Paige had been in such a better mood after her conversation with Happy late last evening. She hadn't even noticed how much quieter that Walter had been. She didn't miss his attention. He still tenderly cared for her as he always did. He even made gentle love to her before they'd fallen asleep.

Slowly her eyes opened as the light of the sun reflected off of different angles and struck her face. Something about 9:23 in the morning, the time adjusted for the Earth's orbit, caused one of the sun's rays to ricochet around until it entered through the side of the room closest to the ramp and would strike her face while lying on her left side.

She groaned as she closed her eyes and brought the blanket over her head. A moment later her eyes snapped open. Why hadn't Walter awakened her earlier? Just then she heard the bedroom door open as Walter walked into the room. "Paige, love, it's almost 9:30. We have our appointment with Dr. Rizzuto at 11:00."

Paige rolled to her right as she pulled the blanket down. She smiled. "Good morning Walter, my love, my heart. Thank you for letting me sleep in."

Walter smiled. "You're welcome. Did you want me to fix you something to eat before I go back to work?"

Paige shook her head. "I can fix something after my shower. But you can give me a kiss."

Walter nodded with a grin and stepped over to the side of the bed. His right knee came up and pushed into the mattress as he leaned in and kissed her tenderly before slapping her butt.

Paige growled at Walter and he just chuckled as he walked out closing the door behind him. He bounded down the stairs and Cabe gestured towards the kitchen. Walter nodded as he saw Sylvester lost in some calculations Walter had asked him to run on the modification for Richard's new rocket engine design. He followed after Cabe and watched as Cabe refilled his cup with coffee. "How are you doing after your realization last night?"

Walter rocked his hand back and forth. "For now I'm okay. I haven't said anything and tried to act normal. Fortunately Happy called and talked with Paige for a good while last night and she was in a real bubbly mood. I don't think she realized how I was feeling. I had a very weird dream last night. At first I was worried I'd wake Paige with it."

Cabe frowned as he nodded. "Well don't count on that lasting long. She knows emotions and you might be trying to hide yours but they are pretty clear. Or maybe just because I know how hurt you are I can see it easier."

Walter nodded. "I don't know if I can tell Dr. Rizzuto the truth Cabe. I feel like a dam within me will bust if I say or do anything about it."

Cabe nodded as he gave Walter a half heart smile of support. He reached out and clapped his shoulder. "I know son. But you need to do something or you've got to talk to someone who is wiser than I am about it. What about this dream?"

Walter swallowed hard. "I-I'm not sure I can tell you Cabe."

Cabe reached out and took the back of Walter's neck into his hand and squeezed. "Walter, son, you mean as much to me as any son ever could. You need someone to talk to about this if you aren't going to talk to Paige or Dr. Rizzuto then talk to me. Tell me about this dream."

Walter teared up a bit and swallowed hard. "I-I was tied up naked and under some kind of spotlight. I could hear breathing, possibly two people, maybe more. I could feel stares and then I saw a feminine looking hand reach into the light the closer it got the more of her arm I saw. The fingers closed around my." Walter swallowed hard as he stumbled in his words. "Manhood." He finally got out.

Cabe saw his cheeks growing redder and he squeezed his neck a bit tighter and released it without removing his hand. He hoped it helped to encourage him.

Walter nodded. "I-I tried to resist but the hand was skilled even as its twin came out and began playing with my...scrotum. And then the body of the person whose hands were playing with me came into the light. She was wearing a red hooded robe. It had a deep cowl that was pulled up and with the light in my eyes I couldn't see who it was."

"I struggled but the bonds were too strong and yet strangely every struggle against them seemed to cause my heart to hurt. I didn't understand it. And then as I grew erect another figure stepped out into the light. This one was a bit shorter than the one playing with me. She was wearing a black robe similar to the red one. I shook my head and cried no. But she climbed up on the table I was restrained against and I saw the first one was nodding her head."

"The second woman made her way up my body until we were face to face but I couldn't see her face she had some kind of Halloween mask on."

