Ralph had been sleeping fitfully the past few nights, and Paige was relieved when Sylvester suggested the boy sleep over at his place this weekend. It'd be fun, the genius said, and it might take his mind off of things. Paige agreed. Sylvester was a constant positive energy in her son's life.

Happy and Toby had long since left the garage – Grace was already sleeping almost through the night, but she always fell asleep early – which only left the liaison and government handler downstairs. The past three nights, since they'd gotten home from the hospital, Walter had said his goodnights when Happy and Toby left, and disappeared up into the loft. Paige had never followed him. They'd been released from the hospital together, and she'd even rested her head on his shoulder as they sat in the back seat while Toby drove them back to the garage.

But they hadn't talked. Not really. Not about anything important.

"I'm going to be heading out," Cabe said, putting on his jacket. "You doing okay, kid?"

Paige looked up from her desk. "Uh, yeah," she said. "I'll be sending out our reports tonight, and then I'm all caught up."

"That's not what I meant."

She bit her lip as he pulled a chair up and sat down across from her. "Paige, you know why Walter has citizenship now. And it's not because Ralph told Hotchkiss that you guys kissed when you thought no one was watching."

Paige sat in silence, staring down at her hands.

"You dove out of a helicopter, risking your own life for a man that might have already been dead, for no practical reason at all."

She didn't look up. "I love him, Cabe."

"I know you do. And he loves you, too, but you're in a complicated situation right now."

She nodded.

"Look, I'm taking off, and your son's with Sylvester tonight. You and Walter have always worked well when you communicate. And you have lots of time to talk."

Paige looked at him then, biting her lower lip. "Thanks, Cabe."

"Take care, kid."

She watched him go, sitting in silence for a while. Cabe was right. It was so. damn. complicated.

But…did it have to be?

They'd done a marvelous job of avoiding the subject for the past seventy two hours, but they couldn't avoid this forever, because they were married…but they no longer had to be.

The stairs up to the loft had never lasted so long.

He was standing off to the side, near the couch where she'd slept for two nights straight following his harrowing trip to space, staring out the window. The moon had been full just a week before. They'd gone up on the roof with Ralph to look at it. He'd held her hand for a picture.

"Hey."

He turned, startled to see her, but composed himself quickly. "Hey."

"Cabe's left. And I think…I think we need to talk."

"Yeah," he said, scratching the back of his head. He gestured awkwardly to the couch. "Do you wanna…sit?"

"Sure. Yeah. I'd like that." She felt awkward as she sat down and she joined him, like they were in a business meeting. "So…you got your citizenship."

"Yeah." He smiled. "It's been a long road to…that. But it's over. And it was the preferred outcome."

She nodded. "Yeah. I don't…I don't know what we'd do. If you…weren't here."

"This wouldn't be possible without you, you know," he said, and for a moment she thought he was going to grab her hand. "I owe all of this to you."

"Please don't give me credit. If you'd known…then…what you know now, you probably would have found some other solution."

He grew quiet. "I do wish you'd told me."

"Can I tell you why, without it seeming like I'm passing blame?" She bit her lip as he nodded. "Toby told me not to tell you. I…was…dating Tim then, and he said if I pushed your memories out, it would be too much for you to handle. We didn't think it was safe for you. Emotionally. To bring them out of you rather than let them come on their own." She lowered her eyes. "I didn't want to hurt you. I was trying to keep you safe. And I destroyed our trust. And I'm sorry."

"No." He shook his head. "Paige, I was a mess for a few hours. And I'm still working through everything but even if I remembered I…I know we can't really be together. These past four months, I'm sure…I know…there were some awkward times. There were some mistakes. I wish But that's all over. I'm a citizen. We don't need to do this anymore. We can go back to the way things were. Get divorced. Be friends."

"But you love me."

There was a long pause, neither of them moving. Then Walter sighed. "Yeah. But I've loved you for a long time. The most important thing, for me, is that you remain in my life. In any capacity. I can be your friend."

"Well, Walter, I'd like you to be my friend. I'd like that a lot. But…" she tugged at a loose stitch on her shirt. "But what if…I don't want to get divorced?"

He blinked. "What?"

"I love you."

His expression changed – only slightly – but she could tell a world of difference. When he spoke, his voice was laden with emotion. "You love me?"

She nodded, feeling herself choke up, and she slid her hands down her knees to meet his as they came up from his lap. He curled his fingers around hers. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" She gave a little laugh. "For what?"

"I'm…" his bottom lip trembled. "I'm sorry that you love me."

"Wait. Why?"

"Because I know I'm not…I'm not ready for you. I'm not…what you deserve to have."

She frowned. "Says who?"

He seemed thrown off by the question. "C – Cabe." At her silence, he continued. "He said I wasn't capable of giving you what you need. That I was selfish. And…and the last thing I want is to try something with you and hurt you because of the way I am."

