Title: Internal Combustion

Summary: Sequel to What A Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.

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 4

The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection.

~Thomas Paine


Walter drove back to the garage slowly, his mind filled with all the changes his life had taken in just the last two days. Paige asked him to stay and spend the day with her and Ralph. He was very tempted, but he felt he needed some time to analyze everything that was so different now. He passed the turn he would normally take to the garage, and opted to keep driving. If he went back to the garage he would bury himself in his work and avoid thinking about… things. Paige deserved more than that. He couldn't mess this up. He was determined not to mess this up. If he expected to get this right, he needed to devote time to it, just as he did with his various projects – probably more so, since he was seriously out of his depth.

He was in a relationship. He had a girlfriend. At least he thought both of those statements were true. Paige said something the day before about things people do when they are in a relationship, and she also told him again that relationships are messy. Although neither of them actually said so, he assumed they were in a relationship now. Paige Dineen was his girlfriend. Which made him Paige's boyfriend. The terms sounded silly, even in his brain. But he had to admit, he rather liked the thought anyway. Walter wondered why no one came up with more mature terms. He thought some people used the term partner, but that sounded too much like a business arrangement. All that was just semantics. He had more important things to ponder.

Should he ask Paige out on a date? He didn't think Toby ever asked Happy on dates – with the exception of that one disastrous incident that nearly derailed Quintis before it began. There was another issue – Quintis! Would Toby insist on making a silly mixup of his and Paige's names? Would they become O'neen? Or maybe Din'ien? The second sounded in his mind too much like denying, and Walter O'Brien was finished with that.

Again, he was getting sidetracked by language. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to think of Toby as a role model for his actions, either.

A date would probably be a nice idea. They could arrange for someone to look after Ralph and go to a nice restaurant. Did Paige even like going to nicer restaurants? He thought she might also like day outings where they took Ralph along. Megan always loved going to the beach, perhaps Paige would like that, too? It surprised him to realize how little he actually knew about her, when at the same time he felt he knew her better than he knew himself. He should make sure they spend some time alone together – away from work and away from Ralph. Paige obviously wanted him to kiss her, and he realized he wanted that, too. But apparently Ralph didn't like the idea, so they would have to do their kissing when Ralph wasn't around. Walter made a note to arrange a date for them for the following week, work permitting.

Walter recalled that for some reason, Ralph's assumption that he would be asking Paige to marry him had caused Paige serious distress. She apologized for the boy's comment, blushing so strongly Walter wondered if she might have a fever. He wasn't sure why she had such an issue with it. Was it perhaps because her marriage to Drew was such a failure that she was now totally opposed to marriage? He was certain she was divorced from Drew; it had been noted in the background check Cabe did when she officially joined Scorpion. So there was no possibility of a repeat of Toby's proposal fiasco.

Walter himself was indifferent to the idea and probably would never have thought about it except for Ralph. Having finally accepted his feelings for Paige, he couldn't imagine ever not feeling this way. As far as he was concerned, their relationship was already a permanent one. There were legal advantages to marriage that might make sense at some point. He'd gotten a swift introduction to those legal advantages when Sly and Megan married, giving Sly control over all of Megan's heath choice. He didn't see the point of popping a surprise proposal. It would be much better to discuss the pros and cons calmly and rationally. Perhaps in a few weeks, when they both had time to adjust to the change, he would discuss the topic with Paige, see what her feelings were. If it was too distasteful for her, that was fine. He didn't need to marry Paige to know he loved her.

Paige loved him, too. He didn't remember much about his time in the emergency room, but he was sure she said she was in love with him. He thought he remembered hearing her say it again as he was falling asleep in the hotel, but that memory was much foggier. He knew he told her many times, and repeated it, after a fashion, earlier that morning over breakfast. After all the turmoil he went through trying to avoid it, it didn't bother him at all now, to say it. It was a fact. He only wondered that it took him so long to realize it.

Driving through the streets on a Sunday afternoon, the genius wasn't paying much attention to where he was going. Pausing in his thoughts to determine his location, he realized he was driving along the beach. After a few more minutes, he turned into one of the big public parking areas and found a spot. He wasn't equipped for day at the beach, but he always kept sunscreen in his car. Maybe a walk would help him to focus.


Walter sat on the sand, near where he used to bring Megan, watching the waves. Just down the beach was the rock slide where he'd rescued the young boy, Owen. The boy was graduating from elementary school and sent Walter an invitation to the festivities. He hadn't really planned on going, but perhaps now, he would. He didn't think it counted as a real date, but maybe Paige might enjoy it.

"Megan," he found himself saying. "I did it. I fell in love. Sorry, but I have to admit I'm still scared to death about it, but I did it. I suspect you knew about this long before you died. You always did know me better than anyone."

He paused a moment and looked up in the sky, wondering how far his sister was. He could calculate it, of course, but something stopped him. It felt more… comforting… just to know she was up there somewhere. He didn't need to know exactly where.

Walter wondered at the fanciful turn his mind was taking. Megan – the person that his sister had been - was no more up in space than she was sitting beside him. He didn't believe that any part of a person continued to exist after they died, other than the shell of organic material; which in Megan's case had been turned to ash and was currently traveling through the solar system. Still, he felt somehow that she was nearby, and listening to him, as she so often had done.

"I know you liked Paige. She certainly liked you. I'm sorry I didn't… I couldn't keep you with us any longer. Right now I could really use your advice, big sis. You know this is something I don't know how to do and it's… it's the most important thing I'll ever do. I can't fail at this, Megan. I just can't."

Walter draped his arms across his raised knees and rested his chin on them, staring out at the ocean. A light breeze caught a lock of his hair and blew the curls across his eyes. Before he could move it aside, a cross breeze came and blew the curls back.

"Someday soon, Megan, I'm going to bring Paige here. We'll have a picnic or something. Maybe we'll just take a walk and talk. She's a lot like you that way, Megan. I can talk to Paige about anything. But you'll see… when we come. I'm happy, Megan. She makes me happy."


June 5, 2016