AN: Still getting a feel for the characters, so all constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Also, several lines in this are from the True Colors episode and thus are not mine. :)


Chapter 4

As Paige headed back upstairs after walking Mrs. Mueller out, Toby enjoyed the view from that slit in her dress. Calling Hetty had been one of his better ideas. Especially since the dress seemed to provoke something close to actual feelings in Walter. The kind he swore he didn't have, hiding behind his argument that he only did what was effective and logical. While Toby could finally agree that yes, Paige was making them more effective, he still didn't think it had been Walter's logic talking.

He sat at his desk, feet up on the surface, pretending to read, while he watched the rest of the team. Sylvester was scribbling on the blackboard. Again. That was normal. Happy right there with him wasn't. Toby wandered over.

"It needs to be light enough that he can wear it all night," Happy said.

"Since when do you care about clothes?" Toby asked. "Either of you?"

"It's for Ralph," Happy said. "And keep your voice down — it's a surprise."

Toby looked at the chalkboard. "Is that-?"

"It's perfect, right?" Sylvester said.

"You know, it is. So, I guess this means we're going to a party tomorrow."

"Shhh!" Sylvester said. "It's a surprise. Paige will hear you."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure she has other things on her mind right now," Toby said, smirking.

The Sylvester's calculations into the back room of the garage and started assembling the costume. As he followed Happy's directions, Toby took refuge in his usual smart-ass comments. Just because Walter was changing didn't mean he had to.

They finally knocked off work for a few hours.

"If we don't sleep, we're never going to pass the test," Happy said.

"I hate to break it to you, but sleep isn't our problem," Toby said. "We do have issues, and the shrink is going to be a normal. She's going to see the issues and not what we can do."

"I place our odds of passing this test at nine percent," Sylvester. "Fourteen percent if she takes into account our earlier successes, and three percent if she's been briefed by Director Merrick."

"Not good," Happy said. On that note, they called it a night.

Still, even as he went through his own interview the next day, Toby thought maybe, maybe, they could pull this off. It couldn't be any more impossible than what they had done in Las Vegas a week ago, and that had worked out okay. Mostly.

The shrink was good — she wasn't giving anything away. As they waited around the garage that afternoon, Toby decided to pull out the bottle of wine. If they didn't pass, they'd need it, and if they did pass, wine might get Walter to loosen up.

~Scorpion~Scorpion~Scorpion~Scorpion~

As the rest of the team took Ralph off to put on his costume, Walter wanted to follow, but Paige's expression stopped him.

"So let me get something straight," she said. "Art makes you feel nothing, yet you lied to your superiors and risked your job in order for us to return the painting to its rightful heirs. You also think Halloween is nonsensical, and yet you took time off work to get dressed up and go to Ralph's party."

Walter didn't know what to say to that, so he waited.

"For a guy who says he has no feelings, you sure are sweet," she said.

He wanted to say something, but he knew Ralph would be back in a minute

"Eh, it was just a costume," he said.

But later that night, as he watched the Halloween party and tried to figure out why anybody thought this was fun, he thought about what he could have said.

"About those dance lessons…" No, he knew he wasn't ready for what she had hinted at.

"Family is important." He didn't know if they could accurately be quantified like that, not matter what the psychologist said about homes and belonging.

"Your feelings are the ones that matter." Hetty might have been right about his motivation, but that didn't mean he was ready to admit it.

In the end, he knew he was right not to have said anything. But that night, he had to force himself not to pause and rewind his dreams.