Title: Rush Job

Summary: Closet Fic, sort of. Everyone assumes Walter and Paige had sex in the closet. But what if they didn't?

Author's Note: This was originally intended as a one-shot but it got too long, so I broke it up, but all chapters will be posted at the same time. I also split it up because while much of the story is rated T, Chapter 3 is rated M. For those who are too young or prefer to skip the M-rated parts, you can jump right from Chapter 2 to the Epilogue in Chapter 4. Now don't go skipping right to Chapter 3. :)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own /scorpion. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.

Chapter 1

Happy didn't actually wink at him, but Walter knew that smile. Happy was pleased – and not just because she'd just married Toby Curtis. He knew his friend had been rooting for him to make a move with Paige for months. The fact that this made Happy happy wasn't the best reason for being in a supply closet with Paige, but it did add a tiny something to his enjoyment.

He was in love with Paige and he'd told her so. She said she was in love with him, too. That had been the real miracle, even if he didn't believe in miracles. Their friends – Toby, Happy, Sly and even Cabe – seemed delighted. Sure, he'd been nearly blown up in an abandoned mine; but today was perfect.

That was his last coherent thought before Paige's lips were on his and his hand moved up instinctively to hold her. Once he was kissing her, his brain short-circuited and it seemed as if his thoughts could only come in small single-syllable bursts. Warm…. Soft…. Wet…. Hot…. Hands…. Lips…. Need…. Love…. Love…. Love…. Love….

Paige was shoving his jacket off his shoulder and he briefly dropped one arm, wiggling it briskly in an effort to help Paige rid him of the extra clothing. At the moment, all of his clothing seemed "extra". She abandoned the jacket and moved on to his tie and shirt buttons. Walter wondered for a moment if he should be similarly working to remove her dress but realized he had no clue how to go about it. Before they were interrupted – possibly one of the most embarrassing moments of his life – one of the tiny straps slipped off her shoulder. Without the strap, that whole side of the dress slipped down, nearly exposing her breast. It seemed only natural to slip his hand up to caress it. He was about to slide the material down further, wanting to tease her nipple with his thumb, when a sudden burst of light let him know their privacy was breached.

That strap was staying stubbornly in place and Walter decided it was time to remedy the situation. He, after all, was now topless. If he was going to expose his chest – even in the dark – it was only fair that he should press his naked flesh with hers. He felt his mind shift focus to the idea of being skin-to-skin with Paige. He might have shivered just slightly. He was far from cold.

Another burst of light was accompanied by a low whistle.

"Woo wee! I know we just had a wedding, but this ain't no place for no honeymoon! You two need to get yourselves a room."

"Oh crap, not again!" Paige moaned as she released her hold on his neck and turned to face their latest intruder. Walter hunched over, trying to hide his exposed chest while simultaneously reaching behind himself to where his shirt was hanging from the back of his pants. He thought he had it, but then lost his grip. He groaned as he felt the last bit of the shirt slip out from under his belt and slither down the back of his pants to the floor behind him.

Slowly, Walter raised his head to face this new humiliation, crossing his arms across his chest.

An older man, dressed in a janitor's dungarees, stood shaking his head. "I can see you two are lookin' for some privacy, but I got to get started cleaning this place up, and I need them cleaning supplies in there. I got me a wife of my own and the sooner I finish in here, the sooner I get home to my Janice; so I'm gonna have to ask you two to clear out. I'm sure you've got someplace else you can go for this sort of thing."

"Um…" Walter began, not sure of the proper thing to say. "Sure we'll uh…"

"Come on, Walter," Paige said. She bent over to sweep up his shirt from the floor, then pushed him out the door. "Let's let the poor man do his job. We can get straightened up out here in the hall. Then we need to get home and get packed."

Walter walked dazedly out into the cluttered hallway. As soon as he was clear of the doorway, Paige shoved his shirt at him. He grasped it, momentarily confused. Then he began to turn the material in his hands until he found the neckline. He quickly flipped the shirt around, then slipped his arms into the sleeves. Paige walked up and began buttoning the buttons. He smiled at her. He normally wasn't comfortable with anyone touching his clothes or his skin or… him. But this was different. He had a sudden flash of getting dressed every morning, with Paige to help him. He would return the favor, helping her with zippers and such. Sometimes, helping each other to get dressed would just lead to getting undressed….

