A/N: taking this in a different direction than I had originally planned. (still not planning on physically harming Paige, don't worry!) Thank you all for the well wishes for the kids and I! So sweet!
Don't hate me for this chapter. xoxo
"Okay, I am showering. Then coffee? Breakfast? And we can go find something to do for the day?" She asked as they reentered their room, and she carefully removed her sopping wet sweatshirt, to reveal her equally wet tank top below.
Her very wet white tank top.
Walter was now absolutely certain she had not worn a bra, and was failing miserably at not being obvious about averting his eyes, looking to the ceiling with wide eyes and raised brows, trying to hide his grin… and sudden desire.
"Mhmm. Yup. Okay. Y-Yes. Sounds g-good." He was tightening his lips closed and looking anywhere but her, which she didn't understand, until she looked down and that telltale red heat settled in her chest and cheeks. Quickly reclaiming her wet sweatshirt to cover up awkwardly. Embarrassed a bit, but also a little aroused knowing he was clearly affected.
"Sorry." She muttered, not sure why she was apologetic, but still feeling an overwhelming need to say it. If it were up to her, she would pull the shirt right off in front of him and let him ravage her, body, mind, and soul. But, they were not there yet.
"Oh, um, no. Don't be. I, um, don't mind. I am just trying to be… respectful." Her eyebrows rose at his admission, and she started to wonder if Leonard was pumping loopy drugs through the vents or something. There had to be something to explain this very sudden shift in both of their behavior, their demeanor with each other.
"Well, for the record, I wouldn't mind you being… less… respectful." She tossed her sultry, suggestive comment over her shoulder with a devilish grin, slipping into the bathroom and tossing the wet sweatshirt at him, hitting his shoulder with an audible splat just as the bathroom door clicked shut.
He looked to the door expectantly, but immediately the shower turned on, and he had to shake his head as he held her sweatshirt in his hand.
"Less respectful. Noted." He mused to himself with a chuckle, dropping the sweatshirt to the ground, along with the very wet, and very dirty stolen blanket.
He'd probably have to answer for that one. He didn't want to give it back.
Moving about the room, he gathered some dry clothes for himself for the day, having showered the night before and anxious just to start his day with her. With a quick look to the bathroom door, he changed out of his wet clothes and into dry ones, feeling oddly weary she would open the door while he was undressing. He hadn't been blind to her watching him throw clothes on haphazardly when they had awoken, and certainly wasn't blind to how she had watched him, in such a way that had forced him to control every ounce of his being to keep from tackling her to the bed and having his way with her.
But, they weren't there yet.
Though, he rationed, that would be less respectful.
Is that what she wanted? For him to just… ravage her? Go full primal being, pin her against a wall and go at it?
No, that couldn't be the case. She's Paige. She's graceful, romantic, passionate.
But maybe there was a different side to her.
What if that was the only side to her that wanted to be with him?
He couldn't discount the notion. Afterall, he had had his fair share of relationships where his attraction was strictly physical, despite his best efforts to form a connection otherwise. Paige was a beautiful, young woman with needs. He couldn't fault her if that was the case.
This was all very confusing.
It was abundantly clear they were heading toward… something. Though, even that was also confusing given their ruse, but he was fairly sure that they were very close to… something. What that something was, and figuring out how to cross into that something was perplexing however. Figuring that out, coupled with ensuring that it was clear that it was not a ruse, was even moreso. He needed to tell her. Tell her he was in love with her. Find a way.
But what if she didn't feel the same way? Sure she had feelings, of some type, but what if it weren't that that she felt? Either way, she needed to know, and if she didn't feel the same, well, that would just need to be okay.
He'd have to find a way to be okay with that.
At least then they would both know and could move forward… or move on.
And now, the excitement of the morning was leaving him, only to be replaced with a lump of pure anxiety and dread in his chest.
With a deep breath, he opened the balcony door and stepped out with their wet clothing, towels and the blanket, draping them carefully over the rail to dry in the late spring sun. The same sun he watched rise with her just a few minutes ago, feeling on top of the world.
What if this was all a mistake?
He needed to get out of here, clear his head.
Turning on his heels, he moved back into the room, writing a quick note to Paige, and leaving it on the dresser, before quietly leaving the room in search of clarity.
--
Ten minutes later, the bathroom door opened, and through a fog of steam, Paige, donned in just a white towel, emerged.
"Sorry Walt, I didn't bring clothes in with me. I just need to grab some…" She stopped talking when she realized she was alone in the room. "Walter?" Nothing. The wind breezed through the open door to the balcony, causing the curtains to dance some, and she cautiously peaked out. "Walt?..." Also empty. Though, she noted their clothing hung neatly to dry which made her smile. From the balcony, she could see Walter's car in the parking lot, and she breathed a sigh of relief that he was still here somewhere.
Had she scared him off with her comment about respect? Was that too bold? Did Sasha get to him? What would make him leave without telling her?
Was there actually a nuclear warhead?
