WriterFreak001:

Nothing new, really. Other than this one-shot.

Title | Circles & Squares

Fandom | Scorpion (CBS)

Description | I wanted to write a follow-up to the end of 1x18 "Once Bitten, Twice Die."

Rating| This fanfiction will be rated T for brain stuff and slightly more than fluff.

POV | Limited Third Person

Disclaimer | While CBS owns Scorpion, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

Claimer | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

Circles & Squares

Written by WriterFreak001

One-Shot

~ SCORPION ~

As Cabe's SUV slowed to a stop in front of the university, Walter watched Paige eagerly hop out of the vehicle with her bag clinging to her shoulder. "Oh, my God. I made it,"Paige exclaimed as she spun around and faced the SUV. "This is amazing!"

"Seven minutes to spare," Walter smiled after he climbed out of the car.

"Oh," she chuckled as she looked back at the university and then turned to face him. "I-I didn't have a chance to cram today…." She caught his gaze. "I know you think this stuff is nonsense, but…," Paige paused and took a step towards Walter, "I'm nervous."

"You outshined and impressed a seasoned diplomatic envoy today. So," he rolled his eyes, "if you can do that, you can crush the test." He remembered how she used her learnings of European history to help with the case; while he initially thought Liberal Arts were useless piles of information, if it hadn't been for Paige's knowledge of the history and traditions of Lithuania, Belarus and Latvia, President Kreshenko would have died, and the world would be embarking World War III. He was wrong to classify European history as useless garbage; while he didn't think all Liberal Arts were useful, he was beginning to believe that maybe, just maybe, some subjects other than science and mathematics were valuable. He made a mental note never to take Paige's dedication to the team for granted again. As Paige gave him a wide smile, his stomach flipped. "I'm proud of you," Walter returned his translator's smile and tried to repress the subtle feelings he felt whenever he was near the woman standing in front of him.

"Thank you, Walter," A small grin formed on Paige's lips and then she turned around to head for her class. As Walter watched her walk away, she turned towards him and flashed another smile before redirecting her attention towards the building. As she disappeared behind the doors, his smile fell; twice she walked away from him today. The first time wasn't pleasant; he had made a comment that disappointed her. But, tonight was different. He knew he messed up this morning, and he wanted to make up for his mistake – he needed to show her that even though he thought most Liberal Art classes were ridiculous, she was still important to him.

Walter jammed his hands into his pockets and stood still; he didn't even notice Cabe rolling down the window. "Hey, kid. You plannin' on walkin' home?"

Walter shook away his thoughts and turned towards Cabe. "No. I'm coming." As Walter climbed into the car, he noticed Paige's phone resting on the seat behind Cabe. "Hold that thought," Walter said quickly as he reached for Paige's phone and bolted out of the vehicle. He didn't know if she needed it, but he would feel better if she had it on her person anyway. With their line of work, anything was bound to happen. He scrambled up the flight of stairs, remembering she had mentioned on the way to the university that her class was on the second level. Room 231, he reminded himself. He raced down the hallway and saw Paige turning to go into her classroom. He called her name. She spun around and gave him a strange look as he slowed to a stop and rested his hands on his knees.

"Walter, I have a test in five minutes." Paige lifted her eyebrow as he caught his breath. He straightened his back and dug his hand into his pocket, revealing her cellphone.

"You left your phone in the SUV." Walter said as he dropped the mobile device into her hands.

"Thanks," Paige laughed and slipped her phone into her bag. "I can't use it during the test so it wasn't necessary to bring it up to me. I could have just swung by the garage and picked it up tomorrow."

"I know," Walter raked his hand through his hair, "but you never know when you'll need it." He swallowed. "And…, um, I'd, uh, I'd like to know how your exam goes afterwards."

"But why do you care?" Paige crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. "I thought you said you thought Liberal Arts were nonsense."

"I did." Walter quickly shook his head, "I mean, I do still think that. I um, I m-might not care about Liberal Arts, but," he swallowed the lump in his throat and bit his lip as he met her gaze, "I care about you." A smile found Paige's lips. He took a step backward, realizing he was wasting her cramming time so as he turned on his heels, he said, "Anyway, you've got your phone now, so yeah. I'll leave you to your test." He flashed her a smile and added, "I know you'll do well."

As he slowly headed for the flight of stairs, Paige softly spoke his name.

