I know some of you are really going to like what happens here and then you are going to hate what happens here...Sorry. To the Adventure! -Tim
Walter sat at his desk his thoughts darker than they had ever been in his life. Certainly his pain over Paige contributed to his situation but Collins and his desire for revenge for what he thinks as a slight against him had him questioning his personal code. He'd been grieved when all those people were killed when the US used his aid package software to drop bombs, he'd felt guilty for not even trying to save that criminal dangling from the roof, he grieved over the scientist who died in that biolab from the Sarin gas, his sister from MS he grieved most of all. He'd tried time and again to save everyone and he had mostly succeeded. But to actually contemplate not just willingly but to actually enjoy thinking of taking a life but now to actually realize he wanted to take a life was something that he had never even thought he was capable of. His dream of killing Tim as he ran in to interrupt his marriage to Paige was at the forefront of his thoughts. Twice now had Collins threaten to end lives, the first time would have killed millions, the next time only one, but he'd meant for it to happen in front of the entire team and then again in the middle of trying to save all life on the planet he jeopardized all life to orchestrate his own escape. Would it be wrong to kill him, could he kill him, in cold blood, Walter thought he knew the answer and it scared him.
Walter's head came up as a horrible thought came to his mind, the blood drained from his face as a shocking truth finally manifested within his brilliant mind. His grief, anger, bewilderment, his inability to eat, sleep and the accident, all of it had rendered him incapable to help in the situation they all now faced just as Ted had said. He jumped up and ran over to the server room and entered. He grabbed the keyboard and began typing commands into the system and watching as the server responded to the commands. He slammed his fist against the wall as he swore. The truth had been right there in front of them the entire time how could they-he have been so blind?
He walked slowly out of the server room and crossed over to his desk and picked up his phone. He pulled up Cabe's contact and hit dial.
Cabe lay in bed cuddling with Allie, smiles on both of their faces as the morning light spilled into their room from behind the curtains when his phone began to ring. They both groaned as Cabe reached over to grab it, "Just let it go to voicemail Cabe." Allie protested.
Cabe smiled but saw it was Walter, "It's Walter, I can't. Good morning Walter, How are-What? Are you serious? Right now? Alright it'll take us a bit. We're still in bed. Yea, see you soon son."
Allie was slightly alarmed, "Cabe?"
Cabe kissed the back of her head, "Walter wants to see Florence and I right now, something to do with Collins. Try and get a little more rest; I'll be back as soon as I can."
Cabe got up and threw on his jeans and sweat shirt and put on his socks and loafers before stepping out into the hallway. He walked past the door to the bedroom Paige was in and walked downstairs. He smiled as he saw Paige crashed in the recliner and Ralph half off the couch. He walked into the hallway and walked past the bathroom and knocked on the other bedroom door. He heard a groan and some shuffling and finally the door opened as Ted stood there half asleep, "What's up Cabe?"
Cabe smiled, "Sorry, Walter called and said he needed Florence and I at the Garage as soon as possible."
Ted's eyes opened a bit more, "Oh, okay, give us a few and we'll be ready to go."
Cabe shook his head, "Walt said he needs you to stay here to watch after the others. Don't worry; I'll protect your girl."
Ted stared at him for a moment, "Yea, that's good thinking. I'll wake her."
Cabe nodded, "I'll be in the kitchen waiting for her."
Florence finally entered the kitchen her stomach was in a knot which eased a little when Cabe smiled at her. Ted stepped into the kitchen and kissed her again as Cabe turned off the alarms for the back door and after they walked out Ted turned them back on. "I'm going to stop and grab some coffee on the way, you want some?" Cabe asked Florence and she just nodded.
"Did Walter say what this is about?" Florence asked.
Cabe shook his head, "Just that he had some information on Collins he needed to run past us."
The knot in Florence's stomach returned as she got into Cabe's SUV and they took off.
The Garage door was already unlocked or perhaps it had been unlocked the whole night but whatever the case Cabe pushed it open and walked inside holding the door for Florence. "Morning Walt, we brought some coffee and doughnuts." Cabe called out to him but then saw him brooding at his desk and he sighed.
