Just a quick note to remind you, I had to rely on translation services for the Polish, I hope they are accurate enough not to detract from any of my readers who know the language.
Paige and the gang showed up at Kovelsky's. They'd received an invitation to a Thanksgiving costume party a few weeks before. For once Paige was the one that had to be talked into it. Toby's favorite talking points were that no one had to cook the meal or host everyone at their private home and best of all, it was free. Just what the cash low geniuses needed. Paige didn't feel like she had much to be thankful for and was just really against the idea.
It had been eight months since Scorpion imploded and she hadn't yet accepted any overtures from Walter. And with the restaurant so close to the Garage she worried Walter and Florence would be there as well. But her partners all hammered at her every day since the invitation came to attend. They'd promise to ensure that Walter would not bother her if he showed up. They were all worried over her lack of trying anything socially. She'd been completely in worker bee mode and hadn't budged. She'd finally agreed on the condition that she would drive herself and if Walter or Florence were there she was leaving.
Happy drove her truck and Toby rode with her. Sylvester and Ralph rode with Paige. She felt somewhat safer with Ralph since he was still furious with Walter as well. She sighed seeing Cabe's SUV when she pulled into the parking lot but then she didn't see Walter's car and she let out a breath of relief. Unless they rode with Cabe she suddenly thought as she parked now all nervous again.
"You guys go on in, I'll be in shortly." Paige told them. She had wished she'd chosen a different costume but she did love the Cats musical and dressing up as Griabella fit her mood physically. Even with her partners she still felt like a pariah since breaking up with Walter. Surprisingly Happy had been the most supportive of her, given her emotionally stunted psyche that made it even more surprising.
Richard hadn't been happy she'd just left his company like she did to go back to Scorpion but since she was in a relationship with Walter he overlooked it. But now his gloves were off. He'd gotten them kicked out of two leases on office space and three times they had to find another place to rent office furniture from because of his clout. They ended up in an even seedier part of town than the Garage.
The only thing going for it was the rent and the property managers at least had a security car that patrolled the parking area and business fronts. While their cars were kept safe, their offices had been broken into a few times. After the last time, Happy demanded they relocate but after a week they couldn't find anything else and so she turned to her Father's old garage. She hadn't gotten rid of it, somehow hoping that her Father would be able to come out and go back to work. Paige hadn't been happy about it but she had to admit, constantly replacing different tools they stole from Happy, didn't make sense and it was better than where they were.
Richard Elia had called most of the prominent businessmen he dealt with and had blackballed Centipede Partners because of Paige. Almost every one of them had told them privately that Richard had threatened to pull his business from anyone who gave her jobs. She'd told the guys that they would probably never have a big job again because of her. But they shocked her when they chose to stay with her even if it meant they were almost back to pre-Homeland job levels.
That isn't to say that they were always happy, Paige had become radically different as the months passed by. She became colder and more distant with everyone. She was always spot on business wise with clients and those that hadn't been warned by Richard, all quickly signed with Centipede Partners. At Scorpion Paige almost always had a radio or her phone playing music at a low level but at Centipede Partners headquarters the silence was almost deafening. And if someone else played some music they were usually met with an icy stare that even Happy bowed to.
Cabe would talk with her but she could always feel how sad he was when they would meet up for a coffee from time to time. All he wanted to do was try and guide her back but she'd always made the stipulation that the topic of Walter was closed and if he tried to breach it she'd always get up and leave.
At one such coffee Paige allowed Walter to come up as she railed about what Richard was doing and probably at the behest of Walter. Cabe was furious as he screamed at her.
"I was there when Walter found out what was going on with Richard and he tore into Richard defending you and demanding he stop his interference. Richard was so mad he did the same things to Walter. Two clients Walter had gotten contracts with called and told him they'd be sending him a check for pulling out of the contract but they had no choice as Richard had made it clear he'd pull all of his business from them. Walter would never do something that would hurt you. You should know that, since he paid you your salary for that first month after you left him." Cabe threw his menu back on the table as he got up and stormed away from the sidewalk café leaving her sitting there shocked and embarrassed as everyone stared at her.
