. "Sylvester has been looking into an interesting pattern of phone calls made from Sanders phone," continued Walter. "He's hopeful he can come up with some answers."

They walked over to the workbench and began carrying out tests on the seaweed. For a while, the only conversation was about the results and what they could mean, but as they ran the final test, Ralph decided it was a good moment to talk to Walter about something else.

"So, Walter, are you excited about us all living together?" he asked.

"Of course I am," replied Walter. He put down the test tube he'd been holding, making sure he was giving Ralph his full attention. "I hope you don't think otherwise? B…b…being together, the three of us, in our own home is… is…" he couldn't finish his sentence because, as usual, he couldn't put his feelings into words.

"It's just that…" continued Ralph. "It's just that I've wanted this for so long… You, me and Mom, I mean. I know we've been a family for years and the whole team is a family, but when we get our own place… I guess what I'm trying to say is, when we get our own place you really will be my dad, Walter. I don't really know what it's like to have a real dad, not one who cares about me, who's there for me, but… but I know having you as my dad is going to be the best thing ever."

Walter felt a lump in his throat as he was suddenly overcome with emotion. He remembered the first moment he'd met Ralph, the moment they'd truly connected and he'd realised just how much potential Ralph had. The moment he'd realised how much alike they were. Now, after everything they'd been through over the last five years, it felt like this was the moment they'd been aiming for. This was everything that Walter had ever wanted. A family. It was almost too much for him to take in.

"Mom really likes the place you viewed yesterday," said Ralph, breaking Walter out of his thoughts. "She showed me some photos, it looks pretty cool."

"It is," agreed Walter. "And it's available immediately. If we can make the arrangements, we could…" but he was interrupted by Sylvester running into the garage.

He was a little out of breath and he apparently didn't notice Walter or Ralph watching him as he ran over to his desk and grabbed his lilac sweater vest from the back of his chair.

"Oooh, the lilac!" exclaimed Ralph with a huge grin on his face. "Who's the lucky lady?"

Sylvester almost jumped out of his skin. "Ralph!" he exclaimed, clutching his chest. "I… I… didn't see you there."

"So…" prompted Ralph.

"It's not what you think," insisted Sylvester, panting to catch his breath. "Kimberley has remembered something that may be of significance to the investigation. I suggested we meet at Kovelsky's to discuss it."

"So it's a date," concluded Ralph, matter of factly.

"No, no, no," insisted Sylvester. "We're going to discuss the case, that's all. She's as eager to find the murderer as we are. Charlie Snyder was a good friend of hers."

Ralph opened his mouth to continue teasing, but Sylvester's distinctive Super Fun Guy ringtone spoiled his fun. Sylvester quickly answered his phone. "Hi, Kimberley," he began, blushing bright red when he realised Walter and Ralph were listening, but his embarrassment was quickly replaced by shock. "What? Are you sure?" he said in an urgent tone. "Did you call the cops?"

Walter and Ralph quickly realised something was wrong and crossed the floor to Sylvester's desk.

"OK, OK, stay where you are," continued Sylvester. "I'm coming over." He glanced at Walter before adding. "With… with Walter. Keep the doors locked until we get there." He ended the call and clutched his phone tightly in both hands, trying to process what he'd just heard.

"What is it, Sly?" prompted Walter.

"Kimberley…" began Sylvester in a shaky voice. "Some guy just broke into her apartment!"

To be continued...