"Maybe You Should Have The Tech Department Send You The Evidence." A Satisfied Grin Came To Her Face

"Maybe you should have the tech department send you the evidence." A satisfied grin came to her face at that memory, the fact that she had elicited such a response from him made her a bit prideful. The more he challenged her, the more made it her goal to be the one to 'win', already thinking about the best way to do so.

"I dunno, maybe saying the word 'no'," she teased. "Of course I'm sure. I'd love to help you." With how busy things were, how his family all had things of their own to worry about and how work always seemed to stress him, her helping him with the one thing she could would be something she wouldn't hesitate to do. "Were you trying to convince me to say no, because that made me want to say yes even more. The only person that I would want to find me hot is you so that's another reason to say yes now." She'd be lying if she said that it didn't mean a lot to her that his mother liked her, even came to love her. "I love her too and you know she loves you more, don't be silly You're her son. Oh, let's send her a postcard, does she like those? Orion is starting a collection so I'm going to send him one. Think Annie would like one too?"

Hearing the way he said recharge made her laugh, knowing exactly what he was thinking. Which honestly, they always seemed to be on the same page about that. "As long as recharging doesn't take up all our time or we'll miss the whale cruise, mon amor." Exiting the car and following him she indulged in his request. "Well, they all do look very different so there's that. It can be quite easy to tell which whale you're looking at once you know what you're looking for and which ones are in the water." Reaching over, she grabbed one her bags, so he could have a free hand, not wanting to walk through the airport not holding his hand. There were very few moments in which they would be together and her not want her hand in his like it was where it had always belonged. "Its the way they communicate. The little melodic sounds they make, its to mate, find food, talk to each other. So they nickname the singers of the ocean. The museum has some recordings up for listening, it's really nice when you take the time to listen to it. Pretty beautiful."

As they made their way to check in for their flight, she took a second to think it over scrunching her mouth to the side trying to decide what to tell him next. "Well I don't want to give it all away, I want you to see a lot of it for yourself. But I'll give you one more, the humpback whale migrate from Iceland which is their typical feeding grounds to breeding grounds all the way out in tropical places like Mexico. And that's all you're going to get from me. No more spoilers." A big excited smile as she looked back at him as she waited for him to check them in. The fact that he would be seeing these places that she had seen so many times on her own for the first time made her excited about his reactions.

"Only failed because you did that combination of your mouth and hand and that wasn't fair." Would he really put this under a huge complaint, no. He was thoroughly satisfied. "So, that wasn't my fault." Giving a shrug he chuckled. "Can have tech department wipe that evidence." Wally had a solution for everything so he could very well bounce things from whatever she came out with. "Don't be such a scaredy cat." he tsked knowing that if he challenged her this would make her lean one way.

He gave a single head shake but smiled. There was an upside to being in the mix of it but he did distest the small talk. No one really had a handbook to handle being stupidly rich but some of these that came truly didn't know the meaning of humility. The ones that did usually got bullied into becoming selfish assholes. A soft sigh escaped him as she offered to help and that made him squeeze her hand in return. This was after all for his mother and he'd always do right by her and continue on her legacy that crushed the notion that wealthy people didn't know the meaning of humanity. "Now, how could I ever say no to your help? Might even be fun this time around with your magic touch. But are you sure?" Wally knew this could be a lot to handle being the one who put them on so he wanted to make sure she didn't feel pressured. "You get to boss rich people around. Crack the whip. Not gonna lie it's pretty hot when you think about it. You know she loves you. I might even be jealous on how much," he teased knowing his mom really did think of Liz as a third daughter or one she hoped to welcome into her family as one if Wally ever got it together as she'd say.

"Recharge for an hour?" Now his mind was right back to that gutter he liked to call home. "Sounds like we've got our schedule down for day one." As he parked he put the sticker he always did when he'd leave the car in the parking lot, thanks to work he was part of the airport. Always flying in and out. Before she could take her hand back, he pulled her over and grabbed her face to give her a kiss. "Come on." There was something in the way she'd pluck a topic to talk about whenever she didn't want quiet. This time he noticed it and smiled. He wasn't the only one who'd do that it seemed. That in itself made him chuckle softly. "Over twenty species of whales? Well, how do you tell them apart?" Getting out of the car he quickly went around and grabbed her door before getting her bags. "Singers of the sea, hmm how'd they get the name bestowed on them?" Whales to him sounded like you were underwater hearing some type of sonar. "Got anymore whale facts? I feel like we're ahead of the game before we even arrive."

"Ah," a wide smile on her face. " The quiet technique. I recall that technique failing you last week when you decided to accompany me on my shopping trip. I think they have our picture back there from now on to keep us from being in there together now." Oh, a dare. An eyebrow quirked, glance shot his way, if it was a challenge he wanted, it was a challenge she'd be up to. Many ideas of how to make him let that cute little sound she liked to hear out of him so she won first. Well, by then they both would win but that was neither here nor there.

