Apologies for how long this took. I just started a new job and was getting settled in. Not great timing, I'm aware, given the evil cliffhanger I left at.
Carol: "SVD" just stands for Scorpion/Vampire Diaries, as I couldn't think of anything better at the time ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
I know I say this a lot, but thank you everyone for reading.
Chapter 42:
Web of Trust
Walter hoped for a quick death as he felt his skin start burning in the rays of the direct sun. Milliseconds later licks of flame started dancing across him. His final thoughts drifted to Paige, but were interrupted suddenly as he was roughly tackled to the ground.
Someone was lying on top of him, and the searing light through his closed eyelids darkened as he felt a covering thrown over his head, extinguishing the flames that had been consuming him. By the scent Walter was able to identify the one who had taken the initiative to try and save him.
It was Tim. The SEAL had thrown his jacket over his head to protect him. It was mostly working, but the intense light was still seeping through the fabric. Walter was momentarily surprised at the identity of his rescuer. Tim was buying time and had extinguished the flames, but Walter wasn't out of danger yet.
Walter heard yelling around him. There was nothing he could do. He could only wait to see if the sun would still eventually kill him or if his team could come up with a way to save him in time.
****SVD****
Scorpion watched as Walter saved Toby and Happy from being splashed with acid. They all shared in his relief at his success, and they all felt disturbed and sympathetic when they noted the injuries he sustained from the acid.
Finally, they shared in his despair when they realized what happened to his ring, and noted the intense sunlight he was now exposed to.
All of this occurred in less than a few seconds, so it was understandable it took everyone a few seconds to try and consider what to do.
As Paige started screaming in horror as Walter's skin caught fire, Tim was the first to act. He threw off his jacket and sprinted at Walter. With a tackle his football days would have been proud of, he pinned Walter to the ground while throwing his jacket over his head, extinguishing the flames.
Cabe was closely behind Tim. He removed his own jacket and quickly used it and his body to help cover Walter as much as possible. Between the two men, the jackets, and Walter's own clothing, he was sufficiently protected for the moment. Walter went still beneath them. Tim could feel him breathing heavily and unevenly, indicating he was still conscious.
"Find that ring!" Cabe yelled.
Immediately Sylvester and Paige ran to the location they thought they heard the ring land. Happy quickly freed Toby and the two of them joined the search.
Tim started becoming more nervous when the uneven breathing beneath him turned into a soft, low growling. He feared the pain was starting to overwhelm Walter's control.
"Guys, hurry up!" he yelled.
"Found it!" Paige yelled. "Oh, no…" she continued.
Happy ran over to her. "Is the stone still intact?" she quickly asked.
"Yes, but, the band is gone." Paige answered, holding it out to Happy.
Happy quickly took the ring from Paige and looked at it. "From our analyses of the ring, we couldn't identify what made it work, but it seemed whatever it was emitted from the stone only."
"So if he holds it, it will still work?" Sylvester asked.
"Yes, I think it should."
Happy started running towards the three men on the floor. The growling beneath Tim had only gotten louder.
"Wait!" both Tim and Walter yelled out. Tim was surprised when the warning was also yelled out by the vampire beneath him.
"What? Why?" Paige asked.
"Don't…give me the gem yet," Walter said from beneath the jacket. His voice was rough, low, and strained.
Tim was stunned at his words, but knew exactly why he was saying them, for he had had the same thought.
Tim looked up to address the group. "He's losing control. If you give him that gem, and we let him up, he could attack us."
The team gave him looks telling him they were trying to decide if he was correct in his assessment, then Walter, of all people, backed him up.
"He's right," he said with a growl from beneath the jacket. "My injuries…severe. Need blood…lucidness…fading. May be able to… keep control…but please…don't take that chance."
No one knew what to do.
****SVD****
Cabe heard the kid's words of warning. It was too risky to give him the gem and free him in this state, but they couldn't exactly stay where they were either. Due to the damage from the acid and the sun, Walter's mind was fading by the second, despite his extraordinary control. If that happened and he pushed them off, he would die, and could possibly take one of them with him.
There were no immediate options available to them.
Suddenly, Tim's shoulders dropped and he let out a long, loud, frustrated groan, as if coming to a conclusion he didn't like, but felt he had to accept.
While still holding Walter down with one arm, Tim took his teeth and undid the button holding his shirt around his wrist, pulling it down over his elbow. Cabe realized what he was about to do.
"You sure, son?" he asked. Cabe knew how his trainee felt about vampires. Even though Tim had to accept one was the leader of Scorpion, he still seemed to keep an eye on Walter when they were together. They were professional, but it was still a tense relationship.
Cabe received a short nod in return. Tim didn't look happy about it, but it seemed he was determined in his decision.
"It makes the most sense," he explained. "I'm the biggest and the strongest. We can't give him that ring and let him up like this, but he'll burn to death without it. I see only one option, sir."
Of course there was another option, being let Walter die. Cabe followed Tim's logic, but even so, his decision would not make sense if Walter hadn't gained at least some of his trust and respect.
