Walter O'Brien contemplated how he had ended up here, of all places.
So many events of the past year even a man with a 197 IQ didn't see coming. His relationship with Paige struggling, the breakup of the team, and even losing contact with Ralph for a time, the formation of Centipede Partners, bidding for jobs against his former friends and colleagues, losing out on said jobs, Ray getting caught up in a counterfeiting scheme and nearly losing his life in a shootout with a drug cartel who didn't appreciate their distributors paying for their product with fake money, and both Scorpion and Centipede Partners rushing in to help.
Rescuing Ray was the first time he'd seen Paige since the Gettleman pitch and seeing her again felt to Walter like no time at all had passed. Paige had grudgingly agreed to finish the paperwork for the DEA and Secret Service with him over dinner at the Garage. Once the paperwork was out of the way, Walter and Paige both apologized for their individual parts in the demise of the relationship and Scorpion.
Scorpion Partners had been born that night and Walter and Paige had decided to give their relationship another try, armed with new understanding and determination to put in the required effort for a successful romantic pairing. It had only been a few months after that reunion, when on the roof of the Garage with the entire team looking on, Walter had proposed to Paige and she had emphatically agreed to the legal merging of their personal lives, much to Walter's relief and delight.
Now he was standing in the Garage with Allie Gallo, holding her close, as Cabe looked on, trying to hold in a smirk as she patiently talked Walter through the steps one more time.
"Music?" she called to her husband of six months and he gleefully placed the record arm in the groove, again. After a moment Moon River's opening notes floated through the drafty expanse for the twenty-sixth time and Allie began counting as Walter stumbled through the simple choreography Allie had written for Walter's first dance with Paige at their upcoming wedding reception. Walter stepped on her foot for the twenty-sixth time as well. "Let's take a break, huh?"
Walter groaned in frustration. Why couldn't he seem to make his body move in the simple steps Allie had taught him? He had the movements memorized, that wasn't the problem. It was just as if he couldn't make his body cooperate. He was at a loss and Allie was going to need medical attention soon if he couldn't move in synchronicity with her.
Cabe helped Allie over to a chair, then motioned for Walter to follow him into the kitchen to get some ice for her foot. With a sigh of relief, Allie watched the two men disappear around the corner. "I sure hope Cabe can figure out how to help that boy with his dancing skills or Paige is going to get a honeymoon in the hospital."
In the kitchen, Walter searched for a zip-top plastic bag and a towel to wrap it in. He turned with the supplies, surprised that Cabe had made no effort to procure the ice. Cabe gestured to the table, "Have a seat, son."
Confused, Walter sat.
"I know you know the steps. You had them memorized the first time Allie showed them to you." Walter nodded. "I know you know how to count the beats of the song and which step goes on which beat." Again Walter nodded. "And you need to know those things to dance. But there's one more thing you need in order to give Paige the first dance she's dreaming of, the dance you want to be able to surprise her with. You need to get out of your head when you dance, Walt. You need to feel the music."
"I don't know how to do that," Walter protested.
"Of course you do," Cabe reassured him. "I've seen you do it hundreds of times. "When you're working at your whiteboard on an unsolvable problem, when you're working on a project with Ralph, when you're stargazing with Paige on the roof and she's telling you the story of how Perseus rescued Andromeda from a sea monster and they fell in love and now they appear next to each other in the night sky and you are telling her the name of each star in those constellations, which type of star each one is, and their approximate ages and distances from Earth."
"I'm not sure I understand."
"You trust that the knowledge is there and will come out at the right time in the right order, you're not thinking about each individual step. You see the whole and have confidence in your mind's ability to get you the results you want without consciously directing each individual fact and action."
Walter mulled over Cabe's words as the older man rummaged in the freezer for a handful of ice cubes. Walter held out the empty bag and Cabe dropped them in. Walter sealed the bag and wrapped it in a towel before handing it to Cabe to give to Allie. "I think I see what you mean," he told Cabe as they walked toward Allie, who hurriedly stood as they appeared, ready to lead Walter through the simple dance steps once again.
Cabe nodded to Allie as he placed the needle on the record for the twenty-seventh time. Allie stepped close to Walter, steeling herself for another crush injury to the foot. He placed his hand on her waist and took her other hand lightly in his. The musical introduction rang through the Garage and Allie began counting,"...5, 6, 7, 8,"
Walter shook his head. "You don't need to do that, Allie. I've got this."
Allie wrinkled her brow at him in uncertainty. On the beat, Walter stepped forward as she stepped back, his hand on her waist gently guiding her through the steps. Allie looked over Walter's shoulder and met Cabe's eyes in surprise. Cabe winked at her knowingly as if to say, What would this kid do without me?
The wedding had been a small affair in the Gallo's backyard, with only Ralph, the team, Ray, and a few friends in attendance. Toby was DJing the evening's festivities and enthusiastically announced Walter and Paige's first dance as Mr. and Mrs. 197. "May I have this dance?" With a grin of satisfaction, Walter led a surprised Paige onto the dance floor. She had told him several times in the past few weeks how much she wanted a first dance with just the two of them and he had protested each time she brought up the subject.
"You really had me fooled," she whispered in his ear as he drew her close waiting for the opening notes of Moon River to drift out into the night.
"If you think that's surprising, wait til you see what's next," he smiled as he led her flawlessly through Allie's choreography. The wedding guests looked on in amazement and burst into spontaneous applause as the final notes of the song faded away.
"Walter O'Brien, you are truly full of surprises! Thank you for this perfect gift," Paige kissed him soundly as Toby cued up the next song and several of the guests joined them on the dance floor.
"Anything for you, my love. Anything for you."
"Anything?" Paige asked with a wink.
Walter nodded.
"I noticed that Cabe and Allie have a cute little coat closet just inside the back door. Interested in a little Toby and Happy's wedding broom closet action re-creation with me?"
"I thought you'd never ask!" Walter grinned as Paige led him off the dance floor and toward the house.
3 September 2024
Author's Notes:
Just a bit of fluff to brighten someone's day. You know who you are ;)
The thought of Walter taking dance lessons for Paige occurred to me as I was driving today and its adorable, cute fluffiness could not be denied, even pushing me to write it as I have several other stories for Walter and Paige that have been waiting patiently (sometimes for months!) for me to get around to writing them and this one pushed itself right to the head of the line. Calm down other stories, I'll get to you eventually!
The fact that anyone reads my stories at all amazes me. And then when readers take the time to leave reviews and comments, I am humbled and amazed all over again. I want you to know that I read and treasure every single review. FFN makes me sad because the only 'official' way to reply to a review is to PM the reviewer and that feels kind of weird to take a public comment directly to a private message. I know that many writers put answers to their reviewers in the next chapter or next story. I have mixed feelings about that. So what I have chosen to do is to leave a guest review as 'Masikka' addressed to each comment/commenter. If you leave me a comment, I will do my best to reply in a timely manner. If you are ever so inclined, also feel free to PM me and I will answer that as well. Thank you once again for reading, enjoying, and commenting on these stories. You are my Cyclone!