The air in the garage was thick with silence as Walter and Paige waited, both knowing the next few moments would be the hardest. The drive back from the courthouse had left them each in a slurry of emotionally drainage, completely overloaded, and entirely depleted, but it wasn't over. Not even close.
Not until they faced Ralph.
Walter glanced at Paige, who sat at the small kitchen table in the garage kitchen, pale and exhausted, her bruises visible even in the soft light of the room, the swelling still so extreme. She hadn't said much, not about the courthouse which had taken a major emotional toll on her, had barely acknowledged him or anything when they stopped at the pharmacy to fill her prescriptions, and she felt the glares from all the patrons staring at her as they waited, not when Walter had called to update Cabe. The only thing she had said as they entered the drafty garage was to tell him she needed to see her son. To which he had immediately called Toby to arrange. But since that moment, nearly thirty minutes ago, she had been too overwhelmed to speak, and Walter knew she was dreading what was coming, just sitting there, staring into the distance. There… but not.
The sound of a car pulling up outside broke the silence. Walter stood up, his heart heavy as he headed toward the door, confirming it was them. It slid open, and Toby and Happy stepped in, their faces a mix of concern and tension, Happy especially looking very uneasy, having been shown the pictures of Paige's face by Toby to prepare her.. Behind them, Ralph walked in, his backpack slung over one shoulder, followed immediately by Sylvester, who looked instantly like he'd seen a ghost.
But it was Ralph that concerned Walter. Ralph, smarter than them all, knew logically how to make sense of nearly everything. But there was no making sense of this. Not even for the smartest person alive. Especially not for a 12 year old boy seeing stepping into a sea of uncertainty and paralyzing fear. Even now, Walter could see the uncertainty in his eyes.
"Hey, Ralph." Walter said softly, trying to keep his voice steady, noting how Ralph was already scanning the room for Paige, whom was out of his sightline. Walter met him by the door, squatting down to meet Ralph's eye level. "Your mom is here bud, and I don't want you to be scared, okay? But she's been… hurt. She looks a bit… different… right now."
"H-hurt? Is she… okay?"
Ralph's face remained composed, as it often did, his mind already racing, calculating, trying to make sense of the situation, with only minor flickers of something dancing in his blue eyes. But when the scraping sound of the kitchen chair sliding against the concrete caught their attention, followed by Paige's familiar footsteps entering the main office area, his gaze shifted from Walter to his mother. Paige stood quietly, nervously, her face badly bruised and her non swollen eye a deep painful red, her cuts sutured but angry, wearing large oversized mens pajamas, with her tangled matted hair, and fidgety hands, she looked completely terrified to see Ralph. Ralph took in her horrendous appearance, looking her over top to bottom, his composure faltering. His breath hitched, and for the first time in a long time, Walter saw panic in Ralph's eyes.
"M-mom?" Ralph's voice was so small, so uncertain. Paige tried to offer him a reassuring smile, but it was weak, her lips trembling. Ralph stepped forward, his face a mask of fear he was trying so hard to hide, and his voice grew shakier. "Mom… what happened?" Turning back to Walter, he snapped, angry, his voice cracking with emotion as he yelled at his mentor. "How could you let this happen to her on a job?! You're supposed to protect her! You promised me you'd always keep her safe!"
Paige's hands gripped the edge of the high top table, but she couldn't find the words, tears falling down her cheeks. She tried to speak, opening her mouth to explain, but nothing came out. The overwhelming weight of everything, especially facing her son, kept her silent. She couldn't allow him to blame Walter, but she had no idea how to articulate that she had beaten up by the man who said he loved her either. Tears continued to well up in her eyes, and Ralph, ever observant, noticed. He had never seen his mother this vulnerable, this hurt, and the sight of her battered face broke through his carefully constructed defenses.
He blinked rapidly, trying to maintain control, but then his face crumpled, and he started to cry, silent, raw, painful tears with the slightest quiver of his lower lip. An extremely rare occurrence for Ralph, who usually relied on logic and reason to process emotions. He was a genius who could solve complex equations in his head, but right now, faced with the sight of his mother hurt and unable to explain why, Ralph was just a kid. A scared kid who loved his mom more than anything.
