When they arrived home , they were greeted by Aneli at the door .
" Good to see you again . " Said a smiling Aneli .
" We are pleased to see you to . " Replied Paige .
The four of them went into the house , Toby and Happy were sitting on the sofa .
" Hi guys . " Happy said with a smile on her face .
Paige again replied . " Hi . "
Ralph and Aneli went into the kitchen , Ralph to get plates , Aneli to check on the coffee she had put on earlier . Walter put the two pizza boxes on the table . Ralph returned with the plates and Aneli with the coffee and cups .
Once everyone had their fill , Aneli took all the remains into the kitchen .
" Well what did you guys get up to today ? " Paige asked
" Aneli talked us into having a beach picnic and we have had a good talk , in fact a very enjoyable afternoon . " Replied Happy .
Toby had not spoken much since Walter had returned . He moved closer to Walter .
" Thank you for including me in the job today . It felt really good to be working with you and Homeland . " Toby spoke with a catch in his voice .
" I am pleased you behaved yourself , so today was a point to you . However you still have a long way to go before i can begin to believe in you totally . " Walter replied .
" I understand and will keep on trying to improve . "
Paige and Happy both smiled on hearing their conversation . After another hour , Paige was ready to take them home . Aneli asked " Me come to . "
To which Paige smiled and told her . " Of course . "
They were back home fifty minutes later . Walter and Ralph had tided the kitchen up . Once they arrived home they all sat around talking for a hour before they all decided it was time for bed .
Next morning , Paige decided she wanted to do some food shopping , as she wanted to treat Walter to his favourite meal , Chicken Cacciatore . Aneli asked if she could go with her so she could get ingredients to make another Garash . Paige was only to happy for her to join her .
Walter and Ralph decided to spend two hours on Ralph's game , then to check up on the donor program , which Ralph had managed to load with the second list , before being called to Homeland .
Paige and Aneli returned within a couple of hours , put the shopping into the kitchen . Paige put a pot of coffee on and asked Aneli to go and tell Walter and Ralph they were back and coffee would be ready soon .
Once everyone had finished their coffee , the two boys went back to Walter's " Office . " and the girls to the kitchen . Aneli began to show Paige how to make Garash . Paige her I-Pad in hand , watched closely to all that Aneli did ,making notes and taking photos at each stage of the process , on her I-Pad .
Aneli had bought twice the amount of ingredients and once she put her cake in the oven she suggested Paige should make one while she watched . Paige was only to happy to give it a go .
Walter and Ralph , began to check on the donor program that Ralph had started before he left for Homeland . It had been running for nearly 24 hours , the blood transfusion showed 3000 hits from over 30 countries . the liver transplant showed matches to 20 donors in 14 counties .
Walter and Ralph both studied the results for at least fifteen minutes . " Well Ralph that is a good start to the test , but we will need to check a lot more lists before we can be certain that the program is efficent . We still have three weeks to go before the computer show , so we will make a hard copy of these results which we will date . In four days we will run the tests again over another 24 hour period , then we can do a comparison . I hope Dr. Morgan gets us some more lists soon , i would like to run a much bigger number of different items to find . If we do not get many lists , we can still show it at the computer show and with Aneli with us to explain why and when she was actually tested .
That's a point i have never asked Aneli when she was tested , that could make a big difference to how efficent the system is . "
Ralph looked at Walter and nodded . " Do you have a reference to what date you found the result on the original program , and the date when you started the program ? " Ralph asked Walter .
" That is not a problem , once we go back to the ladies , we can ask Aneli and then produce a time line to show prospective clients . " Replied Walter .
" Do you think the demo of the game i designed will be up and running for the show ? " Ralph asked looking at Walter for encouragement .
" Well we have completed two levels , which is what your mom suggested . However i think we can improve both the background and sound . But the most importent thing we need to do is to choose a catchy name for the game . Then your mom can get us a poster to display on the stall . " Explained Walter .
" I think mom is the best person to ask for advice , we would probably come up with something that is to technical . " Replied Ralph .
