WriterFreak001:

So I'm snowed in… Here's the next chapter! (PS. I decided NOT to change the cover art for the story for those of you who follow my blog a-beautiful-mind-wf001 on Tumblr).

Sorry for the delay; I wanted to rest my wrists and brainstorm! :) Prepared to be amazed. Maybe. We'll see.

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 20

~ SCORPION ~

Walter's eyes flickered open, and he found himself laying in a hospital bed with a bandage wrapped tightly around his left arm. He groaned as someone – Cabe – walked into the room and flipped on the lights. "Is that really necessary?"

"Good morning to you, too, 197." Cabe rolled his eyes as he made his way over to Walter. "How's the noggin feeling?"

"What do you mean?" Walter lifted an eyebrow. "Other than a splitting headache and pain in my arm, I feel fine. Why?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Cabe asked as he took a seat next to Walter's hospital bed.

Walter closed his eyes and focused on his last memory. "I was confronting Mark Collins…," His eyes popped open, "Where's Paige?!"

"Relax, kid. Paige is fine; she's in the surgery recovery room, and everything is stable." Cabe placed a hand on Walter's shoulder. Walter tried to push himself off the bed, but Cabe gently slammed him backwards. "Oh no you don't. You're staying right here."

"If you think I'm going t—"

"I told you, Paige is fine, Walter. In ten minutes, they'll be transporting her from the recovery wing to this room so you'll be able to see her soon." When Walter stopped struggling against Cabe, the agent removed his hand and folded his arms in front of him.

Walter glanced at Cabe. "The baby?"

"Healthy," Cabe grinned.

Walter released a sigh. "Thank God."

"Now, indulge me. What do you remember, Walter?" Cabe pressed.

"The last thing I remember was hearing a gunshot shortly after Mark rammed his fist into my stomach." Walter sighed, "If you're trying to find out what happened, I can't help you. I blacked out."

"The gunshot you heard made its mark, pun intended, and the bullet severed Collins's leg – the one that wasn't shot the last time we encountered him. I can't fill in the blanks between the time SWAT shot him and the time I arrived, but when I found you, you had been knocked out and was on the ground next to Paige; she was passed out, but who could blame her after everything she's gone through. Anyway, my best guess is that you rushed over to Paige after we took out Mark to inspect her wounds; then, Mark must have shot you from behind – because that's where the entry of the wound is – before giving you a good whack in the head with his firearm, rendering you unconscious. He was just about to fire his weapon at Paige when I snuck up on him from behind and gave him the same medicine he had given you. And don't worry, that SOB will be incarcerated in a solitary confinement cell at a prison facility in Hawaii so unless he has gills, he won't be a problem anymore."

Walter lifted an eyebrow. "So he won't be treated at a mental facility?"

"Hell no," Cabe shook his head. "That man's too damn crazy for the crazies."

"I'll drink to that!" Toby exclaimed as he walked into the room. Happy followed in tow.

"You moron; you can't drink alcohol in a hospital." Happy snapped as she folded her arms in front of her before turning to Walter. "Hi Walter."

"Happy." Walter nodded.

"I was speaking metaphorically!" Toby threw his hands up and rolled his eyes before turning his attention to Walter as well. "I know this might be awkward," Toby lowered his arms, "but the next time you decide to open Scorpion's doors to another mentally enabled person who isn't a kid like Ralph, send them to me for in-depth psych evaluations."

"Dually noted," Walter tapped his temple as Cabe handed him a glass of water. "For once, I actually condone your methods, Toby."

"Never thought I'd hear that from you, Walter." Toby chuckled and sat down in one of the chairs in Walter's room. He crossed his legs and webbed his fingers behind his head. "I'm not objected to Homeland purchasing us a polygraph either – you know, as a failsafe. You never can be too careful these days – especially since we have a little Waige Junior rolling down the tube."

Walter turned and spat out the water he had intended to swallow as Happy gave Toby a high-five. Cabe shook his head in dismay as he took out his handkerchief and wiped his face off. "I'm going to go to the cafeteria and grab me some coffee." Cabe said as he looked at his watch. "Happy. Toby. You're coming too."

"But we just got here!" Toby griped as he folded his arms in front of him. Happy, however, complied.

"And I can suspend your paycheck." Cabe lifted an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"Then what are we waiting around here for?" Toby automatically rose to his feet and walked towards Cabe. "Come on! Let's go!" Toby stepped past Cabe and squeezed between the agent and the doorframe. Happy followed, and Cabe turned towards Walter.

"I'll be sure to keep them occupied until you've had some time to rest. By the way," Cabe took one step out the door, "I have a guy picking up Sylvester and Ralph from the garage. They should be here in half an hour."

"Okay. Thanks," Walter nodded as the man disappeared. For the next several minutes, Walter stared at the clock and calculated various coterminal angles as he waited for Paige.

A few minutes later, "Mr. O'Brien?"

Walter snapped his attention towards the door. A nurse was standing in the doorway with a clipboard under her arm. "In a minute, we'll be bringing Miss Dineen in here; she's awake, but we haven't been able to get her to speak to us. Maybe you'll have better luck. Another nurse will be in here shortly to unhook you from the machines. Once you've completed some paperwork, you'll be free to leave the hospital."

"Okay." The nurse started to leave. "Um…."

"Yes?"

Walter ran his hand through his hair as he asked himself what Paige would say in a moment like this one. "Th-thank you."

She smiled. "You're welcome." And then she disappeared.

