A/N: SIKE! Another chapter in one day? Yes, yes it is. This is also my way of saying that I'll be traveling for the next week and I recently found out I won't be able to travel with my laptop which means…..I won't be able to update Monday. Would I possibly update the following day when I get back? Maybe? Probably? I don't know but I hope you enjoy this latest installment!

Little Girl Lost

Chapter 18: Friends and Collogues

Chapter Summary: After having some much-needed couch time with Toby, Paige and Walter do the impossible: Talk about their feelings.

"We said we support each other in this thing. Neither of us can do it alone, but together we have a shot." Paige Season 2 Episode 1 Satellite of love

"I admit that I was taken aback by your desire to talk, Paige given our, um, last interaction together. It was uh, less than pleasant." Walter stuttered as he closed the door to his loft as Paige chuckled, but he found that she wasn't smiling when she did so. In fact, it looked like she had been crying given the state of her red eyes and wet cheeks. His heartbeat increased when he noticed she chuckled again and his assessment of her appearance he theorized that this laugh was not meant to be humorous but simply a human response to cover anxiety in an uncomfortable situation.

Because he was very uncomfortable.

And he always hated whenever Paige cried.

"I know, believe if our roles were reversed, I would be surprised too but Walter um, I – I just need to talk to you and I wanted to apologize…. for everything," Paige said as Walter took a deep breath as she just wanted to reiterate what she had previously stated yesterday. An apology. Yes, she had already apologized. He knew how to handle this situation.

"Oh well, it's all right. I mean you had already apologized for the events that had transpired and I forgive you and offering you and Ralph protection is nothing to apologize for either. I offered." Walter said as he tried to offer a reassuring smile, but he didn't think he succeeded as Paige sighed and looked down to the ground as more tears came to her eyes.

"No – I mean yes but I mean – ugh!" Paige grumbled as she took a deep breath, and he took a step forward to comfort her but remembered that they weren't…like that…anymore. He stopped in his tracks as Paige looked back up to him and started over.

"I meant I wanted to give a more in-depth apology. You deserve it and most importantly you didn't deserve how I treated you like that. I should have never yelled at you the way I did and made a scene in front of everyone. I was h-hurt and you hurt me." Paige admitted quietly as Walter's heart lurched in his chest as he took in a deep breath to keep himself steady as Paige talked on.

"And I wanted to hurt you back. The things that I said to you, weren't true. I just said what came to mind when in truth I like when you talk about science stuff I targeted what I loved about you because I hated what you did to me. There's no excuse for that and I'm so sorry. We've had our problems before, we always talked it out. I should have listened to you when you suggested talking but I was too angry to even think straight. I just saw those tickets and….it was like every other relationship I had. I wasn't enough and I thought you were going to leave me. I figured you were on your way out so….I left before you could." Paige said as Walter took a shuddering breath as he quickly said

"I would have never left. Florence was nothing but a friend. She is my friend, but nothing was comparable to what we had Paige."

"I know that now. Toby and I had some couch time and I realized that I was progressing all my hurt feelings from past relationships because there were behaviors exhibited by past partners. I'm sorry for that but Walter…" Paige shook her head as she looked at him with teary eyes. "Why did you take her and not tell me everything? Even when you were drowning in sand…. why didn't you say anything?" Paige asked hiccupping on the word as Walter took a step forward.

"I'm sorry. I know now I should have but, I didn't because I didn't want you to think I was betraying you." Walter explained as he grimaced and continued "Which ended up being the result regardless. I overheard you speaking to Ralph that you didn't want to go to the lecture, and I am telling you the truth that no one else was available to go."

"Yes, I know that but afterward…. why did you purposely not tell me? You hid it, you hid it because you knew you did something wrong!" Paige demanded as Walter looked to the bookcase as he thought of a response. Why didn't he tell her? He knew why of course but to admit out loud, much less admit it to her?

"Walter!" Paige barked as he shook his head and let out a breath. Yes, he needed to say it.

"Because you were right," Walter admitted as Paige backed up. "You were right and I'm ashamed to admit it but I was thinking that perhaps, Florence or someone like her might have been a better match….BUT wait Paige please let me finish." Walter stuttered out as Paige shook her head and started to walk out the door before she stopped and stood her ground as he took a deep breath.

"But I knew that someone like Florence would never be a better match than you. I knew it and I wasn't sure how to tell you everything because I knew it would hurt you and I never want to hurt you and then it came that you found out anyways, at least only part of it but that part was enough to cause damage. Damage that I couldn't fix. I realize that you were correct also in your assessment of me, no matter how it was delivered." Walter admitted quietly as Paige refused to meet his eyes.

"The way I was feeling, it was immature of me to act as I did. I know that now because the thought of losing you was painful but then actually losing you…." Walter trailed off as his voice cracked and Paige looked up and this time, he was the one that wouldn't meet her eyes. "It's a pain I never thought was possible. It was similar to losing my sister because I lost her." Walter said quietly as Paige reached out and Walter leaned back not wanting anyone near him, not even her.

