They watched as the light blue liquid drained from the tube and past Mark's lips. Slowly Mark swallowed and then put the cork back into the vial and held it out to Walter.
"First out of respect, everyone but Walter and Paige please leave." Mark looked up and waited a few seconds. As he heard the others turning and then walking towards the door he continued. "This won't be easy to hear but since I don't have a lot of time, please hold off scolding me. I need to apologize to you, Paige, for violating your privacy. Before I became sick I knew you were the key to destroy Walter and his Cyclone. To that end I hacked your computer at home." The laptop read out what Mark was typing.
Paige looked really offended but held her tongue.
"You keep a very nice diary by the way." Mark smiled as he typed.
Paige blushed and then grew angry but continued to bite her tongue.
"If she ever lets you read them, I would highly recommend it, Walter. There is a lot of information that applies to you. But this is about Ralph. Did you know Paige had an encounter with someone that wasn't Drew around the time Ralph was conceived?" Mark typed.
Walter shook his head as Paige inhaled quickly. She realized he was telling the truth of having read her diary.
"I'm guessing you shook your head." Mark smiled at the silence. "The important part is that the day she did, you both were in San Francisco. You were staying in the motel that was next door to her apartment building. And considering what she wrote of what she remembered I examined the police reports filed that day. I was so hoping to find someone else who was Ralph's Dad, I knew I'd be able to stir up so much trouble over that if I could. I would be able to twist them, manipulate them into possibly taking Ralph away from Paige and you. And what came as a complete and wonderful surprise, there was a police report you filed that day. You'd filed that you'd been mugged, when you regained consciousness, not only was your wallet missing, but you found someone had sex with you. Paige had come to your aid, inebriated. And according to her, she had sex with the man she helped, so you need to take a DNA test as you might be Ralph's Father." Mark paused for a moment. "This is happening quicker than I thought…" Mark typed slowly as his eyes blinked and his head began to roll to the side and he jerked it back up.
"Mark." Walter and Paige both said at the same time.
"I go into…the…unkown…withawiss…foryothrre…" The laptop quit speaking.
Walter looked at Paige, confused.
"I go into the unknown with a wish for you three." Paige whispered as her fingers gently touched Walter's face.
Walter swallowed as he looked at his once old friend. His eyes still open and the vent still inflating his lungs…and then the steady alarm as the heart monitor no longer detected a heart beat.
Walter stood immediately and turned to Paige and pulled her fiercely into his arms.
While Paige had reasoned out Mark's final message, she was still swimming from the revelation Mark brought them. The hug just overwhelmed her for a minute more before she finally found her voice again.
"I'm so sorry Walter." Paige said as her hands moved, rubbing his back. "I know he meant far more to you than he did to me and I'm sorry for the loss."
Walter shook his head even as the door opened and a nurse moved in along with the gang.
"Not Mark." Walter said. "Thank you…for coming to my aid." Walter said, even as the little bit he could remember, of that day, flashed through his mind.
The gang stood there in the room silent as they watched the nurse care for the man that had once been part of their Cyclone and also their biggest antagonist. Sylvester had tears running down his face as Florence held onto him. Toby stood there with conflicting emotions. He'd hated Mark, all the times he had tormented them, especially Happy.
Happy was like a stone statue, even her eyes didn't blink or move. If it wasn't for the slight movement of her jacket as she breathed you'd almost think she was dead.
Cabe had no feelings for Mark, plenty against him. Since the day he became aware of Mark he'd been a thorn. He was just as happy he was gone, but he worried over his kids. As much as Walter and Paige were clinging together he worried that Mark had taken a last stab at ruining their happiness.
It was only about fifteen minutes later that a Homeland doctor came through the door. The nurse was put off by him but with a signed order from a federal judge she stepped back and let him examine Mark. Slowly he began filling out a form. The two agents who were outside the room signed it after he signed it and the three of them left.
As they left the nurse saw a note taped to the laptop's lid. "Property of Walter O'Brien. -Mark." She picked it up and after closing the lid she held it out to Walter.
Cabe stepped up and took it from her.
They stood there another ten minutes when Walter's watch began beeping.
"It's time to go pick up Ralph." Walter said as he cleared his throat and his hands fell from Paige to silence the watch.
After setting Ralph up at Walter's desk, Walter and Paige left the Garage to go up to the roof. It was the only place at the Garage that they couldn't be spied on.
For nearly a half hour Paige sat on Walter's lap leaning into his chest as he held her. Mark's laptop sitting on her lap.
"At the moment I had no doubt about Mark's words, but I feel I need confirmation from you. Was Mark truthful about what he said concerning March 16th, 2005?" Walter whispered finally.
"He was. I had come home from college and Drew had left me a message on the answering machine that he'd gone out with his buddies from baseball. When I *69'ed the call, I found it was placed from a lounge at a Lake Tahoe resort." Paige told him. "I was so mad, I got drunk, I don't remember much until I woke up in a motel room next to the apartment building I lived in. I just remember being so embarrassed, I got dressed quickly and left." Paige sighed. "Was he truthful about you?"
