Title: Five Times Walter Almost Told Paige He Loves Her (and One Time He Did) #2
Summary: Part 2. Walter returns to the garage, but Paige has gone to take Toby home. Cabe gives Walter a pep talk. A "5 Things" Fic collaboration by WeBuiltThePyramids, WriterFreak001 and FoxPhile. Cover art designed by WriterFreak001.
Author's Note: This fic is part of a collaboration between WeBuiltThePyramids, WriterFreak001 and FoxPhile, inspired by discussions on the Scorpion FanFiction thread on FanForum. Each Author has written two stories that, together, make up the collection. The stories are best read in order. You can find information on the next story in the series at the end of this chapter. Links to all the stories can be found on my profile page.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own /scorpion . This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.
Chapter 2 – The Heart Wants What the Brain Tells It to Want
"Follow your heart, but take your brain with you." ~ Alfred Adler
Walter slid his car into his usual spot in front of the garage. Exhausted, he very nearly didn't apply the brakes with sufficient force to stop the vehicle. Toby would never forgive him if he wrecked the "company car" by slamming it into the building, he thought, amused. The fit of laughter that possessed him at the image of his friend, standing in the wreckage of the garage and berating him for his carelessness, was further evidence of the effects of the past twenty-four hours on his mental equilibrium.
The events with Mark Collins yesterday (had it been just yesterday?) were emotionally draining. Seeing parts of himself reflected in his former friend and colleague had been a wake-up call. The genius knew he'd been changing over the months since Paige and Ralph had become part of Scorpion – and part of his life. Seeing Mark - and seeing the level to which the man could descend in his desire to prove his superiority, his dissociation from humanity – had given Walter clarity regarding his own developing humanity. He was better able to appreciate the value of human feelings and emotions – how they drove him and influenced his decisions. He would never again discount that value.
The experience culminated in his realization that he loved Paige Dineen and his need to share that revelation with her.
Which was part of why he was so tired. After a grueling day, he'd spent most of the night driving to Lake Tahoe, desperate to find and stop Paige before things between her and Tim Armstrong went any further. Then he drove back when Cabe called and told him Paige and Tim returned to the garage. The very thought of Paige and Tim together – in any way - caused feelings that Walter could now admit amounted to a searing jealousy.
Walter stumbled out of the car, straightened, then strode purposefully toward the door. He saw neither Tim's nor Paige's cars, so where could they be? As he entered the dim interior, his question was at least partially answered. Tim lay sprawled on the red couch, sleeping. Paige was nowhere in sight, and the garage appeared deserted. Still, Walter was reluctant to wake the Navy Seal and question him. The phrase, "let sleeping dogs lie" came to mind and Walter was both amused and appalled at the level to which he was applying the term "dog" to Tim. He knew jealousy was not an emotion to be admired, but he was just beginning to realize the level to which it could influence his outlook. It was a negative impact that he needed to learn to control.
He moved quietly past the sleeping agent, then on into the common area, still finding no sign of Paige or anyone else. Unsure how to proceed, Walter paused beside the coffee station. There was just enough for one cup left in the pot from the previous morning. He momentarily contemplated guzzling the remains in order to get another caffeine jolt, but grimaced at the thought. He should determine his next logical move before taking such a drastic measure. Another glance at the sleeping agent reinforced his resolve not to disturb the man, unsure at how that interaction might go. He instead decided to make his way upstairs. Perhaps in the quiet of his sanctuary he could come up with a plan; or get a quick hour's sleep.
As soon as he got upstairs, Walter realized there was someone else in the loft. The flickering light coming from his living area could only be the television, although there was no accompanying sound.
"Walter!" came a low voice from one of the couches. "You made it!"
"Cabe," Walter responded wearily. "It's you."
"Don't sound so thrilled to see me, I might think you cared," the older man quipped. He was lying on the sofa, but rose to make room for Walter to join him. "You look like you better sit down before you fall down. Have you been driving straight through since last night?"
