A/N: Hey all. Since it seems that chapter 4 was a little too Walter/Florence-heavy for people's tastes, I'm hurrying up and giving you all the next chapter to go into the weekend with. From here on, the chapters get around 1.5 to 2 times longer than the earlier ones, as we continue to build momentum in the narrative.

A note on Sylvester driving, since someone mentioned it in a review: We know that early on in the series, Sylvester didn't drive, and that phenomenal sequence with Ralph in the earthquake episode comes to mind immediately. Later on, however, that idea seemed to fall by the wayside. You'll remember that in the lighthouse episode in February, no one batted an eye when Sylvester said that he was taking Ralph and Patty to Kovelsky's. There wasn't any clarification that they would be taking public transportation or anything, and I took for granted that he must have started driving at some point. Given his talents, it would be very easy for him to learn to drive, and he would be a very careful and good driver, so I don't see why it couldn't have happened.

Since chapter 3 and this chapter are the only two times in my story where it ever comes up, it's not a huge issue for me, but if you feel that I should reupload chapter 3 with a quick explanation, such as that he learned to drive in anticipation of Toby and Happy being off for a while, knowing that it would be impractical for Paige to have to drive him everywhere that he couldn't reach with public transit, I can do that.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. And drink responsibly.

Disclaimer: CBS owns Scorpion.

Chapter 5: Team Cabe

This time, Walter lay awake in the early morning. Florence was still asleep, but her alarm would go off soon. This was the one morning of the week that she had an alarm set, because she had her Tae Bo class.

He chuckled silently to himself. In the early mornings, she focused on athletics, not research. He should probably do the same, but it wasn't who he was.

He thought about when she had first told him about the Tae Bo class, right before rappelling across the harpoon rope off of what she had referred to as the 'garbage raft.' Her performance had… impressed him, and it had been the first time in a long time that a woman other than Paige had impressed him in that way. While there hadn't been time at that moment to process the little bit of guilt that emerged, he had later felt the need to stare at Paige just a little longer than normal in order to tamp down that guilt. That had been after he had rescued Florence and they had gotten off of that boat.

He thought about how easily she had been able to joke about that occasion when they reconciled yesterday. It seemed to appropriately reflect how easy the reconciliation itself had been. With Paige, reconciling after arguments had never been so easy, because they were so different, and it had always required the extra effort to see where she was coming from. Florence was much more similar to him, and he could much more easily put himself in her shoes and recognize how his actions had upset her.

If, during his and Paige's relationship, Paige had abruptly shown up at the garage with Tim, even for an entirely platonic and necessary purpose, it certainly would have upset him.

He realized now that remembering Tim didn't upset him as much as it once had. Before he could ponder that, however, Florence's alarm went off.

She woke up immediately, and reached over to silence the offending noise.

He turned towards her. "Good morning."

"Good morning."

On impulse, he leaned over and kissed her.

"What was that for?"

He shrugged. "Just an impulse."

She smiled, then kissed him back. Just as the kiss started to deepen, however, she pulled away. "Don't make me late." She got up from the bed, glancing over at the nightstand where their phones lay. "You have a text from Toby."


When Walter arrived at Toby and Happy's apartment, Sylvester was already there. The three of them sat in the kitchen, with Maria sitting on Toby's lap. Walter leaned against the counter, looking at them warily.

"How's Cabe?" Sylvester asked.

"That's unclear. He's taking a few days off, at Paige's recommendation."

"What happened to Cabe?" Happy asked, her frown immediate.

Walter filled them in.

"Okay, you could have come to me in lieu of Paige," said Toby. "I mean, I understand why you went to her first, but, just saying."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… I just…"

"I know, you thought of her first. You always do, and you always should."

"I… what?"

"And I agree with the recommendation of him taking a few days off. The guy needs to figure out where he stands with things, and that will be a lot easier to do without him being surrounded by the likes of us. But what about Allie?"

