A/N: Thank you for the well wishes! Finally feeling like I'm on the mend. Joys of motherhood, you get no sick days! I think I'm mostly get my groove back for this story. Thank you for all the wonderful feedback. You guys truly are the best motivation. Heres chapter seven!
Which crazy family member do you want to see again?
xoxo
The room was still basked in mostly darkness, aside from the soft night light coming from the bathroom when he awoke, momentarily confused as to where he was, but also, confused by the sensation of weight against him, and atop of him, warm flesh beneath his hands, and the tickling feel of loose hair on his chin. Opening his eyes, just enough light to adjust his eyes to in order to see his surroundings, realization dawned on him, memories of the night before. The bathroom night light left on in the event Paige grew sick.
Paige.
Paige was asleep…
On his chest.
Oh boy.
He froze, held his breath.
How had she come to be in this position? Curled up against his side, her head nuzzled under his chin, cheek pressed firmly against his bare chest, hair strewn across his chin, her hand also resting atop his heart, which was now pounding at an exceptional rate, her leg draped over his own. His own arms wrapped firmly around her body, one hand settled on her hip, against her flesh as she shirt had risen, and the other laid across her own with his hand pressed against her back, keeping her warm and protected.
No feeling had ever felt so right, and so wrong, as this.
He should disentangle himself. Should shift her over.
Should wake her with a kiss.
No. No, no. Not that.
He needed to do something.
"Mmmm." She shifted against him, her leg tightening on his own, which was doing things to him that he definitely did not want her to know. Her hand rubbed over his chest, and then he felt her hair move, her brushing it away and he knew she was awakening, putting the pieces together like he just had. "...what?" Her voice was lower than a whisper as she took in their positioning. "Oh no." She very quickly lifted the blanket to look beneath, and breathed a sigh of relief, which made him chuckle.
"Nothing happened." He reassured her, and her face popped up to look at him, clearly surprised to see he was awake. "Good morning." He gave her his best, trying not to be as awkward as he felt, smile.
"Oh God. Walter. I'm so sorry." She was beyond embarrassed, and quickly sat up, straightening her clothing, running her hands over her face. She had no memory of how she ended up wrapped up in his arms, but she knew for sure it was the most comfortable she'd ever been. She fought hard against her foggy memory to make sure she hadn't crossed a line with him.
He sat up, and in his best attempt to be comforting, rubbed her back, and her upper arm. He wanted to kiss her shoulder.
No, no. Don't do that.
"Paige, it's okay. Really, nothing happened. I woke up just as confused as you. It's… not a big deal."
She had her knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around them, and at his words she rested her head on them, looking back at him, giving him a wistful smile.
"Why are you so good to me?" She said it without really thinking, but desperately wanting to know once it came out.
He didn't even hesitate, giving her the boyish charm grin of his.
"I thought it was obvious."
The most mysterious, fascinating man she'd ever known. All she could do was stare at him longingly, completely captivated by his essence.
Quickly he jumped up off the bed, checked his watch on the end table, and threw back devilish eyes at her.
"Come with me?"
"What? Where? Walter, it's still dark out." her smile, grand and incredulous, as she watched him pull a pair of jeans on - fully enjoying the show he was giving her. She was actually a bit surprised he went to bed in just his boxers, but rationed he didn't know he'd be sharing a room, never mind a bed with her.
She definitely did not mind. She had just been sleeping on that bare chest. And she desperately wanted to do so again.
He stopped his movements, and gave her the moment loving glance that had her soul igniting.
"Trust me?" He held out a hand to her and she was a lost cause. She'd follow him anywhere.
There was no one she trusted more.
Grasping his outstretched hand, she chuckled and nodded.
Quickly she threw on some pants and a sweatshirt, with assurances from him they would be back so she could shower and actually get ready for the day. He was so eager, practically bouncing on his heels waiting for her as she brushed her teeth, checking his watch repeatedly. Grabbing his phone and room key, she took his hand and they quietly left the room.
"I feel like I'm sneaking out with a boy in high school." Paige whispered through a giggle as they stealthily made their way down the corridor to the stairs and into the lobby.
"I think it's best if I don't respond to that." Walter teased back, holding firmly to her hand. "This way." He directed them back through a common living room, with a grand stone fireplace, and several large leather sofas. Slyly, he grabbed a throw blanket off one of the sofas and kept walking.
Paige just smirked. Walter O'Brien… king of her heart, and man of sticky fingers if it meant getting the job done. What that job was in this instance was still uncertain, however.
"Walter, where are you taking me?" Paige whispered, as they walked through a sunroof, and he found an unlocked door that led outdoors. "You're not going to murder me in a vineyard are you? Or bringing me outside before sunrise to find some rare worm or something? Oh God, is there a case?! Was Sylvester right? Is there a nuclear weapon here somewhere?!"
