He was nervous. She could tell he was nervous, probably more nervous than she'd ever before seen him, and she had seen him quite literally, diffuse a bomb.

And if she were being honest, the level of nerves radiating off of him was making her just as, if not more, nervous.

Things had never been simple between them, but things had become... complicated... recently, with an odd tension between them. Just when things had started to head toward them figuring things out, moving closer together, he had pulled a Walter. She wished he had stuck to posting videos of Ferret Bueller for his social experiment. His recent dating endeavors had been confusing at best, and like a dagger to the heart at worst. She had accepted a date with Tim simply to ease the pain and loneliness that came from seeing Walter with... Linda. Just thinking of the woman made her cringe. She wondered if Walter felt the same gut wrenching pain and hostility toward Tim as she did for Linda, but quickly shook the thought away. He had dated Linda, and so, she had accepted a date with Tim. But then she learned that Walter had ended things with Linda, and now she was dating one man while hopelessly in love with another.

And the latter was standing in front of her, nervous, fidgety, and asking her about jazz music... of all random things.

Just hours ago he was as confident as one could be, pressing her body into his forcefully, tying them together with an extention cord, pleading with her to have faith he was right, to trust him to jump off a roof. She had. She wholeheartedly put her faith in him. She trusted him implicitly. And because she did, she was alive right now to watch him squirm before her.

Just moments before that, she had breathed life into him, by kissing him. He had trusted her to save him. They had gotten out of that hellhole together, by putting their faith and trust in each other. She couldn't think of a single soul she trusted more than she did Walter. He was clumsy with her heart, but even still, she trusted him with it more than she had ever trusted anyone. She was a confident in trusting him as he was in his science and facts.

And now, now they were both bundles of nerves as he stood there, fumbling on about jazz. Though, the way he used his fingers to draw the jazz music in the air made her heart swell a little.

"...it uh, really helps in the appreciation."

"I didn't know that." Confused would be an understatement. "Why are you bringing this up?"

"Well, I uh, have these tickets."

Shut the front door.

Tickets.

Real tickets.

In his hand.

Walter O'Brien is about to ask me out.

Alexa, play Twilight Zone theme song.

If cartoon reactions were real, there would be sirens and all the little mini-Paige's that worked within her brain would freeze, and have giant eyes bulging out, and her jaw would dramatically come unhinged and drop to the floor and she would faint, and there would be little circling stars above her head.

Not quite the same, but the way her mouth dropped a little, not quite like a cartoon, but enough, showed she was shocked... only to be stopped by the incessant buzzing of her phone.

Tim.

What time is it? Awkward o'clock?

Worst timing ever o'clock?

"Wel-well, you can take that if you want." He was retreating, she could see it in his face the second the phone rang.

Don't do it, Walter. Don't run.

"No, no." Hastily she rejected the call. "I, uh, I can call him back. You were talking about those tickets."

Don't retreat. Look at my smile.

Ask me, Walter. ASK ME.

"Yeah, so, I wanted to um..." He was so nervous, and she wanted nothing more than to just shout yes from the rooftops, but she needed him to actually ask first. "...uh, ask if you would like to go to the..." This is it. Don't look so eager. But, here it comes. The moment you've waited two years for. "...Lake Tahoe Jazz and Heritage Festival." Gulp.

A festival.

In Tahoe.

Seven hours away, Tahoe.

Would require a long romantic drive and a hotel, Tahoe.

With Walter.

Oh lordie.

"Oh, um, I...I'd..." Her nod was all she could muster she was rendered so speechless by the moment she'd been waiting for.

"With...Tim."

What.

What...

WHAT.

She was pretty sure time stopped. Or that she had just been sucker punched to the stomach.

"Tim?"

"Yeah, well, I um, I bought them..." She had never seen him rub the back of his neck so anxiously before. "...to uh, go with Linda, b-bu-but, now that that's defunct, they're... they're available." She was both entirely dejected, and horrified, and saddened, but also, looking at how sad he looked, how dejected he was in his features, how wistful he appeared, she knew he had intended to ask her to go with him, and that Tim's stupid call had thrown him off, forcing him to chicken out.

"Umm... okay." She nodded, pained faced, fidgeting with the tickets. "I'll ask Tim to go if he wants."

"Good." His voice was louder and harsher than it needed to be, and he looked like he may throw up. "Enjoy." The way he stood there shakily for a minute before awkwardly walking away shattered her heart.

"Or, umm..." She spoke, turning her chair to face him, watching him stop dead in his tracks, awkwardly spinning to face her, desperately trying to mask his heartbroken face with one of indifference. She saw right through it. She always did.

"Hmm?" She could tell he didn't dare use words, having mucked everything up enough as it was.