"Yeah?" He turned towards her, and she surprised him with a kiss on his cheek. He froze in response to her subtle, unexpected touch. As her mellifluous voice whispered a 'thank you' into his ear, he had forgotten how to function, let alone breathe. She spun around on her toes and hurried towards her classroom door. Minutes after she disappeared into her classroom, Walter recovered from his stupor and pressed his lips together. As he whirled around and headed for the stairs, he ran into an abandoned janitor cart and knocked over its brooms and mops. He haphazardly picked them up, leaned them against the side of the cart and waited for a second to make sure they didn't fall again before scuttling out of the building like an idiot.

~ SCORPION ~

Walter took a sip of his electrolyte concoction and swallowed it quickly; telling Cabe that his homemade elixir tasted disgusting was an understatement. It was absolutely revolting – but necessary. The area around his bite was still red and irritated, and it hurt like hell. It probably wouldn't stop hurting for another few days, and he had a feeling Cabe was going to make him take things easy until his bite was completely healed.

After Walter placed Ferret Bueller into a temporary, makeshift cage, he made his way over to his whiteboard and started writing down a bunch of figures for an algorithm he had been working on for his rocket. He needed a distraction – something to keep him from overanalyzing the platonic kiss Paige had given him on the cheek. He had to convince himself that Paige's kiss was meaningless – it stemmed from gratitude; nothing else. It couldn't be anything else; it shouldn't be. Paige was his friend and so was her son. He was aware of the subtle feelings he felt whenever he was around her. Her smile often lit up his entire day; he could watch her all day and calculate every arc of her smile until they've been committed to memory. Paige, if anything, was aesthetically beautiful, and Walter certainly wasn't blind. She had always been beautiful to him, and as much as he wanted– no, craved – something more with her, his relationship with the young mother must stay professional.

After all, Ralph was Walter's main priority.

Pursuing a relationship with Paige was one risk Walter couldn't gamble. If something happened between them, then he risked pushing her away; Paige was everything he wasn't, and if he couldn't connect with her, he was not only jeopardizing his friendship with her but also with Ralph. Paige and Ralph were a package deal; if Walter ever drove Paige away, Ralph would be affected too.

Walter glanced at his algorithm and erased it, dissatisfied with the system. He walked over to the couch in his loft and slumped into the cushions. He kicked his shoes off and reclined on the sofa, resting his head on the pillow. He covered his eyes with his right arm and groaned. He was the fourth smartest man ever recorded, and he couldn't win. He could calculate and formulate perfect equations, crack the hardest encryptions, help a boy stay alive underwater without breathing, but when it came to processing emotions, it was like he was standing in front of the Rosetta stone. Nothing made sense. He could try analyzing his feelings for hours and never come to a conclusion.

Just when he started seeing himself settling down with the woman who often plagued his mind, he began to realize any non-platonic relationship with Paige was impossible. It couldn't happen. It shouldn't happen. A relationship with Paige could have a negative impact on Ralph, but while he was contented with the current relationship he had with Paige, he still wanted something more. But he couldn't have it. He shouldn't have it. He would be lying to himself if he said he wanted their relationship to remain the same for as long as she was in his life – having only a platonic relationship with Paige plagued him just as much as the idea of risking his bond with Ralph if he was to ever act on his feelings with the boy's mother.

Walter heaved a sigh.

He simply couldn't win.

…

When he heard the door to his loft slam shut, he jerked forward and turned to find Paige with a sleeping Ralph in her arms. What was she doing here? He glanced at his watch. 11:45 PM. At this time, too?

"When I came home after the test, Ralph wanted to see how you were doing after I told him about our crazy day," Paige spoke softly as Walter approached the mother and son. "He fell asleep on the way though, and I didn't have the heart to wake him."

"Here," Walter whispered as he lifted the boy out of the woman's arms, "I can take him." He hoisted Ralph into his arms and ignored the pain of his bite as he carried him towards his makeshift bedroom. Paige followed. Walter placed the boy on his bed and then pulled out the cot from underneath his bed. He quickly assembled the folding bed together and moved Ralph on to the smaller bed before draping a few blankets over the boy. As Walter led Paige out of his room, they sat down on the couch.

Paige was the first to speak. "Since when did you have a cot available in your room?"