He just laughed at her rambling, and kept walking, through the grass, down to the trail by one of the many fields of grape vines, and finally to a clearing aways from the Inn. Light was just starting to form in the sky, and the excitement of the moment, the secrecy, the privacy, the mystery enshrined in Walter's mission made sure that she was wide awake despite the hour.
He stopped dead in his tracks and she stumbled at the suddenness of it. He spun in a circle, carefully studying their position, before finally nodding.
"Right here." He looked so proud of himself.
Meanwhile, she was completely and utterly confused.
"Um, and where is right here?" She laughed, looking around, trying to find something.
He smiled, but didn't answer, instead laying the blanket out on the ground and waving his hand to it for her, a look of eagerness, excitement and dare she say love, plastered on his face, making her eyebrow quirk in question.
Did he take her out here to do something… uh, because she was certainly not going to do it with Walter, exposed in the middle of a field, with her family a few hundred yards away, sleeping or not… they hadn't even kissed, or talked about anything truly. Sure they had slept together, and more so than she had even intended, but she was not ready for that.
"Uh…" How would she say this tactfully? Her face was one of panic, nervousness, and trepidation.
"You uh, enjoyed watching the sunset last night on the vineyard. I thought you might enjoy seeing the reverse… watching it rise."
Her shoulders instantly relaxed, and her lips spread into an elaborate smile, ear to ear.
Of course that's why he brought her out here. What was she thinking?
"Sunrise. Of course." She pursed her lips to keep from laughing at her own absurdity. With a shake of her head, she lowered herself to the blanket, followed immediately by Walter. "It's so beautiful here. I wish it were under different circumstances being here, but at least it's pretty."
He stared at her, in her natural beauty, no makeup, wearing jeans and a hoodie, nothing fancy about her, hair pulled up into a messy ponytail.
She looked absolutely radiant.
She was right, it was absolutely beautiful here.
"Well, maybe we could come back sometime, change the circumstances, so you can truly enjoy it." He smiled shyly, and diverted his eyes back to the start of orange light coming up from the horizon.
Again she wondered if he realized how that sounded. But also took into account that Walter rarely said something without fully understanding it.
"Yeah… I think I would like that." She just as equally shy responded, bumping her shoulder against his.
They sat in comfortable silence for several long minutes, watching the sun rise ahead of them, basking in its beauty and the simplicity of the moment, just happy to be in each other's company, when Walter shifted, pulling out his cell phone and opening his camera app.
"Uh, for Ralph. I, uh, promised him I would send him photos." While that was technically true, he just wanted to capture her in this moment, so peaceful, relaxed, glowing.
"Oh, um, okay." She turned slightly, and with a gift smile on his face he snapped a few photos of her, and moved to put the phone away. "Wait, wait. Flip it!" And she pulled the phone from his hand, flipping the camera around and shifting herself so she was nuzzled in close to him. "Okay, say cheese!" He smirked at her for a moment, before smiling to the camera, something that gave a brief memory flash of being with Megan, and she snapped a series of photos.
Their first together, just the two of them. At least in this way. Plenty of photos had been taken of them over the years, Ralph had certainly snapped quite a few, but never intimate in this way.
"You actually smiled!" She teased, viewing the last photo she took, before scrolling to see the others, finally landing on the first one she took before he had been prepared, before he had looked at the camera… when he was only looking at her. "I really like this one." She said in a hushed tone, admiring the small screen.
"I'm not even looking." He scoffed, ready to delete it.
"I know. It's perfect." She blushed, and he finally caught on to what she had actually captured. It wasn't that she's wanted him to smile, it was that she had caught him authentically in the moment admiring her. She had caught him red handed in a moment of simply loving her.
And she loved that.
"Yeah, I guess it is." With her so close from taking the picture, he seized the moment to wrap his arm around her shoulder, holding her close. They were both so different here. So at ease, so open to the other.
"You know, last weekend, making piccata with you, I was so worried about coming here. So afraid of this place." She stared out at the fiery sky, taking a brief glance his way, before taking his hand not around her in her hand, and resting her head against the crook of his shoulder. "But uh, now… now, I think I really like it here. You were right afterall. I think I'm actually having fun."
He smiled as bright as the sky and nodded.
"Yeah, me too." And without hesitation, he placed the softest, sweetest kiss to the top of her head, resting his own against it. "Me too."
He was happy. Very happy. Happier than he could ever remember being. And nothing had even happened.
Off in the distance, Leonard, dressed again in his slick suit, and a woman, dressed in jeans, boots, and a flannel, both with coffee in hand, stood on a patio overlooking where Walter and Paige sat.
"Should I tell them the sprinklers are about to go off?" The woman asked with a chuckle.
"Nah, it's all part of the romance. A story they'll tell their grandkids someday."
"Oh Leonard, you're such a hopeless romantic." She teased him, watching the young couple in the field.
"Hey, I got you didn't I?" He remarked back, pulling her close.
