Cabe makes a decision, the team start planning the gala and Paige asks Toby for advice.

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CHAPTER 17.

"Mmmm… oh yeah, feels so good, Doc… mmmm… god, yes!"

"Told you a back massage was just what you needed, sugarplum."

Toby's fingers deftly worked Happy's aching muscles, gliding over her lower back and providing welcome relief from the aching. Happy was lying almost – but not quite – face down on the bed clutching a large pillow which was supporting her baby bump and it was the most comfortable she'd been in days.

"OK, OK, you were right… mmmm…"

"Grumpy pregnant genius says what now? Could you say that again? Just so I can gloat some more."

"Shut it, Doc and keep working."

Toby was kneeling on the floor beside the bed, wearing just his boxers and the Harvard t-shirt he often wore at night. He loved that he could do this for her, it made him feel closer to her and to their growing baby. It was a level of intimacy that he'd once thought he'd never experience and he started to wonder what he'd ever done to deserve such contentment.

"Right there… oh yeah… mmmm…"

"Y'know, this would be more fun if I put on the Swedish Masseuse costume," noted Toby.

"Perv."

Toby chuckled and continued in silence. Happy was dressed in just a sleeveless t-shirt and her panties and every curve was accentuated. He knew she was having a tough time coping with the way her body was changing as her pregnancy progressed, but to him she was beautiful. Even more beautiful than before, in fact.

Happy's eyes started to drift shut and Toby smiled and slowed his movements a little. He glanced over at his phone, it was almost 4am. It had been a long night and he was more than ready for a few hours' sleep now. The twins had taken while to settle and then Happy had had a lot of difficulty getting comfortable. She had initially refused his offer of a massage, insisting that Toby should try to get some sleep instead, but of course that was never going to happen all the while he knew she was in pain, so between them they'd only had maybe two or three hours of broken sleep.

Toby's hand came to rest in the small of her back and he stayed like that for a while, watching her sleep, glad that he had been able to help her rest. Eventually he slowly got to his feet, silently cursing the pins and needles in his feet. He paused to tenderly kiss her on the cheek before kissing his own fingertips and gently pressing them to her baby bump.

He stifled a yawn and slipped under the covers. Within minutes he too was asleep… but it didn't last long.

Caitlin's cry snatched him from his dreams less than an hour later. He grabbed the baby monitor and switched it off before the noise woke Happy and then he stumbled out of bed, slamming his knee into the corner as he did so. "Ow! My patella!" he exclaimed under his breath as he ran into the twins' room and plucked Caitlin from her cot.

"Shhh... shhh..." he soothed, cradling her in his arms and walking out of the room before she disturbed Stella, grabbing the changing bag on the way out of the door. "Come on sweetheart, Mommy and Daddy need some Z's."

Caitlin clung tightly to him and he rocked her gently until she started to calm down. He could tell she had been woken by a nightmare and he did everything he could to make her feel safe. Once she'd stopped crying he sat her on his knee and smoothed her fine hair away from her wet eyes, smiling at her until she finally smiled back.

"Someone's wide awake," he noted with a sigh. "So you win today's special prize. Some quality pre-dawn time with Daddy!"

Caitlin giggled and Toby set about changing her. "One nice dry diaper for you," he said as he fastened the sides. "Won't be long before Pops needs one of these too," he added with a grin, but Caitlin just started chewing on her fingers.

"Couple more years and you'll appreciate my jokes," noted Toby with a wink, but then his face fell. "Teething, huh? Let's what we can do to take your mind off it."

He looked around the room at the collection of toys they'd already accumulated, but he had no energy to play with plastic cars, or have a pretend tea party. All he wanted to do was sleep.

Then he heard the muffled sound of his voicemail notification.

Cursing himself for forgetting to turn off all alerts, Toby raced back to the bedroom and plucked the phone from his bedside table, silencing the chirping sound with a single button press. He held his breath and stared unblinking at his sleeping wife, half expecting her to open her eyes and yell at him for waking her, but she did nothing except exhale and move her arm a little.

He breathed a sigh of relief and silently backed out of the room, heading straight back to Caitlin.

"Daddy is a very lucky man," he said. "Now let's see who left that voicemail. My guess is Uncle Walter because he's supposed to be resting, but he's probably been up all night thinking about seaweed and toxic spores and... oh..." he trailed off as Allie's voice played.

