Okay, I lied about two things: first, I wanted to post the epilogue regardless of how dark it is. Second, I think this fic is gonna be more than 3 chaps since this was bigger chapter to write than I thought. Man, I think I should be upping the rating of this to M cause stuff in this chapter gets crazy fast...in fact, I wasn't expecting to write Walter in this overtly-detailed fashion but man…read this and see for yourself….
III. (Not the epilogue)
She never saw Walter looked so…vulnerable. But that day when she spoke to him about the lab accident must have caused many emotions of despair and remorse to boil. She feared that she nearly broke him that day.
She resolved to be more cooperative with him. Perhaps this approach would allow her to communicate with Walter better on his off-days. Off-days including demanding all day for a certain kind of meal that would take days to make (and then Walter would reject it cause he didn't get to eat what he wanted on the day he wanted). Off-days including the need for 2500 pink layered CDs in order to power a counter-device that could prevent cell mutation.
~ Few Months Passing ~
"A sickle-bill! It must be a sickle-bill!"
"Walter, I already told you for the thousand time," Astrid argued. "They're wild birds that live on the opposite side of the world. You're not going to find them in any pet shop in this…"
"DO YOU WANT THIS VIRUS TO COME TO US?!"
"No…" Astrid was now shaking.
"BECAUSE IT WILL DAMMIT! Someone is controlling the movements of where the virus is headed and if we want to know how the virus is infecting its victims, I need a sickle-bill to study its lung functions. NOW GO GET ME ONE BEFORE WE ALL PERISH!!!"
Walter had always been known for blowing up at Peter in such a matter but never with Astrid. The days were getting stressful as they were racing against time to fight this deadly virus. But Astrid felt that the demands he were making to help the Bureau solve these crimes were becoming more unusual and absurd by the second.
Still…she would have to write them down the demands in her notebook. The book was nearly filled and stuff with information Astrid gathered about Walter's experiments and the items that Astrid was always retrieving for him. Eventually, she started adding notes as to Walter's favorite meals…favorite snacks…food that calm him, and foods that were too dangerous for his adrenaline levels to consume.
Astrid felt relieved (despite the swell of emotion of upset and fear) that it was just her in the lab with Walter again. If Peter had been there when Walter blew up at her…let's just say that the lab would've gotten quite bloody. She didn't want to be the reason for any more strife and frustration between the father and son who were still struggling with their relationship.
She looked over to see if Walter showed any signs of guilt and remorse for yelling at her, but no such luck. She remembered one time, a few weeks back when Walter was walking by her and he accidentally brushed her…well, he was apologizing to Astrid for days afterward much to her own discomfort.
But today was different, Walter was more "mad" in the head than unusual. She thought it was one of those off-days he would be apologizing on his knees to her for later…
So she brushed it off. It became common practice. A small price to pay, she thought for the small desire inside of her that was slowly developing…a desire to know the Pattern. She wanted to know how the virus was running its course not to save lives…but to further expand her curious mind.
Persistence. She absorbed it if it meant getting close to those machines and finally understanding the functions of all the dials…or finding out how Walter was able to drink milk from a poisoned Gene without as much as a stomachache.
After the virus case was solved, Astrid let the yelling incident go, much like the syringe. She wrote down in her notebook "don't argue about something you can't find. Just get it". She added the word DAMMIT to help herself remember Walter's anger.
~ One Week Later ~
"Something wrong, Walter?" Astrid asked as she hurried to sort of all of the files for their current case.
"Huh? Oh…," Walter snorted. "It's just that, I have this very deep, regretful feeling…"
"About what?"
"It was as if, I lost my temper at someone close…I'm sure it wasn't Peter…but someone I regretted yelling at. I don't even know if I did yell at someone but it feels like I did something awful, I think…a week ago. I can't help feeling so…sorry about it. But I can't even remember the person whom I upset."
"Well, I'm sure if that if you did yell at someone…they've forgiven and forgotten it," Astrid said giving him a wink.
Walter didn't pick up on it though and kindly said, "I would hope so. Still, I wish I knew who to write a formal apology to. Oh…can we have some mozzarella bread today?"
"Anything for you, Walter." Those words reached Walter's ears with great sincerity even Astrid was surprised. She said quickly, "but I think we need to check and see if that formula is ready."
"Oh quite," said Walter excitingly.
They were both looking forward to see if the formula was successful. Astrid mostly, because she got the make the formula herself with Walter assisting. It had been Walter's random idea for her to tackle on the project herself. She had to throw ideas at Walter as if she was a student in a science lab who was quickly being tested to see if she was paying attention to the teacher. He had never been prouder when one of Astrid's ideas lit a bulb in his head and they immediately went to work on the formula that could break the case.
They tested a stray cat and it was a complete success.
"Are you sure you're an FBI Assistant, my dear?" Walter asked in-between bites of his mozzarella bread. "Because you seem to know an awful lot about my work."
"That's because I've been working here alongside you since you got out of St. Claire's," Astrid explained.
"So that was you who helped me with the pigeons?!"
"Yes Walter," Astrid sighed. "That was me."
~ Another Month Later~
Astrid left Walter preoccupied in making adjustments to the tank when she heard him.