"Someone had on a Halloween mask? Who had a Halloween mask on at this time of year?" Sylvester asked as he came walking on into the kitchen.

"No one Sly, some advertisement Walter saw that came up on one of his web pages last night." Cabe covered for Walter as he had almost spun around the other way.

"I-I need to go to the bathroom anyway." Walter mumbled as he hurriedly left the kitchen.

"Oh I hate when that happens. I mean I get it, content providers have to pay bills and show trailers can help with that but sometimes they are really off with what a person likes." Sylvester said as he ignored Walter leaving and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and walked back to his desk.


By the time Walter came out of the restroom Paige was already downstairs and had greeted Cabe and Sylvester pleasantly before she sat down at her desk and dug into her files to kind of catch up on where they were since she hadn't been down there for three days.

Walter stepped up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders before he bent over and kissed the side of her neck.

Paige grinned and winked at him as she tilted her head back at him.

Walter kissed her lips and as he stepped back for some reason for a split second he saw Paige wearing a red robe like from his dream. Walter closed his eyes and shook his head before he opened them again but saw Paige scooting back in her chair to get up. "I guess catching up can wait until this afternoon now. Would you like to have lunch before or after our appointment?"

"After the appointment, since you just ate, if that is okay with you." Walter smiled.

Paige nodded and grabbed her purse before she linked her hand into his arm and they left the Garage.

"I'm so glad Paige is feeling better." Sylvester told Cabe as they watched them both leave.

Cabe just nodded.

Dr. Rizzuto looked out and saw Walter sitting with Paige and he smiled at the change in Paige but his eyes narrowed as he took in Walter's countenance and body language and his smile slipped down into a more neutral expression. "Walter, Paige two of my favorite geniuses get in here and grab some couch." They both looked up and saw he had that over large smile as he stared welcomingly towards them.

They both stood and Paige linked her hand back around Walter's arm and while Walter didn't pull or shy away, nonetheless Dr. Rizzuto noticed a slight change to his normal posture when Paige touched him. He stepped out to the left of his door so they could walk straight in. "How are you kids doing?" Dr. Rizzuto asked as he walked in behind them closing the door behind him.


Paige grinned as she turned and sat down first and she watched as Walter sat next to her. "I'm doing so much better Dr. Thanks to my son calling Toby Wednesday evening Happy went to Cabe and told him everything and then he had a talk with Toby and set him straight on a few things and told Happy to call me last night. Then he came over and talked with me while Walter was picking up our son from Caltech. While it was so embarrassing it was also such a huge weight off of me. And it only got better after Happy called. Walter was such a dear and gave me the time to talk with her before he joined me in bed."

Dr. Rizzuto nodded the whole time as he poured a tea. "That is wonderful Paige I am so glad that happened then. Would either of you like a tea or water or anything?"

"No thank you Dr." Paige told him.

"A bottle of water would be nice." Walter said softly.

Dr. Rizzuto looked over at him with a smile and nodded before he opened the mini fridge and got him a bottle. He handed it to him as he passed by the coffee table and sat down in his favorite chair.

Dr. Rizzuto decided not to say anything he wanted to see where Walter was willing to go on his own so he mainly interacted with Paige as they discussed everything as it happened. His eyes flickered quickly to look at Walter whenever Paige wasn't looking at him and he jolted down every piece of body language from him. Finally after about fifty minutes of talking with Paige he looked pointedly at Walter.

"I've got to say Walter you are certainly quieter today. How are you doing?" Dr. Rizzuto asked as he leaned forward putting his elbows on his wide spread knees.

Walter forced a smile even as he wiped for the fifth time the sweat from his brow. "I'm doing well Dr. Thank you for asking. A bit of a time crunch on a project has had me a bit distracted."

"Really?" Dr. Rizzuto asked but the way he did told Paige he clearly didn't believe him.

"You didn't tell me about any problems Walter. What job are you having an issue with?" Paige ran her left hand along his left forearm even as her right hand tightened its grip on his bicep.