Was she fooling herself to think they were advancing their relationship? That they could make this work? Maybe it really was this place. Walter being a sudden EQ specialist around her family, maybe it was all too much after all. Who was she kidding? He's Walter. He was excellent at faking it, but what about when it came down time to be real? She wasn't even sure what was real and what was him pretending. Had the sunrise been real? It felt real. Dancing with him in the fields, as gallons of water showered over them, felt real. Felt very real. Waking up in his arms had felt very real.
But who was she kidding? He had told her once that he couldn't risk it with her. Did that risk just come bubbling to the surface? They had been living in a bubble here, it was only a matter of time before it burst, right? It's not like they were going to be like Leonard and Claire, and live on the vineyard watching the sunrise every morning. They would go home, and they would face reality. Walter would go back to being Walter, and she would go back to being the person her family knew her to be, an unsuccessful, broke, single mom.
Maybe Walter had been right all along. He had built Scorpion from the ground up. Scorpion gave them all a home. Gave her son a home. Gave them all a family. Maybe it was too big of a risk. For both of them. If it didn't work out, it wouldn't be just her that was hurt, it would hurt Ralph. It would hurt Walter. It would hurt the team. Scorpion would suffer. Fracture even. She loved him. But what if love wasn't enough? She was a mom, a colleague, a friend. She has responsibilities back home. Would it even be possible for Walter to assimilate into that life? For her to assimilate into his? He'd never even held a long term relationship. What would make her so special?
They just got… wrapped up in the moment being here. Weddings, getaways, they do that. But reality would hit eventually.
So, was it worth it to have a weekend of wonderment with him, knowing it will end and shatter her heart, or to always wonder what if, never able to move on truly?
She needed coffee.
And clarity.
She moved back to the room to gather clothing for the day, and noticed the slip of paper on the dresser.
Paige, went for a walk to give you some privacy. - Walter
Inner turmoil freakout… and he was just… giving her privacy? That's it?
She needed coffee.
And a lobotomy.
--
Walter had walked the fields for nearly thirty minutes, deep in thought, weighing all of the factors, and still coming up empty.
He wanted Paige, in every way possible. He wanted to make chicken piccata with her, dance with her in fields of rain, take road trips with her, watch all of her favorite horror movies, decorate for the holidays and indulge her with ridiculous festive attire, he wanted to learn all the deepest, darkest parts of her, what her dreams were for her life, what her favorite memories were. He wanted to kiss her until they were breathless, and then kiss her again. He wanted to fall asleep with her beside him, and wake up like he did today, with her in his arms. He wanted all of it. The whole package. All of the things he had never once wanted before with anyone.
But he had no idea what she wanted.
"Oh Walter! How good to see you, and at such an early hour. Good morning!" He heard her voice and instantly regretted leaving their room, stopping dead in his tracks as he stepped into the formal living room.
"Mrs Thompson, hi, good morning, ma'am." He feigned a smile, anxiously looking around hoping to find someone, anyone else.
No such luck. Just them.
"Please, sit, dear." Betty motioned to theseat adjacent to hers at her small table, adorned with white linen table cloth and fine China. Betty, unsurprisingly was already dressed to the nines, wearing a beige, tailored pant suit, hair perfectly pinned back, reading the newspaper and sipping at her coffee. Black and steaming hot.
"Oh, umm…" Awkwardly, Walter again glanced around, as if willing the furniture to suddenly burst to life and save him.
Where's a nuclear threat when you need it?
"Sit, please. I'd like to chat with you." Her expression made it abundantly clear this was not an option, and he nodded, taking the proffered seat. "And where is my darling granddaughter this morning? Don't tell me she's still sleeping. With how she was drinking last night, I guess it wouldn't surprise me. She has never been good at controlling herself. Bit of a loose cannon." Walter clenched his jaw. He needed coffee. How does one just wake up, look perfect, and immediately start with the insults?
"No, ma'am. She's showering. I took her out to see the sunrise this morning on the fields." He offered as an attempt to change the subject off of her misconceived perceptions of Paige.
"I see. That sounds lovely." He nodded, mostly with his brows, unsure how to hold a conversation with the woman. Her steely glare making him very uncomfortable. "Well, Mr Thompson and I did some discussing last night about you."
The way her statement held in the air with an unfinished lingering made his nerves sizzle with apprehension.
"I'm sorry. Discussion of what?"
"Of your relationship with our granddaughter, of course."
Oh no. They knew.
"What about it?"
Betty took a quick look around, before sitting up taller and leaning closer to Walter. Not uncomfortably, but enough that he knew whatever was spoken next was only meant for his ears.
"We want you to end it." His eyes shot up to hers in shock and confusion.
"I'm sorry?"
End it would imply they didn't know. They had both thought he had done well with her family.
"You heard me son, end it. With Paige."
"I'm not following. Why would you want me to do that?"
Unbeknownst to them both, Paige stood at the doorway to the dining room behind them, out of their line of sight, but well within earshot, having walked up just as Betty had said to end things. Holding her breath, and the door frame to keep from fainting, she carefully listened in.
