I am SO sorry for going MIA. I've had a lot of crazy unexpected things happen these past few weeks and just couldn't write nearly as much as I normally do. Plus, this last chapter ended up wayyyy longer than I was expecting. I thought about splitting it into two, but since I've been gone so long, I figured I'd keep it as one chapter in an attempt to make it up to you.

I'd give this chapter a stronger T rating near the end.

The car ride to Katie's house was silent. Walter wanted to say something, but he had no idea what. He had no idea what he was feeling. He had no idea how to behave. Walter felt comfortable with the science of it all; it was the only way he had ever known how to understand things. But he admittedly didn't know what to do with the emotional side of it, the side that he knew was most important, especially with Paige. He wanted to ask her, but was that fair? Was it too much to ask her to hold his hand through this, when she was the one who was hurting?

He contemplated this the full twenty minute drive, and as they pulled up the driveway he finally decided that he couldn't risk doing something stupid and making things worse. Paige was about to step out of the car when he finally spoke, "Wait, Paige."

She turned back to him, "Yes?"

"Um, can I- can I ask... what do I do?" At her confused expression, he realized how vague that was. "I mean... I know these things are... it's an emotional matter, and you know I don't do well with that, so I want to make sure that I, um, don't mess up. I want to help you."

A smile slowly grew on Paige's face and she tilted her head, "Thank you, Walter." She rested her hand on his wrist, and shifted her weight so she was facing him, seeming to think for a moment, "Just... Be here. I'll tell you what I need when I need it."

He swallowed, "You, you don't mind? Telling me what you need?"

Her smile reappeared, "No, not at all, Walter. It's part of open communication, which I think the two of us need a lot more of, going forward."

He nodded, but still wasn't completely convinced. "I just, um, don't want my low EQ to be a, uh, burden, something to make you more unhappy."

Paige slid her hand down to his and quickly reassured him, "No, Walter, it's not a burden. Voicing what I need..." A small smirk played on her lips, "It's something even normals need to do with each other, if they want their relationships to last." She paused and looked down at their hands for a second, before looking in his eyes, making sure he was listening, "Which means you need to tell me if you need anything, too. I don't want you to be afraid to tell me things. I... I want us to last, Walter."

He exhaled and nodded, "I want us to last, too." He couldn't express how much he wanted them to last. He wasn't sure he could survive it if he lost her permanently. Even just the thought of it turned his stomach.

She studied his face for a moment, then smiled, squeezed his hand, and exited the car.

Paige smirked as Ralph said goodbye to Katie and her mom at the front door. Ralph definitely had a crush on her, and it took everything in her to not excitedly tease him about it on the way to the car. As she lead him down the sidewalk, she said, "So, we're going out to dinner tonight, and Walter's coming with us. He's waiting in the car."

Ralph's head snapped up to her, "Really?" Without waiting for an answer, he bolted for the car.

Under normal circumstances, her son's excitement would have made her happy, but... she just felt guilty. She hadn't thought that the tension between her and Walter had bled into Ralph's life, but at that moment she realized she'd been stupid to think that. If she missed their dinners together, of course Ralph did too. Which meant that Ralph probably missed everything else about how things used to be. With a sigh, she vowed to fix that, starting with this dinner, and got in the car.

Ralph got to choose their restaurant, and they settled on Kovelsky's. Paige felt a wave of nostalgia as they walked through the doors. So much had happened here. Getting a job she so desperately needed after getting evicted. Meeting Walter. Discovering the depth of her son's intelligence. Participating in her first case with Scorpion, which ultimately landed her a permanent job with them and changed her and Ralph's lives. And most recently, the dinners with Walter and Ralph.

All of it felt like a lifetime ago, and she wondered vaguely how such a familiar space could feel so strange. Their meal went as it always did before: Walter and Ralph raptly discussing ideas, hypotheses, and projects, Paige only catching less than half of it. She had never really cared that she couldn't understand what they were talking about; she just loved to watch her son so excited and animate about something, so open and hanging on Walter's every word. And it was the same tonight.