Cabe nodded. The rest of the team paced nervously around them, but didn't say anything, likely seeing no other option, either. Paige looked the despaired. She knelt by Walter's side, her expression reflecting the helpless she must have felt at the peril the man she loved once again found himself in. Knowing Paige though, she still cared about Tim and wouldn't want him hurt either.
Tim leaned over to say something to Walter only, but Cabe could hear, being so close. "Let me be clear, O'Brien. I still think any vampire, even you, is dangerous. What you are, it's a ticking time bomb that could explode violently at any time."
Tim gave the briefest of pauses to gather the rest of what he was trying to say. "That being said, I've seen actions from you that would measure up to any SEAL I've ever served with. So you keep diffusing that time bomb with that unique brain of yours and don't make what I'm about to do a foolish decision. Convince me that bomb might never go off. Don't make me regret this."
There was no response for a moment, then Cabe saw a slight movement, indicating a nod of Walter's head. Tim mirrored the motion in understanding. He had one last thing to say, however.
"If you start going too far, remember all it will take is me removing this jacket, and the sun will stop you, and kill you."
Cabe honestly couldn't tell if Tim's last sentence was meant to be a threat, or reassurance to Walter that he wouldn't allow him to hurt anyone. Maybe both.
He saw another nod from under the jacket. With the motion Cabe also heard an odd, crinkling noise, like ripping tissue paper. Initially confused by its origin, Cabe had the sinking feeling that the sound was Walter's badly burned skin. If that were the case, he was silently thankful everyone was not able to see the state Walter must be in right now.
Acting before he could talk himself out of it, Tim quickly placed his arm under the jacket, being careful not to expose Walter to the light. Even so, Cabe caught a quick glimpse of Walter's arm as the jacket briefly rose, confirming his suspicions about the severity of the damage the sun had caused.
Cabe really hoped this worked.
"Ow! Shit!" Tim yelled out as Walter bit down on his wrist, but the SEAL held his ground. Paige kept a hand on Walter's covered shoulder, but placed one as well on Tim's other arm, giving a silent thanks for what he was doing.
Cabe saw Happy suddenly move out of the corner of his eye. She ran to Toby's bag and started rummaging through it.
"Where is it?!" she asked Toby.
"What?"
"The ring! Where is the ring?!"
He looked confused at first, then seemed to be on the same page as her. He then looked frustrated at Happy's apparent plan.
"I'm sure it's beautiful, and that I'd have loved it," Happy assured him. "I promise when the time is right, I'll still love it. Were is it?"
Toby ran over to Happy to help her locate it. Cabe glanced back at his trainee. He was starting to look a little tired, but he was still okay. For now.
Happy found the ring and opened the box. She looked momentarily touched at the sight of it, then quickly removed it. She took some tools out of one of her many pockets and laid it and the gem on the table in front of her. She pried the diamond off the setting and gently handed it to Toby, trying to convey her appreciation of the piece as best she could.
The ring was obviously too small for Walter, so she deftly cracked open the metal band to widen it. She quickly placed the scorpion-engraved ruby in the setting and secured it. The work was rough, but it would serve their purpose.
Tim was starting to look pale and his eyelids were drooping. Sensing he had no more blood to safely give, he gave his arm a short tug, but it didn't initially budge. He tried again but was too weak, and Walter was too strong. Tim started to slump on top of Walter's form.
Just as they started to worry, but before they had to start thinking about measures, drastic or otherwise, to ensure Tim's safety, Walter let go.
Tim, weak but ok, stayed where he was to make sure Walter stayed covered. Toby grabbed the new ring Happy had made and ran over to them and knelt down.
"Now I imagined a different kind of proposal with this ring, but what are you gonna to do?" he quipped with a shrug. He lifted the jacket ever so slightly to find Walter's hand, and he reached under and successfully placed it on his finger.
Toby cleared his throat in mock nervousness, as if before a real proposal. "Walter O'Brien, will you tell us it's ok to get these two dashing military men off the top of you, and we talk about going after the bastard that ruined this day for all of us. What say you?"
The whole team seemed to appreciate the bit of lightheartedness Toby was trying to inject into the situation. Even so, he was awaiting his answer.
"Do you accept my proposal?" Toby prodded. "Come on, don't embarrass me, I'm down on one knee here."
Toby heard a clear, though slightly annoyed response from beneath Tim. "Yes…"
Toby gave a thumbs up to everyone.
Tim let out a relieved breath and rolled off Walter onto his back next to him. Paige was still kneeling next to Walter, her hands on him as he remained covered head to toe. Cabe stood up and pulled the protective clothing off the top of the kid.
Cabe's eyes were met with the image of a tired, emotionally uncomfortable, but healed genius lying on his side. No flames. The new ring was working. There was a small amount of blood around his lips and his clothes were singed, but other than that there was no indication anything had happened to him.
Cabe held out his hand to help Walter to his feet. Walter grabbed it and stood up. Paige immediately took him in a strong, relieved embrace, and Walter readily returned it.
