WriterFreak001:
Sorry for the delay; I started my internship yesterday so things got a little crazy. If you haven't checked out my two newest works, you can find a four part story within The Waige Chronicles and a one-shot called I Need Us.
Enjoy!
Title | Poaching
Fandom | Scorpion (CBS)
Description | Post-Deception. Post-Mind Games. A month has passed since the ending of Mind Games, and just when the members of Team Scorpion think they're going to be able to relax between they're usual cases, a multi-billionaire – Richard Elia – sees what Scorpion, more importantly, Walter O'Brien, is capable of and wants to recruit the team leader for his Think Tank. When Walter turns him down the first time, Elia becomes more persistent, using Walter's taste for technology to his advantage. And when his briberies do not work, Richard Elia may consider resorting to dirty methods to poach Walter away from Scorpion. With a baby on the way, will Walter be able to thwart Elia's plans, or will he consider working for Elia in order to protect his family and friends from the megalomaniac's ploys? And IF he decides to leave Scorpion and follow Elia, will his decision have a price on his marriage? Find out!
Rating| This fanfiction will be rated T for violence, obscene language, sexual themes as well as brain stuff and fluff.
POV | Limited Third Person
Disclaimer | While CBS owns Scorpion, I am the owner of this masterpiece.
Claimer | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!
Poaching
Masterminds of Deceit Vol. 3
Written by WriterFreak001
Chapter 9
~ SCORPION ~
"Ahhh," Paige sighed and closed her eyes as she slowly lowered herself into the hot, soothing water her husband had prepared for her. She leaned the back of her head against Walter's chest as their hands found each other and rested on top of her swollen stomach. "This feels nice."
"I figured you'd enjoy this," Walter smirked with an air of arrogance as Paige placed a short kiss on his collarbone. "I actually thought about taking you to the beach today, but… using the tub is way more efficient."
"Oh?" Paige cocked a brow as her fingers played with his fingers. "How so?"
"Well…," he chuckled, "for one, it saves gas."
"What a deal saver," Paige rolled her eyes and laughed as she hooked her arms around Walter's neck and tugged him down for a sweet kiss.
"But the selling point," Walter mumbled against her lips, "was that there was a big plus side to using the tub as opposed to going to the beach."
"Do tell," Paige pulled away but kept her fingers latched behind his neck.
"Skin-to-skin contact," Walter deadpanned as he rubbed her belly.
"I'm sold," Paige muttered softly and brought her lips to his mouth.
For the first time in a few weeks, she and Walter were finally able to have some time to themselves. Last week, Ralph was off for Spring Break so Walter was busy making sure the boy was occupied as Paige rested, and during the following week, Scorpion didn't have many cases, and when they did, the assignments didn't last very long. And not all the time was every member of the team even needed for a case. Today, however, the entire team (save for Walter and Paige, of course) were called on a case in San Fernando, and based on the brief detail both of them received from Cabe, the team was going to be there for at least half the day, assuming there won't be any obstacles.
For the past two weeks, Paige had been mostly resting, but occasionally, Walter would take Paige out on mini field trips, allowing her to get out of the garage but also maintain her resting schedule. One time, they went to the park where he sat down at the edge of the bench, and she laid down, resting her head over his lap. Another time, they went to the beach. Mostly, their mini trips were outside venues where both of them could relax and forget the world for a few hours. They had planned to stargaze from the roof of the garage the other night, but it was too cloudy to see the night sky. As a solution, Walter set up his Colorform technology above their bed, and they stargazed the universe instead. Paige was definitely not disappointed.
Since her latest appointment with her OB/GYN, she was in a brighter mood; her BP levels were improving, and the baby didn't appear to have any problems. Whatever she was doing to keep her BP levels regulated was working. Having Walter at home did indeed relieve some of Paige's stress, and he helped as much as he could, and when he wasn't around, she'd call him, and he'd be by her bedside in a heartbeat. It was almost too funny to watch him scramble into the bedroom and trip over his feet. He actually stumbled over that gaudy rug once, and she swore to secrecy she wouldn't tell a soul (but by the end of the day, the entire team found out about it). Walter still didn't know the team knew about his little competition with the rug.
"Imagine us doing this underneath your Colorform screen," Paige eventually said, just reveling in the moment as her husband slowly rubbed her tummy. "We could spend an evening in here and gaze at the universe."
"If you give me five minutes, I could set it up right now," Walter blinked and started to climb out of the tub, but Paige pulled him back down.
