AN: I have no idea when the rest of these chapters are coming—probably not as quickly as Say Something—but this was finished so I wanted to throw it up. Hope you enjoy it!

It was always Toby. Walter was sure that if he charted the most awkward, dangerous, and embarrassing events in his life, they would all trace back to one of Toby's harebrained suggestions.

"Come on, man, we deserve some fun," Toby insisted while the rest of the team attempted to watch a movie. "We don't have that many chances to dress up and socialize with people."

"We don't like people," Walter retorted, turning his attention back to the screen.

"You," Toby pointed at Walter, "don't like people. I find them utterly fascinating. Besides, a party would be a great opportunity to network with new clients, which means more people to help and…well, more money."

"Will you make it all the way to the casino or should I just set your check on fire now?" Happy quipped.

"Where would we even have a party?" Walter knew as soon as the words left his mouth that he wasn't going to like Toby's answer. He kicked himself for indulging the shrink.

A smile spread across Toby's face. He waved his hands around the garage. "Why, our humble abode, of course."

Happy's face turned sour. "If anyone comes near my tools I'm going to beat them until they cry for mercy," she grumbled.

"Plus I really want to see Happy in a sexy little number," Toby added before she elbowed him. "Ow, my spleen."

Walter rolled his eyes. "Absolutely not. There is no way we are ever having a party here. No."

"I think a party sounds like fun," Paige interjected.

Two weeks later, the garage was filled with people and Walter was giving directions to a group of caterers. After he had sent the last waiter out, he heard the sound of high heels clicking against the tile floor and turned to see Paige, who was entering the kitchen hand-in-hand with Ralph.

"Hey," she said shyly. Walter didn't have an immediate reply for her; his breath caught in his throat as soon as he saw her dress. It stopped just above her knees and was covered in dark blue sequins that reflected the light from the room. Her hair was pulled back loosely, showing off her bare shoulders. It was more than Walter could process; he cursed Toby and his stupid ideas for the millionth time.

"Wow," he choked out before hastily clearing his throat. "I mean, hi."

Paige giggled and bent down to talk to Ralph. "Why don't you go see if the rest of the team needs any help?" She quickly ruffled his hair before he disappeared into the crowd.

"He's getting brave," Walter said as he watched the young genius run up to Sylvester and give him an enthusiastic high-five. "I think he'll, uh, be a lot better with people than the rest of us."

"You do alright," Paige replied, taking a few steps toward him. She reached up and straightened his bowtie before resting her hands on his shoulders. Walter averted his eyes and tried not to think about how close she was. "Don't worry about tonight, okay? If you want, I'll stay with you and make sure everything goes smoothly."

He reluctantly dragged his eyes back to hers. "Paige, you don't have to. You should enjoy the party."

"Technically it's a work function and this is my job." She moved her fingers almost imperceptibly, but it sent a shiver through Walter's spine. "Besides, whether you believe it or not, you're actually kind of fun to be around."

"Really?" There had been many adjectives used to describe Walter throughout his life, but 'fun,' as far as he knew, was never one of them.

"Really," she confirmed, tugging the lapels of his jacket for a second before dropping her hands. "Now let's go brag about how awesome Scorpion is."

Paige hooked her arm around his elbow and led him out of the kitchen into the buzzing crowd. Walter didn't do well in crowds, and he certainly felt strange about the eighty or so people drinking cocktails and swaying to loud music in the garage…in his home. The liaison could sense him getting uncomfortable and squeezed his forearm with her free hand. Walter was surprised by how much the small gesture worked to ease his mind.

"Mr. O'Brien! Good to see you." Anthony Pietro made his way toward them. He was a wealthy software magnate who had hired the team to find an employee selling trade secrets. Walter found him guilty of being obnoxious and wearing far too much cologne for one person, but if Scorpion only took on clients they liked, they would have folded long ago.

"Great to see you as well, Mr. Pietro." Walter forced a smile and shook his hand. "Thank you for coming. Are you having a good time?"

"Absolutely. Your bartender is a magician," Pietro replied, holding up a yellow-hued martini. "And how is the band of brainiacs?"

Walter cringed at the term—we are geniuses, it's not that hard—but gritted his teeth and continued. "Wonderful. Very busy year for Scorpion. I trust that you'll call us with any problems in the future?"

"You saved my company millions, I should have you on retainer," Pietro joked loudly. As if a switch had turned on, he suddenly turned his attention to Paige and scanned her up and down. "And who is this lovely woman?"