"Hmm." She agreed as she put her phone down in her lap, not letting go of his hand in her other one. Grabbing his phone, she did as he asked. Talking as she wrote a quick text back to his mom. "I don't think it's a nightmare." She knew what his mother's goal was with the events and she admired not just the action but the person that the actions were coming from. She had come to love his mother. His family. "I can help you with it if you like. However I can, I know you don't like doing them much." The fact that his mother had included her had slipped past her until he pointed it out. It made her sit up a little bit more straight, made her feel more cared about than she ever had before. "Me too," she said softly before putting his phone back down and picking hers back up.

She felt happy tears well up in her eyes at his statement and began to blink them away before nodding. He had been right, again. As long as it was him that she was sharing this adventure with it would be perfect. They could always come back another time to do anything they missed. "Yes," the excitement began to build up again. "A hotel in Reykjavík. We'll rest, and recharge for an hour or so." Thankfully they were traveling light so they wouldn't have to hassle with much. "Then we can see the city for a bit, grab something to eat, and do the whale-watching tour. It's about three hours long, there's also a whale museum we can visit after and where we can get plenty of souvenirs." With that, she put her phone back into her pocket and excitedly waited for him to park so they could begin their adventure. The excited energy began to feed into a nervous one as they got a step closer to her plan with every second. "Do you know that there are over twenty different species of whales in the waters? A lot of people call them the singers of the sea."

"Me?" Wally chuckled as he made a turn on the left lane. "We can't be banned if we operate on the quiet technique. Maybe bite a shirt or something. We're really good at stealth. As I recall you're the queen of stealth. You're just being a scaredy cat. Never thought I'd see the day," he murmured giving her a hard time. Honestly, he could come up with ways to lean into naughty ways without even getting up from their seats.

"Oh, sorry it must have been my other hazel eyed princess, Lila who had said that." Amusement danced in his voice as he shook his head. He squeezed back as he hadn't looked over at her. "I bet I could coax out my bratty babe to misbehave on the plane. Hmm," he pretended to think about it and smirked. He would never deny that whenever she let her bratty side out he enjoyed it.

He could feel her eyes on him but couldn't really turn to ask what was going on in that beautiful mind of hers. Keeping his focus on the road as they boarded the ramp to get to the next exit which was the airport. He heard the ding of his phone which Liz had on her side he took a quick glance over and read the first part from his mom. Winter ball and bring Ellie. She had taken to giving Liz her own nickname wanting to break apart from the pack and smiled as he shook his head. "Worst nightmare. Winter ball. Could you text her back and tell her we will talk later." He had forgotten about the end of year festivities since he wasn't in charge and usually Lu was. But this year she was not in the best state of mind so he was the next up. Meli was already handling behind the scenes that left him to be the face. Moments like this he actually thought about taking up more cases to keep from having to do this. "I love that she automatically includes you."

"No matter how much we get to do, as long as we get to do it together, I'll think this was the best trip ever. I promise you. It sounds perfect because it'll be with you. Also do you know where we're headed as soon as we land?"

Fallout (2024-…)

"Oh, you have no idea what I am capable of. " She laughed in response mostly because it was true. He didn't know her, not really. "I'd hold off just to prove a point. Keep pushing it and I might just change my number while you're gone." She wouldn't, neither would she ignore the messages or calls at any hour, she had come to look forward to the talks of cases and questions. They helped her not be stuck in her mind for long, the messages always seemed to come when she needed them the most. Shrugging, she simply said. "Don't get used to it, pal. Admitting things is not in my repertoire, this is a one-time thing only, just because you brought me here."

As she listened to his story, she couldn't help but smile. He always had the best stories and she liked to soak them up like a sponge. Greedily taking in his stories about his family and adventures. After all that talk back in the restaurant she had assumed, as he said, that Hawaii would be his answer and glad that she had been wrong, chuckling at his stupidly rich kid comment.

Peeling her eyes away from the night sky before them that began to blur in the distance into the ocean, to watch his face as he told her this memory. Something about it felt like a moment in time that would not be forgotten, one that meant a lot to him. There were many times that Wally had mentioned the matriarch of his family, a woman that made an ache in Elizabeth open but at the same time made her envious. "That sounds nice." The words were soft and almost carried away with the wind.

"Oh, there you go again." She shook her head turning her attention back out to the view before them. "First caves, then horses. What's next? You going to waterboard me into liking storms?" The soft motions of his fingers on her hand was so foreign but calming for some reason, a little voice in the back of her head told her to put her hand back in her pocket, to stop, but there was a need for the warmth his hand gave her that couldn't be denied. "I'll do the horse thing but I'll have to think about the cave thing."