"Yes," Walter responded as he nearly fell onto the couch. "Where's Paige?"
Cabe observed the young man critically before answering. "She took Tim's car and drove Toby home. I think she had plans to talk to him on the way – try to make sure he doesn't take a header into a bottle or back to the track."
"Well, he was already well into a bottle when I left."
"Yea, I feel bad about that. I shouldn't have said what I did. I shouldn't have left, either. It hit me when I couldn't get to sleep, so I came back, but you had already left. I found that crazy shrink just sitting, holding a half-empty bottle of Tequila and muttering. Amazingly, he wasn't terribly drunk."
"Really?" Walter looked up at that, his concern for his friend temporarily outweighing his fatigue. He'd realized himself that he shouldn't have left Toby alone. But his need to find Paige had trumped all reason.
"I don't think he had any more of that Tequila after you left. He told me all about your epiphany, Walter. I have to say, it's about damn time. Paige is a good thing – probably the best thing you'll ever experience. You are a moron if you don't do something about that."
"Yeah, I know. But so far my efforts to reach her have pretty much been a bust."
"Well, take heart. At least you know she's not with Tim."
"Yeah," Walter nodded, turning as if to check that his rival was still asleep on the couch downstairs. "How...uh… how did that happen, anyway?"
"As best I can figure, the delayed reaction to Toby's situation was universal." Cabe stood up and grabbed a mug from the table, gesturing towards Walter. "I made a fresh pot about an hour ago. None of that damn cinnamon, though. You want some?"
"Sure, sure," Walter didn't think any amount of caffeine would put a dent in his exhaustion, but he didn't want to go to sleep before he had a chance to talk to Paige.
Cabe continued as he walked into the kitchen and got a second mug. "I hadn't been here an hour before Paige and Tim came through the door. Few minutes after that, Sylvester calls, saying he couldn't sleep, worrying about Toby. I told him the Doc was in good hands." Returning with two steaming mugs, he started to hand one to Walter, then put it on the table in front of him instead. He walked over to sit down on the other couch, so the two sat face to face. "Paige said she just got to thinking about Toby and decided she couldn't leave him and Happy to deal with this all by themselves, so she convinced Tim to turn around. If you ask me, I don't think her heart was in this weekend trip. Not with the company she had, anyway." Cabe lifted his mug in Walter's direction and winked.
Walter realized there was some message hidden in Cabe's gestures, but he was too tired to work it out. "I'm… I'm sorry, I don't follow."
Cabe sighed, took a long swig of his coffee, then set his own mug on the table and leaned forward, his hands clasped between his knees. "Toby told me you left here because you realized you love her. Don't you know that she loves you, too?"
Walter looked up. The television was still flickering, captions rolling across the bottom of the screen. He wasn't surprised to see men on horses, galloping into what was supposed to represent a town in the nineteenth-century western territories. He imagined most of those men – either the real actors or the fictional characters – never had as much difficulty dealing with love as he did.
"No… no I don't," he muttered.
"Well, you need to start knowing that. I don't mean you should be cocky. The lady has every right to tell you to take a hike since you've waited so long."
Walter's eyes widened and he started to get up, but Cabe hurried to add, "Relax, that's not gonna happen. She's as crazy about you as you are about her. The two of you just need to stop dancing around each other and get it out in the open."
"To be honest, Cabe, the more time I have to think about it, the more I'm not sure I can do it. I mean… I don't know how… how to tell her."
"That's the simplest part. The next time you see her, you get her alone – make sure about that part, women don't like audiences for this sort of thing. Then you just say the three words – I… Love… You. It's all the stuff that comes after that that's confusing. Just follow your heart."
"That's just cultural mythology. Feelings of love don't originate in the heart, they originate in the brain. A complex cocktail of hormones…"
"Then follow your brain, kid. Just don't let a good thing get away because you don't know how to say 'I love you'."
