Fi – nal – ly an update to this one, so sorry guys. Hoping to get another update to both this one and my other two WIPs within the next week or so. Please review this one and the others if you're enjoying them, I've gotten just a small fraction of the usual on them and I don't know if people are losing interest in the stories or Scorpion fic in general; it's very hard to tell where people's heads are at when reviews just don't come in.

Walter thought Date Three was going well.

He had to put some careful thought into what they were going to do. What he wanted was to invite her to the garage, make food, and then sit on the couch and watch movies, like they used to so very often. It was also a very acceptable date idea, he thought. However, it was only the second date he was picking, and inviting her over, he decided, wouldn't work as there was no set end time for a date that took place at someone's home. If she decided to leave, he would wonder if it was something he said. If he suggested she leave, she would find him rude. There were too many variables. Going out left much clearer boundaries.

So for Date Three, he and Paige were sitting at a high table in the back of a bar, sipping a water and Bloody Mary, respectively, listening to a routine by a local stand up comedienne. Walter wasn't entirely certain where the woman was going with half of her jokes, but Paige laughed right along with everyone else, and a few of Walter's chuckles were genuine; the woman certainly had good timing and facial expressions. He could appreciate that, even if he didn't quite understand how the Monster Mash was 'full of innuendos' or why she was even talking about a Halloween song in mid – September.

"Thank you!" the comedienne said, lifting a hand and smiling as everyone cheered and applauded. Walter did so politely along with them, watching Paige as she lifted her hands as she clapped. Turning to Walter, she picked up her drink, taking another sip. "She was really funny."

"She was," he agreed, deciding not to point out that humor was subjective. "I'm glad you're enjoying it."

"Are you enjoying it? This isn't exactly your scene."

"Of course I am. I'm with you."

She tipped her head in a seemingly flirtatious fashion. "You've said that before, since we started this."

"It's true." He gave her a small, slightly shy smile. "I've realized that it matters less what we're doing and more that we're doing it together. Like when we argued about where our first kiss was. It's just important that we kissed. And with dates, it's just important that we're on them. I…I think it's just a fact of life that some things you enjoy I don't, and some things I enjoy you don't. But as long as we remember that we're sharing our lives with each other…it will work. I've really given this a lot of thought," he added quickly when she smiled and he couldn't tell if she was pleased or just amused.

Paige reached across the table, squeezing his hand. "I like that. I like that a lot. But seriously, you're not bored?"

Walter felt a rush of confidence at her response to his analysis. "Of course not."

"Ah. Too bad." At Walter's confused look, she continued. "I was thinking we could get out of here. Paint the town…well, paint the town, at least."

Walter wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I wouldn't mind that. Our drinks and appetizers are paid for."

Paige ginned, standing up. "Let's go."

An hour later, Walter realized he wasn't entirely sure where they were. They'd just started walking, catching up on Ralph and Cabe and Allie's Not So Secret upcoming engagement, and suddenly he realized they were in a park, one that reminded him of MacArthur, but wasn't. Paige seemed to know where they were, so he didn't question it.

She led him to a bench in front of a pond and sat down, gesturing to the seat beside her. "Hey," she said affectionately as he lowered himself, tipping her head to the side to rest on his shoulder as she wrapped an arm around his and linked his fingers with those on her other hand.

"Hey," he repeated, tipping his head to rest on hers. "Tonight is a good night, I think."

"It is," she said. "It's lovely weather, the moon is full."

"Almost full," Walter said. "Waxing gibbous." Oops. Surely he was allowed one science fun fact?

"It will be full on the twenty – fourth I think," Paige said, not seeming to mind his comment. He squeezed her hand. She lifted her head off of his shoulder and smiled at him, giving a little chuckle. "You know, I'm trying to think of small talk about the weather and celestial bodies and honestly all I'm actually thinking about is…" she trailed off, biting her lower lip.

Walter cocked his head. "Thinking about what?"

