Monday, Oct 20, 2014:
Paige was standing with Collins inside the basement of his house as the team worked to divert the nuclear disaster.
"Numbers are my photo albums. Days, elapsed since significant occurrences. I change them every morning. That's my birthday. My mother's birthday. So, I'm still trying to piece out your role here. No offense, but you're clearly not a genius." Collins told her as he moved his mental chess piece.
After nearly a month around Walter and the other geniuses, Paige could tell he was most assuredly calculating something.
"No. But my son is enabled, like you." Paige told him off hand. She decided she needed to see where this would go.
"Oh. Walter's trying to repair his youth through your son." Collins smiled seeing a way in.
"No, he cares about Ralph, and Ralph is crazy about Walter." Paige told him reflexively as she tried to understand this man that the others had all warned her about. She figured she'd best hide certain facts.
"Of course he is. Walter's the Pied Piper of geniuses. We all worship him. What he's capable of, how he makes us feel special for being special. That's why it hurts so much when he throws you away when he's done with you." Collins told her quite confidently.
Paige smiled inside as she saw his game plan.
"Walter would never do something like that." Paige said, acting defensively as she decided to play his game.
"I was his experiment, once. The highest IQ that he'd ever seen, other than his own. Until I couldn't color in the lines the way that he wanted me to, and then I was gone. How many times has he avoided conflict by telling you he's fine? You get about 1,000 "I'm fines" before you realize that nothing is fine and you are getting shown the door. And then you realize that you're an experiment, too. You…and your son." Collins told her, hoping to drive her insecurities deeper.
Paige tried to hold the serious expression she had on her face but she failed and began laughing.
"What's so funny?" Collins demanded.
"I'm sorry Mark." Paige said as she tried to get the giggles under control. "I mean I get it, with everything the others warned me about you, but honestly? Have you ever seen or read The Stand?" Paige asked as she calmed down.
Collins shook his head as he was puzzled why his plan seemed to be failing here. She was a normal, she wasn't a genius, how was she slipping through his grasp?
"There is the main villain character, named Randal Flagg, that's you in this instance. And there is another character the villain has captured and is holding prisoner. Amongst torturing him, Flagg is making these seemingly kind gestures to the man and asks him for one little thing. To get on his knees and thank him for letting him go." Paige smiled.
"Now Glen wasn't stupid." Paige told him. "He was a man of knowledge, he was a professor in college and he taught subjects dealing with humanity. And as clear as day, he saw through what Flagg truly represented and what he needed from him. And almost as importantly, he knew that Flagg would never let him go, Flagg was going to kill him no matter what. But Flagg needed to show his supporters how his will was more powerful, by getting Glen to humble himself before him. But Glen was also a man of great strength and courage, and he wasn't about to give in to Flagg. He was willing to face the unknown rather than give Flagg even a shred of power. I'm Glen in this instance if you can't keep up." Paige continued to smile.
"Just like with what you just told me. Once Flagg revealed the truth of what he needed from Glen, it completely struck Glen as funny. And I might get his reply to Flagg wrong, if I do, forgive me." Paige told him.
"Sorry, it's just that, it's just that we made such, such a business of you. And it turns out, you're nothing more than another cockroach, scurrying around, running little roach errands." Paige recited and started laughing again.
"I'll kill you!" Collins screamed with his eyes wide in anger as he rushed Paige.
Paige reacted instantly, it seemed almost like she knew what he would do. Her hands grabbed the tape deck from his desk and swung it hard. The tape deck smacked Collins hard in the side of his head, nearly knocking the larger man to the ground.
Happy had reacted quickly as Collins yelled. She flew across the intervening floor space and grabbed Collins's arm. She twisted and pulled against him. Collins was forced around and away from Paige. As Collins completed turning around, Happy twisted again and flipped Collins over to land on the floor, back first.
The military escort moved up quickly and took Collins back into custody, cuffing his hands behind him. All the while Collins was raving at Paige and Happy.
"You okay?" Happy demanded from Paige.
Paige grinned and held her hand up.
"Thanks to you." Paige told her.
Happy smiled and gave her a high five.
"This is pretty ironic, isn't it? First day I see you in years…I'm back to lockup. I showed you the outer limits of your intelligence and you couldn't handle it. You couldn't risk me, or anybody else, jeopardizing your team, your precious Cyclone." Collins complained from his wheelchair.
"They are worth it." Walter told him, showing no remorse.
"Why them? Toby, Happy, Sylvester…they can't touch my abilities. So why wasn't there room for one more?" Collins asked in a plaintive voice.
"But there was. Paige. She binds us." Walter told him.
Walter paused before continuing.