Cabe got up from the table, picking up his empty mug and Walter's full one. "I suggest you take this opportunity to get an hour or two of sleep. Paige will be back here once she's gotten Toby settled – she has to bring Tim's car back, after all. Then you'll have your shot. Don't blow it."
Walter nodded and stood up, unbuttoning his shirt and shrugging it off his shoulders. "Will you…?"
"I'm not going anywhere. I don't think it's safe to leave you and Tim alone here. I'll wake you up as soon as Paige gets back. Sooner, if she calls."
Walter thanked him and turned towards the bed. He removed his belt and started to remove his slacks, then decided it was too much trouble. Kicking off his shoes, he crawled on top of the bed, not bothering to pull down the covers. Before he closed his eyes, he wondered if he would ever see Paige's head lying on a pillow next to his. It was a lovely dream.
"Walter!"
Someone was vigorously shaking his arm. Opening one eye, Walter saw a face, with a mop of brown hair. Ralph.
Ralph? He opened the other eye, then sat up, blearily wiping one hand over his face and up into his hair.
"Ralph?" he mumbled. "Wha…what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Sly?"
"I was. But when we woke up this morning, Sly said he was worried about Toby and he wanted to come over here and make sure he's ok. So we took the bus. When we got here, Cabe was here and that Tim guy. And he said mom was with Toby. Then Tim took Cabe's van and went to get bagels, so we all just had breakfast. But now my mom's back and Cabe said I should come upstairs and wake you up. So now I'm here… and you're awake. Cabe said to tell you there's an egg bagel left and to hurry up if you want it because otherwise my mom will get it."
"I… your mom can have the bagel, but Cabe's right. I need to get downstairs."
Walter grabbed the shirt he'd tossed on a chair the night before. Shrugging it over his shoulder, he took a quick whiff, then ripped it off again, along with the undershirt he slept in. No way could he spend time on a shower. Dashing to his small chest, he grabbed a can of deodorant and quickly sprayed himself. Then he tore open a drawer, drew out a neatly folded dark blue t-shirt emblazoned with the pi symbol and pulled it over his head. Smoothing it down, he noticed his fly was hanging open. Casting a quick glance over his shoulder where Ralph was patiently watching, he turned back and discretely zipped his fly, and refastened the button, deciding that he could do without a belt. Turning around, he ran past Ralph and began to run down the stairs. Halfway down, he realized he was wearing nothing but socks. He turned, and ran back up the stairs, nearly colliding with Ralph. Muttering a quick "Sorry!" he ran back to his bedroom, slipped on his shoes and ran back down the stairs.
Cabe and Sylvester were sitting around the table, the remains of breakfast scattered in front of them. Paper plates held crumbs and bits of discarded bagel. A large paper bag held the promise of more bagels. Walter wasn't at all hungry.
"Where's Paige?" he demanded.
"Relax, Walter," Cabe admonished, standing up and crossing the floor to where Walter stood. "Tim's taking off and Paige just went outside to get her bag out of his trunk. She'll be right back."
"Are you sure?" Walter stressed. "They aren't going back to Tahoe, are they?"
"Paige left her bag here, with her cellphone in it," Sylvester volunteered. "She wouldn't go anywhere without that."
Walter started for the door, when Cabe grasped his arm. "Relax, kid," Cabe whispered. "You'll get your chance. Right now Paige needs a minute to apologize. No matter what you might think of Tim, he's actually been pretty decent throughout this. Things are about to get worse for him. Let them say their goodbyes."
Walter paused, looking anxiously towards the door. He hated to think what might be happening on the other side. He knew, of course, that the public location put pretty strict limits on things, but at the moment, even the thought of Tim sharing a handshake with Paige caused Walter to seethe with jealousy.
Fortunately, he didn't have much time to think about what else might be transpiring. Paige came through the door, tugging her small rolling suitcase, which she left beside the door.
"Paige?" Walter started.