But with every mouthful she took, alarm bells went off in her head that she had to constantly, consciously shut off. It was distracting, to say the least. And something about the situation seemed... off. Distorted. Distant. Or maybe it was her. Actually it probably was her.

Paige leaned back in the seat with a sigh and laid a hand on her bloated-feeling stomach. She wanted this to be over. She needed this to be over, and Ralph needed her. She couldn't be here for Ralph in any of the ways that mattered if she didn't fix this. Paige nearly whimpered in frustration as she shifted in her seat and picked up her fork again, intending to eat but the thought of putting more food in her mouth making her nauseous. She wrapped her free arm around her waist and rested her hand on the opposite hip, attempting to alleviate the feeling of a bulging stomach.

Then she felt a hand on her forearm, slipping down to her wrist as it gently tugged her hand back to her side. She looked up at Walter in surprise as he slid his hand into hers. He wasn't looking at her, or in any way acknowledging what he was doing, and somehow that made it more endearing. Paige shifted her gaze to Ralph, who was talking about an idea for a program he thought might be successful, eyes brimming with eagerness to share his thoughts with his mentor. She felt herself relax for the first time in several days, and absentmindedly entwined her fingers with Walter's.

Walter glanced at her, his brown eyes turned to an intriguing blend of intense but soft, smoky black by the lighting. His gaze warmly lingered on her, roaming her face, before turning back to Ralph, sending a rush of affection through her. It abruptly hit Paige that for the first time in her life, she wasn't fighting this thing alone. And that realization sent an overwhelming wave of relief, gratitude, and love for this man who had somehow weasled his way into her heart with an odd but evidently effective mix of rude, oblivious selflessness. Suddenly needing to be closer to him, she leaned against his shoulder, his mixed scent of musk and cologne mingling with the smell of the food.

Food. Paige felt her frustration begin to bubble up again, but before it returned in full force, she remembered what her therapist said. She glanced at Walter again, wondering what he thought of her eating disorder, wondering if he really saw strength in it, wondering if her therapist was right, while at the same time knowing that it was all true. She just had to see it the same way Walter sees it.

Walter had heard Paige let out a faint noise of distress, and from the corner of his eye he could see her wrap her arm around her waist. He had a pretty good idea why, and his chest tightened. He didn't know what to do, but he supposed his instincts took over, because his hand was in hers before he even knew what he was doing.

Walter stiffened, unsure if he was overstepping a boundary. He was about to pull away, when she laced her fingers with his. He huffed out a small breath, from relief or excitement he wasn't sure. His eyes moved to look at her of their own accord, and, oh boy, the look she gave him... He could only be grateful of his ability to concentrate on two things at once, because otherwise his thoughts would have no doubt been fully consumed by Paige, leaving no room whatsoever for his current conversation with Ralph. And when she leaned on him, he only barely stopped himself from turning his head to press his lips on her lavender scented skin. Instead, he flexed his hand, giving hers an unintentional squeeze.

As the evening went on, they finished eating, but the conversations continued. It had been a long time since the three of them spoke so freely to each other, and it didn't feel right to end the night with the meal. But eventually Paige spoke up, "Alright, Ralph has school tomorrow, so we've gotta get going." Turning to Walter, she added, "I can drive you back to the garage." He nodded, and the trio exited the diner to drive back home.

When Paige pulled up in front of the garage, she asked, "Do you mind if we walk you inside?" Walter wasn't entirely sure why she would want to do that. It was only a few feet from the car to the door, but he wasn't ready to say goodbye to her. It felt silly, craving those extra few seconds, but at that moment he didn't really care about silliness. He just wanted to be with her, so he nodded and led the way inside.

Ralph immediately ran up the stairs, presumably to get in a game of Proton Arnold before he had to leave. Paige light-heartedly scoffed as she watched her son disappear at the top of the stairs, before turning back to Walter. "So, um, I had fun tonight."

Walter nodded, "Me too." He mulled over his next words, trying to find the right ones. "Um, I... I haven't thanked you. For, for trusting me."

