Toby and Happy finally find the church they were looking for, but Happy's excitement is quickly brought down by unexpected news.
Note: Wow, I made you guys wait and for that I AM SO SORRY! I tried to make up for the long wait with a super long chapter. The beginning (and middle) is very fluffy, you've been warned! But it evens out as we get to the end. Again, so sorry for the wait and I hope you like this chapter. Likes and comments are always appreciated! :-)
Happy groaned and closed her eyes, rubbing them to try to ease the dryness from staring at her computer screen and pile of folders for too long. She sat back in her chair and sighed, opening her eyes to glare at the finished stack of work.
"Damn paperwork," she grumbled under her breath, reaching for the last file in the unfinished pile.
It was already almost four in the afternoon and she had been working on finishing the stack of papers since early that morning. It was her own fault for getting so far behind. Every time she had a free moment the past week, all she could think about was the wedding. Ever since she and Toby had decided to look for a small, simple church to get married in, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to the possibilities of what was out there. Which then led her thinking about what she wanted for the wedding - colors, flowers, everything. Which in turn caused her to find the nearest sheet of metal to pound out at her frustration of not being able to come up with anything she really liked. And that meant she was even more behind in paperwork that she was already behind in, in the first place.
And her damn fiancé, bless his heart, knew something was wrong and kept trying to get her to talk, which was the last thing she wanted to do. She didn't want to admit, not even to Toby, that she was failing at doing something that would be relatively easy for anyone else, so she kept it all inside, letting it bottle up and be released in small spurts, normally in hurtful, annoyed words directed at Toby. Yet he still continued to bug her about what was wrong, saying "That's what you do when you love someone". She knew he was just trying to be helpful, be his normal kind and patient self, but that just made her more annoyed, meaning even more time was spent alone in her workspace, not doing paperwork.
She had just closed the last folder after signing her name at the bottom of the last page, when another folder was dropped on her desk.
"Get that folder the hell away from me, Dineen," she snapped, annoyed, "I am not doing any more paperwork for the rest of the week."
A deep chuckle behind her had her turning her chair around and a smile gracing her lips.
"First off," Toby began with a smirk, "I'm offended that you would think I, your very masculine and sexy fiancé, was a woman."
Happy rolled her eyes, but let her smile grow, "It's not my fault your movements are so," she paused to think and then smirked up at him, "dainty."
He stepped towards her, running his fingers teasingly down her cheek, continuing over her neck and collar bone, before finally settling on her shoulder and smiling in satisfaction as goosebumps rose on Happy's skin. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine, "You weren't saying that last night."
Happy's eyes fluttered shut as his lips grazed the shell of her ear, remembering their night. Remembering after yet another hard and dangerous case just how undainty he was when he was holding her up against the wall as they made frenzied love and again later in the bathroom and then finally in their bed; they couldn't seem to get enough of each other the night before as they both gave and took comfort in one of the best ways they knew how. She had to suppress another shiver from running down her spine as she relived the moment in her head, a slight flush finding its home on her cheeks.
Opening her eyes and meeting Toby's all-knowing smirk, she licked her lips and quickly glanced around the garage to see if anyone was looking; she didn't want another situation like had happened the day the team found out about the engagement. Walter was still giving them grief about that, even though just a couple weeks ago Toby and Happy had found Paige and Walter in their own, similar, compromising position one morning before work. No one was looking, the other team members were all focused on something else. Turning her head slightly, she pressed her lips against his, unable to help herself as she fisted her hands in his shirt and moaned quietly into his mouth. His hand slid to the back of her neck, his thumb gently brushing her sensitive skin just below her hairline, as he deepened the kiss for a few seconds, before pulling back with a gentle smile.
After brushing his lips against hers once more, he continued, "And secondly my fabulous fiancée, my exquisite engineer," he took a seat on the edge of her desk, tapping his fingers on the folder, "it's not paperwork. In fact, this folder contains something that I think - nay, I know you'll like."
She pursed her lips and looked at him suspiciously, hitting his hand out of the way as she grabbed the folder. Flipping it open, she was surprised by what was inside.
"They're churches," she said, looking up at him with a small smile.
