Karman Line Prize Chapter 7

AND THE WINNER IS…

"Ralph sweetie, breakfast is here," Paige called to Ralph from the living room. She cringed as she looked up from Walter's laptop, quickly realizing the mistake she had made.

After a great deal of discussion, Paige agreed to let Ralph attend college full-time. The Dean at Berkeley gave Ralph a great recommendation to Cal Sci and Ralph was immediately accepted for the upcoming term. Paige had also agreed to try and treat Ralph more like the mature young man he was becoming and less like a child. Paramount on the mature treatment agenda was calling Ralph by his name and not any of the nicknames Paige was so fond of.

"Mom, we agreed!" Ralph said in a slightly exasperated tone as he emerged from the bathroom, trying to fix his bowtie.

"I'm sorry sw—." Paige drew a deep breath. "Ralph, these changes are just going to take some time to get used to, but I'm working on it. Now, are you too big for your mother to help you with your tie?"

Ralph flashed a resigned grin as he approached his mother. She fixed his tie, resisting the urge to run her fingers through his hair.

"All done," Paige announced. "We have to be ready to go soon. Have you packed your clothes for your sleepover with Sylvester and Cabe?" Cabe and Sylvester had to finish a case in Los Angeles, but were flying into San Francisco today. They were also going to watch Ralph for the rest of the weekend so that Walter and Paige could spend some time alone to celebrate three months as a couple. Paige couldn't help but smile at the thought of having Walter O'Brien to herself for a whole weekend!

By the time Paige turned her attention back to her son, he had gotten his overnight bag from his room, and was sitting at the table eating breakfast.

Paige smiled as she went to find Walter.

She leaned against the door, watching as Walter fiddled with his clothes in the mirror. There had been a few challenges over the past three months. Still, he had been better at being in a relationship than he gave himself credit for, an opinion Paige was thankful that Walter finally agreed with. Paige sighed as she cautiously approached her boyfriend. In the entire time they had been dating, practically the entire time she knew him, Walter had always acknowledged her presence when she entered a room. The fact that she had been standing there for five minutes and he hadn't said anything highlighted the depth of his distraction. Of course, so did the fact that he was fiddling with his tie. His red tie. Paige's favorite tie. Something that almost drove Paige to distraction.

Paige drew a deep breath, trying to push certain lustful thoughts from her mind. One more day, she thought to herself as she strode towards her boyfriend.

She hugged Walter from behind, settling her hands around his torso and planting a carefully-placed kiss on his neck. A moment later, a pair of rough hands squeezed over top of hers.

"Hi," the curly-haired genius finally said as he turned to face his girlfriend.

"Hey," she replied, running her hands across his shoulders, pausing at his tie. They both smiled knowingly. "Are you okay? You've been standing here an awfully long time."

"Yes, I am, uh, just nervous."

"Walter, your presentation is fine. You've rehearsed it numerous times, and I just checked the slides to make sure all of the appropriate notes are there. They may be undergraduates, but they are science majors who signed up for this presentation. I don't think they will."

Walter interrupted, "You checked the slides, on my computer?"

The monotone question along with the undiscernible look on Walter's face prompted Paige to ask. "Walter, are you upset that I looked at your computer?"

Walter didn't answer right away. He realized how what he had said must have sounded. Of course he wasn't mad at her. He didn't care if she looked at his computer. He didn't hold any secrets from her.

"Walter."

He shook himself from his thoughts. "No, of course I'm not upset that you looked at my presentation or my computer. It's just that I…" Walter ran his hand over his face before continuing, "I didn't want you to work for this entire trip. I was hoping that this trip would be more of a vacation for you."

That earned the genius a kiss. "Walter, you are presenting as the winner of the Karman Line Prize today. As both your girlfriend and your company liaison, I am willing to do whatever it takes for your presentation to be successful." She pulled Walter closer so she could nibble his ear as she whispered, "Besides, after today, it's all play and no work for the rest of the weekend."

Both faces morphed into knowing grins, as they continued their light kissing and petting. Paige knew they were going to spend the rest of the weekend together, but Walter was trying to be romantic and surprise her, so she had no idea what their plans were.

