Today was a bad day. The case was trying and it dredged up some memories I have spent a life time suppressing. I knew I was going to have nightmares. Thankfully, Paige seemed to understand my hesitancy about the night. She didn't offer to stay. She just remained and slept over.
Paige woke up with a start. The pressure across her stomach was painful and made her jerk awake. The room was still dark and glancing to the clock located on the night stand she knew it was the early hours of the morning. She heard the faint mumbles of her bed partner pressing his sleepless whispers into the skin of her back.
"No. Stop. Please, it hurts." He repeated into her shoulder blade as he tried to burrow into her form. His arm wrapped about her waist to tightening with each of her breath. Effectively restricting her ability to breathe. Paige rubbed her fingers along the arm of her genius, seeing if the light touches would pull him from his slumber. It was a trick she did with Ralph when he was having a nightmare.
Walter was not Ralph and only continued to wrap himself about her like climbing ivy on a stone wall. Paige smiled. Her poor genius megalomaniac and his low emotional quotient. She would love to throw it in his face how he may have a low EQ during the day, but at night and he was dead to the world he was like a child searching warmth. He needed to have one part of his body touching her, and if she rolled away, the muscles on her face would contort in annoyance or frustration. During the day, whenever Walter made the face a crease would happen between his eyes and Paige had to control her fingers or lips to keep from smoothing the puckered skin. Paige wiggled and shimmied so she was turned to face the genius.
His face was darkened into a glare, even in his dreams he showed displeasure. He once told her after a bad dream, that he was frightened but due to annoyance. He was trying to prove a mathematical theorem to a classroom of seventh graders and they were making fun of his accent. Tonight was a different form of dream. The countenance was dark to the point of anger but in a frightened way. He was let out another string of comments, stressed and unhappy.
"I said no. Leave her be. No!" Walter mumbled, his lips trembled against her forehead and Paige leaned away. His eyebrows scrunching in the lack of touch.
She raise her fingers that were resting against his chest. Her left hand crept up wrapping about his neck and she rubbed her fingers against his pressure point. She pressed softly, feeling his blood pressure slightly raised.
"Mm, Stop. I don't want to help hurt." He said leaning his forward again searching for comfort from Paige. She took pity and moved slowly and pressed her lips to his forehead.
"Walter, what are you dreaming about?" She murmured against his head. His body shook as he trembled in the fear of his dream. Paige pulled back just a few centimeters to look at his face. Her hand moved up to cup his cheek. She brushed her thumb across his cheek bone just below his eye. His hands met in the middle of her back pulling so she was flush with his body. Paige had to shift but Walter tried to tug her closer as she made room for her legs.
"Paige." He mumbled to her skin. "I can't. No don't hurt her."
"Walter, I'm right here." She said kissing his temple and she felt his nose flare and his breathing increase. Paige ran her other hand through Walter's hair, scratching his scalp. Another technique she developed through the techniques of being a single mother and dealing with Ralph. It seemed to calm Walter. She wanted wake him, but she knew he needed to be woken gently. The brain of geniuses tended to react quickly and harshly, or so the black eye she got once when trying to shake Ralph awake during a night terror episode. Ralph was five but his elbow caught her face just right and left her with quite a shiner. He went through a phase a few years back that he had at least one nightmare each night. That would be considered a good night. The doctors she consulted said it was due to an over-active imagination, a child's brain dealing with his emotional ineptitude of not having a steady male figure in his life, and the possibility that Paige wasn't cut to handle a child such as Ralph. Paige had had to be physically removed from the child psychologist's office after she made that comment.
"Please, don't make me." Walter cowered in against her body.
