WHERE THE SON DON'T SHINE
AN: There. Kind of finished in a rush, but I hope you like how it turned out. Thanks to all my reviewers. Your comments mean the world!
oxoxoxoxoxo
The next day, in spite of the luxury model's dual control thermostats, the temperature was impossibly more frigid inside the car than outside. There were no more selfies at roadside attractions. No more sampling of iconic local food. No more rounds of Cadillac karaoke. No more license plate bingo. Just endless stretches of serpentine black road and the hypnotic hum of the tires rolling over it mile after mile after ceaseless mile.
Walter hated it.
He almost wished he'd consented to Paige's offer the night before. He'd certainly been tempted. But, as always, his mind had betrayed him and wouldn't allow him to completely surrender to emotions, even as spellbinding as they'd been when coupled with the biological urges he'd completely ignored for over two years.
What was worse? He was aware he'd hurt her. It wasn't intentional, but it hardly mattered.
Later that day, on impulse, Walter took his own detour toward Cawker City, Kansas hoping to dispel some of the tension in the car. A far cry from gridlocked, smoggy LA, the little town appeared to be stuck in the fifties era. When he swung the Escalade into a parking space, Ralph gave him a strange, questioning look from the passenger seat.
Walter shrugged and said, "It's not something you're likely to see everyday…"
"Or ever wanted to," the boy joked with an incredulous laugh, "C'mon, Mom," he tossed toward the backseat as he grabbed his coat and clambered out, "This should be right up your alley."
"Hey," Walter defended, feigning insult, "It might not be one of the seven wonders of the natural world like the Grand Canyon, but it does hold a world record."
Grinning boyishly, Walter tapped on the window and beckoned Paige to follow them. She frowned and blinked back at him before reluctantly unfastening her seatbelt and exiting the car.
A few minutes later, the three of them stood side-by-side, leaning on their elbows on the railing. For a while, the two geniuses tried estimating the length and weight of the object, not allowing anyone to read the plaque until they'd each made their respective guesses.
"That's a lot of twine," Paige stated, after reading off the exact measurements for them.
"Impressive." Ralph smirked. "Not necessarily because of the size, but because it's unfathomable why anyone would want to collect a huge ball of twine to start with."
"What else is there to do in Cawker City, Kansas?" Walter asked as if no other explanation was required, then he couldn't help adding, "But I have to say calling it a ball of twine isn't exactly accurate. The weight makes it flat on the bottom, so it's not spherical. It looks more like a…"
Paige tilted her head to one side, evaluating. "A truffle… or a cordial cherry…"
"…Or a scoop of ice cream," Ralph nodded eagerly, "Which I gotta say sounds pretty great right about now."
"Lucky for you, there just happens to be an old fashioned soda fountain across the square," Walter pointed out, "And it appears to be open for business."
The boy didn't have to be told twice. He gave an enthusiastic double thumbs-up before starting off at a smart clip toward the promised treat.
Watching him go, his mother shook her head in amusement. "It could be twenty below and that kid would still want ice cream. Me? I wouldn't say 'no' to hot chocolate or a cup of coffee myself."
"Lead the way," Walter smiled back at her, pleased his plan had worked and Paige was more at ease.
oxoxoxoxoxo
The trio pulled into Kansas City right around dinner time and treated themselves to some fantastic barbeque. Then they collectively decided to find a place to stay for the night, as both Paige and Walter were tired of driving and they flatly refused to let Ralph take over, considering the reason they were being forced to drive across the country in the first place.
And much to the teen's disappointment.
As tired as he was, Walter found himself too restless to sleep. He decided it was likely because of the forced inactivity associated with being confined to a vehicle for most of the day. The hotel happened to have an indoor track around the pool. He thought perhaps if he walked a few laps and collected his thoughts, he could settle down enough to relax.
Running into Paige wasn't conducive to relaxation, however. But there she was. And it was too late to quietly back out, because she'd seen him and given a shy little wave in his direction.
As she jogged up to him, he noted her hair was gathered in a messy bun on top of her head, tendrils falling out and clinging to her damp neck and chest. And she was clad in nothing more than clingy, cut off yoga pants and a faded sports bra. Her face was flushed and glistening with perspiration. Indicating she was hot.
Well, she was always hot. At least to Walter.
Ho, boy.
"Hey there, Walter. Couldn't sleep either?" She swiped at her forehead and dabbed at her cleavage with the end of the towel she had draped around her neck.
"Oh, um. I, uh…" Wrenching his eyes away, he cleared his throat and began again, "No. I thought I'd walk a while to see if it would help."
"Mind if I walk with you for a bit?"
Yes? Maybe? No?
"Okay. Uh, sure," was his more decisive sounding reply.
They walked half of the track in relative silence then Paige said, "I need to apologize."
"What for?" Walter asked, genuinely perplexed.
