Current Grab bag story starts on chapter 6

Walter sat on the couch with his eyes closed trying to rein in all the feelings over the services that he helped Allie make for Cabe's funeral and cremation. Allie had gone to the bedroom after they got back and cried for a while but Walter heard the door open and close and then Allie was standing in the front room.

"Did you want to talk about what happened at the Garage today?" Allie asked quietly.

Walter looked over and shrugged. "Did Rusty tell you what happened?"

Allie shook her head. "Florence called and said the guys had been there and you were hurting. Afraid they were only there out of pity."

Walter nodded. "She thinks that maybe they cared about me before but it was only Cabe's death that brought it out of them."

Allie nodded as she stepped around the love seat and sat down. "I can see that being true, especially for Paige and Happy. Maybe it is true for Sylvester too, Toby, well probably not."

Walter half smiled for a second. "I don't think I can risk it Allie. If this was four years ago when I didn't feel things like I do now. If I let them back in and they did this again I would be lost, probably forever. It takes so much energy to keep it together."

Allie nodded. "Well, I know Cabe would probably advise you to take them up on it. He loved you so much and he knew how much you loved Paige especially. But you are still grieving so you do what is right for you. Don't let anyone else dictate it to you."

Walter nodded. "Thank you."

Allie stood up by Cabe in the casket. Rusty stood just behind and to her right. And Simone kept walking the funeral home watching everyone. Paige and the guys had gone up to see Allie and give her their condolences again before sitting down in the chairs. Happy leaned over. "I can't believe O'Brien has left her here to greet all these people by herself."

"He's hurting too Happy. And unlike Allie he doesn't have as much experience dealing with pain and grief. And he feels like he has no one to lean on." Ralph said angrily at her.

"Ralph." Paige admonished him.

Happy nodded. "No, he's right. I wonder where he is. I thought I got through to him. Aren't those friends of Cabe's supposed to be keeping him in check?"

Paige nodded. "I thought they were."

Sylvester gestured. "Here comes Simone again. Maybe we ask her?"

Ralph got up and walked over to Florence who had been left to sit by herself. He spoke softly. "Hi Florence, do you mind if I sit with you?"

Florence smiled through her pain and shook her head. "Thank you Ralph. I'm glad someone besides Allie can take a moment for me. I didn't know Cabe as well as you guys but I still liked him a lot. He always helped to make me feel welcomed. Especially after that night that everyone had walked out on Walter."

Ralph sat down. "I'm sorry they are being butts to you."

Florence smiled. "I can't blame them. Even though I didn't do anything wrong everything fell apart around them because of me. It just really hurts though."

Ralph nodded. "I can see that."

Toby looked at Sylvester. "How do you know her name is Simone?"

"I heard Walter call her that the other day." Sylvester told him.

Paige stood up and moved over to Simone. "Is it Simone?" Paige asked her politely.

Simone nodded. "Can I help you Ms. Dineen?"

Paige smiled. "It's Paige if you don't mind. But we were just wondering about Walter. The service has been going on now for a couple of hours and we just thought Walter would have been here before now."

Simone looked to her watch and frowned. "It has been a while." Simone brought her hand up to push on her coms. "Rusty, Paige and her people are wondering about Walter."

Rusty had looked about as soon as he heard her voice. He nodded at her as he raised his hand to his coms. "I give you permission to contact Nick. Hopefully they are on their way."

Simone nodded and then double tapped her coms. "Nick, it is Simone, can you give me an ETA on Walter for the service?"

Paige stood there waiting and saw Simone frown. "Nick this is Simone, come in."

Simone double tapped her coms again. "Rusty, Nick isn't answering."

"Damn it." He said softly. "Alright, contact Condor."

"What's going on Simone?" Paige asked.

Simone shook her head. "Nick isn't answering communications. Hold on." She triple tapped her coms. "Tauriel to Condor come in."

"Roger that Tauriel this is Condor come back." Condor responded.

Simone rolled her eyes. "Condor, Boromir isn't answering his coms. I need you to reach out to him and if you don't get a response I need to you to breech."

"Condor copies that Tauriel, stand by." Condor replied.

"Condor to Boromir come in." Condor called over his system. Condor waited a minute. "I say again Condor to Boromir come in." Condor waited another minute. "Condor to Tauriel come in."

"Roger that Condor come back." Simone told him.

"Tauriel that is negative on a coms check, Condor is enroute for a breech, ETA five minutes." Condor told her.

"Tauriel copies that Condor, standing by." Simone told him. Simone double tapped her coms. "Rusty, Condor is enroute to investigate, five minute ETA."