His face broke out into a wide grin as he nodded. "They are all of the small, simple white churches within a 40 mile radius of here, because I figured we wouldn't want to be too far out of the city," he shrugged, "At least all of the ones I could find online. I pulled pictures, schematics, histories, and their wedding policies for us to look at." He grabbed the folder from her and pulled out a sheet, telling her excitedly all about it. "This one, this one here is 20 miles from here on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It's been there since 1918 and has a capacity to hold upwards of 200 people." He took out another sheet, "Or there's this one. It's actually right here in town and holds about 400 people, not that we're going to have that many people. And then we have-"
"Whoa, Doc," Happy chuckled, laying a hand on his knee, "Slow down. Give me a second to catch up. I didn't even know you were looking for these."
Toby blushed slightly, "I couldn't wait, Hap, I was too excited. I'm sorry, I know I should've told you and we could've looked for them together, but-"
"Hey," she said, interrupting him, "Thank you."
He cocked his head and looked down at her, his fingers playing with a paper clip he found on her desk, "Thank you?"
She nodded, "Yes, thank you. I'm glad you did it. It gets us moving in the right direction, so now we can pick one out that we like and start moving ahead with the planning. I've been having a terrible time trying to imagine the wedding," she admitted.
"So that's what was bothering you. I didn't know if I had done something or if you were still upset about the wedding planner. I was internally freaking out."
"Nothing for you to freak out about, Tobes," she breathed out, reaching for his hand, "This was all on me. I just - I can't visualize what it's going to be like and that bothers me. Normally I think something through and I know exactly what to do, but that's not happening this time. I don't like it."
His thumb grazed over her knuckles, "You should've told me. We're in this together, for now and always, baby."
Happy just shrugged, "That's what I'm doing now."
"We'll figure this out, together," he reassured her, squeezing her hand lightly, "Starting with a church. I was thinking we could go through this and pick a few out that we like. Then tomorrow, we can take the day off and go visit them, see which one feels right in person."
"I'd like that," she said softly, reaching for one of the sheets Toby had printed off, "Maybe once I see the church, get a feel for it, I'll be able to figure out what I want."
Forty-five minutes later, the couple had gone through almost all of the churches in the folder, debating back and forth over the pros and cons of each one. Happy had immediately nixed the idea of any churches within the city limits, much to Toby's disappointment. She didn't want to deal with the craziness of LA along with all the wedding madness on her special day. And Toby said no to any church that wouldn't let them use their own officiant to marry them. He didn't want a stranger who only would know them through premarital counseling many churches required, which was another thing he said no to - no premarital counseling through the church - he could counsel them if they needed it. Other than their automatic no's, Toby and Happy found themselves arguing about what they wanted - Happy wanted simple, Toby didn't want too small, Happy said the older the better, while Toby didn't mind newer builds. It was frustrating for the both of them. So far, there were only three churches they both agreed could work for what they wanted, but neither one was thrilled with the choices on paper.
"Hap, sugar," Toby groaned, running a hand down his face, "maybe we should come back to this tomorrow. Clearly we have different ideas of what we want."
Happy shook her head stubbornly, reaching for one of the few remaining churches in the folder, "I know this is frustrating, babe, but I know the perfect place for us is out there. We'll find it. We just have to finish going through these."
Sighing heavily, he hung his head, "Fine. I'll look at one more church, but after that, I'm gonna go finish my work at my desk and then we're going home, ordering food, and spending the rest of the night not talking about the wedding or churches."
"Yeah, sure, whatever you say," she mumbled distractedly, looking intently at the sheet in her hand.
"And then," Toby continued with a smirk, noticing her lack of attention, "I'll strip down and go streaking around our apartment building."
"Yeah, babe. Go ahead," she said, still distracted.
"Then we'll have sex on the stairs leading to our floor, give everyone a show."
"Okay- wait, what the hell, Doc? We're not doing that," she exclaimed after realizing what he had said.
Toby let out a loud laugh, "About time you started listening to me. You do know you just agreed to let me go streaking and for us to put on a very public display of affection for our neighbors?"
Happy rolled her eyes and shoved at his legs, "Yeah, that's not happening. I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."
"What has you so distracted, sweet pea?"
"This," she said in a soft voice, handing him the paper she had been so intently examining. "Toby, this is the church."
