"I fired you, because I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you since shortly after we met." Walter said in response to Paige's words as he saw part of the memory play out in his mind.
Paige nodded as she smiled and her recognition grew over what that meant.
"You remembered!" Paige said excitedly.
Walter nodded with a smile.
"I don't know why I fired you, but I'm sorry I did." Walter told her. Suddenly his cheeks blushed as he saw an earlier memory. For some reason they were outside and he was walking naked behind Paige who was also naked. And his eyes seemed to zero in on her delightful buttocks as they swayed while she walked over and began stepping down into a sulfur spring.
"Walter? Don't be embarrassed, it was just a misunderstanding. We've made it past that." Paige assured him.
Walter shook his head. His seemingly teenage thoughts affected him and he tried hard to roll onto his right side so as not to stand out.
"Are you uncomfortable? Need me to help you roll over?" Paige asked as she stood up.
"I think I can get it." Walter shook his head as he continued to try and roll over.
Paige looked at him puzzled as to why he wouldn't want some help and then noticed what was happening. She grinned inside her mind but instantly and casually tossed her sweater she had over her arm across his lap. The sweater concealed his concern as she began reaching across him.
"Nonsense, let me help you." Paige told him as she gently pulled on his left hip and Walter was able to turn on over. They stared into each other's eyes until Paige sat back down. "See, you can trust me." She winked at him.
Walter nodded with a smile.
"But it wasn't that memory that made me blush." Walter whispered.
"I gathered." Paige grinned as she whispered.
"You know, according to this website, this type of amnesia could work itself out in minutes, hours or it could take longer." Sylvester finished reading sadly at that thought.
"What memory did you just have, Walter?" Paige whispered after she leaned over close to him.
"Something about us getting into a sulfur spring?" Walter questioned quietly with cheeks glowing.
Paige smiled and nodded as her cheeks flushed.
"That was a hard, I mean rough mission." Paige told him quietly and then continued in her normal voice. "Cabe had been severely wounded and we had to get him into a state of suspended animation. Then while Sylvester went to find a rattlesnake, you and I had to go collect hydrogen sulfur gas to protect his organs from shock." Paige told him as Sylvester nodded, even though Walter couldn't see it.
"How long will I be in this cast?" Walter asked to try to get his mind back under control.
"One to two weeks, the doctor said." Paige told him as she reached over and brushed a lock of hair from his face.
"So do we live together?" Walter asked.
Paige shook her head.
"I've got a condo that Ralph and I live in. We hadn't really talked about it. Sometimes you really like having all that space to do your research and experiments." Paige told him.
Walter frowned.
"I like doing research and experiments more than having you living with me?" Walter asked, shocked.
"Well I've tried the whole, living with someone first thing before. And it ended badly. I'm not saying you would be that way, but I was abandoned with my two year old son and had to fight like hell to get a really crappy apartment so I could get my son out of my car. This way I've got my own place and no matter who I am with, I'm taking care of the bills and I won't ever be in another position where I have to beg someone for a job or for an advance on my salary in the middle of the night." Paige told him softly.
Walter slowly nodded.
"I don't know what I was like before, but I would never do that to you. If anything, with the way it was described I'd let you live in the Loft and I'd find some place down in the Garage to stay." Walter told her.
"That sounds exactly like something you would do." Paige smiled as she nodded.
"Did we ever talk about marriage?" Walter asked.
Paige blushed but shook her head no.
"You said you weren't sure if marriage was right for you. With how high of a divorce rate there was, that it seemed more like folly." Paige explained.
"Sounds more like the folly was in me. Why would someone like you want to stick around for a guy who wasn't willing to commit or take a chance on you? Sounds like I've been a coward for a lot of my life after moving to the US. And I'm not sure I like knowing I was like this." Walter said kind of absently.
"Hey, don't knock yourself. You don't have the whole picture yet. Coward is not a term I would ever use to describe you." Paige told him seriously. "You leapt onto a subway car going eighty plus miles an hour from a stationary platform to save Ralph, me and the other passengers. Does that sound cowardly?"
Walter shook his head.
"Maybe not cowardly in danger, but cowardly in a relationship, and with my emotions. I know my parents didn't exactly help me to develop emotionally, but I never thought I would be like that. How could you look past my faults to start a relationship with me?" Walter asked.
"You're looking at a very small window of it Walter. The very first time I met you, you were this handsome good looking man. A bit brusk, but you had compassion. You looked out for your friends and you strove to always do your best for people. You had this interesting arrogance about you, I could tell you could do anything you set your mind to. Sure it was a little difficult, because of how stunted you were emotionally, bridging the gap between what you called normals and yourself. But when you listened to me things went well." Paige smiled.