"I won't make you do anything." Paige responded hoping her voice could pull him the trenches of his mind. Paige hugged him tightly as he let out a sound that made her soul ache. An aching sob as if he was tortured. "Walter, come back to me." She called. She kissed the shell of his ear and thinking how thankful she was that she stayed. She shuddered at the thought of Walter having to face his dreams alone, with little to no comfort. Walter had put on a brave face, or attempting to look stoic. Paige knew better. He had hovered on the edge of antsy and angry during the last case. A painful past dredged up by a criminal that Walter was linked to as a young boy. He had been an innocent youth caught up with the wrong crowd and he was trying to impress a girl. The girl was the sister to the criminal, who forced his sister to manipulate the genius. It started simply to hack a few banks a small score to fatten up their checking accounts, wipe out some debt. As the weeks went by, the demands were darker and deeper, tracking shipping routes for drug companies, the radio communication the police used and erasing juvenile records from the system. The last job was to rip off the intelligence bureau of Scotland Yard for the location of a protected witness. The gang leader had started torturing Walter to provide the information by breaking two fingers, a busted orbital socket and some deep burns caused by an electric wire and a car battery. When it became obvious that the genius would not be able to produce the information if the torture continued, the pain was then inflicted on Walter's crush. The criminal did a number to his own sister to get Walter to finally give in and find the protected address. The protected person was the key witness in convicting the gang's real leader for murder. The trial would disintegrate if the witness went missing.
Which happened.
The body was never discovered and Seamus Orsen was set free because all the evidence was circumstantial, and Walter did not want to step forward because of the possibility of Walter being an accessory to the murder. That was over fifteen years ago, and now Seamus Orsen popped up in the United States wanted for drug and human trafficking across the globe. He was wanted on numerous governmental agency, take your pick. Interpol, C.I.A., homeland security, MI6, Scotland Yard and the various others for an assortment of crimes. He was in California and had happened upon chance that Scorpion was called for assistance. A gruesome murder was committed and there was a lone print that did not belong in the apartment. It was traced to the piss-ant older brother that delightfully tortured his sister to the brink of death to bend Walter to his wishes.
This turned about and connected the man to Seamus Orsen but not before Walter had to come face to face with Kelly. Paige recalled the tantrum Walter threw at Cabe when the federal agent suggested that Walter sit in on the interrogation. Cabe had been encouraging Walter to be more involved on the federal agent side of cases. It would be beneficial for the team if there was ever a time that Cabe was indisposed.
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"Listen, son." Cabe said after Walter flat our refused to take part in the interrogation of Kelly Wells. "I know you have some history with this individual." Walter's eyes darkened on the man sitting at the metal desk in the interrogation room of the federal bureau of investigation. It was one of the many, and not even that remotely intimidating, but Toby had judged by the nervous ticks, such as tapping his foot and shifting his face from the cameras located in the corner of the room. The suspect did not know that there were hidden cameras from every angle of the room.
"Walt, I can tell by the pace of his breathing that it would only take a few minutes to get the rooster to crow." Toby said focusing only on the monitor. "Look how he twists his ring, toward the body is an omission of guilt, typically to the a spouse or significant other. Twisting the ring away from the body usually shows annoyance and uncomfortable in the current setting."
"Toby, your parlor tricks means nothing." Walter snapped quickly but it went unnoticed by the behaviorist. The team had been read into the relationship that connected the suspect and Walter. The small and limited information to protect Walter from the backlash of the team. If there was even a chance of backlash.
"See even the doc thinks you interrogating Wells would work." Cabe demanded for Walter's action. Paige was sitting on the top of a desk, watching the scene unfold. Walter stomped his foot, which caused her eyebrow to quirk. He folded and unfolded his arms and this made Paige slant her head to the left. Then there was the loud resounding.
"No."
"Walter."
"I said no Cabe." Walter reiterated his answer. He would not be provoked into a situation. "The last time I was in a room with Kelly Wells, he nearly tortured his sister to death with a cordless drill. I will not make that mistake again."
Sylvester's squeaked from fear and Toby balked at the admission. Happy knew about this past life of Walter because there was little that was not shared between the mechanic and the fourth highest IQ individual. Paige was the only one to make a noise by calling Walter's name, her tone filled with sympathy and twinge with sadness. All Walter could hear was pity. He deserved no one's pity.
