Walter stood bent over just behind Paige as she sat at her desk going over one of the jobs when the Garage door opened and Happy walked in followed shortly after by Toby. Walter's eyes instantly looked up at the door and smiled at Happy and then looked back down and froze. His eyes came back up and looked at her again. Then Toby entered his field of vision and his eyes shifted over to him solely.
Happy had turned and walked over to her workbench but Toby froze. He felt something odd. He looked up and over to the cluster of desks that belonged to Megan, Mark and Cabe normally. He saw Walter half bent over but his eyes were piercing into him. He swallowed hard and just kind of waved before stepping over to his desk.
Walter's attention went back to Paige and Toby looked around and then cautiously walked back to the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee.
"Eek!" Toby squeaked out as he turned and nearly jumped as Walter had stepped in behind him and was standing there silently.
"You remember what I told you about Happy?" Walter asked him coldly.
Toby nodded quickly.
"If I hurt her you are going to do some really bad things to me." Toby muttered.
"Don't think I don't know what you did last night. You've taken a very big and risky step. Tread carefully." Walter told him before he turned and walked back out to Paige's desk.
No sooner had he returned to her desk that the front door opened again and Cabe walked in with a guest.
Everyone but Paige recognized her instantly.
"Good morning Cabe, deputy security director Cooper, it is nice to meet you." Walter greeted them.
"Nothing like being greeted by the devil as you walk into his lair." Katherine said as she walked over with Cabe to Paige's desk.
"Ouch." Walter grinned even as the other members of Centipede moved over to see what was going on.
"Director Cooper, I'm Paige Dineen, Centipede's acting boss with Homeland cases." Paige greeted her as she stood.
"It is nice to meet you Paige." Katherine grinned.
"I'd like to say I felt the same, except for your comment." Paige told her.
"It's okay Paige." Walter told her softly.
"No, it isn't okay. I realize Homeland has issues with Walter. Along with Centipede, he has agreed not to be involved with anything for Homeland. But as a member of Centipede I must insist on you treating him as you'd want any member of Homeland to be treated." Paige told her.
"Duly noted Ms Dineen. My apologies Walter." Katherine told them both.
"I'll go make myself scarce." Walter told them as he kissed Paige's cheek.
"Actually, that won't be necessary right now. We could use your help." Cabe told him.
Walter paused even as his brow furrowed.
"What is it you need?" Paige asked, taking the lead.
"Cabe brought me the file showing how the email that tried to frame Walter came from Homeland here in LA. The best computer forensic agent I trust was unable to get through the encryption on the servers. We were hoping that Walter might be able to help us crack it." Katherine told her as she held out a USB stick.
Paige took the stick and looked at it and then to Walter.
"Your call Walter." Paige told him.
Walter thought for a few moments and looked at Sylvester.
"I don't have any of my computers here. What's the specs on your laptop?" Walter asked him.
Sylvester rattled off the specs and Walter shook his head.
"Well can't you try it at least?" Paige asked.
Walter thought for a moment and slowly nodded.
"I'm dubious of trying to examine the system with their access code, too easy for them to manipulate what we see. But it might let me see what we're up against if I do." Walter finally agreed.
Walter walked over with everyone and he sat down at Sylvester's desk and began working.
Sylvester watched him closely. This was a rare opportunity to watch his nemesis work. Walter's hands flew across the keyboard, executing commands so quickly the machine could barely keep up.
"I'm counting ninety eight words a minute right now. You can operate that fast with a broken hand?" Sylvester gasped.
"I've yet to meet the machine that can keep up with me when I'm whole. My rigs all have a special buffer so I can input up to eight hundred commands before I have to stop and let it catch up." Walter told him.
Sylvester whistled and they all saw Walter get through the first two layers of security but the third was proving to be difficult. More so than he would have thought. Walter tried several times while shaking his head.
"I'll have to go get one of my computers then." Walter told them. "But right now, if this is leading where I think it is, we're looking at the director over you Katherine, Adriana Molina."
"Molina, now why doesn't that surprise me?" Katherine sighed. "Okay so now what?"
Walter looked at his watch.
"It will probably take me until ten thirty to be back with it." Walter looked to Paige.
"Alright, go get it then." Paige told him.
"I can probably cut that down by twenty minutes if I take you with lights and sirens." Cabe told him.
"I could probably shave another ten to twenty minutes if I drive." Happy told them.
Walter looked to Paige who nodded.
"Just be careful. I don't want you guys in any wrecks." Paige told them.
"I'm going back to Homeland, I want to have a little talk with Molina." Katherine told them.
"Is that wise? Tipping our hand before we know anything for sure?" Paige asked.