"T-T-the control software for the new engine design has been p-p-problematic. Sly hasn't been able to give me the new algorithm yet so I can reprogram it properly." Walter smiled at Paige.

Paige frowned. "Walter, why are you stuttering?"

"That is a very good question Paige. Is there something else that is bothering you that maybe we can try and work on in the few minutes remaining?" Dr. Rizzuto asked as he purposely clapped his hands together loudly.

Walter nearly shot up off the couch he tried to recover but he was half way up already so he pretended to stretch before he sat back down. "I think I am okay Dr."

Dr. Rizzuto nodded with his lower lip pushed out further than normal. "I see, and have you given any further thought to seeing my friend for private counseling?"

Walter nodded. "I have but I don't think so. Thank you for the suggestion. I might just wait until Toby comes back and schedule some talk time with him."

"Really, now that is very interesting. You don't think there is a conflict of interest with Toby and do you really think you can trust him?" Dr. Rizzuto asked.

Walter shook his head. "I don't see why it would be a conflict of interest and if I can't trust Toby what is the point in him working for me?"


Paige frowned. "Walter, what is going on? Something is not right with you. I'm not sure what it is but Dr. Rizzuto is right. Please, be honest with us. We promised open and honest communication."

Walter shook his head. "I just had a bad dream last night and it has been a bit harder to put behind me then normal is all."

Dr. Rizzuto nodded. "Well that is understandable. Do you often have bad dreams?"

Walter shook his head.

"How do you put them behind you?" Dr. Rizzuto asked.

Walter shrugged. "I replay them and I make small changes to it as it replays, I'll do it several times until the final version is completely different and then I'll play it over and over again. Because of my eidetic memory it doesn't always work but most times it does. Fortunately I don't often have them."

"So I suppose sharing this dream with us now would hurt the process you do to expunge bad dreams?" Dr. Rizzuto looked at him and kind of nodded his head.

Walter nodded. "It doesn't do well for the process no."

Dr. Rizzuto pulled the business card of his friend out of his pocket. "I'm going to reiterate that you need to call my friend and go see her. Just go talk to her one time for me, for Paige. Perhaps you will like her and want to discuss what has happened to you. It couldn't hurt right? If it is money I'll call her and have your first meeting as a profession courtesy."

Walter looked up at him. "It isn't about money Dr."

"Well good then that settles it, I will make an appointment for you to go see her." Paige told him as she took the card from Dr. Rizzuto.

Dr. Rizzuto smiled. "Well I think that works out for all of us then. And Walter if for any reason you need to talk to someone, no matter time or day here is my private number. Call me."

Walter stared at his hand holding the card out towards and then Paige reached out and took the card. "That is very kind of Dr. Rizzuto isn't it Walter."

Walter nodded. "Thank you Dr. Rizzuto."

Dr. Rizzuto smiled. "Do you have any plans?"

Paige smiled. "We'll be at the Hoover Dam Sunday to conduct tests for Homeland."

Dr. Rizzuto smiled. "Sounds like a good time if maybe a bit boring."

Paige smiled as she rolled her eyes. "Well since Happy and Toby won't be there I'm not sure boring is the right word. Sometimes our cases go sideways when we're all there. Now we're going to be doing this which is seriously Happy territory without her so I expect the wheels to fall off."

Dr. Rizzuto laughed. "I like that. Okay kids, have a good time and get on out of here."

Paige linked her hand to Walter's arm as they left his office and walked out to Paige's car. "It was a smart idea driving my car today. We've been using your car so much she needed to be driven."

"She?" Walter asked puzzled.

Paige laughed as she nodded. "My Dad always referred to his cars as female, I guess it stuck with me. Does that bother you?"

Walter shook his head with a smile.


Greetings! Hope everyone is well! I'm posting early today as I have a number of appointments at the VA this afternoon. I don't have time to go through the few comments to last chapter so, hope I can catch up with it on chapter 17!

To the Adventure! -Tim