I'd like to personally thank lookingforthestars for helping me brainstorm on how to start this chapter! It helped greatly! (If you haven't read any of her stuff, READ IT. It's far better than anything I've ever written.)

I was planning on just two chapters, but this chapter is much longer than I ever anticipated so I'm going to split the second chapter into two parts. Enjoy!

I'm Sorry. I Can't.

Written by WriterFreak001

Part 2

~ SCORPION ~

Walter didn't even bother locking his car as he jumped out, slammed the door shut and bolted towards the condominium complex. Not even acknowledging the secretary at the front desk, Walter marched towards the elevator and pushed the button repeatedly until the steel door opened with a ding. Needing to talk to Paige as soon as possible, he slipped through the moving door without waiting for it to open fully, and had the lift close before anybody could join him inside. After pressing the first floor button, he leaned against the back of the elevator and covered his face with his hands, pulling on his face gently.

As angry as he was, he knew he couldn't just storm into Paige's condo and begin yelling at her without confirmation and gathering of the facts. He was hoping so much that he was missing something – that he was remembering things outside of context, but… something deeply inside of him told him differently.

He was so certain – when he left the garage – that Paige had flaunted Tim in front of him after knowing his feelings for her, but as he continued to drive to her condo, his anger had subsided a little bit; maybe, if his memories weren't missing anything, if he did indeed remember everything correctly, maybe she had a good reason for ignoring his feelings or for not telling him she knew he loved her. If there was any hope in which he could hold onto, no matter how foolish he was, he was going to hold onto it for as long as he could because he loved her.

But if her reasons weren't good enough, if she had been purposely hurting him, knowingly hurting him without cause, he might – one day – forgive her, but he would never trust her again in spite of forever loving her.

When the elevator finally stopped and made another ding, Walter darted for Paige's condo as if his ass was on fire and firmly knocked on the door three times as he bent over to catch his breath. When she didn't answer, he knocked louder and exclaimed her name loud enough for her to hear, but not too loud to wake her neighbors. He then placed his ear against the door and heard some shuffling accompanied with a soft sniffle. Quiet footfalls approached the door, and he took a step back, waiting for it to swing open.

All of his anger died instantly when she leaned against the doorjamb with puffy eyes and a pink, raw nose. Her cheeks were stained with dark tears from her runny mascara, and she gave him a pained expression as she pulled her periwinkle silk robe together to cover her nightwear. Mindlessly, she tied the sash into a sloppy bow before crossing her arms in front of her chest, waiting for him to say something.

He frowned, aching to reach out and touch her but not sure if he was allowed to anymore.

"What do you want," she finally spoke in a clipped tone, her voice dry and hoarse from the crying she didn't even bother to cover up.

Walter swallowed thickly and opened his mouth to speak before closing it, suddenly unable to remember why he was so angry with her in the first place. He was sure the reason would find its way back eventually, but right now, the love of his life had been crying, and he needed to know why. Walter jammed his hands into his pockets and lowered his shoulders. "It can wait."

"Walter, I'm really not in the mo—"

"Why were you crying?" came his immediate response. Walter stepped closer to her, but she remained where she was, watching him closely. He slowly reached out to curl a loose strand of her hair behind her ear in an attempt to comfort her, but she jerked away from him instantly, avoiding his touch altogether. It was like he was diseased, and she wanted as far away from him as possible. Her sudden need for physical distance pained him deeply. He cautiously followed her inside the apartment and waited for the door to close behind him before questioning her again. "Paige?"

The woman inhaled and exhaled sharply as more tears fell from her eyes; she wiped them away quickly and turned away from him. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

"You're not fine." Walter frowned and slowly walked towards her as she continued to face away from him.

She stood still as he appeared behind her, but she stayed silent, refusing to answer Walter's question.

A soft gasp then escaped from her lips as Walter unexpectedly wrapped his arms around her and enveloped her into a warm embrace, locking his fingers together just below her bellybutton. She immediately found it hard to resist him, closing her eyes and leaning into him.

He smelled nice like pine trees mixed with something spicy, and it was intoxicating. She wanted him to hold her like this forever.

For the longest time, neither of them spoke. They didn't need to. She knew he was comforting her in the only way he knew how, and she appreciated him for it. Maybe she and Walter weren't so far apart after all.

And suddenly, a wave of emotion washed over her but not because of Tim's betrayal. Her nose began to burn as tears dripped from her lashes, and her lips trembled as she tried stifling a sob, unaware that she was shaking in his arms. Walter hugged her tighter, and she automatically twisted around in his embrace before crumpling up his white T-shirt in her palm as she cried against his shoulder.

She had longed to be in Walter's arms for months, and she was scared, horribly scared, she would never feel his embrace again once he learned the truth about space. She planned to tell him before he leaves tonight; she owed him as much.

Walter pulled her closer to him, strongly tightening his arms around her and stood there quietly as she wept, his heart breaking for her. God, he loved his woman too much.

When her cries eventually subsided, she didn't move for a long time, and he kept holding her for as long as she would allow it. "I missed this," she quietly commented after sniffing loudly. "I miss the way we used to be…."

Walter inhaled her sweet scent and, inebriated by everything that was her, mumbled close to her neck, the vibration of his low voice tickling her skin, "I miss us too."

In that moment, he wanted to kiss her. He wanted to sweep her off of her feet and show her… prove to her how much he loved her, but... it wouldn't feel right to make a move on her when she was still dating another man halfway across the world.

As if reading his mind, as if wanting him to kiss her, she muttered in a soft voice, "It's… It's over. Tim… Tim and I are over." A weight was suddenly lifted from Walter's chest, but he decided it was best to keep his sorry-not-sorry comments to himself. Paige instinctively kissed Walter's collarbone and quietly added, "I can't date someone who deliberately cheats on me."

