WriterFreak001:

I'm glad people enjoyed the latest chapter. :)

Title | Mind Games

Fandom | Scorpion (CBS)

Description | Post-Deception. Four months passed since the ending of "Deception," and it seemed as though life, for the most part, returned to normal for Team Scorpion. Walter and Paige were given a chance to focus on their relationship in the midst of all of the cases that were assigned to the team. However, eventually, all great things must end, and once again, Team Scorpion will have to deal with an even bigger opponent than the Leviathan Mafia. Mark Collins is back for revenge and will have something big in store for Walter – something even the 197 IQ genius might not be able to see coming. And Collins's return just might cause a rift within the Scorpion family in the process, making it next to impossible for them to beat his ultimate game.

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!

Mind Games

Sequel to Deception

Written by WriterFreak001

Chapter 9

~ SCORPION ~

When the team returned to the garage, they decided to take a short break from the Collins case, refuel their minds and then reconvene in a half hour. While Toby left to play his X-Box and Sylvester made his way to his chalkboard, Cabe stepped off to the side and made a phone call. Walter let Paige lead him towards her son who was in the back of the garage with Happy, working on a project.

To distract Paige from anything Collins-related, he called out to Ralph who immediately turned towards him with a big smile on his face. The boy's smile, in turn, made Paige smile. Good. Paige needed all the distraction she could get; the car ride home was quiet – too quiet. While Paige kept telling him she was fine, he had been with her long enough to know when she wasn't fine. And she was definitely not fine. Not one bit.

Ralph took off his safety goggles and ran towards his mother and Walter. "Whatch'ya doing there, buddy?" Walter inquired as the boy gave his mother a hug. He reached over and ruffled the boy's hair, waiting for him to answer his query.

"Happy and I have been constructing a workbench for me to use when I have school projects or when I'm bored." Ralph grinned. "It's going to be next to yours, Walter."

"Is that so?" A smile formed on Walter's lips as Ralph's eyes lit up. Paige bent down and wrapped her arms around her son. She kissed his forehead and brushed a few strands of his shaggy hair out of his face.

"Is it finished yet?" Paige asked, jumping into the conversation. Walter could tell she was faking her smile for her son, but he decided not to point it out and let her do whatever she needed to do in order to keep her mind off of Collins.

"Not yet," Ralph shook his head. "But almost." He turned towards the in-progress workbench where Happy was standing with her arms folded in front of her chest with a wrench in her hand. Ralph whipped his eyes back to his mother's. "Wanna see?"

"Of course," Paige kissed Ralph's forehead again and rose to her feet. The boy immediately grabbed her hand and Walter's, pulling them towards the unfinished workbench. "The structure is complete, but we still need to sand the surface and then stain it with a finish."

"I offered to lend Ralph one of my old workbenches in the back," Happy pointed behind her, "until a nice one could be purchased for him from Home Depot or Office Max, but he wanted to build one. Said his mom," she smirked at Paige, "taught him to work for the things he wanted in life."

Paige's forced smile transformed into a genuine one as she gave her son a hug. "That's right. I did say that; I also told you," she poked his nose, "that if you work for something, you'll cherish it more when you finally get it."

"So," Happy continued as Paige gave Ralph another hug, "I found some abandoned wood in the back and decided Ralph could use it to construct his first workbench. He designed it, and I helped with the measurements as well as lent him the tools to build it. He did most of the work; I merely used the power drill when needed."

"Sometime after dinner," Ralph looked at Walter, "do you want to help me sand it?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Walter bent down and ruffled the boy's hair.

"In the meantime," Paige kissed the top of Ralph's head, "we picked up your missed schoolwork on the way back from the garage." She slid her shoulder bag off of her arm and pulled out various folders and papers. "Why don't you go and work on these in your room? I think you're teacher mentioned something about computer homework too."

"Okay," Ralph nodded and took the packets from his mother before retreating for the stairs. Then he turned around. "Mom?"

"Yeah?" Paige's eyes found her son's as she turned to look at him. "What is it, Ralph?"

"After Walter and I sand my workbench, would you help me stain it?"

Paige released a soft gasp and then she gave her son a genuine smile as a single tear fell from her left eye. She quickly wiped it away. "I'd like that."

"Cool! Thanks!" Ralph beamed and then ran off up the stairs. When Paige turned towards Walter, Happy headed for her desk to give them some privacy.

"He's never really asked me to help him before," Paige muttered and leaned against Walter's shoulder as she squeezed his hand.

"He knows you like art," Walter shrugged. "Staining wood is like painting canvas. Perhaps he recognized the completion of this project as a way to connect with you."

"Well, whatever his reasoning is," Paige closed her eyes, "I'm proud of him in so many ways. He's connecting, and," she released Walter's hand and wrapped her arms around his torso, "Sometimes, I wonder what life would be like if we didn't meet you and the rest of the team that day in the diner."