"But you are also wrong Mark. There was room for you, the problem was that you didn't have room for them. You barely had room for me. You ridiculed them, you tried to drive wedges between them, between us. You played all kinds of games with them. And by playing against them, you played with me. The Cyclone is about bringing everyone up together, not about tearing anyone apart. About helping mankind, not endangering it. But you didn't get that, probably still don't. Had you played this straight, I might have welcomed you back. But you demonstrated why I can never allow you back. I really hoped you would get the help you needed, to show you that despite its shortcomings, humanity is worth helping, not harming. Don't come back, ever. If you do, I will use all my abilities to eliminate you and keep my Cyclone safe." Walter told him seriously.
Collins' eyes measured every physical aspect of Walter as he talked and he knew Walter was telling the truth.
"I'm going away. But I'll get out…Maybe I'll see you back down the rabbit hole, Walter." Collins told him.
"No, you'll never find me down the rabbit hole again. Our time is too precious to waste a single moment there again." Walter told him.
Cabe stepped up to Walter as they led Collins away. His hand rose up and sat down on Walter's shoulder.
"Just remember this Mark, you never showed me the outer limits of my intelligence. A normal, a woman who struggled everyday as a waitress. To provide for her son, she has shown me the true limits of my intelligence, but also the true depth of my humanity." Walter called after him. "One last thing." Walter called before they reached the door to his cell block. "Neither you, nor anyone else was ever an experiment. You were all part of my Cyclone. What happened to you, is your fault."
"You okay son?" Cabe asked.
"More now than ever, I am." Walter smiled. "Let's go, we got family to get back to."
Cabe nodded before they turned and left.
As Walter and Cabe entered the Garage they immediately smelled the garlic and other herbs as the aroma of dinner filled the air of the Garage.
"Oh man, I don't know what Paige is cooking tonight, but I'm all for it." Cabe said hungrily.
"Welcome home." Paige smiled as they walked into the downstair's kitchen. She moved over quickly, slipping into Walter's arms and kissed him.
Ralph Dineen sat with his grandson on his knee as they hugged. As they broke their hug he extended his hand to Walter. Walter shook his hand quickly.
"Well I guess since it has been almost a month, this means you aren't getting your own place?" Ralph Dineen asked his daughter.
"You've waited all this time for Walter to get here to ask that?" Paige shook her head.
"Not that I need to know, but what is on the menu tonight?" Cabe asked, trying to divert the conversation.
"Paige is making us lasagna." Sylvester offered up quickly. "From scratch even. And wait until you get a load of the bread sticks."
"You surely know the way to my heart." Cabe grinned and kissed the side of her head.
"Yeah, by my estimation all of you guys have put on an average of three point four pounds since Paige started working or living here I should say." Happy grinned.
"It would be disrespectful to refuse to eat." Toby defended himself.
"Oh, is that right?" Paige grinned. "I'm making Walter's favorite for lunch tomorrow. I'll make sure to fix extra for you then."
Toby's mouth dropped open as Happy laughed.
"Laugh all you want, you'll have to smell it too." Toby reminded her.
"Actually I tried some the last time she made it. The smell wasn't that bad and the taste was amazing." Happy told him smugly.
"What's this?" Ralph Dineen asked.
"Walter likes a fermented fish dish. A Swedish chef shared her recipe for how she makes it and it has been a real hit." Paige told him.
"Speaking about it being almost a month, I got a surprise for you." Walter told Paige.
"A surprise for me?" Paige asked puzzled.
"If we got at least five minutes." Walter nodded and held his hand out.
Paige grinned and nodded as she took his hand.
"Did you and Cabe get it on the way home Dad?" Ralph asked as he jumped off his Grandfather's lap.
"We did." Walter smiled as he led Paige to the door to leave the Garage.
"What did you do?" Paige was surprised he was taking her outside.
Paige froze as she came out the door and saw the car she had wanted sitting there. The 2015 burgundy Jetta. Paige's free hand came up and pressed into her lips before she stepped out closer. There was a beautiful giant red bow and ribbon on the car.
"Walter?" Paige questioned quietly.
"I called the dealership before we left to look at the cars. I explained I wanted to get it as a gift for you. So I asked them to tell you they'd have to wait a couple of days to get a new one in for you." Walter told her.
"Walter. You didn't have to do that." Paige said as she turned to look at him. She saw her Dad and everyone had come out with them.
Walter smiled but saw the tears in her eyes.
"Thank you." Paige said as she stepped into his arms.
"I promise to always do everything I can for you." Walter said hoarsely to her.
Ralph Dineen began clapping and Cabe followed suit. A moment later everyone else was clapping too.
