A/N: Not much to say! This completes Saturday and begins Sunday! Happy reading!

Xoxoxo

--

She awoke startled, confused, in a cold sweat, her breath ragged, her mind foggy with sleep and terror, plagued with horrible thoughts. It was deep into the late of night, the room cast in near total darkness requiring her eyes to adjust. Gaining her bearings, which took a few extended moments of confusion, she remembered she was at the inn, in bed, laying on her side, feeling a tickling of hot breath on her neck, and a weight encompassing her abdomen and trapping her legs. It took a moment for her brain to register, but she finally came to realize the weight was Walter's legs entwined with hers, his body pressed flush against her from behind, his arms both beneath her head outstretched, and around her torso, holding her protectively against him. His hand… on her breast. Innocently, just so happened the way it was draped with how his arm was bent, but nevertheless, Walter O'Brien had his hand… on her breast.

She was not awake enough to process that.

Sleep had proven restless and troubled for her having been afflicted with an unendurable nightmare, forcing her awake in a jolt. In her very vivid dream, she and Walter were together, happy, living with Ralph, making supper together, smiling and laughing, his arms around her waist as she stirred food in a pot, kissing her cheek, as Ralph chuckled behind them feigning being grossed out by their affections. The joy she had felt in the dream was unlike anything she had ever experienced, true happiness and contentment. But then Betty had appeared, lurking from the door way, and suddenly Walter was whisked away, the walls of her kitchen crumbling to reveal a dark tunnel, as Walter repeatedly said "I can't risk Scorpion not working." She had watched as he disappeared into the void, riding the train car she had watched him disappear on last year, gone forever. Betty remained at her side, reminding her that she had never been worthy of Walter, and would never be worthy. That he was gone now because of her, because she had been selfish. Ralph had joined in, telling her how she had ruined everything. If she had just left things be, they all could still be together with Scorpion, that she had cost everyone their home, their family and their lives. Then he joined Betty, saying he was going to work for the family business now. Toby appeared, looking destitute, sitting at a poker table, gambling his last dollar. Happy, alone, angry, wrenching in solitude. Sylvester, alone in a dark room, desolate, startled responses to every noise and sensation, lost in the darkness, crying that no one understands. Cabe, seated at an office cubicle, in a basement, a name plate reading mail clerk, offering his assistance on a missing nuclear bomb, and being laughed at and told how he couldn't even keep a bomb from going off in his own team. Everyone had lost Scorpion, their home, their potential, their progress.

All because she had selfishly given in to being with Walter.

Her heart was pounding painfully, her mind reeling from the images swirling around on repeat. Waking up in Walter's arms was both exactly what she needed to feel to comfort herself, but also the very reason for her inner turmoil to begin with. She couldn't do this. She was fooling herself. She felt a tear fall from her eye. Quietly, and stealthily, she lifted his arm, and as carefully as she could not to disturb him, slipped out of his grasp and out of the bed.

Her heart would break a thousand times over, but she couldn't make it worse by pretending this wasn't a crashing plane. She'd been in a crashing helicopter, and a crashing plane. You couldn't stop them. Not even Walter. The best you could hope for is not dying or taking anyone else down in the fall.

The clock at the bedside, with its dim green numbers, read 2:27am. Feeling around in the near darkness of the room, nothing but the soft glow from the bathroom night light illuminating the shadows, she found Walter's pile of discarded clothing and grabbed his shirt to throw over her minimal attire, looking back to the bed where he lay sleeping. The light was just enough to see him clearly.

He looked so peaceful, so relaxed. It made her heart ache. Pulling the shirt tight around her, she lifted the open area at the front to her face, breathing it in deeply, another tear dropping from her eyes, being absorbed by the fabric. It still smelled of him. Grabbing her phone, she opened her camera app, and after adjusting the lighting filters to adjust to the darkness, snapped a photo of him, in the bed they shared, so sound and free of worry. She would need that image for her emotional baggage. Taking one last look at him, she opened the door to the balcony quietly, needing to distance herself, to think, slipping out and leaving it open just an inch behind her.

The balcony had a small cushioned wicker sofa and armchair set up, and just beyond, both making her smile and making more tears drop her eyes, their stolen blanket was still laying on the railing. Now dry, and still warm from the California heat. She took it, wrapping it around her, willing it to heal her soul from the pain and turmoil she felt.

She wished it could be him.

All she wanted was to be with him.

There had to be a way. They had to be able to figure something out. But what? She had run it over in her mind over and over, there was nothing. It was hopeless.

Taking a seat on the sofa, pulling her legs up beside her, the only noise being the light breeze rustling through the grapevines below, she found a solace in the silence. Pulling open her phone, she noticed two notifications:

A reply from Ralph:

"Glad to hear you're having fun with Walt, mom. You deserve it. Can't wait to see the pictures. Love you!"

And a file share and message from Walter. Which was odd, because she had already shared the photos from his phone to hers. Opening the notification, she smirked. The attached message made her chuckle.

"Dance as though no one is watching, but know that Ralph is always watching."

The photo of them dancing was with it. She stared at it for a few long minutes, before opening the rest of the photos, pausing to appreciate each one. She stopped at one he must have taken of the wolf and giraffe figures on the dresser, and it made her so sad. He must have taken it knowing that soon they would be separated. Even their figurines wouldn't have a happy ending.