Paige's breath hitched, her hands shaking, and she reached for Ralph but hesitated, retracting her hand, the guilt of what she had been through flooding her, of the dangers she had put him in, all because she ignored every warning sign, every red flag. She couldn't bring herself to say it, to explain what had happened to her, to admit to what she had allowed to happen to her, and to him by proxy. She had thought, when she told Walter she needed to see him, that she could face it, face him, but that was before she saw his eyes. Those baby blues that relied on her to keep him safe and protected. She had failed her most important thing. Her lips parted again, but no words came. She looked at Walter, silently pleading for help.
Walter stepped in, placing a firm but gentle hand on Ralph's shoulder. He knew Ralph didn't need vague reassurances, or beating around the bush. He needed facts, something he could grasp onto, something that would make sense of this mess. So, Walter spoke calmly, deliberately, the way he always did when explaining complicated problems.
"Ralph, your mom wasn't hurt on a case… she was hurt… at home." Walter began, his tone steady, Ralph's brows furrowing in confusion at the new information. "And it wasn't her fault, and it wasn't because of anything she did. Someone else made a very wrong choice and chose to hurt her."
Swallowing hard, Paige wiped at her face, and gasped for air, feeling suddenly very hot, especially at seeing the big fat tears rolling down Sylvester's cheeks, and Happy avoiding looking at her at all costs, but noting the way she was balling up her fists, how Toby removed his hat. She hated when he took off his hat. It meant he wasn't Toby. He was serious and worried.
The seriousness of the last day was suffocating her.
"Who? Who would do this to her? Why would anyone want to hurt my mom?" All of the adults exchanged knowing glances between them, of which Ralph picked up on, each trying to formulate how to tell this boy that a man he thought he could trust had violated his mother. "Who Walter!! Tell me!"
Walter and Paige locked eyes, and she knew, knew she had to say it.
"Hunny… it was Tim. Ralph, Tim did this."
Ralph wiped his eyes, already shifting from the raw emotion back into the logical, yet angry, part of his brain, trying to analyze.
"Tim? But… why? I don't understand. Why would Tim want to hurt you?!"
Walter took a breath, knowing this part was delicate, the line of Ralph being so smart, yet still so innocent, getting immensely blurry, and looking to Toby for an assist.
"Well, Pal…" Toby began, stepping closer to Ralph. "Sometimes, a person who is struggling mentally tries to control someone else by being mean, threatening or violent. Like a school bully. They feel the need to have power over others to make themselves feel strong. When they hurt someone, like a woman, like your mom, it's never okay, but it can happen because they don't know how to handle their feelings in the right way. Instead of talking, being rational or logical, they choose to be…" He paused looking at Paige, Walter now at her side gently rubbing her back. "Well, they choose to be violent. Dangerous. It's important to know that the person getting hurt, that your mom, did absolutely nothing wrong, and no one deserves to be treated that way, ever Ralph. What Tim did is called domestic violence, bud. And it's very, very wrong. As men, it's our job to be safe for women… protectors. Only a coward would hit a woman, Ralph. Tim thought in doing so it made him strong. But in reality, it just shows how pathetic and weak he really is. Strong people don't hurt women."
Ralph nodded slowly, his brow furrowed in thought. He was processing, trying to apply his understanding of the world to the situation, avoiding for the time being setting his sights back on Paige.
"Tim let his emotions - specifically his jealousy and insecurity, get the better of him, Ralph." Walter continued, speaking directly but with compassion. "He made a terrible choice. He hurt your mom because he couldn't control himself. And no matter what his reasons were, it's wrong on every conceivable level. He is the one at fault. Not your mom."
Ralph's eyes flickered with understanding, but also with fear.
"But… if he hurt her once… he could hurt her again, right?"
Walter met Ralph's gaze, his voice steady but firm, no doubt or wavering, his arm securely around Paige's back, hooked onto her arm.
"That's why we're doing everything we possibly can to protect her. Your mom has been incredibly strong and brave to stand up for herself, and has already started the process. We've filed charges against Tim, and we've made sure that he won't be able to come near her… or you."
Ralph's face remained serious, his mind clearly racing with all the possibilities, trying to make sense of the situation from every angle.
"You've put protections in place?"
Walter nodded.
"We have. The police are involved, and your mom filed for a restraining order. We've got people watching over you and your mom. You don't need to worry about him getting close again."
