April 13, 1999, Callan, Ireland, 6:48 p.m.:
The O'Brien's had come over to the Dineen house and were helping to celebrate Paige's 13th birthday. There'd been lots of food, ice cream and of course cake. Paige sat there feeling so blessed. Not only had she finally lived more than six months in one home, she had real friends and even more family. And perhaps even more than that she had the heart of a young man that had hers and she sat there constantly dabbing at her eyes with her free hand. Her other hand kept Walter's hand snuggly in her grasp.
"I'm sorry to interrupt Mr. Dineen, but you have a call from the United States." One of their domestics announced.
Ralph nodded even as he bent over and kissed Paige's cheek and walked out of the dining room and to his study. Ralph sat down at his desk and pushed the blinking button on his phone and then picked up the receiver.
"Ralph Dineen speaking." Ralph answered.
"Ralph, it is Danielle Teague. I have great news. The judge signed the adoption papers and Happy is now your daughter." Danielle said excitedly.
"That is wonderful news Danielle." Ralph's eyes closed even as a tear ran down his cheek. "And it couldn't have come on a better day."
"The judge was ready to get this settled. As soon as he got the report from the orphanage confirming your qualifications as parents. He was mad it took them so long so he wasn't putting it off another day. You should be receiving a fax copy of the papers right now." Danielle told him as she saw the sheets slipping into the fax machine.
Ralph looked over and saw the light on his fax machine light up as an incoming call was answered. He heard the familiar squealing tones of the machine as it negotiated a transmission protocol and then it went silent for a moment and then he heard a piece of paper get picked up.
"Looks like it is coming through now. Thank you so much Danielle. When will we receive the official paperwork?" Ralph asked.
"Provided the carrier doesn't mess up you should have it by close of business Thursday. Congratulations again Ralph, all my best for you and your family." Danielle said instead of goodbye.
"And to you Danielle." Ralph said as he hung up. He reached over and pulled the first two pages out of the hopper and read them with a huge smile on his face as it printed the last page.
Ralph stepped into the dining room with a manila folder in his hands clasped behind his back.
"Well before I left this room a moment ago I didn't think today could get any better but here I am and this day is even better." Ralph smiled at his family before him.
"Daddy?" Paige asked puzzled.
Ralph stepped over to Happy and held out the folder.
Happy frowned but took the folder and saw it had a silver clasp holding it shut. She quickly adjusted the tabs of the clasp and lifted the flap of the folder up and pulled the sheets of paper out. Happy frowned as she read over the paperwork and then her eyes went wide as she looked up to Ralph. Ralph grinned and nodded before Happy jumped up into his arms.
"Daddy." Happy said and began crying happily.
"Happy is officially our daughter." Ralph told everyone as he hugged his daughter tightly.
Veronica cried as she moved up and threw her arms around her husband and daughter even as Paige ran around and joined them. The O'Briens also moved up and while Megan and Louise joined the hug Sean extended his hand up to grip Ralph's shoulder. Walter stood back a little and ran his hand up and down Paige's back.
Approximately 4800 km away at Cambridge MA.:
Harvard medical library, computer #13.
"Come on, you worthless bag of bones. You're supposed to be a sure bet." Fifteen year old Toby Curtis said a bit too loudly as he watched the track feed of a race he had bet richly on. His hands had hold of the brim of his hat as he pulled it down tightly against his head. It was clear his horse was not going to win, but he at least had a chance to place and he'd still double his money if it did. That would get him out of the hole he was currently in with his bookie.
"Mr. Curtis, you know these computers are only for research. Not watching the race you've gambled on." The head librarian told him as she moved over to him.
"The sign says for student use, I'm a student and I'm using it for this right now. Just another thirty seconds and I'll be back to work on my coursework for my master's." Toby told her without looking away from the screen.
"If you can't control yourself from disturbing the other students I'll have you removed, Mr. Curtis." The librarian threatened.
Toby looked about and saw no one but staff anywhere even remotely close.
"The only student being disturb is me, by you. So please, have yourself removed." Toby told her before he looked back at the screen and his eyes went wide as his horse finally crossed the finish line guaranteeing him double his money. "Yes, thank you!" Toby threw his hands up in victory.
