Raise your hand if you're still fanning yourself after that finale. Hoo boy, am I hot and bothered. (I am working on some smut relating to the end of 3.25, however I've encountered a fairly critical problem of not knowing what POV to write it in, which means I literally cannot even start the damn thing.)

I'm about to head from Michigan to Maryland for the better part of a week, so there probably won't be any updates until Tuesday or Wednesday. I appreciate your patience, and I appreciate all the reviews because they're really what keep me motivated to publish. You all rock.

Also I hope other people are writing Buckle Up Nerd fics because I need to read them about as badly as Paige needed to get on Walter.


"I still don't see why I can't just build Ralph a laptop," Walter said as he and Paige marched through the store. "I made yours, and it would be a great project for the two of us to work on together."

"Maybe in the summer you two can work on that," Paige said. "But he needs one now and I don't want him to be distracted from his schoolwork working on a project with you. I know how you two get."

"His schoolwork is easy for him," Walter pointed out, looking confused.

"He still needs to learn to be diligent and set time aside for it. Those skills will aid him later in life." Paige located the display she'd seen in the ad in the mail and began reading the features on one of the laptops.

"Computers were an early love of mine," Walter said. "I used to read everything I could get my hands on about them, and sometimes Megan got me access to a room in the school that had one. Our family couldn't afford one. They were harder to come by in those days, I mean, people had them already but they weren't as commonplace as they were today. It was a big deal that our little school had one and even then it was just for teachers." He shrugged giving her a tiny grin. "Just saying. I had a huge obsession with computers - second only to the astronomy - and spent as much time as I could trying to figure them out. I turned out okay, you know."

Paige folded her arms and looked at him playfully. "You do know that's largely my doing."

Walter smiled. "Well of course it is, my little backside bus."

Paige stopped, tipping her head back slightly. "Uh, excuse me, what?"

People farther down the aisle were turning to each other, glancing their way. They'd heard what he said. Paige could feel her cheeks tinging pink with embarrassment.

"The backside bus of a computer!" Walter said with an ear to ear grin on his face, as if that explained everything. Paige was only a little bit relieved that backside hadn't been referring to what she thought. "You know, in a computer, the backside bus helps it run more efficiently because it performs routine tasks or frequently executed functions."

That explanation was enough for Paige to understand where he was going with this, but Walter continued, even as people began peering at them from other aisles through the gaps in merchandise. "And at Scorpion, you help run the business and do tasks that are routine – but absolutely necessary, of course – and that enables me to be more efficient. And in our personal lives, well then you..."

"Okay Walt," Paige said, holding up a hand. She wasn't entirely sure what example he was going to give, but she did know that even if it was technically appropriate for someone to overhear, she really didn't want the half dozen or so people listening in to hear any more. "Can we please just get what we need to get and go back to the garage?"

"Of course," Walter said. "See, this is an example of you helping me work more efficiently by..."

"Walter." Paige grabbed his arm. "We need to take a little walk."

"Uh, I'm confused," Walter said, although he allowed her to lead him away without protest. "This is lowering the efficiency of our trip."

Paige located a corner of the store that was void of other people, and she pushed Walter behind a rack of games. "Walter, you know people were staring at us."

Walter furrowed his brow. "Wait, why?"

"Because you called me a backside bus in a very enthusiastic tone in the middle of a store."

"Ah. And you fear that perhaps those people are jealous of what a wonderful couple we make."

Paige furrowed her brow and opened her mouth to respond, then realized she had absolutely no idea where to start with that. "Um..." She tapped his chest. "Okay, so, I mean, yes. Yes, we make a wonderful couple. But...you know how you used to ask why people would have their tongues down each other's throats in public places? What you're doing is kinda the...verbal version of that."

"Oh." Walter nodded. "I see. Okay. I will refrain from being affectionate in public from now on."

No no no no no. "Uh, no, no," Paige stammered. "That's not what I'm saying." She shook her head. "I like holding hands in public. And I like when you kiss my cheek in public. It's sweet. Just maybe in terms of audible affection...maybe refrain from ones that need to be explained."

Walter nodded. "Okay. Yes. Sure. I can do that." He cleared his throat. "I absolutely can do that...uh, honey."

Paige smiled. "See? That's a good one. I like that one."

"I'm sorry. I'm still getting used to this. We've been together almost six months. I should be better at this by now. My fears are right. I did regress on the island."

"Walter," she said, shaking her head. "No. No. You're great. You really are. You just have some things to learn - about dating, about me specifically...I still have things to learn about you too, you know." She stood on her tip toes - even though she didn't have to - and gave him a quick kiss. "Now let's go back and get Ralph the laptop."