Part 7 May 4, 2018 Sunday

Walter, Paige, and Ralph spent Sunday together as a family again for the first time in a couple of weeks. Walter wanted to make sure they got in their romantic date and their family date over the weekend. They took Ralph to one of the Science Museums in LA and then they went to a local carnival that was in town for the weekend. They held hands all night as they walked around and enjoyed the atmosphere. Paige got to watch how her two men were able to figure out how to win a bunch of the games of skill by using their superior intellects. She felt the love that Walter had for her son watching them talk strategy on the games and high fiving each other as they won another stuffed animal. The way Walter made sure Ralph was able to give his input and always take time to listen to anything he wanted to say was always something she loved about the man. It was the way he had been with Ralph since the day he entered their lives. She always knew there would never be anyone else that cared as much for her son as he did for her. By the end of the night, they had won several of the biggest prizes available and when the two of them decided to give them away to some of the little kids that didn't win anything it melted her heart. After one more shared funnel cake they called it a night and headed back to her condo.

Ralph only had a few weeks of school left before summer vacation started and he was getting excited to help out at his new company that he now co-owned. He also couldn't wait to tell his friends about his new job.

Sunday night, Walter and Paige decided they needed to talk with Centipede Partners about everything that happened since the Gettleman pitch. There was no sense in delaying the news. Paige was going to walk away from CP in a few days anyway when her three week trial period was finally finished.

Happy and Toby had several talks over the weekend about what they thought was going on with Walter and Paige as well. For the most part Happy told him she was fine with the two of them getting back together. She knew they both obviously still loved each other and if they were able to work through whatever their problems were, she would always support them. Toby was much more hesitant about it.

"So, what are we supposed to do now? Just bow down to almighty Walter O'Brien again and work under his iron fist? What happens the next time they fight and break up again. We have a chance with CP, we can make this work."

"What if they make it work this time. We all know how much they love each other. We will have to talk about what to do. No one is going to try and force us to go back to Scorpion, if Walt even wants us back. But was Walter really that bad. Yes, he has his faults. But don't you think we are a little hard to work with too? Especially you, if you would just back off of him and not always try to tell him how every little thing he is doing in his personal life is wrong, maybe you could go back to having a better relationship with him."

"Oh, so you're saying this is all my fault?" Toby asked her.

"All of it, no. But most of it, yes."

"I can't believe this. First you marry the guy and then you defend him against your own husband."

"When my husband is being a jackass, yes. And you need to get over whatever jealousy you have about me and him being married before. You already know what it was about, and he risked being sent back to Ireland for good so we could get married. Remember? And Toby, I was the one who didn't want anyone to know about it, he always thought we shouldn't have kept it a secret."

"Still defending." Toby told her throwing his hands up in the air.

"Still being a jackass. And it's not just Walt, I think Paige is pretty upset with us too. The three of us kept quiet about being asked to the lecture." Happy finished saying.

After arguing back and forth for several more hours, they decided they would wait to hear from Paige and possibly Walter and they would see what was going on.

Sylvester stayed in his apartment all weekend long. He had actually started texting with Florence and they had kept it between themselves. Neither one of them really knew what was going to happen, but they wanted to try and remain at least friends.

Sunday evening, Paige sent out a group text to CP telling them she wanted to meet with them at her condo tomorrow at noon. She let them know Walter would be there and she would have sandwiches so they could have a meeting and discuss what to do moving forward. After some back and forth they all decided to meet at noon. Toby was of course the one who was the most against the meeting.

Walter and Paige took Ralph to school and told him about the meeting they were going to have. He told them he wanted to know what happened as soon as it was over, being as though he was now a part owner and all. Paige agreed and they told Ralph they would text him after everyone else left.

May 5, 2018 Monday at Noon

Happy and Toby picked up Sly on the way and they all arrived at Paige's condo a few minutes early. Of the three of them, Happy felt the most comfortable. Toby and Sly knew they caused quite a scene the last time they were there. Hopefully they would make it for longer than thirty seconds in her condo this time. Fingers crossed.