"I bought it a few weeks back," Walter shrugged as he reached for his elixir and took a swig. His face contorted in response to the taste. "With some of the late nights you work on filling out forms and paperwork, I figured it would be a good idea to invest in another bed for Ralph. That way, he can sleep up here, and you won't have to worry about waking him or keeping quiet." Walter placed his glass back on the small table in front of him and leaned backwards against the couch.

"That's very thoughtful," Paige smiled as she placed her hand on his and squeezed it. "But there are couches up here, too."

"Yes," Walter nodded, "But they aren't very comfortable for sleeping."

"I wouldn't know," Paige chuckled; Walter noted how her thumb gently brushed across the top of his hand. How little she knew how her delicacies affected him.

"So," Walter swallowed the lump in his throat and withdrew his hand from hers; he noticed the small flash of disappointment in Paige's eyes as he pulled away from her. "How was your test?"

Paige smiled and stretched her arms. "I think I nailed it, but I won't know until the grades are posted on Monday."

"I knew you would," Walter smirked as he rose to his feet and reached for his glass. He walked to the counter and refilled the cup. "Do you, uh, want something to drink? Or, eat?"

"I'm good," Paige replied; he could hear her approaching him. She leaned her back against the counter and faced outward. "But…, I think we should talk."

Walter forced a chuckle but didn't look at her; "We are talking."

She remained silent for a few minutes, and he was beginning to wonder if he had said something offensive. "How much…," Paige finally spoke, "How much do you remember when you were taken to the bedroom where President Kreshenko was being treated for his poison?"

Walter had been afraid she would ask about that moment of weakness he endured as his body was fighting off the venom. There was a brief second where he thought he was going to die, and something had compelled him to apologize for not taking Paige out to dinner on Valentine's Day. He knew she was dissatisfied when he abruptly changed his mind that night about the 'business dinner,' and it had been bugging him since. It still bugged him. "N-not much," he lied. "W-why do you ask?"

He glanced at her, but she didn't return his gaze. "N-no reason," Paige was clearly disappointed. He recognized the tone of her voice. She pushed herself away from the counter and stammered, "I should…I should get Ralph. It's getting late."

He mentally cursed himself; he was trying to keep himself emotionally distant from her because he feared getting too close would ultimately push her away, but the way she slowly sauntered away from him made him realize he was going to push her away anyway if he didn't try to open up to her. "Paige, wait." He caught up to her as she stopped in her tracks, but he kept his distance. "I remember everything."

She turned to face him. "Then why lie about it?"

Walter didn't answer.

"Walter?" Her expression softened; she reached for his hand, but he retracted. Paige inhaled a deep sigh and pinched her nose. "I can't deal with this right now. Look," she combed her hand through her hair, "if you're uncomfortable with oversharing, that's fine. I get it. You don't have to talk if you don't want to, and I won't force you." Paige inhaled a deep breath and released it slowly. "But don't lie to my face; that is something I will not tolerate."

She turned away, and on impulse, he grabbed her hand. He could have sworn he heard a small gasp escape her lips but he dismissed it. She didn't turn around, though. He released the breath he didn't know he was holding and softly spoke. "We planned a business dinner for February 14th, and, um, I had every intention of following through with those plans…. I made reservations at Escala for 8 PM…."

Paige still didn't turn around. "So why did you cancel?"

He inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I f-figured c-cancelling w-was the, um, the best course of action at the time."

"Was it because of what happened on the cruise?" Paige turned to face him; she met his eyes.

"Yes… and no." Walter swallowed as Paige led him to the couch. After they sat down with their hands still interlinked, Paige urged him to continue. "I, um, I only used what happened on the cruise as an excuse to call the dinner off. It was, um, it was a w-wall I could hide behind to g-give me time to s-sort some things out."

"What things?" Paige inquired; he noted how her fingers laced with his. He felt the urge to pull away, but he didn't. He kept silent though. "What things, Walter?" Paige had no idea how loaded her question was.

He inhaled a deep breath and swallowed. He didn't know how to express himself without sounding like a babbling idiot. He then had an idea and raced over to his whiteboard. He drew a circle and a square. Paige walked up to him as he pointed to the square. "The square is what I currently have, and the circle represents things that I want. Wh-what I want is very different than what I have." He drew two ledges as if the circle and square were divided by a crevice. "There's a very big obstacle k-keeping me in the square-zone, and I w-was t-told I need to, um, to figure out how to c-connect the square with the circle effectively before I can even th-think about reaching the circle, b-but I don't know how to b-bridge that divide, a-and n-not b-being able to, um, to have th-the circle is e-eating me away."