"Walter. That was in the past." Cabe said his voice strong and resolute. "The verdict for the Pathum's case was almost sixteen years ago. It is not your fault for cracking under the pressure of this guy. He did terrible things, but there was no guarantee that the jury would have convicted Orsen. You have been reeling since that day, I know if you do this now, you will get the closure you have always craved."
"I don't want closure." Walter seethed slamming his fist to the desk. Paige jumped at the outburst. Cabe shook his head and looked to the liaison. Looking for assistance or support but her shoulders just lifted up.
"You need to do this, son." Cabe said finally. "You might be the only way to crack him to lead us to Orsen's whereabouts, and what cargo he is moving. There was chatter that it was a shipment of kids. They could end up in the sex trade, mentally abused, physically abuse or worse end up dead. So please, do this for them."
Walter let out a breath and nodded.
"Fine." He snapped. "But Toby is going in with me to read his bodily responses." He stalked past the team, slamming the door from the observation room, and then stormed into the interrogation room. The walls were grey cement, with little adornments to keep it from feeling personalized. An American flag, a two way mirror, hidden and obvious cameras, and a fern plant looking wilted from the lack of natural sunlight and water. Walter slammed a light blue folder with the F.B.I. emblem on the front, and fell into the seat opposite of the suspect. He fired off his name stating he was with the bureau and that he was being held in the conspiracy to trafficking drugs and humans. Walter opened the folder, setting different images of the dead. A few casualties from a drug overdose to heroin that was championed by the Scottish gang. The other was a shot of the mass grave, discovered in a red rusting shipping container left abandoned on a shipping dock of Taipei. Walter stopped talking to look directly at Kelly's eyebrow when the door opened and in stepped Toby.
"Everyone getting cozy in here?" The behaviorist asked taking the remaining vacant chair next to Walter. He slid in to the metal contraption with an ease that did not happen often. He glanced at the picture but remained impassive. "Now, Walter and myself would like to ask you some question." The look of recognition clicked into the dead face of Kelly Wells.
"Walter." He tested the name, "As in Walter Obrien?"
"That is irrelevant to our interrogation." Walter deflected the question.
"Wow, what has it been Walt?" Kelly laughed. "Seventeen years, and now you work for the FBI. That is insane. You surely have come far since the last time I talked to you."
"Yes. Kelly." Walter said. "It has been awhile. I don't work for the FBI, I work with the FBI-
"Is there a difference?" The criminal smirked. "Do you ever wonder about Clara?" Walter swallowed to avoid an outburst. "She still needs a ventilator to breath properly, but she makes it by in her wheelchair."
"The wheelchair you put her in." Walter mumbled.
"Mr. Wells, what can you tell us about Seamus Orsen?" Toby tried to interject the conversation. It was going down a rabbit hole that he could sense from Walter that the genius did not want to visit.
Ever.
"Orsen?" Wells lied. "I don't recall knowing a Seamus Orsen. Is he from Ireland?" A grin spread across his face when he noticed the flare of impatience on Walter's face. It was brief but enough to let the suspect know that he was under the genius's skin.
"Wells, we know you have ties with Orsen." Toby started a line of questioning but the grin caused a reaction in Walter and within words Walter pushed out of his chair, it falling to the ground and he was across the table. His arm taking hold of his collar and then shoving the man's face forward and forcing it to the table. It hit with a bang, and everything erupted into chaos. Screams, shouts, fists all flying in various directions, the door to the interrogation room being kicked in as Cabe and another agent rushed into the room to separate the now fighting men. Kelly was in a head lock and Walter was throwing punches to his stomach. Cabe grabbed Walter yelling that it was enough. Kelly flung his arm forward and landed his fist to Walter's jaw. Toby was flattened against the wall his hands in the air and his hat off kilter from the scuffle. Walter shook Cabe off.
"Alright." He yelled. "Okay, I am fine." Walter lifted his hands in the air. "I told you this was a bad idea."