"Son, you are a wonderful man. Everyone had such fantastic things to say about you last night. Brilliant, handsome, successful, passionate about your work, making a difference in the world…"
"Isn't that a good thing? What is the issue?"
He was so confused. So they did approve of him?
"The issue is that you deserve better than what my granddaughter has to offer you. That girl comes with more problems than a corrupt politician, Walter. Surely you must know that?"
"No…"
He was frozen in place, completely lost on what was happening.
"Walter, that girl is trouble. Not don't get me wrong, I love Paige. But she is troubled. Just like her mother. I did what I could to help my Veronica, but there was just no saving her from herself. Paige has made it quite clear she doesn't want our help either. I know everything seems wonderful now, Walter, but you're a good man, and the day will come that she will bring you down with her, just like Veronica did to Paige's poor father. We tried to warn him. But that man was so hopelessly in love with the person he thought Veronica was, he went to an early grave trying to save her, leaving Paige orphaned. Father dead, mother in prison. Refused any help. A few months later we learned of that Drew fella, only took a few months with him before she was a pregnant. Then that boy took off, just as we warned he would, and she was an unwed single mother, college dropout, working multiple dead end jobs, living in squalor."
In the distance, tears of anger and sadness fell from her eyes, cascading down her cheeks unchecked. Her fists balled tightly.
"Mrs. Thompson, respectfully, Paige has built a wonderful life for herself and her son. And has done so in spite of what she has gone through…"
"Walter, I don't doubt Paige's commitment to her son, but being raised the way she was, that is so deeply ingrained in her, there's no changing that. Eventually the real her will come out. We don't want to see such a bright young mind wasted with a lost cause."
A lost cause.
His blood was boiling.
Don't freak out. Don't do anything rash.
"Ma'am, you don't know your granddaughter as well as you think you do. She is the most honest, kind, wonderful person I have ever known. If there is anyone that would be wasted in this relationship, it would be her. Not me--"
She quickly cut him off, a snarky undertone in her voice.
"Walter, Teddy informs me that your company, Scorpion, is not the most lucrative venture…"
"What does that…"
"End the relationship, Walter. And Teddy and I will see to it that your company receives an influx of funds immediately, as well as a great deal of client referrals. I am a woman with many connections, young man, I can either make your company thrive, or drive it into the ground. End the relationship."
Walter sat there, stunned.
Paige backed away, she couldn't bear to hear his response, to see this play out any further. She couldn't believe this was happening. What had she done to cause her grandmother to hate her so much that she would sabotage her so profoundly? Maybe she was right about all of it. She needed to leave. To get away. To breathe. Her breath ragged and labored. She practically sprinted toward the front door, passing Leonard in the process, with hot tracks of fresh tears falling down her face, shaky hands, and a panic in her soul. She never should have brought Walter here. She wouldn't tell him she had heard any of it. Would pull herself together, and pretend she was none the wiser. He would be free to decide accordingly. They could finish up their weekend and go home.
Meanwhile, back in the dining room, so tense the air could be cut with a knife, Walter stood, angered and far outside of his EQ element.
"Ma'am, a wise woman told me I should be a little less respectful, and so disrespectfully, go to hell! You don't know your granddaughter at all. And that's truly a shame for you, because she is by far the most extraordinary person I have ever known. I am in love with every part of her, and her son, and the life she built for herself. And if being with her means losing my company to you, well, let it burn, Betty. Veronica had her issues, but as far as the villain in the story goes, it doesn't take much to see it wasn't her, and it certainly isn't Paige."
Betty sat, mouth agape, brows furrowed, in shock at the manner in which she was being spoken to, used to getting her way, and definitely not accustomed to anyone standing up to her.
Walter stepped away from the table, heading toward the lobby when he stopped and turned.
"It's truly sad. She didn't want to come here. She knew how you would treat her. How all of you would. But she came, because despite how egregious you are to her, she loves you. And I can't for the life of me figure out what she sees in you that is worthy of that love from her. She may be broke. She may be a college drop out… which by the way, she went back and finished her degree while working full time, saving the world, and raising a child alone. And she may be a single mom with no help from Drew. Those are facts. I deal in facts. But here is another one. Paige would never, ever treat her son the way you did Veronica, or how you treat Paige. She would never treat anyone the way you treat people. I'm not great with emotions or social situations, but it is clear to me that you not only want to hurt her, but that you enjoy it. And all she wants is to love you. We'll leave this wedding, and she will continue to be exceptional, loving, compassionate, and a truly remarkable human, but will you be Betty?" And with that, he turned to leave, rushing from the room in a fury filled rage, nearly crashing into Leonard as he did.
"Mr O'Brien…" Leonard as soon as he saw the pained, angered face on Walter, pointed toward the front. "She's outside."
He had no reason to think she would have heard their conversation, and he had no intention of telling her. His job, after all, was to protect her from them all. Even their threats and vitriol.
He would protect her. Whatever the cost.