A/N: Not going to lie I felt kind of iffy on this chapter. I tried to write the characters as correctly as possible but for some reason, Walter wasn't feeling too chatty and wanted to sit back and observe.

P.S I know I said Tuesday, but my new work schedule is giving me all kinds of whiplash and tomorrow is so packed I can't guarantee a chapter so…early update? Lol

Enjoy!

Little Girl Lost

Chapter 6

"Would Chaz be worried everything's going to hell?" Sylvester Dodd, Season 1 Episode 16 Love Boat

Paige ran straight to her car as she ignored the strange looks she got from passersby as she scrambled for her keys and unlocked the door before hyperventilating in the driver's seat.

Thinking about calling Walter was one thing but knowing she would have to work with him again was another.

Focusing on her breathing she took in a breath, held it, and slowly released it as she tried to steady her pulse. Her hands shook as she re-read Toby's note and wanted to curse the stupid doctor as she was panicking.

This was insanity; she was not supposed to be this unhinged over a guy.

Granted he was a special guy, a genius, who even though wasn't the best at expressing his EQ still tried his best, something that Paige recognized time and time again and then threw all his hard work and progress in his face. In front of everyone.

And he has made progress. He's made so much progress that even he has called out her EQ from time to time.

So, it was enough to know that lying to you was shady.

He did lie to her. Would he even have known the difference between a white lie and a hurtful lie? That is some pretty advanced EQ that took Paige a while to figure out be he could have just lying about the lecture and not….not Florence.

Because at the end of the day she appreciated it more than Paige ever will. She appreciated…Walter.

And I'm sure Walter appreciated her.

"Ahhh!" Paige screamed as she slammed her hands against the steering wheel as she finally lost it and peeled out of the office parking space and sped towards the highway. The tears were rolling hot and fast down her face, but she didn't care. She didn't care about anything other than racing home and burying her face into her pillow. And maybe a couple of bottles of wine.

Coming to a stop at a red light she wiped her face and sniffled as she adjusted her mirrors and noticed that the guy behind her was right up on her car. She sighed as she pulled the car an inch forward and the guy in the baseball hat did the same. She really wasn't in the mood for this right now. When the light turned green, she purposely stayed in the lane as the guy honked and screamed at her "to move her ass!"

Hell, if she was going anywhere. There were no other cars behind them and only when the light was about to turn red did she speed forward and smiled in the rearview as the guy gave her the finger as he continued to be stalled. Served him right. If she couldn't be vindictive towards the people she really was angry at, she could be vindictive towards random assholes on the street.

She raced home and with shaken hands and red eyes but she didn't care. She didn't care that her makeup was ruined or that she changed out of the same clothes as two days ago….when Ralph left her too. It wouldn't have been productive to work in stinky clothes….she had to change into a grey top and jeans.

She didn't care that she hasn't showered, didn't care that she was running the speed limit, didn't care that Walter still had that – that bitch still employed at his company. She didn't care.

She didn't even care when she saw the baseball hat guy come at her in the rearview mirror.

"What the hell?" She whispered to herself as he saw his angry expression and she swerved into another lane and he followed. She sped up and he did as well. That's when she got fearful. She read about road rage, saw road rage on her way to work tons of times but never has she been on the other end of it.

Thinking quickly, she didn't want to go home and risk that this guy's angry attitude hiding a psycho. She's read way too many horror stories of men following women home only for their faces to be on the news. As she saw the exit she quickly got off and drove hastily towards the nearest police center. She remembered Cabe's advice to her once when she had to drive home the first time from the garage end that if she ever felt unsafe to just park in a police parking lot. That alone could offer some protection and she did just that as she rolled to a stop and saw the angry face give her the finger once more before he sped away.

Paige shook her head as she placed her forehead on the steering wheel and tried to level her breathing. This was not the worse Monday morning she's ever had but damn did it come close.

Shaking her head once more she bit the bullet and texted the team that she was still 'sick' and that she was taking another day. I guess it wasn't a complete lie, she felt sick. She looked sick.

It was all her damn fault anyway.

Screw Walter's lie. She could have handled it…right? She could have worked on it with him, they could have gotten through anything…. couldn't they? She just only had to try just a little harder….