The fact that he had to pull his phone out for this list of qualities that the person he was looking for made her laugh. "There's a literal list." Pulling away from him a bit to sit up against the wall while he read it off, she began to commit those things to mind as well. Maybe finding him someone to date would give her break from him. While she liked spending time with him and having a friend while she was around, the possibility of becoming attached to a new friend was also something she did not want to do. "Wow," the last statement threw her for a loop. "That's," she tried to find the right words. In all her time listening to what people wanted this was very different from what she would usually hear. "Interesting. Broken person? Do you think you're broken?"

Her eyebrow quirked up at the blank after, something was there but seeing as he always seemed to share willingly without being asked, she wasn't going to pry to one thing he seemed to want to keep to himself. "Ah, so I should lay blame your job and your niece for sticking you into my life then, not fate. No such thing."

"Well, I don't know if you know but," she sighed. "Its more of a personal thing. I know you know about my dad, Orion told me what you guys talked about at the center during Easter. Thanks by the way, for what you said, it helped him, he asks to go see the tall trees all the time now, much to my friends annoyance. He doesn't quite understand that he can't just get on a plane anytime he wants to go from coast to coast." It made her chuckle. "I just like to go during my birthday because that's where I was born and he grew up and I don't know it just feels like a personal thing. I don't like to go any other time. It's a ritual of sorts I guess. I go there and then to India for Diwali and then," she stopped short of saying home because she didn't have one. She usually just went back to New York because that was were her friends were. And as much as she liked being there, it wasn't home. "Back to New York."

Over her shoulder as she made her way down she called back in a sing song like tone. "There better not be!" At the promise of no caves. As much as she would put up a front, the thought of a week of new things to do was exciting. The fact that it would be with Wally added to it, he was nice and there was no rouse, she wasn't someone else she just was, which was nice. "I don't need patience, I just need to be left alone." She argued, but not angrily, just said matter of factly. "I don't like people, which I get is weird since I am one and have to deal with them everyone. But even on most days I don't like myself either, so its neither here nor there. Everyone is too complicated and have so many motives and most days I don't even have the patience for the toaster to toast my bread." Nor did she want to open up, she refused. She'd rather die first than open up the wounds that she hid from people. "Hallo hunt? What's that?"

As he opened the door, she stopped a couple of feet short and crossed her arms. "You're lying, right?" Her eyebrows were quirked in skepticism. "I mentioned I like maroon before, haven't I? That's how you knew to give me this one. You're just yanking my chain, right? This isn't your favorite color too." Closing the distance, she stood just between the door and seat, waiting for him to tell her that it was a lie, that he was just playing around and knew that she liked that color. Rolling her eyes, she added. "Don't argue with me. Just take the bed. You can sleep in late a bit, I'll sleep in the living room on the couch. Like I said, they're going to be in early, that way I don't wake you on my way down. It's not a big day, I've done this before a lot, I know how the Holden's work and what they need, so I'll be fine. I'll make coffee too before I head down so when you wake up you can have some before heading out. " She sat down and smiled at him. "You're welcome, and thank you for bringing me here. And dinner! That was nice."

A slight smirk covered his features as he began to chew on his bottom lip. "Your curiosity is gonna get the better of you. You can't hold off reading the texts until morning." He of course was not one to talk since he could barely contain himself from texting back while in the middle of work. It was a momentary glance that had him stare at her funnily wondering what could have possibly had her want to hide her face. "Hardly," he mused as a laugh escaped him. "Getting you to admit anything let alone that you like my anything is not gonna make me shut up about it. It's a big deal."

"Baton Rouge." It was the fastest answer he had ever given. "Don't get me wrong I love Hawaii and love the life I lead there but Louisiana more specifically Baton Rouge is a different world. The people, the history, the atmosphere. It is a place where everyone knows you and your business but beside that, that's where I can just be me. Just Wally not an Agent or someone they feel the need to fear. I mean, yes, there I'm still the stupidly rich kid but people know the values behind the money." He always missed his hometown. He hadn't been as old as his eldest but he still remembered being free to be whoever he wanted to be. In those moments where he wasn't fearing for his mother's life or his sisters. "But, it also comes with its downsides. I'm happy where I am now as an adult."

He laughed as he remembered another thing. "I do miss the Spinning Arrow, it was a bar, we didn't go there to drink, but the atmosphere they had old school karaoke nights. Sometimes an open mic night. We went on our last night before we officially graduated college. It was my sisters, brothers in law, di and Ma. She told us we were becoming who were supposed to be. Not to be sad or cry. She'd see us soon." His eyes took on an unfocused glare as he remembered the night. "I remember that night like it was yesterday. I had gotten into Quantico so Ma asked Billy Dean to put up a banner for me," he laughed. "It said something silly that took the place of congratulations and you know, she never missed an event for any of us. We were kept apart for most of our childhood but when it counted she was there." Never would he understand how she did the things she did.