Walter spoke first and he told everyone he was sorry for anything he said or did that may have offended anyone the night of the argument. He also told them he had been working through his anger of them leaving and he didn't hold any grudge against them anymore for starting a competing company. He went on to explain that he and Paige had been talking since after the Gettleman pitch and they had decided to give their relationship another chance.

"So, what did he do, sweet talk you for a couple of minutes, and you jump right back into the sack with him? Unbelievable." Toby barked out.

"You can't be serious. That's the first thing you're going to say?" Paige asked.

"All those things you said about him that night, and a few hours later, you're right back together?" Like nothing ever happened." Toby kept on.

"Toby, we were apart for two weeks. You know how miserable I was. And how everything I said that night was not true. And none of you told me anything about turning down Walter's offer to go to the lecture. I don't appreciate your tone or what you're saying right now." Paige scolded him.

"Too bad. Look I'm not the bad guy here, he is." Toby said pointing at Walter.

"Not good." Happy said.

Much to everyone's surprise Walter didn't react to Toby. At least not how anyone thought he would. And before Paige could say anything else to Toby, Walter decided he would.

"Toby, do you know the best thing that happened after that night. The next week and a half when I was alone in the garage, I had peace and quiet from you. All your incessant droning on, all the dollar store advice you gave me for years; all that putrid advice you gave me. I got to sit back and actually replay it all in my mind. I figured it out. I got to see what you were doing to me. I should have fired you years ago. And if it weren't for Happy, I think I would have." Walter told him.

Everyone's eyes turned to saucers after Walter spoke. If Toby was going to start something today, it sure looked like Walter was ready to finish it. Toby raised up in his seat while Walter was talking but once he finished, he sat back down and slouched his shoulders.

"The fact that I listened to you is my fault. I thought you were my friend and were trying to help me figure out my emotions and my feelings about Paige. But as I went back and replayed everything in my mind, you purposely tried to keep us apart. And if you think I'm wrong please tell me, I will sit down and listen to you and let you explain it and then I will apologize to you right here in front of everyone." Walter finished.

After a minute of stunned silence, Walter spoke again. "That's what I thought."

Again, you could have heard a pin drop. No one said anything for a few minutes until Paige being the mediator in the group decided now was a good time to have lunch.

Needless to say, Toby didn't speak another word during the meal. Happy came forward and told them she was glad they were able to work through their fight. Sylvester was able to forgive Walter for what he said to him that night as well. They still needed to work on fixing their relationship, but it was not as fractured as it was before the meeting began.

"I guess it's my turn to talk." Paige began after they all finished eating, "I know I played the biggest part in the current situation we are all in, and I will take all the blame you guys want to throw my way. I'm not going to make any excuses for my actions. But a lot of the issues that arose that night and the week or two leading up to it happened because as a group we weren't communicating the way we used to. People were hiding things where in the past, secrets didn't last five minutes. So, I don't know what changed, but I am sorry for the way I acted that night. I was vindictive and evil and mean. None of it was warranted. I overreacted to what I thought was going on. And ever since then, I have felt horrible for what I did to Walter. To make matters worse, I agreed to join the company you guys started to compete against Walter and Scorpion. Had I known that first of all, the name you chose to call the company was out of spite to Walter, or all of the details that were kept from me leading up to the fight, I would have turned you down. I told you I would stay for three weeks, and I will keep my word and I will stay there the rest of this week and I will help in every way I can while I'm still a part of CP. But I will not, under any circumstance, stay a second longer than that."

"You can't take all the blame Paige. I was a part of a lot of the issues we had as a group too. Yes. I tried to get Walt to tell you the truth, all of it, but I knew he was conflicted by what Toby had told him. I could have come to you and told you what was going on, or what wasn't going on as the case was. But I kept quiet. So, I don't blame you anymore than anyone else." Happy told her.

"Thank you Happy." Paige quietly told her.

"I could have asked Florence out weeks earlier. I should have. And that would have made a lot of this go away. I knew Walter wouldn't do anything like that with Florence and I still reacted the way I did, so I have just as much blame too. I also should never have shoved you, Walter. And I might as well tell everyone now, I have been texting and talking with Florence over the last week and a half. I liked her as a friend first, and that is what I'm hoping for again as of now." Sylvester told them.

