Paige Dineen was going on a date.

The thought alone was enough to drive her mad as she threw clothes out of her closet and tripped over shoes strewn across the floor. She hadn't been on a date in a long time—not since Drew—mostly because she had been too worried about Ralph; raising him, being both parents as well as his friend, councilor and teacher, all at once. It was a challenge, not that she would change anything, and it definitely left no room for going out and meeting new people. And maybe, at the time, she hadn't been ready to go out and find her soulmate just yet, anyway.

Here she was, however, seven years later and about to vomit from the stress of finding the perfect outfit and making sure her hair stayed in place, all to impress some guy. She needed to get a grip.

A buzz sounded through the apartment just as Paige was slipping her feet into a pair of high-heeled suede booties, and she managed a quick glimpse into the hall mirror before heading toward the door. Fear of being overdressed had resulted in her wearing the kind of clothes she usually sported for work or meetings; black pants and a loose-fitting, sleeveless olive top – classy, but not too overbearing or desperate.

Tim was dressed in black pants as well, with a light blue shirt and a matching tie, tied crisply around his neck. He smelled good—really good—and was holding a bouquet of red roses. Paige didn't have much experience on the matter, but she was pretty sure Tim was exhibiting traits that most women would place into the category of "quality date material."

"Hey," she said breathlessly, accepting the flowers he held out to her. His smile was confident, and he didn't seem to be having trouble keeping his hair in place.

"You look beautiful," was his reply, and Paige felt herself blush as he ran an appreciative glance down her body.

"Thank you, so do you," she said before she could stop herself, and she winced as his eyes snapped back to hers, one brow rising in amusement. "I mean, you don't look beautiful, obviously." She waved her statement away with a laugh, stopping once she realized how ridiculous she must look and sound. "Not to say men can't be beautiful. In this day and age, men and women... can..." Oh, God, she was digging herself into a hole; further and further.

"You look nice," she amended after an awkward pause. "Very nice."

"Thanks," Tim chuckled warmly, and she sighed with relief when he turned and offered her his arm. "Ready to go?"

x

"So where is Ralph tonight?"

They were well into the main course. Tim had taken her to one of the nicest restaurants in town, and they had spent the better part of the last hour getting to know one another. Outside of Scorpion, Paige had discovered that when he wasn't on a special mission with Homeland or their team, Tim enjoyed being outdoors; hiking, kayaking, and camping. He also loved to fish, but always threw them back, had a younger sister, and loved to paint, though he never sat still long enough to get much done. He was very impressive. Paige, on the other hand, managed to flub most of her words and knock over a drink by gesturing too wildly. Being the perfect date, Tim did not comment on her inability to eat, drink or speak properly, and instead kept nerves to a minimum by asking her easy questions about herself or her son. For this, she was severely grateful.

"At the garage," she answered, after a sip of water. She placed the glass on the table gingerly, well out of reach, just in case she felt the need to start gesturing again. "Happy and Toby volunteered to watch him, so I'm sure he is being corrupted with only the best of intentions."

Tim laughed, knowing full well just how irresponsible Happy and Toby could be.

"So you told them, then? About the two of us going out?"

Not in so many words, but she knew Toby had probably figured it out from how secretive she had been about it. If not, he would just ask Ralph; she never kept any secrets from him. "They know, though I doubt they care very much. Toby would just be relieved that you weren't available to flirt with Happy."

Tim laughed again, and Paige found she quite liked the sound. He was perfect; good looking, great temperament. And he treated people well. There was nothing about him not to like. Something inside of her squirmed uneasily.

"That's good. Cabe told me about Walter's recently disbanded 'no fraternization' rule. I would have hated to break it and put us in a weird position."

Paige shifted uncomfortably, feeling both the need to defend Walter and berate his stupid rule and what it had meant for the two of them. She settled on the former, figuring Tim didn't need to know about that particular can of worms just yet. "He was looking out for the team. Walter may not like us pairing off and hanging out romantically, but there was zero chance he would let a rule like that break up Scorpion, no matter how strict he can sometimes be. We're a family."

"Good, then maybe the same thing will apply to us." He winked and Paige squirmed again. What was wrong with her?

They sat in silence for a few moments, finishing up their food. Paige concentrated on not dropping anything into her lap.

"Walter is a strange guy."

She looked up at that, startled. "Not bad strange," Tim added quickly, reacting to the surprised look on her face. "He just... has a peculiar way of acting on his thoughts and feelings."

"He's a genius," Paige replied automatically, though she could tell by Tim's face that he wasn't quite sure that counted as a counter argument.

"I mean... he does things differently than most people, but that's because he processes things differently. He outcasts himself because he was ostracized his entire life, and even though he makes up crazy rules and comes across as cold and calculating, it's because he has finally found a good thing in Scorpion and doesn't want to see it ruined, even though he claims it can't be done. He loves us—he's saved us all in one way or another—and he's strange sometimes because he has trouble saying it. He may not go out much, and has trouble doing anything that comes close to normal, but he's open and honest where and when it counts, though maybe not always with himself."