She scrolled through photos for what felt like an hour, watched the video of Walter with the giraffe a dozen times, tears lazily falling from her eyes, their blanket tight around her shoulders, sheltering her from the breeze.

The photos and videos became a refuge, and escape from reality, an escape from the ticking of time. In those photos, it was just them, having the best day ever, a perfect day, being happy, in love, and unafraid for tomorrow. She was envious, because the Paige and Walter in those digital confines would never have to face the truth, the reality, would never have to move forward with what was to come. They could remain in that moment, for eternity, blissfully unaware that their happiness would soon end, free to simply enjoy one another.

She wished she could--

"Paige?" His groggy voice called in a hushed voice from the doorway behind her, and she frantically wiped at her cheeks, startled by his presence, and desperate to keep him from seeing her like this. "Are you okay? What are you doing outside? It's 3:30am."

Well, she had been right about how long she'd been out there.

He came up behind her, clearly still very sleepy, his feet shuffling and movements rigid, placing a kiss on the top of her head, while his hands rubbed her upper arms, letting his head linger at hers for a moment, breathing her in.

"I uh, couldn't sleep." It wasn't really a lie. She couldn't sleep. It was simply an omission of facts.

But Walter loved facts.

"Do you want cookies? I saw some in the gift bags from dinner. They had some terribly clever saying on them as well. You said you eat cookies when you can't sleep." He was always so genuine, and so… Walter. It made her feel so much better, and made everything so much worse.

Love is Sweet. She had seen the cookies earlier, and had laughed wondering what Walter would think of them. Think of the catchphrase Love is Sweet. What she would give to feel that was true. Right now it felt bittersweet. With emphasis on the bitter.

"No, uh, no cookies, Walt. Thank you, though. Though, I'm convinced you're recording everything I say."

He moved to the front of the sofa to sit beside her, to which she lifted her feet to make room, placing them back down on his lap, trying to carefully avert her eyes from him and act as normal as she could muster. His arms fell atop of her legs, gently stroking them through the blanket. It was not helping.

He was so gentle, so comforting to her.

Her heart was breaking at what was to come, but she didn't want to destroy what little time they had left by him seeing how upset she was. This was a hard enough situation, and she didn't fault him for his choice, choosing Scorpion, so she didn't need him to see her this way and feel guilty. But, she knew what needed to be done. She couldn't be selfish. There was far too much at risk.

"Paige? What's going on?" She still refused to look his way, and he was growing increasingly concerned. He'd never seen her like this before, appearing so sad. Maybe once when she and Tim had broken up, but even then, it was… different. She sniffled, and by shifting he caught sight of the wetness on her face. "Paige? Have you been… crying? What happened? Did I do something? Upset you? I assure you it was not intentional. I'm so sorry Paige, I'm not very good at this." Surely he had messed up somehow. Had she heard him tell her he loved her? He was fairly certain she was asleep, but maybe she wasn't. Was she bothered by his not pushing for more to have happened between them? He wasn't unaccustomed to making women cry, usually by his idiotic comments, usually facts, which are apparently offensive, but Paige knew how he was.

"No, Walter. You didn't do anything. You are wonderful, so wonderful, and far better at this than you give yourself credit for." She again wiped her cheeks and her eyes, pleading with her limbic and lacrimal systems, to stop crying. Toby had taught Ralph about that when he had been upset about Drew bailing once, and had been embarrassed to have cried in front of the team. Toby had explained it was simply these two systems working to process the situation and release the emotions. She had committed the lesson to memory, should he ever feel the need to cry again. Though, didn't expect to use it on herself. Attempting to stop the flow of salty tears, she looked straight out past the railing to the darkened expanse of fields in the distance. She wanted to go dance in them again with him. Replace her wet tears with wet sprinkler splashes.

While a relief to know he hadn't done anything to upset her, that didn't help him at all in helping her, or understanding what was upsetting her.

"I don't understand. Paige, it's the middle of the night and you're outside crying… Is it Ralph?"

She felt awful, she didn't want him blaming himself, or worrying about her. This was why she came outside, so he wouldn't have to see her breakdown.

"No, no. He's fine. You're fine. Everything is… fine." He shifted closer to her, taking her hands, silently pleading with her to open up to him. "Walter…" She took a deep breath mustering her courage. She couldn't keep carrying this on her chest anymore. "Walter… I know."

So, she had heard him tell her he loved her.

Or maybe not.

But if she had, why was she crying? She didn't feel the same way? Had he been right about the possibility that she just wanted a physical fling? But she was the one to put the brakes on them doing more. Had he pushed this too far?

Women were so difficult to understand. What was wrong with clearly stating things. No ambiguity.

"You know… you know… what?"

"I know… about Nana… Walter, her threatening you. The ultimatum. I was there, outside the doorway. I heard her… and you… I was trying to find you, and walked in on that instead…" His hands and body went rigid. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything, I just didn't know what to say, or how, and I didn't want to ruin what little time I had with you--" Her face flooded with tears, a pit forming in her stomach as she released the words she'd been holding back all day. Looking at Walter, he looked so bothered, so pained. She knew this had to have been so painful for him.