Toby looked over the page and he did have to admit, this white church looked pretty perfect. It was 20 miles from the garage, so close enough that it wouldn't take too long to get back for the reception. It was on a large piece of land, wildflowers scattered in the field behind the church, and even further behind that, the forest and mountains made up the landscape. Built in the early 1900s, it was old, but it was timeless, unlike some of the other churches they had looked at. And it was simple, the most extravagant thing being a bell tower at the top or the two stained glass windows near the alter. Although it was more rustic than he'd normally go for, it fit the church and made it look even more special. Best of all, it wasn't too small or too big and their policies stated the church could be rented out on any day there wasn't a church activity going on with no requirement for use of church staff. So it would be theirs for the day - no meddling elders or an overly helpful pastor.
A smiled formed on Toby's face, "This does seem like a pretty perfect place. I could see us there."
Happy shook her head, "No, well yes, it does seem perfect, but that's not what I mean. I mean that this is the church, Doc, the church I've always imagined."
Toby cocked his head and raised an eyebrow in question.
Happy sighed and grabbed the paper clip Toby had been bending into something earlier, "Just a second, I'll show you what I mean."
Sliding out of her chair, she dropped to her knees in front of the lowest drawer in her desk and straightened the paperclip, using it to unlock the locked drawer.
"Hey," Toby said in mock protest, "I was making something for you out of that."
She rolled her eyes, but didn't look up from what she was doing, "You made it into a heart, Doc. And you've already made me dozens of them." She looked up for a second and nodded towards a jar full of paper clip hearts, "I don't need another one."
"Just tying to be romantic," he grumbled under his breath, "and this is the thanks I get."
"Oh, stop being a baby," Happy quipped back, her smile growing as she pulled open the drawer and grabbed the sheet of paper laying on top.
Toby leaned over the desk and tried to see into the drawer. He had never seen Happy use the drawer before so he was curious as to what was inside. All he could see was a bunch of papers and photos and what appeared to be a dried, pressed single rose before Happy shut it, giving him a playful glare at sneaking a look.
"Was that the rose I gave you on our first date after the whole marriage debacle was finally over?" he asked with a grin.
A slight blush colored Happy's cheek and she mumbled, "Maybe. I keep important things in there." Then clearing her throat, she stood and shoved the paper in Toby's direction, "And this is what I was talking about."
Toby's eyes widened, his mouthing forming an 'O' at what was on the paper in front of him. It was almost an exact pencil drawing of the church in Toby's folder. Happy hadn't told Toby that she had woken early the morning after they had decided on finding a church with this picture in her mind. She just couldn't let it go, so she found piece of paper, dug out a pencil, and began drawing, transferring the picture from her mind to the paper in front of her. She hid the paper from Toby and placed it in the drawer for safekeeping when she got to the garage. For what? She didn't know at the time, but something told her to not throw it away.
"Happy," Toby breathed out softly looking up at her face in amazement, "This is beautiful. But how did you know about this church?"
She shrugged and took a seat on the desk next to him, "I didn't. I just had this picture in my head and this was it. Maybe I've seen it in passing before. I have no idea."
Leaning in, Toby brushed his lips against her forehead, "This is amazing, Hap. Why didn't you tell me about it earlier?"
She looked down at her fingers, now busily folding the paperclip she still held, "It's embarrassing, Doc. Me, drawing a picture of the church I want for our wedding," she looked up and gave him small smile, "That's not something I do."
"Baby," he whispered, holding up the picture, "This is nothing to be embarrassed about. It's amazing. Seriously, this should be framed or something. But even more than how great this is, this is something you want," he paused and smiled before adding, "for our wedding. Never be embarrassed to tell me what you want, because chances are it's something I'll want too. This wedding is about you and me and what we want. And if you don't tell me those things, we won't ever get the wedding planned."
She nodded in understanding and looked into his eyes, a shy look crossing her face, "You really like it?"
He gave her a soft, lingering kiss, "I love it and I'm keeping it."
Happy let out a small laugh, "You're so weird."
He just nodded proudly at that statement. "So we have a church picked out then?"
Biting her lip, she crinkled her face in thought and said slowly, "I don't know. I know in my head and on paper it's perfect, but I don't know if we should rule out the others so quickly. Especially when we have yet to see them in person." She glanced again at the picture of it, "But I do love it. And I was beginning to think I wouldn't like anything."
Toby patted her thigh, "I'll tell you what. We'll go visit this church first thing tomorrow. If we still love it when we get there, we book it. If not, we go visit one of the other churches in our yes pile."
Happy nodded excitedly, "Let's do it."
"Good," he said with a grin, hopping off her desk, "Now I have to go finish some paperwork before we head home for the night, so off I go." He kissed her head and turned to walk away.
