Walter was having a pleasant dream, he was at a park somewhere, he didn't recognize it. But he sat there on a blanket, a large picnic lunch spread out before him. Paige sat smiling at him on his left. Across from them he saw Ralph and to Paige's left he saw a young girl and boy about the same age sitting eating some of the fried chicken. He smiled seeing some of Paige's and his own features in their faces.

He started to question Paige about them when he was startled awake by yelling. His eyes flew open as he tried to understand what was going on. He'd been so happy in the dream, he hadn't wanted to wake up.

Paige sat back up from him leaving a trail of saliva that had run down his shirt and she frowned trying to figure out why someone was yelling. Her eyes slowly focused and she saw Toby standing in the middle of her front room yelling at her. Did he seriously just call her a betrayer?

"Toby? What are you doing here and in my home? Why are you yelling at me?" Paige demanded, struggling to wake up more.

"I let myself in with the key you gave us when you wouldn't answer the door. I came over to find out why you weren't answering your phone and wasn't at the job site where I left Happy and Sylvester. Imagine my surprise when I saw Walter's car parked outside and you snuggled up with him. Is this how you treat all your friends or just us?" Toby demanded.

Paige shook her head.

"First, I gave that key to Happy, not you. How dare you abuse your position and take it upon yourself to break and enter into my home. If it wasn't for Happy I'd call the cops. As for the other things, I left my phone in the bedroom. And who I choose to spend my time with is my business not yours. I'm sorry I overslept but it was the first decent night's sleep I've had in quite some time and you ruined it. Now, give me my key and get the hell out of my home before I call the cops." Paige demanded.

Toby stood there with his mouth wide open. Slowly he closed his mouth even as he began working the key off of Happy's keychain. He started to throw it at her but thought better of it and sat it down on her coffee table and started to turn.

"This is not over." Toby finally spoke and turned to leave.

"You're damn right it isn't over you self indulgent jerk." Paige huffed before he opened the door and left. She turned and looked at Walter and last night came back in a flash to her as she saw the guitar off to the side of him. She grinned and reached out and pulled him in and they kissed tenderly several times.

"I'm sorry we were awakened so rudely Walter. I know we didn't get to talk last night. I was just so happy and when I curled up next to you everything had just seemed right again and before I could say a word I was lost in sleep." Paige told him with a tear in her eye.

Walter nodded.

"I could see all the stress markers on you as I watched you sleep. You've been under a lot of pressure for some time now. I'm sorry. But it was an emotionally rewarding night for me last night, even if you don't want me around now." Walter told her simply.

Paige nearly gasped as she grabbed Walter tightly in a hug.

"How can you think that? Do you really not know how much you really mean to me? Do you doubt how much I've suffered since I broke up with you? Even with all the signs of stress you see on me? Do you think I could fall asleep so easily on you like that last night and sleep the whole night without waking up if I didn't want you here with me?" Paige cried into his ear.

Walter smiled at each question even as a tear slipped down his cheek.

"Well I had a feeling but after all the silence I really wasn't sure if what we experienced last night would continue or if in the light of day you'd remember why you were so mad at me and want me gone again." Walter told her honestly.

Paige shook her head.

"I've done so much soul searching Walter and it just seemed every time I made some headway past things, Sly or Toby would stir things up again bringing up all of their issues and I would get sucked back into it. I'm sorry Walter, I really am. I know that doesn't take back the things I said to you but I hope you can forgive me." Paige told him as she pulled back and gave him a tender kiss.

Walter nodded.

"I forgave you that same night. I was stupid, I should have at least told you about taking Florence to that lecture. But I honestly didn't see more in it than just two people going to a lecture. I never would have gone anywhere else with her. I had started to tell you that day in the desert but you cut me off thinking my secret was that the lecture hadn't been cancelled and I stupidly decided to leave it hidden. I am sorry about that too." Walter told her.

Paige nodded.

"I forgive you too Walter. But you taking her wasn't the real problem. I just don't want any more secrets between us though, promise me that." Paige told him seriously.

Walter nodded.