"I never dwell on what-ifs related to past scenarios," Walter said as his fingers combed through Paige's hair. "They aren't facts, nor are they theories or predictions. They're simply statements that propose premises that cannot be proven without the groundbreaking discovery of time travel – something scientists haven't conquered yet. The fact is," He found Paige's weary eyes, "you and Ralph were at the diner when we commandeered it for the LAX national emergency. And you were offered a job because of your outstanding performance, giving your son a chance to spend time with people who understand his intelligence. There are no what-ifs about any of it. So there's no point," he chuckled, "considering things that can never be explored; it's a waste of time and adds unnecessary stress to your life."

Before Paige could respond, Cabe called everyone to the center of the garage to discuss Mark Collins. "For those of you who don't know," Cabe started once everyone gathered together, "Mark Collins kicked things up a notch and killed a civilian today; he's not playing games anymore. He's willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants – even if that means killing more people along the way. The woman he murdered was someone he and Walter encountered once several years ago; I expect he'll keep choosing people Walter's met before unless we stop him. Until Mark Collins is apprehended, Merrick has frozen all other cases for Scorpion. Mark Collins is your only priority as of today so if any of you know anything that could help us find him and put his ass back in jail, I suggest you start talking." Cabe looked at Happy, "I want you to hack into the satellite cameras and see if Collins has been looming around the garage within the last three days; if you spot him, see if you can trail his shadow back to his hiding spot."

"On it!" Happy nodded and raced to her computer.

"Toby," Cabe pointed towards the shrink, "Put together a file of everything you can think of regarding Collins's behavior. If you think he's capable of terrorism in order to get what he wants, include it in your report. I don't want anything excluded from your analysis. Got it?"

"This is going to be fun!" Toby smirked and scurried off towards his desk.

"Sylvester," Cabe then looked at the Human Calculator, "look into Collins's phone records and personal file; see if you can find any family members or acquaintances he's been in contact with within the last six months."

"Happily," Sylvester nodded and rushed away to his computer.

"Walter," Cabe approached him and Paige, "I want you to make a list of potential victims Collins might approach; if he's going after people the two of you have encountered during your crazy-ass time together, then you better take a trip down Memory Lane and jot down anything you remember. Even if you don't have names, describe them; if they worked at a library or a diner the two of you visited, their names would be available via employment records."

"I'll do my best," Walter sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, "But I can't guarantee perfect results; when Collins and I met up at a diner or at various locations, I was often too engaged in our conversations to pay attention to my surroundings."

"I thought you had a perfect memory." Cabe frowned as he folded his arms against his chest.

"I do," Walter mimicked Cabe's stance.

"Then I don't understand why you might have difficulty remembering your surroundings." Cabe lifted an eyebrow. Walter felt Paige's arm snake across his back.

"Mark Collins," Toby intervened as he circled around his desk and headed towards Cabe, "had a way of making Walter experience a stronger flow state than usual. You know how Walter, or practically any of us, are so focused on our projects that we don't always know what's going on around us? Well, that's what's called a flow state. It's when our minds are so focused – so energetic and highly involved – with our tasks that we have a tendency to zone in on things we find intellectually enjoyable. Collins had a strange effect on Walter's psyche; we all know how that bastard sent Walter down the Rabbit Hole one too many times.

"While there's the Rabbit Hole, there's also a pre-Rabbit Hole state, a flow state, in which we can be snapped out of before we get too engaged. With the level of intensity shared between Walter and Mark's conversations, Mark had an astounding ability of sending Walter into an intellectual flow state as they conversed. They could go all night in this flow state, talking about anything…everything. Usually, Walter was able to pull himself out of this flow state whenever he wanted, but as he was experiencing it, the world – in a sense – moved on without him.

"In these flow states, we are aware of our surroundings to a degree: place, topic of interest, intellectual peers…, but we don't recognize events going on around us. A little kid could be celebrating his birthday with his family at a diner, and we could be totally oblivious to it. The Rabbit Hole, however, is an extreme case of a flow state. The world doesn't just move on without us; it also disappears. Mark Collins knows his mind games; he certainly loved toying with Walter's psyche."

Walter didn't like the fact that Toby was talking about him in front of everyone else, but he knew it was efficient for Cabe to understand the seriousness of the situation.

"Sometimes," Happy continued, "Collins would introduce an intellectually intence topic to Walter merely to see how far Walter would travel down the Rabbit Hole. If anything, Walter was Mark's guinea pig; him going to that psych ward, the first time, was the best thing for Scorpion."

"Well," Cabe sighed and gave Walter a look of sympathy, "Do what you can, I guess."

"Okay," Walter nodded as he started tugging Paige towards his desk, but Cabe called her name. Both of them turned to face the agent.

