After the crash that put Walter back in the hospital and with Sylvester's help. Toby spent the last two weeks pouring over the credit charges Walter had run up over the last couple of years. He then began hacking into a number of the establishments that were likely places he'd taken a date. Thirty seven point eighty seven percent of the videos from places that had video feeds he could search were with Happy on his arm. In fact he never saw any other women in more than one video each. And every big Soiree, it was Happy with him. Not the other women he saw Walter with in other videos. In Toby's estimate, that fact elevated Happy's importance to Walter far above what he thought originally.
Toby shook his head. As backwards as Happy seemed, she had blended into each place as if she was born to that life. She'd been through this so much she was accustomed to it now. Her demeanor with Walter wasn't a surprise but the depth of Walter's feelings for Happy truly surprised him. He figured it would be nothing more than an infatuation level. Purely lust driven but that hadn't been the case at all. He swallowed hard as he recognized that Walter truly loved her. At least as far as Toby believed he could.
No matter where Walter was, Toby could tell he kept Happy on his radar. The few times it happened that someone approached Happy and got more than friendly towards her, Walter appeared there and the person almost immediately fled from Walter.
Toby knew that feeling. Walter had a side of him you didn't want to face. Just like he had provoked it from him a few weeks ago as Walter hugged Anthony.
In these public videos Walter was absolutely the soul of courtesy with Happy. Attentive, appreciative and inclusive. No one ignored her if she was standing with him. Walter constantly ensured she was acknowledged and respected by whoever they were with. And they were with many powerful people. From politicians to celebrities to the ultra rich, Walter had no problems putting any of them in the place he assigned them if they, in his opinion, disrespected Happy.
At first Toby speculated that it was purely a power play for him, but he came to understand that for Walter while ensuring she was respected, it was also a form of his torturing her. Happy didn't really enjoy the limelight, she'd have rather faded into the background. The worst of times was when someone, like a celebrity named Jake, had approached Happy when she wasn't with Walter and was hitting on her.
Walter had no sense of embarrassment of causing a scene in that respect, if at all. Walter could call all kinds of undue attention to something but it never phased him. Jake had stood his ground a bit longer than most. Walter and Jake were physically about the same size, but it wasn't Walter's size that intimidated people. And apparently Jake didn't know that side of Walter, yet.
He watched as a woman stepped up slightly behind Jake and whispered something. Toby had to run the footage a few times but finally made out something.
"If you value the life you live and getting films to star in, respect him and her, back off politely and quickly." The woman said even as she smoothly stepped on up and wrapped her arm around Jake's. She smiled at Walter and Happy. Her free hand drifted out in what was clear to Toby a fake feigning of respect as it touched Walter's hand. She talked to them for a moment like old friends before Jake apologized and then walked away with the woman. Toby realized the woman was Jake's sister Maggie.
Toby sat at his computer desk in his house every night. Pouring over all the footage, scribbling furiously as it played out as he built his profile on Walter and Happy's dynamic. He slowly came to realize Walter had been right, that it had been a good thing Happy broke things off before Walter told her it was over. At least now Happy had a chance to rebuild herself and make a life. Toby sighed as he finished the last of it. After making his final notes he knew he wasn't completely done with them, but without seeing how they interacted sexually he was sure his observations were only eighty five percent accurate.
He stared at what was left of Walter's laptop. He'd seen it go flying from the car and he went to Klemmer and claimed it in Homeland's name before bringing it home. The damage was extensive and he wasn't a hardware specialist. He really wanted to see the footage to complete his profile on them but that didn't seem like an option anymore.
Present day:
"Hey Drew." The larger man in a red jumpsuit greeted him as the guard escorted him to his cell.
"Do I know you?" Drew asked as he walked into his cell next to the man's.
"You might, but more importantly, I know you." The man grinned from his bunk.
"Don't piss him off." The guard whispered to Drew. "That's Brice Nelson, part of the Backhills gang." The guard nodded to the control room and the gate of Drew's cell shut. The guard turned and walked off.
"So how do you know me then?" Drew tried to front.
"Mutual acquaintance." Brice told him as he stood and stepped up to the bars between them.
"Oh yeah? Who is that?" Drew stepped up to the bars.
"A friend who did me a solid a few years ago that I need to pay back." Brice told him as one hand flashed through the bars and grabbed Drew's clothes. He yanked Drew up against the bars as his other hand shoved the shank deep into Drew's torso. Piercing his liver, Brice twisted the shank and the secondary blades pointing out from the sides of the shank sliced deep into his liver.
"Walter sends his best." Brice shoved Drew, hard, away from the bars and he staggered back and spun a couple of times before he collapsed.
Brice looked down and smiled. The shank he'd been supplied with did the job perfectly. The small shield that collapsed as it was pushed in, expanded and kept the blood from leaking out. It had kept the initial blood from splattering out before it went in. Brice watched him for several minutes and then stepped to the front bars and started waving.