"Toby? It's me, Allie. Um, if you get this message please call me back. I'm sorry to call so early, but it's Cabe. I don't know what to do... he's just sitting there, staring into space. I've never seen him like this. I'm... I'm so worried."

The message ended and Toby took a breath before returning her call. "Hey, Allie... no, it's fine, I was awake already. What's he doing right now? OK... OK... no, I'll come over. No… no, it's no trouble. As long as you don't mind babysitting a teething princess who really should be asleep? Great, I'll be there as quick as I can."

Toby hurriedly scribbled a note for Happy, switched the baby monitor back on, pulled on a pair of jeans and quickly checked on Stella before bundling Caitlin into her coat, grabbing his jacket and hat and heading out to the truck.

When they got to Cabe and Allie's, Allie was already waiting with the front door open. "Thank you so much for coming," she said. "He's... he's scaring me now, Toby."

"Where is he?" asked Toby as Allie took Caitlin from his arms.

"On the balcony," explained Allie, leading him through to the bedroom. "I woke up cold and I realised he wasn't in bed. Then I saw him out there."

She pointed and Toby could see Cabe sitting on a wicker chair bathed in early morning light. He was dressed in a white sleeveless shirt and long pyjama trousers and his hair was uncharacteristically unkempt. The sun was just starting to rise and the orange glow highlighted his features as he stared across the skyline.

"Did anything happen last night?" asked Toby. "Did he seem down? Did he talk about Amanda?"

Allie shook her head. "If anything he seemed more upbeat than he's been all week. I went out there, called his name, but it's like he wasn't really there. He didn't move, no reaction at all."

"Try not to worry," said Toby. "He probably keeps his secret stash of vintage Playboy out there."

Allie's bottom lip started to quiver.

"Hey," said Toby, placing a gentle hand on her arm. "Leave this to me."

Allie held Caitlin tightly and watched as Toby stepped out onto the balcony. He sat himself down in the other chair and watched Cabe for a moment.

"Most old people would be wearing two sweaters out here," said Toby eventually.

Silence.

"Cabe?"

Nothing. Now Toby was worried. He reached out and touched Cabe's arm… and Cabe nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Jesus!" he exclaimed.

"Nope, only me," quipped Toby. He narrowed his eyes and looked seriously at Cabe. "You OK? I get kinda paranoid when people ignore me."

Cabe reached into his ears and pulled out two tiny earbuds. "Sorry, Doc, I didn't know you were there. Been listening to Glenn Campbell. Did you know he had Alzheimer's when he recorded his last album? Couldn't remember his own daughter's name, but he could play Wichita Lineman as good as he ever could."

"The human brain can do amazing things," acknowledged Toby. "Wait a second, you didn't hear Allie calling you earlier because you had your music up too loud?"

"Allie was…? No, I didn't. Happy gave me these," he replied, holding up one of the tiny earpieces in between his thumb and forefinger. "All I gotta do is plug a thingy into my stereo and these babies pick up the sound all the way out here. Noise cancelling too." He paused, suddenly realising that Toby's expression was one of concern. "Sorry, did you need me for something… what time is it anyway?"

"It's not quite six a.m.," Toby answered. "And you scared the hell outta Allie, sitting out here like a zombie. She thought you'd finally lost your marbles."

"Oh, jeez," said Cabe. "And she called you over? I… I just came out here to think… and Glenn Campbell always helps me think. I need to go apologise to my girl."

Toby nodded and followed Cabe back inside. They found Allie sitting on the couch with Caitlin, playing with some giant plastic beads. Allie was helping her to thread them onto a string and Cabe paused, admiring her patience with the little girl. He took a moment to acknowledge – not for the first time – just how lucky he was to have Allie in his life.

"Babe?" he said eventually.

Allie's head snapped round. She hadn't expected to see them so soon and she looked urgently at Toby for an explanation.

"Pleased to report the old man hasn't lost his mind just yet," grinned Toby. "Although his hearing might be on the way out."

Cabe stepped forward as Allie rose from the couch. "I'm so sorry, baby," he said, pulling her into his arms. "I didn't mean to scare you. I couldn't sleep, went out there to run over some stuff in my head, that's all. I'm OK, I promise you. More than OK, actually."

Allie held him tightly. "You did scare me," she admitted. "I'm sorry I'm putting you through all of this."

"What?" exclaimed Cabe, pushing her shoulders away just enough so he could look her in the eye. "If by all of this you mean me finally getting around to dealing with what happened to Amanda then you have nothing to apologise for. I should've done it a long time ago, right, Doc?"