"Okay. You're completely presentable again," Paige declared, interrupting his fantasy as she smoothed her hand down his tie. She adjusted the straps on her dress, then gently tugged the sides down. Walter loved the way she wiggled her hips when she did that. It wasn't the first time he'd noticed that wiggle. But it was the first time he'd been able to notice it without feeling like he'd been caught stealing apples from the neighbor's tree back in Ireland.

"We need to find Ralph, then I need to run over to my place and pack some things for him. I have my go bag in my car, but Ralph never goes along on trips, so I don't have anything for him."

Walter felt his normal senses returning. They had a case. They needed to pack and get to the airport. They were going to Tahiti.

"Um…" He croaked, then cleared his throat. "Right. We'll find Ralph, then you two can go pack and I'll go to the garage to get my… my laptop and… things."

Paige grabbed his hand and they walked back out to where the diner staff were clearing up the remains of the party.

Cabe and Ralph were sitting beside one of the tables, eating cake. Paige groaned. "He's going to be so hyper from all that sugar. I just hope I can get him to sleep on the plane."

"Ralph will be fine," Walter assured her. "I'm sure with all the excitement, he'll be exhausted by the time we take off."

"Walter!" Cabe set his plate aside and walked up to the couple. "I told Ralph you two were settling the bill with old man Kovelsky." At this Cabe winked and Paige smiled.

Walter wasn't sure why Cabe told the boy such a lie, but he didn't have time to ask about that now.

"Walter," Cabe continued. "Toby and Happy took your car back to their place to change and get packed. I've arranged for a van to pick us all up at the garage and take us to the airport. I thought I could take Ralph and head over there; pick up your go bag and whatever else you need while you go with Paige to her place and help her get packed."

Cabe winked again. Walter began to wonder if he should suggest an ophthalmological exam. Or perhaps a neurologist. The man seemed to have developed a nervous tic. He was also quite sure that Paige was fully capable of packing a bag by herself. She didn't need him along.

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Paige turned to Walter. "I'm going to go talk to Ralph a minute. I'll meet you by the car, okay?"

Confused, but willing to go along with whatever Paige wanted, Walter nodded and set off towards where Paige's car was parked on the edge of the parking lot. Cabe followed along. When they got to the car, Cabe placed a hand on Walter's shoulder.

"Son," he said.

Walter turned. He was still a little embarrassed at what Cabe had witnessed. But he supposed he would just have to find a way to put that past him. Everyone who had seen them in that compromising position were people he had to work with every day.

"I know I said you weren't quite ready for Paige. But that was a while back and you've grown a lot. I hope you know I'm really happy you two have finally figured this thing out. Just make sure you're good to her and maybe in a few months… or a year or so… we'll be back here and it will be you and Paige standing under that canopy."

"Under the…" Walter looked back to where the tables were being folded up and men were just starting to remove the strings of lights and flowers from the structure. "Oh!" His eyes widened as he took in Cabe's meaning. "I don't know…"

"Well, I do, son. I know I'm old fashioned, but Paige is the kind of woman who deserves old fashioned respect. And if Toby can do it… I'm darned sure you can. I'm not expecting anything right away. You two need to learn your way around each other."

Walter started to remind Cabe that it had been nearly three years since they met Paige, but Cabe cut him off.

"I know you've known each other for a long time, but things are different now and you're about to get to know each other in a very different way." Cabe sighed and seemed to stare into space for a moment. "Especially considering what I saw a few minutes ago in that closet."

The older man looked back down, and Walter suddenly felt a rush of heat rise into his face.

"That's why I want you to go help her pack. You might need a few minutes of privacy to… talk. Don't take too long, though. Remember, we'll be in Tahiti for a few days and the Government there is providing us with some pretty swank accommodations. There will be plenty of time while we're there for more… talking."

Walter nodded. He wasn't sure of everything Cabe was trying to tell him. But he felt sure the man knew he didn't need time in Tahiti just to talk to Paige. He was also sure that Cabe was hinting broadly that he should plan to someday ask Paige to marry him. It surprised him to realize the idea was not unappealing. Nor did he think it stupid.

