WriterFreak001:

I am on a roll! :)

This chapter is dedicated to Chiara (cckia27) because she is an absolute darling when it comes to my fanfictions and Scorpion creations on Tumblr. And because she begged for the next chapter, I'm going to go ahead and post it! :D

(But after this chapter, I'll need to take a brief hiatus to work on my other Waige stories. Heehee.)

The Scorpion

Written by WriterFreak001

Chapter 4:

Dreams & Ambitions

~ SCORPION ~

Paige mindlessly stared into her vanity mirror as she slowly combed her long, silky waves and inhaled a slow, deliberate breath as her thoughts wondered to the man who had saved her life. He was rugged and handsome, and he had brought a newfound purpose to her life she had yet to understand nor explore but desperately wanted to. She remembered how soft his rough skin felt on hers as he covered her hand, and she wondered if it would feel any different under normal circumstances. She knew it was a silly thought, but he intrigued her greatly.

Not because he had saved her life, but because he showed a general interest in her. He was going to jump in after her, even if it meant losing his life too. Drew, doubtfully, would never knowingly risk his life for her; he was too proud and selfish, and he knew it, too. Walter, however, with his gentle, caring voice and his piercing, deep brown eyes, found a way to convince her life was worth living.

She owed him her life.

"I know you've been melancholy, and I don't pretend to know why," Drew suddenly said behind her and sent her a smug grin as he approached her." Slowly, he handed her a black, velvet jewel case, and she numbly took it. "I planned to save this for the engagement gala next week. But, I thought, tonight, it would help serve as a reminder of my feelings for you, darling."

Paige's slender fingers carefully opened it, and she gasped as the case revealed a large, sapphire jeweled necklace. "My God. Drew, is that a d—"

"Diamond?" Drew chuckled quietly. "Yes, it is. 56 carats, to be exact." Swiftly, he took the sapphire diamond and clipped it around her neck, admiring how it rested just above her bosom. "It was once worn by Louis the 16th. They call it: Le Coeur de la Mer. The –"

"Heart of the Ocean. Yes, I know." Paige, enamored by its beauty, muttered softly, unable to tear her eyes off of the gleaming jewel. "Drew, it's… overwhelming."

"It's for royalty, Paige. And we are royalty," he grinned as he stared at their reflections in the mirror. He gently caressed her neck and throat, running his fingers along the glimmering chain of the diamond. Paige tensed as he touched her, but her reaction went unnoticed. "There's nothing I couldn't give you, darling. There's nothing I'd deny you if you would deny you. Please… open your heart to me, Paige."

Paige inhaled a slow breath and gazed at the diamond silently. It was certainly… breathtaking, but she was certain it was his way to try and buy her affections, but she wasn't a fool. She couldn't be bought, and if their engagement was under circumstances… if she actually loved Drew, then maybe she could see herself wearing such an extravagant diamond for the rest of her life, but it was so heavy! And she didn't love Drew. He was better off giving the stone to her mother and relieving her of the burden he's asking her to carry.

She did not say anything to him that night; she was too engrossed in her thoughts to formulate a proper reply, and when he finally left her, she assumed he thought she was considering his words carefully, but there was nothing to consider. She tried, months ago, opening herself up to him, but, countless times, he proved to her how fame and fortune were more important than her affections. The more he boasted about his wealth, the more she distanced herself from him until, eventually, her heart grew numb and devoid of anything she had once felt for Drew.

He lost her heart a long time ago…, and she was never going to give it back to him.

~ SCORPION ~

Walter, no matter how hard he tried, could not stop thinking of Paige. She was, perhaps, the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, but despite her beauty, there was just something about her that highly intrigued him. She was no more than a few years younger than him, and yet she had experienced enough turmoil to send her down a dark path, and if he hadn't been lying down on the bench a few feet away from her, things could have gone a lot differently tonight.