"I didn't mean right now, silly," Paige rolled her eyes as he brought his palms back to her belly. "Besides, it's barely noon."
"Well," Walter chuckled and kissed the top of her head, "Somewhere in the world, it's nighttime."
Paige shook her head and laughed. "You and your loopholes." She leaned her head back, touching the crook of his neck as she reached for his face and eased him into a loving kiss. "I hope all of our children will have high IQs just like you."
"All?" Walter lifted an eyebrow but didn't move away from her.
"You didn't think I'd settle just having one child with you, did you?" Paige laughed as Walter's eyes popped wide open. She decided to egg it on by adding, "Just think… by the time Ralph turns twenty, you and I will be having our sixth or possibly seventh child together."
"That's a lot of sex," was the first thing that fumbled out of Walter's mouth. She only laughed and lightly smacked his cheek.
"Mmmm," Paige hummed as she molded her lips against his, "My favorite part."
~ SCORPION ~
A few hours after Walter and Paige's bathtub delight, Walter was at his desk, working on developing a stronger encryption program while Paige lounged around on the red couch, balancing a plate of several slices of pizza on her belly. She held the plate in one hand for extra support and dangled a cheesy slice over her mouth. "Are you sure you don't want any of this pizza? For some reason, they made it extra yummy this time."
"I'm good," Walter sent her a quick smile and then returned to his computer, adding, "I already had a few slices over an hour ago."
"Suit yourself," Paige shrugged and bit off another bite of her fourth pizza. "More for me and the baby." She hummed as she chewed the morsel in her mouth and realized her pizza was missing something. "Walter?"
"Yeah?" Walter tore away from his computer and gave his wife his undivided attention. "What is it?"
"Can you get me some ketchup?" Paige pointed to her plate and fluttered her eyes. "Please?"
"Yeah. Okay." Walter nodded and rose to his feet, heading for the kitchen.
After a while, he had stopped questioning her strange food cravings and simply went with whatever she wanted. Not always did he find her cravings appealing, but he often hid his disgust to avoid upsetting her. The last time he turned his nose up at her when she drank an entire jar of dill pickle juice (and it had to be Vlastic Original Dill Wholes, for some reason), she got upset (for practically nothing) and started throwing the pickles at his head. She missed all but two, and he quickly learned his lesson, discovering that a pregnant Paige was definitely scarier than Happy's anger. To his dismay, the team had witnessed the entire event, and Toby just had to have the last comment, saying, 'Well, Walt…. I can see that you've gotten yourself in quite a pickle,' before walking off with a Cheshire grin plastered on his face. Walter had been tempted to cut Toby's paycheck right then and there (and sometimes he wished he did), but he decided against it for some reason.
"Organic or Heinz?" Walter called out from the kitchen after opening the fridge. Usually, Paige used organic, but lately, she's been changing up her preferences.
"The real stuff!" Paige hollered with food stuffed in her mouth. Walter grabbed the Heinz ketchup, closed the fridge's door and made his way over to his wife. After he opened it for her, she eagerly snatched it out of his hand and dumped the remaining contents of the bottle onto her plate. "There," her lips curled to a wide smile, "much better."
Walter took the bottle from her and placed it on the coffee table as he started walking back to his desk. Her cheesy fingers grabbed his hand, stopping him from leaving. He turned to look at her. "Yes?"
She smirked. "I want you to feed me."
"Excuse me?" Walter cocked a brow. Of all of the weird and unconventional things he'd done during the duration of his wife's pregnancy – rubbing her swollen feet, cooking her odd food combinations, going to the store late night or early in the morning for X, Y, Z – this request had to be the craziest.
"I," she grabbed his tie and yanked him down with surprisingly strong force, "want you to feed me."
Walter blinked. "Okay." He dug his knees into the ground and reached for a slice of pizza, but she swatted his hand away. He gave her a strange look. "I thought you sai—"
"Not with my pizza," Paige splayed her hand over her plate to protect her food.
"Okay. I am greatly confused." Walter scratched his head and pursed his lips. "You want me to feed you, but you don't want me to feed you."
She smiled. "I want you to feed me strawberries."
"Strawberries?" He was certain she never said strawberries in her initial inquiry.
"Strawberries."
He looked towards the fridge. "I don't think… I don't think we have any strawberries, Paige."
She grabbed his tie again and tugged him downward again; his nose was almost touching hers. Paige's fiery eyes sent shivers down Walter's spine. He gulped. "I. Want. Strawberries."
His throat was tight. He forced a nervous chuckle. "Strawberries it is, then."
