If you have read "Nicole's Official Unofficial Season Five" and "A Conflict of Parallels" this fic takes place in between them, the day after NOUSF ends. If you haven't, well, I would recommend you read NOUSF before reading this one, but if you don't want to (making me sad but WHATEVER) just know the gist is a lot of angst, self – reflection, and drama happened and now the team is back together. Can't tell you how long this one will be chapter wise or word wise, but likely shorter than both of the other two. It may or may not end up having smut, but there will definitely be stuff in that department at least.

Like NOUSF, this first chapter will be the shortest, and most others will have multiple parts.

When Florence rolled over and grabbed her phone, squinting at the display, she was surprised to find out it was only nine.

The team – she felt a rush of adrenaline at the meaning that word once again had – arrived back in Los Angeles early in the morning, and by the time she got back into her lab and passed out in the loft it was well after four in the morning. She thought she would have slept longer than this, especially considering…

Everything.

Scorpion 2.0 and Centipede Partners were no more, having reverted back to their previous arrangement of one team, one Scorpion. Walter and Paige, who Florence felt personally responsible for destroying, were back together. Happy and Toby were going to adopt a little boy that Scorpion 2.0 had saved, the one high point in a horrible day the chemist otherwise wished she could forget entirely.

And then there was Sylvester. Sylvester, who didn't hate her, who didn't resent her, who, incredibly, said he actually was still in love with her after everything. That part, she almost didn't quite believe, not in the same way she believed Walter and Paige could throw that word out again almost immediately. She and Sylvester had never been together. She hadn't even really been aware that she liked him back before.

Before.

She supposed their entire lives would now be measured by Before and After. The part in between, they all just wanted to put behind them.

She had texts from Sylvester. She felt her heart do a skipping thing in her chest.

The first one said good morning – so he was up early, too – although it's almost afternoon now, haha. I just wanted to wish you a good morning. Is that weird? The second one read I'm sure you're still sleeping. Just wanted to let you know I talked to Cabe and we're all going back to work day after tomorrow, so if you wanted to hang out tomorrow, there'll be time. Ttyl.

Something from his first text registered late. It's almost afternoon now. It wasn't almost afternoon, it was only nine now, so he had sent it before…she raised her eyebrows when she realized the text had been sent at 11:37. So that meant…

She got out of bed and peeked under the blinds covering her window. Darkness. It wasn't nine in the morning. It was nine at night.

I slept all day.

She never slept that long, but then, she'd spent the past month or so barely sleeping at all. So her initial assumption was right – she slept a long time.

It seemed fitting, in a way. She'd gone from feeling strung out emotionally to feeling hopeful. It was nice to let her body recover at the same time.

She composed a reply to Sylvester's messages.

Hey. Yes, I've been asleep. Can't remember the last time sleeping went so well. I would love to hang out tomorrow. Lunch?

The response was almost immediate. Kovelsky's? An additional text followed. That's not very romantic, I guess. Although – ALTHOUGH! Happy and Toby did get married there.

Florence could feel his enthusiasm through the text. It gave her a feeling. She wasn't entirely sure what the word for it was. What she was pretty sure of was that she liked it.

Sounds good to me. Hash out details in the morning?

His response took a little longer this time. Florence wondered if he was purposefully not trying to text back too fast.

She wondered if adults worried about those types of things or if her dating mentality was that of a high schooler due to her lack of experience. If so, surely Sylvester wasn't overthinking in the same way. He might be five years younger than her, but he'd been in a relationship before. He'd been married before. He knew so much more about this than her. Hell, even being in a relationship now, Florence was still the person who got into one after Walter O'Brien. She was, quite likely, screwed.

Before she could really delve into the introspection, Sylvester texted back.

Sounds good to me.

They'd officially made a date. Florence put the phone down and strode around her lab, suddenly feeling another rush of energy and with it a strong need to move. She put her hands up and ran them through her hair.

"Stop acting like a giddy sixth grader," she said out loud. She knew obeying her demand would be easier said than done. She'd been wallowing in angst and confusion for months, and now she suddenly found herself in a place she - also suddenly - thought was where she was meant to be all along.

Well. If she believed in that 'meant to be' stuff. Jury was still out on that.

Florence shook her head, trying to settle all the thoughts rushing through it. Then she was hurrying back to her phone, typing out a response to Sylvester and hitting send before she could second guess herself.

Can't wait.