"He told her that he's going on a job and will be out of contact, and Paige wants me and Florence to corroborate that if Allie asks us."

"Okay, that part I don't agree with."

"Nor do I," added Sylvester.

"Yeah, Florence doesn't either. And I… Well, you know how I feel about dishonesty, but… it's for Cabe."

Toby shook his head. "Except now there's no version of this where Allie doesn't come out hurting, and she doesn't deserve that."

Walter didn't want to think about that. His primary concern was Cabe, and while he didn't want Allie to get hurt, he had to do whatever it might take for Cabe to be alright.

"Happy," Sylvester asked quietly, "are you okay?"

Happy was leaning forward and looking at the ground. Her face showed anger, but she was one to replace sadness with anger on instinct. "It's not fair. They both deserve to be happy, and they were very happy together."

"I know, love," said Toby. "But happiness alone doesn't make a marriage work. They can't enter a marriage wanting different things in the future."

"Are you seriously telling me how marriage works right now?"

"Nope, no, not at all." Toby quickly looked down at their daughter, gently tickling her belly. She laughed and grabbed onto his hand. "I think Paige might be a little off her game. Lying to Allie was not the best way to go here."

"You think Cabe should have told her the truth, that he needed a few days away from her to think?" Happy asked.

"She's a smart woman, and marriage is a big deal. I think she would have understood."

"If you had abruptly needed a few days away from me before we got married, I would have panicked a little bit."

"Well, we spent a good portion of our engagement in mortal danger, so the circumstances were different. But there were moments of doubt. Remember the debacle with the Mars biodome?"

"Yeah, never forgetting that. And the bicker clicker."

Toby chuckled. "That was stupid. But I also process emotions more quickly than Cabe does, so I would never have needed a few days. And what would you have done if I came back from those three days and everything was fine?"

"I would have kissed you until it hurt."

"You know, I like the sound of that. Maybe I should book a few days away."

"If you do that while we're here with Maria, you'll be leaving without your testicles."

Sylvester blanched. "Uh, guys…"

"The point is, if Cabe had come back and decided he wanted to be with Allie, everything would have been fine. But now he's lied to her, and that's always going to be there."

"Especially if she finds out about it," said Happy. She looked up at Walter. "Make sure that doesn't happen."

Part of Walter's mind was still trying to process Toby's suggestion that Paige might be… off her game, as he had put it. Why would she be? "Why do you think Paige might be a little off her game?"

Toby gave him a knowing look. "Gee, can't imagine why that part stuck in your head." Maria grabbed onto his thumb, and he looked back down at her. "Paige should have known better."

Surprisingly, Sylvester weighed in. "Yesterday was the first time you and she talked since… in a long time. Maybe she was… a little too focused on it."

"If she had negative recollections of what happened with your relationship in mind, she was more likely to suggest faulty relationship advice that might have a similarly negative impact on Cabe's relationship. You lied to her, ergo she recommended that Cabe lie to Allie."

Walter frowned. He didn't like that this had suddenly become about his failed relationship with Paige.

"She hasn't been at her best these past few months."

"She's certainly been getting you guys plenty of jobs."

"I mean on the social translating front. Not that she's needed as much for that now as she was a few years ago, but she's definitely been a little more inclined towards deception lately."

"Which has had its useful moments," said Happy.

"Her mother would agree with you."

Walter immediately shook away the thought of Veronica. Paige was never going to be like her.

"Well, maybe now that you guys are talking again…" said Sylvester.

"We had one conversation, and it was about Cabe and you guys."

"And one conversation can lead to others. The point is, now's our chance to start bringing Scorpion back together. Before you sell to Elia."

"Yeah, Walt, go with the age-old advice on that one: Just say no."

"It will be easier for him to do that if there's another prospect for financial security on the horizon. Namely, reuniting Scorpion."

Happy nodded. "Yeah, it's time to get the band back together. Or at least try to."