"I promise, no more secrets between us." Walter crossed his heart even as Paige grinned. Walter frowned. "But, if that wasn't the problem, what was the problem?" Walter was more confused than before.

"We've got a lot to talk about Walter, but right now I need to freshen up and get to the jobsite. But I want to keep an open and honest conversation going with you moving forward. Can you give me a few minutes to get ready? You can come with me and we can talk off and on as time permits." Paige told him and then she smiled as she realized he'd gotten up at some point and got them a blanket to cover up wth. "Thank you for this by the way." Paige smiled at him as she lifted the edge of the blanket up.

"You're welcome." Walter smiled before he looked at his phone. "I don't really want to be around the others, but if it means spending some time with you I'd be happy to go with you."

Paige smiled and kissed him before she got up and turned quickly causing the short hemline to flip up exposing her naked left hip and left buttcheek as she moved for her bedroom and master bath.

Walter let his breath out slowly so it didn't sound like a steam whistle letting off pressure. He pulled the blanket over and folded it and left it on the back of the couch. He moved to the kitchen and in short order got the coffee maker going and got two travel mugs out of the cabinets and set them up on the counter before putting hazelnut creamer into both mugs. He added a splash of honey to both of their mugs and waited as he heard her running water.


"Where have you been Fungus?" Happy asked as Toby made his way back to where they were working.

"I went to see where our liaison was and to get some doughnuts." Toby told her as he dropped her keys into her jacket pocket.

"You took my truck without talking to me about it first?" Happy eyed him.

"Our truck you mean?" Toby grunted disagreeably with her.

"No, I mean my truck. You better not have gotten it dirty again or I'm going to make you lick it clean." Happy poked his collar bone.

"So where is she?" Sylvester asked even as he finished the last of the preparations for the software installation.

"Oh get this, guess who's car I found parked outside of her condo. Go on, take a wild guess." Toby told them.

Happy shrugged.

"Walter's most likely." Happy said with any lack of concern.

"How can you be so blaise over this?" Toby accused her.

"Because it is her life. She's been miserable without Walter. It isn't like we've been doing her any favors. We do our jobs and dump everything else on her, making her life more miserable." Happy told him.


"And how." Paige said as she moved up to where they stood, holding hands with Walter.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Toby almost yelled.

"He's here because I asked him to come with me. There is nothing in our contract for this job that says he can't be here." Paige told him. "And Happy, I don't know if you gave him permission or not, but I made him return my house key. I did not appreciate being woken up by his screaming at me in the middle of my own front room."

Happy spun to face Toby who had taken a step back from her.

"What is wrong with you? First you take my truck without permission and then you use my key to break into Paige's home?" Her hand flashed out and poked him hard over his left kidney. "You better not have been trying to get a perverted peep show on her and Walter either."

"Gross. You can stay the hell away from me and my home and anything else of mine from now on Toby." Paige told him as she made a face.

"Good seeing you Walt." Happy told Walter before she turned to speak with Sylvester about the software proceeding.

"Likewise Happy." Walter said softly as he tried to stay back out of the way. Giving them all the time they needed to talk and get their system installation online.


Walter was casually looking out over the manufacturing plant as people worked to produce the treats people clamored in stores for. Walter never understood how people could indulge in such nutrient deficient snacks like these. It had been the main reason he hadn't even bid on the job.

"Okay, that is it, we're ready to roll it out and start it up." Sylvester told his partners as he clicked the icon and the software pulled up and began running.

Walter heard the sound of the conveyor system begin moving and he looked back at the group of his former friends and his girlfriend watching the computer as it spit back readouts of everything it was tracking

"So far, so good." Happy said as Sylvester nodded.

"I told you it would work." Sylvester said proudly.

Walter's eyes passed over the data being relayed to the screen and he looked over quickly and saw vibrations in one of the conveyor lines.

"Shut it down." Walter yelled, pointing.

The group looked at him and then to where he was pointing.

"It is just a little feedback in the system, I've calibrated the system for it, it will correct itself in five seconds." Sylvester sneered at him.

"Yeah 197, you aren't the only genius in the world." Toby snarked.

"Walter?" Paige questioned.