But… even though he had just met her… even though he didn't know what had triggered her brokenness…, he was grateful she had chosen to live. (And for reasons he didn't particularly understand, he had to see her again… before tomorrow night's dinner.

~ SCORPION ~

Paige, after finding a way to excuse herself from her mother's morning plans, snuck away and carefully approached the gate leading down to third class. Steerage men watched her as she stepped down the stairs, but she paid no mind to them, eager to find Mr. O'Brien to thank him, once again, for saving her life.

She passed a bunch of young children playing games and horsing around, and she couldn't but smile at them. Oh, did she wish she could have played like them when she was their age; it would have made her childhood much more enjoyable. As she entered the social center of steerage life, she was surprised of the unique features it had, contrast to the first class social center. Unlike the opulence of first class, the social center is loud and energetic. Mothers were scolding children, men playing chess, girls reading novels and doing needlepoint, and a young man, perhaps a few years older than her, was horribly playing the piano, but no one seemed to protest. Many were laughing, and some were dancing. It seemed like an overall happy place, and Megan was right. Third class was completely and positively more different than she expected.

She slowly scanned the room and gently smiled when she saw Walter sitting down at the bar, drinking a glass of water. As she approached him, almost all of the activity in the room stopped, and she suddenly felt exposed. Walter noticed her immediately, and he rose to meet her, smiling, as she ignored the rest of the room.

"Hello, Walter."

"Hello, again."

"Could I…," she bit her lip and flushed, "Could I speak to you in private?"

"Oh. Of course." He nodded swiftly and gestured towards the door. "After you."

She led him out of social center, and he shrugged at his friends, leaving everyone in stunned silence. "Mr. O'Brien," she started, but he held up a hand and cut her off as they sat down on a bench, facing the sea.

"Walter. Call me Walter."

"Walter," Paige secretly enjoyed how the name rolled from her tongue. "I feel like such an idiot," she chuckled lightly as she fiddled with her silky, white gloves. "It took me all morning to get up the nerve to face you, let alone sneak away from my intolerable mother."

"Well, here you are," Walter smirked, and she quietly laughed, suddenly noticing how close he was to her.

"Here I am," she finally met his eyes as a smile colored her lips. "I… I wanted to thank you for what you did last night…. N-Not just for saving me, but for your discretion."

"You're welcome, Paige."

Paige rose to her feet and swiftly approached the side of the ship with Walter in tow. "Look," she stared at the endless miles of deep blue waters as Walter, mesmerized by her beauty, shamelessly gazed at her. "I know what you must be thinking…. Poor little rich girl, what does she know about misery?"

Walter shook his head. "Quite the opposite, actually." Paige turned towards him curiously as he continued. "What I was thinking was… what could have happened to hurt this girl so much that she thought she had no way out."

"I don't…," she pinned her bottom lip under her teeth. "It wasn't just one thing…. It was everything. It was them, it was their whole world…. I felt like I was trapped in it, and I saw only one solution." She curled a strand of her long hair behind her ear and returned her gaze to the ocean. "I just had to get away…. Just keep running and running, and then I was at the back rail, and there was no other place to run…. Even the Scorpion wasn't big enough… Not enough to get away from them, and before I'd really thought about it, I was over the rail. I was just… so angry and thought I could show them off and make them sorry for making me continuously feel the way I do." She inhaled a deep, shaky breath as she clenched her fingers in tight fists. "I'm such an utter fool; I don't even think my death would have captured their attention; they hardly notice when I'm there so… I doubt they would even feel sorry if I was gone."

Walter was quiet for a few seconds but eventually asked, "So… who was the man in the penguin suit last night?"

"Drew…."

"Is he… one of them?"

Paige nodded slowly. "Yes, he is them."

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"Worse, I'm afraid," Paige laughed emotionlessly. She lifted her left hand and showed him her terribly large diamond, engagement ring. "Our engagement was my mother's idea; he obviously had no objections, but… they don't care what I think."

"So…," Walter dug his hands into his pockets as Paige lowered her left hand and gave the inventor her undivided attention. "You feel like you're stuck because you can't get out of your engagement."

