_Scorpion_
In my defense, i tried posting this 9 times already.
Im not waiting for the real episode to come out ;)
At six o'clock sharp, Ralph swings open the front door before Walter has the chance to knock.
"Being on time is more efficient." Ralph smiles happily explaining how he knew Walter would be there.
The mentor smiles at the boy.
"Correct."
Walter enters the room and catches Paige attempting to drag a duffle bag that was twice her size, out of her room. She was unaware of his presence. Her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head and a few strands block his attempts of getting a clear view of her face.
He makes his way towards her and gently touches her back, making her jump in surprise.
"Walter!" She exclaims, she straitens up and begins adjusting her clothing, her face turning red from embarrassment.
"You'll hurt your back like that." He points out, easily lifting the bag and putting it by the apartment door.
"Oh, thank you." She says, quickly letting her hair down and attempting to look presentable in front of her boss. "Your early."
"No he's not." Ralph looks at her with a confused expression. "It's six."
Paige blushes again as Walter smiles at her son.
"Oh, I guess your right."
Walter chuckles and there is a knock on the door.
"Are you expecting someone?" Walter asks as she heads towards the door.
"Not that I know of." She mumbles as she looks through the peephole. "Oh, shoot. It's Drew."
Walters's body takes a subconscious defensive stance.
"Ralph did you remember to call your dad and tell him that you can't sleepover tonight?"
The boy's eyes grew wider, feigning innocence as he looks as his mothers.
"I must have forgotten." He shrugs too innocently.
Paige sighs as Drew knocks again, believing her son while Walter watches him with confusion.
Ralph doesn't forget anything.
"Walter, do you mind helping Ralph get his bag from his room?"
The genius hesitates but nods and heads towards the young boy's room, with him in toe.
"Forgot?" Walter questions. "What were you doing that you forgot?"
"It's an experiment." Ralph admits as they enter the room, watching his mother open the door.
"What kind of experiment?" Walter asks as Ralph closes the door, leaving a crack for him and Mr.197 to spy through.
"Social." He whispers, " I'm testing a theory based on jealousy."
"What's your hypothesis? What do you think your mothers jealous of?"
"Not Mom, Drew. Just watch."
The geniuses nod at each other and the older one plays with the younger geniuses hair as they watch the scene unfold.
"Sorry, I thought he called you." Paige tells Drew, " It's not like Ralph to forget."
"So maybe we could go out tomorrow night? I flew out here to see you for the weekend." He slowly steps towards her before remembering, " -and Ralph."
Paige bites her lip nervously. Walter stands stiff in the other room, his hand frozen in Ralph's hair. The small genius rolls his eyes.
"Um, as great as that sounds." She takes a nervous step away from him, "We actually aren't going to be here for quite a bit…."
It's then that Drew looks around and notices the suitcase by the door.
"Where are you going?"
"We uh, have some last minute arrangements to go to Ireland." Paige makes her way into the kitchen and sits down on a stool and not making eye contact as her voice rises.
"Ireland?" Drew questions, sitting across from her.
"Yeah, we'll be back sometime after Christmas."
"Why? What's in Ireland?"
Ralph looks up at Walter.
"Watch this." And before Walter has the chance to stop him, the boy runs from the room.
"Mom, Walter wants to know if he should bring your bag to the car." Ralph lies to his mother, before turning to the baseball player. "Hi Dad."
"Walter!?" Drew ignores his son and stands up. "You'll go to Ireland with Walter for Christmas but you can't come to Maine for one lousy weekend?" He yells at her.
Walter is stunned by his outburst.
"Drew!" Paige responds, before taking a deep breath. "I've sent Ralph to you for the weekend before."
"But you couldn't leave your geek of a boss long enough to come along and-"
"Drew!" Paige cuts off the washed out reliever, before taking a deep and exaggerated breath. "Ralph, tell Walter I'll be there in a minute, and wait with him in your room."
The boy nods and takes off back towards Walter as Paige turns on Drew.
"Not that it's any of your business but I'm going as a favor to him."
"Are you sleeping with him too? Is that how you got this fancy government job?" Drew accuses, feeling a slap on his cheek so strong, it left Paige's handprint.
Fancy? She works in a garage.
"That's prostitution." He hisses in her face and Walter could feel his anger building.
"How dare you." She hisses, his face inches from her and she pushes him away. "Get out."
"If you get pregnant, don't think he'll be a better father than I was. "
"Oh, father of the year." Walter finally steps out of the room and Paige's checks redden knowing he had heard their conversation.
"Of course he's here." Drew hisses as Walter makes his way towards Paige.
Paige doesn't notice when she angles herself a bit behind Walter while he subconsciously steps a bit in front of her.
"You should go." Paige tells Drew, "now."
