The apartment was quiet now, the only sounds the soft breathing of Paige as she slept and the occasional clatter of Ralph putting things back in order. After her breakdown, Walter had gently guided her to bed, insisting she rest for a bit. She had been emotionally and physically drained, and he knew she needed time to process. The fact that she hadn't been sleeping much since the initial attack was not helping either. She hadn't fought him on it, just leaned into his touch as he walked her to her bedroom and helped her lie down. He sat with her for a few minutes, watching her drift into a fitful sleep, her face still streaked with dried tears, her fingers blistered and raw. When her breathing finally evened out, Walter quietly stood, closing the door behind him.

He returned to the living room, where Ralph was carefully organizing books on the shelf, moving with the kind of deliberate focus Walter had seen him adopt whenever something weighed heavily on his mind. Walter knew Ralph was trying to make sense of everything, trying to bring some order to the chaos that had overtaken their lives.

"You okay, bud?" Walter asked softly, kneeling down beside Ralph, who had just placed another book on the shelf.

Ralph glanced at him briefly, his eyes still clouded with concern but nodding all the same.

"I just… I don't like seeing her like that." He said quietly, almost ashamed of his own declaration. "She's usually so strong. She's the one thats always there for everyone else. I find it… troubling… to see her in this way."

Walter nodded, understanding.

"I know. But everyone breaks sometimes. Even your mom. Especially after everything she's been through."

Ralph nodded again but didn't say anything else. Instead, he turned his attention back to the books, methodically placing them in alphabetical order. Walter gave him a reassuring pat on the back before moving to the other side of the room, starting to clean up the remnants of the other bookshelf that had been knocked over during the attack.

As Walter lifted the shelf back into place, something caught his eye on the carnage beneath it. A crumpled paper lay on the floor, wedged slightly between The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn and what he presumed once was a small potted plant, and when he reached for it, he saw it was an envelope, worn and wrinkled. His heart skipped a beat, however, as he recognized the handwriting once he straightened it out.

Walter

So simple. Just his name in blank ink, a stark contrast to the white envelope. He'd seen his name in her writing a million times. usually on post it notes she'd leave on his desk, things to be reviewed, or signed. Just mundane little notes with her distinct left handed cursive writing. Nothing he hadn't seen daily for three years.

But yet, this one, this writing, this name, held something powerful, something deeply valued, deeply meaningful.

This, this envelope is what caused everything she'd gone through that night. Every blow of his fists, every scream of her lungs, every break of her bones. It started here. With this.

He stared at it for a moment, his fingers trembling slightly as he slid the letter out of the envelope, debating on whether or not to read it. He what this was. This was the letter Paige had written, the one Tim had found that night. His breath caught in his throat as he unfolded the paper, his eyes scanning the first few lines. He could not read it. He could put it back in the envelope, give to to her when she awoke and be none the wiser, and yet, he couldn't put it down. Couldn't bare not knowing. The sheer force of what the letter could contain hit him like a bullet, but he couldn't stop himself.

The letter was long, but Walter read each word carefully, repeatedly, his heart pounding louder with every line. It was raw, real, and full of feelings that she had kept hidden for so long. Feelings he mirrored.

Dear Walter,

I don't even know why I'm writing this. Maybe I just need to get it out of my head and onto paper. So, I can perhaps pretend for a moment that I have the bravery to tell you these things, but I don't think I'll ever actually give this to you.

You nearly died today. We've had a lot of close calls over the last two years, too many in fact, but today was different. Today, you fell to the earth, and for every minute you were falling, I felt like I couldn't breathe. That if you died, I would die right along with you.

I've been denying my feelings for you for over two years now. It's ridiculous, really. But I can't stop. Every time I think I've put them away for good, something happens that pulls me right back in. I tried to pretend that our kiss meant nothing, that my feelings for you were just confused, but I was just lying to myself and to you. Seeing you everyday, that's all I can do is feel them, and know that kissing you meant everything.

Walter's pulse quickened, his mind racing as he continued reading, the words feeling more intimate, more personal than anything he'd ever seen from Paige before.

When you were up on that space shuttle, when you were hallucinating that I was there with you… me, of all people with you. You were saying things to me. Things I've wanted to hear from you for so long. When you told me you loved me, Walter, told me how you wanted us to be together... You told me everything I've ever wanted to hear from you.