"You are so sweet." Paige whispered. "Between the child support you gave me and this, there can't be much left of your reward for saving those people."
"You are the only reward I ever need. Ralph and any other children will just be a bonus." Walter grinned at her.
"You couldn't look sexier than now if you tried." Paige told him as she growled.
"TMI." Happy said to a roar of laughter.
Paige just grinned at Happy before she turned with Walter and removed the ribbon and bow from the car.
"Can we go for a ride in it?" Ralph asked quickly.
"After dinner." Paige told him before they all walked back into the Garage.
Paige and Walter laid tangled together in bed after pleasing each other several times.
"I'm so glad Dad took Ralph home with him tonight." Paige said as she snuggled in deeper against Walter.
"For allowing us a more uninhibited time, I agree. But I can't begin to tell you how much I miss him." Walter told her softly.
Paige grinned.
"All the more reason to get Happy to finish the walls for his room and ours." Paige laughed. "I also wrote her a check to get more supplies to build our room once Ralph's is done."
"Speaking of Happy, I read her report from what happened at Collins' house today." Walter told her.
"Do we really need to speak about that nut job now?" Paige complained.
"No, but we do need to talk about it at some point. I just need to know that you understand, to me, you will never be an experiment. I can't begin to describe how much the two of you mean to me. You are the air I need to breathe and the joyful rainfall that nourishes me. And Ralph will always be the sun I need to warm me." Walter told her.
"Walter!" Paige said excitedly. "That was very EQ of you." Paige kissed him deeply. "And just so you know, I know we are not some kind of experiment to you. I also know that the guys are not one either."
"Thank you." Walter smiled and then it slowly turned into a frown.
"Walter?" Paige asked cautiously.
"I just thought of something, something I had put out of my mind some time ago. Something I really should have told you a month ago to be honest. But everything happened so fast and I just didn't think. Plus, we've had an agreement to keep it quiet all this time." Walter told her.
"Walter, you are actually scaring me a little." Paige explained as her stomach rolled.
"You might not like what I'm about to tell you." Walter sighed.
"Oh gawd…please, don't tell me you are married." Paige pleaded.
"Umm, about four years ago I was lost in my experiments and I wasn't paying attention. My visa was about to expire. Happy had only been with me about a year then and she did not want me to have to leave." Walter explained.
"No." Paige said in a weak voice.
"She said she would marry me so I could stay in the country. And so we did." Walter explained.
"Walter! No…damn it. How could you do this to me?" Paige wailed.
"Paige, I'm sorry, but it is only a marriage in name only. We barely kissed that day in front of the judge. Happy just wanted to put it out of our minds, get back to work. Until the time was up and I got my citizenship. Then we could get a divorce. I never thought I would ever fall in love. Never thought I would want to get married. But now, knowing you, it is on my mind twelve point four percent of my waking hours. And I just remembered so I had to tell you." Walter pleaded.
Paige climbed out of bed quickly and pulled her robe on, belting it tightly about her.
"Walter, I can't believe you. How could you make me the other woman? How could you and Happy not tell me? You brought me and Ralph into the Loft and now this, I don't even have a place to go to now. You've taken my right to choose and trapped me here in your adultery." Paige yelled.
"Paige, it isn't that at all. I promise. Happy and I haven't talked or thought about this since we got married. We never had sex or anything. We haven't cheated." Walter told her as he scrambled up and slipped into his sweatpants.
"Not cheated? Walter, regardless of how you and Happy view your marriage, this is most definitely cheating. I'm going down to the Airstream. I can't be up here with you right now." Paige told him.
"Paige, no. If you can't be up here with me. I can either sleep in Ralph's bed tonight, the couch or the Airstream. You take our bed." Walter told her.
"Then go to the Airstream." Paige told him as she sat on the small desk chair by the computer desk and began crying.
Greetings! I hope this finds you all well! Dun dun dun...
Railman - She definitely did and apparently between it and Sean's natural desire to know his grand child he's done an amazing flip job. lol Ralph definitely feels the sting of such a small circle of family and is quick to embrace each "new" member! I certainly hope Walter didn't have his fingers crossed...but then again...with how things are going, that might not matter...
Marti - Glad to see you still here! And happy to see you enjoying it! Angst you say? Seems you got here just in time. LOL You're welcome.
LouBe - She did that for sure! hehe I guess Grandma Bear is just as ferocious as Mama Bear! lol Happy Ralph is amazing! Glad you enjoyed their cuteness! Walter was a bit worried about the SUV as well. He definitely wasn't taking their word until he made sure they had real credentials. Now you can worry! lol
To the Adventure! -Tim