AN: This is fluff. Just warning you.

Teaser for next chapter:

Title: Family Portrait

Summary: Walter pays a visit to Megan. 'Enough about me, Walter. How are you?'


Walter bent over, took the last item (Brussels sprouts) out of the shopping trolley, and placed them on the conveyer belt.

Ralph looked at the sprouts, and made a face. (Brussels sprouts were not his favourite, to say the least.)

Cabe looked down at the 10-year-old and chuckled.

'Sorry, kid, but your Mom insisted.'

Walter smiled at the boy.

'I don't like them either, but if we returned without them, the outcome would be unfavourable.'

Ralph sighed and nodded.

'Eating Brussels sprouts is slightly less unfavourable than Mom angry. But only slightly.'

The cashier, a woman of about 35, smiled at the trio as Walter keyed in his PIN to pay.

'Grandfather-father-son shopping trip?'

All three froze.

Identical looks of bemusement (what a ridiculous notion...Doesn't she know anything about the dominance of the brown eyes allele? Or the curly hair allele?) appeared on the faces of the two geniuses.

Cabe simply rolled his eyes, picked up the groceries, and started walking towards the van, knowing that the other two would follow.

As they drove back to the garage, Walter and Ralph discussed something about genetics and the probability of spontaneous mutations causing specific changes in phenotype. (At least, that's what Cabe thought they were talking about.)

He snorted.

'She thought we were related. She thought we were related.' He laughed in disbelief. 'Thought I'd never see anything weirder than an Irish kid who hacked NASA. And the kid keeps proving me wrong without even trying.'