She surprised him with a hard, wet, buttery kiss before playfully smacking his cheek. "Good boy."
After she released him, he cleared his throat and straightened his tie. Luckily, she didn't get any grease or other stains on his shirt nor his tie. "I'll," Walter ran his hand through his hair, "I guess I'll be back shortly."
"Don't keep me waiting," Paige sweetly smiled.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Walter muttered as he pulled his keys out of his pocket.
"Hm?"
"N-nothing," he stammered, flashing her a forced smile. "Anything else?" Before she makes another crazy, spontaneous demand, preferably.
"Nope! Just strawberries." Paige said while chewing another piece of pizza.
"Okay. Take care while I'm gone." Walter said as he whirled around and headed for the garage door in the back.
"Walter?"
The genius stopped in his tracks. He didn't turn around. "Yeah?"
"Thank you," her appreciation caused him to turn towards her. Her smile softened his frustration. "You truly are the best."
Walter shoved his response back down his throat and simply flashed her a grin. They shared a moment of silent stares before Walter broke the reticence. "Right. Well. Okay. I'm off."
And then he was gone.
…
Once Paige finished her pizza, she grabbed her latest leisure novel, Nicholas Spark's The Longest Ride, and picked up where she last left off. She hummed quietly to herself, but after a while, she was getting bored with reading so she placed her book back onto the coffee table and reached for Walter's Surface Pro. Not five minutes later, a knock was heard from the front door. She slowly pushed herself to her feet and rolled her shirt back down over her belly as she waddled over to the door. Cautiously, she opened it. Richard Elia. "Yes?"
"I'm here to speak to Walter. Is he home?" Richard smiled as he scratched the back of his neck.
"He's running an errand for me," Paige forced a smile. Ever since Richard Elia offered Walter a job offer, she felt like something was off about the man, and him showing up unannounced didn't serve him any brownie points either. "May I ask why?"
"I have a few materials I think will help with his rocket," Richard scratched his nose. "I was hoping to ask him if he'd like to stop by my company sometime and pick them up. Either that, or I could drop them off. Whichever is more convenient for him."
"Thank you," Paige gave him a small smile. "I'll be sure to pass the message on to him." She started to close the door.
"Wait!" Richard took a step forward and grabbed the door, keeping Paige from closing it. "Perhaps it might be easier if I wait for him to return."
"Now's not a good time," Paige lied as her stomach flipped. Richard Elia was acting as though he owned the place. "I'll tell Walter you stopped by and will have him call you when he gets home."
"I'll only be a few minutes; if he doesn't show up in five, I'll leave." Richard tried to squeeze himself through the door, but Paige's surprisingly booming voice forced him to stop everything he was doing.
"Sir!" Paige inhaled a deep breath and placed her hand on her belly. "I won't ask you again! Leave!" He balked, and she pointed beyond the door. "Now!"
Richard opened his mouth to say something but simply nodded. "Okay. Sorry." He took a step back with his hands in the air. "Just have… have Walter call my office." Paige didn't say anything as she watched the billionaire retreat to his limousine, and once he was gone, she slammed the door and locked it. Pushing her hair back, she slumped against the door and closed her eyes. She might have been too hard on the man, but she felt threatened the moment he tried to force his way inside the garage. She released the breath she had been holding and gently rubbed her tummy, willing the boiling cells in her body to calm down.
"Got the strawberries!" Walter hollered from the back of the garage as he marched to the kitchen. "You want them now? Or…," he paused and quickly set the fruit on the table, "Paige?" He hustled up to her, and she knew he could tell she was distressed. "Why are you on your feet?" He didn't give her time to answer as he helped her to the couch. Once she was lying down again, he knelt down beside her, placing his hand over her stomach. "Something's wrong," he deduced.
"Richard Elia stopped by," Paige sighed as she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.
"He did?" Walter blinked. "What did he want?"
"You, obviously," Paige found his eyes after pushing her hair back. "I don't know how much I actually believe him, but he said he has a few materials that may be of some use for your rocket. He was hoping to discuss stuff about the materials with you."
"Okay," Walter nodded as he placed his hand over Paige's. "I'll go give him a call." He started to rise to his feet, but he stopped. "Wait… Is his visit why you're distressed? Or… is it something else?"
Paige pursed her lips. "I don't like the man."
"That's nothing new," Walter stated quickly.
She frowned. "I know you admire him, Walter, but… I just don't get a good feeling around him, especially when he almost wouldn't take 'no' for an answer earlier."