Pausing for a breath, Paige ducked her head, attempting to shield her flushed face as she leaned over to pick a stray thread from the bottom of her shirt. Tim cleared his throat, setting the glass he had been holding aside. "Seems like you really understand him."

Paige could hear the disappointment in his voice, but she only nodded, deciding to just let his thoughts wander where they wanted. He would probably hear some version of the truth from the others at some point, anyway. Besides. Right now, with Walter's presence hovering between them like a ghost, it was the calmest she had felt all evening. "It's my job to understand him. All of them," she added quickly.

Tim smiled at her over the top of their wineglasses. "You do it well."

The rest of their dinner passed with light conversation and no more mention of Walter or their strange group of friends. Finally, after desert had been finished and cleared away, she glanced at her watch, realizing that they had breezed through their evening a little too quickly. "It's getting late," she lied. "I really should go and pick up Ralph."

Tim nodded, signaling for the check. "Sure. Let's get you home."

x

An hour later, Paige pulled up to the garage. Ralph was asleep on the couch, cocooned beneath a mound of ratty, old blankets, and she found Happy and Toby in the kitchen, huddled around something on the small table that smelled a bit like burnt hair. Walter sat off to the side, his look of disapproval giving way to curiosity as the smell intensified. All three looked up when she entered the room. "There she is," Toby called over his shoulder.

"What are you working on?" She asked, chancing a peak over their hunched backs to the contraption on the table. It looked like two hot plates had hastily been welded together, and Toby was currently trying to shove a few pieces of bread between them.

"Cabe pointed out that we did not own a toaster, so Toby is attempting to build one," Walter offered when neither Toby nor Happy spoke up. "Would you like to try a piece?"

The makeshift toaster began smoking. "Uh, no thanks," Paige said, taking a step back. "It's getting late and I can't stay long. Thank you for watching Ralph." This, she directed at Happy and Toby.

"Late?" Toby said, looking up. "It's only ten. We figured you would be gone another hour or two, at least."

Happy elbowed her boyfriend.

"What I meant to say was you are absolutely right, it is getting late. And you're welcome; Ralph was no trouble." A pause. "Also, I take cash."

Happy rolled her eyes and slipped her hand into his. "We should get going." Toby protested as she pulled him away, but he relented at the suggestive look she sent his way. "See you guys tomorrow."

Paige watched them leave, acutely aware that she was now alone in the garage with Walter. Try as she might, she couldn't keep her mind from drifting to a few of the other times the two of them had been alone, landing on one memory in particular.

"Did you have fun on your date?"

Paige winced, any hope she had of Toby keeping his mouth shut disappearing. Though he tried to look nonchalant about it, it was obvious Walter was very interested in her answer as he fiddled with Toby's discarded toaster. For one, brief moment, Paige seriously considered lying, if only to catch a glimpse of the jealousy Walter had been displaying recently, particularly around Tim, but decided against it. Playing games would get them nowhere.

"It was okay," she admitted, sinking into a chair by the refrigerator. "But... I don't know. Tim is great, but I don't think we will be going out again."

"No?" Genuine curiosity. Hope. Paige suppressed a smile.

"No. He's not really my type."

Walter scoffed. "There is no such thing as a type. We are attracted to the people we are attracted to based on the primal urges we happen to be feeling at the time." He stopped for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Though the structure of a person's face can certainly help those urges along, I suppose..."

"You're right. Maybe I should go out with him again."

That shut him up. A few moments of silence, then: "Assuming such a thing exists, what, exactly, is your type?"

Paige looked up at him; Walter was fidgeting with a piece of Toby's invention he had accidentally broken off, trying very hard to look uninterested and failing. Ignoring the heavy thumping of her heart, she stood and slid her car keys out of her bag, passing him on her way back to her sleeping son. She wanted so badly to answer, but didn't trust the words that were threatening to spill out of her mouth. Too many secrets, too many feelings, too much room for heartbreak.

"I really should go. Goodnight, Walter."

Picking up a long discarded coffee mug, Walter nodded in her direction and began heading up the stairs to his loft. He seemed relatively unbothered, but she had a feeling that he, like her, would be mulling over his unanswered question all night. "Goodnight, Paige."

On the way home, Paige couldn't help but replay her conversation with Walter, brief as it was, over and over in her mind, comparing it to her dinner with Tim. How she couldn't seem to get on board with Tim's perfect mannerisms and behavior, but felt at ease or passionate whenever it came to Walter, despite the fact that they were going nowhere anytime soon. She considered what he had said about attraction. Maybe it did have to do with primal urges and other scientific nonsense but, in her experience, Like attracted Like. Paige was not perfect. She was not a genius or funny. She was a little broken and very afraid of the world. She was terrified of losing Ralph and the team, of intimacy and of being alone and no matter how hard she tried to move on and ignore it, Paige Dineen most definitely had a type. And it wasn't Tim.

End. x