"Damn it, copy that Simone." Rusty told her.

Simone triple tapped her coms. "Damn it what is going on?" Simone said.

Ralph looked at his Mom. "Psst." Paige looked back and saw Ralph gesturing for her to come over to where he sat with Florence. As she reached him he turned his tablet around and she saw a camera angle in Cabe's house and what looked like Nick passed out on the sofa.

"Oh no what is going on?" Paige gasped out. She spun around. "Simone!"

Simone frowned but began walking over even as the other members of Centipede Partners moved over with her to see what was going on. Paige showed them Ralph's tablet. "What the hell?" Simone looked to Rusty. "Tauriel to Condor."

"Roger that Condor here come back." Condor answered.

"Condor we have eyes inside of Minas Tirith and it looks like Boromir is unconscious." Simone relayed the information.

"Condor copy that, ETA two minutes." Condor responded.

"May I borrow this a moment?" Simone asked.

Paige nodded and watched her walk over to Rusty.

"Rusty." Simone said as she held the tablet up.

"Son of a bitch." Rusty said and then looked around. "Where's director Cooper?"

"She's in overflow talking to some people." Simone explained.

Rusty nodded and then turned and left quickly with the tablet.

"Condor to Tauriel." Condor called over the coms.

"Roger that Condor come back." Simone answered.

"Boromir's stallion is not on scene." Condor relayed.

"Tauriel to Condor copy that." Simone replied.

Allie held up her hand to the next person in line and looked back to Simone and walked over. "What is going on?"

Simone swallowed. "Paige asked about Walter and so I called to Nick and he didn't answer. So we dispatched a helo to go in and check on the situation. Meanwhile this young man over here had somehow got into a laptop inside of the house and pulled up the camera and got an image of Nick passed out on the couch."

"Oh no what about Walter?" Allie asked bordering on panic.

"We don't know yet. Condor is almost on scene, he told me that Nick's SUV is not there." Simone told her. "Maybe you should just let the line move on and stay here, be with your friends while we try to get more information."

Allie fretted but nodded before joining Paige and the guys there with Ralph and Florence. Simone walked over and got the line moving again.

A moment later Katherine Cooper came through the door with Rusty and moved up to where Allie and Paige were standing.

"Condor to Tauriel." Condor called over the coms.

"Roger that Condor go ahead." Simone answered.

"Tauriel we're preparing to breech." Condor relayed.

"Tauriel to Condor copy that." Simone told them. She looked at everyone. "Condor is about to enter the house."

Rusty brought the tablet down so everyone could see it and a second later they heard a loud noise and then several flash light beams flashing around and then someone stepped over to Nick. They heard a crunch of some kind even as the man stepped up to him. He felt Nick's throat. "Condor to Tauriel."

"Tauriel to Condor come back." Simone told him.

"Boromir is alive, I repeat Boromir is alive. We're still searching for Aragorn. Also there appears to be broken glass on the floor by Boromir." Condor told her.

"Tauriel copy that Condor." Simone told him.

"Nick is alive. They are still looking for Walter. There appears to be some broken glass on the floor by Nick." Simone told them.

Through the laptop's camera they saw a medic step up to Nick and waved something under his nose and Nick jerked and shook about and then they saw his eyes open and his mouth began moving.

"Condor to Tauriel." Condor called.

"Tauriel to Condor come back." Simone answered.

"Aragorn is missing, I say again Aragorn is missing. Boromir isn't sure what happened. He is disorientated and confused." Condor told her.

"Tauriel to Condor copy that." Simone told him. "Walter isn't there and Nick isn't sure what happened. He's disorientated and confused."

"Someone must have used some kind of knock out gas." Toby added.

"And by someone you mean Walter?" Sylvester asked.

"No, I mean someone, yes, maybe Walter did but it is also possible it was someone else." Toby argued.

Katherine pulled out her phone and pulled up her contacts and clicked dial on one. "Yes, this is deputy security director Katherine Cooper. I need a trace ran on Homeland SUV signed out to Agent Nick Martin."

Katherine stood there waiting. "Are you sure?" Katherine listened for a few more moments and nodded. She looked at the group as she hung up. "According to our tracking system the SUV is at the Garage."

Paige looked at the guys. "We got to get over there and see what is going on."

The three other members of Centipede nodded their heads as they all stood up.

Katherine looked over at Florence who had been sitting here by herself as the Partners had held themselves from her. She looked at Simone. "Take Florence and them to the Garage and get them inside. I want Walter found alive and unharmed."

Simone nodded as she turned and led them out of the funeral home.