"I don't--" To say he was confused was an understatement. What little time they had? What does that mean? But her words never stopped, talking right over him in an impassioned rambling.

"--It's okay, Walter. I understand. I'm not angry or hurt. I get it. I do. I really do. Scorpion is everything to you. As it should be. I know, it probably wasn't an easy choice, but I understand. Scorpion is more than a job. It's a home and family to everyone. It has to come first--"

She had heard him agreeing to Betty's terms…

Hearing that, without context… without… understanding.

That's why she had been weird all day.

Oh boy, he had really messed up. Big time messed up.

He should have just told her, been honest and up front with her. He had ruined everything.

"Paige--" But she didn't skip a beat, kept on rambling, though broke her gaze from him, staring off beyond the balcony instead.

"--Today was the best day I can ever remember, and being here with you has been the greatest blessing, even if it's… limited. I'm just so sorry that this happened, that Nana put you in such an awful position. I wish I understood why she was doing this. But I understand why things have to be this way. And what you did for Ralph, with the money… Walter… I have no words. But I understand--"

"Paige, you don't--" Still, nothing. She was determined to speak her mind, and he was not going to stop her.

"--And I, wanted to… do more… with you tonight, um, be with you. I did. I really did, I mean I do, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how much harder it will hurt to lose you if we cross that line. I hope you understand--"

"Paige, no--"

She didn't understand. His plan. Everything he'd learned.

"--I will resign officially when we get back--"

WHAT.

His mind was racing. Panicking.

" Resign? Paige, slow--"

"--Walter, it's for the best. She will follow through on watching us. And it will just be too hard to be around you, especially now… I'm so sorry, Walter. For all of this--"

The tears fell in earnest, down her face, and, despite him not even realizing it, down his own.

"Paige! Stop talking!" He said it harsher than he intended, but she stopped. "Paige, I don't know what, or how much you heard, maybe some, maybe all, but that's not the whole story. Paige, she can have Scorpion. And I told her as much."

Her eyes snapped to his so fast, he would have to calculate the odds of her giving herself whiplash.

"What! No! Walter, you can't--"

"Paige, Scorpion is nothing without you. I am nothing without you." She needed to understand. Why didn't she see?

The moisture in her eyes only magnified the flash of anger that appeared in them.

"Walter, you can't give up Scorpion!"

"Who said I was? Paige… Did you honestly believe that I was going to just give up everything because some hag in an expensive pants suit threatened me… without a fight? Paige? That I would let her do that to you? I get punched regularly for arguing over reward cards, and lose us business over how to properly state numerals, both so trivial they mean nothing. But, you? Scorpion? I have never backed down without a fight when it comes to what matters." He took her jaw in his hand, forcing her to look at him. "You and Scorpion mean everything."

Her face was wet with tears, and they pooled in his hands as they held her face. His heart breaking at the fight of her puffy red eyes, filled with heartache and loss.

"But you said--"

"What she wanted to hear? Yes. I needed to buy time."

Her brows furrowed, so confused. She knew what she had heard. Maybe he could fight, but Nana was relentless. She would win.

"Walter, I don't understand. She will come after you. She won't stop."

"And neither will I. Do you remember when you first joined Scorpion, we explained to Ralph about the cyclone?"

She sighed, frustrated, exhausted. This was not going to accomplish anything. He didn't understand how powerful she was. She had seen her, heard the stories, of how Nana had taken people down.

"Yes, of course I do."

"Someone is threatening my cyclone, Paige. I'm not going to let it happen."

"But Walter--"

His turn to cut her off, and with a huff of frustration, he did.

"Paige, I want this. I want you. I hope that much is obvious at this point, and I am sorry that it took me three years to figure that out. And if having this, having you… If it means losing Scorpion, that's a risk I'm willing to take."

She knew he meant it, and yet, she felt a burst of anger, the voices of Betty and her family swirling in her mind, even Walter's, every word they'd ever told her to remind her she was not good enough. Would never be good enough. The images from her dream taking up residence in her mind.

"But you shouldn't be willing to take that risk! Nana is right, Walter! I am not worth that!" She nearly shouted, despite the hour or being outdoors. She let go of his hands, jumping up from the sofa to stand at the railing, a sob ripping through her, her view of the fields clouded with salty tears, her body fraught with tension.

"You are worth everything, Paige!" He matched her tone and volume, standing immediately, calming his words. "Don't you see that?! Storage space, companies, my life! You are worth it. You are worth all of it, Paige. And I'm sorry that those small minded people made you think otherwise. I'm sorry if I made you feel otherwise, but you are worth it. You always have been." He came up behind her his hands hesitating a mere centimeter from her upper arms, wanting to touch her, feel her, but not sure if that would be appropriate given her state, pulling them right back to his side. Getting as close as he could to her without touching her, his body so close he could feel the warmth coming from hers, his face just to the side of her ear, his heart racing, his blood pressure likely at dangerous levels at the thought that this could be ending. The thought that she would leave him, leave Scorpion, incited a panic in his bones. "Paige… please." He whispered, his voice broken and weak.

"Walter, this is insane. It won't work out how you think…" She whispered, so void of fight, just suffering. He could see the droplets of pain cascading down her cheeks, wishing he could yield magic, make it all better. He stepped closer, and with a bravery he didn't feel, wrapped his arms around her upper body, feeling her collapse back into him, like she were melting. His face nuzzled into her shoulder, her hair, her scent filling his sinuses.

