Sylvester had grown silent at the implications and he nearly stumbled his way over to the couch and sat down as he felt the beginnings of a panic attack. Toby took his wife's advice and stepped around the Garage and finally up to the loft, his eyes taking in the destruction of everything except the one thing Walter still clung to even in the pit of despair he was in. He slowly moved back down leaving Cabe still talking on his phone.
He stepped up to where Happy was sitting and nodded. "Okay, you are right and I'm sorry. Walter's in deep trouble. He's destroyed everything of a personal nature to Paige and our group. The only thing he left intact was the only thing he still values."
Happy looked up at him and saw he was looking at Ralph. Happy nodded. "Ralph's the only connection left to Walter. But given the message he left it sounds like he is severing that as well."
Other than Cabe's voice upstairs or one of the two agents with them downstairs periodically talking, the only sounds were Ferret Bueller and Ralph's typing on his laptop. Every so often Ralph would swear as he'd hit another road block and he'd have to go back and start over again. Paige had started to say something about his language the first time but stopped when Toby shook his head and pointed towards Walter's desk.
Slowly the two of them walked over and Toby turned and looked at her before speaking quietly. "He's dealing with a lot of conflicting emotions, Paige. He's been so mad at Walter for hurting you again, mad at you for leaving Walter, mad at us three for not staying with Walter, mad at all of us for forming CP. And now he's terrified. Just imagine if the one person who knew you better than anyone just disappeared in mysterious circumstances. That's where Ralph is and he's also facing unbelievable pressure to try and find some trail to him and he's running into walls at every turn he can think of and he's running out of ideas to try."
Paige slowly nodded. "This shouldn't be thrust on him. He doesn't deserve this pressure or guilt."
Toby nodded as he touched her shoulder. "I'll keep an eye on him and I'll intervene as I can to help him."
Paige sighed as she nodded.
Not knowing what else to do Paige looked into her old desk. What wasn't destroyed, and pulled her old notepad out of her desk and took stock of what was to eat in the fridges. She sighed seeing nothing worth much since Walter had taken the ax to what was inside and the fridges had been without power for over twelve hours. She saw a cooler and opened it and found a few sodas packed in ice. So she walked around and got everyone's order for lunch instead.
Happy busied herself by picking up the monitor tree and pushing it off to the side and then retrieved the broom and dust pan from the kitchen. She smiled seeing one of the agents as he began pulling each monitor off and carrying it back to the dumpster out back. She began sweeping when he returned to get the next one. "Thank you. That's a big help."
He smiled. "My pleasure, I'm supposed to help anyway I can so anything you want me to do after this just let me know."
Happy nodded as she continued sweeping up the mess.
Cabe came down from the loft finally. "Well Homeland has completely struck out on every front. Walter is completely in the wind." He almost threw his cell phone. If it hadn't been for Happy jumping in front of him he would have. He slowly nodded his head as she stepped up and they both hugged for a moment. "How's Ralph doing?"
Happy shook her head. "Not good. Walter left him a recorded message on their secure network for him not to search for him as he wouldn't be able to find him. And worse, that he hoped he'd have a better life."
"Damn it Walter, son, come on." Cabe said softly.
The Garage door opened and everyone turned hoping to see Walter and then they sighed seeing Paige walk in with one of the agents carrying food.
"Gee, thanks a lot. Make a girl feel special." She saw Cabe and smiled wanly. "Any luck?" She asked as they placed the food bags on the work table.
Cabe shook his head. "They got total bupkis." He saw the bags and grinned. "Papa Carpinni's, alright. I hope you got my garlic bread."
Paige smiled as she began opening the cartons and made a plate up for Ralph.
Paige sighed as she nodded. "Come on everyone, get your food and eat. We have to take care of ourselves as much as we got to find Walter." She pulled Ralph's laptop away from him and sat his plate in front of him. She pointed at the two agents. "Get in here and get some food."
Happy sighed and nodded as she put the broom up against the monitor tree and walked over and sat down. "Thanks Paige, I'm not sure what I can eat but I am a little hungry."
Paige smiled as she nodded her head and sat down next to her. Toby moved over and sat down with her after he spent the last hour helping Sylvester deal with his anxiety.
Paige sat and watched and made sure everyone filled a plate and then filled her own.
As everyone started digging into their food Cabe cleared his throat and everyone looked up at him and watched as he bowed his head. "Dear Lord, You know why we're here today and we're praying for Your guidance and mercy in finding and bringing Walter back safely. We thank You for this food and ask for Your blessing on it. We ask it in Your Son's name. Amen."
"Amen." Most everyone replied.
It was eerily quiet for almost ten minutes as everyone sat eating and thinking worried thoughts. Slowly someone asked a question and it was answered, a minute later another was asked and answered and slowly conversations began happening throughout the group. Paige noticed Happy wasn't saying anything and had only eaten about half of her food before she got up and moved off into the back of the Garage.