Drew nods and exits without bothering to say goodbye to his son.
The tension is thick in the apartment after he leaves.
"That was interesting." Walter eventually says.
Paige sighs.
"Drew's a jealous Jerk." And Walter notices the smiling boy spying from his bedroom.
The journey to the airport is mostly silent besides for the excitement Ralph was exhibiting which was way beyond his EQ level impressing both his mentor and his mother, especially because he was excitedly telling them the statistical possibly of never actually making it Ireland.
It isn't until they are boarding the plane that Ralph tugs on his mentors hand to get his attention when his mother enters the stuffy airplane. Walter lens down so the boy could whisper in his ear.
"The experiment was a success." He whispers before following his mother on board.
Walter can't help but smile as he hands the attendant his ticket.
_Scorpion_
"How long is this flight?" Paige groans after five hours on the airplane.
"Five and a half more hours to London, and then fifty minutes to Dublin." Walter is fidgeting, he's feeling bored and tiered but he was attempting not to move because even though Ralph had the window seat, he still fell asleep against him.
"I thought you live in Callan."
"And another hour and approximately thirty eight minutes by car to Callan." Walter adds and Paige groans. "That's why I didn't mention it." The pair laughs.
"I'm so tired." She yawns, laying her head back on her aisle seat.
"You could, Um, lay against me if you want, Ralph is doing too...anyway." Walter offers from his middle seat. Paige smiles gently and leans her head on his shoulder.
197 remains unmoving and uncomfortable for a few minutes in the attempt to keep the Dineen family asleep but he notices Paige continuously readjusting her position. She uncomfortable, he realizes.
Carefully, he lifts his arm, putting it gently around her shoulder like he had seen on television during his time in the hospital over the past summer.
Paige looks up at him, surprise written on her face before settling against his side.
It doesn't take Paige long to fall asleep after that and Walter remains still, his restlessness settling as he watches her sleep.
"You have a very nice family." The flight attendant says as she rolls pass him.
"Thank you." He smiles at her, pulling both Dineen's closer to him. "And your son, he's adorable!"
"Oh he's not-"
"He has your nose, for sure!" She complements.
Walter blinks in shock.
No he doesn't.
"Thank you." Is all he says, a small smile plastered on his face.
"Your welcome!" She sings, adjusting her hat, "Water?"
_Scorpion_
"That was my school." Walter points out to Ralph as they enter Callan Ireland.
"It looks worse than mine." Ralph admits from beside him.
"Ralph!" Paige quickly reprimands.
"Sorry."
"It's okay Paige," He chuckles towards her before turning back to her son. "He's right. It was heck."
The small family chuckles.
"You know this is Ralph's first time out of the country." Paige smiles.
"Opps, sorry." Walter apologizes, only half joking.
"For what?" Ralph looks at him confused.
"For bringing you here. To Ireland." He shrugs, "Its not exactly Universal Studios."
"It's your home." Paige sighs, " There are memories here you can't have anywhere else."
"Actually, I have a photographic memory and an IQ of 197. If I wanted to re-live my memories, I could with minimal effort required. Geniuses don't easily forget."
Paige rolls her eyes, thinking about it.
It was true; she couldn't think of an instance where Walter had ever forgotten anything. He was his own checklist.
"Wait a sec!" Paige exclaims suddenly as the car pulls through a gate and through a big field. "Ralph's a genius and he forgot to call Drew."
The two geniuses look at each other, eyes wide and begin laughing at the exact same moment.
"S-sorry Ralph." 197 laughs.
It doesn't take Paige to long to discover that her son lied.
"Ralph!"
"It was for science!"
Walter continues laughing as he listens to the whole exchange and because of this Paige couldn't be mad at Ralph. He was laughing, jovial and well, happy. The only time she had seen Walter like that was in security footage after he was drugged.
"We 're here." The driver exclaims making all his passengers silent.
Paige frowns as Walter silently becomes anchored to his seat.
"Great." He sighs as they drive on the dirt road through the long drive way.
"Is that your mother?" Paige whispers, pointing at the opening front door of the surprising small house in the surprisingly big field.
He watches his mother come outside.
"It's too cold outside for her not to be wearing a jacket." He observes her red tired eyes, the towel she clutches to her chest and all the emotion written on his face.
"I shouldn't have come here, I'll just make it worse." He sighs, running his hands over his face and leaning back in his seat.
"No, you will be fine and not just because you brought me. But im here to help you." She puts her hand on his shoulder and squeezes it before pulling it away, "Now in ten seconds, this car will stop and you will get out and hug your mother-"
"Paige-"
"And you'll tell her you love her. Not like, not care. Love her. With a kiss on her cheek."
