Toby kept glancing over at Happy as they drove back from the job site where she installed a new motor.
"You're about to piss me off Doc, what do you want?" Happy finally said.
"I'm just trying to decide why you went where you did with Walter and what took you so long to break it off." Toby explained.
"Then do it on your own time and quit looking at me. Unless you want to find out what my shoe leather tastes like." Happy told him.
"I mean, was it just some feeling like you deserved to be treated like crap?" Toby asked her and was abruptly interrupted.
Happy's foot smashed down on the brake as she shifted into neutral. Her truck came to a rapid stop as the tires screamed on the asphalt. Happy kept control over the truck the whole time. Toby's head on the other hand smacked the windshield since he hadn't put on his seatbelt.
"Damn it, Happy." Toby complained as he grabbed the right side of his forehead.
"What did I just tell you? You want to get out and walk?" Happy demanded even as cars began honking at her. "Keep it up. My personal life is my personal life." Happy shifted back to first gear and took off.
"Yeah, but I'm a psychologist, and it is in my nature to understand others." Toby told her as he looked in the vanity mirror and saw the redness puffing up around his right eye.
"All you need to understand is, I don't like talking about my personal life." Happy glared at him.
"Did you know Walter has really changed?" Toby asked after fastening his seatbelt.
"Good for him." Happy whispered.
"I thought you might like to know in case you'd want to test the water with him again." Toby said, trying to measure her.
Happy sighed.
"I don't, it's too little, too late." Happy told him.
"Well if you ever want to go grab a drink, I'd be happy to go along to keep you company." Toby told her. Toby frowned as they turned off the main road onto a residential street. "Umm, where are we going?"
"I need to pick something up." Happy told him.
"Yeah, but you don't live in this area." Toby said as they drove through the extremely nice neighborhood. Toby eyed the guard that stood at the gate that allowed entrance to the lavish homes of Paradise Bluff Coves beyond the neighborhood they were in.
Happy smiled as she came to a stop.
"Hey Ted, Walt sent me over to take care of something for him." Happy told the guard.
"Happy." Ted smiled. "Good seeing you. Yeah, Walter called and left a message to make sure you wouldn't have any problems."
Happy nodded.
"Thanks Ted." Happy said as he gestured and the gate was retracted and Happy took off.
"Wholly crap. Walter lives out here?" Toby said as he saw elaborate home after home.
"Since a year before I met him, I think, maybe longer." Happy said softly.
She finally turned into a long drive that half wound to the back of the house.
Toby whistled.
"Damn, just how much has he ripped off of people?" Toby asked.
Happy glared at him but didn't say anything as she shut her truck off.
Toby followed her up to the front door and stared as she pulled a key around on her keychain.
"You got keys to the lair of the beast?" Toby seemed shocked.
"We were lovers Toby. What did you expect?" Happy said as she stuck the first key into the lock and unlocked the door. She switched to another key and unlocked the second lock. "If you come in, you keep your hands off of his things and don't go snooping. Or one of us will remove something you like."
Toby gulped as Happy pushed into the house and turned off the alarm.
"How did you get in so deep with him? I mean you knew what he was like, right?" Toby asked as they walked through the mansion.
"Toby…" Happy sighed. "Why do you have to push? I met Walter long before I knew anything about him. And I fell into his gravity well and I was his before I even knew Megan and Mark. Let alone the first case that came to Centipede that was possibly about him. I was already his lover when Megan and Mark introduced us. We were both shocked when we found out we had a connection. But Walter didn't care, he needed me, desired me unlike anything I have ever experienced. He gave himself to me in such a way that I couldn't do anything but respond in kind."
"Didn't that freak him out? Knowing you technically went to work for the enemy?" Toby asked.
"Why would it? He knew me. He knew I would never betray him." Happy sighed. "I had total access to anything of his. That's how much he loved and trusted me."
"He's a psychopathic narcissist, he only loves himself." Toby tried to correct her.
Happy spun around and her forearm came up across his throat as she slammed him into the wall they were by.
"Look, just because you don't like him or what he does, that doesn't give you leave to say such things around me. Do it again at your own peril." Happy swore as Toby choked.
"Okay, okay." Toby said scared.
"Happy?" An older woman called out as she walked in from another part of the house.
"Hey Agnes. Just here to get something for Walter and this jerk decided to bad mouth Walter." Happy looked at her.
"I see, did you need any assistance?" Agnes asked.
"No, I can handle both, easily." Happy smiled.
Agnes nodded and moved off.
"Who was that?" Toby asked as he rubbed his throat.
"That was Agnes. She runs the staff." Happy said as she turned and began walking.
"Does Homeland know about the freedom of access you have in his life? How could you not share this info with us? We could have made use of your access and gotten more information on everything he's been doing." Toby said as he continued to follow her.
