Yes, I'm updating fast, that's what happens when ya girl has a healthy streak and when the Daylight Savings messes her up and she can't sleep but whatever. (The reviews are flying in now, guys, y'all are making me so damn happy.)

Note: this chapter has smut, but if you don't want to read that, I'd recommend reading the first part of this chapter because there's important plot, Walter/Sean stuff in it. I don't surprise you with the smut, you'll know when it's coming and you can vacate the chapter if needed.

Happy Scorpion Monday, y'all.

Paige hated to burden Louise. She was dressed in all black, rummaging through her purse, a stack of papers on the table next to her. She knew the older woman had a full day's worth of things to do before the following morning's funeral, and she didn't want to hold her up, even a little bit. But it had taken hours for Paige to fall asleep, the tossing and turning from the man beside her keeping her awake until after two in the morning. And then she'd woken up to find herself alone. "Hey, Louise?" Louise located something in her purse, shifting it to a smaller pocket, then began rifling through the papers. Paige tried a different tactic, walking closer. "Mum?"

Louise looked up. Her face was a combination of sad and stressed, but part of that melted away as Walter's mother put on her brave face. "Paige, my darling."

"I don't want to bother you," she said. "But...do you know where Walter is?"

"I'm sorry, I don't. He told me he was going out. Ask Sylvester. He's going with me today but Walter may have said something to him."

"Yeah, good idea, thank you." Paige had already texted him. He had no idea where Walter was.

"I need to be going," she said. "You'll be all right, dear?"

Paige didn't even think Louise inquiring that was strange, even though she was the one who had the most on her plate. Louise was a mother. She always gave to others, even when she herself was distressed. And that was something Paige understood.

He wasn't at Megan's stone. Paige was surprised. She knew he had been there yesterday, but she thought if he was to leave the house without telling anyone, he would go to the place he felt the closest to her. She could see the footprints from where he and Sylvester had stood the night before, but there was no evidence that he'd even been here.

Paige gazed down at the stone. It was weathered – it had been out in the elements for over a year and a half – and there was the tiniest of chips on the middle of the left side. But the lettering stood out just as bold as it had been the day the stone was laid.

A breeze picked up, and Paige looked to the sky, hoping that it wasn't going to rain, not when she didn't know where Walter was. There weren't many clouds in the sky.

She turned and headed down another path, another idea forming in her mind.

"Walter."

She softly called his name as she approached, not wanting to startle him.

On the way over to Ireland, she'd asked if the pond was still in good order. She hadn't seen it before, but it certainly didn't seem like the source of so much drama two years before.

Walter was sitting on the bank, and he kept staring forward as she lowered herself next to him. "Hey."

"Hey," he said. He turned his head to her and gave a small smile.

"How you doing?"

He shrugged.

"Do you want to talk at all?" Paige asked. "About anything. We can talk about anything."

He turned back to face the pond and let out a long sigh. "He wasn't supposed to be gone already."

Paige pressed her lips together. "I know. I'm sorry, Walter. I'm so sorry."

"You know how much I tell Ralph that biology doesn't matter. How much I...how much I tell him that. And I love Cabe. And Cabe loves me as his own son but...but Sean O'Brien will always be the one who fathered me. He will always be the one that raised me. And..."

He was struggling. Paige put a hand on his back as he drew in a shaky breath. "Take your time."

"On the plane," Walter said, "I told you that with Thomas and Connor, any bit of progress made with them just deteriorates instantly. You know it was the same with my father. Every time I thought he'd begun to accept me, to truly appreciate me even though I wasn't what he wanted, next time I'd have anything to do with him, it all had dissipated."

Paige nodded.