"Paige, I never did that as a child. Hugging and Kissing her isn't what she expects from-"
"But that's what she needs as you could clearly see. She needs family and right now, your all she has." Paige whispers, putting a gentle hand on his arm. Ralph continues looking out the window. HEs silent for a minute, thinking.
"Okay?" She questions, curiosity getting the better of her.
"Okay." He mumbles as the car stops.
He opens the door and his mother runs to him, stopping a few feet away. She was careful not to touch him.
"Walter!" She cries and he freezes up for a moment.
"Mum." He hesitates, looking back at the liaison.
She nods encouragingly and he lifts his arms, gently wrapping his arms around his mother and pulling her close to him.
"I- um. I love you mum." He tells her and Paige could swear the woman's smile was enough to light up the whole neighborhood, even if she was mourning her husband.
Paige is surprised when Ralph slowly wraps his hands around her and she holds him tightly back.
'He is copying Walter.' She realizes.
She doesn't notice that she kisses Ralph's forehead at the same moment Mrs. O'Brian kisses her sons. But the liaison watches when Walter moves his lips ever so slightly, he kissed his mother. And she definitely notices her son pulling her closer to where he still wore his seatbelt and kisses her cheek. Just like his mentor.
She had never felt so much love from her son than at that particular moment when she felt her heart melt. She smiles with tears in her eyes.
Mrs. O'Brian seems to have recovered from shock when she finally pulls away.
"So, you said you were bringing a friend." She remembers, her accent significantly thicker than Walters. "Well, who is he?"
"Well, I actually wrote I was being two people." Walter reminds her, opening the trunk and beginning to unload the bags. It's then that Paige decides to break the worthwhile embrace with her only child to get out of the car.
"It's a girl!" Mrs. O'Brian exclaims in surprise.
Walter rolls his eyes knowing that no one was around to see.
"Astute observation." He mutters.
"Hi I'm Paige Dineen." She introduces as Ralph climbs out behind her."And this is my son Ralph."
"Well hello Ralph!" She exclaims but the genius doesn't answer and looks down shyly.
"Mum, a word?" Walter questions deciding that warning his mother about Ralph now was the most efficient option.
The O'Brian's walk about ten steps from the other mother and son pair.
"Ralph is a genius, like me. So if he acts like I did a child, you know why." He warns her, " But Paige is normal and a fantastic mother so you'll find he's more talkative than I was, after you get to know him."
Mrs. O'Brian looks at her son in shock.
"Another one?"
"Yes." He confirms looking over her shoulder to check on Paige, only to watch her attempt to pull another suitcase from the trunk.
"Walter-" His mother begins.
"Paige, you'll hurt yourself. Stop. I'll be there in a minute!" Walter calls to her and she leans against the car, waiting 197.
This act of caring also surprises his mother but he doesn't notice the shocked look on her face.
"Are you dating her?" She questions in confusion, her accent stronger than ever.
"What? No." Walter responds. " She works for my company."
"Right, so we have a problem." She scratches her head nervously. " We don't have enough room. I set up two beds in your room because I thought you only had one friend, and that it was a boy."
"What about Megan's room?"
"Your father has too many machines in his room, I've been sleeping in Megan's room and there is simply no room for another bed."
"Dads here?!" Walter hisses in frustration. " Why isn't he in a hospital?"
"Because if he's going to die-" She begins, tears beginning to well in her eyes as she yells at him, he straitens up. "He wants to be at home."
Walter remains silent, unsure what to do to his mother crying in front of him. He looks at Paige, desperate for an answer and she responds by rubbing her sons back. Walter quickly reenacts the same motion with his mother and she begins to calm down.
"I'll sleep on the couch, don't worry. Or I'll go to a hotel." He begins leading his mother towards Paige who is quick to handle the emotional situation. Meanwhile, he unloads the van and pays the aggravated driver- the Robotic situation.
197 would take heaving lifting over emotion everyday and he knew Ralph would too. So handed the boy the lightest suitcase and they began heading up the staircase.
"Whoa!" Ralph exclaims entering his mentor's old childhood bedroom, staring at the blue and white papers being used as wall paper. " Is that-?"
"Yeah, just don't tell Cabe." Walter laughs, "He doesn't know."
"Wow." Ralph repeats in astonishment, running towards the wall.
"What is it exactly?" Paige questions, walking in behind Walter.
"The shuttle blue prints from NASA!" Ralph explains in excitement while Walter chuckles. "It dates back to 1994!"
"I thought you were arrested for that."
"Doesn't mean I didn't get what I wanted in the end." Walter shrugs dropping her bag.
"So this is your room..." She mused circling around the small area.
"Yeah." He scratches his head awkwardly, "Haven't seen it in a while."
"It's really cute Walter." She complements.