He placed the cap back on the marker and swallowed as Paige marveled the whiteboard. "Who told you this?"

"It doesn't matter." Walter quickly answered. "All that does matter is that she was right."

"She?" Paige lifted her eyebrow and folded her arms against her chest. "I saw you having a conversation with your ex the night you cancel our dinner; was she the one who told all of this to you?"

Walter sighed. No more lies. "Yes."

Paige took a step closer to him and gently rested her palm against his arm. "While I don't know what you were talking about, I do know one thing." Paige squeezed his arm. "She's wrong."

"She's not wrong," Walter shook his head.

"How do you know, then?" Paige challenged. "How do you know she's not wrong?"

Walter shook his head and walked back over to the counter. He wasn't going to have this conversation with Paige now. He was afraid as to where it might lead. "I just do."

"Not good enough," Paige followed him. "I have seen you push yourself to your limits and overcome almost every obstacle coming your way; you are a brilliant mind, Walter, and you have never let something keep you away from your goals. So, unless she had specific proof to back up her claims, she – whatever she was talking about – is wrong."

"But that's just it, Paige!" Walter threw his hands into the air. Paige jumped from his sudden outburst. "She does have proof! She knows I don't have what it takes to have what I want and sustain it without pushing you away in the process!"

Paige was taken aback. Her voice softened. "Pushing me away? What are you taking about, Walter? What do I have to do with all of this?"

"Everything!" Walter exclaimed but then quieted his voice when he remembered Ralph was sleeping. "Absolutely everything." He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the loft towards the lower level of the garage. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he continued. The cat was out of the bag, now. "What I want, Paige," he released her hand and took a few steps away from her, "is you." She released a soft gasp of air, but he didn't give her time to respond. "But I can't have you; it wouldn't be fair to you. I can't process emotion in the way normals can."

He raked his fingers through his hair and paced the floor. "It is killing me to have these unfamiliar feelings for you and not be able to process them. I can calculate anything anybody ever gives me. I can design the most difficult encryption in a matter of minutes. But I can't translate or compute the things I feel around you. They don't make sense, and it's driving me insane. And as I have these conflicting IQ and EQ moments going on inside my mind, I have to remind myself that I as much as I want things in a relationship I've never wanted before, I can't have them. I shouldn't have them. I shouldn't want to have them because Ralph is my priority." Walter continued pacing and flailing his arm into the air.

"Any non-platonic relationship between us could be detrimental to my relationship with Ralph. If something drove a wedge between us, then I would lose Ralph too. I can't let that happen. I won't let that happen. But at the same time," he finally caught Paige's eyes as he stopped pacing and fell to his knees. He started staring at the floor with his hands gripping his curls. "I can't stop the growth of the feelings I feel around you, Paige. I can't stop them; it pains me to want something so badly and know I c-c-can't have it. So I push away – distance is easier. But when I push you away, it hurts even more. Even if I'm contented with what we currently have," he met her gaze again; he didn't understand what sort of expression she was giving off. "I still feel like I can't win."

"Walter…," Paige walked up to him slowly and knelt beside him. He looked at the floor again. "Look at me," she demanded. He refused to obey. She cupped his face and forced him to look at her; he saw unshed tears in her eyes. He felt guilty; he didn't intend to make her cry. "If you keep pushing people away, how can you ever win, Walter? You might be afraid of particular unknowns, but you shouldn't torture yourself either. You don't know what the future holds; no one does." She pushed herself to her feet and instructed him to follow her back up the stairs. He complied. When they arrived at the loft, Paige pulled him towards the whiteboard. "What did Janice tell you exactly?"

Walter inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I, um, I asked her w-what I sh-should do s-so that I d-don't make the same mistakes again…, and she, in simpler terms, t-told me to m-make sure I e-establish, um, e-establish an emotional connection with you first…. Before anything else."

"I know Janice meant well, but her advice was garbage." Paige frowned. "She had no right to tell you that, Walter, because she knows nothing about me. And she doesn't know you as well as she thinks she does either. But you are right about one thing, Walter." Paige pointed to the board. "There is an obstacle standing in the way, but it isn't your high IQ or your alleged inability to connect either." she cupped his cheeks again, "What's blocking yourself from reaching your circle are your doubts and your insecurities. Nothing else. Everything you told me downstairs is what's keeping you rooted in your square. Because, trust me, if making connections was your problem, I wouldn't be doing this," her thumbs caressed his cheeks, "Or, this." She kissed his forehead. Then both cheeks.