"Paige… Do you want this? I mean, more than a day, or a weekend. You and me, and Ralph… do you want that? If you don't, that's okay--" He was suddenly weary that there was more to her resistance.

She felt so safe, so warm in his arms, she never wanted to leave. She wanted nothing more than this, him, them together. But she kept seeing the flash of him from her dream disappearing, of Ralph, of the others.

"Of course I do, Walter. More than anything. But, she has so much power, money, influence. More than you realize. We can't compete with that. There's no way to win this without someone getting hurt. I've run through it a thousand times today. You can't get through to her. I don't even know why she's like this." She pulled out of his grasp, pacing the small balcony, the tension back in her shoulders, the fire in her eyes. "She will destroy you, destroy Scorpion! How are we supposed to build a relationship on that?! A future built on threats, resentment, loss? That's not a future, that's a death sentence, Walter! I know it's not ideal, but I would rather us have this weekend together, this beautiful, perfect weekend, and end things like that, protect Scorpion, protect each other, and not hate each other in the end. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you resented me." She had paced to the far corner by the door, placing the furniture between them, and by the end of her speech, looked so defeated, so broken.

He felt the same way from hearing her words. He crossed the short distance, needing to feel her. Grasping the sides of her face, he forced her to look at him.

"Paige, I would never resent you."

He held firmly to her, his face a mere inch from hers. He wanted to kiss away her pain, her doubts. Show her he could be the man for her, that they could make this work. His nose brushed against hers, their lips barely a breath from the others, both with tears covering their faces, and red rimmed eyes. Her hands were tightly holding onto his forearms, as if she were in a state of fight or flight, undecided on pulling him closer or pushing him away and it broke his heart.

"You will. You told me before that you couldn't risk Scorpion not working, that we couldn't be together because it would risk Scorpion." She averted her eyes, even in his grip forcing her view, she couldn't look into his eyes. Couldn't face it.

"I was an idiot, Paige." He loosened his grip on her face, moving his hands down to hold hers, gentle, pleading.

"You will resent me if you lose Scorpion… I know you would give up everything for me, Walter, I know that. I really do. But, that doesn't mean you should. That doesn't mean it doesn't come with a major cost. That doesn't mean we would survive it. That's not fair to either of us. Not fair to Ralph. We can't put him through that. Or the team. We can't gamble with their lives. We can't be selfish here. There's too much at stake. I want this, Walter. I want this, I want you. I always have. But not like this. Not at the expense of everything and everyone else. I'm sorry Walter, I can't do that to them. I can't do… this." A sob cut through her life a knife, her body shaking, a gutteral pain escaping her mouth, and he pulled her in, despite her resistance, holding her tight, frantically rubbing at her hair and her back, her shaking, crumbling body pinned firmly against his, feeling that same knife deep in his own chest at seeing her heart breaking. She had never said it, but he could feel how much she loved him in that moment, that she would give up her own happiness to protect him, break her own heart for him, to protect the others, protect Ralph. He knew, because he would do the same for her.

After a moment, pulling his thoughts together, needing to be clear with her, he pulled back once more to look in her eyes.

"Paige, you don't understand."

"Walter, please… stop. Don't make this harder than it needs to be." That last thing she needed was false hope. They needed to just rip off the bandage and get it over with, stop drawing out the pain.

"Paige, please, just hear me out. I'm not saying we take a gamble and call her bluff, see what happens. I'm saying I have a plan." He was praying, something he had never done, for her to hear him, give this a chance.

"Walter, this isn't a machine to can fix with your nerd powers! It's a crazy woman who apparently hates me and gets off on hurting people. Respectfully, it's sort of outside your ball park." She was so tired, she couldn't keep fighting. She loved that he wanted to try, but he just didn't understand how powerful she was, how relentless.

As if seeing her weariness, he took her hand, pulling her back to the sofa.

"You're right, mostly. But what if I told you that my nerd powers discovered some information, which will not only put Dearest Betty in her place, but also protect you, Ralph, Scorpion and, most importantly… allow us to do this… be together?" His eyebrows raised eagerly, as he searched her face for any sign of engagement, perhaps enthusiasm at his discovery. Her brows furrowed and she scowled instead. Not what he was hoping for.

" Blackmail? That's your genius plan? You want to blackmail her?" She ran her fingers through her hair, Betty wouldn't be taken down by simple blackmail. He was out of his league here. She needed an advil.

"Well sort of, but more let's say… consequential." He paused, holding her hand, breathing deep. "But Paige, more than anything, I respect and care for you, and despite what I've learned about Betty, which is pretty heinous, I know you still care for her, she's your family, so if you want me to quash this, I will. And I will do whatever you think is best, no matter the cost to me, even if it means losing you or Scorpion. I just want you to be happy. That's all that matters to me." Long trails of salty tears streamed down his cheeks, a sensation he was not accustomed to. In fact, the only times in his adult life he had ever cried had been in her presence. He wondered what Toby would say about the significance of that.

She sat silently for several long minutes, just staring at their conjoined hands. It was making him very anxious.

"Paige, please… say something."