"I don't know what Homeland knows. Mark, Megan and Cabe know. And I'll tell you like I told them. I don't betray people I care about. If I can use my abilities to help catch him, then fine. But I will never betray him by snooping. Besides, do you think Walter is stupid enough to do anything illegal here? And risk losing this property?" Happy told him as she turned and looked at him. "Stay right here, don't mess with anything, do not follow me."
"Yeah, I got your meaning from a few minutes ago." Toby said as he watched her walk down some stairs and as she disappeared his eyes began looking about, clearly Walter had lavish tastes.
Happy paused at a door with a keypad and sighed. She quickly entered her code and the light flipped green. She stepped in and closed the door tightly. It was Walter's favorite room to play with her in when he was in the mood for it. Her eyes looked with a mix of fondness and aversion at the different devices and the four stationary and two moveable cameras within. She stepped up to a panel and put her hand against it. She pushed gently as it beeped and slid her hand to the left and the panel opened into the wall. Tapping another code into the keypad inside. A click of a lock and she opened the door inside. She saw the various laptops Walter kept inside and lifted four of them up and grabbed the gold and black one.
Happy saw Toby standing roughly where she had left him and he saw her carrying a laptop with her.
"Find what you need?" Toby asked.
"It would be a waste of time if I didn't, wouldn't it?" Happy asked. She paused as she looked at him. "You seem nervous." Happy pointed out.
"I'm in the lair of the beast, nervous seems like a smart thing to be." Toby told her.
"You went snooping didn't you?" Happy accused him.
"Umm, I'll plead the fifth." Toby told her.
"Well, just remember, when Walter gets home. He'll know exactly what you did and said. I warned you so my conscience is clear." Happy told him as she began walking back the way they came.
Toby swallowed hard and ran after her.
"So what is up with the laptop?" Toby asked as they got into her truck.
"It's private." Happy told him with a glare.
"As private as the photographic wall art of you he has in one of his rooms?" Toby asked.
"Even more private." Happy said as she reset the alarm and locked the house.
"So he wanted something to jerk off to in the hospital and you just came to get it for him?" Toby frowned.
"You're disgusting Doc." Happy told him as she started the truck. "Walter wanted me to run his doomsday protocol software on it. I didn't want to wait there while it ran so I brought it with me to run later." She pulled out onto the main road.
"Smart move on his part I suppose. If the cops dig into his life over being attacked. He doesn't want them getting hold of evidence of his shenanigans." Toby nodded as they pulled up to the gate to leave.
"No, he didn't want anyone seeing me like I am in the different videos on it." Happy told him as Ted waved them through.
"Huh. I never would have guessed that. So was he blackmailing you with those things?" Toby asked.
Happy looked at him in disgust.
"Is that the kind of person you are? Would you blackmail someone you supposedly love like that?" Happy demanded from him.
"I'm just trying to understand Happy, that's all. Walter it seems is more complicated than I ever gave him credit for. He clearly loves you far more than I thought. Yet he still enjoys humiliating you at times." Toby told her as they drove through the outer residential area.
"How'd the install go?" Mark asked as they came through the door.
"Piece of cake." Happy told him as she turned and stepped to her workbench.
"Can we talk for a moment Happy?" Mark asked.
Happy slipped the laptop under her workbench and walked over.
"What's up?" Happy asked as Megan and Mark looked at her.
"The doctor wants Walter to be under observation for a week after letting him out of the hospital. We thought of putting him up in the spare room since you are safe from him now. But we didn't want to unilaterally do that without talking to you about it." Megan smiled.
"I know you guys care about me and I appreciate you asking me first. But I don't think there will be any issues, especially as long as he's up in the Loft while I'm here." Happy nodded.
"Well, if at any point you decide it is too much we'll make other arrangements. Walter had just wanted to get home healthcare to send someone to his house but I'd feel better if he was here." Megan smiled.
Happy nodded.
"Seriously, it is okay guys. I'm not going to fall back into things with him. Besides, he has his new girl now." Happy told them.
"Speaking of that Toby, Walter has contracted Centipede to have you evaluate Paige's son Ralph. He believes he is a misdiagnosed genius. And will need help learning to adapt. She'll bring him by at eleven tomorrow." Mark told him.
"You know I find it interesting how we know he does some really shady things and yet you're willing to take his money for things or his gifts. What's up with that?" Toby asked from his couch.
"We've been trying to keep the door open for him, Toby. He hasn't done just shady things, he's done horrible things and nothing we can prove. Some we know about and some we don't." Megan looked at Happy. "But I still believe my little brother is in there, somewhere, and by staying open to him I'm hopeful it will help bring him back. Now more than ever I'm really hopeful with all the changes he's going through. And if we can do some little good with what he's done wrong then maybe it makes up for it a little." Megan told him.
"Well I know from what I see, he's either on a whole new level of lying or he has changed. But I'm not turning a blind eye to him." Toby told her.