"I though we agreed you'd stop scaring me like that," she said to him, relieved tears falling down her cheeks.
Cabe suspected the hug was to convey many things: how worried she had been about him, how proud she was he had let Collins go to help them, how glad she was everyone was safe, how impressed she was he had stopped before hurting Tim.
Cabe suspected these things because he felt the exact same way.
They finished their embrace and Walter looked around at each one of them.
"Is everyone ok?" he asked. His gaze started with Happy and Toby, who he had nearly died to save. "Toby, Happy?" The two nodded, both giving him looks of immense gratitude for his actions. He received confirmation from each of the team to his question.
The last one he looked at was Tim. Tim had sat up and propped himself up against one of the support pillars next to them, breathing a little heavy and holding his hand over the seeping wounds on his wrist. Paige had moved to kneel beside him.
Walter crouched down next to him. There was so much Cabe imagined he could have said, but after a few short moments he settled on two short, abrupt words.
"Thank you."
Tim's head rested against the pillar behind him. He looked at Walter out of the corner of his eye, and a short moment after hearing Walter's words gave him a quick nod in return. Although a very brief exchange, Cabe could see the immense amount of information passed within it.
"Now we have to deal with Collins," Cabe reminded them.
"Okay, call the FBI," Paige suggested. "Let them know he's on the loose."
"He's loose because of me," Walter said, standing up. "I let him go to come here."
"Kudos for that, by the way," Toby conveyed with gratitude.
Walter still looked frustrated. "There's a dangerous man out in the world because of me. What's even worse, he saw me, my face. I don't know if he understands exactly what I am, but he knows I'm not human anymore. Now you can call the authorities if you want, but I'm going after him."
He received nods of agreement from everyone in the room along with looks of deep concern at his revelation about Collins' discovery. It was followed by a short grunt as Tim tried to stand up, but quickly sat back down when he became dizzy.
"Hold it there, Captain America. You've lost a lot of blood. Take it easy." Toby kneeled next to Tim, takin this pulse and giving him a quick exam. "You're going to be fine, but no super heroic feats for a while, ok?"
Walter was halfway to the door, and the team had started to follow him to go after Collins, all except Paige, who seemed to be silently offering to stay with Tim, since he was in no state to follow.
Walter's sudden pause was unexpected. Time was of the essence. Even so, he stopped and quickly turned around, making his way back to Tim and crouched next to him again.
Walter looked him up and down. "We may need your help in apprehending Collins," he explained.
Tim, not understanding his meaning at first, processed the words as some kind of military order and tried to stand again, unsuccessfully. Only after he failed to stand a second time did he pause and understand what Walter was saying.
He looked at the genius and the muscles in his neck tightened as he answered. "I'll pass."
"You're being illogical," was Walter's response. "Time is of the essence. Collins is unpredictable. When we find him, Cabe could need assistance arresting him if he becomes violent, especially if it's in a public place where I can't assist."
Tim's silence confirmed he didn't disagree with Walter's argument so far.
Walter continued, "Besides, it will take weeks to regenerate the blood you've lost without a transfusion, which would also take time to procure. You're weak and clearly uncomfortable. It's your choice, but make it quickly, because we're leaving here shortly with or without you."
Walter had a talent for lacing blunt words with hints of evidence that he actually cared. Tim had only recently started being able to translate that.
Tim didn't look happy about it, but eventually took a deep breath and looked Walter in the eye. "Let's go get that bastard," he said with conviction.
Walter didn't show any reaction other than lifting his wrist to his mouth and biting down, drawing blood.
Tim made a quick face of disgust before accepting it and taking only what he needed before pushing Walter's arm away. I didn't take long for his pallor to return to normal and his strength to return. Walter stood up and offered Tim his hand. Tim took it and returned quickly to his feet.
"If I die in the next day, O'Brien, I'll make your eternal life a living hell," Tim said, but there was no trace of harshness in his words. Everyone there knew he was actually saying "thank you."
"Understood," was Walter's only reply.
Without further hesitation, they all moved quickly toward the exit to catch up with Collins. As they did Walter said he might have an idea where to find him.
Cabe noticed Tim pause for a moment after he started to walk. His trainee's brow furrowed as he gave a small stretch.
"All good?" Cabe asked.
Tim looked at him, realizing he was being addressed. "Yes, sir."
Cabe nodded and followed the team with Tim close behind.
What Cabe didn't see was Tim touch his lower back, where the shrapnel threatening to cut his spine in two was lodged after the IED explosion that invalidated him. What had given Tim pause was that the constant pain, the pain he had been enduring since the explosion, was no longer there.
This is the second to last chapter...:(. Next is the Epilogue. I can't believe we're almost there. It's been such a wild ride, and part of me wants to find a way to continue it, but I can't seem to come up with a plot to get things going. If any of you amazing readers/writers want to shoot me a PM if you have a good plot bunny for a potential sequel, I'd welcome it. I can't guarantee I would use it or even write another story, but I'm not sure if I want to leave this world behind quite yet.