"Thank you." He nods. " I'm sleeping on the couch in the living room if you need anything. I should go see my father and -"
"You're sleeping on the couch?" Paige questions. "What's wrong with a bed?"
"My mothers in Megan's room so you two could share in here."
"Can't you stay with us?" Ralph questions.
Walter is surprised when Paige doesn't argue.
"I- uh, I don't know." He admits awkwardly. Since he and Paige had kissed a few months ago, he could feel tension continually building up between them. He glances at Paige, chewing on her lip as she nervously awaits his response.
No. Not a chance.
"The time difference is eight hours and though you may feel inclined to rest, I recommend staying up late to beat the jet lag." He states. "I'll be on the couch."
He hastily exits the room and makes his way towards his parent's old room.
"Come in." A quiet voice rings through the wooden door as soon as he knocks.
"Dad."
"Walter." The man smiles at him, reminding his son of his strong accent. The man had machines surrounding his bed, wires coming in and out of him from different parts of his body. He looked…well, sick.
" I need to be diein' to get you to visit."
Walter forces a chuckle, recognizing the mans attempt at a joke.
He nods to his mother when he notices her sitting by his father's side.
When it becomes silent again, the genius begins wishing he brought Paige with him for this conversation. She knew how to kill an awkward situation.
"So, mum tells me you brought a girl home." The older man chuckles and pats his wife's hand.
Walter chuckles uncomfortable and readjusts a vacant chair and sitting in it.
"Paige and I just work together. Nothing more."
"And so you brought her home with you? What about the rest of that failing computer service thing you run." Walter blinks.
Failing computer service?
"When was the last time we spoke?" Walter questions, wondering if it was as long ago as he now thinks it is.
"Two years O'Brian." His father mumbles bitterly.
"Oh." Walter blinks. " I'm sorry." He admits. To be honest, he just hadn't noticed. He wasn't exactly the type to call for a casual conversation and he hadn't had the time to call his mother.
"Scorpion isn't a failing computer company anymore, it's-"
"Walter?" A voice rings out.
Walter doesn't notice how his body immediately responds, his body angling towards the door and getting his full attention. Something no person had managed to do since as long as anyone could remember.
His mother raises her eyebrows in surprise.
"Walter?" The voice sings again.
"Yeah! One sec!" He calls back, standing up.
"Nothing between you, eh?" His father chuckles, " You have doe eyes son."
Walter scratches his head uncomfortably.
"I'm just making sure she's okay, her son Ralph is here too. It's his first time out of the U.S." Walter lies.
It's then Paige appears by the door, her hair wet from the shower she must have just taken.
"Walt? Oh, sorry." She blushes. " I just wanted to ask if there was anything I could feed my son. I'll just be going now then-" She starts heading off when Walter grabs her arm and pulls her back in the room.
This was another show of his subconscious affection for her, causing surprise to all three normal faces.
"Paige, this is my father." Walter introduces, bouncing uncomfortably on the balls of his feet. "He decided die here instead of the hospital."
"Hi! It's really great to meet you." Paige smiles, elbowing Walter's side. " I'm sorry about what happened, is there anything we could do to help?"
"Your good with people aren't you?" The man smiles, Paige nods and blushes bashfully. Walter smiles at his liaison. "You should be doing something personable, not working in a computer company. Like, being a waitress or something."
Only Walter notices her stiffen up at the thought of her being a waitress again. He wonders if she still had nightmares but if she did, she didn't disclose the details to him. He makes a mental note to bring it up later.
"Speaking of restaurants, I think I'll take you and Ralph to one down town." Walter is quick to step in.
"Yeah, why don't you stop by the supermarket and get some milk while your out." His mother smiles and hands her baby her car keys. " Show them the place."
"And grab some ice cream while your there." Mr. O'Brian speaks up.
"You can't have that!" Mrs. O'Brian reprimands, "No ice cream."
"What do you care I'm diein' anyway and I'll go to heck before I let that happen without me having a liter of strawberry and banana ice cream."
Paige giggles shyly and starts heading towards the door.
"It's nice to meet you." Paige smiles, " I'll just go tell Ralph the plan."
"Paige!" Mr. O'Brian laughs, stopping her in the doorway and she nods. "Make sure Walter gets my ice cream, it's a dieing mans last wish."
Paige chuckles.
"He won't forget, geniuses never do." She winks at Walter before leaving and 197 laughs at the private joke.
"Nothing going on. Yeah okay." Mr. O'Brian chuckles as Walter follows her out of the room resembling a lost puppy in his own house.
A house he'll never forget.
_Scorpion_
Author's note- I don't curse or say bad words, even if I am in college. That's why I wrote ID10T in the last chapter. Its not texting lingo, it looks like another word that I don't say.
Please review, you could see I worked hard on this.
Review please.