Walter gripped Paige's shoulders and took a step back, holding her at arm's length as he observed her carefully, waiting for her to speak again, but when she didn't, he cocked his head to the left and asked, "Do you want me to go online and erase him?"

Paige gave Walter a small smile but shook her head slowly. "No, don't do that. As much as he deserves it, I don't want my impending wrath to catch you in the crossfire. I handled Drew, and that was almost ten years ago…." She was sounding more like herself as her smile grew as she lightly punched Walter's shoulder, "I can handle Tim."

"I'm… I'm sorry things didn't work out between you two," Walter mumbled, trying to offer her his support, "You," he wanted to cough, "seemed happy with him."

"Ha!" Paige exclaimed rather loudly while taking a step backwards before circling around Walter to plop down onto the sofa. Walter quietly followed her and sat down next to her, placing at least six inches between them. "More like trapped."

Walter blinked. "Trapped?"

Paige's expression suddenly fell, and angled herself towards him, taking his hands into hers and squeezing them. "After Tahoe, I began to realize how boring Tim was, and while part of me wanted out of the relationship, another part wanted me to keep dating him because – in spite of how basic he was – he did make me feel special in some ways, and I wasn't ready to let that go just yet. I know that sounds selfish, but I have been a single mother for almost a decade, and I… well, I don't know… I guess I felt like I deserved to be pampered and worshipped by someone who wasn't afraid to be with me…."

Walter pursed his lips at the slight jab towards him but didn't say anything as she continued.

"Anyway, I was beyond angry with you after Tahoe, and you already know that. Because of what you did…, I didn't think I could trust you again…. But… over a few weeks, things started to return back to normal between us, and I was beginning to trust you again, and when I saw you continuously interacting with Ralph regardless of how strained our friendship was, it made me wonder – if you and I ever had a future together – if we could make things work after all. I slowly began to see an open door to my relationship with Tim again, but I was still too scared of rejection."

Paige inhaled a deep breath and exhaled slowly, hoping Walter wouldn't be angry with her for the next bit she was going to share. She mindlessly laced her fingers with his for added comfort and continued. "When you were launched into space, I refused to accept any reality where you didn't come back home alive. I was willing to do anything it took to bring you home, and Toby asked me to talk to you because he knew you would listen to me." She looked down at their fingers for a brief moment and then flicked her eyes towards him. "W-What do you remember that night?"

Walter exhaled slowly. He could lie to her and tell her nothing to see what she would say, but he knew Paige hated dishonesty so he sided with the truth. "All of it."

Paige blanched a ghostly white. "Are you aware that you were talking to me when you…," she cleared her throat and flushed deeply.

"When I told you I loved you?" Walter watched Paige closely, and she breathed out a yes. Silently, he nodded. "Yes. I am aware. I also remember you telling me you loved me too," he frowned, "I'm assuming that's changed? Or… that it was just a gimmick to bring me back home?"

Paige's nose began to burn as she exhaled softly, tears brimming her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Drawing strength from his warm hand, she flashed her misty eyes at Walter and uttered boldly, "I've never stopped loving you, Walter."

Hearing her response angered him. If she loved him, if she still loved him, THEN WHY WOULD SHE PURPOSELY HURT HIM?! Walter ripped his hand away from Paige and stumbled away from her, placing as much distance from the liaison as possible. "All this time," he threw up his hands and paced in swift circles, "you knew how I felt about you, and even though you loved me too, you still chose Tim?!" He was enraged and had never experienced such betrayal before. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he whipped around and headed for the door before whirling around again, having so much more to say to Miss Dineen. In a much calmer, more venomous voice, Walter frowned. "Before I met you, I was free from all of this pain." He grabbed the door handle and clenched it tightly in his fingers. "If experiencing a broken heart is what it takes to be more human, then, I want no part in it."

Oh, HELL no! Paige's anger bubbled up and erupted. She charged towards Walter and ripped him away from the door faster than he could open it. She slammed it shut and locked it before confronting him.

"You think YOU have a broken heart?! Try being sidelined AGAIN by a man you love for his love for work! I did as you wanted and stayed as professional around you as possible, but even when we were avoiding our feelings, constantly being around you was hard! I felt like I was being abandoned by another important person in my life every single day because no matter how many times you gave me puppy eyes, no matter how many times you would reach out and ache to hold my hand or how you would smile that gorgeous Paige smile, you never took a chance on me!

"Every single fucking day was a broken heart for me, Walter O'Brien! Every. Single. Fucking. Day!" She moved towards him and poked him hard in the chest. Repeatedly. "You do not have a right to be mad at me for choosing a different man over you! I gave you plenty of chances to stop me from dating Tim, but you took none of them! So don't you dare complain about having a breaking heart, because, honey," she spat vehemently as she pushed at him in her fury, "I've had a thousand of them when I started loving you!"

Walter was not easily intimidated. He gripped her shoulders and yelled as he slightly shook her, "BUT YOU CHOSE TIM!"

"AND YOU CHOSE SCORPION!" Paige shouted, and both of them stood still for several silent seconds, huffing with anger as they held their grounds and stared daringly at each other. Paige was the first to speak as she grabbed his wrist and dragged him towards the door. "I think you should go."

Walter ripped his wrist away from her as if her fingers were on fire, and Paige was pained from his sudden aversion to her touch. "I think you're right."

And when the door slammed behind him, Paige crumbled to the floor and covered her mouth as she cried her eyes out.

…

Walter, deciding the best course of action was not for him to drive that night, shoved his hands into his pockets and began walking home in the dark, unable to keep his silent tears from falling.

~ SCORPION ~

The third part will be posted in the next few days! I have the weekend (mostly) off! :)

Happy New Year! :)