"Doc," Happy called after him before he got too far away.
"Yes, my lovely lady?"
The annoyance in her eye roll was betrayed by the smile that grew on her face, "Thanks for being patient with me, for everything. And I know I don't say it as much as you, but I need you to know, I love you."
His grin was priceless, an all consuming loving look covering his face, "Love you too, Hap."
He turned back around, but was stopped again when she called out his name one more time. When he turned back towards her, something was thrown his way. He scrambled to catch it. Looking at it, he realized it was the paper clip Happy had been folding. She had bent the wire to resemble his hat.
"I figured you could start your own collection," she said with a shrug.
"This is the most romantic thing you've ever done for me," he said with a laugh, "I wonder where you got this idea."
Happy crumbled up a piece of paper and threw it his way, her light laugh filling the air, "Oh shut your pie hole and go finish your work. I want to go home."
Toby laughed loudly, "Anything you say, my dear."
••••••••••
"Toby," Happy breathed, sitting forward in her seat as he pulled up to the church the next morning, "This is beautiful. It's even better in person."
She got out of the car in a daze and slowly turned around, taking in everything around her. Toby grinned at the light in her eyes, it was easy to see how much she was already taken by this place and they hadn't even been inside yet - beautiful wasn't a word Happy Quinn used very often when not talking about her machines. He looked around himself and had to admit that it was breathtaking, almost like a completely different world from the one they knew so well. It was quiet and simple and fresh, unlike LA which was always busy and loud.
Coming around the car, he grabbed her hand and they started walking around the church, looking at their surroundings. Happy stopped and took a few pictures of the church, field of flowers, and the mountains in the background, for reference she said when Toby questioned her. Few words were spoken as they explored the area, but the look on Happy's face spoken volumes. Toby knew, without a doubt, that this was the place they were going to get married, he could see that, even though they hadn't even looked inside yet, Happy already had made up her mind.
"This is pretty amazing, Happy," Toby said, grinning at her.
"It's just like I imagined," she whispered, taking another picture.
Toby reached out and gathered her in his arms, holding her tight. He brushed a kiss on the top of her head and murmured, "I think this is perfect. I want to get married here."
She looked up at him and couldn't contain her smile, although she tried to remain logical, "But we haven't even seen the church yet."
He shrugged one shoulder and kissed her forehead, "I don't have to to know that it's perfect for us. I can tell just by watching you."
"But I know you'd rather be in the city and that one church we agreed on yesterday was."
"Hap, I don't think we're going to find a place that can compare to this. This is everything we both said we wanted and it's what you imagined. I really like it, I swear. I can see us getting married here - it's traditional, but still different enough to be us. And besides," he added with a laugh, "we're going to have the reception at the garage, I think we have to have the actual ceremony somewhere nicer."
Happy smirked at that and agreed. There was no question that the garage wasn't the first place people thought of when a wedding was involved, but it was special to them, and they wanted to have part of their special day take place at the place where they met and fell in love. Happy had even wondered if they should just have the ceremony there as well, but every time she thought of that, the picture of this church would pop into her head.
"It would be pretty perfect," she whispered, looking around her again.
"I agree, I think we-"
"Hello, can I help you?" a man called out from the steps leading into the church.
The couple turned around in tandem to see the man walking towards them.
"Uh, hi," Toby said, stepping forward to shake the man's hand, "we were just looking around and were about to come in to see if we could take a tour of the church. We're getting married and are interested in seeing what the church was like."
"Ah, weddings, we hold quite a few of those here. Congratulations to you two. I'd be happy to show you around," the man said with a kind smile, "The name is Paul Booth. I'm the pastor here. And you are?"
"Happy Quinn," she murmured holding out her hand, "and this is Toby Curtis."
"Well follow me then," he said, leading them up the stairs to the large wooden doors at the entrance of the church, "If you don't mind me asking, how long have you two been together?"
"About a year and half now, officially, but we were good friends before that," Toby said with a smile, nudging Happy's shoulder.
She smiled up at him and took his hand, giving it a light squeeze.
"That's a good foundation," Paul nodded his head, "Are you recently engaged?"
"A couple months now," Toby spoke up again, Happy was too distracted by the intricate woodwork carved around the door, both inside and out, to speak.
The pastor laughed, "Ah, so now you're starting to get into the thick of wedding planning. It always amazes me how much goes into a wedding nowadays. My daughter just recently got married and I never knew how many decisions there were. When I got married, it was so much simpler."