"This is my—our—company liaison. She helps us to communicate with clients and ensure that everyone is satisfied with our results," Walter said quickly, hoping that Paige didn't notice his slip up.

She did. She blushed at the idea of being Walter's anything. "I am sorry that we didn't have a chance to meet during your case, Mr. Pietro."

"So am I," he said while glancing at her for a moment too long. "Have you ever been in a private jet? It's real fun. I could take you sometime."

Walter's body stiffened. "Paige is—."

"Flattered." She nudged Walter in his side, cutting him off. He shut his mouth firmly. "I'm afraid I'm not much for flying, but I appreciate your offer."

"That's too bad, but I understand. It was wonderful to see you both." Pietro bowed slightly before heading off in the direction of the bar for another martini.

Paige turned to the genius, who was still clenching his jaw. "Walter, you need to relax. The idea is for you to connect with our clients, not fight them."

"I'm sorry," Walter said in a clipped voice. "I'm just not a fan of…"

He trailed off, and Paige tried to finish his statement. "Men flirting with me?" Walter stayed silent. "Men like that flirt with everyone. I know you're not the best at reading emotions, but I'm pretty sure even you could figure out that I'm not interested in Anthony Pietro."

She could see his muscles start to relax. "But think of what you would save on airfare," he joked quietly.

"You're ridiculous," Paige laughed. "Come on. Let's get the rest of these people over with."


It was nearing two in the morning and the reality of why Walter did not enjoy parties had come crashing down on him. He relaxed into a chair in the corner and sipped from a glass of water, feeling physically and mentally drained from exchanging pleasantries with thirty-three previous clients and twenty-seven prospective ones.

Sylvester and Ralph had once again gotten lost in a math game, arranging bottles of liquor into diagonal lines. Toby had at least waited a few hours before consuming said liquor and getting tipsy, and he followed Happy around the garage making inappropriate mechanical-themed puns. She was not amused.

"What a night, huh?" Walter jumped in his seat as Paige appeared next to him. He needed to stop losing track of his surroundings; it was jarring when he was pulled out of his thoughts.

"Yeah. Let's not ever do this again."

She smiled and, after thinking for a second, extended her hand out to him. He looked at her in confusion. "I want to dance, Walter."

The genius set down his water and continued to eye her suspiciously. "Why? Everyone has left already."

"Exactly, that's why I waited until now to ask you," she replied with mock exasperation. "I promise, just a few minutes. It's not like it would be the first time."

Walter stopped breathing temporarily as he recalled what he had done last time they danced together—more specifically, what he hoped Paige would never discover that he did. Fortunately, there would be no art-thieving billionaires to interrupt them this time. He hoped.

Paige looked at him expectantly and pushed her hand toward him again. Ignoring his sound reasoning against it, he accepted her invitation, allowing her to lead him to the center of the floor. He had blocked out the music hours ago, but he forced himself to refocus on it.

She didn't have to tell him where to put his hands; Walter typically only needed one opportunity to learn a skill. He pressed his palm against her back and pulled her close to him. They had danced before, but this was different. Maybe it was because of how exhausted he was, or the fact that he knew Paige better now, or the freedom of not being on a case, but Walter found himself strangely…relaxed.

"I'm sorry that you didn't have fun tonight," Paige said, giving him an apologetic smile. "If it helps, I think it was a good business move for us."

"I've done much crazier things for Scorpion," Walter replied simply, silently willing her to continue speaking. As a rule, he didn't enjoy conversations without an intellectual purpose, but he wasn't lying when he said he loved hearing Paige's voice in his ear.

"Mmhmm." She slowly released his hand, choosing instead to wrap both of her arms around his neck and lean into his shoulder. He subconsciously tightened his grip on her waist and grazed his fingertips back and forth lightly across her back, allowing his eyelids to close. Her breathing was slow and even, and Walter hoped that she was as content as he was.

The genius had a split-second notion of carrying her to his bed and getting to wake up next to her first thing in the morning, but he dismissed the idea as quickly as it had come. The song hit its last notes and Paige pulled herself away, stretching her back as she yawned. He suppressed his disappointment.

"Thanks, Walter." The liaison smiled sleepily, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "Ralph and I need to get home, it's so late. I'll help clean up in the morning?"

"Sure. No rush to come in unless we have a case," Walter assured her as she prepared to head in the direction of her sleeping son. "Paige?"

"Yeah?" she answered, turning around.

"I did have…some fun tonight."

Paige smiled at him genuinely. "But never again, right?" she joked as she walked away.

She didn't hear when Walter mumbled under his breath, "Maybe."