Sylvester rubbed his hands together. "It's time to begin Operation Reunite Scorpion."

"Yeah, we're not calling it that," said Toby. "What about Operation… Cyclone Repair."

"Really, Doc, that's the best you could do?"

"On short notice. Give me some time."

"Guys, I… I really want to agree with you, but…" Walter kept thinking about how curt Paige had been with him. "She's still really upset."

"Hey, one conversation is the start of the road to redemption, buddy."

"And you and Paige don't have to get back together to reunite Scorpion," said Happy. "You just have to be friends again."

"Do you think that can happen?"

She hesitated. "We'll see."

"Well, after the first conversation comes the second one," said Toby. "Maybe give it a few days, see what happens with Cabe first."

"If Cabe and Allie split, we have to do something for him," said Happy. "All of us."

"I think that something is going to have to involve a lot of booze."

"For him, yes. For you, no."

"I know, love. That's what I meant." He looked up at Walter. "In the meantime, you maybe want to reevaluate things with Florence. If she means a lot to you, I get it. If not, she's only going to be a hinderance in doing what needs to be done."

Walter didn't want that part to come. He… "Scorpion could use a chemist. We needed one a few times in the past year."

"We got by for over three years without one," said Happy. "And we definitely don't need that one."

Walter was bothered by the comment, but he withheld a retort. Antagonizing Happy was the last thing he should be doing right now. "I… Fine, I'll… reevaluate." He didn't want to, but he could at least tell them he would.

Maria looked up at him, and he watched as the infant observed him. He wondered what she was thinking.

"Oops," said Toby, looking down at her. "Smells like someone needs a change. It's your turn, sweetie."

Happy stood and took Maria from him.

"'I should get going," said Sylvester, also standing. "Have to leave for Mexico soon."

"Mexico?"

"Don't forget the drone specs," Happy called as she carried Maria out of the room.

Sylvester patted his pocket. "Yup, I've got them."

"Drone specs?"

"Sorry, Walt. Classified," said Toby. Carson had made a point of adding a clause in their contracts forbidding them from sharing information with each other about their classified missions. Walter was pretty sure that Carson's sole objective with that clause was to be even more of a jerk, since they all had the same classification level.

Walter sighed. "Alright." It had been a long time since he had gotten a job from Homeland.

Once Happy and Sylvester were both gone, Toby stood and approached Walter. "Listen, Walt, about Florence…"

"I… Toby, I can't have that conversation right now."

"Alright. Just know, the longer you drag it out, the more painful it's gonna be."

Walter knew that. He didn't want to hurt her. "Yeah, I should also get going."

"Busy day ahead?"

"No." Walter turned and left the kitchen, heading for the door.

"Let us know as soon as Cabe is back."

"I will."


All of Walter's hoping that Allie wouldn't show up and ask about Cabe was for naught. She showed up that afternoon, while he and Florence were at the garage. "Hi."

"Hello, Walter, Florence. How are you?"

"We're alright. How are you?"

"Well, that depends. Where is Cabe?"

"He's on a job."

"A classified job?"

"Yes."

Allie sighed. "Something was wrong when he called me yesterday. He was… scared or something. He's never sounded like that, and you've been in plenty of scary situations. Is he in a lot of danger?"

"I assure you, he's perfectly safe."

Allie looked down. "There's something else, too. When I told him I love him, he didn't say it back. He always says it back."

Walter wasn't sure what to say to that. His most sympathetic response would be to assure Allie that Cabe did love her, but he wasn't sure he should say that. If Cabe was about to break up with her, that might not be the right thing to say right now.

"He was in a hurry," Florence said quickly.

Allie looked over at her. "Alright. Well, if you hear anything from him, please let me know. Let me know anything you can."

"We will," said Walter.

Allie turned and headed for the door. Before she reached it, she turned and looked back at him, but then she continued on and left.