"Show me." She finally whispered down to their hands.

"Pardon?"

"Show me what you've learned. I need to understand everything. Walter, this is dangerous, we're playing with fire. She gets what she wants, and she has never not followed through on something. She will hurt you, me, Ralph, the team… So, I need to understand. Everything." She felt that pit growing in her stomach, overcome with anxious energy, dread, fear.

"Okay. I'll be right back." He released her hand and stood. "Umm… don't leave." He added impulsively before he ran into the room.

Where did he expect her to go? Off the balcony? Granted, the current situation did give that scenario a certain allure.

This was insane, absolutely insane. She needed to see what he had on her. But, what could he possibly have found?

He returned a minute later with his laptop in hand, reclaiming his seat, and powering the device on. As it booted up, he pulled the blanket up to cover her again. Her body slumped forward, shoulders taut, elbows on her thighs, her hands fused together in front of her mouth, her leg shaking uncontrollably. Everything about her showed how tense and anxious she was.

"Are you sure you want to see this, Paige? It's… not good things." He was so worried about her. He had hoped he would never have to show her any of this. That he would be able to confront Betty on his own, and Paige would never have to know. He did not calculate that she had been standing outside the door however.

"I'm sure."

"Okay." He handed the laptop over to her, the files opened, allowing her to read, anxiously watching, as her face turned from shock, to disdain, to anger, to horror, to tears.

"She was…?"

He nodded in response. Taking a deep breath, knowing it only got worse.

"And this…you're sure?"

"Yes, it's confirmed."

"No, this is not possible… Walter…" her eyes were pouring with tears as she read.

"That's not my…"

"I know."

"And Papa…"

"I know."

She scanned through all of the files, articles, emails, and records that Walter had opened for about twenty minutes, her mind spinning. Betty was not the person she thought. She always knew her to be cruel, power hungry, obsessed with her image, but, never in a million years did she think... this.

For his part, he just sat there, quietly allowing her the space to process all she was reading. Answering her questions as needed, but otherwise, staying back, even if his instinct was to close the laptop and protect her from it all.

"Walter… how did you even…"

"After the first time I spoke with her, when I told her she could have Scorpion, I told her how awful she is, how wrong she is about you. I was… angry. I went looking for you, but when I couldn't find you, I realized I simply couldn't let her do this to you. I made some calls. Called in some favors. I've been following up with emails all day. I learned things I never intended to. I just wanted to find something to stop her, but it… quickly turned into something much bigger. I'm really sorry, Paige. I hoped you'd never need to know. I was trying to protect you, protect your family, while also protecting Scorpion." She remained looking at the screen as he spoke, only looking up as he apologized.

"You did all of this… for me… today… while we were on a date?" Deep down, she was curious if he would call attention to her referring to it as a date. But mostly, she was just fried, trying to understand everything with her very tired and emotionally drained brain.

"I wasn't distracted during our date if that's what you mean."

"No. Of course not. I'm just struggling to process this. You did so much… for me." Since her father passed, she hadn't felt this. This one man against the world to protect her feeling. Walter had risked his life plenty for her, but it wasn't the same. It was business, instinct, impulsive reckless God-complex, but to do all of this, planning, calculated planning to protect her… it was a feeling she couldn't equate.

"Paige, I will do whatever it takes to protect you. I will always do whatever it takes. And… I had help. But I mean it, if you don't want this coming to light, I will respect that. It will take one phone call, you say the word, and everything disappears."

She read the document in front of her, stared at the scrawled signature at the bottom, and felt a rage form in her gut.

"Bring it to light. Bring it all to light." There was a fiery anger in her eyes.

"There's more, Paige… but I'm concerned about you reading it…" He grabbed the laptop, preparing to pull up the files, his face riddled with worry.

"It's okay." She reached over, closing the laptop. "I don't need to see anymore. I trust you. I want her taken down. It's like you said, she threatened our cyclone. What she's done is inexcusable, and if youre saying there's even more to what I've seen, then it's beyond inexcusable. She stopped being my family about ten documents ago."

"Are you sure?"

She turned her body to face him fully, taking the laptop and setting it aside, before grabbing his hands in hers.

"Are you sure about us?"

"Infinitely." She scanned his eyes for any uncertainty, any doubt, and found none.

"Then I'm sure, too. About us, and about her."

"Okay." He stroked her cheek lightly. "The plan is multifaceted--" He swallowed and stopped talking as she slowly, methodically, lifted herself up onto her knees, swinging a leg over his lap, to settle on the other side of him, she placed his hands on her hips, as she lowered herself into straddling him, resting her hands on his shoulders. "I… uh…"

"I trust you, Walter. I don't need the details right now." Her hands slowly ran through his hair, the blanket still gripped with each thumb to hold it against her was softly released, pooling around her waist. Settling her hips down on him, allowing her hands to freely roam his body, she watched him intently.

"Oh… um… wh-what… what d-do you-you need? Right now? What… ohh…"

Leaning down, she teased his lips by barely grazing her own against them, like a whisper, as she slowly moved her hips on his lap, gently grinding against him, feeling his immediate reaction grow against her. It gave her the shivers, made her breath hitch, made the small hairs on her arms stand up.

