So these next two chapter were a lot of fun to write. I actually wrote them pretty early on, as the scene was one of the main ones in my head as I began this story. I hope you all like them!


Chapter 38:

Welcome to Scorpion: Pt 1


Walter awoke with a throbbing headache. He felt incredibly weak and could barely move. When he did move, all his muscles seemed to spasm in protest.

Walter looked up and saw Tim standing over him. He was several feet away with a dart gun in hand by his side. Walter looked around slowly, as even slight movements hurt and were making him nauseous.

He was in an apartment. He assumed Tim's apartment. He was tied to a chair very effectively with thick corded rope. But why did he feel so weak?

Vervain, Walter realized. Tim had shot him with a dart of vervain. But that would require Tim to know what he was, and to know about vampires.

The fact that Walter saw a long, sharpened piece of wood leaning against the far wall behind Tim backed up his suspicions.

Walter began to really worry.

****SVD****

Paige was driving her car while on the phone with Cabe.

"Tell me again how you know Walter is in trouble, and where we are going?" Cabe asked doubtfully over her phone. He had said he was now driving not far from her, headed in the same direction, wherever that was going.

Paige shook her head in frustration. "I don't know, it's a feeling, I guess, like this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, along with a strange pull in a specific direction. I can't explain it," she let go of the wheel for a split to throw up her hands in a small gesture of exasperation, even if it was just for her own benefit.

It was troubling to say the least. She had been sitting at her desk when she thought she heard Walter say her name, very faintly, except he was no longer in the garage.

She would have brushed it off as a side effect of exhaustion, but then the feeling started. She somehow knew Walter was in trouble, and somehow felt like she should start heading in a certain direction. It was greatly disturbing, to say the least, but she was taking no chances.

She was driving in the direction the feeling was telling her to go, when she approached a familiar building.

It was Tim's apartment building, and when she laid eyes on it, she suddenly knew that was where Walter was.

"Cabe, I think Tim has Walter," she said disbelievingly, yet with certainty at the same time.

"What do you mean 'has Walter'?" Cabe questioned.

She gave another grunt of frustration. "I don't know! Just, meet me at his apartment. I'm going in."

She abruptly hung up the phone, quickly parked, and started running inside.

****SVD****

"I'm sorry, Walter. I'm so sorry this happened to you." Tim was looking at Walter with sorrow in his eyes. Pity, almost. "Was it when I was gone?"

Walter looked up at him in confusion.

Tim probed further. "Is that when you were turned?"

Walter was still confused.

"You see, I noticed you were acting odd when I came back-"

Because you started getting closer to Paige, Walter thought. It had affected his focus for several days, much to his confusion and frustration.

"You didn't leave your room for days."

I was exhausted, having just taken on a cell of terrorists. Walter countered in his head.

"After I saw you my first day back, I started observing you. I didn't mean anything by it, but I started to notice strange behavior."

Because you started spending more time at the garage, and my guard was down because I was distracted. Walter realized what Tim thought. He thought he had been become a vampire recently, and no one on the team knew about it. Tim must think he was some ticking newly turned time bomb.

He found he couldn't speak yet. He was still too weak and he was having trouble forming words. What had tipped Tim off, though? Did he move a little to fast, lift something a little too heavy?

"What tipped me off was when I found the bag, and saw the blood-"

The blood bag, the small amount of blood on my shirt, Walter realized. When he had made Tim take out the trash in spite. The bag he had uncharacteristically ripped into. Tim must have found it, and figured it out. Walter chastised himself for being so careless.

"-it made me start to suspect what you had become." Tim lowered his head slightly. He truly looked disappointed he had been right.

Tim knelt down, resting the dart gun on his knee. "At first I didn't think it could be, because I saw you still go out in the sunlight, but after I started paying attention, it was obvious. I don't know how you're able to do it, but frankly, a vampire able to walk in the sunlight as well as night, the thought is terrifying."

Tim got a far off, haunted look in his eyes. Walter realized he must not only have knowledge, but past experience with vampires. Judging by his prejudice and caution, violent ones at that. That's how he would know about vervain.

Walter couldn't help but glance at the ring on his finger when Tim mentioned his ability to walk in the sun. Tim, of course, noticed.

"Is that how? Did the one who turned you give that to you?"

Walter still couldn't answer.

Tim then displayed a look of confusion. "But, you've been wearing it since we met."

Yes, Walter thought. Figure it out, Tim. I've been a vampire since before we met. You've seen I'm no threat to anyone, that I've always been just myself and not a monster. Despite his feelings about Tim's relationship with Paige, he did give the normal some credit.