"Well..." She rose from her chair coming around the front of her desk to stand a mere few inches in front of him, not so close that was weird, but close enough that she was invading his bubble and she knew it. In her distant mind she recognized that Happy was watching on from behind her and it excited her, like they had a cheerleader and it only gave her more courage. "...maybe we could go... you and me... together."

"Oh, um, th-that's... n-not nec-necess-essary." She braved a step forward at his stuttery, uncomfortable response, definitely close enough to make it weird now. The sharp intake of breath he took also gave her courage.

"Walter, I'm not suggesting it out of obligation." Her entire body was on fire under his intense gaze, and the way his eyes would briefly flick to her lips, remembering the moment nearly a year ago when they had been even closer, with their lips touching. Remembering earlier today, when despite the reasoning, she had kissed him. "Please have faith that I'm right." His eyes locked on hers at the phrase.

She knew he had heard her conversation with Oksana over the comms, discussing two men both wanting to be with her, and how she went with Nikolai, her now husband, the one that didn't make sense on paper, after he plead with her to have faith that he was right. Just like she knew why he had said what he said on that roof. Yes, he meant in that moment with his science, to trust him to keep her safe jumping off said roof with a power cord, but she also knew he meant it in a much grander way. A trust him to give her the life she deserved way.

She wanted that life. And she had faith that he was right. She wanted to take that leap, just like she had leapt with him off of a building, putting her faith and trust in him.

But, she needed him to have that same faith in her.

"I..." He was scanning her features, no doubt looking for any sign she didn't mean it. He would find none. "..uh, well..." He looked back at Happy, seeking answers, and she had to keep from laughing at the situation. Happy leading Walter in romance. Later, when she weren't desperately praying for Walter to agree to a date with her, she would look back and laugh at the irony of it. The ultimate in the blind leading the blind. But, when his eyes came back to her, she noted a positive energy about them, and she silently thanked her female counterpart for whatever she did behind her. "...uh, yeah, okay. We could do... that. That sounds like an enjoyable experience." He was still so nervous, but a much happier nervous.

"Great... okay then. So, it's...a date then?" Walter would never clarify the intentions, so she felt obligated to do so. His eyes went wide, and again he looked back to Happy.

They may need a third ticket for her.

"It's... a date." Shifting awkwardly on the balls of his feet, his hand went back to his neck again, mustering up whatever courage he could.

"Okay." Her smiled was wide, nervous, excited, bewildered, but unable to be wiped away.

"So, um, perhaps, later, we could get some...dinner... together and uh, discuss the uh, details?" She smirked, and with a bravery she was unprepared for, she reached her hand forward to grab his, squeezing it lightly. He looked at their hands and she saw a smile flash on his face, though he was much better at hiding it than she was.

"Dinner would be great. And much better than fish shake." Her nervous giggle gave away just how nervous she was. She could feel every hair on her body rise in attention, could feel her heart racing and pounding in her chest. Could feel the warmth on her cheeks, chest and neck. Could feel electricity coursing through her fingers where it was connecting with his.

"Uh, okay. That's... that... then. So, um, when you're finished up, uh, we can go... somewhere... okay. So, uh. I'll just..." She would be lying if she said she wasn't greatly entertained by this version of Walter. 197 IQ and he couldn't form sentences around her half the time. It was probably the greatest form of flattery she had ever experienced. Having someone so controlled, whose identity revolved around how controlled and unemotional he was, being complete butter in her fingertips. Not that he didn't have the same effect on her, but, at least she had never made any claims otherwise. She had broken through Walter's very thick outer facade, and the resulting sputtering love struck puppy that emerged was her favorite site to behold. He looked back to his desk, then to their hands, then to her face and then back to his desk. "I'll just... uh, be... there. ...There at my, uh, desk." She giggled and squeezed his hand again.

"Yes, I uh, know where your desk is, Walter." She teased him, and part of her felt guilty for doing so, but the other part was enjoying it too much.

That's what you get for trying to chicken out and have me take Tim.

"Right."

"I'll let you know when I'm ready to go." He just stood there, staring into her eyes. How she adored his eyes. So dark when you looked from far away, but up close, this close, you could see the little golden flecks, and how much life was held within them. Him making no effort to move, she whispered conspiratorially, again teasing him. "This is the part where you go back to your desk, Walter."

His brain clicked on, and he looked back and forth between her and the desk, his face reddening.

"Right. Sorry. Um, okay." He dropped her hand like it was a hot coal, and sprinted back to his desk, sitting and burying his face in his laptop to hide.

Paige stood, shaking her head at the absurdity of the last few minutes, before turning to look in Happy's direction, who was beaming, and went completely void of expression when she caught Paige's eye. Paige's laughed and winked at the woman, making Happy resume her grinning.

Paige was going to Lake Tahoe, for a weekend long music festival, to stay in a hotel, seven hours away... with Walter.

She smacked the tickets against her hand with a grin and a laugh, returning to her chair with a spring in her step.

He was right, she had faith in that.