Walter felt himself relax slightly when he saw Paige was eating the payday. He was a little nervous about what he'd done. It seemed all his attempts to be more human kept backfiring on him, and this time he had the added pressure of the possibility of kicking her when she's down. But it seemed he'd done the right thing. Or at least not the wrong thing.

He hadn't gotten much sleep. He'd never seen her cry like that before, and it scared him. Especially not knowing what was causing it. His mind wouldn't stop running through scenarios: was she sick? Did Tim do something? Maybe it had to do with Drew? And was it over, or was she still...?

He also didn't know how much to press her. She'd said she didn't have the energy to talk about it last night, but what about now? Would he come off pushy if he asked her again? But if he let it go, she might think he doesn't care. He definitely didn't want that.

"So, what's going on with you guys?" Walter dragged his eyes away from Paige to see Toby, sitting on the edge of his desk. Walter opened his mouth to respond when Toby held up a finger, "Do not tell me nothing. Don't think I didn't notice the cinnamon coffee. I hate cinnamon coffee, remember? You haven't done that in a long time. And let's not forget about your sad, puppy dog eyes staring at her." Toby narrowed his eyes, analyzing him in that way that made him uncomfortable, "Neither of you slept much. Did you fight?"

Walter got up and grabbed his coffee mug, heading to the kitchen and trying to avoid Toby, "Leave it, Toby."

Of course Toby followed him as he began to pour more coffee, "What did you put in her desk drawer? She was awfully touched by it."

Forgetting to avoid the conversation, Walter stopped pouring and turned around, "Really?"

"Really. Walter if this is you trying to get her back," Walter turned around back to the coffee maker, remembering what Toby was trying to do, "I should remind you she's still with Tim."

Walter gritted his teeth, "I don't need to be reminded of that, Toby."

"All I'm saying is, you might be playing with fire. Trying to win her over while she's with someone else is..."

Walter cut him off, "It's not like that, Toby."

"Then tell me what is it like."

Walter whirled around on Toby and growled, quietly to not attract attention, "Let it go." Then he whisked around Toby back to his desk.

Walter tried to focus on his work, but Paige's desk was right in his line of sight, and his eyes kept slipping from his laptop screen to her. Eventually Paige got up and said, "I'm gunna go pick up Ralph."

Walter looked at the time. 2:30. She hadn't eaten lunch. That wasn't like her. She was always getting on his case for not eating enough, telling him he couldn't function properly without food. Should he get her something? Or would that be overbearing? Maybe he should just suggest when she gets back that she eats? Yes, he'd do that.

He anxiously waited for her to get back, and the 45 minutes felt like four hours. When she and Ralph finally came through the garage door, Ralph ran up to Walter and hugged him, "Hi, Walter."

Walter hugged him back and ruffled his hair, "Hey, buddy."

Paige came up, "Ralph, why don't you put your stuff in the loft?"

"Okay," and he ran upstairs.

When he left, Walter took a step toward Paige, "Um, y-you haven't eaten lunch." It wasn't the most tactful approach, but he was surprised when he saw a flash of panic pass over her face. Had he said something wrong?

Oh god, did Walter know? No, he couldn't. Paige sighed, and breezed over a reply, "Um, yeah, I'll eat." She gave a weak smile before continuing, "I, um, wanted to let you know that I'll be late for work tomorrow." Tucking her hair behind her ear and dropping her gaze, she explained, "I have a um doctors appointment." It wasn't exactly a lie, right? She did have an appointment with a doctor...

Walter's face paled, and he asked, "A-are you okay?"

She realized how that must have sounded after last night. She could only imagine what he was thinking, and quickly corrected, "No, no Walter, nothing like that. It's... uh, just a checkup." Okay, yeah, that was a lie. She paused before changing the subject, "And, Walter, I wanted to thank you for the snacks. Out of curiosity, how exactly did you know paydays were my favorite?" Trying to lighten the mood, she gave a little laugh, "Did you hack into my snack purchase history?"

He smiled slightly, "Oh, uh, I actually didn't know it was your favorite. I just know you, um, like salty sweet, so..." he trailed off, shrugging.

"Oh. Well, now you know." She was about to walk away when she turned back to him, "For future reference, one of my favorite chocolates actually isn't salty sweet."

"Oh?" He asked, confused as to why she was telling him this.

She leaned forward so their faces were inches apart. She could tell he was struggling to keep his eyes on hers, occasionally glancing down to her lips. Then she said in a hushed tone, as if she were sharing a secret with him, "Kisses."

Then she spun around on her heel and walked back to her desk, before he could respond. But she knew she'd gotten to him when she heard him trip and knock over something metal.

