Pretty much this short little thing came out of me finding an old note in my cell phone that was the basic premise of this fic and I figured hey, while I'm too distracted by my jobs to really put the effort I need to into my multi – chapter fics, might as well just flesh this out a little and post it.

Listen to the pouring rain, listen to it pour. And with every drop of rain, you know I love you more. Let it rain all night long; let my love for you go strong.

Somewhere nearby, thunder cracked loudly, and Paige was jolted out of her peaceful inner concert when Walter's body jerked. She lifted her head, squinting to try to see him. He appeared to have gone still again. Paige settled back against the pillow, her head still tilted toward him, and her eyes closed again. She liked the rain – she supposed everyone in Southern California did, as long as they didn't have to drive in it. They so rarely got anything substantial that this torrential downpour, complete with lightning and thunder, seemed almost like a gift. She wiggled her shoulders, sinking comfortably into the mattress.

As long as we're together, who cares about the weather?

There was another loud bang, and her eyes flew open when Walter jumped again. This time, she could see his silhouette as he flipped onto his back. His eyes were open. Paige reached over and touched his arm. "Walter?"

"Huh, yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She heard him take in a deep breath. "Yeah, why?"

His voice was entirely too casual. "You just seemed a little jumpy."

"What? No."

"Hmmm." Paige hesitated. "Are you…are you scared of thunderstorms, Walter?"

"N – no," he said. "A fear of thunderstorms is illogical. Unless you are trapped outside, or are working with metal at a high elevation, or you live in a flood plain…" he trailed off and cleared his throat.

She stroked his arm. "Talk to me."

"I'm just not sleeping well tonight, I guess."

He was brushing something off. Paige leaned down and kissed his shoulder. "Love. You can tell me."

"It's stupid."

"No it's not."

She heard his quiet scoff. "You don't even know what it is."

"But I know it's not stupid. Fears…anxieties…they're never stupid."

"I just, uh…we hear so many alarming sounds while on jobs. I guess when I'm asleep, or almost there, I hear the storm and my brain tells me we're in danger. So I launch into survival mode for a split second, only to realize that I'm here, and everything is okay. But the adrenaline is already there."

"Oh." Her voice was soft. "Anything I can do?"

"Mmm, no," he said. "Just an unfortunate side effect of…of being me, I guess."

Paige scooted closer, sliding a hand to his chest. "Do you want ear plugs?"

"Ear plugs?"

"Yeah. They're these things made of memory foam that you put…"

"Very funny." He shifted his weight. "I don't know if that would help."

"I have some in my bag." Paige eased out of the bed and shivered. It wasn't overly chilly in the garage, but she was only in shorts and a loose tee shirt and coming out from under the covers and losing their combined body heat, the temperature change was noticeable. She instinctively crossed one of her arms over her chest, then rolled her eyes at herself. It's not like anyone was here other than the guy who had already seen them. Locating her duffel, she found the sandwich bag in the side pocket and returned to the bed, feeling for Walter's hand and then pressing the ear plugs into his palm. "They will lessen the sound, anyway. And I'll be right here next to you."

"I'm not scared of storms, Paige."

"No, I know," she said. "I just mean I sleep better when you're close. So I'll hold you and maybe you'll relax enough that the noises won't make your brain think you're on a case."

"Hmmm." His other hand crossed over his body and squeezed hers. "Toby does always say that a thunderstorm is almost peaceful when you're cuddled up with someone you love. I always thought he was just being dramatic."

"He's right," Paige said softly. "I think it's because things may be raging outside, but everything inside is the same."

"Maybe. I suppose that makes sense. It's like we're perpetually in the eye of a hurricane. Around us is disaster, and it could come upon us at any moment, but at least for just a moment everything seems fine."

"Not…not quite what I meant. But sure." Paige lightly tapped his temple. "Ear plugs, mister."

Walter put them in, scooting slightly more toward the center of the bed. Paige laid her head on his chest, scooting closer as his arm wrapped around her lower back until his hand rested on her hip. Her hand absentmindedly rubbed his chest through his thin undershirt. "I love you," she murmured, then lifted her head. "Sorry," she said with a little laugh, in a normal tone. "Ear plugs. I forgot. I told you I love you."

"I know," he said. "I could feel the vibration from your throat on my chest."

"You can tell what I'm saying from that? Come on, Walter," she said with another laugh.

"No," he said. "But I know how you usually say it when we're like this. And I know how long it takes you to say it. And I could faintly hear your tone. So I knew what you said."

Paige leaned down and brushed her lips against his, then snuggled back down against him. "Good night, Walter," she said, again in her normal voice.

"Good night, Love."

Paige closed her eyes, breathing him in, feeling his fingers affectionately caress her hip.

Listen to the falling rain, listen to it fall. And with every drop of rain I can hear you call. Call my name right out loud; I can hear above the clouds. And I'm here among the puddles. You and I together huddle. Listen to the falling rain, listen to the rain.