Three months after the break up Centipede Partners were at a mechanical engineering contest. Happy had designed and built a robot using the specs of the contest while Sylvester wrote all the code for it. They stood on the floor being awarded a trophy and a check for first place and Happy happened to look through the crowd of people and she saw a sign.
"Congratulations Happy, I'm so proud of you. I knew if anyone could do this it would be you. All the best I wish for you, always." Happy looked up at the face above the sign and saw Walter smiling with pride at her.
The following Monday after leaving their offices telling them she had an appointment Happy drove over and met with Walter. Bereft of normal emotional development their meeting was a hot mess to say the least. They stood staring at each other without saying a word and then Happy charged in and they hugged fiercely. They went from cold robots to blubbering emotional train wrecks over and over in the fifteen minutes they were together. But when it was over they had connected on a deeper level. They knew with Happy being married to Toby she couldn't just leave Centipede Partners but she promised to see what she could do to influence the others to make up with Walter.
Sylvester had been the next one to make up with Walter. Several times as Sylvester made his way into the Warlock's Chest to play his fantasy game with his friends he'd see Walter standing just outside with a sign saying simply. "I'm sorry Sylvester." After the third time he slowly turned around after entering the store and walked back outside only to see Walter walking away. Walter turned around hearing Sylvester call his name and the two men stood there on the sidewalk baring their souls over what had happened and how sorry they were over it.
Only problem was neither Happy nor Sylvester knew the other had made up with Walter and so they struggled trying to find a covert way of leading the others back around.
"Paige, come on, the deal was for you to come in." Sylvester reminded her. He had dressed up in his Fantasy and Frolics gear for the party.
"I know that Sly and I will, I need a moment though. Ralph, I want you to gesture out the window if Walter isn't there." Paige told him.
"Thanks, like I want to see him any more than you do." Ralph said dryly as he rolled his eyes. "Come on Sly, let's get this nightmare over with."
Paige laughed a little at that. She saw Toby point at a sign and she barely made out the words. "Open by invitation only."
There weren't any other cars in the lot but when Toby opened the door of the restaurant Paige could hear music playing and she sighed.
Ralph looked about but didn't see Walter and he smiled at Cabe and they hugged for a moment.
"Walter isn't here is he? Mom won't come in if he is." Ralph told Cabe.
Cabe shook his head as he sighed.
Ralph grinned as he was quick to move back over to the window and gave her a raised thumb and Paige sighed again knowing she was going to have to go in. But still she dragged her feet. Cabe moved past Ralph as he made his way to the doors.
And then Paige saw the door open and Cabe came out, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, white shorts and his sunglasses. He was making a beeline towards her car and she sighed again.
"Hey kid." Cabe greeted her with his large grin as he came around to the driver's side.
"Hey Cabe, or is it Jimmy Buffett tonight?" Paige smiled.
"Jimmy Buffett of course, it was Allie's idea. Nice costume yourself, let me guess, from Cats?" Cabe asked her.
"Oh is Allie here too?" Paige asked while nodding to his question while she was still in the car.
"Yeah, Mrs. Kovelsky promised vegetarian food for her." Cabe laughed.
"Cabe I know you came out to try and get me to come in and I will, I just need a little more time, please." Paige smiled.
"Of course kid, there's no rush, come in when you are ready. I actually just came out to see if by chance you'd heard from Walter today." Cabe asked her seriously.
"Why would I hear from Walter? Wait, is he missing?" Paige asked, seeing stress on his face and the tone of his voice.
Cabe shrugged.
"Maybe, maybe not, I'm not sure to be honest, my gut says he is. He left to go to dinner last night as I was leaving but according to the Kovelsky's, he never made it here. His car is at the Garage and he hasn't been at the Garage all day, that rat of his hadn't been fed or water either." Cabe told her.
Paige frowned.
"That isn't good Cabe. What about Katherine does she not want a missing person's case initiated? Have you tried to have anyone ping his phone?" Paige asked.
"Katherine wants to give him a little time. He'd been out of sorts since, well, you know. I wanted to see if Sly would do it but he said he needed your permission." Cabe told her.
