Thanks to Pamz for the plot of this story. I hope I do it justice. It's going to start rough and there will be angst, but stick with it, you know all's well that ends well. ;)

She didn't pick up.

It was illogical to take that so personally. At—Walter checked his watch—eight-thirteen in the morning, Paige could be in the shower, or setting out clothes for Ralph, or in the car on her way over. There were wide variations in her morning routine dependent on a number of factors, including whether she'd chosen to hit the snooze button, whether she required more thorough personal maintenance, whether Ralph was coming to the garage first or leaving straight for school…

But she answered. Usually. Nearly always. Perhaps ninety-six percent of the time. And the other times, Paige had returned his call promptly with an apology, even if they were going to see each other soon. Sometimes he was wondering about her plans for breakfast, or he needed to know the location of a file, but often he just wished to say good morning and hear her voice on the days he wasn't able to wake up next to her.

Walter tried to extend her the same courtesy. If he was sitting down to a particularly engrossing project, he set his phone so that only Paige or Ralph could reach him. Cabe had resigned himself to calling Paige to reach Walter when necessary. It was odd, the need to always make himself available to them. But after so many years of doubt and instability, he wanted the two most vital people in his life to feel secure with him, to know that he could be relied on without exception.

He dropped the phone into his pocket and finished securing the buttons on his shirt. The knot in his stomach was growing and making him a little nauseated. Paige wasn't answering his calls for the same reason she hadn't stayed over at the garage in ten days.

Toby deemed it a "rough patch," and Walter didn't have a better term. He knew that every couple had them, and it didn't necessarily spell the end, if both parties were committed and willing to work through the issues. But it had only been five months and sixteen days. Despite beginning their relationship with intense, preexisting feelings, they were not firmly established as a couple. He'd hoped it would take longer for him to screw everything up.

The genius wished it was that simple, though. He wished it was one easily defined mistake, an error that he could own and seek to correct. But it was more complex than that, and even as a person who thrived on complexity, Walter had no idea where to start. It was the job offer she received from a client and kept quiet. The case he prolonged with his own admittedly presumptuous behavior, causing them both to miss Ralph's thesis presentation. The tense conversation he had with his parents, which didn't involve Paige in any way yet seemed to upset her. The constant attempts to change the subject when Walter proposed the efficient and—he'd assumed—mutually agreeable idea of moving in together.

They'd been through worse, he supposed. They had "rough patches" as friends, usually overcome by Walter doing something profoundly stupid like diving into shark-infested waters. He didn't think they were at that point, yet. But if she was ignoring his calls…well, it certainly wasn't a positive development.

Walter busied himself brewing coffee and hunting for the cinnamon, which he had a sneaking suspicion Toby hid after complaining vocally about its scent the day before. Though he was generally pleased about the presence of the other team members, he found himself growing more and more restless every time the garage's door opened. Finally, he heard Ralph enter, chattering to his mother about the discovery of a new moon orbiting Jupiter. He smiled.

"Hey, Walter." Ralph popped into the kitchen, grabbing a banana from a bowl on the table. Walter was fairly sure Ralph was the only one that ate them. "You missed it last night. I beat your Mario Kart record. Mom couldn't even come close."

He suppressed a grin, glancing up at Paige, who was rolling her eyes. "You should let her win sometimes."

Ralph frowned. "That would be dishonest."

Walter opened his mouth to refute the boy's statement, but Paige preempted him, placing her hand on Ralph's shoulder. "Honey, can you give me and Walter a minute?" The young genius swung his eyes between them and shrugged, shoving another banana into his backpack on his way out. Paige waited until he was gone to move closer, kissing Walter's cheek and taking the mug he offered. "Hey. I'm sorry about this morning. I know you called, I was just rushing around and I—."

"It's okay," he interrupted, trying not to let on how much he'd been bothered by it. He didn't want to come off as demanding or possessive. "Did you and Ralph have fun last night?"

"Yeah. I wish you'd been there, though." Walter felt a small measure of relief. He hated the distance from Paige and Ralph, despite agreeing to her request for "breathing room." But she missed his presence, and that was a good sign. Paige took a long sip of her coffee. "There's something I need to tell you, and Ralph doesn't know yet, so just—."

They were both distracted by the door swinging open again, and the very audible exclamation that followed from Ralph. "Dad!"

Walter felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. Paige's eyes widened, but she wasn't nearly as surprised as he was. This was what she was preparing to tell him. He followed as she rushed out of the kitchen, another uncomfortable pang of jealousy striking him at the sight of Drew embracing a grinning Ralph. Happy raised her eyebrows at him, and he shook his head, sure that his confusion was clearly written on his face.

"Drew?" Paige pressed her lips together, her voice quiet but annoyed. "I thought you were going straight to the apartment."

Drew glanced around at four geniuses that were no longer pretending to do anything but watch the scene unfold. "I did. But you forgot to leave the key."

"Damn it," she said under her breath, grabbing her purse off her desk and fishing around until she found the key in a side pocket. Paige practically shoved it into his palm, and he slid it inside his pocket, bringing his other hand up to ruffle Ralph's hair. "I set up the guest room for you. Anything else you need should be in the hall closet. Are you still okay to pick Ralph up from school?"

"Yeah. I can take him too, since I'm already here. If he wants."

Ralph looked up at his mom, his hopeful expression saying everything. Paige sighed. "Okay. But you have to eat breakfast first. You've got ten minutes before you need to leave."

"Come on kiddo, I'll fix you something." Drew touched her arm, the brief second of contact making Walter's back stiffen. "It's good to see you, Paige."

"Yep. You too." Drew nodded in Walter's direction before turning his full attention to his son, drawing him into a conversation about school. Paige ignored the curious stares of the other geniuses as she took Walter's hand and led him in the opposite direction of the kitchen, stopping when she reached a quiet corner behind the ramp and turning to face him. "I'm sorry. He wasn't supposed to just show up here. I wanted to tell you first."

"He's staying with you? In your apartment?" Suddenly all Walter could remember was the three of them having dinner while he watched through her window, his intention to confess his feelings to her crumbling in an instant. He knew that was a long time ago, and things were different now. But it didn't make the thought of them living under the same roof for an unspecified period of time much easier to handle. "Why didn't you tell me? Or Ralph?"

Paige narrowed her eyes, seeming irritated by his barrage of questions. "I wasn't even sure he was coming. You know how Drew is. I didn't want to get Ralph's hopes up until I was sure. And yes, he's staying with us. He came to see his son. Why should I make him stay at a hotel? This way they get the most time together. I really…" She shut her eyes and blew out a breath to calm herself. "I really did mean to tell you, Walter. But there wasn't a good time."

Their communication hadn't been very open lately. And Walter wasn't entirely sure that he had a right to this kind of information, according to relationship norms. But he wasn't thrilled about being blindsided. "How long is he—."

Paige jumped as the door banged open for what felt like the hundredth time that day, and Cabe's voice rang through the garage. He was talking to someone, presumably a client. "Oh my god," she muttered, clenching her jaw. "We'll finish this later."

Walter nearly ran into Paige as she rounded the corner and stopped suddenly, staring slack-jawed at the figure by the door. "Hey guys," Tim greeted as the agent slapped his back, smiling enthusiastically. "I'm in town for a few weeks and Cabe asked me to help on your case."

Toby cleared his throat. "Oh look, the gang's all here."