The librarian walked away mumbling about getting even.
Toby pulled out his cell phone and called his bookie.
"Hey hey, did you see? My horse doubled my money, so that wipes out my debt to you and puts me in the black by five C notes!" Toby said excitedly after the phone was answered.
"Yeah yeah yeah. Hey, you want to roll it over onto the next race?" His bookie asked with a grin.
"What? Hrmm, next race, what's the spread? No, wait, I can't gamble with this. I need it for rent." Toby told him.
"Alright, well you know where to find me since you got lucky this time." The bookie hung up.
Toby grinned even as he closed his browser and went back to his coursework. He was going to be one of the youngest to get his master's from Harvard and then he'd get his doctorate shortly after turning seventeen.
Walter and Paige stepped out of the dining room about an hour after finding out that Happy was now officially a Dineen and made their way out the family room door to the swing on the side porch. They curled up together in each others' arms as they gently rocked back and forth. The evening was warm for spring, right at 60 degrees. The sun was about an hour from setting and the sky had a beautiful rosy glow to the clouds.
"What do you think about our life together moving forward Walter? How would you want it to play out?" Paige asked softly.
"I hope it is happy like now. Full of our love and with family around us." Walter said after a moment.
"Do you really want our family around us? Sometimes you seem really uncomfortable with them." Paige asked.
"Well, not as much as I used to feel. It's kind of hard to explain to be honest. Before you, physical interaction with people wasn't just uncomfortable, something like itching powder on my skin. Megan was more plain uncomfortable, but not as bad as others. Kind of like a wet sock." Walter tried to explain.
"A wet sock? Oh I hate that." Paige said.
"But my feelings for Megan were such that it was just uncomfortable. Not aggravating like everyone else. I think I would like a child or two maybe. Some days, more so than others. I know how I can get sometimes with my thoughts and I can zone out. Days like that are bad for the people around me who want to interact with me. What about you?" Walter asked as he nuzzled into the crook of her neck.
Paige smiled.
"I'd always thought I wanted a big family. Being an only child is lonely. Especially when you move around so much you barely meet the mailman. At least if I had had some siblings it wouldn't have been so bad. But, I don't see you and I moving around a lot. So maybe a couple of kids would be enough. But I hope you would be open to the possibility of more if I wanted." Paige grinned listening to him inhaling her perfume.
"Definitely not moving around much. Obviously there could be times where we might have to go someplace for a short period while working on a case for someone. But that should only be a matter of a few days, a week at most, because most of the work would be done from our base." Walter kissed her neck.
Just then they heard the door open and Walter groaned as he turned a little away from Paige. Paige just smiled and turned more into him.
"What are you two doing?" Happy asked.
Paige grinned as she looked over at her sister.
"Talking about the future." Paige answered her.
"Oh I like thinking about the future, even more so since coming to live with you." Happy said as she moved over in front of the swing and waited.
Walter and Paige sighed even as they slowed and let Happy climb up and sit next to them.
"I want to help build the first base on the moon or Mars maybe." Happy told them. "What are you two wanting to do?"
"Well Walter wants to start a problem solving company. Hoping to do a lot of humanitarian work but of course doing other types of problem solving to help pay the bills." Paige told her even as Happy leaned over against her.
"Oh that sounds interesting. Like maybe how to bring water to drought stricken areas? I'd be interested in helping." Happy said as she looked out to the west.
"Well, as soon as we get Scorpion off the ground you'll be our first partner." Walter told her with a smile.
"Scorpion?" Happy asked.
"Walter wants to call the company Scorpion. He says it is because scorpions are very loyal to their cyclone. That if even one of them is attacked the rest will jump into the fight." Paige told her while smiling.
Happy slowly nodded as she thought.
"Because of how alone you felt before Paige?" Happy asked softly.
"Exactly." Walter told her quietly.
"I understand loneliness. I was very alone for most of my life after my Dad gave me up. I'd sit and stare out the window waiting for him to pull up in our truck and take me home. But that day never came. Instead all kinds of people would come and they acted like they wanted me. They'd take me home and immediately try to change me. When I wouldn't act like they wanted I was back in the orphanage." Happy said sadly. "Until Jo came into my life. And because of her, I have a real family now." Happy hugged Paige's arm.