"You want to make out?" Paige didn't wait for a verbal response, but Walter had certainly given her his answer in the grin that came over his face. She cupped his jaw in her hands, putting her lips against his, kissing him slowly and sweetly for a few seconds before drawing in a breath and wrapping her lips around his lower one and sucking gently. Walter shifted his weight, putting his hands on her waist, and she rose up on the bench, shifting until she was over him and then settling on his lap.

They could certainly kiss better from this angle. Walter grinned as her mouth returned to his. He gripped her hips, remembering that she liked the feel of that, and he pushed his tongue into her mouth, sliding a hand up to the middle of her back as if to keep her right where she was. Paige moaned quietly, a hand in his hair, the other still against his jaw, and she stroked his tongue with her own, their mouths separating with a light smacking sound when they both drew breath. Paige moved her lips to his jaw, and then his neck, pressing her hips down against his for leverage.

Shit. Walter steeled himself, blowing air out through his nose, feeling suddenly lightheaded – for medical reasons and in alarm – as the blood rushed away from his head. They weren't having sex tonight, he reminded himself, and damn, he used to be able to kiss her like this for a lot longer before worrying about getting hard. Of course, when they used to kiss like this an erection wouldn't have been embarrassing. This was different.

Thinking about how different it was was enough to help, some. He relaxed back into it, kissing her earlobe, enjoying the way he could feel her hot breath when she sighed. She put her lips back on his, a hand going around to the back of his head. He could feel her fingernails scratching his scalp, getting tangled in his curls. He ran his tongue along her lip, his fingers running along her spine, and she shuddered, breathing his name.

"Paige, we have to stop," he blurted, tensing under her and putting his hands on her shoulders to gently push her back.

He could see her decently well in the almost – full moon, and so he knew she could see him well, too. She took one look into his dilated eyes and realization dawned as he let out a long, loud breath through his lips. "Oh. Oh, right, I'm s…" she swung her leg back over him, settling back down on the bench. She hovered a hand over his arm, as if worried that touching him might make it worse. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

He reached over with his other hand and pressed hers between it and his arm. He hadn't even been far enough for her to notice, he certainly wasn't going to embarrass himself at the touch of her hand. "It's okay. Everything's…" he thought finishing that thought with under control sounded too dramatic. "Everything's fine."

"Okay." She leaned over, placing a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Honestly I was probably getting a little ahead of myself too, for a minute there." She chuckled. She was embarrassed, he could tell, and he found that strange, given that he had very nearly shoved her off of his lap to prevent his own embarrassment. He smiled, giving her a kiss on the cheek very similar to the one she had given him. "I'm sorry," she blurted.

"Nothing to apologize for." He smiled at her. "Although maybe a little less…s…"

"Straddling," they said together, giving little laughs in unison. She cocked her head. "Is a little more kissing too much?"

He wasn't that juvenile, even though he hadn't been entirely honest with her about what he had been up to, in this respect, since they broke up. "Of course not," he said, smiling and leaning in, electing to avoid that particular topic for now. When their lips touched again, he could feel her own smile, and while it made for slightly stranger kissing, he would have been lying if he said he enjoyed it any less. She scooted nearer and he put his arm around her, welcoming her nestling in close.

"You know," Paige said, after what could have been seconds or hours, "we're going to have to call an Uber to get back to the restaurant and pick up our cars. I actually have no idea where we are."

For some reason, Walter found that immensely funny. At first Paige seemed confused as to why he was laughing, but seeming to get the humor in the situation, she joined him just moments later. "My phone still has some juice," he said. "I'll call us one."

She grinned at him. "These dates. Three down, three to go."

He looked at her curiously. Was she treating this as just something she had to get through? And if so, what outcome was she looking forward to?

He didn't want these seeds of doubt in his mind. So he pushed them down, agreeing with Paige and smiling, and hoping she didn't pick up on his faltering confidence. Said confidence was new, sudden. He didn't want it to go away.

And yet it had.

You didn't think I was going to do a whole fic of fluff, now did you? (Also, don't blow up him keeping some detail from her and freak out. It's nothing she would be mad at him for.)