"Did you hear what I said Walter?" Cabe asked. They'd all been staring at Walter for over a minute after Cabe had told him that Sylvester wanted permission to come see them as a 'friend'.

Walter sat looking out the window, the evening had brought a change to the weather, and he could see the lightning in the distance, growing closer ever minute it. Slowly he nodded his head.

Paige looked at Cabe, "Maybe we should give Walter the night to decide. There's no rush to decide on this."

Cabe nodded as he turned to Ralph, "You ready to go kid?"

Ralph nodded his head as he got up and walked over and hugged Walter, "I really hope they decide to release you tomorrow. I'd rather stay at the loft with you."

Walter smiled, "That would make me very happy Ralph, love you buddy."

Paige hugged Ralph and kissed his cheek, "Be good, we'll see you tomorrow either way." Paige watched as they walked out of the room and she sighed as she turned to look at Walter, "You want to talk about it?"

Walter smiled as he patted the bed next to him. Paige returned the smile and sat down on the edge and scooted back in and lay down against Walter as he wrapped his arms around and held her. "Since I woke up, and finally realized you were really here and not some figment of my imagination, I've been happier than I have ever been. The thought of Sly or the others back in my life, it spoils that feeling. What do I do? When it's a matter of heart, I've always turned to you."

Paige scooted to her left and rolled onto her right side, laying her head on his shoulder as she stretched her left arm across his chest, "I don't know to be honest. I've been counting on you since you woke up to guide me. But you know, when it came to how I felt about Florence you told me you supported me no matter how I wanted to proceed, even offering to give me the evidence to have her prosecuted for helping that whack job. That meant so much to me, to know I could chose and you'd be there to support me. So while I am not really interested in renewing any connection with Sly or the others, I respect that you were friends with them for a long time before me, and I will support you if you want to invite them back into your life or if you don't."

Walter smiled and hugged her tightly.

Walter's Dr wasn't crazy about the idea but the cardiologist was onboard with it, and with Cabe promising to be there to help Paige bring him up or down the ramp to the loft she agreed to release him after setting up thrice weekly visits of a wound care nurse, and physical therapists to care for his wounds, and work his muscles. She gave Paige and Cabe a stern lecture about his feet and wanted him brought in two times a week so she could check them herself.

Walter was so happy to be back in the Garage, after Megan's time in the hospital he had grown very uncomfortable in them. "You know, I think we need to consider cleaning out Happy's area. It consumes a large section of the floor space. Probably wouldn't hurt to consider reorganizing the whole work area. We could sell of the equipment left over there; it should all belong to Scorpion anyway." He slowly looked at the desks, "With Sylvester gone we can reposition the desks where we might like them better. We could redo the area around the couch make it a more inviting kind of thing, like an office waiting room, maybe put up some partitions to separate it from the rest of the Garage?" Walter looked at Paige and Cabe.

They both nodded, "Sure son, if that's what you want to do. Did you decide on meeting with Sly yet?"

Walter shook his head no, "Ralph, do you mind grabbing Ferret Bueller for me please?"

Paige pushed him on over to his desk and pulled out his office chair and pushed him under the desk. Cabe set his laptop down in front of him. "I think I'll go make some coffee, you guys want some?" Cabe asked as he walked to the kitchen.

"Sure," they both answered. Ralph handed Ferret Bueller over to Walter, Bueller was only too happy to see him again and he chattered up a storm as if telling him how much he was missed.

After checking the kitchen and only finding a scoop of coffee in the can, "Hey Walt, you got anymore coffee?" Cabe asked.

"I hadn't been to the store in a while, maybe up in the loft?" Walter answered as Ferret lay curled up in his arms.

Paige pulled a note pad from her desk and walked into the kitchen and took inventory of everything inside the kitchen. She heard Cabe swear and wrote down coffee while smiling. "Okay, I'll run over to the mini-mart and grab a can of coffee." Cabe told Walter as he came down the stairs.

Walter smiled, "Let me give you some money." Walter struggled trying to get his wallet out but he wasn't having much luck with his hands the way they were still recovering.

"That's okay kid; I can spring for it for once." Cabe told him as he smiled.