"I can't believe he figured this out, but he was. I was in San Francisco that day. I'd gotten mugged and when I woke up I knew something else happened. I filed a police report, they just assumed I had picked up a prostitute and was robbed. They didn't really pursue it. I'm rather glad in a way now." Walter smiled.
"You know the guys are going to be all over us wanting to know what Mark told us. Once all the emotions of Mark's death settle. We should also get a paternity test so we can find out if you are Ralph's Father." Paige said as she kissed his lips.
"Well, once we find out if Ralph is my son then we'll worry about telling him and then the guys." Walter smiled.
"What do you think Collins told them? Do you think he tried one last thing to break them up?" Cabe asked Toby and Happy.
Toby shook his head.
"No, to be honest, I think he was genuine about how much he appreciated what Paige had done to help Walter to grow emotionally. You know, out of all of us, Collins was closest to being normal emotionally. He was just the most unstable mentally. I've got to say in the short time we got to see him, I saw a lot of growth in him. It is a shame he didn't do that before, as he said with Walter we could have been a force for humanity." Toby sighed.
"As for what he told them, it obviously is very personal. Walter's been clinging to that laptop since he took it from you. Whatever is on it, is worth more than gold to Walter." Toby explained.
"What do you think of us getting Papa Carpini's for dinner? They don't need to worry about food in addition to whatever was told to them." Happy asked.
"That's a good idea." Cabe smiled. "Let me give you my card and you order it for us."
"Let us get tonight." Toby said as Happy nodded. "It was Happy's idea anyway. I'm sure there will be other days in the coming weeks we'll have to order food."
Cabe sighed but nodded.
Getting a next of kin to sign off on it, took nearly three weeks before they got to bury Mark:
"This is a strange time for some geniuses." Walter said as he stood beside the open grave. "We don't as a general rule believe in anything beyond this simple existence. But I have come to understand and appreciate the time that coming to a funeral offers us, even geniuses like me."
Paige smiled at him.
"Mark was a complicated soul." Walter continued. "In some ways more than me and in others less than me." Walter said as his hand came up and wiped at the single tear. "He was a friend, a confidant, a partner to run theories with, a trouble maker, an instigator, he was cold, demeaning, dismissive, sneaky and underhanded. But in the end he only wished he had seen the truth and been a force for good. That he could have seen the value I saw in our Cyclone family. He left behind all his research for us to continue as well as he left a precious gift to us." Walter reached over and took Paige's hand even as she took Ralph's.
"In his efforts to find a way to destroy us as a whole, he found out a secret locked away in Paige and my memories. A secret neither of us could have found out without his efforts to harm us." Walter licked his lips even as Paige nodded for him to continue. "Sep 22, 2014. You, our friends, know about that day and all the days since, but you don't know about our origin story. On March 16th, 2005…Paige and I began a very large and diminishing circle towards each other. Chance or fate if you prefer saw us brought back together in 2014. In 2005 I was mugged in San Francisco, through head trauma I have no memory until hours later. Because of emotional distress and alcohol, Paige has little to no memory. But the fact remains that because of what happened that day, because of Mark's work, we've found out that Ralph is my son." Walter said while grinning.
Everyone stood staring open mouthed at the small family.
"No way!" Happy said and then a huge grin erupted on her face before she moved towards them.
"Mazel tov!" Toby yelled and ran towards them behind Happy.
Cabe, Sylvester and Florence moved up behind Happy and Toby to congratulate the small family.
Callan, Ireland, June 16th, 2019:
Walter stepped out the front door of his parents' farmhouse holding his second oldest son. Walter couldn't help smiling down at the little guy. He had the diaper bag over his shoulder as he walked to the porch swing and after setting the bag on the ground under the swing he sat down on the swing over the bag. He began swinging and his son began laughing.
"Walter, I'm not so sure it is warm enough for Marcas." Paige said as she opened the screen door. "Oh, maybe it is." She said as the sunlight struck her.
"See, Mommy knows your Daddy is a genius and yet she still questions my wisdom." Walter said playfully to Marcas as Marcas continued to laugh. Walter smiled up at Paige and stopped the swing to let her to sit down. Paige cozied up to his left side and they shared a kiss before beginning to swing again.
Paige looked over at Walter's right arm where Marcas was laying watching them as he giggled from the movement.
"I still can't believe how fast he is growing. Already more than two feet tall and just over 16 pounds." Walter said proudly of his five month old son.
"It really goes by much too fast." Paige nodded as she remembered how quickly Ralph grew.
"I'm really enjoying being a part of his life that I missed with Ralph." Walter said before he kissed Paige.
Paige smiled while trying to keep the disappointment of Walter never knowing Ralph like this off her face.
"While I don't think Marcas Patrick will be a genius like Ralph, he's still going to be treasured." Walter whispered to Paige.
Paige smiled at first.
"Why don't you think he'll be a genius like Ralph?" Paige whispered back.
