WriterFreak001:
Nothing new here.
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 23
~ SCORPION ~
"Ralph," Paige spoke after taking a sip of her water, "Do you remember when the three of us sat in this exact booth and discussed the new dynamics to the promise I made you after Toenail Tom was out of our lives?" She ruffled Ralph's hair as she squeezed Walter's hand from under the table.
Ralph nodded. "You and Walter told me the two of you were dating. Walter was having a burrito that morning. I was having pancakes, and you were having a veggie omelet. Walter and I played chess with the condiments as we waited for our food to arrive." He finally looked up at his mother. "Why?"
"Well," Paige touched her belly, "The dynamics are going to change again – in a big way, too."
Ralph looked at his mother and then at Walter. "How?"
Before Paige spoke, Walter cleared his throat. "May I?" Paige nodded with a smile and encouraged Walter to continue. "Well…," Walter raked his hand through his hair, "For starters, in approximately 30 weeks, you will no longer be an only child; so, um, there's that."
Ralph looked at Paige's tummy and then back at Walter before turning his attention to his mother. "I'm going to be an older brother?"
"Yes." A smile found Paige's lips as she confirmed her son's question. "Which…brings us to some other things we'd like to talk to you about." Paige added as her fingers combed through Ralph's thick hair. "Ralph, honey," she kissed the top of his head, "would you be disappointed if Walter and I decided to get married?"
"No." Ralph shifted glances between Walter and Paige. "Marriage is just legalizing the relationship you two already have, right?"
"Something like that," Paige laughed.
Walter chuckled lightly too as he leaned over the table towards Ralph. "You know," Paige caught him sneak a glance towards her, "once your mother's and my relationship has been sanctioned, Paige has the choice to change her last name to O'Brien. The baby's last name would also be O'Brien." Walter swallowed audibly. "And yours can be too, if you want it to be…, b-but I'd h-have t-t-to adopt you as m-my s-son first."
Ralph's eyes lit up. "Then you can be my dad, Walter?!"
Paige's heart warmed at the way Walter's nervous expression transformed into an uplifting smile. A tear fell down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away, but she was sure Walter noticed.
"Yes," Walter nodded and reached for his water; he squeezed Paige's hand underneath the table. "Then I can be your dad."
"Mom," Ralph looked at Paige and grinned.
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Can you marry Walter today?"
~ SCORPION ~
Walter nearly choked on his water in response to Ralph's inquiry, and he looked at Paige, wondering what she was going to say. She glanced at him. "I don't know," she smiled, "Can I?"
Walter felt a jolt of electricity flow through his veins at the thought of being married to Paige by the end of the day. He quickly considered the pros and cons; it didn't take long for him to realize there weren't any cons keeping him from wanting to marry her. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out a yes, causing the woman in front of him to chuckle lightly as her thumb rubbed against the back of his hand underneath the table.
"Are you sure?" Paige blinked as her cheeks flushed with color.
"Let's do it." He quickly replied. "Right after breakfast."
Paige smirked. "Eager, are we?"
Before Walter said anything, Ralph excused himself to go to the restroom, giving the couple some privacy to talk. "Paige," Walter swallowed the lump in his throat, "I'm willing to walk into the courthouse today and have everything legalized effectively and immediately. Now, if, um, if you want a traditional weddi—"
"What I want, Walter," Paige interrupted him as she squeezed his hand, "is to marry you. I don't care when or how; I just want you. If you want to get married right after breakfast, then let's go to the nearest courthouse, and we can be married by lunchtime. But I know you, Walter. You sometimes have a tendency to rush into things without thinking; I just want you to be absolutely sure you're ready because marriage is a big thing, Walter."
"Paige," Walter reached for her hand that was resting on the table, "I t-told you th-this morning that, um, that I w-want a future w-with you…. I d-didn't go into detail this morning, but th-the d-dream I had h-had had a d-darker pr-premise to it. Not only d-did it sh-show me w-what kind of future I could h-have w-with you, b-but i-it, um, it also r-revealed to me w-what I, um, w-what I c-could be l-losing i-if…if, um, if I didn't g-get to you in time." He inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't want to have any regrets, Paige… i-if I am e-ever in th-that k-kind of p-position again – a-and not marrying you w-would b-be a big one."
Paige smiled, leaned over the table and gave Walter a chaste kiss. When she pulled away, she cupped his face and muttered, "Then let's get married."
~ SCORPION ~
Before the threesome went to the courthouse, Walter thought it would be a good idea to make a pit-stop, knowing a certain somebody would be able to help them put together everything they needed for a last minute wedding ceremony.
"Walter?" Paige glanced at him as he parked her car, "Why are we at Hetty's place?"
"She's resourceful," Walter shrugged. "Plus," he looked at the hoodie he was still wearing from early in the morning, "I think I need to be a little bit more presentable before we go to the courthouse…, and I don't really want to go to the garage and be grilled with questions as to why I'm trying to smuggle a nicer ensemble into the car."