" Ok after tonight's meal we will have a word with her . " A smiling Walter said .
Walter and Ralph stayed in Walter's " Office . " going over what they needed to do to improve the demo of Ralph's game .
Aneli came to fetch them for lunch , all three returned to the living area were they ere greeted with a plate uf sandwicns , coffee and milk for Ralph .
Walter made himself comfortable next to Paige , put his arm around her and kissed her on the cheek .
" Have you boys been enjoying yourself , while Aneli and i have been busy in the kitchen . " Paige asked with a big smile on her face .
" Well we have got some information back from the first two lists Dr. Morgan sent us , the results look good , but we want to run the tests again in four days time to get a comparison . Aneli , do you remember when you were first tested in Bulgaria ?"
She looked at Walter , then smiled . " I think one week before contacted by hospital , someone interested in me . "
Walter looked amazed , he turned to Ralph . " That would mean the program must have picked up the information almost immediatly , that is even quicker than i ever expected . "
Paige looked at him , pride in her face . " It is just you are that good . "
They spent the next hour just chatting . At 4.00pm Paige stood up . " I have to go start the evening meal or we will be eating around 10.00pm . "
" Aneil looked over at her . " Me come , be student you teacher , so you show me how make dish you bought items for this morning . "
Paige smiled at her and simply said . " Of course . "
Once the ladies had made their way to the kitchen , Walter and Ralph decided they were going to sit out on the porch and talk over ways to track down Collins . Walter was certain that while he was still on the loose he would be a constant thorn in their sides , especially if he as realized Walter is back in the States .
For the first ten minutes neither of them spoke , they both sat facing the Ocean , elbows on their knees , their hands cupping their faces . To anyone passing they just looked like a father and son spending time together .
Ralph was the first to speak . " Do you think it could be possible to adapt the donor program to trace Collins ? " Ralph's eyes never left the Ocean in front of him as he spoke to Walter .
Walter did not answer immediatly , nor did he make any movement . After about a minute he suddenly sat up straight . " I am afraid not Ralph , that program depends on key words being entered , then it searches the internet for any mention of them on the net . Which is why we have to ensure we are precise about how we ask the question . We would have no specific words we could use , do not forget he as even used my name when he hacked into Homeland . "
" Better put the thinking caps back on . " Said Ralph with a smile on his face that did not reflect happiness .
" Do you remember the computer system , Sly and myself set up to try and trace him after he had escaped while the team were on that trip to test Happy's hoist . He discovered that and used his knowledge to use it to his advantage to send Sly and Cabe on a wild goose chase . "
Ralph just nodded before speaking . " The equipment we have got at home is not really sufficent enough to try and track a man like Collins down . "
Walter smiled at the way Ralph's brain was working . " I think you are correct , maybe it is time we called in a favour from Katherine and Mark at Homeland . "
Ralph by now was also sitting upright . " What have you got in mind dad ? "
" Can you recall all the IP address you had to go though to track Collins the other day ? " Walter replied .
Ralph looked at him and just said . " DAD ."
" I know stupid question to ask , could you go and get a pencil and paper and write them down for me . While you do that i will see if we can arrange a meeting with Katherine and Mark for next Wednesday . " Explained Walter .
" Not till next Wednesday ? " Ralph asked .
" Yes it seems likely Anelli will be going into hospital Monday and they will want to keep her in overnight . So i want to ensure we will all be there for her . Now can you go and get that pencil and paper .
" On my way . " Ralph replied with a big smile on his face .
Walter pulled his phone out and rang Katherine . He was answered by Katherine's secretary , when he announced who he was , she put put him through immediatly .
" Afternoon Walter , how can i help you today . "
" Good afternoon Katherine , Ralph and myself have been brain storming to try and find a way to track Collins down again . I am sure you appreciate how much of a problem he can be especially if he knows i am back in the States . The problem we have at the moment , we do not have the necessary power in our laptops to do much good . Would there be any chance we could utilize some of the power Homeland as in their computers .