"But when he was alive..." Walter continued, "all those times that things didn't change, but no matter how many times nothing happened, there was always a chance. A chance that maybe next time, it would be different. A chance that maybe one day, he would really love me for who I am, instead of in spite of it." Walter drew in another shaky breath. "As long as we live, there's always that chance." He turned to look at her. "That's what made me keep believing in us. Even when you were seeing someone else." He looked back out at the lake. "But now...with my dad...that chance is gone. Forever. I don't know that we ever would have grown close. But...but..." he drew in a labored breath. "But there was always a chance. Before. And now the way we left things the last time is the way things will be left forever. I'll...I'll never get to look at him and be happy instead of tense and uncomfortable. And..." his voice cracked. "And it's so hard to accept."

Paige bit her lip, blinking away the tears that had sprung to her eyes. Walter wasn't grieving because he missed his father. Walter was grieving because he'd now lost the chance for something he'd wanted his entire life. No matter how slim that chance had been. "Walter," she said, her voice breaking slightly. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Love."

He leaned against her, his head on her shoulder, and she wrapped her arms around him, kissing his hair because it was what she could reach. A hundred feet in front of them, a fish leapt from the water.

After a while, he lifted his head, looking at her. "Thank you," he said.

"Always."

He reached up, tucking hair behind her ear. She leaned forward, touching her lips to his reassuringly. He scooted closer, sliding an arm around her waist, and she kissed him again.

He kissed her back fiercely, desperately, his hands curling around the bottom of her shirt. Paige kissed him back, cradling his head gently in her hands. He slid a hand under her shirt and around to her back, tugging her slightly closer. "Paige," he said, his voice heavy with emotion.

"I'm here," she said, knowing he knew but wanting to reassure. She slid a hand back to run through his hair, then back over his jaw. She kissed him again. "I'm here."

"Paige," he said again between kisses, his breathing coming harder. "I..." His hand was trailing up and down her back, and she understood. "I need you."

"Not here," she said, pulling back slightly and putting a hand on his chest. She glanced in the direction of the house, then back at him, seeing the desperation on his face. "Come on." Grabbing his hand, she stood up, and he followed her, clutching her hand as if it was a lifeline.

She felt a tug on her hand when he stopped after a few feet. "Just..." She turned, looking at him curiously, and he pulled her back toward him, kissing her again and then wrapping his arms around her, holding her close against him and burying his face in her hair. She stood there quietly in his arms, letting him gather strength from their closeness. She could feel the heat from his breath and she reached up, stroking the back of his neck. "Come on."

When they reached the empty house, she let him lead her upstairs, to his childhood bedroom, even though she knew the way. There wasn't a lock on the door, and despite the fact that there was no one else around, Walter set their luggage in front of it, as if to form a barricade. Paige stood near the bed, watching him, waiting, and when he was satisfied with the arrangement of the luggage, he crossed the small room, sliding his arms around her waist and putting his mouth on hers again. She kissed him back tenderly. The idea of making love to Walter in the room he grew up in wasn't something that would have crossed her mind – or agreed to – in happier circumstances, but she understood his need for intimacy, for reassurance of her love, for something familiar and safe.

He slowly began to unbutton her shirt, starting at the bottom, and she started on his buttons from the top, gently pushing it off of his shoulders and running her hands slowly, soothingly over the newly exposed skin.

With all her buttons undone, Walter's hands fumbled at the hook on her bra, and Paige was grateful that she'd happened to wear one that unhooked in the front. Undoing the hook, Walter bent, kissing her on her cleavage, his hands on her hips, and she slid both hands into his hair as he moved to place wet kisses on one of her breasts. When his mouth locked around her nipple, Paige closed her eyes, tipping her head back and sighing. She'd thought this would mostly involve her loving on him.

He moved to her other breast, giving it the same attention, and she slid a hand down, out of his hair, running over as much of his shoulder and back that she could reach, opening her eyes to gaze lovingly down at him. His mouth formed a suction around her nipple and she bit her lip, the sensations he was creating shooting straight downward. Her eyes closed again, and she made a concentrated effort not to make any noise, still aware that they were in his childhood bedroom, guilty that she was letting him pleasure her when it was him that needed comfort, and worried – although she knew it was impossible – that someone would hear her.