Her mind flashed back then as she was so giddy to find his book and get the autotroph for him. He seemed so sad that it was canceled, he moped around for weeks, and when he didn't think she noticed she caught him looking at her with such sadness and guilt that her heart went out every time. At least with an autotroph, it could make it a little better. At least until she saw the tickets…and that there were two….and the book had already been signed.

It was useless. Even if she tried her best…gave it her all. Gave all the brainpower she could….it would have never been enough for him.

She would have never been enough…for anyone. She wasn't even enough for her own son.

That was the saddest truth of all she realized. Her son had more in common with Walter and the other geniuses than he would ever have with her.

She knew that he spent time with Florence, he was so curious about her newest equations and there was once, only once when she went out to get food for the team and she caught Walter, Florence, and Ralph all crowded at the chalkboard. Heads bent together mumbling about factors and variables and numbers.

Sly was busy talking with Cabe about the newest chair of blades book, Happy and Toby were discussing options for the baby, and they….well they looked like a family. Paige remembered that she felt happy that her son found people he connected with so well followed by an empty feeling of intrusion.

This was her family. She knew that. That garage was home to her and to her son but she may not have been genius…but she wasn't stupid. They behaved so well lately and especially after the baseball game. She didn't want to ruin whatever chance of friendship they could have had together. She cast away her doubts with Walter and Florence that night.

In her mind, she was clearly aware every day that Florence made a better match for Walter…and the team. Florence's EQ wasn't so terrible and still acted somewhat human. All of their EQs had developed in leaps and bounds since she first started that she had started to secretly question what exactly her purpose on the team was anymore aside from Walter's girlfriend.

But she set it aside. She didn't want to purposely look for problems that weren't there. She didn't want to be the crazy girlfriend a second time. She wanted to trust him. She had trusted him.

And where had that trust got her? Crying in a police parking lot after a road rage incident.

Paige was tired. So tired of everything. She was tired of being left behind. Tired of being the shiny object everyone eventually got bored with. Tired of being the stupid girl with the pom-poms waving and the girl who only stocked the fridge and made sure no one bullied her nerds.

Two months and one night. That's all it took for everything to go to hell and for her life to be completely turned upside down. She felt just as if she was barely making it, passing plates at the diner, unable to connect with her son….lost.

She was lost.

The worst thing about is she didn't know who to blame. Herself? Obviously, she blamed herself every day. Ever since she left. Putting on a brave face, seeing him with Florence and Cabe looking absolutely disappointed in all of them. Waking every day, crying in the shower over her son slowly distancing himself, her failed relationship with a man who didn't, wouldn't want to connect with her, and now…. now having to work with him again. Seeing him, connecting with him…. seeing him with her. Again.

It was easy to pretend everything was fine. As much as she wanted to strangle the shrink, he had a point. Seeing it in black and white on a piece of paper made it easier to deal with. Easier to panic and then to eventually move on.

Move on…such a strange group of words and yet it was the same story all her life. Move on…from one life to the next. From one hardship to another. Why should this be any different? She could do it. She could pretend. She could be professional. She could handle it. She could handle seeing him with her and seeing them together.

She could handle it.

Now all she needed to do was keep telling herself that and maybe she'll start to believe it. So, with one more deep breath she slowly started to push her car forward…and move on.

She was nearly home when she got the call from Toby.

"Hey, Toby what is it? I'm not coming in today…I'm still sick." She croaked out as she could practically hear Toby's locked jaw.

"Yeah, Paige…I'm a doctor remember? I know you're not sick and you're just avoiding your emotional turmoil overseeing Walter and Florence again. In your emotional dumpster fire did you forget that on my little note from this morning that we're supposed to meet them and the new client today?" Toby asked with a slight edge to his voice as Paige cursed.

"Yeah…I'm sorry Toby. Really I am I didn't see the note until this morning…I wanted to get an early start but then…. well, I guess I'm not operating on 100% right now." She admitted as she heard Toby tsk and quietly, he went

"Paige…I know the past few months have been hard on you. I'm a doctor but I'm also your friend and I know depression when I see it. Just because you're normal doesn't mean you can't go down the rabbit hole either."

"I'm fine Toby!" Paige barked until she took a deep breath and whispered a quiet "Sorry"

"Oh yeah, and that is totally convincing me you're fine." He snarked as Paige cracked a small smile.