"Sly, I'm happy for you, and I again apologize for the names I called you that night. Hopefully some day we can be real friends again. Brothers would be better, but first friends." Walter told him.

"Paige, what are you going to do after you leave Centipede. And Walter, I am sorry that we called it Centipede, that was childish and wrong ." Sylvester said.

Walter nodded towards Sly letting him know he accepted his apology. Paige didn't know exactly how she wanted to answer Sly's question. Her and Walter had discussed what they were going to say to them if the topic was brought up, which they were fairly certain it would be. But she was hesitant to tell them now, not knowing how they would react to Walter making her an equal owner in Scorpion.

"Paige has decided to accept my offer of coming back to Scorpion." Walter told them sensing the indecision from Paige.

"But what about us?" Sly asked.

"We let you be an equal partner, not just a damn glorified secretary." Toby blurted out.

"Not good. Toby, I liked it better when your mouth was shut." Happy told him.

"She was not a secretary, far from it. And you know that too. Paige knows how much I valued her there, so I am not going to say another word about that. And all of you know what she meant to Scorpion, even you Toby. She was far more important to its success than any one of us."

"And what other position would the waitress possibly be qualified for?" Toby asked.

Walter stood up ready to punch him in his mouth. Happy whipped her head around at him in disgust at what he said. Sylvester cringed.

"Get the hell out of my home." Paige screamed at him before anything happened.

As Toby got up to leave and headed towards the door, Walter was following him out ready to confront him for what he just said. He never let anyone get away with saying something bad about Paige or Ralph.

"Walter, no, he's not worth it. Please, just let him go." Paige pleaded with him.

"Paige, he can't get away with saying that to you. He knows better." Walter told her stopping his movements toward the door after she asked him to.

"Walt, trust me, he won't get away with it." Happy told him, as she raced out the door after her husband.

A few minutes later Happy reappeared at the door and apologized to Paige for what was said. She informed them that Toby would be sitting next to, but not in her truck until they left. He was told that if he wasn't sitting in the same spot she left him in when she got back, they were through.

While that was going on, Sylvester decided he wanted to wait outside, so when he left, Walter and Paige decided on what they were going to finish telling them.

"So, Paige is going back to work for you at Scorpion. That's good to hear." Happy put out there restarting the conversation.

"Before I say anything else, there are details that we are not going to discuss right now. Not to be secretive, just things that need to be taken care of that haven't happened yet. But what we can tell you is that Paige has decided to accept my offer to make her an equal owner of Scorpion."

"Wow, I didn't see that coming. I'm happy for you, for both of you." Happy told them.

"Thank you." Both Walter and Paige told her.

"What did the squirt think of all this?" Happy asked them.

"Honestly, he thought Walter was crazy for offering us a part of his company, and so did I. But after Walter explained everything to him and me, we understood." Paige told her.

"Hey Walt, can I talk to you for a second out on the porch?" Happy asked him.

"Sure, you're not gonna make me sit in the corner, are you?" Walter asked her not knowing if now was the time to be joking with her.

"I'll let that slide, cause it was funny, especially for you. Come on." Happy told him.

They walked outside away from everyone to have a quick and private conversation.

"You know I don't like getting involved in other people's personal lives, but I need to tell you something as a friend. Don't mess this up again. I'm sure you had plans that got screwed up a few weeks ago, so I won't press you on them. She's my friend too, and I don't want to see her hurt again, either. So, you man up when it's time, and you treat her the way she deserves to be treated. I'm not opposed to kicking your ass if I ever hear you were being an idiot again. Or make you sit in the corner. Good talk."

When they finished talking, they headed back inside. Walter had a small look of fear on his face, which made Paige giggle.

"Sly, you ready to get out of here. We've got to get the dog back in the truck before we take off. And Paige, why don't you use up all your personal days for the rest of the week. After I get the dog housebroken maybe we can talk again and discuss moving forward." Happy told her as they were getting ready to leave.

"We would like that." Paige told her as Walter was holding her around the waist. "And thank you guys for coming over. I will reach out to you soon."

Walter and Paige closed the door and headed to the couch. They texted Ralph an overall summary of what happened and told him they would pick him up in a few hours. Walter also called Cabe and told him the events of the last couple of days. Cabe told him he expected to see all three of the co-owners tomorrow for a cookout at his house.

