Hey everyone,
This is going to be short and sweet. Only because I wrote another story for a story prompt by ElizaPliza. Go check out, Movie Night, and tell me what you guys think.
Ema
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November 20th
Went on another social experiment. Ice skating with the team and Ralph. She thought it would be a surprise, but I think I surprised her more. Agent Gallo joined helping Ralph skate. Helped Paige skate by holding her from behind.
"Come on Ralph." Paige said holding her son's hand as they walked into the hockey rink. It was after hours, but she had been able to secure the rink for a private time. A favor from a friend who knew a guy, but Paige had invited the entire group to go on the skating excursion. She wanted to get Ralph out of the house and the garage, and do something active. Plus it was near Thanksgivings and when she was young, it was tradition for the cousins do wintery sports. They never went skating, but she always had visions of taking Ralph.
Walter had been sitting on the bench lacing up his skates. He was dressed in jeans and thick navy blue sweater and a pair of gloves. He walked over to the boy, and his mother. Ralph was looking warily at the ice rink. He had the same facial expression as his mother when she was assessing a situation. Worry etched into the lines of his face. Walter sat down on the other side of Ralph.
"Hey Ralph." Walter said. "I will make you a deal, I will go skating if you go skating."
Ralph looked up at his genius idol and gestured to his feet. The skates left discarded on the floor. "I need help." Paige reached down but Walter stilled her hand.
"I got this, why don't you go get your skates on." Walter said giving her a confident smile and pulling the skates to his lap, and then gesturing for Ralph to move his feet to the bench. "Okay, the first thing about ice skates is we have to get them on tightly."
Paige meandered away to the desk grabbing a pair of skates for her own feet. She took a seat next to Agent Gallo who was lacing up his own hockey skates that he brought for the outing. He laughed when he saw paled look on Paige's face.
"What made you think of ice skating?" Agent Gallo asked. Paige launched into the explanation of watching the stupid Disney movie that was all the rage. Ralph had expressed interest in the Frozen movie, and found the scene of ice skating fascinating. She also explained quickly how she wanted to create a tradition for her and Ralph. She finished lacing up her skates, and stood from the side of the rink where she watched as the team teetered around the frozen surface but her heart stilled when she watched Walter with Ralph. Walter was skating backwards, holding Ralph's hand who was taking hesitant steps on the ice.
"That's right, Ralph." Walter encouraged the boy, holding his hands tightly, "Bend your knee as you push into the slide. You will feel the blade glide along the ice." Walter smiled as the boy caught on and his confidence build. Walter caught the flash of a camera and he looked up at Paige standing from the side snapping a photograph with her phone.
Ralph got distracted and waved to his hand.
The next thing that happened was Ralph tripping by putting his skate on the ice at the wrong angle, catching it on the ice and tripping into Walter. The pair fell, Walter taking the brunt of the fall, but no harm was done. In fact, both geniuses were caught up in laughter that they didn't hear the approach of Agent Gallo. He slid to a stopped spraying ice across the pair still laying on the ice.
"You all okay? Cabe asked smiling at the boys. Ralph nodded and took the hand Cabe help for him. "How about I show you how to really skate, son!" He lifted the boy from Walter and the pair skated off to turn a circuit about the rink. Walter chuckled, stood up from the ice and made his way over Paige. She was still in the safety of the hockey box, standing next to door, holding tight to the padded bolstered top.
"So are you going to join us?" Walter said skating up to the side, his hand resting atop hers, his smile was catching. He forgot how much fun he liked being on the ice. She looked hesitantly towards the ice. "I cannot believe it."
"What?" Paige asked searching his eyes for an explanation.
"Are you bailing on your experiment?" He dared her to deny him.
"I am not." She replied, and he opened the rink door and held out his hand throwing down the gauntlet. Paige swallowed, did not give him the satisfaction of taking his hand, and stepped on to the ice. The rest of the team had been on the ice for ten minutes so they were all wrapped up in their own times. Toby was arm and arm with Sylvester who were trailing behind a zipping Happy. He had made a remark that she was probably related to Kristi Yamaguichi. To prove his point, she did the figure skating signature move by standing on one leg and doing a half circuit.
Walter stood behind Paige as she took her tentative first few steps. Almost like a baby giraffe taking steps right after birth, or maybe she looked a little more like a baby doe. But since he was not a zoologist or even considered himself a genius about animals, he hovered behind in case she needed the assistance.
It was a good thing he did. It was about the fifth step when her hands began to wheel about, trying to regain her balance, but was only hindering herself. Walter moved up in time to settle her by placing his hands on her waist.
"You okay?" Walter murmured in her ear. Her hands went to settle on his and it went into a vice grip.
"No." She snapped regretting the damnable idea of ice skating. What possessed her to think this was going to be fun, or easy and how the hell was Walter so good. "How are you so good?" His chuckled danced across her skin. She was glad for the long sleeve shirt to hide the goose pimples on her arms.
"I grew up in the rural tundra of Ireland. During the winter months, all there was to do outside was to ice skate on the pond by the house." Walter explained his proficiency with the winter sport. "So, my sister and I spent hours a day skating on that surface." He kept the information about why he and his sister spent so much time away from his house. Avoiding his father and his anger.
"Figures." Walter heard her mumble to himself. Another chuckled danced across her ear as he found the humor in the pun, she most likely did not intend to say. Ralph and Agent Gallo slid by, the giggles and chuckles from the federal agent and the eight year old brought determination to her soul. "Okay."
Walter tried to remove his hands put Paige held on tight. "Okay, what?" He was going to make her beg. She only glared in response. "Okay, fine I will help you." He relented and a smile spread across her face. He spent the next hour, holding her waist from behind and teaching her ice skating. Including balance, and the proper skating form, pushing through her heal and taking glides and not steps. They only fell once and once she got her ice legs under her; she, Ralph and Walter held hands with the boy between the adults going round and round the rink.
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Fin.
Short and sweet, nothing too much but a little background insight to his childhood.
I will try to incorporate more Toby and Happy sweetness soon.
Ema.