Title: Something New
Summary: Paige returns to the garage to retrieve something she'd forgotten. During which, she stubbled upon Walter's hidden talent. Something new and beautiful.
Characters: Walter, Paige
Setting: Anytime.
DISCLAIMER: All rights goes to CBS and relevant parties, as I do not own Scorpion.
Author's Note: Sorry for the MIA. I went on a long vacation, just got back, been jet-lagged and uninspired. (and my laptop crashed, argh) I haven't even been caught up in reading the new stories uploaded here :( But anyway, I finally found time to watch Scorpion and get back in the writing grove. This is very mildly inspired by the movie La La Land, as I thought of this idea when I was listening to the soundtrack. Enjoy this one-shot!
Paige sighed and inwardly cursed herself.
She couldn't have been that forgetful. Albeit yes, Team Scorpion has had a long day. Flying across continents, saving millions of lives from yet another nuclear disaster. It almost seemed routine. Except that, the mountain of paperwork and reports she had to deal with was always there. They always felt like they were still a burden. The weekend was nearing and the team decided to take the week off to relax, in the hopes of avoiding another case to safe the world again. Paige, like the others, intended to bring home the work to complete before the much needed weeklong hiatus. However, she had left her file folder in the garage.
What a perfect start to the weekend, she thought.
Paige then started her internal debate. To drive back to the garage, or not.
If she didn't, she would have to wait till tomorrow to drop by. Which meant that her early night today would be wasted, not clearing the rest of the work she'd left. If she did drop by, she could disturb Walter, but she would be able to get a little bit of stuff done before she went to sleep. Anyway, Ralph was at Sylvester's spending the night. She could leave the house anytime she wanted tonight. If she waited till tomorrow, she would have to have her neighbour watch him, or take him with her, which sounded like a huge chore to drag him out of bed after a late night.
She sighed again.
Looks like she had already made her decision.
Tonight, it shall be.
-SCORPION-
There was only Walter left in the garage.
The rest of the team left in a jiffy. Toby and Happy dropped off their luggages, picked up their work and headed off to their homes to rest. They were going on a couple's retreat during the weeklong break. Cabe went to a Chinese restaurant to meet up with Allie. Paige left for home too. And last but not least, Sylvester took Ralph for a sleepover. He reckoned that Paige was going to be completing her mountain of paperwork today instead of spreading it out during the break. He too, had things to do but something in him ticked and decided that it was a good day to do something different.
Something he hadn't done in a long time.
He walked over to the piano at the back of the garage.
It was dusty, so he took an old rug and wiped it down gently. He lifted the chair and brought it back slightly, giving him just enough leg room for the pedals and to rest his hands comfortably on the keys.
Unbeknownst to the team, this piano was his treasure. He used to play it all the time when he first got the garage. With little jobs to keep him occupied and lesser friends for company in the early days, he would sit here and play, sometimes just for a short while, other days maybe for hours.
Music kept him company.
When Scorpion grew and expanded, the time to practise the instrument grew less and less, and eventually he stopped altogether.
It has been about five years since he last played anything on this piano. A long time, he thought.
It was so long, he didn't even think anyone knew he played. Not even Cabe.
When his fingers landed on the keys, he exerted a soft pressure and heard the note ring. He then hit another with his right hand. He then brought his left hand up and rested it an octave below his right. He pressed another key and not before long, he was playing a song.
A classical piece.
He couldn't remember the name though, it had been forever.
-SCORPION-
When she pulled up at the garage and got out of her car, all she could hear was the wind and the rustles of the leaves. The street was peaceful. No cars, no people, just her and the lights illuminating from the garage. She walked slowly to the front door, placing her hand on the doorknob. She turned it almost immediately. But a sound stopped her.
It wasn't just a sound.
It was a melody.
A piano, or radio? She couldn't hear it too well over the wind and leaves.
And strangely enough, it was coming from inside the garage.
To feed her curiosity, she opened the door and peeked in.
-SCORPION-
Paige certainly didn't see and hear what she was expecting. She thought she'd made a mistake, that the sound was coming from a really good quality radio on the classical music station.
What she saw though, was Walter O'Brien, sitting on the piano chair, fingers fluttering gracefully over the black and white, playing what she recognised as Pachelbel's Canon in D.
He was good. It was almost as if he'd practised secretly for hours, over many many years. He did not look down at his fingers, not even once. His head was down, but his eyes were closed, his body swaying slightly in rhythm, soaking in the beautiful melody.
He probably doesn't even know I'm here, she thought.
She shut the door behind her softly, careful not to disturb his musical trance. She tiptoed over to her desk, again, careful not to make any noise. She spotted the folder that she wanted, so she reached over and picked it up, tucking it in her purse. She wanted to leave. But his piano playing was captivating her, it intrigued her. Her mind flooded with questions. When did he learn? Did he play often? She has never heard him play before. Why play today? She knew he could sing. She knew he liked certain types of music, jazz was his favourite. But, the thought that he played an instrument did not even crossed her mind.
Although, now that she thought about it, he looked a lot more like a guitar person.
She was brought out of her thoughts when Walter finished playing the piece, playing the last chord and letting the sound linger by resting his foot on the sustain pedal. He turned to look to his right, something he used to do when he finished playing. His sister used to sit to his right.
It was only then when he saw Paige.
"How...How long have you been here?" He lifted his foot off the pedal, shocked at how she was in the garage. She's the first to hear him play. Besides his sister, of course.
Paige leant onto the cement pillar and gave him a soft smile. "Not long," She looked at him and held his gaze. "I didn't know you play. Pachelbel's Canon in D, huh? Impressive."
"Oh. Thanks." He looked down at the keys and smiled. His facial expression then changed. "Not many people knew I played though."
"A well-kept secret?" She suggested, moving a little closer, but still keeping most of her body against the pillar.
"You could say that." He left it as that for a while. But when she didn't say anything else, he felt the need to add more. "I used to play a lot. Before Scorpion. When I first moved here or for Megan. After a while, I stopped. I only played when Megan asked me to. I always looked to her for feedback. I almost forgot that I played. Until today. I erm...forgotten what its like to hear myself play, I guess. So I just sat down..." His voiced trailed but she got the idea.
After a little moment of silence, she said something. "I actually play too."
"You do?" Walter was surprised. But then again, given the fact that she sang really really well, it was only natural that she could play too.
He scooted over to the left, making a small spot for her to sit down. She saw and accepted his non-verbal invitation.
"Same song?" He asked, unsure.
She nodded. "The piece sounds great when its a duet."
"I've never tried."
She laughed. Not at him, but at the obvious answer because he couldn't have. He only has two hands. He couldn't have played a duet by himself.
"What?" He said, fingers in position, ready to play.
"Nothing." She then smiled again and added softly. "I thought you were a guitar guy."
He stared at her. "I play both."
"And what was it they say...You learn something new everyday?"
"Yes. I believe that is so." He said as he looked at where and how she positioned her fingers. Just like a pianist, he thought.
He wasted no more time and started hitting the keys. She followed his lead, filling the garage with pleasant notes ringing and lingering in the air.
A/N: Ah, it is my wish that this would happen on the show. Or anything similar. All reviews are appreciated :)