Walter shook his head and ran forward. He snagged up a metal rod that was part of the leftover packaging that the conveyor system came in. He ran past his former friends and just as he went to jam the metal rod into the chain driving the conveyor the chain snapped down a ways before the point of the metal rod slipping through the teeth of the chain and through the structural supports of the conveyor.

The metal rod was just strong enough to stop the chain from sliding more but the momentum of the loose end of the chain recoiled and slapped out at Walter. Walter went flying backwards from the impact flying over the heads of Centipede Partners even as Paige screamed.

"Shut it down Sly!" Happy screamed as she ran towards the metal rod Walter had jammed into the system. The rod was slowly being bent and stretched by the weight it was trying to support. "Clear the area!" Happy yelled at the people below and they all began running.

Happy swore as she turned and saw Toby had run over and was with Walter. Her eyes looked at what was around her and her mechanical mind picked up on several items quickly and she grabbed them up. She ran back over and then she slipped on something and fell. She slowly rolled over and frowned wondering who had spilled oil on the floor. As her hand came up she saw the red liquid on her hand and her eyes went wide realizing it was Walter's blood.

Swearing again Happy jumped up and quickly got the chain secured until the system could be shut down safely.

"Oh gawd, Walter, Walter, talk to me." Paige pleaded looking down at his face as she knelt next to him holding his hand.

Toby had quickly opened a first aid station and got supplies out and had first cut what was left of his shirt off. He grimaced at the rip through his skin. It ran from just above his navel up and across his left pec.

"Damn it Walter. Luckily your ribs kept this from being worse than it is man. You still got significant skin and muscle damage. You're looking at three months at least of rehab." Toby told him while applying pressure to his wound even as first aid responders from the company came running up to help.

"How is he?" Happy demanded after she ran over.

"Alive thankfully." Toby told her.

"Are you wounded ma'am?" One of the first aid responders asked Happy.

Happy swallowed hard looking at all the blood she was covered in.

"It's Walter's blood." Happy said.

"We've got a decontamination shower and scrubs over here ma'am. You can get out of your clothes and wash the blood off." The woman spoke softly to Happy.

"Go on Happy, get cleaned up. We know how blood freaks you out." Paige nodded to her.

"What happened?" The manager asked as he came running out.

"We're not sure yet Mr. Blimmons, we'll have to go through the logs and see what we can find out." Happy told him as she stood up. "For sure some vibrational feedback occurred that for some reason was more severe than was calculated for the system. We're lucky Walter was here. If he hadn't been I think we would have lost some of your workers down below."

"That isn't all, if Walter hadn't been here that chain recoil would have made it strike us. It would have struck me first, then Paige, Happy and finally Toby as we were standing there." Sylvester told them as his brilliant mind was calculating the scene without Walter or the rod Walter had shoved into the conveyor.


Greetings! I hope this finds you all well! So I did get chapter 5 written for this story and yesterday I finally had some ideas, but the problem is, they weren't for this story or any of the current stories I'm working on. lol "I Only State Facts" gave me 2 different story ideas to explore. One of them I wrote yesterday.

Railman - LOL Of David had anything to worry about with that song something is SERIOUSLY wrong! lol Yeah, that would be the last thing she would care about. Subterfuge for a good thing is generally appreciated.

Dean - lol Can't forget Callan, I got over 20 chapters already written for it. Hey, I understand wanting more. Imagine if you were me, I have to wait week(s) to months for updates to stories, 2 stories are more than a year since they were updated. You're living in the lap of luxury compared to me. lol

Marti - Thank you! Glad you are enjoying this!

Heleen - hehe Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it! I'm doing what I can for sure. You got a full plate, hope things get easier for you for sure! You're just going to have to wait for the next chapter! lol Every other day, lol

Margaret - Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

Marie Mac - Thank you! Glad you are enjoying it! 4 score huh? You got me beat for sure, so that makes 4 of you for sure. hehe Always glad to hear from you and see you are still hanging in there! I always wonder about you and Franxine, though I'm more worried about her now, she's been silent for a long time. She was going through the same things as the wife and you. And it has been close to a year since she commented as I remember.

To the Adventure! -Tim