"We want to keep it simple, but we'll see how that goes," Toby joined in with his laughter. "Happy and I-"
He turned towards her and trailed off. She had already walked off and into the sanctuary, looking around with a small, content smile on her face. She ran her hand across the back of the old wooden pews, bending down to get a closer look at the designs etched into the ends. Looking back at Toby, she flashed a bright smile his way and love immediately rushed through him.
Paul laughed, "I can see you don't need my help finding the sanctuary."
Toby laughed again and shook his head. It pleased him more than he had ever thought to see Happy, the woman who didn't seem to have much interest in anything outside of machines, be in awe and excited by a place like this, a place where they could possibly start their lives together. If he could always sit back and watch her as she walked around with a smile permanently fixed on her face like she was in that moment, he would do it. Suddenly, as he was watching Happy walk around the sanctuary, he was overtaken by a picture in his mind of her in her wedding dress, walking down the aisle to him, as light flooded into the church from the large windows lining the walls. It was a perfect image and he knew he would do anything to make that picture a reality.
But it wasn't long before Toby was pulled from his own thoughts and staring when the pastor spoke again.
"Why don't I leave you two to explore around here while I go get some information for you? Then when I get back, I can show you the rest of the church?"
Toby nodded and smiled at the man, "That sounds good, thanks."
He started walking towards Happy as Paul turned to leave. She didn't hear him approaching as she continued to look around. Toby could see she was thinking something through, the gears whirling in her head as she murmured to herself. When he was close, he pulled her back against his chest and kissed the top of her head.
"What do you think?" he murmured against her hair.
She tilted her head back and the smile on her face was breathtaking, "It's perfect, Doc." She pulled out of his arms and started gesturing around her, "I mean, look at that craftsmanship on the pews. It's over a hundred years old, but still looks amazing. And the iron railing up front, I couldn't have done it better myself."
He chuckled, "I'm glad you like how it was built, but can you see us getting married here like I can?"
She nodded excitedly, "I think I can. Imagine flowers there, there, and there," she said, pointing to various spots around the room, "Wildflowers, I think. To match the field outside. I can't be certain, I'll have to ask Sly, but I'm pretty sure the flowers out there start to bloom in early spring, which would be perfect for us." She took a deep breath, "Maybe use purples and light blues, a little grey for our colors. And then at the ends of the-"
Toby cut her off with a kiss and a happy laugh. "So that's a yes then," he whispered against her lips.
She nodded and kissed him once more, whispering back, "That's a yes."
Happy pulled away suddenly and a worried look crossed her face, "But we don't know how much it costs. What if it's too much?"
Toby tried to give her a reassuring look as he grabbed for her hand, "We'll make it work. We're already saving money by using the garage. If we have to cut something just so we can have this place, then we will." He smiled, "Happy, I can see how badly you want it and I do too, so let's not worry about the money right now, let's just enjoy this moment."
On a sigh, she nodded, "I'll try."
He kissed her forehead once more, squeezing her hand, "Alright, let's go find Pastor Booth."
As if he knew they were about to come look for him, the pastor walked into the sanctuary, two folders in his hand. "Here's the information about the church - pricing, hours, anything you might need."
They grabbed the folders and flipped them open, surprised to see the low cost. They shared an excited smile, before turning back to the man as he continued talking.
"As you'll see, we are happy to provide an officiant, myself, but if there's someone else you would like, that's okay with us as well. Now would you like me to show you around the rest of the church?"
The couple nodded, then followed the pastor as he led them out of the sanctuary. He quickly showed them around the rest of the small church, including the basement where rooms to get ready in were found. And before they knew it, they found themselves seated in the church office with Pastor Booth looking at them expectantly.
"Is this something you'd like to discuss first or would you like to go ahead and find a date that would work?"
Toby looked over at Happy, noticing she could barely contain her smile. She nodded her head slightly and Toby grinned before turning back to Paul.
"I think we would like to go ahead and book it."
A bright smile crossed Paul's face, "Wonderful. Did you have a date in mind?"
"We were thinking sometime in late April," Happy said quietly.
Toby pulled out his phone and looked at dates, "Yeah, maybe either the 21st or the 28th?"
"Alright, let me just find the wedding calendar and see if we have one of those dates open," he said, standing and walking over to another desk. Under his breath, he mumbled, "Now where could it be?" He glanced over at the couple, "My secretary normally takes care of this stuff, but she took the week off. Her grandkids are visiting from out of town. Ah, here it is," he held up a black planner.