Florence took one look and she knew; she knew he knew and suddenly she wished she was back at Cabe's standing before Paige. Tears began to well up into her eyes and spill over the edge to run down her cheeks. "Walter, I am so sorry. I never meant for any of this. I never expected it to go as far as it did. Please, please forgive me."
Cabe looked from Walter to Florence and back to Walter, "What's going on?"
"Florence is working with Collins." Walter finally said.
Cabe's blood pressure shot up and his face darkened five shades, "Are you kidding me?! This whole time you've been pretending to be our friend? You've broken bread with us and you've been working for that psychopath?" Cabe grabbed her left wrist roughly and twisted her arm back behind her as he went to grab his handcuffs and then realized he hadn't brought them. "Damn it," he screamed as he let go of her arm.
She didn't try to run, she was determined to stand there and take whatever it was she was going to have to endure. Her arm was hurting so badly, she felt Cabe must have torn something but that pain was nothing compared to how her stomach was feeling. She turned back to Walter, "Please Walter I am so sorry. Collins had infiltrated my company's server and leaked a new process we were developing to my competition and when I sold stock to invest money back into the company to save it he bought that stock and offered the votes to the board who used them to kick me out of my own company. He then offered to give me his proxy to get my company back if I would just feed him information about what you guys were doing. I didn't see that much wrong with it and then he wanted a little more and then a little more and as he had hoped when Paige found out about the lecture he wanted me to confess feelings for you to ensure you'd break up. I even went along with his plan to shake you psychologically, well at least until that last message. When I heard first hand just how badly I was hurting you I couldn't go through with it anymore and even though it has cost me my company I broke off all dealings with him. I know; I know it's all so horrible but I am so very sorry Walter."
"Your feelings of remorse have only just begun sweetheart. Treason carries a bigger penalty than you know." Cabe pulled out his phone intent on calling Homeland.
"Cabe," Walter said. Cabe looked up and saw Walter shake his head no. "I won't be the instrument to inflict the pain I have felt these past days on someone else. Ted has grown to love Florence and her actions are against me and I won't co-operate in anything that will harm that relationship."
"This isn't just about you Walter, she attacked a Homeland agent, almost killed him." Cabe all but shouted.
"I didn't know Cabe; I swear I never would have used that gas had I realized he was sensitive to it." Florence pleaded.
Cabe turned and stared at her angrily, "Zip it."
"Cabe, as bad as that was, he's fine and there is no proof that Florence has done anything wrong and I won't testify about what I know or heard here today." Walter looked up at Cabe.
"You'd be willing to go to jail on contempt charges and then when you finally agree to testify be brought up on charges of conspiracy and treason right along side of her?" Cabe asked incredulously.
Walter kind of laughed, "What could prison do to me that could compare to what I have already gone through? Is your sense of justice so strong you'd lock me up never to see me again?"
Cabe stared at Walter as he stared back. Cabe finally grabbed the chair that was sitting by Walter's desk and threw it back towards the Airstream and he began walking around cursing.
Walter saw Florence cringing but noticed how she favored her left arm, "Is your arm okay?"
She nodded, "I think a tendon might have torn when Cabe grabbed it."
Walter pointed at Sylvester's desk, "Sit down." He got up and walked into the kitchen and filled a wash cloth with ice and brought it back and gave it to her as he handed her a box of tissues from Paige's desk.
"What do you know about Collins?" Walter finally asked her.
"Honestly nothing Walter, he always contacted me unless I had to talk to him about something I would use a burner phone to call a number he had programmed into it." Florence admitted as she held the ice to her wrist.
Walter nodded, "Do you remember the number?"
Florence nodded and gave it to him.
Walter looked over and saw Cabe had finally cooled down a little. "Okay, Florence it goes without saying when this is over you are no longer part of Scorpion 2.0. Agreed?"
Tears broke over her eyes as she nodded.