" I think i could arrange something like that . When would you like to come over ? "
" Wednesday , but could you give Ralph clearance and also arrange for us to speak to Mark . "
" Of course will Paige be coming as well ? "
" I have not spoken to her yet , but i think she will be playing nurse to Aneli . At the moment she is due to go in Hospital on Monday to donate bone marrow for Ada , our young friend . She will be kept in overnight and all being well she will be allowed home Tuesday but she will need to take it easy for two or three days . "
" Well i wish both the girls luck , when you arrive Wednesday , ask for me at reception . "
" Thank you Katherine , have a good weekend and we will see you Wednesday . "
" Bye Walter . "
As he finished his phonecall , Ralph returned with his pen and paper . He had almost completed the list .
Walter smiled as he came through the door " Katherine will see us on Wednesday morning . "
" Great , i have almost finished the list . " Ralph replied .
" Good , once you finished it how about we go and spend another hour or so on getting the graphics a little better on your game . " Said a happy Walter .
" Ok, but are you going to tell mom ? "
" I think i better . Don't you ?" Walter asked as Ralph nodded his answer .
Walter left Ralph on the porch to finish his list and made his way to the kitchen . He tapped gently on the kitchen door , he knew better than go in the kitchen when she was cooking .
" Paige could i have a quick word , please . "
" Hang on a minute . " Paige shouted back .
She was soon at the door , as she opened the door the smell of what she was cooking invaded Walter's nose , his face lit up with pleasure , he recognized the smell as that of his favourite meal . Paige saw the pleasure in his face and reached up , cupped his face and planted a kiss on his lips .
" How may i be of service to you my Lord ?" Paige asked with a slight laugh in her voice .
Walter picked up on the joke and answered " If it pleases my Lady , your young son and myself would deem it a great honour if we were to be allowed the pleasure of spending a little more time working on the game . In truth i know we have used up our quota for the day , but much pleasure will be achieved for another hour or so's work . " Replied Walter as he finished his little speech with a bow .
" Be gone then , but be sure upon the summons for eating , you will obey immediatly . " Paige told him with difficulty as she was trying not to laugh .
" So be it my lady . " Walter said before he leaned into Paige to steal another kiss , before turning round to go back to Ralph .
Once he had reached the porch , Ralph had completed the list .
" All clear , but we have to answer to the call to eat immediatly . "
Ralph laughed at the remark and said . " Ok ."
They had been working on the computer game for about ninty minutes , when Aneli arrived to tell them dinner would be served in fifteen minutes . " Paige say you summoned to eat . "
Ralph looked at Walter ,confusion on his face .
" A little joke between your mom and me , but it means time to get our hands washed . "
Walter then turned to Aneli . " Please tell my Lady we will attend forthwith . "
Aneli looked at Walter . " You and Paige silly sometime . But still like you . " At that Aneli turned and left them alone .
After a delicious meal , Paige and Aneli cleared the table and returned with slices of Garash and coffee , water for Ralph , whose eyes went wide when he saw the chocolate cake . Once Ralph had finished his cake , his face beaming .
" Aneli that was just as good as the last one . "
Aneli giggled . " Me no make this one , this one Paige made . "
Both Walter and Ralph looked at Paige . Ralph just said . " That is another favourite dish you will need to cook on a regular basis . "
Paige's reply a simple . " Maybe . "
Once Ralph had finished his second slice of Garash , the four of them helped move everything into the kitchen . Paige loaded up the dishwasher , Aneli put everything else away , Walter and Ralph just returned to the living area .
Paige made more coffee and took it into the living area , Ralph got his usual milk . While drinking their coffee , Walter informed Paige about his and Ralph's meeting with Katherine and Mark on Wednesday . At first Paige gave Walter the look , but when he explained it was not for a Homeland job , but to try and get help to trace Mark Collins , she accepted the reason .
Ralph then asked his mom , " We need your help with the numbers game . "
This time Paige's face lit up and she moved a little closer to him . " What can i do to help you ?"