Taking a seat back at his desk, he thumbed through the pages, looking for April of the next year. Happy cast a worried look towards Toby. He reached out and squeezed her knee reassuringly. She laid her hand over his and relaxed, but just slightly.
"Well Mr. Curtis and Miss Quinn, it looks like you're in luck. We have the 28th open."
Both Toby and Happy let out a breath they didn't know they had been holding and her hand tightened on his in excitement.
"Let me get the paperwork," he continued, "and we'll get you two booked."
••••••••••
"Dad?" Happy called out as she pushed open the door to his shop.
She had Toby drop her off on their way back home after booking the church and a celebratory meal. She hadn't seen Patrick since the night of the engagement party over two months ago. Really, aside from a few texts checking in with him, she hadn't even talked to her dad. She had a bad feeling that something was going on with him that he didn't want her to know about, especially after the strange, nostalgic way he had been acting that night. So she decided to drop by to see him, not only to see what was up with him, but she was also anxious to tell him about the plans she and Toby had made for their wedding. Toby agreed with her that he would probably like to hear about it and be involved with his daughter's wedding.
"Dad, where are you?"
"Down here, Happy," came his response from the pit below the car he was working on, "Give me a second to get up there."
Happy walked around the familiar shop and noted the lack of cars and customers. A pang of guilt rushed through her as she realized she probably could've been helping him get more business if only she hadn't waited two months to stop by and talk to her dad; even after three years, she was still getting used to the whole idea of a dad and daughter relationship.
"Hey, sweetie," Patrick said from behind her, "What are you doing here?"
She smiled and gave him a hug, "Just checking in. Sorry I haven't been over here in awhile. Things have been pretty crazy lately."
He waved her off, "Don't worry about it. I haven't been the best about keeping in touch either." He led her to the waiting room so they could talk comfortably. "So what's going on? Still getting married?" he asked with a laugh, grabbing a cup of coffee from the machine.
Happy furrowed her brow slightly when he asked that, wondering why he'd even ask. The way he said it just didn't sit right with her. Forcing a smile on her face, she nodded, "We are. We've actually started planning too." She paused for a moment, surprised by her fathers lack of smile on his face. He seemed so happy for her last time she saw him. "We were on our way back home after booking the church when I decided to stop in."
"Where is that fiancé of yours?" he asked, rubbing a scuff mark out on the floor with his shoe.
"He thought it'd be best if I came to see you by myself. You know, since I haven't been here in awhile."
"Oh," he said quietly. Then lifting his head and looking at Happy, a half smile came across his face, "So you booked a church? Wow, you really are moving forward."
Happy finally let a real smile grace her lips; she was too excited about the church that even her dad's strange behavior couldn't stop it. "Yeah, we did," she said, reaching into her pocket for her phone, "Here I took a few photos to show everyone. We booked for April 28th. You're officially the first person to know."
"April, huh?" he said, grabbing the phone from her, "That's still a long ways away. A lot can happen before then."
Happy sighed and relaxed into the chair. "A lot needs to happen before then," she laughed, "We have to do basically everything for the wedding before then. But Toby's being great about the whole process. He-"
"Do you know what this place is, Happy?" Patrick interrupted her, surprise on his face.
She shook her head, "The church?"
He nodded and stood up, "Follow me."
Happy followed her father out of the shop, to his small house behind it, wondering what was going on.
"How did you find it?" he questioned, pushing open the door and leading her upstairs to his office.
"Toby did," she responded, "and when he showed it to me, I knew that was the place. I had imagined it when we first started talking about churches, but it was the Doc who actually found it."
"But you said you imagined it?" Patrick probed, looking through a cardboard box in the corner.
"Mhmm," she nodded, tucking her hands in her back pockets, "I don't know if I had seen the church somewhere before or what? But what I saw in my mind was exactly like it was in person. It was strange. Why do you ask?"
"Because of this," he said quietly, holding up a frame for Happy to see.
Her breath caught when she saw the picture and took a step forward, reaching for the frame. It was the church she and Toby were going to get married at. A young couple was standing on the front steps with large smiles on their faces. But she had no idea who they were.
"Who is this?" she whispered, tracing the old frame with her finger.
"Your grandparents. Grace's, uh, your mother's parents," he said with a hitch in his voice.