"Paige" He sighed before he continued "I'll cover for you. You're lucky that my EQ is the best out of all of us and I even have the range to do this. Just know that Diana Goldman, the new client, was particularly interested in speaking with you Dineen and she won't be happy that she hasn't spoken to you especially on this first joint meeting. You don't even know what it's fully about." Toby said as Paige sighed.

Truth be told she knew this wasn't professional. She just told herself she could do it and she was already proving that she couldn't…but she had to. "No, wait, just…. give me an hour and I'll be there. I'll show up for the meeting but after that, I have to go home. Toby…. You're right I'm not physically sick but I think I'm getting mentally sick. I've been having…. thoughts." Paige said as she turned down her street.

"I don't like the tone of that, but I am happy you are aware enough to realize it. Recognizing you have an issue is the first step to recovery. I'll be more than happy to get some couch time in with you later, but we'll go at your pace. I can buy you an hour." Toby said as Paige smiled and parked her car.

"Thank you, Toby," She smiled as Toby said a quick goodbye and grabbed her purse and bag with the hard drive and flash drive, and walked up the stairs to her condo. In all actuality she didn't need the hour, she really needed twenty minutes but…. Toby knew that.

Clicking the key, she stepped into the condo…not as she left it.

"What the hell?" She whispered as she set down her keys and slowly started to walk through the condo. Dishes were in the sink that she just washed, and the cereal was out. Scrunching her eyebrows together she barged into Ralph's room and saw that it was in the same state as she left it. Looking in the bathroom there was no one there and then she remembered…. the closet.

Huffing she strutted to her room and opened her closet doors to see her son, sitting on the floor with a laptop in his lap as he stared guilty and impassively at his mother.

"Ralph what are you doing here!" She yelled as he calmly closed the laptop and stared at her.

"I live here but currently I am in your closet because it has the best signal and… I didn't want you to find me when I heard the key in the lock. I could ask you the same question…. aren't you supposed to be at work?" He asked as Paige closed her eyes and counted to ten.

"Yes…Ralph I usually would be at work by now, but I wasn't feeling good this morning and decided to call in. I only have one meeting today and wanted to rest for that. Now…. why don't you tell me your reasons for playing hooky?" She glared as Ralph looked down.

"I didn't want to go to school…because I wasn't mentally prepared for it." He said stoically as Paige raised an eyebrow.

"Could you elaborate?" Paige asked patiently as Ralph sighed

"I've been…. troubled since our last conversation. I've been troubled since, well, since you dumped Walter." Ralph admitted quietly as Paige slowly nodded her head and held out her hand as Ralph stared at it momentarily before he grasped it and Paige helped him to his feet.

"I know. I've been, well, I've been troubled too." Paige whispered as she gripped her sons' hand tighter and he didn't pull away. Instead, he simply looked at her for more clarification and she sighed. "Ralph…I thought a lot about what you said before you left." Paige started as she led them to the couch in the living room and sat him down. The same seat Paige herself sat in when she sobbed into Cabe's shoulder.

"You were right…I wasn't being honest. With you or even myself, I was lying because….well, I admit I didn't know why at the time but now, after some reflection, I realized because it made me hurt less." Paige said as Ralph sat and listened.

"But…. you were the one who broke it off. You were the one who said those cruel things to him. Why would you be hurting?" Ralph asked without any judgment in his voice, and only curiosity which is why it hurt so much more to hear Paige's thoughts reflected in her son.

"That's an excellent question, one that I don't have the full answer to. Not yet anyway but…. what I can say, what I do know is that…. Ralph, there are things that happened to me in the past." Paige swallowed as Ralph tilted his head. "Things that have shaped me as a person, as someone more than your mother but those things have left…scars. Deep and painful emotional scars that I didn't know I still had until I confronted Walter that night." Paige said quietly.

"I admit I let my anger get the best of me, I should have never said any of those horrible things to him. I admit…I was trying to hurt him. I wanted him to feel the pain…that I was feeling at that moment. I was wrong to do so." Paige said firmly as Ralph nodded his head and looked down at the carpet.