"Yo guard, something is wrong with this guy!" Brice called out.
Paige stared at all the homes they drove past on their way to see the home Walter was offering her and Ralph. She couldn't imagine living in any of them and she was about to find out they weren't the nicer ones.
Walter pulled up in a rental car since his Jag only sat two.
"Hey Walter." Tom greeted him.
"Hey Tom. This is my good friend Paige and her son Ralph. They might be moving into my guest house." Walter told him.
"It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am." Tom greeted Paige. "If you do and when you have time please go to the security office to get ID photos taken and they can get you both entered into the system." Tom told them even as he gestured and the gate moved open.
"Thank you Tom." Paige smiled and then Walter took off.
Paige looked around as they passed fabulously looking home after fabulously looking home and she swallowed hard.
"I never would have dreamed we'd ever be living in a place like this." Paige said softly.
Walter grinned even as he began slowing to turn into his drive.
"Does that mean you are accepting my offer?" Walter teased.
"Like I said, I think I would be stupid if I didn't." Paige smiled.
"That branch of the drive goes to my main entrance in the back." Walter told her as he took a fork off the drive and went around the other way. He pulled up to the nice two story guest house and stopped. He held out a key ring with two keys. Paige stared at them and then the house. She reached out and took the keys with a shy smile.
"I have a lawn maintenance crew that comes out a few times a month but if there is something you would like done differently, they can help with that." Walter told her as they walked up to the front door.
"What do you think Ralph?" Paige asked as she smiled at Walter.
"Will we be living here?" Ralph asked.
"That is what Walter wants." Paige told him as she unlocked the door and then pushed in.
"I like it." Ralph nodded as they walked inside.
Paige froze as she entered and saw the furnishings. She might not have ever dreamed of living in the homes they passed but clearly she had "window shopped" a lot of the furnishings.
"I had once set this up in case Megan and Mark ever broke up. But as time passed it became clear their love would only continue to grow. I had been thinking I might offer it to my Mother when Father passes but to be honest, we're not on good terms. I'm tired of it sitting unused." Walter told her. "Unless you really like your beds, we'll have to get mattresses for the beds here. Otherwise everything you could possibly need or want should be here." Walter smiled.
"Where would my room be Walter?" Ralph asked.
Walter smiled.
"Up the steps, second door on the left." Walter told him before Ralph took off for the stairs.
Paige turned and stepped up to lean into Walter's chest. Slipping her head along his shoulder.
"Paige, this isn't about persuading you to do anything. It is just an offer to two people I really care about." Walter said as his arms rose up and encircled her gently.
"But, you really don't know us." Paige whispered.
Walter chuckled.
"Paige, we had over three weeks of two to five pseudo social encounters a week before I asked you out. Each one lasted a minimum of two hours. And as for knowing Ralph, he could be me when I was his age. I know Ralph far better than you think I do. And even if all I knew was from our date and what happened that day with the planes, I would still feel as I do. You are an amazing woman Paige. If you are willing to give me a chance I could happily spend the rest of my life with you. Trying to make you as happy as I am. But if not, I hope you can at least be my friend." Walter told her.
Paige had looked up and watched his lips the entire time he spoke. Finally she shook her head.
"I can't be your friend Walter." Paige said sadly.
Walter sighed as he nodded. His hands came from around her and hung limply beside him.
"I understand Paige. I wasn't a good guy and you can't trust me, I get that. But please still consider this. Go ahead and look around." Walter told her as he stepped back and turned.
Paige smiled at the pain on his face and then it turned into a grin.
"That's for pretending you didn't remember me." Paige told him before she moved back into his arms and kissed him as passionately as she could with his jaws wired shut.
Walter's grin from her words faded quickly as he embraced her passionate kiss.
"Oh gross, are you two going to be doing that very much if we move here?" Ralph said resolutely from the stairs as he came back to tell them he loved his room.
Paige and Walter both laughed as they broke their kiss.
"Maybe." Paige told him.
Walter and Paige walked into the Garage after dropping Ralph off at school the next day. Everyone kind of looked at Walter and he paused as he looked at them.
"What?" Walter asked.
"Tell me you didn't do it Walter." Mark said as he stood beside his wife and Cabe.
Walter frowned as he looked at Happy and he could read her facial expression that something bad happened.
"What happened?" Walter demanded.
"Drew was shanked in his cell. They don't know if he will make it." Mark told him even as Paige gasped but she didn't step away from him.
"I promise you, I didn't know that nor did I have anything to do with it." Walter told them.
"I wish I knew that for sure." Cabe told him. "Right now Homeland is considering suspending the contract with Centipede until proof can be found to collaborate your innocence."