"And they got married there?" Happy asked, beyond surprised.
He nodded, "Yes, they did, shortly after they came here from China. Uh," he cleared his throat, "your mother wanted us to get married there as well, but we couldn't afford it, so we just went to the city hall instead. It crushed me to see your mom not get her dream wedding. Even though she said she didn't care as long as she got to marry me, I could tell she was disappointed." He shifted on his feet, "We were going to renew our vows there at a later date, when we finally had the money. But that never happened."
"But how did I know about the church?"
"The frame was in your bedroom when you were younger. With that brain of yours, I suppose you just remembered it."
"I guess so," Happy murmured, "That's amazing." Suddenly a large smile broke out on her face, "Do you know how crazy this whole thing is? Toby and I picked out a church that I have connections to. That's unbelievable. It'll be like mom is there with us when we get married."
Happy was too excited about this new twist to the church that she didn't even notice her father's frown.
"We almost decided not to get married at a church," she continued.
"Really?" he asked, looking at something over her shoulder.
She nodded, "Mhmm, we thought about just having it at the garage where we work."
He gave a small, fake laugh, but Happy paid no attention to it.
Happy continued talking; she was actually getting very excited about the wedding now that they had booked a venue, "But we decided just to have the reception at the garage instead. That way we'd only have to decorate the garage for one event, not two. And the garage isn't as big as you'd think once people start filling it up."
"Oh, smart," he said quietly, shuffling back and forth on his feet.
"I'm glad we decided on the church now, though. It's going to be so special," her grin grew, "Toby and I were even able to start picturing what we wanted." She laughed lightly, "Wait until you hear about this wedding planner Paige had us meet. She was a nightmare and, I kid you not, I almost cancelled the wedding because of her. She was certifiably crazy, wanting us to do pinks and ivory and go big. Can you even imagine how ridiculous that would be, especially for a couple like us?"
"What?" Patrick asked when he realized Happy was looking at him expectantly.
"The wedding planner?"
He forced a laugh out, "Oh right, she sounds like a pain."
Rolling her eyes, Happy groaned, "Oh, she was. But then today, after seeing the church, I started to know what I wanted."
"Good, good," he murmured, looking down at his feet.
"It is good," her smile grew soft, "Toby and I talked ideas all the way home. I think we-"
"Are you sure you want this?" Patrick asked her softly, interrupting her.
"To get married at this church?" she questioned, cocking her head in confusion, "Yes, of course. Especially now."
His head shake was slight, but Happy saw it. Confusion and worry came over her. She had no idea what her father was talking about.
After another moment of silence, he spoke up, "No, I mean, get married. To Toby. He is an addict."
Happy's smile dropped and, after setting the frame down she was holding, crossed her arms and frowned at Patrick, "Ex-addict. He's been sober for well over a year now."
She didn't like where this change in the conversation was going. And she didn't know where it was coming from. She thought her dad liked Toby. This definitely brought down her good mood for the day.
Sighing, he looked at Happy with pain on his face, "There's no such thing as an ex-addict Happy. I should know. There were years that I wouldn't drink, but then something would happen and I'd find myself at the bottom of a bottle once again."
She shook her head and spoke determinedly, "That's not going to happen with Toby. I know that. I trust him."
"And I hope you're right. But breaking an addiction isn't easy, Happy. And it makes you do really, really stupid things. I know that for a fact."
"Toby isn't you, Dad. He's strong and determined. And he has me to help. He's not going to fall into his old ways."
"I hope for your sake, that's true," he said sadly, "but an addiction can rear its head at the most inopportune times. You need to be sure you know what you're getting in to."
Happy scowled at him, "I know what I'm doing. I've known him before and after his addiction. I know how determined he is to follow through with his promise to stop."
"You don't-"
"Yes, I do. I know him better than anyone. Hell, I've known him longer than you. I think I know what he's capable of. And that man, when he puts his mind to it, can do whatever he wants," Happy couldn't stop her voice from rising.
Patrick looked down at his shoes, "But he doesn't-"
"Where is this coming from?" Happy interrupted him, her voice wobbling slightly, "I thought you were happy for me?"
"I was," he shook his head, "I am. I'm just worried about you, sweetie."
"Just because you had trouble beating your addiction, it doesn't mean everyone will," she whispered, then turned and started walking towards the door, before adding over her shoulder, "And Toby isn't you."
Patrick followed her down the stairs and into the kitchen where she was furiously looking for a cup for water.