"He was wrong too though," Ralph said quietly as Paige looked over and moved a piece of hair from his forehead. "I know he was wrong. I talked to Toby about it. Out of everyone I talked to, Toby was the most honest with me." Ralph frowned "Toby treated me; he still treats me as someone who is more than a nine-year-old kid. I asked a question, and he gave me an honest and appropriate aged answer for a pre-teen." Ralph started as Paige blinked.

"Toby told me that Walter admitted that he knew it was wrong to keep the knowledge he took Florence. He purposely avoided telling you. Toby confronted him about it and even after Toby told him to tell you if it was innocent…. he refused." Ralph admitted as Paige stifled a gasp and bit her lip to keep from crying.

She had a hunch that he wasn't as clueless as he made himself out to be but to have it confirmed…to have it confirmed from her son of all people.

That hurt.

"Even Patty confirmed it for me," Ralph admitted quietly as Paige dropped her mouth in shock.

"Patty knew! How could she have known anything about this?" Paige asked, mainly herself but Ralph answered.

"When we played the baseball game against Homeland…Patty was spying on the others as they talked under the bleachers. She knew that Florence liked Walter, but Walter really didn't know about her feelings or he didn't care. He wasn't lying about that." Ralph said as Paige slowly nodded her head.

"I trust Patty's word on that. Not only is she more emotionally intelligent than I am…. she is older. She does have a better understanding of adult relationships…. even if she is sixteen years old. She can read emotions and from her testimony, Walter just looked, if she was correct, scared." Ralph said factually as Paige stilled and just listened to her suddenly, very grown-up son.

"Patty told me that Walter mentioned how you taught him the concept of white lies. Although he admitted that taking Florence and keeping it from you wasn't a white lie, he quoted it as a "beige lie" Patty said he looked scared of telling you. Mom…. Walter and I think alike. He has the most understanding into my head and to some extent…. I do into his." Ralph said as he looked over at Paige.

"And if I practiced my empathy skills and I placed myself in Walter's position and Patty into yours and I took out, well maybe Sloan. I would be scared of losing Patty because of the implications of my actions with Sloan." Ralph explained as Paige bit her lip and tried to hide her face in her hair. She would not lose it in front of Ralph. That would be unacceptable.

"I'm not trying to defend Walter…I believe he was in the wrong just as much as you. I admit I let my own feelings of attachment cloud my reasoning on the subject, but I can say with a clear head…that you both messed up. It wasn't just your mom….and, I'm sorry if I said it was all your fault." Ralph looked at her as Paige gave a watery smile and hugged her baby boy tightly.

He sat there awkwardly before he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. "That was why I didn't want to go to school today. I've been talking to Tyler lately about how the failed experiment between you and Walter has been affecting me and Tyler tried to blame you for everything, and I found that I was defending you because the facts that Tyler tried to argue with were skewed. It was then I realized that Tyler just used the facts that I presented him with." Ralph said stiffly as Paige smiled and kissed his forehead.

"I forgive you Ralph…although can you forgive me…for dragging you into this whole mess?" Paige said softly as she looked at him and saw the confused boy and the angry man all in one face. "The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you or take you away from a cyclone that loves you almost as much as I do." Paige joked as Ralph cracked a small smile.

"Yes….I forgive you….on one condition." Ralph said as he leaned away from her and looked at Paige seriously.

Confused (and slightly shocked at her son's boldness) she simply nodded her head and wondered what kind of conditions required for her son to give his forgiveness.

"Mom…. You have to talk to Walter."

"This is preposterous" Walter muttered as Cabe parked the van in the parking lot where he saw Centipede's office on the top floor.

"Completely absurd" Florence muttered as Cabe sighed and turned to face the two pouting geniuses. Sometimes felt that he was raising 3-year old's instead of adults in their thirties. "I don't care how many synonyms you throw out but you're not taking that stupid cardboard plan inside the office doors unless you'll want to find my foot – "Cabe started but was interrupted by both Florence and Walter muttering "Unless we want your foot in our asses…we understood you the first time Cabe," Walter muttered

"We understood the first ten times actually" Florence corrected as Cabe rolled his eyes and took in a large sigh.