" What we need is a name for the game , dad and me think we would be to technical . Do you think you could come up with a catchy title ? "
" Well let me think about it , i will see if i can come up with any ideas . " Paige said and leaned closer to Ralph then ruffled his hair .
The rest of the evening was spent in general chatter , around 10.00pm. they all decided to call it a night and all made their way to their bedrooms .
The next morning being Saturday , they all ate breakfast together . Once over Paige loaded the dishwasher and went to join th others in the living area . She sat next to Walter on the sofa .
Walter glanced at everyone . " How about a ride up the north coast road , i am sure Aneli would like to see more of California and the ocean .
" Yes please . " Said a very excited Aneli .
" Ok with me how about you Ralph ? " Asked Paige .
" Fine by me . "
" Ok lets all get ready and go on a little road trip . " Walter told them .
Walter went out onto the porch to make a telephone call . Once he returned he was met by Paige . " What are you up to ? "
Walter smiled and just said . " You will see . "
By 10.00am. they were ready to leave , Paige had already phoned Kovelsky's for a picnic hamper to be made up , to include soda's and water together with a couple of flasks of coffee .
" Are you going to drive or do you want me to ? " Paige asked Walter .
" If you drive i will have to tell you were we are going , so i will drive . " Replied Walter .
" Fair enough but first call must be Kovelsky's , to collect a picnic hamper . " Paige told Walter .
They were soon on the road and so their journey began . All during the journey all three kept asking Walter where are we going , Walter stayed tight lipped . By 12.30pm. Walter was pulling up to park by the harbour in Santa Barbara .
" We need to kill time until we need to be back here by 2.45pm. . " Walter explained to the other three .
Paige looked around and spotted what appeared to be a small picnic area , not far from were they had parked .
" Lets take our picnic down there , once we have finished eating we can bring it back to the car . We could then spend some time walking around the harbour looking at the boats . "
" Sounds good to me . How about you ? " Walter asked Ralph and Aneli .
Both smiled and nodded their heads , Aneli had begun to pick up the American way of using her head .
" Walter carried the picnic box , it took ten minutes to reach the area Paige had spotted . The walk proved worth it , the area was a small fenced off area with three picnic tables with benches , as it was on a small hill it gave a marvelious view over the harbour . The collection of different size boats in a mutitude of colours .
" What a site !" Was all Paige could say .
Aneli stood just stareing in amazment .
By the time they had finished eating and trying to spot the different forms of boats it was almost 2.00pm.
" Lets get this back to the car then we can have a short walk around the harbour , before we go to our next little excursion . " Said Walter .
" Are you going to tell us now were we are going ? " Asked Paige as she pouted at him .
" Ok then , we are going on a whale watching sea trip . "
Aneli looked at Walter her face full of confusion . " We actually see whales close up ? " She asked .
" That is the idea , but we will be safe , it is an organized trip which is run by people who do it all the time . "
They arrived at the car , put what was left of the picnic in the trunk of the car . Walter then led them through the harbour stopping at different boats to get a better look . At precisely 2.45pm. he stopped at a smallhut , a sign indicating it was the office of the Whale Watching Charter Co, Walter knocked on the door and entered , followed by Paige , Ralph and Aneli . .
" Mr O'Brian pleased to meet you . " The young man behind the counter greeted them .
Paige looked at Walter then leaned into him and whispered . " How does he know your name ? "
Walter looked at her and smiled , then whispered in her ear . " " Just wait a moment while i go and speak to him . "
Walter moved over to the counter . " Is everything in order ? " He asked .
" Just as you requested , the complete boat is yours for the whole trip . One thing we do insist on is everyone in your group must wear floatation jackets , for their own safety . " The young man told Walter .