And she'd thought Tuesday broke her heart. "Walter," she said, "you're not selfish."

"Yes I am," he said forcefully. "Yes I am. Because I want you. Anyone who wants you is selfish." He dropped his eyes to his lap. "Because you're incredible."

On any other day – in any other context – she'd be melting into a puddle at his words. But not now – not when he was saying them only to invalidate himself. "No," she said, "God. No, Walter. I love you. I am…so incredibly in love." She reached over, sliding a hand along his jawline, asking him to look at her. "And aren't I the only one who gets to decide if you're what I need?" She ran her thumb along his cheek, using her other hand to squeeze his fingers gently.

"But…but isn't it…strange?" Walter asked. "I don't know of anyone who got married before beginning a relationship."

She chuckled. "Has anything we've ever done been by the book?"

He smiled nervously. "I suppose not. So…" he looked scared to ask the question. "So what are we doing now? Are you saying that…are you saying that you want to be with me?"

She scooted closer, drawing his face to hers and kissing him soundly, closing her eyes sliding her hand back into his hair. His tongue slid along her bottom lip, asking for access, and she gave it to him, humming into his mouth as he pulled her close, gently. She could have just stayed like that, kissing him until neither of them remembered how to breathe, but all too soon, he pulled back, wild eyed. "I'm scared," he panted. "I'm scared of doing something wrong. Of making you hate me. I don't know how to survive without you anymore, Paige. If our lives go their separate ways…and if it's my fault…"

"Stop it," she said gently. "You're acting like you don't know how much I can't lose you, either." He blinked in surprise, as if that thought had never occurred to him. "Really?" She asked in surprise. "Walter, you've got to know that you mean every bit as much to me as I mean to you." She grabbed his hand again, lifting it to her mouth and kissing it gently. "I know this is a lot to handle. I know it's non – conventional. But…" she gave him a small smile. "But I want nothing more than to stay right here. With you. You…me…Ralph…we were a family long before it was legal." She looked deep into his eyes. "All this, it's big. It's real big, but…but I'm not afraid. I know who I married." She stroked his hand with her thumb. "You want to be what I need, Walter O'Brien? Just let me stay here. By your side."

It was his turn to lean forward, and her lips curved into a smile as they brushed along his. "And," she said when they separated, "I know we never talked. About the night. That we. You know. But, um." She bit her lip. "I initiated it. And I shouldn't have."

"If you hadn't. I would have." He shook his head. "Those…those pajamas you were wearing. They were so…modest…and yet I swear my brain short circuited when I saw you in them."

She couldn't help the blush. "Really?"

He gave a short, embarrassed laugh. "Yeah. And then the next night on the Island, I just wanted to…actually, that's what I have to apologize for."

She was about to open her mouth, to insist that he didn't have to apologize for staring, that the look he'd given her almost made her climb on top of him again, regrets be damned, when he continued. "I didn't take care of you. That night."

"Walter, I…"

"I know what you're going to say, and that's not what I meant." He held up a finger, asking that she let him finish. She nodded. "I'd convinced myself, long prior to our wedding, that no matter what I'd ever allowed to play out in my head, that you and I would never be intimate. And when it happened…I regretted not going slow. Taking time. Not treating you the way I'd always imagined I would. I remember that night so vividly, and…and I just might regret that night for the rest of my days."

"Well, we know we can't change the past," Paige said. "So…I mean…we can either run from it or learn from it, right?"

He gave a small smirk. "The Lion King? Really?"

The one movie reference he knows. She chuckled. "What? It applies."

"Okay." He leaned in and kissed her again. She kissed him back with a fervor, tipping her head to the side for a new angle, shivering when he used the brief separation of their lips to mumble, again, that he loved her. He seemed to want to say it, again and again, now that he knew he could without the world coming apart. And the next time their lips came apart, she said it right back, and he tugged her closer in response. She didn't know how long they stayed like that, wrapped up in each other's arms, but she did know that she could stay like this all night.

Or…

"Um," she said, putting a hand on his chest and opening her eyes. "I uh…I don't know how to ask this question, but…" she looked across the room, toward Walter's bed.

He followed her gaze, and when he looked back, Paige saw something in his eyes that excited her, that suggested that he just might respond favorably to what she was suggesting. "We love each other, and we are married, and…" She shrugged. "I may know you really well, but…I'd like to know you even more. You know?" She gave a shy chuckle. "I was thinking maybe we could, uh, head over there. Maybe kiss a little while. Be close. See where things go?"

"Slowly."

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "Slowly. Because we have all night. And it's just us."

The tenth and final chapter will be (at least) 5K of smut. So if that's not your thing, the story ends here, and thank you so much for reading and reviewing. If you do read on to the last chapter, also thank you for reading and reviewing, and hopefully you'll enjoy Waige finally being happy.