"Look….I get it. Okay, this was not my idea of a good time. I hardly think this is your idea of a good time, but we are all adults in this situation. Walter, Flo I know you both struggle with your EQ and this situation would be difficult and awkward for someone with the best EQ …but we're here, we're roped in and unless you don't want to find yourselves on the wrong end of a legal dispute, we all suck it up, grit our teeth and meet Goldman and get out. You don't need any fancy cardboard layout on how to get along with your own family!" Cabe muttered as Walter locked his jaw and Florence looked cautiously out of the window.

"Even if those people hate you?" Florence asked and Cabe sighed

"They don't hate you Florence…. they may not have liked how the events happened, but I know these guys. They don't hate easily." Cabe responded as he opened the door and she looked at Walter who refused to meet her gaze.

"Let's get this over with" Cabe mumbled as they started walking towards the office doors.

The lobby was surprisingly empty. There was no one at the desk or any type of office personal anywhere. Walter knew that this was building was owned by Elia and that it housed multiple of his companies and assets. Where was everyone? Walter remained passive as he stood on the opposite of the elevator with Cabe in the middle. After a beat, Cabe shook his head and pressed the button as the elevator started to move.

In exactly 48 seconds Scorpion 2.0 was outside the glass door that read Centipede in a very pleasing green shade and Cabe opened the door first as he stepped inside.

The office was comfortably roomy; one desk sat in the middle of the room with a rather large conference room off to the side and a closed-door that led itself down a hall that Walter knew contained offices of his former team. He gulped when he passed the door and saw the last door of the hallway was closed…a door he knew from hacking into the building's layout was Paige's office.

"Scorpion! I'm glad you all made it, and with 2 minutes to spare." Ms. Goldman smiled as she appeared behind them and Walter resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Yes, Ms. Goldman; good morning we're here just as the contract stated. Where is team Centipede?" Walter asked as he stepped forward and tried to hide his uncomfortably

"Yes…..um, there's been a change in plans. I tried to contact you, but I received no response." Ms. Goldman smiled as Walter raised his eyebrow.

"I had my phone on me all morning, I received no word of any type of changes…Ms. Goldman." Walter uttered as she kept the fake smile on her face and ignoring his words moved on in her statement.

"This morning's meeting had a slight change. The fire alarm was accidentally pulled and put an immediate stop on all activity. Due to procedure, all personal had to be evaluated and any and all types of business activity had to be rescheduled or moved. I was alerted to this by Dr. Curtis and since this is rather a time-sensitive assignment, I decided it would be far more prudent to meet in the offices outside. Team Centipede has agreed to the change but since it was my call, I decided I would be the one to escort you down. Follow me." Ms. Goldman instructed and before anyone could get a word in, she had turned her back and walked purposely towards another entrance and opened the door to the stairs.

"This is the fastest option and I'm afraid we're on a bit of a time crunch." She mumbled as they climbed and Cabe caught Walter's arm as he gave him a look and scratched his temple.

Keep watch on her

Walter nodded before they entered the outside corridor and Walter lost a step as he saw, sitting under an innocent-looking umbrella table sitting was his former team. His family.

"Ah, there you are! Team Centipede thank you for meeting me today, this is Scorpion 2.0." Diana Goldman smiled as she stood in the middle as his former teammates all rose at the same time and the silence was thick with tension.

Walter noticed not a lot has changed with them over the 2 months. Toby looked uncomfortable and angry, Happy unemotional, and Sly a nervous wreck. The only difference was…

"Where's Paige?" Cabe asked bravely as Diana looked at the both of them and took a step back, her eyes observing their behavior carefully before she left with a phone to her ear.

Odd.

"Paige…well, she wasn't feeling too good. She's sick with something but will be joining us later." Toby answered as he took a deep breath.

"Probably didn't want to see her ex-boyfriend with his mistress." Happy snarked as Walter balled his fists and the tension in his stomach tightened as Florence gasped.

"I was not, now ever have been a mistress! Walter and I had never had a romantic relationship and everything that we had ever done together has been strictly platonic. My feelings don't reflect his and they never have!" Florence huffed as Happy glared.

"Of course, they don't. I know Walter would never purposely step out on Paige however people with more developed EQs and motives are known to take advantage of geniuses. I've known the game you were playing ever since the literal baseball game. You've been nothing but an interloper and destructive force ever since you sent that smoke bomb." Happy said as Florence pursed her lips and her face reddened.

