Walter and Paige finally talk. Meanwhile Toby tries to put Ralph's mind at rest and there's an unexpected visitor.

Again I must express my thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing this story. There are a few post-finale 'fix-it' fics out there now and we all have our own ideas about what happens, so thank you so much for sticking with this one. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

CHAPTER 9.

"He's out on the roof, he's waiting for you, kid."

"Thank you, Cabe." Paige could feel everyone's eyes on her as she walked back into the garage. She held her head high and smiled before striding purposefully outside to join Walter.

"Toby, is... is Paige OK?" asked Sylvester, gingerly. "It was clear that she wasn't OK in any normal sense of the word, but he felt the need to ask. Sylvester could feel that his own anxiety had eased significantly since he'd spoken to Walter and it was the sense of relief he'd been craving for the last four weeks, but it didn't seem like it was going to be as easy for Paige to achieve any kind of inner peace.

"Paige is a tough cookie," replied Toby. Then he turned to Ralph. "Hey, Ralphy, why don't we go raid the fridge? My guess is Walt's filled it with junk since your mom's not been here to do the shopping."

"I've been doing the shopping," Cabe interjected. "No junk, just the kind of good old fashioned food I used to eat when I was a boy."

Ralph looked at Toby with a grin. "I think I'd rather eat junk food," he said. Cabe rolled his eyes, but he didn't really mind the jibe, it was so good to see Ralph and the others back here where they belonged.

"Anyone else hungry?" asked Toby, but Sylvester, Happy and Cabe all shook their heads so he and Ralph left them to chat and they headed towards the kitchen.

They found enough in the fridge to make reasonably appetising sandwiches. There was even a single tomato which Ralph cut in half. Toby watched the young genius as he opened a packet of luncheon meat and shared it between their plates. He could see Ralph's mind was spinning and he knew he needed to get him to open up, but Ralph was smart enough to know that Toby would try and he deliberately closed himself off even more.

"So, any thoughts on Collins?" asked Toby as they sat down at the table to eat their sandwiches. He could tell seeing Walter again had put a lot of Ralph's fears to rest, which was encouraging, but Paige's reaction had frightened him. "I guess we should analyse the data from CLAM first," added Toby, pushing him to talk.

Ralph shrugged. "I guess," he agreed. He took another bite and chewed it slowly. "Toby, can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Anything, pal," Toby answered. Whereas he, Happy and Sylvester and even Cabe were visibly less anxious about the future already, Ralph's worrying seemed to have got worse since they had arrived at the garage. Toby wasn't quite sure where this was heading. He certainly didn't expect to hear the next words to come out of the boy's mouth.

"Should my mom be on meds?" Ralph tilted his head to the side slightly as he spoke.

Toby was a little taken aback by the direct question and it took him a moment before he could reply. "Ralph, I know you want what's best for your mom, but trust me, she's doing OK all things considered."

"It's just that I've been doing some research," Ralph continued, unabated, "and it seems like a mood stabiliser could help and maybe…"

"Hey, I know you have twenty plus IQ points on me, pal," Toby interrupted him. "But I'm the one who went to medical school - Harvard, I know I barely mention it, but this is kinda my thing. I promise you if I thought she was at that stage I'd be writing the script right now. You've got to trust me on this."

Ralph looked unconvinced. "I… I do trust you," he said.

"Really?" Toby raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Listen to me, she's fighting her way out of this and I've got her back. We all have."

Ralph nodded slowly. "I think I have trust issues," he said sadly.

"OK," replied Toby slowly. "Where did this come from?"

Ralph shrugged. "I do trust you to take care of my mom. I do, but…"

"But you have doubts," Toby pointed out gently. "You've had a rough ride these past few weeks, it's normal to feel a little mixed up."

Ralph nodded slowly and tried to keep his emotions in check. "Just now, I made Walter promise that we could trust him," Ralph explained. "This whole mess… I'm so confused… it's my mom's fault for totally overreacting, but it's Walter's fault for lying to her too. And… and it's my mom's fault for telling him lying is OK, but it's Walter's fault for taking Florence to that lecture. And it's Sly's fault for hesitating over Florence and quitting Scorpion, but it's Walter's fault for driving him away. I thought I'd feel better after seeing Walter today, after talking to him, but I just accused him of being untrustworthy. I've probably made it all worse."

"You think it could get any worse?" asked Toby, with a knowing expression. "Look, we're all messed up a little right now. A little more than we usually are," he added with a tiny grin. "You needed to hear Walter make that promise. It's OK."

"I guess I did," admitted Ralph. He pushed the remains of his sandwich around his plate. "I guess I ran away because I thought it was my fault, but it was my mom's fault for making me feel that way. I didn't understand how bad things were in her head, I still don't. I can't help but blame Walter for his part in this."

"I know, but hey, your mom's up there talking to him right now," Toby pointed out. "A couple weeks ago I wasn't sure we'd ever get this far."