Thankfully, only a few more seconds passed before Walter straightened up, pushing her opened shirt and bra off of her shoulders. He cradled her head in his hands and was panting slightly, his lips right next to hers. Paige glanced down and reached to undo the button on his pants. Walter grunted in relief as she undid the zipper and pushed them and his boxers down in one move. He was ready, but she stroked him, feeling the nails on his hands press into the back of her head as he groaned softly.

She slid her hand down the length of him and began to massage with her thumb, and Walter's breath hitched against her lips, his breathing growing heavier. His hands slid down to her shoulders and gripped them, his forehead resting against hers. "Bed," he said after another minute, and she released him, kissing him once more before undoing her jeans and stepping out of them and her underwear, then stepping backward and crawling onto the bed. He joined her, kissing her again, and she eased him onto his back and straddled him. She reached down between them, pushing him up toward his stomach and lowering herself just behind him. Pushing her hips forward, Paige pinned his shaft between their bodies and slowly began to grind along the length of him. Walter's eyes fell closed and he made a sound that would have sounded pained to someone who didn't know him. "God." Paige smiled. She liked doing this, teasing him this way, letting him get a feel her heat and her wetness. It drove him crazy, and if he ever needed to be taken to another place, it was today.

He stared upward, panting, fingers pressed into the mattress and eyes locked on hers. She looked down at him. She normally tried to look seductive when she was doing this, but she knew the expression on her face right now was loving. She could tell by the look on his face that it was exactly what he needed.

Paige lifted her hips and positioned herself just above him as she reached forward and ran the pad of her thumb over one of his nipples. She lowered herself slightly, allowing him to enter her shallowly before lifting her hips again. Walter grunted as she did it again, then finally sank onto him, letting him surround her completely. They both groaned quietly, and both of his hands found both of hers, their fingers linking. She circled her hips, slowly, closing her eyes. It still surprised her, how well they did this, how in tune they were with each other and how good it all felt. She liked this best, when she was full of all of him and they moved this way.

"I love you so much," he said, and squeezed his hands and opened her eyes to gaze down at him as she continued to move her hips in a circular motion. "I love you too," she said. "I love you immensely. And I love this."

"Mmmm." Walter's eyes were half closed, his lips parted slightly as he continued to breathe through his mouth. It had been a few minutes, so Paige rose up, lifting almost completely off of him before lowering herself all the way back down in one smooth motion. His eyes closed the rest of the way and he groaned quietly. "Paige, switch."

He wanted control. She didn't blame him. She lifted herself up again, swinging her leg back over. He sat up, pushing her gently onto her back and lowering himself between her knees. He reached down, parting her folds with his fingers and pushing one inside. He always liked to do this first, to feel how wet she was, to reassure him that her body craved him as much as his did her. He stroked her a couple of times, making her whine, and then removed his hand, parting her again and nudging the tip of him inside. Moving forward and balancing on both hands, he pushed the rest of the way in, dropping down to rest on his elbows and putting his lips back on hers as he began to move his hips in long, deep thrusts.

Paige wrapped her legs around him, hooking her ankles, and ran her hands over his back, scratching lightly because she knew he liked when she did that. He hummed into her mouth, changing the angle of his thrusts so his shaft brushed along her clit, making her clench around him and whimper against his lips.

After less than two minutes, his thrusts became faster, more forceful, and she wasn't surprised. She had teased him quite significantly, and he was desperate for her. He lifted up off of her, giving enough room for his hand, and he reached down between them.

She caught his hand. "No," she said, shaking her head gently. "Go ahead."

Walter looked down at her, concerned, she reached up, sliding her hand around the back of his neck and applying pressure, encouraging him back down. When he did lower himself and was within reach, Paige kissed him tenderly, putting her legs back around his hips and tightening around him as he began to thrust again, making his stomach muscles clench. "Come for me, Love," she whispered in his ear.