They both turned to Toby who nodded in agreement. "And he gets to spend more time with me," he added with a grin. "It's the gift that keeps on giving."

Cabe scowled at him, but his attention soon turned back to Allie. "I've made a decision," he said.

Allie held her breath. Even Toby was surprised, they hadn't even begun to talk about what exactly it was that Cabe went onto the balcony to think about.

"Foster parents, you and me," continued Cabe. "Let's do it."

"Are… are you sure you're ready?" asked Allie, glancing from Cabe to Toby.

"Heck no, but I will be by the time all the paperwork is processed, won't I?" Now it was Cabe's turn to look at Toby for an answer.

"It'll be at least a couple months before they complete all the background checks and interviews," agreed Toby. "I can get you there in that time, but it'll be intense. You gotta listen to me, do exactly what I say. Deal?"

Cabe gave Toby a quick salute. "Yes, sir," he said with a wink.

"Oh, finally I get some respect!" grinned Toby.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"And that's the last of the invitations!" Kimberley announced triumphantly as she wiped the damp sponge across the envelope and sealed it, before placing it onto the neat pile she'd made with the others.

"Thank you for your help," smiled Sylvester. "There's so much to do."

"Glad to help," replied Kimberley. "And if this Alderman Awards Gala helps snare Charlie's killer then I'll do whatever it takes."

"Alderman Awards Gala," repeated Sylvester, rolling his eyes as he spoke. "Why have I got to be the centre of attention?"

"Because you're the Alderman," replied Kimberley with a smile. "Remember what Toby said? No one's going to turn down a prestigious award presented by a prominent public figure. It's the only way we can guarantee everyone will show up."

"Hmm, well if I say the wrong thing and blow our cover it's not my fault."

"Hey," Kimberley squeezed his arm. "You'll be fine. You can do this. Paige was telling me this morning about some of the amazing things you've done with Scorpion, you're a super hero!"

Sylvester blushed hard. "Oh… oh… she was exaggerating," he insisted. "I… I… I mostly just do a lot of math."

"Math… and jumping out of burning buildings," grinned Kimberley. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sorry, I made you uncomfortable, I won't mention it again. Why don't I go get us some coffee?"

Sylvester watched her walk over to the coffee machine and his embarrassment was quickly replaced by a warm smile. Not many people would have apologised for making him feel awkward.

"What do you guys think of these?"

Sylvester turned round at the sound of Happy's voice. She was carrying a small vase containing an arrangement of assorted flowers. Allie was looking after Caitlin and Stella this afternoon and Happy had been busy at her workbench.

"Darlin', you shouldn't have!"

Happy sneered at Toby as he crossed the garage. "They're not for you, dummy," she said. "The flowers are bugged."

"Y'know you can get bug spray for houseplants, right?" quipped Cabe from his desk.

Happy rolled her eyes. "Sometimes I think the twins are more mature than you idiots," she said.

Just then Walter walked down the ramp from the loft. He'd been taking a nap, although Paige had almost had to force him into doing so. He smiled when he saw the flowers. "Ah, are those the ones with the bug?"

"We're gonna get some spray," grinned Cabe, hoping Walter would appreciate his joke.

But Walter just frowned at him.

"Ignore him, Boss," urged Happy. "So I've fitted listening devices and cameras in the flowers like you asked and we'll put one on every table at Sly's ball."

"It's not mine!" insisted Sylvester. "And it's a gala dinner, not a ball. I don't do balls!"

Toby walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "You know you've just set yourself up for my huge repertoire of 'balls' jokes, right?"

Sylvester shook his head in despair. "Kimberley, are we leaving yet?" he called out.

Kimberley laughed as she poured herself a cup of coffee. She was about to answer him when she realised Happy had joined her at the coffee machine. "Oh, hey," she said, a little startled by her sudden presence."

"Hey," nodded Happy. "So, um, you and Sly… you guys going somewhere cool later?"

"Um, I guess," replied Kimberley. "Italian food and then that new jazz club."

Happy nodded her approval. "You're really into him, aren't you."

Kimberley nodded, suddenly feeling a little nervous.

"It's good to see him so happy," continued Happy. "So, er, if that ever changes… I mean, if say you guys… if your situation was to, er, change for the worse and it was because, say, you didn't treat him right, then, um… I guess what I'm saying is we've got his back. Understood?"