Toby pressed his lips together. He knew he could have… should have… said more to Walter today, but he hadn't wanted to overload him with any more emotional outpourings than were necessary. He hoped that over the next few weeks, as they rebuilt their relationship, he would get a chance to try to explain as much as he could to his old friend. He also hoped Walter would open up to him about his own feelings too, but Toby knew that might not be so easy. They were on the right path now, though. That was the most important thing. Team Scorpion were together - whatever might happen between Walter and Paige - and they were going to track down Mark Collins.

Toby smiled supportively at Ralph and nodded towards the remains of his sandwich. "Eat up, Ralphy-Boy," he said with a wink. "You need your vitamins."

Ralph was about to take a bite when the door flew open. He dropped his sandwich when he saw who had arrived.

"Walter, I know you said not to disturb you today, but I think I've balanced this formula… oh!"

Florence froze in her tracks as everyone turned to stare at her.

"Oh," she repeated. She clutched the tall glass beaker she was carrying to her chest and a little of the blue liquid splashed over the side. She blinked deeply, manically hoping that she was having some kind of vision. "You… you're here. You're all here!" she exclaimed once she realised her imagination wasn't playing tricks on her after all.

"Hey, Flo," grinned Toby as he and Ralph walked back to join the others.

"It's Florence," she retorted. "It's still Florence."

"Good to know," noted Happy, rolling her eyes.

"You people have some nerve coming back here," hissed Florence. She put the beaker down on the nearest desk and folded her arms across her chest. "I mean, I assume you're either here to collect your belongings – which I sincerely hope is the case because I'm sick of looking at your crap - or you're attempting to reconnect with Walter which, considering the hideous way in which you abandoned him, is likely to be a fruitless endeavour."

Sylvester was stunned by the level of vitriol in her voice. When they'd first met Florence she had been defensive and aloof and had not made a good first impression on any of the team. After a while, however, she had started to let her barriers down and her softer, more vulnerable side had come to the fore. It was that side that had led to Sylvester developing feelings for her. Although those feelings had dwindled significantly in the last four weeks, it was still a shock to him to see her behave this way again.

"Actually, we're all buddies again now," smirked Toby. It was a huge exaggeration, he knew that, but he was deliberately pushing Florence's buttons.

The chemist's eyes widened in surprise. "I see," she replied. Then she looked over her shoulder and her earlier defiance drifted away, to be replaced by a far more subdued manner. "Where's Paige?" she asked, trying – and failing - to sound nonchalant.

"She's talking to Walt," replied Happy with a smug expression.

Florence let out a sigh. "I would like to talk to her," she said, quietly.

Sylvester stepped forward. "I'm not sure Paige would be interested in anything you have to say," he said. His words sounded harsher than he'd intended and he felt a sudden rush of anxiety.

Toby noticed immediately and moved closer to the younger genius. "Easy, pal," he said, almost under his breath and Sylvester nodded - he didn't want Florence to see him falling apart. He didn't want her to think it was because of her, because it really wasn't. Well, maybe just a little, he conceded.

"I'll tell my mom you were asking after her," said Ralph, looking suddenly older than his thirteen years.

"Ralph, I…" Florence began, but she couldn't finish her sentence.

Ralph's expression conveyed a thousand words and Florence was suddenly overcome with guilt. If only she hadn't opened her big mouth that day… if only she hadn't gone to that lecture with Walter… and enjoyed his company… if only…

"I'm sorry," she said, addressing the group now, not just Ralph. She picked up the glass beaker she'd arrived with and turned to Cabe. "Please tell Walter I have perfected the compound he needs," she said and, as Cabe nodded a silent affirmation, she turned on her heels and walked towards the door.

"Florence… wait…" Sylvester called after her, his heart pounding, but he felt a strange sense of relief when she didn't turn around. The door closed behind her and he stumbled back a step, finally letting out the breath he'd been holding.

"Sly?" said Cabe with concern. Happy had hinted earlier that Sylvester had been dealing with his own demons, but Cabe hadn't yet witnessed the extent of his suffering.

"Come on, Sly, breathe," urged Toby, putting a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"It… it was all a mistake," gasped Sylvester, fiercely fighting to keep control.

Breathe in… and hold… and out…

"She was a… a friend, that's all. I… I wanted to feel love again, but… but…"

Breathe in… and hold… and out…

"Hey, don't let her ruin today," Happy implored. "She was never a member of Scorpion. She's not part of our family."

"That's kinda harsh," frowned Cabe, glancing at Sylvester who had managed to calm down a little now. "Flo was invaluable on plenty of cases before y'know what happened… and she's been more than pulling her weight around here since."

"I want to talk to her," said Sylvester. "She looked… sad. I don't want her to blame herself. I need to apologise to her… one day, but not today."

Cabe impulsively threw his arm around Sylvester's shoulders in a protective gesture. "Don't worry about her, kid," he said. "She'll understand." It felt good to have everyone back home again. His family. He just hoped that Walter and Paige could find their way back to each other somehow.

xXxXxXxXxXx

"The south easterly wind direction is… is… p…providing a pleasant breeze up here today."

Walter could have kicked himself as he heard Paige's slow footsteps behind him. The wind direction? Was that really the first thing he wanted to say to her after all of this? He couldn't turn around, he couldn't face her, not yet. Her reaction to seeing him in the garage had been shocking and he had no idea what to say to her now. Everything he'd planned to say suddenly seemed completely irrelevant.