"So," she began, not looking in his direction. "I got Toby home, and we talked for a few minutes when Happy showed up. She asked me to stay a bit, while she explained things to Toby. I think she figured it would be easier with someone else there. But she asked me not to say anything to you guys – she wants to tell you herself. At any rate, when I left they were talking and working things out. So I think all in all, Toby and Happy are going to be okay. Which is what is really important, right?"
She was pointedly looking at Walter now. He had no idea how she expected him to respond, so he just shrugged his shoulders. He was glad that his friends were working things out. He understood that better, now. But had it been so terrible that he was concerned for the stability of a team that kept all his friends from the sort of deranged behavior that Mark Collins exhibited?
"Paige," he began again. "I need to talk to you. It's… it's important."
Paige right walked past him and over to Ralph. "It'll have to wait, Walter," she said, again not looking at him. "I need to talk to my son. There are some things I want to explain to him."
"It's okay, mom. You can talk to Walter."
"No, Ralph," Walter agreed. "Your mom is right. If she has something she wants to talk to you about, that comes first."
He sat down at the table, dejectedly moving a plate out of the way.
Paige guided Ralph to sit down on the sofa in Walter's loft. She reached over to grab the remote and turn off the television.
"So, Ralph," she said, turning to face her son. "You know that Toby and Happy have been dating, and last night, when Toby asked Happy to marry him, she said she couldn't because she's already married."
Ralph nodded his head vigorously.
"I just wanted to talk to you about that, in case you have any questions."
"I… I guess I just wonder why Happy was with Toby… if she couldn't marry him. Doesn't she love the person she's married to?"
"Well, sometimes people get married who shouldn't. And sometimes people really love each other, but then after a while they don't anymore – not in the same way."
They continued talking until Paige was sure Ralph understood that the issues Happy and Toby were dealing with didn't mean they would leave Scorpion. She also cautioned him not to ask them about the situation, but to ask her if he had any more questions, stressing that Toby and Happy might not want to discuss it. After a quick hug, the two made their way back to the stairs. As usual, Ralph ran ahead and was already playing Proton Arnold by the time Paige reached the top of the stairs.
"I can't believe you were on your way to Tahoe when Cabe called you," Sylvester was saying.
Paige froze. Walter went to Lake Tahoe? He must have changed his mind and decided to go to the festival after all – just not with her. She supposed he felt he couldn't enjoy the mathematical elements of jazz if he had to worry about how spending time with her might affect his precious Scorpion.
She needed to leave. She hurried down the stairs, intending to collect Ralph and go home as quickly as possible, but Walter was waiting for her.
"Paige, I really need to speak with you," he urged, standing on the second step from the bottom and blocking her path. "C…Can we go upstairs, please? I need to speak with you in… in private."
"Can't it wait, Walter? I really need to take Ralph and go home."
Walter hesitated, and Paige was sure he was about to let her pass. Then his face transformed. She recognized determination when she saw it, and knew that Walter could be relentless in that state. It would be best just to get it over with. He probably wanted to discuss something about a client or the company's software budget or something.
"All right," she agreed, turning to go back up the stairs. Distantly, she heard a cellphone ringing.
"I hope you can make this quick," she tossed back.
"I… I think I can," Walter stammered. "I only have to say thr…um… just a few words."
Paige turned, curious. A few words? What could that mean? And why did they need privacy?
"Sorry, folks," Cabe announced. "Grab your gear and get loaded into the van, pronto. We got a case! I'll explain on the way. Paige, we can drop Ralph somewhere along the way, but I need you, Walter and Sly all with me on this one."
Paige started back down the stairs. She paused as she passed Walter, who looked like he'd just lost a friend. Part of her was still hurt at his continued rejection, but she couldn't help be a little curious about what he wanted so badly to tell her. A few words. She was sure she would find out eventually. In the meantime, she realized she had to stop thinking about Walter in that way. It only reopened the wound.
End Note: Be sure to check out the next story in this series, written by the wonderfully talented WeBuiltThePyramids.
July 17, 2016