"And when I didn't I was more like a dumpster fire?" Walter asked as another memory came up.
Paige smiled.
"I believe Toby had referred to you that way one time, yes." Paige nodded. "Wait, he sent that to me in a private text. How do you know about it?"
"I'm not really sure, I seem to have a memory about something wrong with your cell phone and you asked me to fix it." Walter explained.
"Yeah, there were a few times when Toby messed with my phone and you had to reset it for me." Paige nodded. "But that was when I had tried to see if I could get you to break through to a new layer of emotional cognizance. I was trying to let you handle things on your own. To see how well my work with you was helping you to grow."
"Sounds like I was pretty deficient still." Walter sighed.
"No, not really. You still had work to do, sure. But you kept making strides. That was about a week before you got so mad at me over it though." Paige gave him a wain smile.
"I got mad at you for?" Walter asked as his eyebrow rose up.
"For distancing myself from you. I didn't stop to consider everything about what I was doing. I only saw I was trying to help you. But I failed to realize that everyone in your life, well, other than Megan, had pretty much distanced themselves from you. And it was painful and had hurt you, a lot. And to know the pain I had put you through hurt me so much as you expressed your pain to me. But even though I had hurt you, you still risked your life to safeguard mine. Told me you were a better man because of me. You jumped into the ocean with at least three sharks around us trying to knock us off a science buoy. Cabe and Toby were getting close to us with a boat when the engine went out. So you dove in and swam the opposite way so the sharks followed you while you had me jump in the ocean the other direction and swim to the boat. Thank God for Happy and Water Matthau." Paige smiled.
"I don't know the man." Walter told her.
Paige smiled as she giggled a little.
"He wasn't a man Walter. Cabe had named an old deactivated World War Two torpedo. Happy had retrofitted it into an underwater surveillance drone. It was the only one left and just when we thought all hope was lost and you were about to be eaten, Happy brought it up from under you and brought you racing back to the boat. Toby barely saved you by swinging out on a line from the boat and you grabbed hold of him and you both swung back onto the boat." Paige told him.
"Toby? The one in the hat that filled me with dread?" Walter asked.
Paige nodded.
"I'm not going to lie to you Walter, Toby has done a lot of shady things. He has a lot of issues starting with the fact that he's very jealous of you." Paige smiled.
"Well who wouldn't be jealous of me? Look who agreed to be my girlfriend." Walter smiled.
Paige blushed even as she looked down at the floor and then looked back up at him.
"Thank you, but no, that isn't what he was jealous over. He'd always been the smartest person he knew until he met you. And then you risked your own life in order to save his life. He is a gambling addict. He was about to be killed over the money he owed some casino guy. You had been going there to win the start up capital for Scorpion. And you intervened and told them you'd make it right with them. And you did. You brought him into Scorpion and introduced him to three others who are also more intelligent than he is, Happy, Sylvester and Mark." Paige told him.
Walter nodded and then gestured with his finger. Paige leaned forward.
"So, I think I am remembering the first time we had sex." Walter whispered.
Paige grinned even as her cheeks blushed a bit. She was just about to whisper, "Buckle up, nerd".
"Where did we make love that first time?" Walter whispered.
"In the Loft, in your bed." Paige smiled.
"Really? Oh man, no wonder you don't want to live with me. I have a terrible sense of style." Walter shook his head.
"What? Why would you say that? I mean the Loft isn't stylish but I wouldn't say you have a terrible sense of style." Paige frowned.
"Yeah, more like a post-modern, minimalist, warehouse decor." Sylvester chuckled.
"Really? You like that gaudy, awful rusty-orange shag rug?" Walter asked after looking back at Paige.
Paige frowned.
"There isn't a rug in the Loft Walter. Well a couple of throw rugs." Paige told him while still frowning.
"Then why do I see us on a bed, it has this ugly, thin, orange comforter, the room has this really cheap simulated wood paneling, kind of greyish in tones. A small cheap table with four light grey chairs?" Walter asked.
"Walter, I don't recall you and I ever having been in such a room. And certainly not the Loft. There isn't any paneling in the Loft. The tables are kind of cheap, you had told me you got them from Goodwill, the chairs too. Are you sure you are thinking of me?" Paige asked as a pang of jealousy sprouted.
Walter nodded.
"Definitely you, though for some reason the memory makes me feel pain here in the back of my head, but not associated with what happened yesterday." Walter told her. "But you were wearing a beautiful lime green dress." Walter saw Ralph paying attention to them. "Umm, Ralph, m-maybe you could give us just a moment please?"
Ralph frowned but nodded and walked over to stand beside Sylvester.
"You were wearing a matching pink set of bra and panties. The panties were mostly lace and had roses on them." Walter said quietly.