Cabe was thrilled to see Paige and Ralph again. And to see a smile on Walter's face. He gave the couple some advice and told them he would always be rooting for them. And he would always be there for them if they needed him.

The rest of Wednesday and Thursday at Scorpion was spent preparing the garage for the upcoming jobs they were getting ready for. Walter and Paige worked side by side mapping everything out. Paige was always way more organized in this area, even more than Sylvester. She instantly got all the jobs on their schedule and made a list of upcoming jobs that they would need to prepare bids for.

"I don't know how you kept track of all these jobs Walter. You have twelve programming and coding jobs alone that you need to have done by the end of next week. Tell me how long each one is going to take, and we can figure out a schedule of how to get them done." Paige told him, getting right back into the swing of things.

"There are a few jobs in there that I did want to let Ralph look at. A few video games that I know he would love to help out with. The games are all rated 10 and under. I checked before I bid on them. I thought maybe this weekend we could work on them a little."

"He would love that. Thank you again for always doing things like that for him. Knowing how much you care for him has always been very special to me." Paige told him.

"Of course. I love watching him continue to amaze me with all the skills he has. Pretty soon he'll be having to teach me how to keep up with him."

"That's sweet, not true, but sweet." Paige told him before giving him a nice kiss on the lips.

Walter had set up another pair of date nights with Paige for Thursday and Friday night. There was an art exhibit going through the LA Art Museum and each of those two nights they were going to showcase different works of art. Including a few pieces from masters like Monet, da Vinci, van Gogh, Gauguin and Rembrandt. Walter had researched it months ago and had planned on surprising Paige with tickets. All Paige knew was they were having dinner each night; he kept the rest of it a surprise.

Thursday afternoon after they finished working, Paige was starting to get excited about their date night.

"I can't believe you never told me where we are going tonight. Can you give me a little hint?" She asked.

"You will know where we are going in an hour, so why would I spoil the surprise now. You made it all week." Walter told her.

"I can um make it worth your while." Paige told him as she started to kiss his neck before heading towards his lips.

"What were we um talking about again?" Walter asked after he snapped out of the trance Paige had him in.

"You're almost too easy, now tell me where we are going?" She said caressing his cheeks with her fingers. He loved the feeling of her touch anywhere on him.

"Fine, do you want to know the restaurant or the other part. I'll give you one but not both."

"What can I um do to get you to give me both?" Paige flirtatiously asked him.

"I do want some of tonight to be a surprise, Paige."

"Well then tell me where we are going and where we are eating, and I will give you a few nice surprises when we get back home." Paige said with several kisses rendering Walter speechless.

After a few minutes Walter regained his ability to think, and he tried to hold out a little longer before he knew he would eventually have to cave.

"What if I tell you neither and I give you a surprise when we get home." He said before passionately kissing her and sliding his hands down from her shoulders over her breasts and finishing on her behind as he pulled her in close for an even more romantic kiss.

"I hope you know what you're starting mister. You better be able to keep up tonight, nerd. I may have some big plans for you tonight." Paige told him letting him know he was in for it.

A/N Looks like Happy and Sly are making an effort, Toby ehh, it's about what you would expect from him. And Paige is ready for a fun night with her man. Thanks for continuing on the journey with me. Let me know what you thought about this chapter. I might stick the review note up top of the next chapter, so they can be read before moving ahead to the next chapter.

Words with our reviewers -

Marti - I tried to capture that aspect of it in the letters. Both of them expressing themselves in their own ways. Hope you continue to enjoy it!

Guest197 - Love the username, we may or may not see a glimpse of that in the future, if the teams can find a way to reunite. wink, wink

Railman - Yes, Paige is ready to get out of there and trying to control Toby is almost a five person job, and one of them should have a boot that fits squarely up his, you know where.

LouBe - Thanks, I was trying to capture something along those lines. And with Ralph, of course he needs to know why something is happening, just like Walter would want to know. They want answers. The partners forever line was so sad when Ralph told him that night.

Grykon - Pfft. I think you bring Walter enough pain and suffering for all of us. I'm just trying to give him a little breather. Thanks for all you continue to write as well!