"I didn't know you would attack the guy." Cabe yelled back. Paige was standing in the hall, she stepped between the pair putting her hands up to separate men.
"Stop. We all need to calm down." Walter stepped closer but was stopped by Paige's hand resting on his chest. Paige shot him look, he turned and marched down the hallway. Paige looked to Cabe and arched her eyebrow. "Why don't you go finish the questioning. I will take Walter to get some fresh air." The federal agent nodded and Paige turned to trail the genius's path, to find him feet from the bureau. He was standing with his back to the building and staring into the traffic. Paige watched for a moment to see what his next step was before reaching out. Walter simply remained as if he was waiting and knew she was nearby. Paige took the few steps and let her fingers trail down his forearm and into his hand.
"Paige." Walter breathed her name. He winced do to the cut on his lip from the last blow delivered by Wells. Paige shook her head. She stood on her tiptoes and placed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.
"All will be fine." Paige whispered when she moved only a few centimeters from his face. He wrapped his arms about her torso and pulled her into a hug but remained stoic. She knew he wanted to say more, but she didn't want to push. Walter would come when he needed to talk. They remained for a bit, relishing in the comfort of each other's arms.
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"No, stop." His voice brought Paige back to reality. His voice was louder now, and Paige shifted back so her hands were resting on his face. She tried to push away but Walter's arms wrapped tighter as she shifted. Paige was going to find Sylvester and see if he could assist in waking Walter. Since the genius was in deeper then she suspected, but he kept her pressed to his chest. He rolled onto his back taking Paige along for the ride.
"Walter." She called pushing her hands against his chest. He seemed to settle again, a lull in his dream but she could tell his brain was still active by the way his eyes danced beneath his close lids. Paige clasped her hands on top of his chest and rested her chin. She watched for a moment as his mouth opened and closed, his nose flared and then he turned his head. Paige agreed with the song about dreams, that dreams are the wishes your heart makes. She knew that Walter agreed with the scientific community of oneirology. He felt dreams mainly occurred in the rapid-eye movement stage of sleep when the activity of the brain was high and that it resembled while being awake. That it was the brain's way of sorting through the days images and memories. Which after today, she knew that Walter had a bit to deal with. She removed one of her hands and put it on his cheek, caressing the stubble. He had tried to compartmentalize the day but he couldn't force his brain to obey.
After Cabe finished the interrogation, which included a few finger bends, a plea deal and Toby reading the micro-expressions of his face. The plea deal was to not serve any time in the United States but he was being returned to the United Kingdom where he was wanted for a list of crimes. He gave up the phone number he used to contact Seamus. It was with that number, the Scorpion team that was able to use the cellular technology to pinpoint Seamus's location.
"Okay. I put the call in for backup. We will be ready to raid the docks in the next three hours." Cabe said as he replaced his phone into the holster at his side.
Sylvester squeaked, "But we could be to late."
"What do you mean?" Cabe asked turning back to look at the human calculator. The man was working through the variables.
"With the average temperature, and the increase of degrees as the afternoon goes by and the relative thickness of a steel freighter, if there are forty kids packed into the shipper-"
"I don't care about the variables. Be out with it Sly!"
"Don't yell at him." Happy snapped at the federal agent.
"I am just saying that if we wait the lack of oxygen and the extreme heat could kill them." Sylvester said. "I am seventy percent sure of it."
"Then we better come up with a good plan." Cave said as he composed a quick text to the swat team. He slid his phone back to his case. The team pieced together a quick and possibly efficient plan if all went, they could secure the shipment within thirty minutes. Thankfully, everything went according to their geniusly executed plan. The gang was short staffed, only two extra enforcers with Seamus. It was likely to the quick turn around of the capture of Kelly in the early afternoon and the interrogation. It was a short window of time which aided to stop a heightened suspicion of the Irish gang. So the team was successful in detaining all members, with a few punches, one shot fired from the 'Zombie Gun'. A recent project Happy created to discombobulated the victim. It was an amended potato gun of sorts but effectively incapacitated the target due to a blow but didn't puncture skin and would give enough of a time to allow for the team to overtake the assailant. Toby nicknamed the Zombie gun because he was the poor schmuck that agreed to have the fun tested upon and he had walked about a character from the Walking Dead. He had been stunned for a good twenty minutes from the blow that even Sylvester was able to handcuff Toby.