She softly replied, "Oh." She seemed surprised, and blinked several times before dropping her gaze to the floor and licked her lips. He was a little distracted by the action until she spoke, "Walter, trusting you has never been an issue for me. You might be oblivious to certain things, and make wrong decisions, but..." she huffed out a breath and looked back at him, "but I've never doubted that you try, and want to improve, and do what you can to fix things, and..." she bit her lip, cutting herself off and he realized her eyes were beginning to wet with tears. "Your heart is always in the right place, Walter, no matter what." She sniffed a little, "And that's more than I can say about a lot of people."

Walter didn't know what to say to that. He didn't think she was right, not completely. All the crap he pulled while Paige and Tim were together... it was pure jealousy, maybe even a little spite toward Tim. Okay, a lot of spite. His heart couldn't be considered 'in the right place' then, could it? If it had, he would've done what was best for Paige: take a step back. He was being selfish, putting his own desires before Paige's wishes.

She must have seen his doubt, because she continued, "That's not to say you haven't done some really childish things, but..." she surprised him by stepping toward him, close enough that he could reach out and comfortably rest his hands on her hips if he wanted. He flexed his hands to keep himself from doing it as she spoke, "but in trying to protect myself, I, I threw myself into a bland relationship because it was safe, and I abandoned you," her voice faltered, "I expected you to handle the situation flawlessly, without any guidance from me, which was incredibly unfair. Even someone with normal EQ would struggle, considering... considering how you felt about me..." a tear rolled down her face, but she ignored it as she tilted her head and searched his face, a question seeming to linger in her eyes.

Then he realized her intentional use of the past tense, and he gulped, knowing the answer he had to give. "Still feel..." his voice sounded hoarse and strange to his ears.

She let out a small gasp, followed by a shaky exhale. She placed her hands on his shoulders, and he felt the tension he hadn't even realized had been building up release from his shoulders. He was too distracted by her to continue holding back his hands, and before he knew it they were standing in an embrace. When Paige ran her fingers through his hair, an irrational fear that she would pull away made him wrap his arms tighter around her. He didn't know why exactly, but he felt the need to say it, "I'm sorry, Paige."

She shook her head slowly as she buried her face in his neck. She let out a choked noise and when he felt tears wet his shirt, he got deja vu of only two nights ago, when she had inexplicably broken down in his arms. Only this time it wasn't so inexplicable, and Walter wasn't sure if knowing or not knowing was worse. He repeated the words, this time in a whisper, "I'm sorry."

She didn't reply for several long seconds, but then she took a deep, sighing breath and pressed closer to him. She whispered it so softly that if her mouth wasn't right next to his ear, he was sure he wouldn't have heard it, "I love you."

If it weren't physically impossible Walter would have sworn his heart stopped. He knew what he wanted to say, but his labored breathing kept him from saying it for far too long. His eyes stung with tears and his fingers curled into her sides as he struggled to process her words. He was no longer afraid of saying it, but after he had resigned (somewhat) to the idea of Paige and Tim together, he hadn't dared let himself imagine her saying that to him. It'd be too painful.

But now... she'd said it. She actually said it. His chest constricted at the idea that she felt as strongly about him as he did about her. When his lungs were finally functioning again, he breathed out, "I love you too." He hoped she could hear him, because that was as loud as he could manage.

Paige murmured, "Walter." She nuzzled his neck, and he could feel a slight smile on her lips, sending a nearly overwhelming wave of affection through him. He gasped and spoke louder, "Oh, god I love you."

After a few more seconds of silence, Paige slowly pulled away, and Walter reluctantly loosened his grip, but he kept his hands resting on her hips, craving physical contact with her. It was still a strange feeling for him, actually wanting to touch, and to be touched. While it still unnerved him a little, it no longer terrified him, and he found he was able to allow himself to actually enjoy it in this moment.

But then she seemed to shrink into herself, and grabbed his hands, holding them in her own, but sliding them off her hips. He frowned, "What- did I, did I do something?"

She quickly answered, "No, Walter, you're fine." She gave him a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.