"Then don't, we're not asking you too. But we do want you to be more civil. We can't help him embrace the changes if he feels we're just going to throw him under a bus and treat him like he is a horrible person." Mark told him. "Happy, we got a call from Sylvester at the job site you dropped him at this morning. He's worried the room they want the server in isn't going to work and needs you to go over and evaluate it. And if not give him an estimate of what it will take to ensure the room can properly handle the equipment."
Happy nodded.
"Well I have to pick him up anyway, I can do that." Happy said as she turned and walked for the door.
Toby wondered if she was just going to leave the laptop. He quickly picked up one of his medical books and began reading as she walked past him.
Toby sat there with his ears perked, listening for the sound of her truck starting and then it roared to life. Toby grinned for a moment and then went back to acting like he was reading. And then he heard her pull away and head down the street. He stood and began walking around his area and Happy's work area while pretending to read. He just needed a brief moment that Megan was distracted so he could easily step over and get the laptop.
Fate seemed to smile on Toby as Anthony called out after waking up from his afternoon nap. Megan moved to her scooter and made her way up to the Loft.
Toby glanced as he passed by Happy's workbench and saw Mark looking at his theorem board behind him and he quickly reached down and pulled the laptop up and moved over to this couch. As he powered up the laptop, the OS automatically connected to the wifi and began infiltrating the system, analyzing as it went.
Toby flexed his fingers and stopped. All he could see was Happy's ghostly face on the screen. If he did this, how would she react? More importantly how would she feel knowing he had really perved out. His mind instantly recalled every single memory he had captured of Happy. Every laugh, every smile, even every tear when the subject had been about Walter. Toby sighed as he powered down the laptop. He stood seeing Mark still involved with his whiteboard and walked over to Happy's workbench and slipped the laptop back where she had placed it.
Toby was in misery. He couldn't betray her by watching the videos without her permission. But he couldn't understand what it was about Walter that drew Happy in like it did and the only thing he didn't have, to analyze, was what happened between them sexually.
Well that wasn't the only thing. He didn't know the truth depth of their relationship, when they weren't anywhere around them. He was sure Walter had to take her out to dinner, what was he like to her then?
Toby sighed as he sat down on his couch as he thought over it. 'Maybe I could get Sylvester to hack Walter's credit cards. Find out where he's dined, I'm sure it has had to be some swanky places and they might have cameras. While hacking a restaurant would be child's play for me, hacking a credit card company is best left to a pro like Sylvester.' Toby nodded at his thoughts. 'Then I could maybe observe them on a date and I could better understand their dynamic and what Walter does for her.'
Greetings! I hope this finds you all well! Saturday's chapter might be a bit rough...just warning...so with Sunday being Christmas, you guys can let me know if you want a little present for Christmas from me. If so, I'll post chapter 13 on Sunday and 14 on Monday before resuming my every other day posting. That might help get you through what is about to happen a little faster. lol
JerBr23 - So glad you enjoyed it! Would be nice if they do...maybe? *bwahaha* Stay tuned for Saturday's story! Things are about to heat up...and maybe not in a good way. lol Thank you again for alerting me to my screw up in last chapter! lol
Railman - Well we can only hope she is pleased with him...We'll find out come Saturday. hehe As for Toby, seems he dodged a potential bullet with the laptop and Happy's trust.
LouBe - heheh My last duty station in the Navy a guy there had just had his jaw wired shut when I arrived. Made me wonder how much he talked before it was broke. lol Took forever it seemed for him to get his jaw working again after. 8 weeks of not being able to move it. Oh dear...so much is going to happen between now and when we find out more about Walter's attack...hours will seem like days for our geniuses. lol Some things are best left to the mystery...Paige's power over Walter might just be one of those things...hehe He suspected something when he saw how Ralph pulled away from her hand as they walked in and Paige's automatically pulling her hand back. Something that obviously has happened a number of times. Glad you enjoyed it! Yep, Paige's head is definitely swimming with everything she's experienced in the last 24 hours...the next 24 will really cause the split pea soup to spill! lol Huh...standing up under a airplane traveling at 200 mph you say? Interesting thought...Yep, still a waitress! hehe Thank you, it really has been a welcome change from all the dry spell I went through! Oh the new story I'm talking about isn't a follow up for the Masked Calculator/I Only State Facts storyline. It was just originally conceived around the same time as I wrote that story. Dark Walter has just infused enough life into it to actually cause it to speak loud enough to stop being head candy. lol
Pearliegirl - Oh no, let the confusion pass, I'm not stopping this story. I was just commenting that this new story has really broken through the dry spell I've been in writing wise. I had gone from writing 2500+ words a day to maybe once a week since June. I had 2 days I wrote 5k+ words a day recently. I do still have about 3 chapters left to write for this story to wrap it all up.
To the Adventure! -Tim