Walter wrapped his left arm around Paige.
"He doesn't do things like I did as a baby, nor as you wrote in your diary like Ralph." Walter whispered. "But, I believe Marcas is going to be an amazing individual. With many, many gifts." Walter said out loud as he looked at Marcas.
Marcas just grinned and continued to giggle.
"I have no doubt that Marcas is going to be amazing." Paige reached down with her finger and rubbed Marcas's nose.
Marcas giggled again.
"Maybe we can have a daughter next time." Walter said softly.
Paige jerked as she looked up at Walter.
Walter saw the shock in her face easily and then saw her expression transition into a pleased grin.
"Thank you." Paige said as she snuggled in against him. "I know you weren't too sure about any more kids but I think we'll be just fine having some more." Paige winked. "I just hope we actually plan the rest. Surprises are nice, but two of them are plenty." Paige laughed.
The door opened and Ralph stepped out.
"Hey buddy, come over and sit down with us." Walter said.
Paige patted the swing next to her.
"Thanks, but I promised Grandpa I'd look at the hay baler for him. He said it was acting up at the end of the last harvest. I just wanted you guys to know. Now don't make my brother sick." Ralph grinned.
"Alright, just be careful." Walter warned him. "We don't need to take you or your Grandpa to get an arm reattached."
Paige closed her eyes as she shook her head.
"Thanks Walter. I did not need that image in my head." Paige growled at him.
"Busted!" Ralph grinned and then dodged around his Grandmother as he ran back into the house.
"That boy!" Louise said laughing. "Reminds me of you when you would get so excited at a project you had to work on." Louise explained as she walked over and sat down next to Paige when they stopped swinging.
Walter reluctantly passed Marcas to Paige who kissed him and passed him to Louise who pulled him up and kissed his face and belly several times. She brought him down to lie in her arms and they all just smiled at the boy.
"Does it feel real yet?" Louise asked Paige as she blinked towards Paige's lap.
Paige frowned and looked down and saw her left hand there and the wedding ring on her finger.
"Oh." Paige laughed. "It feels one hundred percent real." Paige nodded.
"Sorry we couldn't get married in the church. I just can't agree with raising our children in that faith." Walter told her.
Louise waved it away.
"I'm just glad you got married here so we could be part of it." Louise told them. "I was worried you'd go to one of those quickie marriage chapels in Las Vegas or just a justice of the peace. So I'm more than happy with how you married here."
"We considered it and then thought we'd do a more formal ceremony here with you guys but we felt like it was an unneeded expense of time, money and energy." Walter told her.
"Just so you know Louise, you are never getting your boy back." Paige gave her a smile as she winked.
Louise laughed as she shook her head.
"I'm sure that would make Father very happy." Walter teased.
"I'm just glad the two of you are on better terms now." Louise told him.
"Do you know when it went so bad between them?" Paige asked curiously.
"Well there was always a misconnection but I think the biggest was when Walter had played football that year." Louise sighed. "You see, Walter was always about smart things with his mind and he did an amazing job on all of it. But Sean, he wasn't a thinking man like Walter, he's a man of physical nature. So when Walter made the football team Sean had to be there for that. And when Walter made a mistake on the field, Sean just…he never took the time to really try with Walter even before but after that." Louise sighed. "It hurt Walter something fierce. He tried so hard to get his Father to see him and then for him to see him like that and never to come to see his triumphs, it just strained the relationship more."
Walter just nodded.
"But now they have a common point of reference, sons…and Sean is finally opening up and our boy is responding in kind. Largely thanks to you and the work you've done with him." Louise said before kissing Paige's cheek.
Greetings! I hope this finds you all well! It is that time again...another story comes to an end. Always a bitter sweet time for me. Did you guess Mark's secret? hehe I truly don't think I can figure out a new way to explain the Walter-Ralph connection. lol We'll be going back to Callan for 4 chapters next and Lady Aine has a small update after that. And after that, unless something else happens, we'll be back to Callan.
Marti - hehe Sorry to disappoint, nothing on his laptop to ruin Walter's life at all. Realistically or not, Mark just wanted to make up just a little of the bad he had done. hehe Nope, no switch vial.
Railman - hehe Walter said he welcomed that bite! lol Walter said he first approached it logically, it was just the right thing to do. But he had to give it a lot of thought after Toby agreed to make it. It wasn't until he saw Mark the 2nd time that he decided to give it to him. Hope you enjoyed the conclusion!
Pearliegirl - hehe Did you guess?
Champagne42 - hehe No last trick...other than revealing he had snooped through Paige's diaries! lol I think we all had good reason to mistrust him! I really liked this version of Toby. It felt better that a lot of his actions in S4 were faked trying to sell a story, hoping it would bring Mark out.
LouBe - Not an easy subject at all and thank you! Yes, better safe than sorry when it comes to Mark! lol I definitely like it better when they are more of a frie-mily! Got to have a little humor, more so in darkness!
To the Adventure! -Tim