"Yes, exactly," she nodded with a sigh. "Life is so unfair sometimes…."

"So…," Walter shrugged, "Don't marry him."

"If only it were that easy," Paige frowned as she looked away from him and watched the waters glimmer under the sunlight.

"It is that easy," Walter muttered, causing Paige to sigh again.

"Oh, Walter. Please don't judge me until you've seen my world." Paige inhaled a deep breath and rested her chin against the railing. "It's so different than yours."

"Well, I guess I will tonight."

Paige, wanting to change the subject, turned towards him and noticed his notebook clamped underneath his arm. "What's this?"

"Just some notes and… calculations… blue prints," Walter mumbled, and she raised an eyebrow.

"May I?" Walter nodded and silently gave Paige his notebook. She flipped through it and revealed a blur invention sketches and calculations – exactly what Walter had described. She then looked at him with wide, curious eyes. "You're an inventor?"

"Prospective," Walter replied almost immediately. "No one in Europe liked my ideas so I'm hoping America will appreciate my designs."

"I don't see why any industrial company would turn these ideas down. They're really good! Acute to detail and ingenious," Paige smiled as she handed the notebook back to Walter. "I suspect you will have a marvelous career."

"Maybe, but I'm not designing these ideas for money. While it would be nice to afford some things… like the essentials…, I merely want to help cut down man hours for more efficient product-making. I… uh… I like efficiency…. And I think these inventions will effectively improve the efficiency of many business so that people, instead of spending odd hours getting work done, can go home and spend time with their families."

"That's very thoughtful, Walter." Paige grinned softly. "I hope your ambitions carry you far. You have a lot of great ones, and I can tell you see a lot of good in people and wish for the best. You have a true gift," Paige paused and laughed from his amused expression. "You do." She bit her lip lightly and whispered, "You see people…. Not for what they are, but for who they are."

"I see you," Walter quietly replied, receiving Paige's undivided attention.

"Oh?" She lifted an eyebrow slowly. "And what do you see?"

He was quiet for a moment, but eventually, he smirked. "You wouldn't have jumped."

~ SCORPION ~

For most of the morning and afternoon leading up into the evening, Paige spent her time, freely, in third class and thoroughly enjoyed her ongoing conversation with Walter. He always had something to say to her, and he never said anything upsetting or hurtful; everything he said was uplifting and encouraging. She had never met a man so kind before, and she was so happy she met Walter.

Perhaps it was fate.

"You know," Paige bit her lip and stared at her white heels as she folded her fingers into her lap. "My dream has always been to just… abandon my life and become an artist… living in a garret, poor but free."

"Statistically," Walter chuckled softly, "You wouldn't have lasted two days."

Paige frowned. "I would find a way. It might be hard at first, but at least I wouldn't have to bow down to my mother or suffer from Drew's pride and idiocy. I'm just so tired of people ignoring my dreams and making me do what they want."

"Then…," Walter crossed his arms and leaned back against the back of the bench. "If being an artist is your dream, then you should pursue it. While I don't understand art, my sister tells me a lot of people enjoy it and value it in ways that are beyond me. She also tells me each artist as a separate story to share…, and I think your story would be worth sharing; maybe people could relate."

Paige's frown disappeared, and she smiled warmly. "Your sister is wise."

"Sometimes," Walter chuckled softly, "though I know it's incredibly impossible, I feel like my sister is smarter than me. She understands the world a lot better than I do, and without her, I don't know where I'd be."

"What's your sister's name?"

"Megan."

Paige paused for a moment and then snapped her attention to Walter with surprised eyes. "Megan, as it my personal maid, Megan?"

Walter laughed quietly and nodded. "The very one."

"I had no idea."

"I wouldn't have suspected you too," Walter chortled but then softened his expression. "I want to thank you, though, for being kind to her. She's spoken highly of you, and I'm grateful my sister isn't treated poorly."