"We should go see one. You can look from a safe distance. My brother in law has a ranch and they have ponies. You know that they respect you when you respect them in return. They're not as scary as they seem. Some people just don't know how to act appropriately around them. Which is when you get the horror stories."

He chuckled. "Don't threaten me with a good time. Going overboard with you? Not a bad way to go." Even as she looked up at him his fingers still tangled in her hair, making small motions with his digits. "I wouldn't be mean and take you to face your fear. I'm not like that, just it's called a cave but it's not. Something we can explore from the outside. Safely outside." Feeling her fingers uncurl against his he smiled. His thumb started to play against her knuckles and hummed softly. Turned out what his sister had said was right. Holding hands did feel right when it was with the right person. "Someone who is loyal, sorry just as loyal as I am. A risk taker though she never says what she means by that. I know there's more," he took out his phone and scrolled through the text he had received from her mother. He read off the usual things, loving and caring and funny and then he went into the paragraph, "someone who doesn't mind the quiet, that they don't hide behind the don't want to talk and push you away someone who understands that sometimes it's just about being there. Sitting and holding your hand through it. Someone who joins in on your dreams and doesn't tell you you're insane. Someone with a past who isn't ashamed of their journey to strength. Someone who will love you as you are. A broken puzzle piece to fit together with another broken puzzle piece." Wally finished and sighed. "She says she doesn't want someone with a clean slate. Those are boring and don't know about pain. If someone doesn't know about pain then they don't know how to help a broken person. They don't see how they're still very capable of love then just need more patience."

"Sorry, afraid you can't unsign up. You're stuck." The funny thing about fate was that it could come in a million different ways. "In a way yes it was. It could also have been coincidence but I'm less inclined to believe it was coincidence. It was my first week back to work after," he didn't want to get into that right now so didn't stay on that too long. "The first assignment that landed on desk after three people had declined to take it. They said it was a blocked case. Meaning that it was going to go nowhere. So, I took it and it lead me to you. Originally I wasn't going to take it but and you'll never believe this but Annie said to take it. I wasn't going to travel anywhere so she liked that." He hummed at the question. "They do freak me out. It's the whole mumbo jumbo that I don't like. As a kid I bumped into one that was dressed as a psychic for Halloween and it just freaked me the fuck out. Of course I could have also been agitated from trying to work my way out of a maze."

Wally looked at her in an attempt to convince her he'd change it up. "If I can do it then so can you. I guess we're both lame. I'm actually okay with that. No one else I'd rather be lame with." He narrowed his eyes at her as if to say he didn't believe her but sighed. "Well, I don't know if you know this but you can just go, don't need a reason to take the trip. I can't believe you don't want to take me. That's cold."

He crossed his heart and made a scouts honor. "Promise no caves just a week full of fun and adventure. A week of work not being at the forefront." The smile couldn't be helped as the thought of having an adventure week with her was something he truly was looking forward to. As she stood up he couldn't help but stare at her for a moment. How she made something as mundane as taking off heels so beautiful was so beyond him. He was in trouble he just knew it. Luckily he hadn't been obvious to her which he wondered if she'd ever catch on. This was going to be hard to hide from his niece. The small detective that nothing went over her head when it came to crushes.

Following suit he got up and wiped his pants as he made his way down with her. "I'm not lying. I truly don't think you're an ass. Having a hard shell isn't a bad thing. Some people just don't have enough patience to sit and wait and figure out a way to work with you not against you to open up. No," he made a face. "We don't celebrate fourth of July. It's the harvest or start of actually. Lighthouses are closed but you can come up and do the hallo hunt near the area. They don't shoot them off from here. That's dangerous. It's over by the horizon. Honolulu does it but its seen over on this island. It's a pretty display of colors. It is the start of our horror movies week. There's corn mazes and whatever else the committee deems fun for adults and kids. Down there," he pointed down as they descended. "Is the picnic area. I've only missed the start once and that was when Annie was two weeks old. Work sucked and had me travel but since then not missed one."

Wally nodded his head acknowledging her gratitude. "You're welcome. It's yours. You can keep it. It looks better on you anyway." He wasn't going to take a no, the sweater had Liz's name all over it. "I promise I don't mind. It's one of my favorite colors so glad it's going to a new home." Reaching the car he waited for her to get in before closing the door. "I'd appreciate that. I don't think I can make it home right now." Not that he had coffee but he also knew traffic to get to the other island was going to take forever. So this was a safer choice. "Let me take the couch this time. You've had me take the bed all the other times. I don't want to put you out especially since you've got a big day tomorrow. Also as a thank you for coming with me tonight and dealing with people. Please?"