"When Megan died, I knew that no matter what I did she wasn't coming back. She was gone forever, and it was completely out of my control but with you…. you were lost but you weren't gone. I could do something about it but I didn't know if it would have even been recuperated or even if you would have talked to me. It wasn't so simple. It was a problem I started but you were right again Paige, that the formula I made about communication. It's not perfect, neither were we." Walter stumbled as he sat down on his couch and Paige hesitantly walked up and sat on the chair in front of him.

"No, we were just as messy as any other couple. Probably more, probably less but….I missed you. I miss you. How we left it, how we've handled it, we were always friends and now we can't even talk to each other." Paige sighed as Walter grinned although he didn't mean it.

"We're talking now." Walter hinted as Paige smiled back, although small as she nodded.

"Yeah, we're talking now. That's a step in the right direction. Maybe I can be the one to dive into shark-infested waters this time?" Paige smiled as Walter laughed. A real genuine laugh, something that he hadn't done in 3 months.

"I would hope it doesn't come to that but it's interesting that you bring that case up. I jumped in because I cared for you. I loved you and I wanted to protect you, as best as I could." Walter said as Paige nodded.

"We found ourselves just like we are now. I was mad at you and I had forgiven you. I wanted my friend back." Paige mentioned as she looked over at him, hope in her eyes. "I guess what I'm trying to say is can you forgive me. Truly for what I did. For what I said, for how I acted, and for how I broke us?" Paige gasped out as she looked away, her body tense as he touched her shoulder gently.

"Paige it's as I said. I had already forgiven you. I forgive you." Walter empathized as Paige smiled and wiped her eyes as Walter cleared his throat before continuing "and can you forgive me for lying to you? For keeping it away from you and for how I broke us?" Walter asked, repeating her phrase as she smiled and nodded her head.

"I forgive you," Paige said as she leaned in and gripped his shoulders as her body molded into his, and for the first time in months, he relaxed. His mind stilled and he felt as if he could breathe again. Although logically he knew that he could breathe fine, that his body functioned as normal to gain the oxygen needed to keep his body alive but when he had Paige in his arms again, he couldn't explain it, something that Walter was unused to but the feeling itself he had grown familiar too. The feeling had been longing for. When Paige was in his arms, hugging him as she did with her weight a comfort on his body, and he could breathe in her perfume and feel her hair underneath his palm… he felt alive.

Shifting Paige slowly leaned back until she was sitting on the cushion next to him but he was glad she was no longer leaning away from him and that she was notably more relaxed and for once since entering the garage – smiling.

"We've always been friends, since the first day we met. I really missed you, Walter." Paige said as she wiped away her tears and Walter handed her a tissue.

"I hope to always be friends with you. After our separation, I was able to process through what could have been different, what I could have done and I realized that the basis of our relationship was our friendship. It was always this bond that we had and I- I missed that too. We were and I hope still are friends. Special friends. Friends that we would do anything for." Walter said ignoring the blood that went to his cheeks as he blushed admitting this intimate knowledge to her as she smiled.

"Me too. I hope we're still friends and that was what I missed the most too. I missed how I would learn something new whenever we talked, and I missed the closeness we once had. When we were together, we stopped being friends. Stopped being honest with each other. I'm sorry for setting that example." Paige admitted as Walter nodded and mumbled that there was nothing to forgive.

"I hope we can move on from this, be close again and maybe" Paige stopped as she looked away but not before Walter caught the blush on her cheeks.

"Maybe what?" Walter asked as Paige turned back and she was looking at him the same way she did when he came up for air from the sand piling on him in Africa.

"Maybe...that you still love me because I still love you. I never stopped loving you and maybe we could try again?" Paige gasped out as Walter sat stunned, he was immobile as Paige wrung her hands in her lap. "Try again but this time with no more white lies or any lies for that matter. We tell each other everything as we would as friends. We never lose that friendship that brought us together in the first place." Paige confessed as Walter…didn't know what to say. It seems when it came to Paige, he never knew what to say.

However, when Paige looked at him like that, he needed to say something. Quickly.

"Paige I" Walter started as he thought through what he wanted to say and considering Paige's proposition of honesty that is something that he would do. Honesty. "I want to. I love you too. I never stopped. I wanted to stop loving you – you hurt me, and I wanted to stop but I couldn't." Walter admitted as he shifted in his seat…. away from her. "But although I want to try again, I don't think I can," Walter admitted as Paige's smile fell and she leaned away.

"Let me explain. It's not that I wish to never be with you again just the opposite. I just…. being away from you, from our relationship, from my team. It hurt me. I had Cabe and Florence but the rest of my family…they left and they left because I drove them away." Walter admitted as he looked back to the fights of shares in the company, the memos, taking their work for granted and every underappreciated act he did to them. All of them.