Paige actually surprised herself. She didn't know where that came from. Talking to Walter today made her the happiest she'd felt in days, maybe weeks. Perhaps it was because she wasn't eating much, so her hormones were imbalances. Or maybe now that she wasn't with Tim, she couldn't hide anymore.

Tim. A fresh wave of guilt came over her at the thought of Tim. He really was a great guy, and didn't deserve what she'd done last night. In fact, he didn't deserve what she'd done their entire relationship: using him as a boyfriend shield, rather than just... a boyfriend. And now she was flirting with another man less than 24 hours after breaking up. It suddenly occurred to her that this must be what Walter often felt, especially these last few months, bearing her anger. They both were trying to do the right thing, but screwed it up and ended up hurting good people.

Paige pretty much didn't get anything done the rest of the day, too busy pitying herself. She gathered her things and was about to call to Ralph when Walter approached her. "Um, Paige, I... I don't know..." he swallowed, "Well, I want to know what's going on with you, but I-I don't want to overstep my boundaries. C-can you tell me..."

He looked almost... afraid. Paige wanted to tell him, but... just couldn't. It scared the crap out of her for some reason. Mark that as another thing Walter must experience all the time. But she couldn't stand the look on his face, and there was one thing she could tell him that might make him feel better... "Well... I, um broke up with Tim."

"Oh. Is that what you were... Did he do something?"

"No, he did nothing wrong. It just... wasn't working. And that's not what I was upset about last night, that was other... things..." Sighing, she ran her hand through her hair, "I'm sorry, that was really vague. My mind is just really scrambled right now. I have a lot to figure out." Walter frowned, but nodded. "Just... give me one more day? Tomorrow, after work. I'll... I'll tell you what I can then."

Walter looked like he wanted to protest, but conceded, his voice sounding a little strangled, "Okay."

She smiled at him in a way she hoped was reassuring, and called Ralph downstairs. As they were about to leave, Walter grabbed her wrist, "You'll eat dinner, right?"

She hadn't eaten lunch as she had promised, and he must have noticed. She replied, "I will, Walter." This time she meant it, and hoped Walter knew that.

When she and Ralph got home, she threw a frozen veggie pizza in the oven. She didn't have the energy to make anything else. They sat down, and as Paige started eating, she realized she needed to distract herself if she had any hope in the world of getting through a decent meal. "How was school today?"

Ralph shrugged, "Okay. I prefer my cal tech classes, but I'm making more friends at school, so I guess that's good. Which reminds me: Katie wants me to come over after school tomorrow. Can I?" He looked hopefully at her.

"Who's Katie?"

Ralph looked down at his food and blushed, "I told you, a friend from school."

Paige smirked, "Oh? Are you sure she's not more than that?"

"Mom..." he groaned.

She threw her hands up in mock defeat, "Alright, alright. Yes, you can go to Katie's house. I'll drive you there."

"Katie said her parents can pick up both of us from school."

"I'm sure they can, but I want to meet her parents."

"Mom." Ralph said again, this time it was more like a whine.

"I know, it's embarrassing having your mom meet your friend's parents, but I won't let you go to a stranger's house."

"Mom, I'm almost thirteen, and I can handle myself better than any of the kids my age. Remember, I got away from that kidnapper?"

He didn't realize that the mention of the kidnapper only made her more afraid. But he did have a point. Maybe her job was making her a little overprotective. After thinking about it for a few more seconds, she finally sighed, "Fine. Katie's parents can pick you up. But, Ralph, don't you think this makes you invincible. No matter your IQ, you're still twelve, and you're still human."

"I know." But she wasn't convinced he was listening. He was too busy smiling at the fact she'd conceded to not driving him.

They ate in silence for awhile. Eventually Paige began picking at her food, knowing she should eat more but...

"Mom?"

"Yeah?" She replied, still staring at her food.

"Um, are you okay?"

She snapped her eyes up, "Why would you ask that, sweetie?"

Ralph shrugged, "I dunno, you just seem a little... off."

Paige set down her pizza sighed. She debated whether to explain. It seemed especially difficult to gauge his maturity and ability to handle these things when he was more articulate than a lot of adults. But he deserved the truth. Why was it so much easier to tell him than Walter? She began in a gentle tone, "You know how mommy had anorexia? Before you were born?" Ralph stopped eating and nodded. "Well, anorexia, it's... it's not something that really goes away. Not completely. It's definitely gotten much, much better, and I don't really struggle anymore. But it's always something I'm working on. And the last few days, well..." her voice grew hushed, "I guess I've been working at it a little harder than usual." Now it was Ralph who was picking at his food. She reached across the table and gently held his hand, "But, Ralph, I have absolutely no doubt that I can get back to normal. So try not to worry about it, okay?"

Ralph nodded, "You're sure you'll be okay?"

Paige smiled at him and squeezed his hand, "Scoop."