They were the key to unlocking her son. She had never understood what was going on behind his eyes. He did well enough in school, never asked for her help in it, unless he needed things for his projects. He opened up enough about his games, and liked painting her nails. That was what she understood about her son. His teachers never commented much about him, only that he was quiet, and didn't talk much. His tests were good, and that there were other problem children, so they didn't really have much time for a good student. If she could have afforded it, she would have sent him to private school. She knew that something needed to be done, but she didn't know what.
Being forced to stay at the diner, while her apparently illegal alien of a boss ran, was the best thing for her son. He opened up like never before, with people he barely knew. She was amazed and jealous. She was his mother, and she should have KNOWN. She was with him all the time. He never said anything, never clued her in. And this strange man, Walter, who occasionally fixed the wifi, told her more about her son and what he was doing than she learned in 8 years of being with him, day in and day out. How could she have missed this?
It hurt her. She was his mom, and she could tell she was losing the number one place in his heart. She knew that he was already smarter than her, on paper at least, and that one day he would go off and be something amazing. However, she could also now see that contacting home would be a low priority for him, something that he wouldn't think of doing unless it was relevant. It stung, that all her dreams of him coming home in the future, talks about normal things, like prom, and dates, and many other milestones were never going to happen 'normally.'
It killed her that her son would say things like 'you wouldn't understand' or 'Walter and the others would get it,' when they were at home now. Like she wasn't really needed, or wanted. That she couldn't comprehend what was going on in that brain of his. That all she was to him is his mother.
To top it off, they were in her son's life now, and controlling hers. She needed the job, and enjoyed feeling somewhat useful, although half the time, she had no idea what she was doing. But she stayed, for her son. And somewhat for the rest of the team. She had learned some of their backstories, and from what she could make of it, they were emotionally harrowing. So they took in a fellow genius, and tried to give him what they never had; love. They really didn't know what it was, only knew what it wasn't. And she was so thankful, her son was smiling more. Her baby. Her little boy.
Then she would watch not only her son's interactions with the team, but their interactions with him, and she realized, even if they didn't, that they needed him too. Their emotional levels were still somewhat child like in the way that they had bigger more expensive toys, pouted when something didn't go their way, ran away when something hurt them, and still couldn't learn to play nice with others. They were a band of misfits that were thrown together, and stayed together because it was better than being alone, and because they understood one another. Her son included.
And then they reacted to her like a child starved of affection, and she was the first warm hug they ever got. And maybe it was. From what she could tell of Toby's marriage, it was one of convenience and was toxic. For both of them. Happy never had anyone stable in her life until the team. Walter was doing a man's work before he hit puberty. Sylvester grew up with parents that were overwhelmed and couldn't understand, and were waiting for it to all be over. That scared her the most, because she could easily see herself and Ralf evolving to that. Even now that image loomed over her somedays, knowing just how smart her son was to be talking to people who regularly solved highly complex problems like it's something easy. Knowing that she would never be able to relate to him on that level of intelligence. She was only the woman who was trying to raise him. And sort of adopted four other children.
It was weird being a surrogate mother to the others seeing as they were so close in age, but still so much like children. Happy was like a wounded animal, and had to be left alone until she chose to approach Paige. Toby was like a teenage boy wanting to fit in with the popular crowd, getting addictions and going crazy with sarcasm. Sylvester an overgrown child that just needs some little things done and some guidance to function without meltdowns. And Walter was hardest, because of the growing thing between them, and trying to teach him that he isn't a 10 year old child who is king of the world and doesn't know everything. It was also far to easy to see them living together, and raising Ralf, while doing really normal things like trips to the movies, where then the boys would proceed to destroy the physics of the car's velocity destroying the building and whatnot over ice cream. Dinners followed by cozy evenings. How Walter the great genius he was would look like waking up. That worried Paige the most, because it had been so long since she was with someone, even casually. It had hurt when her ex had left halfway through the pregnancy when she really started to show, and it all became real. It was harder to date explaining she was a single mom with a special son and a crippling financial lifestyle. So she stopped trying, and put all her effort towards Ralf.
Now that effort went to being part of Scorpion. It made Ralf smile, and she started to care about the others. Started to understand them and their genius brain functions. Started to relax about financial worries. Started to understand her job as not just a human translator, but as a surrogate mother to lost children. And as much as she hated feeling like an idiot most days in the wake of their genius, and how her son was slowly becoming more and more attached to them and needed her less, she was needed. And that was something that she needed.
So she stayed, for Ralf. For Happy. For Toby. for Sylvester. For Walter. For herself.
A/N: So my Grandmother died last month. I've been a mess since. This is the first thing I've been able to write. I have seen all the reviews, the follows, the everything! It makes me thrilled :D I keep all the emails fanfiction sends me about them, and read them when I can't think of anything. Then this happened. I love scorpion so far! Toby and Happy are my new obsession XD However, this is what my brain came up with three hours ago, and wouldn't leave. Let me know what you think! ~ Ashe-Simon