"Yes?" Paige's eyebrows lifted as she gave Walter's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Go upstairs and spend time with Ralph. Keep him occupied so that he doesn't wonder what we're doing down here. The less he's involved, the better." Cabe ordered Paige as his facial expression softened. "Also, I think it might be best if you don't work this case. Collins clearly ruffled your feathers earlier today, and I have a feeling you're his new guinea pig," Cabe frowned. "You and Ralph are inconveniences in Mark's eyes; he's going to do whatever he can to earn his spot back on the team. While you will be informed of everything regarding this case, I think it's wise you stay home with Ralph if we are called out again."

Paige inhaled a deep breath and forced a smile. "Okay." Walter knew Paige's top priority was Ralph, and even if she didn't like not being part of the team on their cases, he knew she would much rather want to keep her son safe than attend a case where she wouldn't know how Ralph would be fairing. She turned to leave for the stairs, and as Walter followed, Cabe grabbed his arm.

"Where're you running off too?"

"I'll have your list by the end of the night; I promise." Walter's eyes followed Paige as she walked up the stairs, "There's something I need to discuss with Paige first."

"Okay," Cabe nodded and released his arm. "By the way, you better have a spare room available because as of today, I'm temporarily moving into the garage until Collins is dealt with; I don't want anything happening without my knowledge, and I can't very well shoot the bastard's other leg if I'm all the way across town. I'm having a guy deliver my things by tonight."

"Kay." Walter then realized that the only available room they had was between the room he and Paige shared and Ralph's bedroom. He inwardly grew disappointed, noting how he and Paige would have to take a hiatus from their romantic endeavors until Mark was apprehended. "I'll show you to the spare room tonight."

"Sounds good." Cabe patted Walter's shoulder before making his way towards Sylvester. Walter wheeled around on his heels and then headed for the stairs in pursuit of Paige.

~ SCORPION ~

"A gun?" Paige lifted an eyebrow. "Cabe wants you to register for a sidearm?"

"He thinks it would benefit the team if one of us is registered to use a gun. He thinks I'm the only one who would be suited to use one. He said, and I quote, 'Sylvester will shoot someone's eye out, Toby's not very good with his hands and Happy would get too trigger-happy.' Cabe can't be here twenty-four seven. And with Scorpion's reputation climbing, there's always going to be odd threats against us. We don't want a repeat of last year," he referred to when the mafia bypassed their security and kidnapped Paige, "so I think it would be a good idea for me to register because security systems can only go so far."

Paige inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Okay."

"Okay?" Walter was surprised; he thought he would have to find alternative ways to convince Paige to let him register. He didn't think she'd be onboard right away. "That's it?"

"Walter, I appreciate you wanting my opinion on the matter, but I know you," she smiled as she absentmindedly ruffled Ralph's hair as he slept in her arms. "You would most likely register for one with or without my consent – especially if you think a sidearm would increase your chances in protecting Ralph. So I'm not going to stop you from getting one; however, there are going to be conditions."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Walter nodded as he sat down next to Paige and smiled at the boy.

"Also," she leaned against him, "I think it might be a good idea if I register for one too." Paige's statement caught Walter's attention; he turned to look at her, waiting for an explanation. "Like you said, we don't want a repeat of last year. Mark Collins isn't part of a mafia; he's a genius like you. He doesn't need an army of people to bypass the garage's security. So there's no telling if he'll try breaking and entering; for that reason, I want to be prepared too. If I'm going to be staying here and watching my son, I need to be sure I can protect him while all of you are gone."

"That's an…," Walter lowered his voice when the boy stirred in his mother's arms, "astute decision." Walter rose to his feet and picked Ralph up into his arms so Paige could stand up; he placed Ralph into his bed and covered him with a blanket. The work he had done on the workbench most likely wore him out.

"We can wake him up before dinner," Paige whispered as Walter made his way towards her. They walked, hand-in-hand, towards their bedroom and left the door open so they could keep an eye on Ralph. They laid on the bed and watched some TV for a while. Then Walter remembered Cabe temporarily moving into the room next to him.

"By the way," Walter spoke as he stared at the ceiling, "Cabe's going to be utilizing the guest room next to us until Collins is apprehended. So it might be a while before we can resume any sexual activity while he's quartering here."

Paige sighed as she coiled her fingers with his and hovered over him. "Perhaps you should use this time to find out if Happy has any extra acoustic wedges panels hidden somewhere."

Walter immediately rose to his feet, causing Paige to laugh. "Don't have to tell me twice." And before Paige could say anything, he was out the door and on his way to Happy as Paige returned to Ralph's room and watched her son peacefully nap the afternoon away.

~ SCORPION ~

WriterFreak001:

I've decided that the chapters will mostly remain about this length. Not only would it allow me to pace myself, but it would also prologue the chapter length of the story too. The fewer content there is per chapter, the longer the story will be. :D

Anyway, let me know what you think! :D