"Paige… I…," he tried to pull away but she tightened her grip around him. "I'm ill-equipped. I can't do this."

"With that attitude," Paige stroked his face, "You're right. You won't be able to." She slid her arms from his neck and held his hands. "But since when did Walter O'Brien ever say he couldn't do something?" She paused but when he didn't answer, she continued. "Remember when Ralph was guiding you through the layout of that Overt Target game, and you came across a pit with an indefinite depth?" Walter nodded. "When Ralph gave you the strongest promise he could make, did you back down?"

"No. I jumped." Walter replied, not sure as to where she was going with this conversation.

"That's right, Walter. You jumped. You didn't jump because you knew what was ahead of you; you jumped because you trusted Ralph and took a leap of faith. The turnout of the case was successful all because you trusted my son. Now," she redirected him to the board, "Today, you let yourself be bitten by a venomous snake in order to stop World War III from happening; it was not a calculable risk, Walter. Had Happy not recovered the ferret, you wouldn't be here right now. You almost died today, Walter, and had you done so, I would be beside myself right now. I would be blaming myself because I was the one who dropped the ferret and let it get away. The risk you took today was irresponsible and insane, but you took it anyway, banking on positive results." She pointed to the square, "On a day to day basis, what you want is to catch the bad guys. And often, cases involve risks, but no matter how high the stakes are, you take them anyway. That's just how you are." She then pointed to the circle. "You want the circle?" She glanced at him. "You want m-me?" He nodded in response. "Then stop trying to build a damn bridge and jump. Because if you don't make that leap," Paige cupped his face, "I will because you're not the only one who wants what you want."

Walter froze.

Did his brain correctly perceive what he thought his ears had heard?

Was his mind playing tricks on him?

Before Walter could process another thought, he felt a pair of soft lips brush against his. He pulled away, "What about Ralph? I c-can't jeopardize my relationship with him."

"You won't," Paige pulled him down for another kiss. This time, it was more heated than the first.

"How do you know for sure?" Walter inquired as he pulled away again.

"Because nothing can ever drive us away from you," she smiled and kissed him again. "I love you, Walter." Before he had time to analyze her statement, she kissed him hard on the mouth. Her tongue found his as she slowly walked him towards the couch. She pushed him backwards and he fell into the sofa where she straddled him. Things escalated quickly, and Walter felt surreal. He didn't know what was happening anymore. He heard a moan escape his lips as the young mother dry-humped her hips against his. "You know you want me, Walter," she whispered into his ear. "I want you too."

~ SCORPION ~

Walter's eyes flickered open to the sound of his phone going off. He jerked forward – perhaps too quickly – and reached for his phone. He saw the name on the contact and gulped. Paige. He couldn't believe the dream he had had about her – they were getting more intense. More graphic. More visceral. And he remembered every detail of it, too.

He then remembered the phone call and answered it before placing the phone against his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey…" Paige's voice danced into his ear. "I know you wanted me to call you after my exam, and I intended to, but when I got home, I sort of passed out on the couch after putting Ralph to bed. I figured you were still up." she paused when he yawned, "I didn't wake you, did I?"

Walter looked at his watch. It was nearing 2 AM. "No. Nope." He spoke quickly. "Just a little groggy from the disgusting elixir I have to drink; that's all. How was your test?"

"Hopefully good." He could hear a smile in her voice. "But I won't find out until Monday."

"I'm sure you crushed it." Walter raked his hand through his hair.

"Thanks," Paige muttered. "Anyway, I should probably get going; I promised Ralph I'd take him to the Science center tomorrow morning." She paused. "Do you want to come with us?"

Walter's ears perked at the invitation. Should he? Could he? He then remembered his dream – how Dream World Paige told him he needed to start taking more leaps of faith. Paige was his circle, and he was a square; if he ever hoped to have any sort of future with Paige Dineen, he needed to make the jump instead of waiting for his EQ to develop. Paige accepted him for who he was, and he knew that now. "Yeah," Walter smiled. "Sounds like fun."

~ SCORPION ~

WriterFreak001:

Well this one-shot didn't end like I thought it would. I was actually not writing the middle section as a dream – it just happened to turn out that way towards the end. Well, this was another one-shot for ya! What did you think!?