He felt his breath catch. His memory from that day was patchy at best, but he had been having recurring dreams of her being there with him for months. He had thought it was just the effects of the oxygen deprivation, but… had those dreams been more? Hallucinations?

And the whole time you were saying those things, I prayed you would remember them. I prayed you would come back to me and actually say them to me for real. That we could finally be together, you and me. That you'd realize how I feel about you, and that maybe you felt the same.

Walter blinked, trying to process what he was reading. Paige had been carrying these feelings for years? He knew, obviously that they both had feelings there, but he'd allowed himself to believe that it was just an attraction for her, like most women, they'd be intrigued by him, but it would never go much deeper. He knew she was different, but hadn't given himself the space to believe she could love him. He felt a surge of emotion well up inside him, a mix of guilt and overwhelming affection. How had he been so wrong? How had he been so blind?

I've been in love with you since that first day we met, Walter. And when you were up there, in space, and I thought I might lose you… it was unbearable. I was terrified. Terrified that you'd die without knowing how much I care about you. Terrified that I'd never get the chance to tell you that I love you.

His hands trembled slightly as he continued reading, his eyes scanning the last part of the letter.

When you were free-falling back to Earth and Cabe missed you, I thought my heart was going to stop. I couldn't breathe. All I could think about was how much I couldn't lose you. I didn't even care if you didn't feel the same, I just wanted you to be okay. I just wanted you to come back. To come back to me. And you did. But you don't remember it. So, I must carry your words in my heart, silently. Toby says it's for the best this way, that you need to be able to move on, but, I don't know how a world where we can't be together is for the best. But, I guess I have to try. Try and find some inkling of happiness in this world without you. Try and let you go. Though, I know, no one will ever hold my heart the way you do, Walter O'Brien.

Walter's chest tightened, his vision blurring slightly as the emotions swirled inside him. He remembered that part of that day, the weightlessness of space, the terror of nearly losing everything, and now, reading this, knowing that Paige had been going through her own fear, her own battle, while he was up there… it was almost too much to process. Knowing that his inability to remember it all was what pushed her to solidify her relationship with Tim was almost too much to bear.

Maybe someday… the stars will align, or some other scientific analogy will occur, and maybe we'll have our chance. Maybe someday, we'll be together. But for now, I'm just glad you're safe. I'm glad you're here. A world with you in it, a world where I get to see you every day, is a beautiful place, Walter.

Maybe someday.

Paige

He read those last words again, over and over, letting them sink in.

Maybe someday.

The letter ended there, leaving Walter feeling a whirlwind of feelings, gratitude, longing, guilt, and most important, love. He wiped his eyes quickly, trying to steady his breathing as the impact of Paige's words settled into his chest and brain. She had felt all of this… for him. For so long. And he had been too caught up in his own fears, his own insecurities, to see it, to let it be.

"Walter?"

Ralph's voice startled him out of his thoughts, and Walter quickly folded the letter, sliding it back into the envelope. He turned to face Ralph, trying to gather himself.

"Yeah?"

Ralph frowned, glancing at the letter in Walter's hand.

"Is that Mom's letter? The one Tim found?" Walter shot him a questioning look, knowing they had not told him about that. "What? It's Scorpion. There are no secrets. The walls talk."

Walter nodded knowingly.

"Yeah. I didn't mean to… I just found it in this pile. I shouldn't have read it though…"

Ralph hesitated for a moment, then gave a small nod.

"It's okay. She wrote it for you. It's yours."

Walter's heart ached at Ralph's simple statement. He didn't know how to respond, so instead, he reached out and put a hand on Ralph's shoulder.

"I'll talk to her about it. When she's ready."

Ralph nodded again, and together, they continued cleaning up the apartment. But Walter's mind was spinning. He couldn't shake the letter from his thoughts, couldn't stop thinking about the depth of Paige's feelings, about how long she had kept them buried.

As they finished tidying up, Walter found himself glancing toward Paige's bedroom, the letter still in his pocket. He had no idea what would happen next, but one thing was certain, everything between him and Paige had changed. And this time, he wasn't going to let fear stop him from being honest about his own feelings.

Because now, maybe someday was today.