Paige walked out of the kitchen, and walked upstairs as continued her inventory. By the time she finished Walter had Ralph put Ferret Bueller back up. She sat at her desk and made up the rest of the shopping list. She looked over at Walter, "Is there anything you can think of that you want?"

"Actually, I'm dying for some of your chicken cacciatore." Walter told her.

Paige smiled, almost shyly, "Really? Okay, I'll grab everything I need to make it."

"Just charge it to your Scorpion charge card." Walter told her.

"My charge card, I figured you cancelled it. I didn't destroy it so it should still be in my wallet." Paige told him a little shocked as she pulled out her purse and verified it was still there.

Walter shook his head no, "As sure as I was that you were gone, I just couldn't bring myself to do that. I couldn't even get rid of any of your things upstairs."

Paige smiled; "I noticed when I was here earlier in the week when I called the insurance company, I've still got your clothes at my place. I was wearing your one shirt the night you came over so there was blood all over it, but I am sure it all washed out. When Cabe gets back I'll go to the store."

Ralph and Walter worked on the magnetic pulse device while Paige was gone. After she returned Cabe helped get Walter up to the loft and he continued working with Ralph while Paige prepared dinner that evening.

They sat together for their first family dinner in the loft since before that night. Walter was so happy, he couldn't stop grinning and smiling, everything seemed better now that they were back together.

Later that night as Paige helped him to exercise his legs in bed Walter put his hand on hers and she looked up at him, the night had been so perfect it gave him just enough courage to ask, "Paige, I was wondering, I don't know how much time is left on your lease but I-I was wanting you both to consider moving in here with me, permanently. And if you would rather be married before doing that, I'd understand and I would be very happy to propose to you as soon as I could get you a ring."

Paige stared at him, completely surprised and shocked. Finally as her eyes filled with tears, "You don't have to have a ring to propose you know, we could always get one later," she winked at him before adding, "If I say yes."

Walter smile, "Hey Ralph, would you come here please?" Walter called out.

Paige looked at him puzzled as the door opened and Ralph walked in.

Walter gestured and Ralph stepped on over to the bed, "Ralph, I'd like your permission to ask your Mom to marry me."

Both Ralph and Paige smiled and Ralph nodded his head as he fell down on his knees next to Walter and hugged him. Paige reached down and rubbed Ralph's back as he began crying.

Walter smiled up at Paige as he continued to hug the young man, "Paige, I promise to continue to improve, hopefully never to make a mistake with you again, and if I do, never to make the same mistake twice. You've been the light I've needed my whole life. My only regret is it took me so long to find you. But by taking so long, it gave me time to be open to the possibility of you and me, and along the way it afforded you time to bring our son into this world, and for that I will always be grateful. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

Tears welled up in both their eyes, and finally Paige nodded and she threw her arms around them both.

Cabe unlocked the door and stepped into the Garage. Stepping over to the security panel he pulled out his notepad, and entered the ridiculously long pass code that Ralph had made up, turning the system off. He looked up to the loft, and saw the top of Paige's head in the kitchen, "Hey Walt, Paige, good morning."

Paige smiled as stepped over to the rail and looked down, "Morning Cabe, come on up." Just before he reached the top they heard a small bell tinkle and Paige walked back to the bathroom.

"Hey Grandpa, Ralph called out as he paused his video game and came running over and hugged Cabe.

"Good morning, you are looking pretty happy this morning, have a good night?" Cabe asked as they parted.

Ralph nodded, "Dad asked Mom to marry him and she said yes!" Ralph exclaimed.

Cabe smiled real big as Ralph saw a tear in his eye. "That's great news then," Cabe told him, "Am I taking you to school today?"

Ralph smiled, "If you want to."

Cabe frowned and pointed at the dining table, "What is that thing?"

Ralph smiled, "It's an electromagnetic pulse device I helped Walter build. It's for something to do with Toby."

"Good morning Cabe," Walter said as Paige pushed him out into the dining room.

"Hey kid, did you guys want me to take Ralph to school?" Cabe asked.

"Actually if you got time after breakfast we'll go with you, and if you don't mind take us to look at some used cars?" Walter asked.