Kimberley froze, unable to move or speak. "I… I… I…" she stammered. "I understand." She'd found Happy intimidating since the first time they'd met and now she wasn't sure if she should be outright scared of her.

Happy smiled. "Relax," she said. "I like you, you're good for Sly. I can see this thing working out, long term I mean. So we're all good."

Kimberley nodded slowly, trying to take in what Happy had just said as she walked away.

Toby had watched the exchange from a distance and narrowed his eyes as his wife re-joined him. "What did you just say to Kimberley?" he asked with mild concern. "She's throwing out fear markers."

Happy shrugged and went back to her workbench without saying a word.

Kimberley's hand was shaking as she placed the mug of coffee down in front of Sylvester.

"What's wrong?" asked Sylvester, but Kimberley's expression soon changed to a smile.

"Um… I think I just had the – 'if you ever hurt him, I'll hurt you' - talk from Happy," she replied.

"She what?" he exclaimed, getting to his feet, but Kimberley put a hand on his arm.

"No, no, it's OK," she continued. "I kinda love that she said that. It shows she really cares about you, they all do. My sister has always looked out for me, but it's only ever been me, Anthea and my mom for as long as I can remember. You're so lucky to have so many people looking out for you, you have such a wonderful family."

Sylvester couldn't help but smile. "Yes, yes I do," he agreed.

Paige was at her desk, busy on her computer and she hadn't seen the exchange between Happy and Kimberley, but she saw Toby approaching out of the corner of her eye and quickly closed the web page she had been reading. "Hi," she said, trying to sound casual. "How's the profiling coming along?"

"Oooh, nice try," grinned Toby. "Anyone else might have fallen for that deflection, but you're talking to me so…"

"So… what?"

"So, you do realise I could ask you two simple questions and you'd give it away… or I could just hack your browsing history," continued Toby.

"Can't I have any privacy around here?"

"Nope," replied Toby with a shrug. "Haven't you figured that out after five years?"

Paige sighed. "OK, OK," she said, realising he wasn't going to drop the subject. "I was just checking something, but I guess I can ask you instead."

Toby perched on the corner of her desk. "Ask me as a friend, or as a doctor?" His voice was genuine now, he always knew exactly when to turn off the stupid act, especially with Paige.

"A doctor, I guess," replied Paige, she leaned back in her chair and looked around to make sure no one else was in earshot. "So, um, my birth control pill. It is OK just to stop taking it, isn't it?"

"Hell, no! That stuff's like heroin! You gotta wean yourself off slowly," replied Toby with a grin.

Paige frowned. "This is why I was just going to Google it," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, of course it's OK," Toby responded. "Just toss 'em in the trash. I take it you and One Ninety Seven have given up the idea of waiting?"

Paige nodded and a smile danced at the corners of her lips. "Yeah," she agreed. "Life's too short, Toby. We talked about it last night and it's what we both want so why wait?"

"I hope talking was all you lovebirds did last night?" asked Toby. "Walt's still supposed to be taking it easy, remember?"

"Just talking," confirmed Paige. "Although… he immediately started doing research... y'know… the most efficient way to conceive, that kind of thing."

"Hmmm," replied Toby. "Efficient intimacy, the best kind of sex, huh?"

Paige laughed. "It kinda feels like he's treating the whole thing like a science experiment," she said. Then her face fell and her voice became quiet. "But I can't say that to him… remember what happened last time I threw that accusation in his face."

"No? What happened?" deadpanned Toby. Then his expression softened. "Look, you don't need me to lecture you about communication anymore, but my advice is if Walt starts suggesting you stand on your head after sex, just tell him you'd prefer to take a more romantic approach to baby making."

Paige let out a slow breath. "I haven't tried standing on my head since my cheerleading days," she said, with more than a hint of irony. "I want this so bad, Toby," she continued. "And the last thing I want to do is put pressure on him."

"Believe me, that's the last thing he needs," noted Toby, knowingly. "You'll just have to remind him that sexy time is meant to be sexy."

Paige blushed lightly. "I think I can do that," she said.

Toby grinned. "I'm sure you can," he said. "But just remember, you're trying for a baby with Walter, not George Clooney. Romance is an indefinable concept, it's immeasurable. Walt likes research and process maps and decision charts. It makes him comfortable. So I guarantee he's already started plotting your menstrual cycle on a graph… and it'll be on the wall by the end of the day."

"Toby!" Paige dropped her head into her hands and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Oh dear, what have I done?"

To be continued….