"You've got your responsibilities and I got mine Paige. I wasn't always a bureaucrat. I know how to get information without giving anything away, trust me. If Molina is dirty, then I need to get to the bottom of that fast." Katherine told her.
The trio just nodded before Walter kissed Paige tenderly as the other two walked out behind Katherine.
Happy drove uncomfortably as Walter wasn't speaking from the backseat. She'd figured he'd tear into her but so far nothing.
"You're awfully quiet Walt." Happy said finally.
She saw him smile in the rearview mirror.
"Two reasons. We're not alone and it isn't any of my business what you do anymore. Aside from your safety of course, but that is more of a concern than my business." Walter told her.
"What's going on?" Cabe asked.
"Nothing that concerns anyone here besides Happy." Walter told him.
"Doesn't concern us but you know what it is?" Cabe asked.
Walter smiled.
"Cabe, I know Happy. I can almost tell you with ninety nine percent accuracy what she is either doing, or has done, or what she is thinking or feeling at any given time. I'm pretty sure her volunteering to drive…was more about wanting to assert her independence from me, and about what she is doing with her life." Walter told him.
"I don't want you causing any problems." Happy told him.
"Happy, as long as he doesn't hurt you, there won't be any problems." Walter explained.
"Who is he?" Cabe asked but neither responded.
"So has Paige been inside yet?" Happy asked half nervous.
"No, not until I make a few changes because of Ralph. But I did give them the guest house to live in." Walter told her.
"Guest house?" Cabe said surprised just as they turned into the outlying neighborhood where Walter's home was behind. "You live out here?" Cabe asked incredulously. Happy turned off the lights and siren as they moved on back through the neighborhood.
"For about twelve years." Walter told him as they pulled up to the guard post separating the two areas of homes.
"Hey Happy." Ted greeted her.
"Hey Ted." Happy nodded and leaned back so he could see Cabe and then Walter in back.
"Good morning Walter." Ted smiled.
"Good morning Ted." Walter nodded.
Ted gestured and the gate moved back.
"Have a great day guys." Ted told them.
"Thanks Ted, you too." Happy said before driving on in.
"His property has a very nice detached home. He'd offered it to me once." Happy told Cabe as she turned into the drive.
"Damn son, this place is gorgeous. Hey, your mouth seems to be opening wider today." Cabe told him.
"Thanks. Yeah, I cut the wires last night." Walter said simply as Happy took them around the driveway to the back door.
"Damn…" Cabe said again as Happy drove alongside the mansion. "This place is huge."
"Yeah, it is a bit ostentatious. You wait here for me." Walter told them as Happy put the SUV in park.
"I sure wouldn't mind having a look inside." Cabe said with hope in his voice.
"Sorry Cabe, not today. Give me a couple of weeks to make some changes and I'll be happy to have you over." Walter told him before getting out.
"Well that was peculiar of him. Why couldn't I go in now? Has he got something illegal inside?" Cabe complained.
Happy sighed as she turned off the SUV.
"No, he wouldn't risk losing this place by having something illegal here. It is because he wants to protect me." Happy told him.
"Protect you?" Cabe asked.
"I posed very provocatively and without clothes for him. Walter is a gifted photographer and he photographed me for a number of portraits. Which Walter took and turned into part of his art collection in his art room." Happy told him.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Cabe said embarrassed.
Happy shrugged.
"Nothing to be sorry for. Walter is a genius, even behind the camera. The images he took and transformed into his portraits are amazing. I am in great shape and not ashamed of how I look. I willingly did it, it was an honor to model for him. Walter is just very guarded about who sees them. He could have just locked the room down and let you in if he wanted. But like I said, it was more about protecting me. He didn't want to give you any questions to ask about it. If you ever hear of a portrait by Flameur, you'll know it is a portrait Walter took and you should check it out. He could run a business just doing that if he wanted. But that would drive him crazy. He needs more mental stimulation than that." Happy explained.
Happy looked at the clock on the dash and sighed.
"What's wrong?" Cabe asked.
"He's taking too long. Agnes must have told him about something and he is reviewing security videos. If he is, when we get back to the Garage you'll need to help protect Toby." Happy told him.
"Why? What did Toby do?" Cabe frowned.
"I stupidly brought him over with me when I got his one laptop. And I left him alone in the house while I went downstairs to get it. He went exploring while I was gone and saw Walter's art room." Happy told him.
Happy grimaced as she saw Walter's face when he came out the door.
"Yep, that is what I'm afraid of." Happy said quietly as Walter locked the door back.
"Happy, did you know Toby went into my art room?" Walter asked as he climbed into the SUV.