His thrusts grew faster again, harder, and he tore his lips away from hers, panting hard against her neck, and she tightened again, again, timing it, feeling her own tension beginning to build but trying not to focus on it as he was so far ahead of her, this was about him and she loved him and she wanted him to let go and she whispered in his ear how good he felt inside her, lightly scratching his scalp and moaning softly against his earlobe. His pace increased again, his breathing louder, and she asked him again to finish. He grunted, biting her shoulder lightly, something he hadn't ever done before. He grunted again, his shoulders stiffening, and the pressure of his teeth on her shoulder increased as he continued to pump his hips.

Another sound escaped his lips, and this time it betrayed frustration. Paige recognized what was happening. He was teetering on the edge, desperate for a release, and yet he couldn't. He groaned again, and she put her hands on his shoulders. "Walter, stop."

He did – immediately – and lifted up on his arms, looking down at her. "I'm sorry," he panted, his face looking pained. "I'm sorry."

He misunderstood. He wasn't hurting her.

Walter shifted his weight, pulling out of her and sitting back on his knees. His chest was heaving, his expression strained, and she could see he was still painfully hard. She looked at him sympathetically. As much as he needed this, the weight of his father's death, and his conflicting feelings about it, were hanging too heavily over him and preventing him from fully getting out of his head.

She sat up, reaching out and rubbing his thighs. The she took the base of him in her hand and lowered her head, wrapping her lips around him and sinking down. Walter groaned as she took him in, and his hands came up to rest on her shoulders. Paige dropped again, all the way down, and hollowed out her cheeks as she came back up, eliciting another loud groan. She continued slowly, because she'd come to learn that when doing this, it was the slow that really got him.

"Oh...Paige..." Walter gasped quietly as she locked her lips around his head and swirled her tongue before immediately going back down. She ran a hand up over his stomach, wanting to feel his muscles clench in response to her. She hollowed her cheeks again, sucking hard and staying right where she was, around every inch of him, and he shuddered, his hands tightening their grip on her shoulders. Paige released him completely when she came up, running her tongue around his head before dropping again. She kept going, keeping to the slow pace, feeling him tremble and hoping that this would work.

After a minute or so, he gently pushed at her, and she came up, looking at him curiously. He pulled her up to him, pressing his lips to hers and kissing her soundly before guiding her back onto her back and pushing back inside her. She welcomed it, her body still unsatisfied and, by now, craving him every bit as much as he was her. He began rocking his hips again, and they moaned against each other's mouths.

Paige was still preoccupied with concern for him, of wanting him to be able to finish, but God, did he feel good. She murmured his name when their lips briefly separated, and he dropped his lips to her neck, where she could feel his hot breath as he increased their tempo. Come on, Love. Paige's hand squeezed into the space between them, rubbing a nipple again and then pinching it lightly between her fingers as she lowered her head to his neck, finding the spot on his neck and sucking, running her tongue over the skin and flicking it with the tip as her lips released. Her lips returned to his ear, her voice in a whisper, "I want you to come inside me," and the words must have done something because he groaned in response, picking up the pace, almost to the tempo they were at before. She almost never spoke like that. Walter found it ridiculous for her to state such obvious things. They were having sex, it didn't make sense to him for her to tell him that because why wouldn't she want him to finish? And where else would he do so? But today she would try just about anything to get him over; it was one thing to tease, it was another to watch him struggle like this, painfully close to the edge and unable to fall. "Walter," she whispered, tightening around him again, feeling him pump into her with more force. "Walter." This time it was a whimper. She rolled his nipple between her fingers, her other hand continuing to run through his hair, and she dropped her lips back to his neck, hoping that so much stimulation would do it.

It did. Walter choked out her name as his thrusts grew suddenly erratic and he pushed all the way in, groaning loudly against her neck. His whole body shuddered, almost violently so, and he went limp on top of her. He drew in a loud breath and groaned again, slightly quieter this time. Paige ran her hands soothingly over his back, feeling him twitching inside her and breathing a sigh of relief at the evidence of the intensity of his climax, one that was probably worth all the struggle to achieve.