Unsure if he should press it but desperately scared of accidentally pushing her away again, he replied, "I- I thought we were gunna have, um, open communication." Her eyes flew to his, and he realized that might have sounded accusatory. He rushed to correct himself, "I-I mean-"

She interrupted, "No, you're right, Walter." She paused and looked down, trying to find a way to phrase her emotions. "It's, um, the anorexia, I, uh," she swallowed and gathered herself again, the rest of the words coming out in a rush, "I get self-conscious about my waist, um, area."

All he said was, "Oh." She looked back up at him, and his eyes were dark with concern and confusion. She was about to assure him that he did nothing wrong, that it was something she'd get past. But her breath hitched when she noticed his eyes traversing her body, and she felt her skin flush as he lingered in all the right spots on the way back up.

He found it confusing that someone as stunningly beautiful as Paige could be self-conscious about any aspect of her body. He stuttered, "Y-You, um, you're..." he trailed off for a moment, frowning, then finished, "S-stunning." Suddenly afraid she'd think he was just talking about her body, he added, "I-In, um, in every sense of the word."

She was speechless. Breathless. It was the final push that sent her over the edge, and she completely lost all self-control as she slammed her lips on his. She immediately ran her tongue insistently along the seam of his lips, desperately requesting permission. He didn't need to be asked twice as he opened his mouth to hers, stumbling backwards a few steps from the force of her kiss. Instantly a surge of desire roared through him, and he kissed her back, matching her urgency. When her hands traveled up his neck and into the curls on the back of his head, he shuddered and briefly wondered how she could do this to him with so few points of contact. Walter then wrapped his arms around her and quickly pulled her flush against him. A growl emitted from his throat at the feel of her warmth soaking into his body, from her thighs to her hips and stomach, and oh boy, her breasts pressing against his chest. He slid a hand from her back to the side of her chest, his fingers pressing into her urgently while his thumb brushed lightly on the side of her breast, asking permission. When she whimpered and wiggled against him, causing his palm to slip onto the underside of her breast, he gasped and felt himself surge against her.

Paige thought her heart would pound straight out of her chest and blood roared in her ears, as she panted against his mouth. She instinctively rolled her hips against him, eliciting a deep groan from his mouth which she swallowed greedily. His hand that was still on her back slid down to her butt, desperately pressing their hips impossibly close. She felt herself wet with anticipation when he grew harder against her.

Somehow she managed to remember her son upstairs, and was immediately horrified at the the thought that he might appear at the top of the stairs to see his mom grinding on and being groped by his mentor. She backed away, sliding her hands down to his shoulders and pressing firmly when he tried to follow. Still panting, she managed to breathe out, "Wal-Walter. Stop."

He backed away with a slight whimper, enough to look at her, confused. His eyes were hooded and swirled intensely with desire, and it was nearly enough to make her throw herself against him again. She almost forgot why she wanted to stop, and took another step back to allow her mind to think again, but stayed close enough to comfortably rest her hands on his shoulders. Shakily, she explained, "I, um, nearly forgot my, uh, motherly responsibilities." She glanced up at the stairs, praying that her son couldn't hear what they'd been doing.

"Oh. Right." He seemed to slowly come out of his fog of lust, and she immediately missed the intensity of his desire.

She took a deep breath to keep herself from enticing that desire back out, and blushed as she suggested, "We could... pick this up tomorrow?"

He nodded eagerly, and they settled into a thick silence for a few seconds before he blurted, "I love you."

She nearly laughed, amazed at how he could be so abrupt, yet smooth at the same time. "I love you too."

She smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek, careful not to linger too long. She called up to Ralph, and as he descended the stairs and she began to guide him toward the door, Walter caught her hand, "I'm, uh, really happy..." he trailed off and frowned, glancing down before returning his gaze to her eyes, "I... I think that was the end of that sentence."

Paige was sure her heart physically melted into a puddle on the floor. She beamed at him, "Me too." And for the first time in a really long time, she meant it.

This was the closest I've ever written to an M. Please let me know if you liked the way I wrote it, and if you want me to write any M fics in the future. I still don't know about it, but if you want to read it, I'll see what I can do. :)