PROMPT: Can you write a one shot where the car is on the edge of the cliff but Walters injures are worse so that's the main focus and not the car being about to fall. Also could you have him call Paige first and her yell at him and call him selfish for not answering Ralph and not give him a chance to explain when he didn't. You can end it however you want just please don't kill him.

This is an alternative version of the finale. Enjoy!


The nature was silent, calm; the only noise breaking the silence now and then was the creaking of a car shifting on the rocks of a cliff. That, and a phone ringing multiple times.
Walter was dizzy but he managed to wake up and soon he realized where he was. He felt like an idiot, he shouldn't never take the car to drive madly on the Los Angeles hills. Everything was under control until a stupid coyote ran in front of he car causing him to lose control and crush onto a guardrail. Now he was stuck on a teetering vehicle ready to fall down to his death, but actually that wasn't the main problem.

The phone rang once again; Walter was feeling sick and shaking when he tried to reach the phone with a hand. He was stuck on his seat and his movement were limited but, with a lot of patience and good will, he managed to grab the device. Unfortunately the phone stopped ringing.

"Damned" he said under his breath.

He winked few times unable to bring the screen into focus, so he closed his eyes frustrated and leaned back on the seat. His head was spinning when he opened his eyes again to control his condition; walter touched his left side and almost fainted at the sight of blood that covered his entire hand. Walter turned briefly his head down the hill to check his situation. He needed to call for help, not much for the position he was currently in, but more for the bad injuries. The genius took a better look at the phone and saw three missed call each from the garage, Sly and Toby, two from Happy and four from Paige.
She called him. He didn't think twice to recall her and thought that probably Ralph wanted to say goodbye. Despite the fact that he was conflicted by her decision to leave, surely he couldn't agree, somehow he understood that she was trying her best to keep Ralph safe and Scorpion was all but a safe place these last days.
It just hurt badly because of her words that cut through him in a way he would have never expected. Giving his low Emotional Quotient he didn't understand why he felt that and like the night before his eyes turned glossy. Walter pushed back the urge to cry blaming the headache he was experiencing instead and suppressing the pain that was wrapping his entire body.

Paige was losing her patience. Her son called Walter many times and every time he heard his recorded voice through the phone made her blood boil over and over again. She was packing the last few things for the weekend in Maine while Ralph was in his room collecting his things not so happy to leave. But she couldn't do otherwise, it was over: Scorpion, Walter… everything. Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by the ringtone of her phone and Paige grabbed it to answer, she couldn't believe at the name appeared on her screen.

"Glad you finally grew a pair!" she almost shouted.

"Paige" his voice was shaking, she didn't care.

"No, let me talk. I can't believe you didn't returned any of Ralph's call" she heard him call out her name three, four times, but she kept talking aloud "I always knew you had issues, Walter, but this is… way beneath you. You are selfish, and you are being a jerk. Do you have at least an explanation?".

Walter on the other side of the line surrendered to her scolding, but when it was his turn to reply he didn't have any energy left in his muscles to be able to answer. The more time passed, the more he felt he was losing consciousness and tried to open his mouth twice even if his voice never came out.

"Perhaps you lose your voice along your dignity?! ...What's wrong with you! You know how much you mean to Ralph, he looks up for you. God! Why did you call me back if you're not going to say a word?".

Walter closed his eyes and finally he heard his own voice echoing in the vehicle. "I... just wanted to h-hear your voice... once last time and-"

"Well you did. Time's over, I have a plane to take." Paige interrupted him once again.

"Kay" he barely spoke.

Paige was ready to end the call when she realized something what wrong, the tone of his voice was different and the last time he heard him talk like that was... when he was dying from a bite of a deadly snake. Then he said 'one last time' like he meant it to be forever, maybe it was just paranoia but she convince herself to question him about it. "Walter, what's going on?".

"I-I might need help" he managed to let out a whisper. He was sweating and could feel his body temperature raising while his bones were aching.

"Why? What are you talkin-".

Walter cut her out abruptly with few simply words that made her blood run cold and sent her body directly in shock.

"I'm bleeding out" she almost let the phone slept from her fingers.

"What did you just said?" her voice shifted from hatred to concern in a millisecond.