A minute later, Paige was carted into the room by a team of nurses, and when her bed was hooked up and everything was properly running, one nurse stayed and unhooked Walter from the machines. When they were finally left alone, Walter pushed himself off of the bed and sat down in the chair next to Paige's hospital bed. "Hey," he spoke softly. He squeezed her hand, knowing Paige would be doing the exact same thing to him had he been in her situation.

She said nothing. She didn't even look at him.

"Cabe, Toby and Happy are in the cafeteria…, and an agent is escorting Sylvester and Ralph to the hospital. They'll be here in about twenty minutes…. Ralph will want to see you; he's been worried sick about you…. We all have." Walter muttered, hoping he would get a response out of her.

No response. She blinked, but that was all she did.

"Perhaps I should go and find Megan…; she can give Ralph and Sylvester some company until you're ready." Walter rose to his feet and turned to leave when her fingers tightened around his hand. He brought her palm to his lips and pecked a quick kiss against her hand before kneeling down to kiss her forehead. "I promise I'll be back. Five minutes. Tops."

It pained him to pull away from her, but he did think it would be best if Ralph didn't see his mother until she was in a more social mood. If she wouldn't talk to a guy with an IQ of 197, she most likely wouldn't converse with anyone else either. He bolted down the hallway in search for his sister and found her sitting in the waiting room.

"Walter!" She exclaimed as she pushed herself to her feet and hobbled over to him. "Thank God you're okay! Cabe told me you were shot?" She glanced at the bandage on his arm. "How bad is it?"

"I'll survive." Walter replied as she hugged him. "Listen, I need you to do me a favor."

"Of course. What is it?" Megan asked as she shifted her weight on her supports.

"In the next fifteen or twenty minutes, an agent is going to escort Sylvester and Ralph into this waiting room. I need you to keep them company until Paige is emotionally ready to see other people." Walter said as he leaned against the wall. "Can you do that for me?"

"Absolutely." Megan smiled. "How is Paige by the way?"

"She'll…be okay…eventually." Walter frowned as he recalled her not speaking nor looking at him.

Megan leaned against the wall too and touched her brother's arm gently. "Hey, what's wrong, Walter? I know when you're frustrated."

Walter sighed and closed his eyes. "I feel like I'm handcuffed again."

"Why?" Megan's eyes softened as he opened his.

"Because I can't seem to reach her…." Walter raked his hand through his hair. "She experienced a great deal, and because what she went through is all tied to her EQ," He heaved another sigh, "I can't seem to connect with her. She won't look at me. Nor, will she talk to me. She's conscious and fully awake," he forced a grin and nodded his head incessantly, "but," he started to shake his head, "I…," he pulled his face downward and groaned, "w-whatever's going on up here," he pointed to his head, "inside her mind…, I c-can't c-connect with it. My IQ can't… it c-can't connect with her EQ. I-it j-just c-can't."

"Walter," Megan frowned, "Take a deep breath and calm down. Don't discredit the progress you've been making with Paige in regards to your EQ status. It's in there, Walter. I know it is. Maybe the stress you've been going through is keeping you from accessing it; I don't know. What I do know," she squeezed his arm, "you're thinking about it all wrong. Don't try connecting with her with your mind, Walter. Connect with Paige with this," she placed her hand against Walter's heart. "This is how Paige connects with people – with you. With her son. So you need to stop thinking with your brain, and start thinking with your heart."

"That's an impossible and irrational scenario." Walter groaned.

"How much luck have you had with your way, then?" Megan challenged.

"Point taken, but what you're asking me to d—"

"What I'm asking you to do is to show Paige that you're there for her, Walter! You don't have to say anything; just show her. You've told me again and again how Paige is a tactile communicator. So...tactilate!"

"That's not a word." Walter deadpanned.

"I don't care." Megan retorted. "Now go. You've been here long enough. Stop sulking about your issues, and do something about it! And try to do it before I kick the bucket, why don't you."

"Oh, that's not funny." Walter pressed his lips together and frowned.

"Go." Megan pointed towards the hallway.

Walter sighed and left his sister in the waiting room as he headed back towards the hospital room. When he entered, he closed the door and glanced at his girlfriend. She was still catatonic, but she was facing the wall to her right as if she was giving him the cold shoulder upon his entrance. He sighed and walked over to her. "I'm back." He muttered as he webbed his fingers with hers.

He then examined the extent of her wounds. She had bandages wrapped around her head, her left hand, her feet, her legs and arms and her chest and back. Mark really had done a number on her, and Walter couldn't fathom what sort of pain she might be going through. He leaned over and pecked her swollen cheek as he considered what his sister had said. Paige was indeed a tactile person; he remembered the conversation he had with Paige almost a year ago when she told him that Ralph would sometimes claim he couldn't sleep and ask to sleep in her bed. While Paige had actually thought her son couldn't sleep at night, Walter knew it was more along the lines of Ralph wanting to show his mother that he loved her even though he couldn't process emotion.

Then a lightbulb went off inside Walter's mind.

Walter climbed onto the bed and rested beside Paige. With his fingers still laced with hers, he draped his arm over her side and clamped her against him. He kissed her shoulder before whispering into her ear, "I, um," he swallowed, "I'm here."

She slowly twisted herself around and pressed her forehead against his chest.

And then she cried.

~ SCORPION~

WriterFreak001:

I know this was another relatively short chapter (longer than the last one but shorter than previous ones), but I felt like I should end this chapter here.

Please let me know what you think!

PS. If you want to see the cover art I thought about changing the current one two, simply copy and paste the following link and fix the punctuation:

http:*SLASH*SLASH*a-beautiful-mind-wf001*DOT*tumblr*DOT*com/post/112385741418/teamscorpion-new-mind-games-cover-art