Walter allowed himself to acknowledge the knot that had formed in his gut. The look she had given him before leaving imprinted itself on his mind. She'd had such a tragic expression on her face, and he wondered if she hadn't believed what they told her.

"That sucked," said Florence. She was looking down at her desk.

"Yes, it did."

"I need to… excuse me." She stood and ran over to the stairs, then up them.

Walter waited only a second before going after her. Hearing the door to the roof open, he continued upwards until he was standing behind her again. She was standing still, hugging her arms to her body. "Florence?"

She turned to him, looking like she was about to cry. Then she jogged back over and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

He hugged her back, surprised by how affected she was. It had certainly felt terrible lying to Allie, and she hadn't liked the idea from the start, but her reaction seemed… prodigious.

"Please don't do that to me."

"What?"

"You were at Toby and Happy's for a while this morning, and… I know you're not going to be happy again until Scorpion is back together." She lifted her head and looked up at him, her eyes pleading. "They're never going to forgive me, are they? I caused all of this." She looked away again. "And I prepared myself, because eventually you would try to rebuild Scorpion, and that might mean I would have to go, and I didn't think I would… I thought…" She started to break down. "I didn't think I would be this happy with you."

Now he was beginning to understand. She was putting two and two together the same way that Toby and Happy were, concluding that she would get in the way of Scorpion reuniting.

"I braced myself, fortified myself against the possibility of you feeling like you would have to choose. Of course you would choose them, they're your family. I was prepared for it, but then…" She looked up at him again, halting a tear atop each cheek. "We've been wonderful together. More than I thought we would be."

Walter agreed with that. He had never expected to be this happy with their relationship. He badly wanted Scorpion back together, but now he realized that he wanted to find any way he could possibly make that happen without having to say goodbye to Florence.

To be sure, he didn't love her yet like he had loved Paige, but he was steadily growing fonder of her, and their relationship worked much more easily than his and Paige's ever had.

"Florence, I can't say for sure what's going to happen, but just know that I'm going to do whatever I can to avoid having to make that choice. I'm also a lot happier with you than I ever thought I would be, and I don't want to lose you. I'm confident that I can bring Scorpion back together without us having to break up."

His words visibly cheered her up. He didn't feel as confident as he had indicated, but the white lie came easily after just having had the conversation with Allie.

She leaned up and kissed him soundly. "I'm holding you to that."


As it turned out, the conversation with Allie was probably the last one they would ever have. Cabe broke up with her before he returned to the garage, and he arrived with tear-stained cheeks. Walter had never been able to envision the Homeland agent crying, and the sight made his heart want to drop through the floor.

He immediately contacted Sylvester and Toby. Sylvester and Paige arrived first from their office, and Toby and Happy arrived shortly thereafter with Maria and a large bottle of scotch. "Alright, we brought the baby and the booze," said Toby, setting the bottle down on Cabe's desk as Happy parked Maria's stroller right beside Cabe's chair. "Something's gonna cheer this man up."

Walter went into the kitchen to retrieve glasses and ice, and Florence followed him in there. "Maybe I should stay in here," she suggested.

"No, I don't think that would be best. This is for Cabe, and you're part of his family, too."

"Okay, but I'm definitely having a glass of that scotch." She took two of the glasses from him and left the kitchen, and he saw Paige glance at her as she approached Cabe's desk.

"You guys are too much, really," said Cabe, as Walter set the remaining glasses on the desk and Toby began pouring.

Happy retrieved Maria from the stroller and knelt down beside Cabe. "Say hi to grandpa." Maria was looking at everyone in turn, her eyes refusing to settle on anyone until they found Toby.

"Grandpa?" Cabe muttered. "I thought you were trying to make me feel better." But there was a small smile on his face as he watched Maria look around. "May I?"

"No scotch while you're holding the baby."

Cabe faltered for a moment, but then reached for her. As Happy handed her over, he set her down on his lap, and she looked up at him.