"You." She finally breathed out, capturing his lips in a fire filled, passionate entanglement of lips and tongues. Feeling his strong arms take hold of her body, his hands on her backside, in her hair, feeling her all over. It was everything she wanted. When his lips moved from hers, and his hand lightly pulled her head to the side to capture her long neck with his tongue, she involuntarily let out a moan, making him smile against her neck. "Oh God, Walter…"

His movements were frenzied, heated, yet methodical, in a way that only Walter could be. Mapping every inch of her neck with his tongue, taking her to brand new places. Her hands danced over his chest, his shoulder as she struggled to keep her head from falling back in pleasure. As his mouth moved down her neck, and his oversized dress shirt fell down her arms, she forcefully tugged at his t-shirt, sliding her hands beneath it, her body trembling at the feel of his skin under her fingers. Inching her hands up, she pulled the shirt with it, forcing him to break his contact on her upper chest, and his hands broke their contact on her body, as she pulled it up and over his head.

She immediately missed his touch.

"Paige… you said…" He was trying to calm himself, breathe, wanting her so completely, but weary of pushing too far.

"Yeah… I know. I say a lot of things… Walter…" She kissed him, her back arching against him, her pelvis pushing in to feel him beneath her as she did. His hands remained at his side, however, despite the groan he made. "Walter… touch me. Please. I want to feel you. I need to feel you on me." She took one of his hands, and eyes locked on his, placed it on her breast. Her hands rested above his there, but he still wouldn't budge.

"Paige… Are you sure?" He gulped, sweat beading at his forehead, his body flushed. He was straining in his boxers, with her sitting atop of him.

"I've never been more sure." Like a switch being flipped, he was aggressively all over her. Caressing her breasts, kissing every square inch he could of her, his other hand on her butt, squeezing and pulling her into him, hard, so she could feel just how much he wanted her, eliciting a guttural moan from her throat.

With stealthy hands, he briskly pulled his dress shirt from her arms, tossing it aside, sliding his burly hands beneath the thin cotton of her tank top, delighting in the naked skin beneath, as she continued to kiss him fervently, and caress his bare upper body.

Pulling back, her hair messy, her breath labored, lips swollen, she locked eyes with him as she gasped at the hem of her top, proposing to pull it up.

"Paige… we're outside…" He said it, the words meaning to carry far more caution than they did, as he was entirely too distracted to care, his eyebrows piqued in full attention as the shirt, like torture, slowly went up, up, up...

"It's just you and me right here, Walter." And with that, she pulled it the final way, revealing her naked abdomen and chest to him.

His brain ceased functioning. IQ of zero. Caveman instincts at full alert.

"Uhhhh." When he made no attempt to move, or speak, or breathe, just staring at her naked chest, she became a bit self conscious, using her hands to try and hide herself. She was startled when his hands bolted out to grasp her wrists, keeping her from hiding herself from him. "No! Don't."

"Walter…" She saw the most carnal, animalistic hunger in his eyes, as he held tight to her wrists, and she realized she was seeing the uncontrolled side of him, the side he kept neatly hidden away. She was excited by it. Very excited. She wanted to see more. Felt privileged to be let in beyond that wall.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have… You are just the most beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes upon." He started to release her hands, and even looked embarrassed suddenly.

"Don't do that." He looked up to her eyes. "Don't apologize. Let me in. Let me see all of you."

"I don't--"

"Walter. Let go. I want to see you. You won't scare me away. Show me." And with that he locked his lips on hers, in fast, hurried passion, moving to her jaw, her neck, her chest, his lips falling on her breast, as his hands toyed with the other, somewhat roughly, as if he was releasing three years of wanting in a single second, and she was definitely not complaining. "Oh God… Ohhh." Her head fell back and her nails dug into the flesh of his back, attempting to steady herself. She could feel his smile around her nipple, and it only made her dig harder. She ground her pelvis into him, and he gasped, his hands forcefully holding her hips still, releasing her breast and moving back to her lips.

With his hands on her hips, and a strength and finesse she didn't know he had, he both lifted and pushed her to stand, on weak legs, before him. He placed a series of kisses to her stomach, down to the line of her shorts, before looking up at her eyes, her breasts just above his face. He hooked his fingers into the sides of her shorts, watching for any hesitation on her face, receiving a barely perceptible nod in return. Her abdomen trembled as he slowly pulled them free, letting them drop to her feet, and he inhaled a deep breath as he realized she had nothing underneath. She stood before him, entirely naked, baring all for him.

"You make me absolutely crazy." He muttered out lustfully as kissed a tail up her body, moving upward as he stood and reclaimed her lips, grabbing her close. Her hands made quick work of dropping his boxers, leaving them both naked and exposed on the balcony. His hands ran the full length of her, feeling every bit of her skin he could, before inching down her abdomen, and slowly moving lower to her core. She gasped into his mouth as his fingers teased her, before slipping inside of her.

"Oh fuck." She moaned into his mouth, resulting in a light chuckle from him.

"I don't think I have ever heard you say that." He breathed out, ravaging her neck with his tongue, and his fingers worked rhythmically inside her.