Paige got up and followed after her a few minutes later. She stood waiting not far from the restroom. After about fifteen minutes there was a flush and water ran and then the door opened as Happy stepped out. "You want to talk about it Happy?"
Happy looked at her. "What's to talk about? It was a simple restroom break."
Paige shook her head. "I know you Happy, I know this is tearing you up."
"Well if you knew that, why didn't you fix it before it got this bad?" Happy nearly screamed at her.
Paige nodded. "It's okay Happy, let it out. I know I'm more responsible for this than anyone else."
"No it isn't okay. I never wanted any of this. I wanted my family, damn it. I want my best friend. The first person who ever saw me, saw my potential and then did his best to help me reach it." Happy did scream but it slowly changed until she broke down and sobbed out the ending.
Paige stepped in and wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly. "I know Happy and I am so sorry for messing your family up. I never should have gotten involved with Scorpion. I should have just stayed at being a waitress. I messed up so many things."
Happy looked up with anger on her face and shoved Paige backwards. "The hell, you and Ralph are part of my family.
Paige nodded. "Now yes, but if I hadn't gotten involved, your family would still be complete."
Happy shook her head. "No it wouldn't be. You think I would have ever let the Doc anywhere near me without your example and guidance? We'd still be doing crappy side hustles to make a living without you. Quit selling your part of our story short. Even with Cabe wanting us to work with Homeland we would have flamed out. You saw how we almost flamed out on our second Homeland job working with the military. That was us at our best without you. God, can't you see how much you changed everything for the better?"
"She's right, our job acceptance, completion and pay scale rose dramatically when you came into the family. Without you we might still be here, but it would be here with us stealing electricity." Sylvester said.
"Borrowing." Happy corrected him.
Paige smiled for a moment and then grew serious. "Perhaps, but I also caused this. I browbeat Walter into bringing Florence into work with us and then I got jealous and destroyed this. And now Walter's missing and from what you've said it sounds like maybe for good. Maybe you'd be eating bologna right now, but it would be with all four of you side by side with Cabe."
Happy shook her head. "Fine, think the worst about yourself, I haven't got any more time to waste on making you see the truth. I got things to fix and a friend to help find." Happy stormed off.
Paige sighed.
"She's right, you know. You can think all the bad you want, none of us are. Paige, we're geniuses, but only Walter saw your value at first. We see your value now and we respect that value. Some of us might have a hard time expressing it and we might not have understood what Walter did at first but you are as dear to us as any of the rest of us are to the others. You and Ralph are part of the Cyclone I'm just sorry I was too stupid. If I hadn't been so scared and asked Florence out, none of this would have happened. This isn't your fault, this is my fault. Just like you helped Happy with Toby, you brought Florence in and made it possible for me to find a second love of my life. But I was a coward because of how the first ended. I have no regrets about Megan, don't misunderstand. I'm just sorry my cowardice has ruined everything including your happiness." Sylvester told her simply.
Paige smiled at him and touched his shoulder fondly and saw Florence standing back a ways from them. "I think someone might want to speak to you." She smiled as she moved off and Sylvester's eyes went wide seeing Florence.
Paige walked over and stopped Happy and hugged her. "Thank you Happy. I appreciate all you said and how much you care for me."
Happy nodded and turned and began sweeping again.
"So that's why you never bothered to talk to me about how you felt about me?" Florence asked quietly.
Sylvester nodded. "I also feared what Walter might have thought about me getting over his sister. I know out loud it sounds stupid but inside it was causing me so much anxiety. And ever since the blow up I've been having even more because everything that happened was my fault. I tried to blame Walter but it wasn't his fault, it was all mine. Sure Paige was mad at Walter for not telling her about taking you to that lecture but still. If I hadn't done what I did next, she might not have quit and they could have had time to work on things. If nothing else, she'd still be working here along with us and this wouldn't have happened. And now what do I do if Walter has gone off the deep end?"
Florence shrugged. "I don't know Sly, what exactly do you mean the deep end?"
Sylvester shook his head. "We don't like speaking it out loud. Just really bad, Collins would be bad, but there is something worse. The worst would be setting himself up someplace where no one knows him and he starts doing research and falls into the rabbit hole. He could end up killing himself from dehydration if he did. Happy had to really help him that one time. She forced him to eat and drink and sat by his bed for days and days once. Keeping him alive until he was able to come back."
"I thought you didn't like putting that out there." Florence frowned.
Sylvester shook his head. "I owe you for being a coward."
Paige had to get Cabe to go around and unplug the different appliances with a pair of old rubber gloves as Walter had damaged each of them with the ax. She cleaned out the fridges to get rid of the spoiled food and then Happy passed by and popped the doors off the hinges and agents Stanley and Williams carried them out and chucked them into the dumpster in the back.