"What are you doing here?"
It was soft but filled with fear. She looked up from her desk and saw Walter on the opposite side of the lab curled up on the floor.
"You weren't supposed to leave with me!" It was still nothing more than a low cry. But Astrid knew he wasn't talking to her…or to Gene.
"You were supposed to stay back there…away from here."
Walter was talking to thin air.
That alarmed Astrid as she cautiously made her way towards him.
"Why do you follow me?!" Astrid froze only a few feet away from the tank that Walter was leaning on for support. He was sobbing now.
"Walter?" Astrid called above a whisper.
He wasn't responding or even acknowledging her presence there.
For some unusual reason, Astrid was now scared for the first time of being in the lab alone with Walter…like this. Perhaps because it was 11:30 at night and Peter was helping Olivia in catching another bad guy.
But this was worrisome. Too worrisome.
Walter began to mutter things. "You're not here. It's not logically possible. So you go back. Go back now."
Astrid took a few steps back even though Walter was still addressing his imaginary friend. She quickly pulled out her cell phone and turned away from Walter.
Peter wasn't answering. She quietly spoke her message into the phone so Walter couldn't hear.
"It's Astrid…look…you need to get back whenever you can. It's your dad…he's not…I think something's seriously wrong."
She closed her phone and turned back to Walter was up and grabbing a huge surgical knife from the table right next to her. This caused her to jump because the knife was being pointed at her.
Walter pointed the knife at nothing and then turned his head…eyes confronting Astrid. He knew she was there now and finally spoke to her.
"Do you see him?!"
Astrid shook speechless. "Wha…"
"I thought I told him to leave. He came into the restroom a month ago. He's not supposed to be here…"
There was a moment of suspenseful silence and then Walter jerked his head away from Astrid. "I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAID. YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO LEAVE THE ASYLUM WITH ME! YOU WILL NOT HOUND ME TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH!"
Astrid quickly backed away from the anger in his voice until the back of her head hit a column. It hurt like hell.
"Walter," Astrid said moaning and rubbing her head. "There's no one there."
"I will fight this. Damn you to hell if I must," Walter said to the empty space before him.
She was too scared to think. She was too scared to help. She didn't know what to do until Walter pointed at her.
"I…" Walter said nervously. "I need some time alone…"
Astrid knew she couldn't honor that request no matter how upset Walter was feeling. "I can't Walter…" she said almost on the verge of tears. "I'm scared you'll hurt yourself…and I can't let that happen." Both sentimental caring and devotion to her job to keeping an eye on Walter were her motivations for remaining frozen to the spot.
Walter ignored her though and looked away from her again. He began to breathe very hard. "No, I won't," he started to stay as his eyes darted to the ground. "No, I won't…OH GOD, STOP THIS!"
She watched in horror as she realized that Walter still held the surgical knife in his fist…and he was raising it.
'Oh God,' Astrid's mind screamed. 'He's going to stab himself.'
One foot after the other in Walter's direction Astrid struggling to reach him without her fears getting in the way…
…but someone got to Walter first.
Upon first sight of Walter as he entered the lab, Peter leapt over the steps and grabbed Walter by the arms.
"Walter, stop this!"
The shock of Peter's sudden presence caused Walter to drop the knife but still, he wrestled with his son.
Olivia came into the lab a moment later with the same shock of the situation unfolding before her. She went to a frightened Astrid's side only to find the same look of fear and confusion in her eyes.
It took a while for Walter to end his struggling and finally his son was calming him down. "You're scaring the crap out of Astrid," Peter told him.
"I didn't mean to," Walter said whimpering, wondering who was this Astrid person and how could she be scared if she wasn't present alongside the man.
"We're going home now!" Peter growled as he grabbed his father. "Are you gonna be alright, Astrid?"
"I'll be fine," Astrid nervously told Peter as he shoved his father out of the lab.
Peter himself was shaking as he started the car and headed towards the apartment.
"But he was there…" said Walter whimpering from the back seat.
"No one was there but you and Astrid," Peter with much anger and annoyance. "She called me and said you were acting crazy."
"There was no woman there, Peter!"
"Yes there was!"
"I KNOW WHAT I SAW! It was HIM. He's been following me around for weeks…I thought he would stay back there!"
"I've had enough of this, Walter," Peter groaned. He went back to focusing on driving doing his best to ignore his father.
"I swear it son…he was saying things to me, and I tried to fight him off. For some reason he told me to look towards some column and point at it and say 'I need some time alone' to no one in particular…just empty space."
Peter knew then that he could no longer leave Astrid alone with his father…especially if this mess reached Broyles so he could only hope Olivia or Astrid would not say anything about what she saw.
He then broke his vow of silence and said "that's just great, Walter. I'm sure he had something REALLY important to say."
The man did say something of importance to Walter...something that Walter could not, would not, accept.
But he couldn't tell Peter the truth though, because it would only get him into more trouble. But his mind was screaming the words HE told him.
'You're going to do it again.'
Walter flinched as hard he could but now the man had consumed his mind with his words.
'She's going to blow up, Walter.'
Walter could only cry now, with Peter coldly ignoring his despair and the familiar face that Walter confronted taunting him endlessly.
'… Kaboom…'