"Why do they have to make everything so difficult?" Paige closed her eyes as she counted to ten.
"I'll tell you what; tell Ralph I want him to do it then. I'll be in shortly. Wait, did you check to see if he is with Florence? Maybe they went on a little romantic getaway." Paige asked a bit catty.
"Kid, Walter all but hates Florence, she isn't even working for him anymore either. He only kept her on because he felt like he needed something more than himself in Scorpion. He never wanted anything personal with her. I thought you were better than that." Cabe snapped at her and then turned and quickly left her sitting there.
"Wait Cabe; why didn't you tell me this before now?" Paige sighed as Cabe threw his hand in the air and kept walking away. She knew why, because she'd shut down any conversation he started about Walter. She hadn't thought Walter wanted anything personal to do with Florence, but then why didn't he just tell her about taking her to that damn lecture? Paige sighed again as she watched Cabe enter the restaurant. She flipped the ignition to the accessory position and rolled the window up before turning off the car. She got out and locked it before walking up to the door.
"Ah Paige, there's my girl." Mrs. Kovelsky said as Paige finally came into the restaurant. She had that great big smile she always had for her and Walter after they started dating.
"Hello Mrs. Kovelsky, thank you for the invitation to the party." Paige told her politely with the best smile she could fake. "How are you and Mr. Kovelsky?"
"I'm fine my dear. Mr. Kovelsky's a pain in my side." Mrs. Kovelsky told her as Paige laughed a little.
"He's been putting off something for a while and I don't trust a lot of people. There is a steam shutoff valve in the storage room. Would you mind turning it on for me? I can't because of my arthritis and like I said, I only trust a few people like you and Cabe, but Cabe doesn't trust me to go into a room where no one else is." Mrs. Kovelsky winked at her.
Paige had to stifle her laugh but nodded.
"Sure I can do that for you." Paige told her with a smile.
"Oh bless you Paige, right this way." Mrs. Kovelsky led her back into and through the kitchen.
"I'm surprised Walter isn't here. Did you not invite him?" Paige asked as they walked.
"Of course I did. Cabe said he hasn't left the country yet, but I'm worried he is distancing himself from us as he prepares to go back to Ireland. I had to quit ordering that damn fish he likes. Though he promised he'd buy whatever was left in stock before he left." Mrs. Kovelsky told her.
Paige frowned as she looked up as the music in the back was up so loud she barely heard her.
"Wait, what? Why would he be going back to Ireland?" Paige demanded as she stopped walking.
"Because of his Momma, she called worried over the break up and pleaded with him to give up this failed life and come home. She even told him about the new computer company that was building a new office on part of his Uncle Tobin's land. Last we knew he was seriously thinking about it." Mrs. Kovelsky told her.
"Why wouldn't he say anything?" Paige said, puzzled.
"What would it matter? You are done with him, no? Not taking his calls, right? You are better off without him. Now you can find you a boy that can support you emotionally, right? How is that going by the way?" Mrs. Kovelsky asked.
Paige frowned as she looked at her.
"Don't you know that Walter means the world to me Mrs. Kovelsky? So of course I hadn't found anyone else. I haven't even been looking for anyone else." Paige told her before she realized it. "Wait, damn it, this music is too loud, it is messing with my concentration."
"Cholerny mój mąż! (*translated from Polish* Damn my husband!) Another thing he won't get fixed. I have to turn it up so loud to be heard in the restaurant at a decent level." Mrs. Kovelsky swore even as she smiled at what Paige said but ignored it otherwise.
"I'll stop to turn the light on and you can go right to the valve and open it." Mrs. Kovelsky told her as they began walking again.
"Of course Mrs. Kovelsky." Paige told her.
She unlocked the store room door and pushed the door open as she stepped inside followed by Paige. Mrs. Kovelsky turned and flipped the light on even as Paige walked on into the room.
Mrs. Kovelsky quickly stepped out of the room bringing the door shut gently with her and flipped the dead bolt with her key and walked away.
Dun dun dunnnnn Greetings! Hope this finds you all well!