"Oh my God," he managed.

"I've got you," she whispered. "I love you so much."

"Oh my God," he gasped again.

"Breathe, Love," she said gently, a tiny part of her adding so you can get off me silently to the end of that sentence, because there was no way she could properly catch her breath while bearing the entirety of his weight. She continued to rub his back, one hand coming up to trail through his hair, and she whispered to him again, reminding him that she was there and that everything was going to be okay.

And she focused on the slight difficulty that she found when she tried to draw breath, because it was a distraction from something far more unpleasant. The extra time it had taken had brought her closer to the edge herself, and now she was frustrated. She could practically feel her heartbeat between her legs as her clit throbbed painfully. He was still inside her, and her body didn't seem to notice or care that he had finished. When Walter finally lifted himself up and slipped out of her as he moved to lay on his side, every nerve in the area he'd vacated went into full protest mode. Paige hoped that her quiet, involuntary grunt of dissatisfaction was lost on him.

She honestly didn't think he heard it, but as emotionally wrung out as Walter was – and as exhausted as he was – he could tell that she needed to be satisfied. Normally, when he finished ahead of her, he used his hand or his mouth to bring her over, but she could tell that he was too tired for that, the slight fatigue that usually came over him afterwards exacerbated by the long trip, his emotional turmoil, and the extra effort it had just taken his body to release. Paige kissed him. She could go in the shower and finish with her hand when he fell asleep. Today wasn't a day she could expect him to work too hard on her.

"I love you," he mumbled as he kissed her back. "Thank you." His hand traced over her hip, and Paige tried not to whimper at his touch. She kept her hands where they were, fighting the urge to slip one between her legs and give herself the relief she needed. Wait for him to fall asleep. This is about him.

But then Walter got up, walking across the room to her luggage and unzipping a pocket on the side. Paige cocked her head, confused, until he stood up again, a small, three inch hot pink object in his hand.

Ah. She'd started keeping it in the duffel when their main bathroom had needed remodeling and Ralph started to use hers.

Walter climbed back onto the bed next to her and clicked the button on the end of the vibrator three times, resting on his side next to her and setting it on the mattress as he reached between her legs with his hand, running his fingers up her slit. Paige's right knee fell to the side, toward him, and he removed his hand, using his fingers to coat the vibrator before he kissed her on the lips and pressed the device against her clit.

She felt the effects immediately, closing her eyes and resting her head against the pillow as he looked down at her. "Ooooh." A hand lightly trailed through his hair, enjoying the sensations that slowly grew more intense and began to spread throughout her body. "Whew." Her mouth fell open when she needed more oxygen than she could get through her nose, and she let out a quiet groan on the exhale. Walter kept the pressure, slowly shifting the device from side to side. Paige sucked in a breath. "Oh...oh god."

He smiled. She knew that he liked this, too, being able to stay still and just watch her. He clicked the device up to the fourth setting, the second strongest it could go, and she whimpered quietly, everything she had been feeling increasing in intensity and then continuing to build. "Shit. Shit." A corner of Walter's mouth turned up. She almost never swore.

Her breathing grew louder. She was getting close, helped along considerably by their earlier activities, and Walter stopped moving the vibrator, holding it firmly against her, periodically tapping his finger against it and making her stomach muscles clench in response. Paige bit her lip, wanting to moan but too self – conscious to do so because of where they were. Tears sprang to her eyes as she whimpered, pushing her hips forward against the buzzing device. Her thighs were beginning to shake; they always did but she usually couldn't see them doing so, and her feet felt cold from lack of blood supply to them. "F – " Her breathing was heavy, and the next time he tapped his finger she let out a loud moan, unable to help herself. Embarrassed, she clapped a hand over her mouth and looked at Walter with wide eyes, her other hand finding the corner of a pillow and twisting her fingers around it.