"So I'm guilty without a trial? How do you know the person that shanked him didn't just have a beef with him? But what if I am just not involved with Homeland cases?" Walter asked.
"I could ask the boss, but I wouldn't put any stock in it. And an email was found in the system to the guy that is believed to have done it. Claiming you were calling in a favor he owed you to do it. The shank was specially made, not something you'd find in a prison." Cabe told him.
"Well have Sylvester run a trace on it. I'm sure you'll find it didn't come from me." Walter told him.
"That works against you Walter. How many times have they tried to trace emails back to you and couldn't?" Megan asked.
Walter sighed.
"Look, I might admit I didn't always play by the book, but that doesn't make me guilty of anything specifically. And except for when I was tricked by the US Security Council I have never killed anyone. Directly or indirectly. This is ludacris. Paige, you have to believe me. I wouldn't have done this to Ralph's Father." Walter had turned and touched her cheek tenderly.
"Walter, I believe you. I do." Paige promised. "But they have a point, since we can't prove your innocence. We at least have to reevaluate how the company is operating." Paige told him.
"But they need a rudder, my brother has to devote his time to saving my sister. Are you prepared to do that?" Walter asked seriously.
"For you, I'll do my best." Paige promised even as she saw what was left of her Mustang behind Happy's area.
"Cabe, can you get us a copy of the email? Just a copy, but it has to be a full copy. Maybe I can help Sylvester. If we can figure out where it came from we can give you a logical diagram of how forensics can figure it out." Walter explained.
"That might work." Cabe nodded. "So, if I stick my neck out on this. You're being straight with us, this guy didn't owe you a favor and did this on your behalf?"
"Cabe, I don't know who the attacker is, so I can't tell you if he owed me anything or not. Yes, there are some unsavory types who owe me favors. But I am telling you, on my life as a fifteen year old, I did not want or order this to be done." Walter told him. "If I had wanted revenge against him I could have easily made his life hell. You might not have been able to prove some of my actions, but you have a good idea of what I've done. Does this really seem like what I would have done to him if I was seeking revenge?" Walter asked.
"Well I can certainly attest that you could have made his life a lot worse." Patrick Quinn said as he stepped out of the kitchen.
Greetings! I hope this finds you well! Well it is "official", this story will pause at chapter 30. It definitely has a lot more to say, but it is a good stopping point so I can post other stories. So this story will see us to almost the end of January.
Railman - Yep, Ralph definitely knew what he was talking about. lol Looks like Paige got him back for his little joke. lol You know I had thought about changing the name and while it would "fit" with how this Walter felt before Baghdad, I'm not sure he would. Even if Mark and Megan never came back. He doesn't have that same drive anymore. So I guess we'll see how the story plays out. What is everyone's feeling on the name, stay CP or change to Scorpion or maybe something else? So far his fight to save Megan belongs to Mark, will that change as time passes? Perhaps so. I think Paige has made up her mind on Walter...lol
LouBe - *ouch* At 9? I remember my older brother at about 7 broke his arm. He tied a sheet to our bunk bed and tried to play Tarzan and swing on it. LOL hehe Sorry for misdirecting you...(not really) LOL It was the reason for the evil laugh. lol I'm actually torn about the issue of saving Megan or not. I mean, it would be great. But because it is a real world "disease" I would feel weird about "inventing" a way for her to be saved or at least have it changed so that the effects of it become a nuisance rather than debilitating and deadly. As they say, it isn't that MS kills, it is what happens because of the MS that impedes life until it is no longer viable. But currently we're about another 45 chapters away from having to make that call. What is everyone's feeling on it? Yep, Walter is putting his best foot forward indeed! And so far it seems genuine...But now we see Patrick is back...a free man...will that bring out the old Walter? And is Walter being honest or is someone setting him up? Glad you are enjoying it! Talisman...lol "You're chopping my nuts." LOL Too bad they didn't have Megan hear him say something and then "What was that Sylvester?" lol
JerBr23 - Yes! Absolutely, smartest one in the room! lol Yeah, I like said to Railman, I'm just not sure about the name. Wouldn't it have been so great in S1 if Walter had been so bold? *sigh* I've a feeling she's equally smitten with him! lol And she's got a vicious sense of humor while accepting Walter's word he didn't do that to Drew on top of it.
Guest - LOL Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see if he is going to be boring romantic *gasp* or still dangerous bad boy. But, I'm pretty confident he'll assert his dominance that Paige is his to anyone who even thinks they could move in on him with her. lol
Pearliegirl - hehe Well, this story definitely is going further than I thought it would so...we'll see just how far it goes. LOL I guess I could have edited that part a little better so it wouldn't be confusing. lol I often forget not everyone can see what is going on inside my head. lol (Thank God! I'd probably be incarcerated!) Thank you for sharing! No life you say? Well that might fit me too. LOL (ain't no might). lol
To the Adventure! -Tim