" I understand . "
" Ok , good afternoon everyone . My name is Stuart and i will be your guide for the duration of the trip . I have explained to Walter you will all have to wear floatation jackets for the duration of the trip , for your own safety . I have been here three years and we have lost nobody yet . So if you could follow me we will get you fitted with the jackets . " '
Paige walked up to Walter . " Are we the only people going on the trip ? "
" Yes i actually arranged this early in the week and booked the whole boat for us . I only want to share the pleasure with our little family . "
" Oh Walter that is so beautiful . " Said Paige before she planted a kiss on his lips .
The four of them followed Stuart into a back room , were another man was standing by a selection of flurescent jackets . Stuart introduced him as Peter . One by one they were given a jacket and shown the correct way to wear it .
Once they were all kitted out Stuart followed by Peter led their four guests out another door , which led them to a small dock . Moored at the dock was a boat painted pale blue with a dark blue trim , in large gold lettering down the side of the boat , Whale Watching .
Stuart led them all up the gang plank , Aneli eyes were getting wider the higher up the gang plank she went . Once they were all on board , the gang plank was pulled up the side of the boat and an engine was started . Peter had disappeared , Stuart had stayed with the group . The ropes keeping the boat to the dock were released by another member of the crew .
The first thirty minutes they only saw the ocean , even so the smooth water gave them all a very pleasant trip . Aneli had not stopped smiling since she boarded the boat . After about thirty minutes Stuart told them to begin scanning the ocean for signs of life .
Paige and Walter were looking over the starboard side of the boat , arms around each other , and actually spending more time looking into each others eyes than at the ocean .
" This is so beautiful , i am so glad you thought of this . How did you find out about this ? " Paige asked as she kissed him on the cheek .
Walter smiled . " I started to look on the internet for something different and i came across Whale watching , this was the nearest to home , i thought it might be a nice little trip for Aneli , before she as to give give up some of her bone marrow . "
Paige's smile grew bigger . " Oh , Walter how kind of you . "
Walter smiled at her but before he could say anything else to Paige , they heard Ralph call .
" Mom , dad come over here . "
The two of them moved quickly over to them . Ralph was pointing . " look a pod of dolphins ." As he spoke it seemed as if they had heard him ,all the dolphins seemed to turn their heads towards the boat . Almost as one they began to leap out of the water as if putting on a show .
Aneli was laughing loud at their antics .
Paige turned to Walter and whispered . " It looks like you were correct , she seems to be really enjoying herself . "
Stuart shouted from the bridge of the boat . " Starboard side , humpback whales . "
The four of them moved to the other side of the boat . " Look dad , there are small baby whales with them . "
For the next hour they were moving from side to side of the boat as more and more whales came into view . At 5.00pm. Stuart came down to see them .
" It's time to make our way back to port . I hope you have seen enough Whales and dolphins on this trip . "
Paige with a big smile on her face . " We have had a brilliant time , thank you Stuart . We have plenty of photos on our phones to be able to remember this trip for a long time . "
Stuart left , Paige turned to see Aneli had a sad look on her face . " Is something wrong Aneli ? "
" Me no phone to take pictures as memory of trip . " She said .
" Do not worry about that , we can have a collection of pictures printed off our phones . " Replied Paige .
" You do that for me , you done so much already . " Replied a now smiling Aneli .
" Of course you are family now . "
Thirty minutes later they were tied up at the dock . Once they left the boat they made their way back to the car ,
Ralph looked at his mom . " Any chance of getting something to eat ? "
" There is some food left from the picnic you can have that when we get back to the car . " Replied Paige .
Walter looked at Ralph . " That should be enough to keep you going until we get back to L.A. and we can stop at Kovelsky's for dinner . "
Aneli smiled as she said . " " Hot choc Saturday . "
Paige smiled at her . " Hot choc fudge sundae , sweetheart . "
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LouBe Now you know Ada's treatment is going ahead , Collins there is a mystery , Katherine
does like Walter , like a little brother , and probably more if she had a chance .
Pearligirl Pity Katherine was not given more air time in the T.V series .
Margret Gautier Hope you carry on enjoying the story .
Jerbr23 Katherine as always been loyal to Walter , lets hope you are right about Collins .