"Okay guys. Ralph will be going with you to the garage, Cabe, while Walter comes with me." She smiled at him. "I need your help getting my big suitcase down from the closet," she said.

Walter nodded. He was beginning to realize that Cabe and Paige had somehow conspired – without actually communicating – to allow Paige and himself some time alone without exposing Ralph to the change in their relationship. He supposed that made sense. He knew Ralph was deeply hurt by their rift. Paige would want to explain things to him carefully.

"I'll um… I'll see you in a bit, Buddy," he said to Ralph. Ralph barely nodded in his direction. He hoped the boy would be happy when Paige told him and that things between them would return to normal.

Paige combed her fingers through her son's hair. "You mind Cabe, okay Ralph?"

The boy nodded, then threw his arms around his mother, looking pointedly at Walter. Paige half knelt to return the hug, then Ralph turned and walked off with Cabe. Walter opened the passenger door and got in while Paige walked around to the other side.

They had just thirty-five minutes to pack and get to the garage.

Walter followed behind Paige into her living room. In the month since he'd last been here, not much had changed. He noticed a new oversized chair and ottoman positioned for optimal television viewing. Judging by the light clutter of papers and the tablet on the adjacent table, he judged that was Paige's new spot. He also noted that Ralph's game console was in a different corner of the room, attached to a new monitor. Paige must have decided that with her new salary she could afford to have a television that she could watch while Ralph played games on the second TV. He was sure he couldn't hope to match what Richard was paying her. Would she really want to come back to Scorpion and accept a pay cut? It didn't seem logical at all.

Before he could ponder that thought, he was suddenly engulfed in Paige. Her hands gripped his hair and her lips covered his, while she was apparently trying to climb up his torso in much the same way he'd had to climb ropes in the gymnasium at school.

She abandoned his lips long enough to say, "Bedroom. NOW."

Walter took advantage of the short break to caution, "But… don't you need to pack? We've got to be back at the garage in a few minutes."

"So we'll be a little late. Cabe won't leave without us, and we're taking a private jet."

"I… I guess you don't really need my help, then?"

"On the contrary, Walter. I can't do this without you."

With that she was back to kissing him and maneuvering them down the hall towards the bedroom. After a moment, Walter broke contact.

"Paige… wait… Paige… Are you sure you want to do this now? Even if… we can't keep Cabe waiting long. Shouldn't we wait until… until it can be more… more… thorough?"

Paige shook her head and resumed the kiss, but then she pulled back, looking at him intently.

"Walter don't you… I mean… do you want to wait? I'm sorry… I just assumed…" Suddenly she slumped against the wall, folding her arms across her chest. "Walter… do we… I guess we should talk about this first."

"If… if that's what you want. We can talk. But maybe you should pack while we talk?"

Paige took a long breath. "Sure. Can you go get the suitcase that's on the shelf in my bedroom closet, then meet me in Ralph's room? I'll start getting some of his things together."

Walter nodded, then headed down the hall. Paige's bedroom wasn't exactly unknown territory. He sometimes helped her with some of the heavier housecleaning chores like turning mattresses and shifting furniture so she could hunt down the dust bunnies that lived behind and under things. But this time it felt different somehow. He glanced at the big bed and could imagine himself waking up with Paige beside him. Would they snuggle for a few minutes in the morning or was Paige like him, eager to jump out of bed and get started on the day's work? He could change… with the right incentive.

He found the suitcase exactly where she said and carefully lifted it down from the shelf. Glancing at the array of blouses and skirts and dresses, Walter noted several that he recognized. Some were even favorites – a concept he'd never acknowledged before tonight. Paige looked marvelous in anything she wore, but there were a few outfits he remembered with particular fondness, usually because of events that occurred while she wore them. He even remembered the loose pants and comfortable pink hoodie she wore the first time he came to her home. He hoped he would come to be fond of many more outfits for similar reasons.

Carrying the suitcase, Walter went across the hall to Ralph's room. Paige was sitting on the bed, piles of shirts and pants and other things neatly folded and ready around her. In contrast with his own buoyant mood, she seemed… distressed?

Walter dropped the suitcase beside the door and moved quickly to the bed. Shifting a pile of shirts, he sat down beside Paige.

"What… what's wrong?"

May 3, 2017 – May 4, 2017