A man stepped out of the line and stepped up to Allie. "Excuse me Allie, I am so very sorry."

Allie looked up and smiled. "Gene, it is so good seeing you again."

He nodded. "You know Cabe was a friend of mine, we had worked together for a short time before he started dating you and then we got to go out from time to time to have a coffee or lunch. This past year had been a little harder to arrange time so I didn't get to see much of him. Here is my card. If any of you need anything, feel free to contact me. I'd be honored to help in anyway I can." His hand came out of his jacket pocket and handed her his card.

Allie smiled. "That is very considerate of you Gene thank you." Ralph looked over at the name on the card and smiled. "Gene Simmons."

Allie watched as he turned and walked on up to the casket. She watched as one hand pulled his sunglasses off and the other reached in and tapped his shoulder a few times before put on his sunglasses and he turned to leave.

Allie sat down next to Ralph. "Ralph, you are without a doubt the smartest person I know. Do you have any idea what is going on?"

Ralph looked at her and with Rusty and the director off talking in a corner now he nodded. "Well I think so. I think Walter has gone into hiding. The pain of all of this has been too much for him. He isn't use to all the emotions Mom has brought out of him and this pain is too much."

Allie gave him a half smile. "He's not at the Garage now is he?"

Ralph shook his head. "I'd predict the SUV is a red herring. Put there by someone Walter trusts. It is something to give him more time to get away."

Allie shook her head. "You think we should tell them?"

Ralph looked up with tears in his eyes. "I want Walter back, but I can't be selfish, he's in too much pain right now. He needs to do whatever it is that will help him to heal. Unfortunately that isn't with us. It's probably because he can't trust them not to leave him again. He might not ever come back."

Allie nodded. "Do you have any idea where he might have gone?"

Ralph looked into her eyes. "Probabilities really depend on a lot of factors for something like this. Without more information I'm not sure. But wherever it is, it probably won't be an easy time to get him back from there. Mexico is a low percentage with available data. Canada seems a better bet than Mexico. Hawaii would be good too, lots of small islands he could hide on if he wanted. Alaska has a lot of wilderness he could disappear in."

Allie looked deeper into his eyes. "Ralph, I've known you for a while now and I've noticed a certain thing about your eyes and every time I've seen it, you've held back information. What don't you want to tell me?"

Ralph sighed. "Promise you won't tell anyone?"

Allie nodded. "Ralph, I only care that Walter is safe. If he needs to escape for a while, that is fine with me.

Ralph nodded. "He could be going back to Ireland. If I had to choose one place over every other place he could go. That would be where he is going."

Allie slowly nodded as she reached out and touched his cheek. "I think you are right. Even though it wasn't easy on him growing up there, people tend to go back to their roots." Allie slowly turned and sat with her back against the chair as she looked up at Cabe's face above the edge of the coffin. "I think Cabe would be pretty upset with Walter for that. Cabe never believed in running from your troubles."

Ralph nodded even as Allie's arm went behind his back and hugged him to her. "He'd understand though. He knew how much Walter was hurt by what they did to him."

Allie nodded. "You're right about that. God, Ralph, I'm really going to miss Cabe."

Ralph nodded. "Me too, he was the only Grandpa I've ever known. I kept hoping that Walter and Mom would get married and then I'd have his parents as grandparents."

Allie smiled and turned her head and kissed the top of his head. Ralph's head tilted as he continued to look at Cabe. "Excuse me Allie."

Allie smiled and nodded.

Ralph got up and moved over to where Katherine Cooper was standing waiting to hear back from Simone. "I need to speak privately with you, now." Ralph said in a demanding tone.

Katherine looked down at Ralph a bit puzzled. "Okay, what is it Ralph?"

"Not here, someplace secure and as quickly as possible." Ralph demanded again.

Katherine looked at Rusty. "Apparently I've got an appointment here. I'll be back, keep an eye out."

Rusty nodded.

Katherine walked out of the room with Ralph and down the center hallway walking past the huge line of people who had come to pay their respects to Cabe. They made it to the exit and she looked around and pointed to her SUV and they walked down and got into the back. Katherine hit a button and initiated sonic protocols. "Okay Ralph, what is this about?"

"Why are you pretending Cabe is dead?" Ralph demanded.

Greetings! Hope you all are well! I'm okay, had a few bad nights of sleep but otherwise okay. Stories haven't been talking so I decided to go ahead and post these chapters of the alternate version of Caber. It isn't a complete story and chapters 1-4 of Caber are identical. This will be my grab bag when I have chapters or stories that just don't work I'll probably post them in here.

To the Adventure! -Tim