"I didn't appreciate them as I should. I had even stopped appreciating you as I should. As consequence, I had to grow. To even keep my company afloat I had to change my demeanor and I had to take into consideration that my actions would impact not only myself but my company. It was a needed lesson that would have never come if I hadn't lost nearly everyone I cared about. In short, I had to mature. Emotionally I knew I couldn't continue as I was and I fear that if I enter into a relationship with you now I will stop depending on myself for my own emotional growth but look to you as I did. Both as a friend and as a partner. I don't want to depend on anyone else for my own growth as I once did. I want to finish cooking on my own." Walter said as Paige listened to every word.

"I understand that I hurt you, but you hurt me too. We hurt each other and I still want you, Paige. I want to be with you and I don't think I'll ever want anyone else. However, losing you….I don't think I could survive it this time. I'm not ready yet." Walter said as Paige slowly nodded and sniffled.

"I understand." She whispered as she quickly dabbed her eyes and smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes and Walter hated to be the one to cause it. "Actually, I think your right." She continued "That's…. very emotionally mature of you. Emotionally mature in general. I think, Walter….you wouldn't be the one to fully depend on me for growth but maybe it would have been the other way around. That's a lesson I never quite learned but I need to learn it because Walter, I love you." Paige said as she stood "I never stopped. That's a fact and I understand that you need time. I can wait. I can wait for as long as you need because to me your worth waiting for to be fully cooked." Paige chuckled as Walter slowly smiled. "But in the meantime could we still be friends? I really miss my friend more than anything, more than my boyfriend and I think Toby is letting the title get to his head." Paige joked as Walter nodded.

"I love that," Walter said as Paige smiled before there was a high pitch beep followed by Toby's shrill voice

"I would love that too. I think the title was getting to my head a bit but I'm glad my replacement is better qualified." Toby shuffled before he shrieked as Cabe could be heard over the intercom

"Stop snooping or my foot and your ass are going to go on a picnic!"

Walter couldn't help it, he laughed as Paige was blushing but laughed right along with him.

"Some things never change" Paige sniffed as she chuckled and walked to open the door as Happy, Sly, Ralph, and Florence were all rushing down the stairs but froze when Paige opened the door and she chuckled.

Before she could go back to Walter however Tessa's voice echoed as Paige froze in her spot.

"Oh yeah some things never change huh Turn Paige?" Tessa bellowed as Paige looked to her sister who was fuming where she stood and Walter looked back between them like he was watching a tennis match.

"Now that you and O'Brien had your talk it's time for a sister-to-sister chat." Tessa hissed as Paige closed her eyes and breathed as Walter slowly came over.

"Are you okay?" Walter asked as Paige nodded.

"I'm fine, I should have known Tess wasn't going to keep quiet. Please don't be too upset with her, she has every right to be angry with me." Paige said sadly as she slowly descended the stairs and smiled at everyone before she went outside to her sister; the garage was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"O'Brien!" Happy yelled as Walter looked to Happy who he now noticed was angry and her deadly grip on her wrench sent chills down his spine. "Now that they are talking, it's our turn!" She yelled as she marched up the stairs as he stared in confusion.

"Do I even have a choice?" Walter asked sarcastically as Happy stood right in his face as her deadly "no" had him backing up into his apartment and she slammed the door, locking it into place as Walter gulped.

Whatever he did now, this might actually be the end of Walter O' Brien.

A/N: Okay don't hate me I can explain! Don't get me wrong I want to see Waige reunite just as much as y'all but, man did this just flow! Like I don't know about you but I don't like how characters just get back together or don't or like they do this weird dance and suddenly boom back together anyway. Where's the spice? The drama? The grey area of life that we absolutely hate because people are fickle and emotional maturity is so hard to come by? Anyways I hope you liked this chapter, and it would make my day if you left me your thoughts in a review!

Next time on Little Girl Lost:

"I told you – more than once – about fooling around with Florence. I told you – more than once – to stop entertaining whatever you had with her, and you didn't listen. I told you to tell Paige – everything – and to stop lying to her. You didn't listen. I told you for weeks how you needed to come clean and if you didn't it would destroy scorpion and look what happened!" Happy yelled as Walter frowned.

"I can be angry at Florence all I want. She knew you were off-limits and didn't do anything to try to dissuade those feelings but you? You encouraged them!" Happy screamed as Walter clenched his jaw.

"Excuse me I did no such thing!" Walter defended himself as Happy barked out a laugh.

"Oh, you're excused all right! Excused about not using your head! For being a moron! You've spent hours together. Hours just to yourselves or if you were with us you both only talked to each other about theories and equations. How you ignored Paige, but you were more than comfortable talking Florence's ear off about the next compound project. Even I noticed how uncomfortable Paige was getting when you were clearly favoring Florence over her! Toby even mentioned how Paige didn't interfere because she didn't want to keep you away from a friend. Then finally, purposely keeping the lecture from Paige – you can't always get what you want! You can't have Paige and a genius too. You can't have a genius and keep Paige. You can't have everything. By keeping Florence on the hook that was exactly what you were doing and now everything is messed up!" Happy screamed as Walter backed away from her fury.