She huffed out an embarrassed laugh. "Last night. I had no right. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you in an uncomfortable… I should've known you wouldn't want to be with me like that after… you know, everything. Then I let it bother me when it was actually my fault."
"Did I give you the impression I didn't want to be with you? That wasn't the issue. Believe me. You're still the only one I want to be with. Like-like, uh, that."
"Then I don't get it. Why? Why did you reject me that way?" She murmured mostly to herself after a few introspective moments.
He felt compelled to answer anyway. "I'm not built for a temporary affair. Especially not with you. And I'm still essentially me. You said you found being with me unsatisfactory. You don't like the person I am. I'm an inadequate partner for you." When she opened her mouth to comment, he held up a hand and continued, "You know me. I've considered our relationship from every possible angle and thought about every exchange. For years. There are many reasons why we failed. We're very different and we both made mistakes. But it really boils down to insecurities that resulted in a serious lack of trust and the fact you basically don't enjoy being with someone like me. You tried, but I became too much for you." He swallowed hard around the knot in his suddenly tight throat, "Too."
Again Paige tried to protest, but Walter cut in, "And the problem is, I… I'm… afraid to try it again. Being with you. I'd inevitably disappoint you. See, I didn't lie when I told you that you're the love of my life. I would've gone to any lengths to mend our relationship. Done whatever I needed to do to fix it. That's why I don't think you were being honest when you said it back. The truth is you've been in love before. You will likely love again. Opportunities will exist for you. That's how you were able to walk away. But it took me thirty years to fall in love for the first time. I doubt I have the capacity to do it again."
She stopped him with a hand on his arm. Touching her fingertips lightly to his face, she breathed, "Oh, Walter. For a genius, you really are dumb. You have it all wrong."
He stepped back, shaken by the contact and overwhelmed by his need for another outpouring of words. "Don't get me wrong. I have no doubt you cared for me, Paige. You were and possibly are attracted to me. But when I think back, I surmise it was probably due to admiration for my abilities or gratitude because of the progress I helped you make in understanding your son. The problem is the person I am when I'm not sacrificing for the greater good or building a bridge between you and Ralph… That guy bores you. Just like I feared he would. You were my calm and my safe place, but I was never that for you. I… got on your nerves."
Walter had never felt more vulnerable or exposed yet it was oddly cathartic to finally regurgitate everything that had been locked inside since Paige left him.
"Can you just listen? Please? Hear me out," she urged.
With his nod, she went on, "I know I hurt you. I hate that. Try to understand that the last few years have taught me more than a few lessons. I've seen exactly what my life is like without you in it. I had no idea how much I leaned on you, how much I depended on you, how much I learned from you until you weren't there any more. I'm not only talking about super-human abilities or employment or relating to my son. I won't deny that was part of the attraction in the beginning. What I didn't see, though? Was helping you learn to be more human, helped me too. It helped me heal in ways I didn't know I was broken. Until I lost you. You know the stupid thing is those things I claimed annoyed me? Those are some of the things I missed most when you weren't around anymore. Drew can wax poetic better than Keats. Let me tell you, he has charm and romance down to an art. He's also a phony and a philanderer. There is more sincerity in your little finger than in his whole soul. And even Tim…" She rolled her eyes at his look of disgust, "He was everything I should've wanted in a man. Admit it. If there was an algorithm pairing people up, there's no doubt I would've ended up with him. Do you want to know why I was really mad at you when he left? Because I was relieved. He was so boring. I mean, really boring. No conflicts. No surprises. I wanted to want him so bad. But I really wanted you. And you'd backed away so many times, it terrified me. I didn't think you'd ever be ready. I guess once we got together, I was worried the whole time you were going to fire me or reject me or leave me. So, I made sure I had enough excuses to leave you first. Don't kid yourself. I've never loved anyone in my life as much as I love you. Still."
Walter wanted so much to believe her. What she said made a lot of sense and he didn't want to be cowardly again. Even if he was scared out of his wits.
"Won't you give me another chance?" He recognized the same fear mirrored in her eyes.
"I don't think long distance relationships work out very well," Walter started. Those eyes took on a shattered look, so he hurried to add, "So would you consider coming back to work at Scorpion? The office could use your organizational skills again and I've been thinking of hiring additional geniuses to handle our increased workload. They're going to need an experienced liaison to help them translate the world."
Paige gave him a tremulous, hopeful smile that twisted his heart. She nodded. "Of course."
"And… as for the rest of it? If we, um, could take things more slowly… Make sure we're open and honest with each other from the beginning… If you would tell me your preferences and expectations, I promise I'll try to be accommodating…"
"We can take it as slowly as you'd like. Just so you know, though, if it takes the rest of my life, I'm going to make sure I prove to you that you're loved. Completely. And I'm staying for good this time."
Walter pulled Paige into a tight embrace and whispered a choked, 'Me too', into her ear.