"Well, you've never done… gaaahhh… that… before…" She again moaned, this time directly into his ear. Her legs were shaking, trembling in both ecstasy and weakness at his ministrations. Her nails were digging so deeply into his shoulders she thought she may draw blood, clutching so tightly to him. Her body was tingling, overheating, and she was desperate to feel him. All of him. "Walter… please… I need you…"

Removing his hand, a whimper escaping her mouth as he did, he kissed her, hard, tongues battling for dominance, as her hands wrapped over his shoulders and his wrapped around her torso, only to lower to her butt and her thighs. In one swift movement, he lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around him.

"You sure?" He whispered breathlessly, his forehead resting against hers.

"Yes. All the yes, Walter. Please, I can't wait anymore." Her breasts were pressed tightly against his upper chest, her legs so tight around him. She kissed him, biting his lip, and she finally heard him moan.

Hastily, he moved with her, intending to carry her inside, but she began licking his neck and ear lobe, and her hand was trying to gain access to his increasingly painful erection, he just could not wait any longer. He pinned her against the full length glass window beside the door with a thud, just beside the door, and with quick movements took hold of himself. Kissing her a bit slower, he carefully entered her, filling her completely, and making him weak and electrified. She was so warm and tight around him, and he knew for sure he would not last long. He steadied himself, holding still to give her a moment to adjust to him.

"Ahh, oh God. Oh my God. Walter…" She moaned against his lips, kissing him with such passion and sensuality. He fit her perfectly. Like a puzzle piece. The locked eyes, and in that moment, they both knew they were connecting, mind, soul, and body. Nothing but love and lust was in their eyes.

As he started thrusting into her, slowly at first, she knew she would not last, the early feeling of orgasm already present, feeling her body tingle and respond to each movement of his. The cold surface of the glass wall against her back was a blessing.

"Paige… you feel so good." He huffed out with a breathless mumble, sounding so pleading and desperate. Holding her to the wall, he thrust into her, long and hard, trying not to move too fast, afraid of ending things prematurely. His body was riddled with sweat, despite the middle of the night breeze on them.

Several long minutes passed before his legs were becoming unsteady, and she was struggling to hold on, and he pulled back with her, using all of his force to push them through the door, the room too dark to make much out, resulting in several things being bumped into.

"Ow!" She laughed against his mouth as he backed her into the corner post of the bed frame.

"Oops." He laughed back, dropping her down on the bed, slipping from her in the process. "Are you okay?" He stood right next to the bed, the soft light from the bathroom night light providing just enough to see her in the darkness, to admire her naked body. The very thing he had fantasized about every night for three years, was laying in front of him.

"I won't be if you don't get over here." She grabbed his hand and pulled him down on top of her, taking his lips with hers, and opening her legs for him to reenter her. Thankfully, he didn't need to be told, and did exactly as expected of him. Their new positioning allowing him to penetrate her deeper, making her gasp and wriggle beneath him, both clawing at his back, and at the bedsheets. Matching his every stroke, with her hips, she rolled her head while moaning. With her head lolling back, he had the perfect opportunity to suckle and nip at her long neck, her collar bone, and her breasts. Using the hand he wasn't holding his weight up on to seductively toy with one nipple as his mouth teased the other. "Walter I'm not going to last if you do that… fuuuuuuck."

Hearing her use such vulgar language was oddly gratifying. She had chastised the team for using the term crap before. This was an exciting development.

He was also pleasantly surprised to find that Paige was not a quiet person in bed. Turns out that feistiness she had on a daily basis was true of all of her activities.

And he was quite fond of the way she bit her lip and scrunched up her eyes when he went deep inside her.

Her nails dug deep into the flesh covering his sides, inciting pain, and he grasped her wrist, pulling her hand away, and pinning it above her head. Her other hand held tight to his butt pulling him in deep to her. With a particularly hard and deep movement, she groaned and gasped. He immediately stopped moving.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No, it feels so good. Walter, you feel so good. Don't Stop. Please. Don't ever stop." Her words were labored, caught between gasps for air, and she leaned up to kiss him with such a carnal need for him. Aggressive and sloppy. Taking her lead, he made his movements sharp and rough, eliciting loud moans from her, to which he had to keep kissing her to keep her somewhat quiet.

"Shh. You're going to wake the whole building." He laughed, kissing her right by her ear.

"I don't care. Let them hear it. It ought to make for a fun brunch conversation tomorrow." She quipped back, just as she skillfully flipped him onto his back, adjusting herself on him to take him into her fully, shuttering from the feel, before leaning down to kiss him.

He laid, captivated, as Paige went to work riding him, trying to match her movements as she had for him, but finding it difficult, as her breasts bounced with every thrust she did, and he was finding it to be wholly distracting. Grabbing the side of her face, he pulled her down to kiss him, holding her face to him for a moment.

"You take my breath away."

She smiled, and sat back up, speeding up her motions, his hands firmly on her hips.

"Touch me Walter." He looked deep into her eyes, they were pleading and hungry. Moving his hands from her hips, he allowed her breasts to fill them, gently squeezing and massaging, watching her eyes roll back in response.

Paige really enjoyed him touching her breasts. And he was not about to complain about that, as he really enjoyed playing with them.

He may have a 197 IQ, but at the end of the day, Walter was a man, with a penis, and he really loved her breasts. He had loved them for three years… fully covered, from afar. He thought he appreciated them then.

He was not going to last, could feel his orgasm rising, but was determined to hold on to ensure she finished first.