Paige smiled and moved her arm over Happy and hugged her to her.
"We've both been blessed by meeting the Dineens." Walter said as he squeezed Paige's shoulders with his arm.
"Well I consider us blessed because we met both of you." Paige told them even as she kissed Walter.
"Do you have to kiss so much?" Happy asked while making a face.
"You could go back inside with the adults." Paige told her.
Happy sighed.
"No, even watching you two be mushy face is better than that." Happy told her.
Paige laughed even as Walter blushed.
Walter thought for a moment and then he raised his hand out from between Paige and Happy.
"Both of you take my hand." Walter told them.
Paige looked at him funny but did so and Happy reached out and put her hand on top of Paige's.
"I swear that we three are forever a Cyclone and we are the core of Scorpion." Walter told them.
"I swear that we three are forever a Cyclone and we are the core of Scorpion." Paige grinned.
"I swear that we three are forever a Cyclone and we are the core of Scorpion." Happy said smiling.
April 16, 1999, Friday, 4:30 p.m. Dublin:
"Ralph, good afternoon." Katherine said as she picked up her phone.
"Katherine, as always, it is good talking to you. I need to speak securely with you." Ralph told her.
"Switching to a secure link." Katherine frowned before punching several buttons on her phone even as Ralph did the same. "What is going on Ralph?" Katherine asked with concern.
"What do you know of Paul Merrick?" Ralph asked.
"Ugh, Merrick, what a scumball. He's got connections with some really powerful people why?" Katherine asked.
"He threatened one of my daughter's detail agents. Wanted him to bring crypto work to my daughter's boyfriend. See if he can break it." Ralph told her.
"That doesn't surprise me. He was a serious spy, with lots of connections to the old world agencies like the KGB. He's constantly trying to get old ciphers broken to double check what even our allies did in years past, not to mention today. And he is really big on threats and he has the clout to see them carried out." Katherine warned Ralph.
"So it sounds like my best bet is to play along and gather data then. See if we can catch him in something to discredit and distant him from whomever shields him." Ralph said quietly.
"Uh, we?" Katherine asked cautiously.
"Katherine, you are the best I know in your line of work. If anyone knows anyone who can get close enough to gather intel on him it is you." Ralph told her.
"This could go south on us real quick. You know that right?" Katherine warned.
"I'll protect you Katherine. You got my word on that." Ralph promised.
"I'm not making any promises Ralph, but I'll do my best. In the meantime, double check your backyard. Make sure those around you are people you can trust. One rogue agent and your wife will be a widow." Katherine told him cautiously.
"I trust those around me, but I'll do some double checking to be sure." Ralph told her.
"Okay, well if anything happens that I can't tell you the truth about something in the open, if I tell you my flowers are doing well, things are okay, but if I say they are wilting, be prepared." Katherine told him.
"Thanks Katherine, I understand. Be careful." Ralph told her before he hung up.
Ralph looked up at the world map on his wall. All the location pins marking where he's been to. Red for short hot spots, yellows for cautious but less than six months in the location. He had one green pin stuck in Callan. He promised his little girl this was the last move until she was ready for college. Seven months so far and as far as he was concerned they could stay there until he retired and then live in Callan until death finally claimed him. He just hoped that was possible.
If Katherine was concerned about Merrick, he knew to take her warning seriously. Ralph knew, and had good relationships with, many powerful people throughout the world. So for Katherine to worry about Merrick against him, that told Ralph he had to be careful. He was going to have to talk to Sean. Sean needed to know that Merrick was a serious threat and one he might not be able to protect them from.
Greetings! Hope this finds you all well! Well here is where we'll let this story rest for a bit. Still haven't decided on what to post next.
Railman - Glad you enjoyed it! Looking forward to any future expressions! Would have been interesting if the show had delved into why Cabe and Merrick didn't seem to get along very well. Obviously they had bad blood between them.
RiseOfDespair - My condolences on your impending death! lol Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
Guest - Right? Too perfect maybe? Thank you! Glad you are enjoyed it!
To the Adventure! -Tim