Walter felt he could figure it out.

"So if you've had it that long, this couldn't be the reason you can walk in the sunlight," Tim incorrectly concluded.

He did not figure it out.

Walter's chances of getting out of this alive were dropping.

Despite that, Walter found he did understand Tim's assumptions. Even so, he felt an urge to harm Tim in trade for harming him. He felt anger for his current situation, even if Tim did not have all the information, part of him wanted him to enact vengeance for his situation.

Despite his frustrations, he felt Tim's actions were perfectly logical, given the information he had. Logically then, Walter had to try and give more information to Tim.

His discomfort over Tim's proximity to Paige aside, Walter always had the impression the Navy SEAL was intelligent and rational, at least for a normal. He needed to explain so he would understand he was no threat.

The problem was, he still was too weak to speak. There was no way to communicate his defense.

There was another problem. He hadn't eaten in a while. It hadn't been a problem initially, normally having a day or two before the hunger became uncomfortable at the most. But that was before he was drugged.

He was in no danger of losing control by any means, but he was hungry and weak, and when Tim knelt in front of him, so close, Walter caught the scent of blood beneath his skin, and he couldn't stop his eyes from darkening and his fangs lengthening.

That did not work in his favor.

Tim tensed, looking at him with a mixture of fear and sadness. He stood up and grabbed the stake leaning against the wall.

"Again, Walter, I'm so sorry. I greatly respected you as a scientist and person. I took you so your team wouldn't have to know what happened to you. I think it will be better this way. I'll make it quick, and just remember your friends will now be safe. If there's anything left of you in there, I hope you can take solace in that."

Tim stood over him, starting to raise his lethal weapon, and Walter was powerless to stop him.

"Tim! What are you doing!?"

Paige. She was here in the apartment. She found him somehow, and apparently Paige had a key.

Of all things, the thought of Paige with a key to Tim's apartment caused a growl to escape Walter's throat.

Tim, of course, thought he was growling at her, since she had just arrived. Tim moved towards Paige protectively to keep her away from Walter.

Paige gasped, her hand moving up to cover her mouth as she took in the scene before her.

Tim misinterpreted Paige's look of horror as a reaction to Walter's appearance, not the situation itself.

"Paige, I know it's shocking to see, but that's not Walter anymore. Something happened to him, and that's a monster in his place."

Paige looked at Tim in confusion. She wasn't able to move past him. He was gently, but firmly still blocking her path. Tim continued his explanation.

"I know this is hard to believe, Paige, but vampires exist, and Walter has been turned into one. The proof is right there." Tim pointed at Walter, or more specifically his face. "I really wish you didn't have to see this. I'm sorry, but Walter is gone. I need to put this creature out of its misery before it hurts anyone, especially Scorpion, especially you."

Paige took in his words, apparently now understanding the situation before her. "I know he's a vampire, Tim! He's still Walter. He is not a monster and he's not dangerous!"

Walter felt a sort of pride at Paige's support as she came to his defense. Walter was still far from being saved, however.

Tim seemed to have a realization. Unfortunately it was the wrong one. "He's compelled you…"

"What? No!"

Tim gently took her by the shoulders, trying to both comfort and convince her of his theory. "Paige, you probably don't even realize it. If he's gone, it will wear off. You'll be okay."

Paige was now starting to get very frustrated. She looked at the dart gun that was still in Tim's hand and abruptly pointed at it. "That's vervain, right? That's what you used to catch Walter?"

Tim looked down at the weapon in his hand, likely not understanding where her question was going. He looked back up at her. "Yes," he answered.

"Give me one of the darts," she demanded, holding out her hand.

Tim seemed to see no harm in it, so he did as she asked, removing and placing one of the darts in Paige's open hand.

She took both Tim and Walter by surprise when she took the dart and stabbed herself in the arm with it, injecting its contents into her bloodstream.

"What are you doing?" Tim exclaimed.

Paige dropped the dart on the ground with a grimace of pain. "If that was vervain, it's now in my bloodstream, and Walter would not have any influence over me, if he ever did, right?"

Tim could only nod, agreeing with her argument so far.

"Then listen when I say that I already knew Walter was a vampire. We all did. He is still himself; a decent, caring, sometimes infuriating genius and has as much humanity as any of us. He's not a threat. Please let him go."

That seemed to reach Tim. He looked like he was starting to question the conviction he had regarding Walter. He needed just another small push.

"Stand down, Armstrong!"

Cabe had arrived.


So Paige and Cabe to the rescue. How will this turn out, I wonder? I'll let you know within the week! (As long as you let me know if you're still enjoying it, that is ;)