I'm back! Hey guys, I'm SO sorry for the horrifically long wait! Last chapter I deviated from my original plans and I've had severe writer's block for weeks! I hope you guys aren't too mad and you're still willing to read the story! I present to you chapter 7! (Finally) Enjoy!
Toby quietly follows Happy as she quickly hides behind a large pillar and waits for the suspected thief to turn into the next hallway.
"He's heading for the rooms. Do you think he's going to the seller's suite?" Toby whispers in Happy's ear.
"I'm not sure," she whispers back and begins following the thief again with Toby on her tail.
They watch from behind the corner as the escaping security guard makes his way to the elevator and presses the button for the fourth floor. After the doors close behind him, Happy rushes to the stairs.
"Hey! Wait up!" Toby runs up the stairs behind her. "You know you can give me a heads up from time to time."
"What do you need a heads up for? We're chasing the bad guy, he's going to the fourth floor so we're going to the fourth floor. Easy."
Toby rolls his eyes and tries to keep his panting under control. How is Happy not exhausted?
Once they reach the desired floor, they press their back to the wall and watch as the thief makes his way down the hall.
Happy is the first to move. She pushes herself off the wall and slowly follows the culprit down the hallway. She pauses once she sees him freeze in place. Suddenly, he turns his head and finds Happy slowly approaching him. In a second, he turns and sprints in the other direction before Happy has time to catch up to him.
Toby quickly follows as Happy and the thief run through the hallways in a desperate chase. "Wait! Stop!" He watches as the security guard shoves a maid's cart at Happy and escapes. "Happy!" Toby runs over to her and lifts the cart off of her. "Are you hurt?"
She grunts in pain as she tries to move her leg. "I'm fine," she says as she tries to lift herself up again. "Ahh!" A jolt of pain shocks her body and she stumbles and falls. "Dammit!"
"Stop moving!" Toby quickly kneels beside her and lifts up her pant leg enough to see the wound and checks for any bruising. He gingerly squeezes her shin and Happy yelps. "Yeah this looks pretty bad. You may have broken your fibula."
"Forget about me! Go get the guard!" She yells at his and tries to shove him in that direction.
"There's no way I'm leaving you here! What if someone comes up here and sees you on the floor like this? They could mistake you for the thief and you're in no shape to fight anyone off." He says firmly.
"Ugh. Do you always have to be so chivalrous?" She rolls her eyes at the smile that makes its way to his face.
"Yes, it's part of my charm. Now hold still." He turns towards the maid's cart and starts rummaging through it. "Let's see, they have to have a first aid kit somewhere…" He finds one on the floor near the cart and opens it. "Alright now hold still," he says as he unravels the gauze and begins wrapping it around Happy's leg.
"What the hell are you doing? We're on a mission! Toby we need to catch him, I'll be fine!"
"Would you shut up already? You are not fine and I already told you I'm not leaving you. Besides," he points to a security camera behind him. "I'm sure Sylvester and Cabe have it taken care of. Now shut up and don't move."
She rolls her eyes at him and hides a smile. "You really are an idiot."
"I know," he smiles at her then goes back to his work.
...
The clattered sounds of the party behind them comes flooding back to her ears. She flutters her eyes open and stares blankly at his chest. She sucks in a quick breath as Walter slides his hand down her waist and pulls her closer to him. Her arms fumble over his chest as she dares to look up at him. Before she gets a chance to level her head, Walter pulls his head down to her ear and whispers quietly.
"Sorry," his hand tightens on her waist as he contemplates what approach is best in this scenario, "I… heard clinging of glass. If I hadn't… um… I mean someone was looking and I…" he trails off for a second before gallantly regaining composure. "I had to. For the mission." Alright, looks like the best course of action in this case is a blatant lie. Awesome.
Page takes in a deep breath to clear her mind and calm her body before taking a step away from him. The spot on her waist where his hand had rested immediately feels colder without his touch. What had he whispered to her? Something about having to… kiss her… for the mission? Did someone suspect something? It was hard to concentrate with his breath on her ear. She closes her eyes for a split second once she feels her face begin to flush. Get a hold of yourself, you're not a lovesick teenager! Fearlessly, she plasters a smile onto her face and lifts her eyes to him.
Her smile isn't genuine, Walter always knows when her smiles are faked. So, why does he feel no shame or concern for what he'd done? He feels light… and happy, almost giddy. Without his control, his lips widen into a smile as he watches an obviously flustered Paige try to compose herself. He clears his throat and prepares to further explain his actions when the lights in the room flicker. The people in the room notice it, but pay it no mind. Walter on the other hand recognizes it as Morse code for "help".
"We need to go, now!" He grabs Paige's hand and rushes towards the door. He notices a few people watching him in concern, but he doesn't care at the moment.
"Walter slow down! What's going on?" They reach stairwell and stop. "What happened?"
"It's Happy and Toby, they're in trouble," he turns around and finds the number '4' flickering above the elevator doors.
"What? How do you know?"
"The lights." That's all he says before squeezing her hand and pulling her up the stairs with him.