"Alright, who's getting the first glass then?" said Toby, lifting the first glass he had poured. "Not gramps."

"Here," said Paige, reaching for it. Toby handed it to her, and she took a sizable sip.

Florence took the second glass, and Toby glanced at Walter.

In the end, Sylvester wound up holding the baby, since he was the only one who didn't have any scotch. He sat down at Toby's old desk and placed her in his lap, holding her up with one hand and clutching his sanitizer with the other.

Cabe was already on his second glass by the time Walter was halfway through his first. Walter hadn't planned to have any, but Toby had insisted, and Cabe had followed up with his own insistence. "Walter, have a damn drink." Walter had quickly taken the offered glass, fully intending to nurse it for a while, but the more Paige glanced at Florence, who was standing close to his side, the more he felt like he needed the alcohol after all.

A little while later, Walter found himself sitting at his desk. Toby and Happy had pulled over chairs on either side of Cabe and were keeping the tipsy agent laughing as much as they could, and Walter had decided to get out of the way for a little bit. He sat back and looked around the garage, seeing all of the former members of Scorpion back where they belonged. It was a satisfying sight, even if the reason why they were all there was heartbreaking.

Paige brought her chair over and sat down beside him. "How are you?"

He stared at her for a moment, not quite believing that she was talking to him. Then he realized that she was on her second glass of scotch. "I'm… okay, all things considered. How are you?"

"I'm… ditto." She glanced at her watch. "Ralph will be here soon. A friend's mom is driving him over."

Walter smiled, eager to see Ralph. He saw Paige watch his reaction.

"You're happy with her, aren't you?"

"Huh?" Walter utterly failed to process the sudden change of subject.

"Florence. You're happy with her."

Walter followed her gaze over to Florence, who was sitting at her own desk and watching them. He did his best to give her a reassuring look. Then he looked back at Paige, who was now watching him again.

"Well, are you?"

"She isn't you, if that's what you're asking."

"That's not what I'm asking."

Walter lifted his glass, then realized that it was empty. "Yes, I'm… I'm happy with her."

"Okay."

He looked at her again. "Okay?"

She took a sip of her scotch, and gave a small shrug as she did so. He didn't know what to make of the gesture, but afterwards they fell into a silence that didn't feel wholly uncomfortable, watching as Sylvester showed Maria images of Super Fun Guy on his phone.

Ralph arrived shortly thereafter, and he paused when he saw Walter and Paige sitting side-by-side. Walter saw a smile cross the boy's face, and worried that they were getting his hopes up. Standing, he quickly walked away from Paige and went to greet her son. "Hey, how was school?"

"Good." Ralph looked from him to Paige and back, then turned towards Cabe. "How is he?"

Cabe chuckled drunkenly at something that Toby said. "He'll be okay," said Walter. "You should go over and say hi."

"He looks intoxicated."

"He is."

Ralph frowned. Perhaps he needed to adjust to this new view of Cabe, who had often acted like a grandfather towards him over the past four years. At present, Cabe was anything but grandfatherly. Nor did he look like the tough agent that Ralph had gotten to know at other times.

Walter walked closer to Ralph and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Everyone has their bad days," he said quietly.

Ralph glanced at him, then slowly approached Cabe. "Agent Gallo?"

Cabe frowned at Ralph. "What are you doing addressing me like that, kid?" he barked. "I'm Cabe to you, you know that by now."

Ralph visibly relaxed at the more familiar harshness. "Just making sure you were still in there somewhere."

Cabe raised his eyebrows, his intoxicated mind unable to process what Ralph meant. Walter understood it.

"I'm really sorry about what happened."

"Don't mention it, kid."

Eventually, Toby and Happy took Maria home, and the others went up to the roof. Walter and Sylvester had to help Cabe up the stairs, and behind them, the women helped each other, watched warily by Ralph.