Toby and Sylvester moved into the server room and began pulling out all the equipment but nothing was found to be salvageable and so it was thrown away as well.
Agents Stanley and Williams stayed past their quitting time to help continue cleaning up the ruined items. Allie walked into the Garage carrying sacks of Chinese she'd stopped and picked up on the way home after Cabe called her. While everyone sat down to eat she walked off with Cabe. "Has there been any word or sign of where he might be?" Allie asked as she reached up and ran her hand along Cabe's chiseled jaw.
Cabe shook his head as he took her in his arms. They kissed and hugged for several minutes before they turned to join the others to eat.
Cabe looked up from a bite of his shrimp broccoli. "What are CP's commitments Paige?"
Paige shook her head. "Our commitment is here Cabe. I'm putting our jobs on indefinite hold until we resolve this."
Her three partners looked up at her in shock with mouths half full of food.
Cabe shook his head. "No, you have obligations. We'll have to muddle through this best we can while you guys are taking care of that."
Happy cleared her throat. "No, Paige is right. Walter's coming first."
Cabe slammed his hand on the table and pointed his finger at them. "No! You've got bills and needs. You have to do your regular work first. I haven't been able to get this approved to bring you in on it to pay you and I am not about to have five refugee rent dodgers living on my sofa." He slightly smiled at the last.
Paige slowly nodded. "Well at least for tomorrow everyone will be working on this. I'll go through our commitments and work out a schedule of who has to do what and who can work on finding Walter after that. Is that agreeable?"
Everyone nodded.
"And if you can get us paid to help out then we'll cancel everything else and work solely on this." Paige grinned at Cabe.
Cabe smiled but pointed his finger in an alternating fashion at her and Paige just grinned.
By 9 pm they finally had all the damaged items cleaned up and thrown away and Agents Stanley and Williams finally said good night and left the building.
Paige walked over and sat down tiredly next to Ralph still attempting every idea he could but was growing tired and frustrated. He looked at her finally. "I'm striking out Mom, and I am running out of ideas. If I had just answered his emails he might not have given up."
Paige shook her head and ran her hand through his hair. "No baby, this isn't your doing. I blame myself and Sylvester blames himself. But out of all of us, you bear no blame in this." She kissed his forehead. "Come on, we'll get you up to your bed and I'll make up a bed on the couch here and we'll just stay here tonight. That way if Walter comes back we'll be here and we'll be able to talk with him."
Greetings! I hope this finds you well! One more chapter and then I'll change the rating to M. Sad day yesterday, we lost a giant, Robbie Coltrane otherwise known as Haggard from Harry Potter movies.
Railman - hehe Funny how the odor of Mark permeates things! lol One more chapter and then things...change
Guest - Thank you! I think the closest I've seen to that is a story by ScorplingInTraining. But Walter was just playing along but it came close to working as I recall. I doubt I could ever write quite like that...After all Mark has done, I don't know if I could believe Walter turning to him. But I'd certainly read it if someone wrote it. lol As they say in the fanfiction subreddit, if no one will write what you want to read, write it yourself...So I guess what I would say is, give it a shot. If you don't really write, that's okay, start with writing down main points you can think of and place them in order. Then write down minor points and put them in order with the major. You'll have a nice plot line then and you can try writing the story.
JerBr23 - hehe Well don't keep them to yourself! Break them out! lol Paige definitely had a bit of an aha here but not exactly the way you meant for sure. Yep, Ralph definitely would want to help Walter no matter what. Happy is definitely good at...redirecting attitudes. lol
2LawDog - Nope and still not good! Not the dark side I'd want to see Walter doing...But it looks like Ralph isn't making any ground. Toby's a self admitted narcissist and he displays that so well. And yet people cut him so many more breaks than Walter. Why people feel that Walter's egomania is so much worse than Toby's narcissist is beyond me. People say he changed for Happy...no...he hid the gambling addict to "win" Happy...to increase his feeling being desired/admired. Everything he does is suspect. Even his seeming change of heart when he says he just wanted to show Happy off...and all he really cares is about his family there in LA. Man, I do like Toby, but...everything is suspect with him and it is just frustrating. lol Sorry, getting off the soapbox. Yeah, Ferret is really going to need some care to get over everything that he's been through here. Yep, I really used the word prat! lol Prat has been in my lexicon for many years, I just don't get to use it often. Along with arse and grey, some of the words I love, people can have their gray...*barf* hehe Yes, Happy's truck is definitely street illegal. Good thing she doesn't often do anything to draw attention to it. LOL
Susan - Oh embrace the cliché! We're all family here! hehe It certainly seems like he did...I don't know if they can find him or not...he certainly has the skill to drop off of security radars as well as lying low...after all who would have thought a think tank would have been located in that run down section of LA? hehe
To the Adventure! -Tim