Ralph bit his lip, clearly still struggling with the reality of it all. He glanced back at Paige, who had been silently watching, tears glistening in her eyes. Ralph's voice wavered as he spoke, his maturity battling with his emotions.
"Has something like this… has it happened before? Has… Has Tim hurt you before?" Everyone could feel their hearts breaking, knowing the guilt they all carried, but knowing in that moment, that Ralph would carry more.
Paige gulped, but knew, she needed to be honest with him. His genius mind wouldn't process a lie.
"Not like this… Not this… bad." She felt more shame and guilt in that moment than she had in her entire life. Telling her son that this was a repeated thing, she knew she was being abused and stayed… She felt like a fool.
"Why didn't you tell me before, Mom?"
Paige's breath caught in her throat, and she wiped her eyes again, finally finding her voice.
"I-I didn't want to scare you, Ralph. I thought I could handle it… but I couldn't. I'm so sorry."
Ralph stepped toward her, slowly, hesitantly, his face still full of fear but now mixed with determination.
"You don't need to handle it alone, Mom. I can help." He wiped at his eyes again, his voice gaining strength. "I can protect you, too."
Walter's heart swelled with pride and sorrow all at once. Ralph was so young, but his understanding and resilience were beyond his years.
"Ralph…" Walter said, placing a hand on his shoulder again. "You don't have to carry that burden. We'll protect your mom. You just need to be there for her, okay? We all do."
Ralph nodded, his eyes still wet but clear with resolve.
"I want to help. Whatever I can do." He looked down to the floor, shifting his feet, uncertainty coming off of him in waves.
"Was is it, Ralph?" Walter asked, noting his hesitance to say something.
"I-I, I uh, I don't want to hurt you…" He looked up to Paige, scared. "But um, I just want to, uh…" He didn't need to finish, she knew. He needed to hug her.
Paige, unable to hold back any longer, finally reached out and pulled Ralph into her arms. He didn't resist, wrapping his arms around her tightly, and for a moment, they just held onto each other, both of them crying softly. She couldn't deny the physical pain that came as a result, but she didn't care. Paige kissed the top of his head, her voice shaking but full of love.
"I love you, Ralph. I am so lucky to have you." She whispered.
Walter stood back, giving them space, his entire body tight with thick emotion. He watched as mother and son clung to each other, and though the situation was far from resolved, for the first time, at least now they were all together.
The garage was quiet, save for the faint hum of machinery in the background, as Ralph pulled back from Paige's embrace. His face was still red from crying, but his sharp mind was clearly working overtime, processing everything that had been said. He wiped at his eyes again with the back of his sleeve, sniffing slightly as he looked between his mother and Walter, determination flickering in his gaze.
"We're going to stop him, right?" Ralph asked, firmly with an edge of darkness in his tone.
Walter nodded.
"Yes, Ralph. We're going to make sure Tim can't hurt you or your mom again. I promise."
Ralph was quiet for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he thought. Then, with a seriousness that took Walter off guard, Ralph spoke.
"Then we should make sure he never comes back. We need to kill him. You know, make sure he's not a problem anymore."
Walter blinked, his heart skipping a beat as he heard the words come out of Ralph's mouth. Everyone echoed his motion as they all snapped up to Ralph. He was standing with a resolve of determination, hostility, his eyes were narrowed with darkness, his hands balled into tight fists ready to attack.
For a second, it was like hearing Walter's own dark thoughts echoed back at him, the same suggestion he had made in the heat of anger earlier to Paige. But coming from Ralph, it hit him differently… sharper, more urgent.
Paige looked up harshly at his words, her eyes wide with shock.
"Ralph, no--" she started, but her voice was too shaky to continue. She stared at her son, horrified by the suggestion coming from him.
Walter quickly stepped forward, kneeling down to meet Ralph at eye level, his expression direct but gentle.
"Ralph, I get why you're thinking that. I do. Believe me, I do." Walter said, his voice calm but serious. "But that's not who we are. Thats not who your mother raised you to be. We don't handle things like that. We don't take matters into our own hands by hurting people, killing people, no matter how much they've wronged us."
Ralph frowned, clearly confused and frustrated.
"But he hurt Mom! He could have killed her, Walter! Look at her! What if he comes back?! What if he does something worse?! He has to die!" His shouting startled them all. This was a side to Ralph that none of them had ever seen.