"I told him not to wander or touch anything. But when I came back up from the basement he was acting all weird. And I found out what he did. I told him you were going to be pissed." Happy said as she just looked at Walter's face in the mirror. Her hands sat in her lap refusing to start the SUV.
Cabe looked back at Walter and he could see the anger in his face. He wasn't that angry at him when he blamed him for not telling him about the bombing.
"You okay son?" Cabe asked gently.
"I hate being betrayed, and being betrayed so intimately is something I don't respond well with." Walter told him. "We can go Happy."
Happy nodded as she started the SUV.
"Happy explained about what was in the house you didn't want me to see and what Toby probably saw. Are you going to be okay?" Cabe asked as Happy turned around and began driving back down the drive.
"That art is personal and very private. To have a sniveling snot like Toby to snoop into it really…upsets me." Walter told him.
"Walt, I told Toby he was on his own with you over it. But, I'm going to ask you to let it go." Happy said with a bit of steel to her voice. The normal begging tone she used to have with him was only barely noticeable by him.
"You're asking me for a really big favor." Walter told her.
"I know Walt. I mean you can yell or put the fear only you can into him if you want, just, please, don't do anything else." Happy asked with more of that tone as she pulled up to the guard shack to leave.
Walter walked into the Garage and the glare on his face caused Toby's face to turn white since he was glaring at him.
"In a little while you and I are going to have a one sided conversation." Walter said with venom before walking over to Paige.
"What the hell?" Toby asked Happy and Cabe as they walked in.
"I told you at his house. You should have told him what you did before now. He's pissed." Happy told him quietly as she watched Walter and Paige walk into the kitchen.
"Couldn't you kind of calm him down?" Toby whined.
"I told you I wouldn't." Happy spat and turned on her heel and walked over to her work bench. Toby tried to follow but Cabe grabbed his arm and shook his head.
"She did what she could. If he doesn't hurt you it is because she stuck up for you. I don't know why she did, but for some reason she is feeling something for you." Cabe told him.
Toby swallowed hard and nodded as he stepped over to Happy.
"Hey, sorry Hap. You did warn me and I disregarded it. I'm sorry for trying to appeal to you to do something that could get you sucked back into his influence." Toby said before Happy glared at him.
"I'm not getting sucked back into anything, numbnuts. But I don't want to be the referee between the two of you." Happy told him coldly.
"What's going on Walter?" Paige asked with concern as they entered the kitchen.
"Nothing really, but there is something I need to tell you though. Because of where we are and where we're going I'm going to need to make some changes to the main house." Walter told her as he filled her cup with coffee and then got his own.
Paige nodded as she took a sip and they sat at the little table.
"There is my art room, which isn't suitable for Ralph. So I need to change it. I can secure it, so it isn't like he can get into it easily or anything. But I wanted you to know about it." Walter told her.
Paige nodded.
"Does it have something to do with Happy? From the way you responded when you first got back here makes me think that Toby did something concerning it now that you told me about it." Paige smiled.
Walter nodded with a smile.
"Happy modeled for me many times. And well over sixty percent of the art I have in there are photo portraits I made of her." Walter told her as he reached out and took her hand in his.
Paige squeezed his hand.
"Thank you for being honest with me, Mister." Paige winked.
Walter grinned.
"Does that mean you want to see it before I make any changes?" Walter asked.
"You are as perceptive as ever." Paige grinned.
Greetings! I hope this finds you all well!
Railman - Glad you liked the backstory! Yep...she's trying to be honest, hoping Toby will be better. Seems Toby didn't have a chance to do any crowing! lol
Lucy - It is a little difficult seeing Walter that way...hope you hang in there, maybe you will grow to like him more. Megan has definitely been a bit too lenient with Walter.
JerBr23 - Not really testing him...She's just decided to try and go with her gut but cautiously. She really doesn't want to have to put a wrench through his head. lol
LouBe - Looks like you are right! lol Walter spotted it right out the gate. lol Yeah, they both deserve some happiness. And now you know what he'd say! lol Happy knows Walter almost as well as he knows her. She knows he is craving that relationship where he can feel free to give everything...and Paige seems to be the closest he's come. Yes, Walter doesn't spare expense when it comes to people he really cares about. What might he have done? Hang in there...you'll see. lol Oh definitely...Paige knows how to survive! lol And where to grab some jollies when she wants some...*wink* lol Raspberry Ripple! Oh definitely! lololololol Glad you liked the teaser! I might drop another snip...in a future chapter. lol
Susan - No need to apologize, life happens! I'm still behind on Railman's and JerBr's stories. Slowly catching up. Glad you are enjoying it though! Yep, Paige and Ralph will be having a lot of effect on how it all plays out.
To the Adventure! -Tim