MOMMY ISSUES
AN: Okay, the more I think about it, the more I think it's a terrible idea for Veronica to interfere on behalf of Waige. Walter looked a little worried when she said she was going to help him. I hope he stays wary. Paige will hate/resent anything her mother tries. And if Tim is sent away before Paige decides it's over, especially if it's her mother's idea with Walter's help? Toby may be right about her carrying a torch for the interloper and resenting Walter. I hope Wally will 'take the high road' like he does in this short, little drabble, but I have the feeling the writers are going to make him really screw up with Paige...again. *sigh*
Here's what I would like to see instead...
"Ms. Dineen? Could I talk to you about something?" Walter asked quietly, his brow furrowed, eyes scanning the vicinity for possible eavesdroppers.
"Walter, please call me Veronica. We're practically family." Warmth oozed out smoothly with her words.
"Oh, uh, well. I'm not sure how you arrived at that conclusion… But I just want to clarify something if you don't mind."
"Ralph told me SO much about you during dinner. You're his hero, you know. You have obviously been so good for him," she answered with wide-eyed admiration.
"Th-thank you? But I'm not a hero. He-he's a great kid. He and I understand each other. Our thought processes and strengths are very similar. But Ralph has many good influences here at Scorpion. We're all committed to helping him reach his full potential. And Paige's mothering instincts are superlative. Those are Ralph's exact words, you know," Walter stated proudly.
"Well, it's clear to me that no one has had quite the same kind of influence on him that you've had…" Flattery was clearly her first language.
"Ms. Dineen…"
"Veronica. Please," she reminded him firmly while reaching out to gently touch his arm.
"Okay. Uh, Veronica. It's just... I've thought a lot about what you said. Um, about helping me get… Get Paige back? I'm not entirely comfortable with the notion. I don't think I can collude with you on something like that. "
"Walter, I'm only…"
"You see, uh, I'm terrible at deception. I am inept at faking emotions. Actually, I'm terrible at recognizing or conveying real emotions most of the time. It's one of my biggest flaws and one reason I...failed in my attempts with Paige. Although I have made some improvements in that arena, mostly thanks to your daughter's guidance. I'm also uncomfortable with any sort of manipulation. Especially in this kind of endeavor. I've had a previous effort backfire in recent history. The consequences were...unpleasant. And I can't say I enjoy it when people, well mostly Toby, do things like that to me. Paige is very sensitive about being manipulated. For obvious reasons. Maybe you haven't been around her enough recently to know this, but if I lied to her… If she figured it out... She's very astute about things like that, well… we couldn't even be friends after that. Such an outcome is not acceptable. And, you see, I really do, uh, care for her. So if she is happy with-with, uh, Tim, I want that for her…I want her to be happy," He finished those words with a slightly pained grimace he couldn't entirely suppress.
"Oh, Walter. She is not happy with Tim." She rolled her eyes when she said the trainee's name, "Trust me. I just want what's best for Paige like any mother would." Veronica purred.
"See, I want what is best for her too. That's what you do when you, uh, l-love someone. I don't think being manipulative is for her best. I've been striving to improve my emotional maturity lately. Otherwise I'll never be, uh, fully formed so to speak. So, I may not like it, but it's still her decision to be with... Tim, Ms. D-, uh, Veronica. I can't interfere even if it ultimately hurts me. I don't want to hurt her. I respect her. Please respect that."
With those words Walter went back to packing up the leftover Chinese food from dinner.
Veronica smirked to herself in satisfaction. She'd made sure Paige was in a position to hear every word of their little exchange. Phase one was a complete success. This was going to be so much fun!
P.S. Can you tell I'm still a little miffed about Cabe's half-baked and not fully formed comments? They seem to pop up in all my writing since Episode 2.