"Walter."

He closed his eyes. Just hearing her say his name almost broke him. How had he allowed things to go this badly wrong? He felt her hand on his shoulder and he let out a shuddery breath. Her touch, her scent, everything sent him into a spin.

Paige removed her hand almost as quickly as she had placed it there. "I'm… I'm sorry about just now," she continued, her voice was barely audible. "I've been having a few… a few episodes like that lately."

Walter finally found the courage to turn around. "You… you have no need t…to apologise," he insisted. "I imagine these last f…few weeks have not been easy f…for you."

Paige swallowed hard. She wanted to scream at him – why would he say that? Of course she needed to apologise! She had to apologise for everything, but she didn't really know where to start.

"I'm sorry it's come to this," she began. "Thank you for agreeing to this meeting today." Meeting? It sounded so formal. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, employing one of the many coping strategies Toby had taught her. "Thank you for agreeing to talk," she corrected herself, a little calmer now.

"Happy made me realise a… a… few things when she came to see me," replied Walter. "B…b…but I'm not sure I will be able to articulate my thoughts… my feelings… particularly well at this juncture."

Paige smiled and she reached out her hand, resting it momentarily on his forearm. "Neither of us are very good at that," she noted. "If we could only have communicated better before, then maybe…" she trailed off. Maybe he wouldn't have taken another woman out for the evening and then lied about it…? No, that wasn't fair. There was so much blame to share.

"M…maybe you could have told me sooner about… about all those things… all those things you hated so much," Walter stopped to take a breath. "I would have tried, Paige. I… I… I would have tried harder to ch...change. For you."

"Oh, Walter," replied Paige and tears filled her eyes. "I didn't want you to change… I don't ever want you to change. I don't know why I said those hurtful things to you that day. I don't know why I tried to push you to places you weren't ready for." The tears spilled over and began to run down her cheeks.

Walter instinctively reached out his arms, but then he hesitated. He couldn't just stand there and watch her break down, but did she want his comfort? It wasn't his place any more to hold her… was it? He couldn't be sure, but he had to take the risk. If she pushed him away they wouldn't be in any worse a place than they already were after all.

Walter stepped forward and tenderly pulled her close. Paige's head naturally came to rest on his chest and he gently wrapped his arms around her. He could feel her tears soaking through his shirt and he desperately wanted to soothe her with a kiss, but he knew it was too soon for that. He didn't know if he could ever cope with the feeling of his lips on hers again anyway. Certainly not now, not yet.

There was no doubt that Paige's words that day had hurt Walter more than he ever thought imaginable. He didn't fully understand the way he felt right now, but he knew it would take more than a few apologies and a tearful hug to put everything behind them. He desperately wanted to be with Paige, but at the same time he wasn't sure if he could survive being with her. "Ssshh…" he soothed. "I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair. "I… I… should have understood, but… but I didn't. I didn't mean t…to hurt you."

"I know," replied Paige between her sobs. "I know you didn't. And… and I didn't mean to hurt you either. We waited three years to be together… and then we... we just messed it all up." She pulled away from his arms and looked up at him with so much sadness and regret in her eyes that in that moment Walter could read her thoughts as well as any world class behaviourist. "I'm so sorry, Walter," she said. "I have some… some problems and I'm working on solving them. My whole life I've been scared… scared of finding someone… and then losing them… and… and…"

"Paige, p…please, you don't have to tell me this," Walter interrupted her.

"I do," insisted Paige. She drew a shuddery breath and tried to focus her mind. She could feel the familiar fog threatening to cloud her thoughts and the fear was starting to return. She couldn't risk that, not now. Not now his hand was still on her arm, not now her arm was still resting on his hip. If they could just stay like this forever it would be enough, she thought.

Walter shook his head. "Cabe has… has tried to counsel me in… in how to communicate more efficiently." No, not efficiently, that wasn't the word he wanted. "More openly," he corrected himself. He took a deep breath, he was about to take a huge risk and he had to be prepared for it to come back and hit him in the face, but he had to try. "Would you c…consider having dinner? With me… dinner with me. This evening? So we can talk."

Paige stepped back, breaking all physical contact with him. She hasn't expected this. Deep down she had wanted it, of course, longed for it even, but she hadn't expected it.

"I… um… I…" She floundered, trying desperately not to make Walter think she didn't want to see him when she did. Desperately. "I… I… yes," she said.

Then her mind was filled with sudden, terrifying thoughts of being with him. What would people say about her? What would they think? She fought hard to keep her mind clear, but it was no use. The thoughts were all consuming. Irrational thoughts, she realised, but she couldn't stop them. She couldn't be seen with him, she couldn't! Everyone would know…

"Paige?"

Her manner had clearly been so intense that even Walter had been perturbed.

Paige looked up at him with wide eyes. "My place," she snapped. "Seven thirty. I'll cook, but if it's the worst meal you've ever tasted you have to tell me. Just don't expect me to handle the criticism well." And without another word she ran across the rooftop and back inside leaving a stunned Walter standing motionless in the breeze.

To be continued...