Keeping her hand less than an inch from her lips, she closed her eyes. "I'm so close. I'm so close. Walter, I'm so close," she whispered, bending her left knee more and lifting her foot off the mattress, tipping that leg away from him so he could hold the vibrator more directly against her nerves. She knew from past experience that she could get there with nothing else if he kept up the stimulation long enough – and it wouldn't be long at all – but she wanted, needed her release, and she put her hand back over her mouth, spreading her middle and ring fingers enough so she could talk. "Walter, please."

She looked down at his thumb as it found the button, and the anticipation almost brought her over the edge on its own, but then he pressed down, switching the intensity to the fifth level, and both of her feet slammed back down onto the mattress, her hips lifting to press hard against the vibrator. Walter sat up, his free hand pushing her hips back down, lifting her left foot back off the ground and pushing it back to the side, keeping her knees far apart.

Both Paige's hands were off to the side, twisting around the sheets. She was now drenched in sweat, the vibrations causing waves of pleasure to shoot through her body. She bit down on her lip again, hard. The feeling that was rapidly building between her hips was intense and increasingly so and she knew from experience how hard she was going to come and was terrified at the idea of a loud finish in the house Walter's parents owned.

She looked at Walter again, her eyes full of desperation, afraid to attempt to say anything. He understood, leaning down, surrounding her lips with his own. He was just in time. Paige's thighs shook hard, her flesh pulsing against the vibrator, and the sharp sound that exploded from between her lips was muffled by Walter's mouth. He expertly clicked off and dropped the device, sliding a hand up and down her leg soothingly as he kissed her, keeping her remaining moans between the two of them. When the aftershocks had fully subsided, she bumped her nose against his cheek and whispered a thank you, glad he understood why she hadn't wanted to be loud, even though no one was around.

"I love you," he whispered between slow kisses, brushing some of her hair back behind her ear and gently cradling her jaw. His other hand slid around her body, pulling her closer to him. "I couldn't get through all this without you."

"I told you I wouldn't leave you alone," she whispered back. "Remember?"

"I do," he said. "But do you remember what I said to you the day we got together?" He kissed her again. "I promised I'd be present. I'd tell you how I love and appreciate you every day. And..."

"And you promised that no matter how much I gave, I would never feel taken for granted," Paige finished. She touched a finger to his lower lip. "I remember, Walter."

"Thank you for coming back here with me," he said. His eyes closed briefly. "I just...I was really unraveling out there. It's still difficult...immensely difficult...for me to think about these things. Talking about them is harder. I'm not trying to keep things from you. Just talking about them is like reliving all the pain they cause me and sometimes I'm just..." he bit his lip. "I'm just not strong enough to do that. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she said, running a hand over his cheek lovingly. "I'm so proud of you for talking to me. Walter, I'm so proud of you."

"I try," he said, his voice emotional again. "I really do try."

"I know. I know."

They lay there, silently, noses just too far apart to touch, enjoying the solitude. Walter didn't seem to be ready to fall asleep now, and Paige was secretly glad. She loved laying with him when they were both awake, just enjoying the closeness. She affectionately bumped her nose against his.

He kissed her again, and Paige closed her eyes, trailing her hand over his chest, his abdomen, before rolling closer and sliding it over to his back. Her body temperature was coming back down to normal, the sweat on her skin giving her a bit of a chill. She wiggled closer, her breasts pressing against his chest, their hips bumping before settling together. She returned her lips to his, stroking first his bottom lip with her tongue, then his own when he gave her access. She shifted again against him, and upon feeling a stirring against her thigh broke their lip contact. "I thought you were tired," she commented, wiggling some more. A quiet groan was the response, and Paige smiled as their lips met again. She was tired now, and she was sensitive, but she lifted her left leg, hooking it over his, feeling him surge between her thighs and she pressed lightly down on him. Walter groaned again, barely loud enough to hear, his eyes closed. Bringing her leg back over, Paige trapped him between her thighs and rolled her hips as best she could while on her side. The stimulation elicited another groan from Walter, and Paige felt guilty at how much she loved knowing that there was so much going on in his head and she was the only thing in the world that could help right now. She slid her hand over his hip, lightly gripping his rear for purchase as she continued to rub on him. He pressed up against her, hard and insistent, and she squeezed her thighs together as best she could, providing him with maximum stimulation.