It was Paige who finally broke their blissful moment and headed for the door. "Would you please check on Ralph while I finish getting dressed? There is also breakfast if you want."

Walter nodded, following her out of his room.

A few moments later, Paige was in her bathroom staring in the mirror. Nothing could seem to wipe the smile off of her face. This weekend, after all of the activities related to Walter's winning the Karman Line Prize, she and Walter were going to commemorate three months as a couple. The milestone for most couples was especially significant for Walter and Paige because Walter insisted on waiting this long before they had sex.

In the six weeks that Walter and Paige had been dating, they spent a considerable amount of time where the only sounds between them alternated between her breathless moans, a light grunting sound that occasionally sprang from his throat, and the popping sound caused by the quick releases then reconnection of their tightly locked lips. They would fight the anatomical need for oxygen as long as possible, putting off even brief separation of their lips and the intertwined tongues hidden within them.

Walter was always so careful with his hands. They usually laid somewhere on the sides of her torso, or at the small of her back. Paige favored laying her hands around his neck, or running through his curly hair. There were times Paige was tempted to push the issue literally, by bringing his hands upward toward her breasts, which were always so sensitive when they kissed, or by undoing his buttons to reach the muscles that were tantalizingly out of reach underneath his shirts. She decided it was best not to overwhelm the genius.

Paige knew that even when they were kissing, a million thoughts were flowing through her genius's head. Did he not push things because he was unsure of his reaction? Were his actions dictated by what he thought was appropriate at this stage of their relationship? Paige really wasn't concerned with why; all she thought about was how she could get Walter to loosen up and relax. Thankfully, Paige didn't have to come up with a plan.

Over the vehement protests of Walter, the team prepared to execute a simple honey trap. Paige was undercover as a CIA analyst with access to classified material. She was trying to stall the subject, a terrorist who had already procured two of the chemicals necessary to make a bomb, at the bar while the rest of the team searched his room for the other chemicals. Unbeknownst to the team, the terrorist had a secret alarm on the storage unit where the materials were hidden. Once the team was made, Paige was held hostage for over five hours before the team was able to rescue her. Toby accompanied Paige back to the garage while the rest of the team went to ensure safe disposal of the materials. She was resting in the loft when Walter returned a few hours later.

"Paige, Paige, are you here?" Walter raced around the lower level of the garage searching for his girlfriend. He was in the middle of an intense discussion with Toby about leaving Paige alone when she finally responded.

"Walter, I'm here. Sorry, I was resting on the couch. I must have fallen asleep."

Walter rushed to Paige. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? They only checked you in the ambulance, maybe you should go to the—."

Paige interrupted by kissing his cheek. "Walter, I'm okay. Just a little shaken up. Ralph is staying with Sylvester tonight to give me a chance to recover."

Walter started to back up. "If you would, uh, rather b-be alone, I will just, uh, grab some things from my room. You can stay in there. I can stay in the airstream." Walter's disappointment was evident in his eyes and body language. Paige smiled at the thought that maybe Walter craved the same closeness she desired.

She grabbed his wrist as he turned away. "Walter, I want you to stay."

Walter couldn't stop the grin on his face, "Great. I'll stay, and we can do whatever you want. Whatever would make you feel better."

Paige smiled mischievously, and she bit her bottom lip as she led Walter to the couch. Before Walter could give much thought to Paige's expression, her lips had engulfed his. In the next moment, she was rising off the couch, and Walter attempted to move with her but she pushed him back down.

She peppered kisses up his jawline before whispering seductively in his ear, as her arms settled across his neck, her hands busy at the back of his head, "You said we could do whatever I wanted, and what I want right now is you." Paige was almost ashamed at how forward she was being, but God she wanted—no, needed—him desperately.

Walter growled as Paige continued kissing him. He tentatively placed his hands across Paige's waist and the look he shot her caused Paige to tremble instantly she raised her arms in response to his silent request for permission.