Paige frowned as she shook her head.
"Wait, I did own a lime green dress, but that was years ago. It was lost when we moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I hadn't worn it since I started showing with Ralph. And I think I still have the bra but the panties, I." Paige froze as she searched her memories. And her hand came up to her mouth. "Oh my gawd, no. No no no no no. This can not be happening." Paige said loudly as she stood up.
"Paige?" Walter said softly and reached out for her hand.
Paige yanked her hand away from him.
"Oh gawd, it was you wasn't it?" Paige said with fear on her face.
"It was me what?" Walter asked.
"Paige? You okay kid?" Cabe asked as he stood up.
Paige began pacing back and forth along the side of Walter's bed as the memories of that day came rushing back at her.
"This really can't be happening. I mean, I was so drunk I barely recall what happened. But, now, it seems to be clearer than before. Maybe I am just projecting. Yes, that is what is happening. I'm just projecting." Paige muttered as she paced.
"Paige? Projecting what?" Walter asked.
"There is no way it could have been you. Just no way. The odds would have to be astronomical." Paige said.
"Kid, your words and how you are acting is causing us concern." Cabe told her.
Paige turned and sat back down and looked at Walter.
"Were there any pictures in this room?" Paige asked.
Walter frowned as he tried to recall the memory.
"There was this floor to ceiling lamp pole that had these ugly colored panels hanging off of it with lights inside of it. And there was a picture of a lighthouse on the left wall as you were looking out the door." Walter told her.
"Oh my gawd, how is this possible?" Paige fretted. "Wait, if this is true. Do you remember any marks or anything on my body?" Paige asked, peering at him as if to see if she could read his mind.
Walter slowly nodded.
"You have a delightful mole just behind your left ear." Walter smiled.
Paige's hand came up to her mouth as she stared at him.
"Oh my gawd, this can't be happening." Paige almost cried.
"Paige, talk to me. Why is my remembering our first time together bothering you so much?" Walter asked.
Paige shook her head.
"Walter, what you are remembering. I used to have a mole behind my left ear. But it was removed in 2010. I never told you about it. How could you know this?" Paige swallowed. "Walter, if true, and it seems that it is, this event took place a long time ago. I'd mostly blocked what I remembered of it out a long time ago. This is back in March 2005."
Walter frowned.
"But you said I'm thirty three and we've been together for a year. That means we're way past 2010, let alone 2005. How can I have a memory of us, of us making love from 2005?" Walter asked.
Greetings! I hope this finds you all well! Well the muse has certainly been talking lately. lol I now have 3 stories, mostly done for my "I Only State Facts" storyline. The 1st is a one shot chapter "Losses & Gaines" based on Arrivals and Departures, the 2nd will either be a 1 or maybe a 2 chapter story "Ja-boo-tae" based on Djibouti Call. The 3rd is 3 chapters with 1 more to write "Displaced" takes place over the summer break of the show between S2 and S3. I've also written chapter 8 for this story and poor Walter is really in a pickle. Not sure when they will be posted, I'll probably post them one after the other. So probably after the next break of Callan. I had an idea for another story but found out that it had already been done by Pyramids so I probably won't pursue it.
Railman - Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed Allie being the supporting partner for Cabe! Yep, he definitely had something to say. hehe And you are exactly right about Walter and the feelings he had. They change somewhat come chapter 7. hehe Yeah, adolescence hormones indeed have come a knocking on poor Walter. lol
Momentum262 - Thank you! So glad you are enjoying it! I really agree with that, my very first story was about that trauma forcing changes to Walter emotionally. It is having a completely different effect in this story. But I better stop before I reveal too much. lol
Guest - Thank you! I try not too, just have to wait every other day for the story. Not bad, not as good as they old Batman TV show of the 60's with a new 30 minute episode every week day, advising the viewer to tune in the next day at the same Bat-Time on the same Bat-Channel! I'm sure if Franxine is reading this, she is right there with you on Toby!
Margaret - Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it! As Railman said, Walter's "youthful" mind has picked up on subconscious feelings about Toby, but without the context of his memories he's translated it into a type of fear of him.
Susan - Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it! Yep, Papa Bear Cabe was out and about town and he wasn't taking no prisoners! hehe Yeah, it hasn't completely hit Walter yet, possibly the only good about his current condition he's really fixated on Paige and Ralph, but you just know at the wrong time something with Megan is going to burst the dam! Yep, cheap pun to that episode! lol I'm sure Franxine is right there with you, doing a jig at what happened with Toby! lol
Well, before I sign off, I'm sure you see where this part of the story is headed huh? lol Next chapter lots going on! Be here Thursday for another thrilling chapter! lol
To the Adventure! -Tim
