Double Jeopardy is still happening, obviously, I just had this bouncing around in my head and had to get it out. I can't promise fast updates but I will hopefully be writing more often once I get a new laptop. Let me know what you think!

"Paige." She smiled. Walter hated waking her up, and he always whispered just loud enough to get her attention if she was mostly alert, but not to rouse her from deep sleep or, worse, a dream. He'd learned quickly that being startled in the middle of a dream made her grouchy for hours. "Paige, I'm leaving."

She rolled onto her side, blinking until her eyes adjusted. It couldn't be more than seven, judging by the low light streaming in through her curtains. Paige pulled the comforter closer to her with her arm. "No. Stay here," she murmured. "I'm cold."

Walter laughed at her fake petulance and bent one knee onto the bed, pulling the blanket up to cover her bare shoulders. He pressed a brief kiss to her forehead. "I'll turn the air off on my way out."

"Is this meeting really that important?" Paige propped herself up on her elbow, letting the blanket slink back down and looking at him with what she hoped was an appropriately sultry expression. "I can think of much better things to do with our morning."

The genius looked amused, but she knew at least a small portion of his brain was considering the offer. "You already kept me up half the night. I'm not sure I have the stamina to keep up with you."

She shrugged, batting her eyes innocently. "I need the workout. I'm out of shape."

"You're perfect, and I have to go." He kissed her again, groaning when her tongue lightly traced his bottom lip. But responsibility won out, as it always did, and he pulled away, flashing her an apologetic smile. "I'll be back in a few hours, unless Cabe calls with something."

"O-kay," Paige said with an overly dramatic sigh. "Just don't forget about Ralph's presentation tonight."

"Wouldn't miss it." She'd long since gotten over being self-conscious when Walter looked at her the way he was looking at her now—that focused, lingering stare that sent her up in flames. Physical attractiveness was inconsequential to Walter. He needed so much more to consider a person beautiful, and the fact that he saw that in her made her feel infinitely more gorgeous than if he'd based it on looks alone. "I love you."

She bit her lip. He didn't know it yet, but he was in for another very busy night. "Love you too, nerd."

Paige locked the dishwasher door, pressing the start button and rinsing the sponge she'd used under cold water from the sink faucet. She glanced at the clock above the stove and was surprised to find it was almost four. Walter gave the team a day off since he was spending a chunk of it in that Homeland budget meeting. She offered to join, knowing that Walter considered such administrative duties unworthy of his time and intelligence, and was likely to make a remark to that effect to someone with control over their paychecks. But he'd insisted that Cabe would be enough of a buffer, and that she should catch up on all the mundane chores that piled up with their hectic schedule.

It was getting late, though, and Paige had expected him to be done already. Ralph's demonstration for the Robert Kostuck Scientific Achievement Award was at seven and they'd planned to leave early to help her son set up.

Walter would be there. He always was.

Her phone buzzed on the counter and Paige wiped her hands before picking it up. She didn't recognize the number, but that wasn't unusual, especially if new clients had been referred to Scorpion. "Hello?"

"Paige. Thank god."

"Walter?" He sounded out of breath, like he'd been running. Paige frowned. "Whose phone are you calling from?"

"It's a burner. Paige, I need you to call Cabe. Do whatever he tells you to do. They're going to question you, but it'll be okay, I promise."

The genius's words were uncharacteristically jumbled, and Paige processed them slowly and out of order. "Question us? Who? Walter, you're confusing me."

"I didn't do it. Whatever you see, whatever they say on the news, I didn't do it," he rambled on, ignoring her interrogation. The urgency in his voice was starting to scare her. "I'll contact you when I can. I love you."

"I love you too, but what—."

The line went silent.

Paige pressed her screen to redial the number, but it went to voicemail immediately. And again. And again. She gave up after the fourth attempt. The news. He'd mentioned the news. Clutching her phone in her hand, she ripped off her apron and reached the living room in record time, fumbling for the remote before she finally turned the TV on. Paige flipped through the channels until the words Homeland Bombing caught her attention at the bottom of the screen.

We'll continue to report details of this horrific attack as we learn them, the reporter was saying, as images of fire and debris rotated behind her. At 3:47, explosives were detonated on the south side of the Department of Homeland Security office here in Los Angeles. Two people have been confirmed dead, while dozens more are missing or in critical condition. Police have yet to apprehend the suspect, who was caught on security footage.

Her phone vibrated again and she answered without hesitation when she saw the name on the caller ID. "Cabe? What's happening? Have you talked to Walter?"

"No. Have you?"

"A few minutes ago." Paige shut her eyes tightly, trying to remember exactly what Walter told her. She hugged her knees to her chest. "But he wasn't making sense. He just kept saying it wasn't him and to listen to you. Was he there? He didn't say he was hurt. Cabe, I don't understand what any of this has to do with Walter."

The agent sighed deeply on the other end. "Are you watching the news?"

"Yes. Do they know who…" Paige trailed off as she recognized the face on the screen. Walter O'Brien, a contractor with DHS, escaped before he could be taken into custody. Investigators believe this video shows O'Brien planting the explosives which resulted in the loss of at least two lives this afternoon. They are encouraging everyone to be on the lookout for the fugitive, who is considered extremely dangerous. "Cabe?"

"Paige," he said solemnly. "The U.S. government just branded Walter a terrorist."