Walter took a deep breath and coughed twice, three times before he was finally able to repeat what he just said. "I'm bleeding out. I…, I think I might die here…"

"Here? Here where Walter?" she was panicking now.

"When y-you left last night I…, I took my new car and I ran a little too f-fast… damned Mother Nature! I should call for he-… help….. instead of you b-but as I just said I…" he paused. He was experiencing something he never did before and it scared him like hell. Maybe he was hallucinating, but this was very real. "I needed to hear your voice".

"Walter, why in the earth didn't you call the authorities?… An ambulance? Something?" she ran to her landline and dialed fast 911. "Where are you?"

"I don't know… I can't-"

"Walter? Stay with me..., keep talking" she closed the call for the 911 and called the garage instead. "I'm calling Toby! The guys are more efficient..." she said with a said smile remarking one of his favorite words "They'll track your GPS immediately and everything's gonna be fine. Where does it hurt?"

"My left side, my head is…" he watched his hand covered in blood. He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. "I don't..., thi-think I can make it" he whispered.

"Don't you dare!".

"Paige, I just wanted to tell you…" she froze.

"Walter? WALTER?" he didn't answered.

Walter wanted to use those words he never really came to understand in person. People said I love you all the time, but love was just a semi-euphoric, temporary chemical reaction… junk science.
He closed his eyes as something drew him deep down. Still he could feel that thing inside his chest oppressing him. He tried hard to stay awake, but he just couldn't anymore. He thought to hear some voice calling his name up on the hill, but he was probably wrong. Nobody was coming, he was alone.

Then everything faded to back.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

When Walter's eye popped open again he wasn't in the car anymore. He was lying on a soft mattress, facing a white ceiling that he never saw before. The young man started analyzing the surroundings tilting his head back and forth. His eyed a person curled on the couch beside him; Paige was sleeping in a position who looked all but comfortable. He concluded that he was in a hospital room and most importantly, he wasn't dead.
Walter watched Paige sleep for a while mapping out a list of questions that urged an immediate answer, he wanted to say something to acknowledge the fact he was awake. The genius was growing impatience and let out a breath turning his head to the clock on the wall in front of him and started counting the seconds.

"Walter?" Paige called his name softly and squeezed his hand tentatively knowing that he didn't like physical contact. Walter didn't seemed to bother.

However he jumped at the sound of her voice who brought him back to reality.
Walter stared at her for a moment studying her body language even if he wasn't good like Toby.

"What happened? I thought…, I..." He could tell by the bags under her red eyes that Paige was sleep deprived and she cried. A lot.

"You've been unconscious for three days... What in earth were you thinking?". A tear fell on her cheek and quickly she dried it away.

Walter stayed silent observing her in an unreadable expression, so she continued "Oh, the guys are going to tell you in details what happened. They ask it specifically so they could let you know everything they did to save you... They've been pretty good, you know? Well, maybe also because they were scared like hell." Paige gave him a sad smile.

Walter was taken aback by her behavior, she was unconsciously rubbing his hand. And that feeling came back to haunt him but tried his best to repress it. "Aren't you angry with me?"

"Oh I am, actually I'm pissed..." she bit her bottom lip "I thought I'd lost you, Walter."

Tears started falling down her cheek as Paige couldn't contain them anymore, but her eyes opened wide and suddenly she wasn't breathing.
Walter was wiping her them away with his right hand and was too focus on the tears to notice that she was dazzled. "I'm sorry" the genius added hesitantly once he was finished with her itched skin. Then he looked up just in time to see Paige's face inches away from his; she kissed him on the cheek near the corner of his lips.

He froze at the contact or when she whispered in his ear, he couldn't decide.
"I really care about you Walter."

"Okay" he replied swallowing loudly causing Paige to giggle.

Walter didn't ask what was so funny, he just enjoyed the moment. He was smiling because she was too; that woman had such effect on him, he finally came to realize that she made him happy. "Me too" he added quickly not aware that this time he was the one rubbing her hand.
And Paige was too proud of his improved EQ to bring it to his attention.

Walter mind was somewhere else too preoccupied to analyze pro and cons of his entire emotional life (not that there was that much to analyze). He reached a solution: love wasn't so much junk science anymore.

Fin


A/N: Thank you for reading this alternative version and please review it!