But it was the darkness found in the shipping container. Dozen of young woman and girls as well as a few boys were jammed into the metal box. A few were bruised and batter from misuse but for the most part everyone was just uncomfortable and scared. The federal agents were impressed with the teams ability and success with the completion of the case. But Paige had noticed the dark look Walter made when he saw the prisoners condition. He also had an outburst toward Toby when the behaviorist asked Walter about his relation to the Irish gang.
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Paige was pulled back to the painful moans of her bedmate for what could be the infinitive time. She would try one more trick to bring him from his dream state and back to reality. She pressed her hands against his chest to give her enough leverage so she could hover over the genius's head. He looked so unhappy. So she leant down and let her lips trail across his neck, nibbling on the sensitive skin that connected the neck to his chin.
It was one of her favorite places to kiss on his body. Paige smiled when he gave the involuntary response of trespassing across the spot that would ignite a fire in his soul. She found it during a particular moment of a heated exchange. He would turn to pusdy in her hands if she paid any attention to that spot. Paige led her lips along the mysterious pathway, along the line of his jaw feeling the stubble of his unshaven face. Her other hand had swept up to cup the right side of his face. Paige's lip caressed his ear for a moment before getting to their final destination and her favorite place to kiss.
His mouth.
She lost herself in his mouth. As she typically did. The pressure of her kiss was soft but tentative. She smiled in as his lips reacted with no volition as if they had a mind of their own and no matter the situation they would return her kiss. She bit softly against his lower lip, nipping it to be playful but because soon to follow was her tongue tasting the remnants of his dream and the lingering freshness of his toothpaste. She was so lost in the kisses, she didn't feel the tightness of his arms about her waist go from protective to a romantic grasp. His hands separated to land I her hips, before slowly sliding their way up her torso until his right was resting on the side of her breast. She jerked back when she felt his thumb brush across her nipple and she notice he was awake.
"Walter!" She said his name as if she was the one to wake up from a dream.
"Were you expecting someone else?" Walter smirked, a tang of his accent accented his voice. His left hand went up to brush the strands of her hair from her eyes. Paige was still laying on top of his chest.
She blushed, "No, but you were having a bad dream, and it took a bit to wake you." He gave her a sympathetic look. "Do you remember your dream?"
He shook his head but it did not deter Paige. "You can tell me, I want to be able to help you."
"How would talking about my dream help me?" Walter asked wanting to know the scientific significance of the telling of dreams.
"I might be nice to get it off your chest." Paige said and blushed again by the wolffish look her gave her at her pun.
"It would be rather fun to get you off against my-"
"Don't be crass." Paige mumbled against his lips when she moved down to interrupt his sexual innuendo. Walter chuckled and let his hands begin their dance against her body.
Clothes were shed as the intensity of their kissed heightened. At some point, Walter rolled Paige to her back and soon they were both coupling with moans of ecstasy.
They found themselves wrapped about each other, a sheet being their only covers but both were breathing heavy. Paige pressed a kiss to his chest as he put his lips to her hairline.
"Paige." He whispered knowing that sleep was close to claiming them. She responded with just a soft hmm. Her breath tickling his chest hair. "Thank you for being here tonight."
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." She sighed, placing another kiss to where his heart was beating the sound of his life. It sped up for a few beats.
Walter smiled, tightened his arms about her waist once more and they fell into a companionable sleep.
No dreams. Just them.
Happy Valentines Day! This is rough and well please forgive me. I have been trying to write for some time now. I hope you guys enjoy.