"Florence's part in this ends here, we will not discuss it again and we will not disseminate that information. Do you agree?" Walter looked at Florence and she slowly nodded and he looked at Cabe who glared at him but finally nodded.
"What are your feelings for Ted?" Walter asked her point blank.
"He's the only light I've seen in months; I want a chance at a future with him." Florence finally said.
Walter nodded, "Cabe, I know this will go against everything you believe but I was serious earlier about not causing the grief I have felt to someone else, we do not reveal the truth to Ted. Give him the chance to be happy with Florence."
Cabe's scowl spoke more volumes in the five seconds Walter looked at him than there were encyclopedias. "What about your happiness?" He finally asked.
Walter shook his head, "I screwed up, I had my chance to make it right and I chickened out and now I have to deal with that. Ted hasn't done anything wrong and I won't be a party to it. Can you agree to this?"
Cabe turned his glare to Florence and swore, "I guess."
Walter nodded, "I really need a yes or no Cabe."
"Fine, I can agree to this." Cabe said disgustedly. Cabe asked, "So now what?"
Walter had been thinking about that question since he called Cabe, "I'm running a program to fix the problem with the data file, it'll be repaired in four days. Once it's fixed I can go through it and see if there is something there to help in catching Collins. There is a chance there could be evidence wherever Collins is that could implicate Florence, I plan to destroy that evidence if there is. Will you be okay with that?"
"Damn it Walter, it's bad enough you are refusing to share the information that proved to you that she was in on this and you are refusing to testify about what she freely confessed a few minutes ago and now you are telling me you are planning to commit a felony to help someone who has caused you more pain than anyone I know? What is wrong with you?" Cabe demanded.
Walter shrugged, "You are free to proceed how you want Cabe I won't stop you."
Cabe's phone rang as he stared at Walter. He finally pulled it out of his pocket and saw 'Allie calling'. He hit answer, "Hey sweetheart. Yea sorry, tension is a little high at the moment. Yea it's all fine. Umm, I'm not sure." Cabe looked at Walter, "How much longer do you think we'll be?"
"We're done here," Walter told him.
"Allie, we're done. We'll be headed home shortly. I don't know, let me ask." He looked at Walter, "Allie wants to know if you are planning to come with us so she can make breakfast for you too?" Walter shook his head no. "He says no. I know but he's refusing. Alright we'll see you in about thirty minutes then. I love you." Cabe hung up. Cabe looked at Walter, "I guess we better get going then. You do know that little man is desperate to see you right?"
Walter nodded his head, "I'm desperate to see both of them too."
"Then come with us Walter, I heard Paige last night, she has real remorse herself. If you walk in there with us I know she is going to forget everything to be in your arms again," Florence pleaded.
Walter shook his head, "It's not what Paige wants."
"Son, until you talk with her, you won't know what she wants," Cabe told him.
Walter laughed, "Look around Cabe, I think she made it quite clear what she wants."
Florence looked at Walter, "Thank you; I do not deserve your kindness Walter. I was a horrible person. But I hope I have at least begun the process of becoming a better one. I know sorry will never be enough but I truly am and if I can ever do anything for you, you only have to tell me."
Cabe looked at Walter, "So what lie do we tell Ted about why you wanted us here about Collins?"
"Tell him I had found some banking charges that I didn't remember and needed to verify with Florence if she had charged them before I assumed it was Collins." Walter told him.
Cabe was extremely quiet in the SUV as they made their way back to his place. When they were about halfway there he finally spoke. "Ted is one of the best investigators I have ever known. If we are going to sell this bull poop we're both going to have to watch our P's and Q's or he'll figure it out. From this point forward, I forgive you for what you have done and now you haven't done anything wrong. I also apologize for hurting your wrist. He lifted his arm up and slid it around her shoulders and hugged her to him."
Florence with tears in her eyes leaned into that hug, "Thank you, I can't believe I fell like that, if your reflexes hadn't been so quick, if you hadn't grabbed my wrist I could have really hurt myself." Florence told him.
Cabe nodded his head, "You're welcome."