Walter felt a wave of guilt wash over him, guilt that Ralph had even considered this as an option, and guilt that he himself had been tempted by the same thought. He knew Ralph was trying to protect his mother in the only way that made sense to him, especially in the face of a threat as real and dangerous as Tim.
"I understand you're scared for your mom. I am too. We all are." Walter said, his voice softening as he placed a hand on Ralph's shoulder, and everyone nodded in agreement. "But violence, killing, it doesn't solve the problem. It just creates more. It only makes things worse for your mom, and it only serves to make us just as bad as Tim. That's not how we deal with things, Ralph. No matter how angry we are. We don't resort to violence. Not ever."
Ralph's eyes searched Walter's, his brilliant mind racing to reconcile the emotions he was feeling with the logic he always relied on.
"But… if we don't, how do we stop him for good? How do we make sure he doesn't come back?"
Walter took a deep breath, holding Ralph's gaze.
"We stop him by using the law. By putting protections in place that prevent him from coming near your mom or you or Scorpion. That's what the restraining order is for. That's why we filed charges. We're making sure that he's held accountable for what he did… legally. Cabe is looking for him now. All of Homeland is. We're doing this the right way."
Ralph looked uncertain, his brow furrowed in thought.
"But what if he doesn't care about the law? It's illegal to assault someone, but he did it. So what if a piece of paper doesn't stop him? What if it's not enough?"
Walter's heart ached at the fear behind Ralph's words. He knew Ralph was thinking logically, considering every possibility, something that was both a blessing and a curse for someone with a mind like his. But Walter couldn't let him go down the path of thinking that violence was the only solution. Not to say that he wasn't having all the exact same thoughts.
"That's why we're here, Ralph." Walter said, his voice firm but compassionate. "Your mom has us… me, Cabe, Toby, Happy, Sly. We're all here to protect her and you. We'll do whatever it takes to keep you both safe, but that doesn't mean we become like Tim. We don't hurt people just because they've hurt us. That's not who we are."
Ralph was silent for a long moment, clearly struggling to process everything. His young genius mind wanted an absolute solution, something that guaranteed safety, but the emotional complexity of the situation was far too much on him. After a long pause, he finally nodded, though his expression was still conflicted.
"I just… I just want her to be okay, Walter." Ralph whispered, his voice barely audible.
Walter's chest panged, and he pulled Ralph into a gentle hug.
"She will be." Walter murmured. "We're going to make sure of it. But we do it the right way. Always."
Paige, watching the exchange, felt tears stinging her eyes again. She was deeply touched by how Walter handled Ralph's fears, how he calmed him with both logic and compassion. She had been so afraid of how Ralph would react, and now, watching Walter guide him, she felt a sense of relief, even amidst all the pain.
When Ralph pulled back from the hug, his eyes were clearer, though still brimming with fear. He looked at Walter, his voice steadier this time.
"So, we keep her safe by doing everything we can. Legally. Through the law."
Walter nodded.
"Exactly. And we stick together. That's the most important part."
Ralph seemed to accept that, and though the fear hadn't completely left his eyes, there was a flicker of resolve there.
"Okay," he said quietly. "I'm in. Whatever mom needs."
Walter smiled softly, proud of Ralph's strength and intelligence, but even more so of his capacity to care deeply for his mom.
"You remember what I told you shortly after we first met? What a group of scorpions is called?" Ralph nodded. "Well, someone hurt one of our scorpions, Ralph. And we…" He motioned to the entire team. "...her cyclone, are not going to let him get away with it. We're going to protect her, and together, this Cyclone is going to her through this. No one messed with Scorpion, Ralph."
Paige wiped her eyes, overwhelmed by both the conversation and the love she saw between her son and Walter. She reached out, pulling Ralph back into her arms.
"I'm so proud of you." She whispered, her voice breaking. "I don't deserve you."
Ralph leaned into the hug, his small arms wrapping around her tightly.
"You do, Mom." he murmured. "You didn't deserve this, but I'm not going to let anyone hurt you ever again."
Walter stepped back, giving them another moment. He watched them, his heart heavy but full of admiration for the strength both Paige and Ralph had. He knew the road ahead wouldn't be easy, but together, they could face it. They would face it.
And no matter what, they would do it the right way, with their cyclone around them.