"Happy," he tried to talk to her again, "I'm not saying he's like me. I'm just saying you need to be careful. Addictions are scary things and I don't want you to get hurt because of it."
"You mean get hurt again?" she couldn't help from responding with a glare.
Patrick look down in pain, "Yea, I mean again. I want you to be happy and it's clear he makes you so. But when you got engaged, I couldn't help but think about your mother and the pain I went through when she died. I went back to drinking, after I had promised her I would never take another drink. And then my drinking turned me into a horrible, unforgivable man. I did things I can never take back. Stupid, god awful things. Hurting you being the worst. I couldn't stand it if he hurt you like I did."
"Toby isn't you," she punctuated her words to get her message across.
"All I'm asking is that you're careful, Happy. Watch for the signs."
Happy huffed, crossing her arms once more, "And what signs would those be, Dad? Obviously you're a pro at giving them off."
He looked at her sadly and took a seat, "Not answering the phone, making up vague excuses for where you were, answering questions with more questions, avoiding a certain subject and changing the topic of conversation, not being fully present but distracted, and I could on."
"He doesn't do any of those things," she started pacing, tightening her fists, "Hell, if those are the signs, then I have an addiction. I'm the one who acts like that, not him."
"Happy, I don't want to make you mad and I don't want to hurt you. And I knew if I saw you I wouldn't be able to stay quiet," Patrick stood up and reached for her arm to stop her pacing, "And that's why I've been staying away. I know you love him - that's clear as day. I just want you to be sure you know what you're doing, one hundred percent."
Happy jerked her arm away, kicking a bag of recycling on the ground. It fell over and out rolled a few empty beer bottles and an empty bottle of whiskey.
She looked up at her dad in disbelief and whispered, "You're drinking again?"
Patrick avoided her eyes, "You don't want to know."
Laughing harshly, Happy threw up her hands, "I cannot believe you. Here you are, talking to me about Toby's addiction like it was a problem still, when you're the one who relapsed. You're sitting there trying to warn me about Toby, trying to tell me what to do, when it's not Toby I should be worried about, but you."
The pain on his face was evident, but Happy was too angry to see it.
"I'm not trying to tell you what to do sweetheart," he whispered almost inaudibly as he sank down into a kitchen chair.
She ground her teeth and growled, "You sure as hell aren't. You lost that right when I was two."
Before he could even respond, she stormed out of the house, dialing Toby's number and wiping at a tear that fell to her cheek. He didn't answer the phone.
"Toby," she began, her voice shaky, "I need you to come pick me up. Some-something happened and I had to get out of there. But obviously you're not answering, so I'm just going to start walking towards the garage. Um, can you hurry please?"
Not even five minutes later, Toby pulled over next to her.
"Happy," he called out from the open window, "what's going on?"
She shook her head and jumped into the car, wiping away another tear.
"Lovebug," he whispered, cupping her face and forcing her to look at him, "what's wrong?"
She took a deep breath, "My dad is drinking again. But before you ask, no I don't want to talk about it right now. Later, maybe, but I can't right now."
"Whatever you want," he said softly, leaning over to kiss her forehead.
"Can we just go home?"
He nodded, "Of course."
A few minutes passed in silence. Toby was focused on the road and Happy was busy alternating between wringing her hands together and tapping on the door handle.
"Why didn't you answer the phone?" Happy finally asked, breaking the silence.
"What?" he asked her, confused.
"When I called you to come pick me up, why didn't you answer?"
"Oh," he chuckled, "I was on the phone with Cabe, profiling the suspect from a few days ago."
Happy turned toward him, "Again? Didn't you just do that for him?"
"What?" he asked distractedly, glancing over at her.
"Didn't you just profile the suspect for him?"
"Oh, yeah, but they needed it again," he said turning on the radio, "Do you want to listen to the radio?"
"Sure," she murmured, turning forward again. Frowning, she reached out to lay her hand on his thigh, "Are you alright? Something seems off."
He shot her a grin and placed his hand over hers, "I am perfectly perfect, little bit. How could I not be? We found a church today and we're getting married."
She squeezed his thigh and turned her hand to interlock her fingers with his before looking out her window. She didn't want to think about what her dad had said about Toby and addictions, but now that she was thinking about, even though she trusted Toby more than anyone and trusted that he wouldn't give into his urges, a small seed of doubt planted in her brain and that terrified her.