And just as he kissed the woman's temple a loud female shriek was heard from the young couple and the tell tale sound of clicking from the multitude of sprinklers.
"See? Romance!" Leonard quipped watching the two run through the spreading water, hand in hand, both with giant smiles plastered to their faces.
They both watched on, laughing when they heard the young man yell.
"You said I had to make sure you had time for a shower!"
"Not what I meant Walter O'Brien!!!!"
Together, Walter and Paige ran through the field unable to escape the cold morning water showering over them, and finally Paige just stopped in tracks, laughing uncontrollably.
"I accept defeat!" She shouted, stretching her arms out wide and throwing her head back, allowing the sprinklers to soak her.
Walter just stood there, amazed by her spirit, her laughter, her spontaneity in the moment.
"Dance with me." He told her, a cockeyed grin on his face, capturing her attention. She looked up, perplexed by his request.
"What?"
"Dance with me. In the… uh, rain. Dance with me." His eyes held so much wonder and she was helpless to deny him his wish, pursing her lips in complete bewilderment of the man before her, face dripping with water, blinking rapidly to keep his focus on her.
"Okay." She let him pull her in close, wrapping her arm around and hooking it onto his shoulder, and loved the feeling of his hand moving to her lower back.
He remembered.
And so together, they danced to the sound of their hearts pounding, and the steady click-clicking of the sprinklers surrounding them. Just dancing in the rain, with an orange colored sky backdrop behind them, beautiful and calm, romantic and easy, intimate yet exposed.
Walter spun her around, and her laugh echoed, a sound he would love to bottle.
"So, Mr O'Brien, what else would you like to do today? So far the day has been quite adventurous and we haven't even had coffee!"
He was definitely different here. Like all of his reservations, his usual humanity mental blocks were allowed to drop, and he could just be. It was awe-inspiring to see him this way.
"I have an idea…. But first…" He took his phone out again, and snapped another photo of them, drenched. She laughed, as he snapped it, seeing just how soaked they were.
"Oh yes, that's one for the books." She teased, taking his hand. "Alright. I am cold, and wet, and desperately need that coffee."
"You don't want to stay out here so Betty can see you and assume you passed out drunk in the field?"
"Oh, I did promise her a fresh new hell. That would be fun!"
They made their way toward the back entrance of the Inn and had instant embarrassment as they spotted Leonard and his female counterpart.
"Mr O'Brien, Ms Dineen." Leonard chuckled, handing them each a towel.
"Hey Leonard. Thank you." Paige felt her face turn beet red as she accepting the white fluffy offering, drying her face.
"Appreciate it." Walter added.
"The sprinklers go off every morning at 6am." The woman added, with a humored grin.
"Ah, yes, so we learned." Walter nodded.
"I trust you enjoyed the sunrise?" Leonard asked, clearly in amusement.
"It was beautiful." Paige answered honestly, looking back at the sky.
"Claire and I have watched that sunrise together every day for twenty-five years. There's nothing else quite like it." Leonard answered and the love that accompanied his words and the way he pulled the woman, Claire, close to him made them both smile.
"Nothing like seeing it with the one you love." Claire answered, and Walter snuck a brief shy glance at Paige.
"Yeah…" Walter sighed out, and Paige, rosy checked turned to see him, but he had already looked away. "Well, we should probably go change."
He would be the death of her.
"Right, and a real shower… perhaps a warm one. Indoors." Paige played, pulling at her dripping sweatshirt.
"Enjoy your morning. There will be breakfast and coffee served in the main dining room staring at 7:00 am and running until 10:00 am." Leonard noted, holding up his cup of steaming coffee in salute.
"Perfect. Thank you both. Enjoy your coffee and sunrise together!" Paige offered as they stepped away, walking into the building, where the air conditioning assaulted them. "Who would have thought Leonard was a romantic?"
"I'm sure his love letters are hand written." Walter chided, making Paige chuckle and lean into him.
"They must live here on the vineyard. Must be an interesting life. Romantic to have each morning together with your love. Have a tradition like that." She was gaging his romanticism, with Walter everything had a limit. She knew that.
"Not more interesting than ours. Watching the same sunrise together every morning is, granted, romantic I suppose, but I rather enjoy our adventures. I like not knowing where we'll be every day. We can watch the sunrise in Fresno today, and Germany tomorrow, Antarctica next week. I think, in its own right, that is more romantic. It's the same sunrise, but you get to see it from every perspective with that person." With that person. She blushed, looking down at their conjoined hands which was becoming second nature. "Plus, if you do it right, you could watch the same sunrise, or sunset, twice if you watch it, hop a plane and travel through the different time zones."
"Well, when you put a nerdy spin on it like that, how could anyone want a simple life on a vineyard? Adventure it is." She held him tight as they walked quietly through the building. "Thanks for taking to see the sunrise, Walt."
"Anytime."