"Megan is great," Paige smiled as she mindlessly angled herself towards him. "She's, by far, the best maid servant I've had in years. She pays attention to detail and isn't afraid of speaking her mind; I hope she and I will be great friends. I don't have many companions and so I'm grateful to have met both of you," she giggled quietly and softly covered his hand with hers. "You're both doing a fine job keeping me sane."

"You're welcome," Walter suddenly scrunched his face and added, "I think."

Paige laughed melodiously and slowly pushed herself off of the bench and walked towards the rail again, knowing Walter was right behind her. "There's something in me, Walter…. I just… I feel it. I don't know what it is, but… I want to be someone who expresses herself. Who knows, maybe I'll be a dancer… or a singer. I just want to be a free spirit."

Walter noticed how the sun was setting and grinned. "Come on," he rose to his feet and offered her his hand, "I want to show you something."

"What?"

"You'll see," Walter replied as Paige slowly placed her small hand in his. He helped her to her feet and escorted her to a small hallway facing the orange-yellow glow, just touching the horizon. They leaned against the A-deck rail, shoulder to shoulder, and watched the sun dip its colors into the ocean.

"Wow," Paige inhaled a deep breath, mesmerized by the colorful sunset painting the sky. "Beautiful."

"Whenever you feel trapped," Walter slowly spoke as he stared at the sunset, "just… look out there… look at the sky. Though it might seem the same every night, and it might feel like it's unchanging, astronomy is beyond us, freer than anything we can imagine. While we might be limited to one place at a single moment, the universe isn't. Billions, maybe trillions, of years ago, the universe had a starting point, and has slowly expanded ever since. Everybody starts out somewhere, Paige," he finally looked into her piercing eyes and smiled softly. "One day, you'll look back and see how much you've expanded like the universe; it's only a matter of time, but you'll get there."

Paige swallowed thickly and bit her lip as she blinked back an onset of tears. "That's," she feigned laughter and let out a small puff of air, "That's very profound, Walter."

The inventor shrugged, and Paige smiled appreciatively.

"I bet you make a lot of women swoon with your flattery." Paige giggled, but he shook his head.

Before he could answer, a woman cleared her throat loudly, prompting the pair to spin around immediately.

"M-Mother," Paige nearly coughed as the prudish woman frowned at her and then gave Walter a distasteful look.

"Paige, dear. It is time for you to stop your silly charades and change for dinner."

"Mother," Paige decided there was no point in arguing, "at least let me introduce you to my new friend, Walter O'Brien. He's the one who saved my life last night. Surely Drew told you of the ordeal."

She gave Walter a onceover and shrugged ever so slightly. "He must have forgotten."

Paige crossed her arms, ready to bark at her mother for being so rude to Walter, but the inventor placed his hand on the woman's shoulder and calmed her almost immediately.

"It's okay," he whispered. "At least your mother took the time to look at me. I hardly even get that."

"Come, Paige!" Her mother's voice was more demanding, riling Paige up again.

She turned to Walter and sighed. "I have to go. I'll see you at dinner, okay?"

He nodded and smiled. "At dinner."

As Paige slowly followed her mother, Walter watched her leave until he couldn't see her anymore. He sighed quietly, already anxious to see her again.

"Son, do you have the slightest comprehension of what you're doing?" Cabe Gallo, who had watched the entire exchange between the inventor and Paige, lifted an eyebrow and swiftly approached Walter.

Walter shook his head immediately. "No idea."

"Well," Cabe folded his arms and eyed his clothes, "you're about to go into the snake pit. I hope you're ready. What are you planning to wear?"

Walter gave him a puzzled look. "What I have on?"

Cabe sighed loudly. "I figured…."

~ SCORPION ~

WriterFreak001:

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter too! :D

Now, I'm going to take a brief hiatus from this story and focus on updating Poaching and Model Behavior before updating this one again.

Please let me know what you think! Reviews are ALWAYS appreciated. :D