"Happy, I know you are upset, but your grievances lie with me…not Florence. To attack her is beneath you and we all know it!" Walter said angrily as Happy turned her angry glare at him.

"Oh, trust me O' Brien I have plenty to say to you but it's better we're alone when I do." Happy said quietly, dangerously.

"Okay! Enough, this is not the time to discuss such matters!" Sly announced shakily as Walter turned his eye on his brother and Sly caught it before hastily turning away and adjusted his glasses nervously.

"I agree….I knew that there might be tension but if this is what is expected over the course of 36 hours my client is dead." Ms. Goldman interrupted as both teams turned to look at her and sighed.

"I would just like to say before we move forward, I don't care about personal relationships. I don't care if you want all want to tear each other's heads off. What I care about are results." Diana Goldman said as Walter frowned. "I would like to say that the predecessor Scorpion… before Scorpion 2.0 and Centipede, had a 99% success rate with all their cases. I expect nothing less than that, especially for my client." Diana Goldman announced as both teams looked down.

"I've heard more than enough to hire you all for this assignment and spending a pretty penny doing it. So, if these petty squabbles will be the norm let me know now so I can buy earplugs!" Goldman said and Toby smirked.

"I assure you Goldman that we will be on our best behavior. What I said was true in our original meeting. Centipede will remain professional and we parted amicably from our former boss and his…. assistant." Toby froze as Florence opened her mouth and Walter caught Toby's eye and Walter quickly grabbed ahold of Florence's arm and subtly shook his head.

"Yes Ms. Goldman Scorpion gave you a promise and we will deliver it," Walter said confidently as Toby gave a smile.

"As did Centipede and we are all true in our word. We are still waiting on one more of our team but as my sweet, loving wife had just said. Our team manager is feeling a bit under the weather but will be joining us momentarily." Toby smiled as he gave Walter the eye and Walter breathed in holding his tongue. Literally, he was biting down so he wouldn't give his response.

"Right…well rest assured I was in contact with Ms. Dineen since we have been corresponding during email and she told me she would be missing this meeting but that she would be meeting us at the rendezvous point. I'm not concerned." Ms. Goldman said dismissively as Walter tried to hide the disappointment on his face.

To be feeling disappointed over not seeing his ex-girlfriend made no sense. He should be feeling relieved over a delayed time until he saw her again but all he felt was hurt…just hurt, however, he didn't miss Happy's side glare towards Goldman and her glance towards her phone.

Florence also frowned and looked to Walter as Cabe hummed and put a solid hand on his shoulder with a nod of his head.

Right, focus.

"As you all know the waiting period is 36 hours. My client will be waiting for us at her home per instructed but, as the best-laid plans always go…there was a slight mishap." Ms. Goldman said as she looked uncomfortable and rushed.

"Hmmm yeah, your lying Goldman. Eyebrows raised, unsteady breathing and most telling of all your eyes are shifty." Toby interrupted as Ms. Goldman glared and Toby smirked. "You can't out lie a world-class behaviorist. I know that our behavior at first was, well bad, but unless you tell us…all of us." Toby corrected after glancing at Walter and his team. "What's really going on we can't help to our fullest potential."

Just then Ms. Goldman's phone chimed, and her eyes widened as she looked down at her watch and sucked in a deep breath. "No" She breathed out her shoulder tensed, and Toby's head snapped up.

"Why did your language turn panicked? You're scared of something Goldman." Toby accused as she glared and clenched her fists before shoving typing furiously on her phone and ignored the team of geniuses she hired.

"We have an emergency! My client is in danger, the signal was compromised, and the 3-day period just ended. They know where my client is. There's a bomb at her complex!" She gritted out as both teams snapped to action.

"If it's on a cell phone I can track through GPS" Walter declared as he opened his laptop and Cabe announced he was calling the bomb squad.

"Her condo is on gridlock and they are using burner phones, untraceable in the amount of time we have. We have to go now! The bomb is set to go off in twenty minutes!" Ms. Goldman rushed out as the others all looked at each other and ran after Goldman.

"I'll drive, Cabe – keys!" Happy yelled as Cabe tossed her the keys and they ran outside the gate and into the van that Cabe came in on.

"We have to hurry; I can disarm the bomb, but it won't be enough time to get her out of there…and her son!" Diana yelled as she was furiously typing on her phone.