"What do you mean?"
"He," She inhaled a deep breath of air and let it out slowly, "He tried to force his way into the garage." Walter opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off. "I told him I'd have you call him when you get home, but he insisted he would stay and wait. I don't know… I just… I didn't like the idea of being alone with him so I asked him to leave. He stopped me from closing the door and tried to squeeze through the opening when I sort of lost it and told him to get the hell out. He finally left."
"Had he waited, I would have been home a few minutes later. I don't see the problem of him waiting for me to come home." Walter scratched his head.
"Yes, but I didn't know that, Walter. I didn't know when you were going to be home, and I didn't think it would be good to stress out the baby by letting in a man I already don't like into our home. I felt uncomfortable around him, Walter. And… if I've learned anything over the last few years while working for Scorpion, it's that I should trust my instincts, and I'm telling you, my instinct says he's bad news." Paige said in two breaths before closing her eyes again.
"In spite what anybody in the Cyclone feels about Richard Elia," Walter could only see the rational side of things, "his assets and his resources would be beneficial for Scorpion. We got on his good graces by saving his daughter; making enemies with him would be reckless."
"I'm not saying we have to, Walter," Paige's eyes flashed open, wondering why her husband was being so difficult. "All I'm saying is that we should be cautious around him. I know you turned down his job offer, and I'm grateful for that… for allowing Scorpion to continue to thrive, but I don't know… I just feel like Richard Elia has something up his sleeve. If you want to meet with him for those materials, fine. I won't stop you. I just… I just want you to be careful. He's already tried to recruit you for his think tank; who is to say he won't try again? What if his visit was merely a ploy to poach you?" She squeezed his hand, "I just worry for you."
"You don't have to be," Walter said softly. "I've already given my answer to Elia, and nothing will change my mind. If he makes you that uncomfortable, I'll go to him alone."
"No," Paige shook her head. "As uncomfortable as he makes me feel, I think it's important I'm present during your meeting; we're married so… whatever Richard Elia has to say…, it affects me too. Besides," Paige gave him a small smile, "if I'm present, I can make sure you're not seduced by his title and that you maintain levelheaded throughout your meeting with him."
"Okay," Walter pursed his lips and patted Paige's stomach.
"In fact," Paige smirked, "why don't we give Elia a little test?" Walter cocked a brow as she continued. "If you request him to have a meeting with both of us, but he declines, then you know whatever he wants to say is something he's not comfortable sharing with me. And if he accepts, then call me paranoid."
"Seems logical," Walter mused. He glanced from her belly to her eyes. "You still want those strawberries?"
"Nah," she shook her head. He sighed. "We'll save them for tonight," she grinned wickedly.
"Sounds good," he muttered even though he wasn't really sure what he was agreeing to. He leaned down and gave her a light kiss before checking his watch. "Ralph gets out of school soon; want to stay here or come with me?"
"As much as I would love to come with you, I think, after that little stress attack I had with Elia earlier, I should probably stay here and rest." Paige squeezed his hand. "But I'm going to rest upstairs. Fewer distractions."
"Okay. I'll help you up there and then I'll leave to pick up Ralph." Walter said as he helped her to her feet and walked her to the golf cart before he drove her up to the loft.
Once she was settled and drifting off to sleep, he left the garage quietly, wondering if he could really trust Elia.
He sure hoped so.
~ SCORPION ~
After picking up Ralph, Walter went straight to his bedroom to check on Paige while Ralph started working on an English assignment. The team had returned and were already dispersed into their respected sections of the garage. Walter purposely didn't tell his friends of Elia's recent visit; he got the impression they didn't like the man either. As Paige slept soundly, Walter returned downstairs and continued working on his encryption program.
He decided it was best not to call Richard Elia while everyone was working so he decided to wait until he had most of the garage to himself to contact him.
About an hour later, Cabe left for Homeland HQ, and Toby was busy ordering Chinese takeout for the team. Happy was welding for another one of her projects, and Sylvester was at his board, working on his latest algorithm. Ralph was upstairs in his bedroom working on his homework. Walter was just about to go upstairs and check on his family again when a gentle rap sounded from the front door. Perhaps it was Richard Elia again.
He started for the door, but Toby beat him to the chase and wasted no time opening it. Walter froze. "Mom…?"
~ SCORPION ~
WriterFreak001:
Haven't had a cliffhanger in a while so I gave you a cliffhanger. Hee Hee. So… why do you think Walter's mother's in LA? Have any theories?
Let me know what you think! :)