"Paige, I can't hold out much longer…" He began rubbing at her nipples, and her hips tightened around him, as she moved far more methodically on top of him, pausing her movements when he would hit a certain spot, holding her breath. Finally, she tensed her entire body, and he could feel her walls tighten around him, waves of spasms all around him, pulling him to the point of no return. As she started panting heavily, and moaning… loudly… he was done for.

"Walter! Oh God!"

Her legs began to shake, as he felt wave after wave of trembling inside of her with her climaxing on top of him, and in the same swift move she had done, he flipped her back over, pushing as deep into her as he could, making her death grip the sheets. Knowing he was so close, he moved fast and hard into her, making them both repeatedly breathless and gasping. He felt the wave of warmth and release, bubbling to the surface and he kissed her hard, before pulling out and releasing on her stomach, and collapsing at her side to catch his breath.

He laid his head on her chest, feeling and hearing her rapidly pounding heart rate, calculating its beats per minute. She was sweaty, and no longer smelled of lavender. Just sex. It made him smile. Her hands lazily wrapped around him, her fingers lightly skimming his back, while the other played with the damp curls on his head.

"Wow." She chuckled, making his head bob on her chest.

"Yeah… I don't know why we waited three years." He quipped back, looking up to see her very flushed face, her hair also damp with sweat, and in the most beautiful rat's nest. She laughed, and he leaned up to place a slow, sweet kiss to her lips.

"So, uh, how many calories was that?" She giggled, as he leaned over to the night stand to grab a couple of tissues to wipe off her stomach, doing so quickly, and tossing the tissues to the side to clean up later.

"None of your desserts count. You could even have those cookies." He couldn't stop kissing her. Not passionate or lustful, just sensual, because he could.

"Mmm. I love you kissing me, Walter O'Brien."

"Well, I love kissing you, Paige Dineen."

"Good. Never stop okay?"

"Noted." His grin was wide as he leaned in to kiss her once more. He was happy. So unbelievably happy.

And she, at least to him, looked happy, and sated… and a little dead.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm glad I couldn't sleep!" He kissed her again, laying atop of her, brushing the hair from her face.

"I'm glad the bed felt cold and empty without you."

"It did?" She pursed her lips, and drew her eyebrows together at the sweet thought of Walter awakening to her gone, needing to seek her out.

"I uh, really like you being asleep with me. It was… lonely without you." She brushed his cheek softly, a smile pulling at her mouth.

"Walter, that's so sweet. I'm sorry I left. But if it makes you feel better, when I woke up, your hand was holding my boob!"

"Uhhh… I uh… that was not…"

"It's okay, Walt. I liked it. Felt nice having your hand there."

"Ah, yes. I believe all of your family are also now aware of that as well." He pecked her lips with a coy grin as he scooted out of the bed.

"I told you! Brunch conversation!" She laughed, a permanent grin plastered to her, watching his naked body slink off to the bathroom.

She had just had sex, really good sex with Walter O'Brien. Against a window. Outside. Who would have thought it… Walter… a damn Neanderthal. A damn window.

They should probably get some windex… before Leonard sees another fun sighting of them.

She wondered if it were possible for her legs to actually gelatinize, because they definitely felt like jello. The things that man could do to her.

She also wondered if he would be taking photos of this event, too. Which made her laugh, as she slipped under the blanket… just in case.

The blanket. Their blanket was discarded somewhere outside… with their clothing. That blanket had certainly seen some things. She didn't want to give it back. It held so much sentimental value now.

Walter emerged from the bathroom, still so naked, much to her enjoyment, opened the small mini fridge and removed two bottled waters, handing one to Paige, complete with a kiss, before walking toward the open door to the balcony. Much to her dismay, he collected their garments, and pulled on his boxers. Grabbing her phone and his laptop, along with the blanket, he brought them in, placing them on the dresser. Handing her her pajamas, he watched as she pulled the shorts under the blanket to slip on, but left the tank top on the end of the bed. She wanted to feel his skin against hers as they slept. Taking a few sips of water, she put the bottle on the end table, watching Walter as he did the same, before climbing into the bed, crawling atop of her, to kiss her again.

"Hi." He whispered against her lips, and she could hear the smile on his face.

"Hey there." She reached up, running her fingers through the hair just behind his ears.

"Think you'll be able to sleep?" His concern was so genuine, and she felt her heart swelling, linking her hands behind his neck, kissing him every chance she got.

"Yeah, I think that's a guarantee."

"Good." Placing a lasting kiss to her forehead, he climbed off of her, slipping under the covers. As he settled down, she did the same, both resting on their sides facing each other, their bodies touching, but faces barely an inch apart, arms draped over each other.

"Walter?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not giving up on us. Not giving in to threats designed to tear us apart. For fighting for this. For me…. No one has ever done that before. So. Um. Just thank you."

"Always." He trailed his fingers down from her temple to her jaw, and finally settling on her chin.

"Best day ever." She whispered, taking his lips, before shifting so she was laying on his chest, their legs in a tangled heap, their arms wrapped so securely around each other.

"Yeah. Best day ever." He placed a kiss to the top of her head, a wide grin spread across his face as he settled into the pillow. "Best day ever."

And with that, they both fell into a deep sleep.