Cabe sat down heavily on the couch up there. "Man, I haven't had this much to drink since the night my divorce was finalized." He looked up at the stars. "At least it's not raining this time."

Ralph sat down beside him, also looking up. "Yeah, you can see a lot of constellations tonight."

"Constellations? I just see stars, kid."

"Right." Ralph glanced at Walter, then got up from the couch. His mother and Florence quickly plopped down where he had been sitting. Florence giggled a little as she wound up sitting slightly on top of Paige.

"You know, Allie was a wonderful woman," said Cabe, still staring at the stars. "I hope she has a really nice family someday. But every time she talked about having kids, all I could think about was Amanda. Hell, even when I look at Toby and Happy's adorable little girl, I still see Amanda."

Paige leaned her head on his shoulder. "You're always going to miss her. But you have your family all around you right now. Well, except for the ones who already went home."

"You just make sure you always hold on to that kid of yours, and don't ever let go. Never let him go."

"Great, I don't need her to be even more overprotective of me," Ralph muttered, so that only Walter could hear.

"She might not even remember this conversation tomorrow."

"I heard that, Walter. And you're wrong." She turned to Florence. "Florence, tell your boyfriend that we are not all that drunk right now."

"My boyfriend…"

"Yes. He's not my boyfriend anymore, he's yours now. So, you tell him."

Florence's eyes widened, and she seemed to have a lucid moment where she realized whom she was practically leaning against on the couch. She sat up a little straighter, and looked at Walter with an unreadable expression.

"This just got awkward," Ralph muttered.

"Just?"

Ralph turned to Sylvester. "You can drive us home tonight, right?"

"If your mom will let me drive her car."

"Tonight, it's not up to her."

"Um, yes, Ralph. It's my car."

"Sylvester's driving us, Mom."

"I didn't say that wasn't okay. But it's still my decision." Paige pointed one index finger at Ralph and the other at Walter. "Both of you boys need to stop underestimating me. I'm thirty-three years old and I can hold my booze."

Ralph shook his head and turned away from her, walking over to the telescope. Paige watched him go, then looked up at Walter and nodded after him. Walter turned and followed Ralph. "Are you okay?"

Ralph peered into the telescope. "I don't like seeing her when she's drunk."

"Why?"

The boy shrugged. "I guess it's a reminder of her weaknesses."

"Her weaknesses? Ralph, your mother is the strongest woman I know. And everyone has weaknesses."

"She was a lot stronger before you two broke up. Now she just…" Ralph stood straight and looked at him. "She tries to be like she was before, but she's not the same."

Walter looked over at her. She was looking at Cabe and talking quietly, probably doing her best to make him feel better. That was what she did. She still looked like the same person to him.

"Of course, it's even more disturbing seeing Cabe like this. He's… He doesn't seem like the same person at all."

"Well, he loved Allie. Breakups hurt everyone, no matter how strong they might be."

"Maybe I just shouldn't date anyone after all." Ralph turned back to the telescope.

"Well, it took me a while to learn to enjoy dating, and to feel that it was worth the possibility of rejection or eventual heartbreak. But I'm sure you'll meet a girl whom you'll want to spend more time around."

"That's just a crush. I've had those. Dating is a whole different thing."

"Well, it starts with a crush."

"It has to be a mutual crush. I haven't had one of those yet."

"You will. Some girl is going to be absolutely blown away by your intelligence, and is going to want to get to know you better because of it."

"Is that how your first relationship started?"

"It is."

"How old were you?"

"Seventeen."

Ralph grimaced. "So, it's still a few years off for me."

"It might happen sooner for you. You're also a very handsome kid."

"Thanks, Walt."

"But if it doesn't, that's okay. Just keep prioritizing your studies. This is the age to learn everything you can."

Ralph nodded, then looked at him. "Your EQ is higher when you've had some alcohol, isn't it?"