After a minute or two more, she pushed gently on his chest, encouraging him to roll onto his back. He was too close to the edge of the mattress, and they shuffled to the left until he was able to get where she wanted him. Swinging a leg over, she positioned herself just above him, holding him between her index and middle finger but not making a move to lower herself. Reaching out with her other hand, she ran her fingers lightly over his abdomen, feeling him twitch in anticipation.

"Paige."

She relented, sinking all the way down on him and placing both hands on the mattress just above Walter's hips as she began to ride him. She kept her movements slow at first – she was still sensitive from her orgasm and needed a little more time to get wet enough for anything vigorous to be comfortable – and enjoying the way his eyes seemed to roll back in his head when she eventually picked up the pace. The phrase oh my god, escaped his lips, three, four, five times, and she shifted slightly, finding better leverage. She was always tighter after she orgasmed, and now that she was more comfortable again, Paige clenched her muscles around him as she moved up and down. He began to thrust up to meet her, a sure sign, in this position, that he was getting close. She upped the tempo, and he sat up, using his hands for leverage as his hips pumped along with her. She hated that she couldn't properly kiss him in this position.

"Paige," he gasped, his eyes falling closed, and she didn't falter, keeping up the rhythm, taking him in entirely with each thrust. "Paige, I'm..." he groaned, thrusting harder a half dozen more times before she sank all the way onto him and ground against his hips at the same time he erupted inside her, leaning forward and wrapping his arms around her. She took his face firmly between her hands and kissed him hard.

He leaned back against the pillows, bringing her with him, and she lay on his chest, her nose pushed into his neck. "Walter, I love you so much," she said again, for the who – could – count – anymore time that day.

He stroked her hair, then rolled them over until she was on her back. "I'll go down on you," he said, clearly having noticed that she didn't finish. He began the way he always did, by kissing her neck and then starting to work his way down, planting kisses to both her breasts before trailing them all the way down to her stomach.

"No." She curled her hands lightly around his hair even though she knew the word was all that was necessary to get him to stop. He looked at her curiously. "Don't."

"I won't use you like that," he said simply.

"Walter." He crawled back up her body, staring down at her. She loved when he looked at her like this, when she could so clearly see his love for her in his eyes. "It's okay to need like this. Loss can make you crave the closeness of someone you love. That doesn't mean you're using me. All I want is to make you feel better. And I love being close with you like this. It's never a chore. Even if you need it. I promise." She ran a hand through his hair. "It's okay to need me. In all honesty, I like it that you do."

He looked conflicted. "I know, but...you didn't..."

"You know I did earlier. I don't need anything else. Honestly right now I don't want anything else." This most recent encounter hadn't been uncomfortable, but the feelings had been dulled for her. Her body needed time to recuperate. She wished it didn't. Despite how she felt right now, she knew in the morning she wouldn't be able to believe she'd turned down Walter's offer to put his tongue on her. "I may take you up on that when we get back to the States, though."

Walter grinned. "I'd be happy to oblige, ma'am," he said in a heavy Irish accent. Paige giggled, reaching for him, and he lowered his head, brushing his lips against hers.

"How much longer before your mom comes home?" She asked.

"She said four when I saw her early this morning."

Paige reached for her phone, squinting at the display. "Three hours."

Walter reached down and grabbed the comforter, tugging it up over them. "Set your alarm for two hours from now. So we'll have time to shower."

"Hour and a half," she said. "I gotta get these sheets in the wash before your mother sees them."

"She won't come in here until after we leave. There's time."

His voice was slurring slightly. Paige snuggled close to him, grateful that he was near sleep. He'd tossed and turned so much the previous night. She set the alarm and put her phone down on the mattress and allowed herself to doze off after mumbling how much she loved him one more time, just to make sure he knew.