CAN I GET A WITNESS?

CHAPTER 12: NAME DROPPING

AN: Here's the short (and hopefully sweet) ending.

I hope every one of you is safe and healthy. It's a weird, weird world we live in right now.

OXOXOXOXOXO

Their latest rust bucket rent-a-wreck rattled and wheezed into the rest area parking lot somewhere northeast of the dusty little desert town of Barstow, California. The much neglected car sputtered and coughed a second or two after Cabe turned it off, no doubt begging for a touch of routine maintenance. Or a complete overhaul. It was doomed to disappointment.

The air conditioning had stopped working somewhere around Provo, so the wind-whipped crew piled out in search of a less-than-hideously-disgusting restroom and maybe, if they were lucky, a soda machine to re-caffeinate themselves long enough to survive the last 120 miles or so to LA.

A few hours ago, when they'd crossed the border into their home state, the little troop of fugitives had cheered. Unfortunately, California was a large state even when driving east to west and, at that point, the weary travelers were facing hours on the road before they made it home. However, none of them were willing to stop. No one even suggested it. Their longing for the garage and their friends and the familiar was much stronger than their need for sleep, especially if it meant spending another night in a run down motel with lumpy beds and scratchy towels.

While he was waiting for the others, Cabe paced around a picnic table, stopping every once in a while to press his palms to the small of his back and stretch out the stiffness. Spending fourteen hours a day in a car wasn't as easy as it used to be.

The only one of their group still full of energy loped up to him. Ralph paused for a moment to guzzle some soda from the red can in his hand and slurp up the excess around the rim before he spoke. "What's taking so long? Do you need me to go round everyone up?"

Cabe offered him half a grin. "Keep your shirt on. You know things like this take a bit longer when there are ladies involved."

Ralph frowned. "Then why are there always an equal number of men's and ladies' restrooms at any public place? There should be at least twice as many for females. Or they could make all toilets private and therefore unisex and have a shared bank of sinks."

"There you go applying logic to one of life's greatest mysteries, son." Cabe chuckled. He shook his head and nudged the young genius with an elbow.

The impatient boy spotted his parents at another picnic table across the lot from theirs.

"Hey, there's Mom and Dad. I'll go see if they're ready to go. I wanna get home."

The couple was too far away to be heard but appeared to be deep in conversation. Cabe had his suspicions about the content of that conversation.

The older man stopped Ralph with a hand on his arm. "Hang back a second, kid. Let's give them a minute, okay?"

The young genius flashed him a puzzled look, but complied without argument. He was suddenly eyeing his parents with a different kind of interest. Maybe having a long time wish come true was more important than getting home fifteen minutes sooner.

Despite her wind mangled hair, Paige emerged from the bathroom a new woman. This baby was sitting squarely on her bladder and for the last twenty miles she thought she might be the one to need a diaper change.

She was more than ready to be home, to shower, to sleep in her own bed, to hug her friends. So she was heading straight for the car the second she was finished in the restroom. She was a little surprised when she spied Walter sitting at a picnic table clearly waiting for her to come out. As soon as he saw her, his eyes widened and he beckoned her over.

Aw, hell. He looked jumpy. What was wrong now? Had something bad happened?

Her head was spinning with worst case scenarios as she went over to join him. The apprehension was making her feel nauseated. She pressed a hand to her stomach to calm the nervous roiling.

His eyes flitted to her middle where her hand rested and he asked, "Is everything alright?"

"You tell me. Did you hear some bad news? Are we still okay to go home?" The problem was, in the back of her mind, she still had doubts the whole ordeal was really over.

He shook his head, his expression bemused. "What gave you the impression I'd gotten bad news?"

"So, we are still okay to go home?"

"Of course."

Paige heaved a relieved sigh. "I guess I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. This whole thing has kinda been a roller coaster, hasn't it?"

Walter nodded but appeared distracted. He looked away from her momentarily, his gaze seeming to focus on the distant hills burnished golden by the setting sun.

But Paige knew him well enough by now to know he wouldn't be distracted by the beauty of a desert sunset.

"So what's up then?" She prompted.

"Oh, um…" His Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed. His gaze met hers briefly then fell to the toes of his signature black shoes. "It-it, well, I've noticed you're still a little worried about you and Ralph returning to your old life in LA. Even though Toby and Happy and Sly, well all of us, have reassured you multiple times… I mean, I've told you a several times myself… the, uh, dangerous people who were trying to harm you and Ralph have been caught. They are being held without bail and all of their communications with the outside are being monitored by Scorpion. And-and there really isn't anyone much to communicate with on the outside anymore anyway because most of their criminal enterprise is in jail with them. Not to mention, we dug up so much evidence, Ralph is no longer needed to testify in person…"

Figuring Walter was worried about her stress level and its effects on her pregnancy, she said slowly and distinctly, slipping into her liaison role to help him understand, "Yes, I know. We've been over all of this. I get it in here," she tapped her temple, "but it might take my feelings a little longer to catch up. Does that make sense?"

Walter waved his hand in an impatient motion. "Yes. I know all of that."

"Then what is it you're trying to tell me?"

His eyes found hers again. "I had an idea. It might make it a little harder to-to be found..." His words trailed off, then he added softly, "It's probably dumb."

Paige raised her eyebrows and signaled for him to continue. She had no clue what he was going on about. That wasn't a new development in their relationship.

"Um, I was wondering if it would make you feel more secure to change your name?" He blurted quickly then compressed his lips together as if the question had escaped without his permission. He looked at her expectantly.

"Walter. It's too expensive to legally change my name. And I'm not going to deal with using fake IDs the rest of my life. What are you getting at?"

Red stole up his cheeks. "If you get married, it's not. Ex-expensive, I mean."

The light finally dawned and Paige stared at him in wonder. After a few tense moments she breathed, "Walter? Are you asking me to marry you?"

He nodded, a fearful look in his eyes.

Her tremulous smile turned teasing. "Is changing my name the only reason you can think of why I should officially marry you?"

Walter shook his head, anxiety temporarily rendering him mute.

"Well?" Paige demanded. She knew she should cut the poor man some slack, but she couldn't resist. This was her first official marriage proposal and she wanted the words.

"We're having a baby?" He mumbled giving her a pained grimace.

"And? Is that all?"

"Come on," his eyes were pleading, "By now you have to know I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you! You're the one that convinced me love was real!" He cringed, as if waiting to be told he was being ridiculous.

Paige was done torturing the love of her life. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly smack on the mouth. "Yes! You silly man! Yes, of course, I'll marry you."

Relaxing her strangle hold slightly, she pushed back to look at his gorgeous face. Paige cradled that face in her hands. "Now, was that so hard?"

"Yes," he answered petulantly. Walter gave her an exaggerated pout but couldn't maintain it for long, because his elated smile wouldn't allow it.

Their first kiss after that was sweet, but the subsequent ones kept getting more and more passionate until they needed to call a halt or move somewhere more private.

By tacit agreement, they stood and clasped hands, linking their fingers together. Joined hands swinging happily between them, they ambled slowly toward the car. Sharing sappy smiles every few steps.

Paige started laughing.

"What's funny?"

"I don't know. I'm really happy. But it's not just that. It's… well, it occurs to me we've been pretending to be married for so long I'd almost forgotten it wasn't real. It already feels like we're married."

"Yes. I concur. It feels very right. Natural."

Paige hugged his arm close, pressing her cheek to Walter's shoulder. "Let's go home and make it legal."