Walter chuckled. "Yes, I've found that to be the case. It helps when preparing to ask women out. Not that you should start drinking alcohol."

"Just don't have any Long Island Iced Teas."

Walter blanched. "I thought we were never mentioning that again."

Ralph laughed. "Sorry, I had to." He looked back over at his mother. "Florence disappeared."

Walter looked over, and saw that Florence was indeed no longer on the couch. "I'll be right back." Heading inside, he went to his bedroom, where he found Florence lying on the bed, awake. "Florence?"

Florence looked at him. "Hi. You remembered I was here."

"How could I forget?" He went over and sat on the bed, looking down at her. "Are you okay?"

"You were… with your family." She reached out and wrapped her hand around his wrist, holding tightly.

"You're part of that family."

"No I'm not. I… I sat next to the woman you loved… and… she… still loves you."

Walter felt like his lungs were starting to harden. "Did she say that?"

"When you were with Ralph at the telescope, Cabe told her to look over at you. That you two were her family, the boys she loves."

Walter felt his skin start to chill, although her hand was warm around his wrist. "What did she say?"

"Nothing. She just stared at you." A tear slipped down onto Florence's nose, and she released his wrist. "Can I have some water, please?"

"Yes." Walter immediately went to retrieve a glass of water. When he returned, he found her sitting up.

"Thanks." She took the water and drank, then looked at him. "You should go be with them."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm going to sleep."

"Okay. I… um…" He decided he should kiss her, hoping it would make her feel better. As he did so, she curled her hand across the back of his head, momentarily deepening the kiss. Then she released him. "Sleep well."

"Thanks."

He got up and left, shutting the door, then stood there for a moment. He needed a moment to calm himself, but he couldn't get out of his head the fact that Paige hadn't denied loving him. Finally accepting that the fact was just going to sit there in his mind, he returned to the roof.

Cabe was now asleep on the couch, and Ralph and Sylvester were trying to decide what to do with him. "Just let him sleep there," said Paige. "You won't be able to move him, and it's a comfortable couch."

"He's going to be very uncomfortable in the morning if he sleeps in a suit," said Sylvester.

"Believe me, he won't even notice that over the hangover that he's going to have." Paige seemed like she had sobered up a little bit. She started to stand, reaching out for Walter's hand, and he helped her. "Lay him down so he's on his side."

Sylvester and Ralph did so.

Paige didn't let go of Walter's hand, but she turned to the others. "We should go home."

Ralph nodded, his eyes falling to the joined hands. Walter anticipated that he would smile again, but he didn't. He probably understood that the hand-holding was just a result of his mother's lingering intoxication.

Sylvester and Ralph led the way inside and down the stairs. "Help me," Paige whispered, her hand rising to Walter's shoulder. Walter helped her down the stairs, holding onto her tightly. When they reached the bottom, her hand briefly crossed the back of his neck, and then she pulled away. "Thank you."

Walter walked them out to the car. Ralph helped his mother in, and then turned and waved. "Goodnight."

Walter waved back. "Goodnight." He waited until they were already well down the street, and then went back inside.

Climbing the stairs, he opened the door to his bedroom as quietly as he could. Florence was sound asleep, the empty glass on the nightstand. Walter took the glass and returned it to the sink, then drank some water himself. Afterwards, he brushed his teeth and returned to the bedroom.

He started to undress, then realized that if he tried to get under the covers, he risked rolling her right off the bed, since she had fallen asleep on top of them. Sighing, he simply took off his shoes and belt, then lay down beside her.

It had been a confusing night, but alcohol seemed to create those as often as it created pleasant ones. The skin on the back of his neck tingled where Paige had touched it. He knew he was going to dream about her tonight, which wouldn't help matters.

At least the occasion had seemed to serve its purpose. Cabe seemed to feel better when everyone was there.

He tried to quiet his mind, listening to the rhythmic sound of Florence's breathing. Eventually, he must have succeeded.