"What! Michelle Reyes doesn't have any children!" Walter shouted as Happy peeled out of the parking lot and Toby scrunched his eyebrows.

"Michele Reyes? No, our Jane Doe is Stephine Dubois, a drug cartel's daughter who was helping turn them in!" Toby yelled as Walter glared, not wanting to get into a contest.

"You're both wrong! I hacked into the records a day ago our target is Julissa Harpin she was involved in gang activity since she was 12 but is now awaiting her trial date to turn in the boss! Also, we were only supposed to be looking after this girl not disarming a bomb!" Sylvester argued before Happy groaned and turned the car sparkly down a familiar road.

"All of you are wrong! Goldman… I hacked your phone after my idiot husband pulled the fire alarm this morning when you came in!" Happy yelled as Goldman gasped and glared.

"You did what!" She yelled as Happy glared back in the rearview followed by Toby's indigent "Idiot husband?"

"Call off the shock treatment, it wasn't enough to know the full context, that thing is so encrypted I barely caught anything useful, except the number that the texts were directed at and it's not good!" Happy growled out as Walter got a sinking feeling in his gut when Happy stared at him in the rearview.

"That won't be necessary Ms. Quinn, I'll disclose it…. since my phone is now compromised. I see your hack…you're not good at covering your steps, are you?" Ms. Goldman grumbled as she banged her phone hard against the car door until it broke.

"I was going for speed, not stealth!" Happy shot back as she sped on the pedal and the car nearly flipped by how sharp her turn was.

"Geez Happy try not to kill us!" Toby shouted as Happy sighed.

"I'm not…. but I'm trying to get us there, so they don't kill Paige!"

"What!" Everyone said and Walter stopped breathing.

"I don't know how you broke through my encryptions but she's right!" Goldman glared as she looked at all the worried and scared faces in the van. "The Jane Doe you've all been assigned to protect is Paige Dineen, but we are all on time crunch…. because she doesn't even know how much danger she's really in" Diana Goldman said seriously, and Walter looked down, and before he could come to grips with what he was saying he yelled out:

"Happy. Step on it!"

A/N: Time bomb…. literally. Things are going to start falling into place very, very soon and we'll learn just what or maybe who Paige has been keeping secret for so many years.

Also, can anyone else appreciate how Toby has the capacity to act like a mature adult but doesn't unless he needs to like helping Paige? I've noticed in the series that he can and does but only if he wanted to either help or it benefits him. I don't know, I always liked that little bit in the series.

Also 2.0 I never noticed until I was re-watching scorpion with my husband that he pointed out that Tina Majorino (the actress that plays Florence) also starred as Deb in Napoleon Dynamite. I don't know if anyone else knew this fact or if it was common but when he told me this it blew my mind. Huge fan of Napoleon Dynamite so I don't know how I didn't put the pieces together originally.

See you all soon!

Stay tuned for scenes from the next chapter!

One hour and fifteen minutes later Paige was standing in front of her closet, again, external hard drives and flash drives were put away, and was debating for a whole other reason.

"I have nothing to wear." What do you wear to these things? She was going to a meeting with one of the biggest clients Centipede has seen so far, her ex-boyfriend will be at the meeting, his, for whatever she is to him, the woman who has feelings for him will there and the whole team will be reunited since that horrible night.

She had to go in prepared. She had her makeup done, sultry but professional. Intimidating but welcoming. She didn't wear it for Walter's benefit. Nope, not at all. She was simply trying to make a good impression. That was her whole reason, and she was sticking with it. Now all she had to do was decide what to wear.

She was still wearing her jeans, button-up shirt, and was sock-clad; hardly the look she wanted to go in when seeing Walter…or the client. Sighing she held up a blouse with her black pants but shook her head. Too stuffy. Throwing the discarded items on her bed. She didn't know why she cared so much. Usually, she was confident in her appearance, even on days where she was self-conscious, she just had to hype herself up, just like in college and even high school and she was good to go, why did today, of all days, have to be any different?

Hearing her phone go off she looked at the clock and groaned when she realized she only had an hour left. Toby said he would borrow her some time, but he wasn't a miracle worker. Glancing at her phone she barely thought much about it until her eyes widened and she glanced at the message again.

No.

No, it couldn't be. Not her. Not now.