Cabe nodded, "If you're ready and that's what you want. I know Paige's car isn't the best to try and haul the chair around with. I don't mind driving you. You could just wait until you don't need the chair before looking at cars."

Paige brought out a large dish of scrambled eggs, a heaping plate of bacon, and went back to bring out biscuits, orange juice and a pot of coffee.

Cabe smiled, "I haven't seen a spread like this since the corps."

Paige smiled as she brought a glass of milk to Ralph, "Eat up guys, don't let it get cold."

"We'll see you this evening Ralph, I love you buddy." Walter told Ralph as he hugged him.

Ralph smiled and hugged his Mom before he ran up to the school doors.

"Okay, so where did you want to go car shopping?" Cabe asked.

Walter looked at Paige, "Well, if you were serious about taking me anyplace I needed to go until I am out of that chair we could delay looking at cars. Maybe you could take us by A.J. Jewelers?"

Cabe suppressed a smile as he looked at Walter in the back seat, "A.J.'s? Aren't they famous for personalized engagement rings?"

Walter smiled, "Paige said yes last night."

Cabe smiled, "It's about time kids. I was beginning to think I was going to have to drag you both to a church and force you to get married, congratulations!"

Walter and Paige sat looking at all kinds of pictures of rings that A.J.'s had done in the past, so many it was almost overwhelming. Paige was certainly balking at the prices. "Walter I really like the sentiment, but the prices, their more than what my car cost, after interests." Paige fretted.

Cabe kind of ticked his head, "More then my first house cost."

The salesgirl tried playing up to Walter, "But look at how gorgeous these rings would look on her beautiful finger." Walter nodded as he was able to instantly translate the images of rings to her finger in his mind, he looked at Paige with a large grin on his face and it quickly faded as he saw her disapproving stare back.

He forced another smile, "It's your ring Paige so the only opinion that truly matters here is yours. I'm willing to spend whatever you want to ensure you get the ring you want."

Paige smiled, "Good boy, but these are way too expensive. I don't really need a custom made ring. I'd like to see what you have in a more traditional style."

Clearly disappointed, the salesgirl figured that Walter would be the stick in the mud. After about another hour Paige finally settled on a gold band with two heart-shaped loops interwoven on top with two heart-cut rubies just "kissing" inside of them. It was still about a thousand dollars more than Paige wanted to spend but she liked the idea of the rubies representing hearts instead of their birthstones.

As Cabe got Walter back inside the Garage, "Cabe, you think you could set up a meeting between the judge, the DA and the guys with us for me?"

Cabe nodded, "I can call the DA and see what he says."

Cabe stepped outside as Paige looked at Walter, "You want to renew your friendship with them?"

Walter could see the apprehension in her face so he took her hands in his, and pulled against her until she turned and sat down on his lap. Wrapping his arms around her, "No, but regardless to how 'innocent' their actions have been they still decided to abandon me when I had done nothing wrong to them. But out of the friendship we once shared, I have to do what I can for them. They can then go on to live their lives."

Paige smiled, "They don't deserve you." She kissed him deeply.

Cabe walked back in and saw them kissing and smiled, "Okay, the DA said the judge has an opening for thirty minutes tomorrow at 10 AM, and he can arrange for everyone to be there."

Paige smiled at Walter as they broke their kiss. "Thanks Cabe, would you be available to take us there?"

Cabe smiled, "Of course I can. What's the game plan?"

"Well, when I get close enough I plan to use the pulse device on Toby and neutralize the implant. I'll turn over a copy of the relevant data to the judge, DA and Sylvester. They can make whatever decisions they want based on the new information. We can also tell them about Toby hypnotizing all three of them and they can get someone to break that. Oh you better make sure everyone leaves their phones, tablets, laptops and bankcards someplace else. The device will wipe their magnetic media, and that will go for us as well. Make sure the judge and DA don't have a pacemaker or insulin pump as well." Walter told them.

Greetings dear readers, tomorrow's story will be continuing the Uncivil War story line. Keep an eye out for 'You Think Bat Poop Is Crazy'! BTW I am going to set up an AU go fund me account, Walter seriously needs a stunt double. Only AU currency will be accepted. To the Adventure! -Tim