"Wait, Walter!" She pants a little, "Why not take the elevator?"
"Too slow."
They make it to the fourth floor and quickly find Toby helping Happy onto her feet. Walter rushes to help him and allows Happy to hang onto his shoulder for support.
"Hey guys, who'd you know we were here? Did you have your ear pieces?" Toby asks.
"No," Walter grunts as he catches Happy when she slips. "Light flickered in the banquet hall in Morse code."
"Good old Sylvester," happy says humorlessly.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Paige asks as she walks beside Walter.
"Yes. Paige could you please go contact Cabe and find out where he is? He might need our help. I'm assuming he's after the criminal too?" Walter looks at Toby for an answer.
"Your guess is as good as mine. Though if Sylvester contacted you then they must know about the guard." Toby answers and watches as Paige runs down the hall ahead of them.
A few minutes later, Walter and Toby walk Happy out of the hotel and to their surveillance van. She leans on the vehicle as Walter steps away from her and opens the back doors for them.
In the van they find Cabe and Paige standing over a hand cuffed security guard.
"Alright! Way to go Cabe. Still got it in ya' huh?" Toby laughs at Cabe's scornful expression and proceeds to lift Happy into the van. He finds an empty seat and gently lays Happy in it.
"How are you doing?" Cabe asks Happy once she's situated.
"I'm alright, No need to worry about me. It's just a sprain." She says dismissively and leans back in the seat.
"It is not! I'm the doctor here and that is definitely a broken bone. You need to go to the hospital." Toby crosses his arms over his chest and glares at Happy who is glaring at him right back.
"What about the thief? And the mission?" Paige chimes in.
Cabe searches his pocket and hands Walter what looks like a key card. "Found it on our perp. I've sent a scan of it to Sylvester. My guess is that it's the seller's room card, but we can't be sure. This guy," he looks at the security guard, "won't talk, so I'm gonna take him with me and maybe he'll be more chatty at headquarters." He looks back up at Walter and Paige, "As for you too, I need you to return that card to the banquet hall before its owner gets suspicious. Then continue the mission as planned. I'll let you know if there's any developments tomorrow."
"Alright, take care you guys." Paige says as she climbs out of the van alongside Walter and closes the door behind them. They walk back to the hotel in silence.
…
Once they get back to the hotel room, Walter clears his throat and sits on the bed. "Quite an eventful night."
Page follows him into the room and closes the door behind her. She presses her back on the door and allows her body to slightly slump down. "Yeah… very." She finds his eyes and holds them. A few silent seconds pass before either of them makes a move. They still haven't talked about the kiss. "Walter… about earlier…"
"You mean the kiss?" He asks fearlessly as Paige's eyes widen a bit. Apparently the alcohol still in his system washes away any filters he may have.
"…Yes." Her eyes find their way to her feet. This isn't like her, why is she acting so childish? She's supposed to be the composed one in this relationship. Clearing her throat, she stands up straight and walks over to him. She takes a seat beside him and waits for his response.
"You want to know… why I did it, correct?" He smiles at her and scratches the back of his head. "Honestly? I don't know." He laughs a little. "I just wanted to, so I did." Paige reddens a bit and he smiles again. "I'm sorry if it was a cause for any concern."
"Oh… uh no. It's okay…" She swipes her hair behind her ear. "I just didn't expect it, that's all."
"But you kissed me back."
He says it so casually that she almost doesn't process it. "I… w-well-" Her stutters are interrupted by Walter's laughter. "What..?" She's almost afraid to ask.
"Nothing." He grins at her. "You're just acting so strange tonight. Although, I must be also. Though I presume the alcohol to blame. So I'm just wondering what your excuse is?" He almost laughs again at her reaction, but manages to contain himself. Before she has a chance to replay, he stands and walks towards the bathroom. "It's really hard to concentrate when you act so… adorable." He says before closing the bathroom door behind him.
Paige's head quickly spins towards the closed door with wide eyes. After a few seconds of stunned silence, she allows her body to flop backwards onto the bed and covers her face with a pillow. Calm down. He's clearly drunk and can't be taken seriously. It's no use, her face is far too burnt to contain. Walter called her adorable… Is that even in his vocabulary? "Adorable." She laughs at herself for saying it out loud and for feeling giddy about it.
A thought suddenly crosses her mind and she lowers the pillow away from her face. This is not fair. Walter is the one who's supposed to be embarrassed, not her! What happened? She had him eating out of the palm of her hands just yesterday! She sighs audibly and crosses her arms over the pillow on her chest. So not fair.
Walter walks out of the bathroom half an hour later having taken a shower, and finds Paige already under the covers sound asleep. He smiles at her and gently runs his fingers through her hair the way he does for Ralph when he's asleep. It's hard to imagine his life without them. They've become so important to him over the years. He bends over and places a kiss on Paige's forehead. There's no need to waste liquid courage. He knows by the time he wakes up tomorrow, he won't be able to be so bold anymore. He just hopes he'll be able the keep these memories.