Walter's eyes widened and his hands explored the newly exposed areas. Paige smiled as she leaned down to resume the kissing. One hand ran through the curls at the back of his head, and the other hand reached for the buttons on his shirt. She got as far as the third button before she needed to breathe.

Walter used this opportunity to interject with her name. Paige glanced up and could tell from the look on his face that he wanted to talk. "You're disappointed."

Paige smiled. Her boyfriend's mind and body clearly were not in sync because his fingers flexing at her waist as she moved to stand up, and the hitch in his speech, were not sending the message to slow down that she knew was coming. She retrieved her shirt from the floor before returning to the couch. She linked their hands before continuing, "No, of course I'm not disappointed. I would never be disappointed in you for telling me how you feel." She shifted closer. "I take it you, uh, you have concerns?"

He turned to face her. "I really am sorry, Paige. I just, uh, I think we need to talk first." She squeezed his hands, a signal to Walter that he should continue. "Uh, okay, I want you to know that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever known and that I do love you. I didn't want you to think that my, uh, hesitation had anything to do with those two facts about our relationship."

Paige smiled and ran her hand across his jawline. "I figured that, but I am glad to hear you say it."

Walter struggled to stay focused. The way Paige was looking at him, her hand caressing his face, made him want to bury his concerns and then bury his face in her bosom and kiss her senseless. He swallowed hard. "Both of those things are, uh true, but my concern is that, even though I know that I am trying and that I am much better, I still want to be sure that I can be the person you deserve before we take things to the next level—."

"Walter, I know exactly who you are and I love you. I know things aren't perfect, but our relationship is new." Paige moved closer and ran her hands down his chest. "No relationship is perfect at the beginning." She moved her lips across his chin and down his neck. "I don't have any doubts about taking things to the next level." Paige whispered that last part as she worked a particularly sensitive spot on his neck, desperate to convince him. The idea of waiting even another day to have this genius—her friend, her boyfriend, the man who treated her better than anyone ever had—do all of the things she had woken up from dreams at night thinking about was excruciating.

She was not successful. "P-Paige, I b-believe that we were, uh, d-do you m-mind if w-we continue our, uh, c-conversation?" His breath was ragged and Paige didn't need an eidetic memory to know that she had never seen Walter look so vulnerable and unsure.

Paige removed her lips from his face. She sat back on the couch and exhaled. "I'm sorry, Walter. If you want to wait, then I am absolutely okay with that. I promise. When you're ready, I will be too."

Walter grabbed her hand and looked her in the eye. "Are you sure you're okay with this? I don't want to disappoint you."

"Of course not." Paige smiled. "You trusted me enough to be honest and I would never want you to do something you didn't want to."

He returned her smile and released her hand as she moved to stand up. "It's getting hot in here all of a sudden. I could use some air, why don't I go get us some food from Kovelskys?"

"Why don't we both go to Kovelskys? I think we could both use some air."

Paige reapplied lipstick to the lip she had been biting as she thought about that conversation and the days that followed. The day after this conversation they found out that Walter won the Karman Line Prize and that the awards ceremony and activities would be this weekend. Walter wanted to plan something special. Paige didn't really care where they went. After three months of dating, Paige was going to have her genius all to herself and she couldn't wait.

Those thoughts would have to stay under control until tomorrow, though. Today she was the girlfriend and liaison of the winner of the Karman Line Prize. One final check in the mirror and she joined her two most important people in the living room for breakfast.

~~~~~~ SCORPION ~~~~~ SCORPION ~~~~~

AUTHOR'S NOTES

1.I do not own Scorpion or its characters, CBS owns Scorpion and its characters.

2.Special Thank You to my betareader lookingforthestars. If you are a WAIGE fan do yourself a favor and check out her page.

3.Special Thank You to all of you for being so patient and understanding.

4.It's been a crazy week here in the US so hopefully this story will provide some momentary escape. If you're reading this from another country don't laugh. The acts of resistance have already begun and not all of us share the racist, sexist, homophobic, and xenophobic thoughts of our president (keep us in your thoughts and prayers over the next four years)

5.Read, Review, Enjoy!