"Good point." Paige nodded before turning in her seat to capture her son's attention. "Ralph, do you mind if we delay our trip to the courthouse for half an hour?" He shook his head. "Okay," she smiled. "Let's get out of the car then." As Walter and Paige climbed out of Paige's Chevy, Ralph followed suit and hopped out of the car as well before the three of them walked into the boathouse.
"It's nice to see you two again," Hetty smiled as she walked up to them and shook their hands. "Oh?" She spotted Ralph. "And who do we have here?"
"This is Ralph," Paige smiled. "My son."
"Well, it's an honor to meet you, Ralph." Hetty extended her hand towards the boy, and he reluctantly shook it.
"He's a little shy around strangers," Paige squeezed her son's shoulders.
Walter took out his tablet from his bag and handed it to Ralph. "Why don't you take this and go over there," he pointed to a sofa chair, "while your mother and I speak to Hetty."
"Okay," Ralph nodded, took Walter's tablet and made his way over to the chair.
"He's a good kid," Hetty noted with a smile as she turned her attention back to Walter and Paige.
"He's very special," Paige smiled and laced her fingers with Walter's.
"Now, what might bring you two here?" Hetty lifted an eyebrow and folded her arms in front of her. "And without Agent Gallo too."
"It's not a case," Walter stated quickly. He was more nervous than he thought he was going to be.
"Oh? Then what is it?" Hetty's eyebrows lifted.
"We need to ask for a favor…. Well, a few, actually." Paige squeezed Walter's hand and spared him from the embarrassment of tapping into his emotions for the elderly woman. When Hetty didn't say anything, Paige continued. "First thing's first…do you have anything we could change into for a last minute wedding?" Walter noticed how Paige absentmindedly placed her hand against her belly, and he felt a sense of pride wash over him, knowing that the unborn she was coddling was his.
He noted how Hetty's curious expression shifted to a warm smile; he wondered if she spotted the unique position of Paige's hand too. "I think I might have just the thing for you, Paige." Hetty looked at Walter, "Where's the tuxedo I gave you the last time you were here?"
"Uhhh…at home." Walter swallowed. "I, uh, you know, this decision was all short notice…. I kinda don't want to go back to the garage if I can avoid it." Walter scratched the side of his face as he waited for Hetty's reply.
"Very well." Hetty nodded, "I have something you can borrow, but please have it dry-cleaned before you return it."
"Yeah. Okay." Walter raked his hand through his hair. "Thanks."
"Now, before the two of you change, I am assuming your ceremony will be a private one at a courthouse?" Walter and Paige nodded before Hetty continued. "Do the two of you know what you need in order to apply for a marriage certificate?" They shook their heads. "I thought so." She gestured for them to have a seat at the table; once Walter and Paige sat down, Hetty said, "First and foremost, usually courthouses require participants to make an appointment, but you two don't need to worry," Hetty smiled, "I have a friend who serves as a judge at the LAX Courthouse, and he owes me a favor. After some persuasive words from me, he should have no problem seeing the two of you at such a late notice on a Saturday. I assume both of you have some form of picture identification?"
Walter and Paige nodded.
"Good. Both of you will also need to know the places of birth for both of your parents as well as their full names, including your mothers' maiden names. I hope that won't be a problem." Hetty paused, but when Walter and Paige didn't say anything, she continued, "Next, Paige, were you married to Ralph's father at one time?"
Paige nodded. "Yes."
"And now the two of you are divorced?" Hetty pressed.
"Yes."
"Okay, you'll need to show the county clerk proof of your divorce with Ralph's father. If you don't have that on you," Hetty paused, "I can have one reprinted for you."
"No need," Paige replied as she dug through her purse and pulled out a tattered, folded document from its inner lining. "There's my official copy."
Walter raised an eyebrow. "You keep an official copy of your divorce papers on your person?"
Paige shrugged. "I needed something to remind me never to return to the kind of woman I was when I was with Drew…." She glanced at Hetty, "Do you think the county clerk will care if it has a few holes in it? I might have," she shifted her eyes away from Hetty as if she was guilty of something, "thrown a few darts at it once or twice."
Walter folded his lips inward to keep himself from laughing as Hetty unfolded the document.
"Perhaps," Hetty chuckled, "It would be wise to have one reprinted anyway." She folded the document back up and slid it back over to Paige. "You keep your memoir and continue using it for meditative target practice. I can have a new copy printed out in no time."
"Thanks," Paige grinned as she put her divorce document back into her purse. "Is there anything else we need to file for a marriage license?"
"Ninety dollars and at least one witness." Hetty replied as she pushed herself away from the table and rose to her feet. "But hold off on that fee; I might be able to get it waived, depending on how persuasive I can be. If not, then consider paying that fee my wedding gift to both of you." She pulled out her phone. "Now, excuse me; I'm going to make a few calls. I'll be back shortly."
As she disappeared around the corner, Paige rubbed her belly and leaned against Walter's shoulder. "Maybe we should invite the team…. I'd feel bad if we didn't."
Walter nodded, remembering the last time he had failed to consider the team when a local newscaster came to the garage and interviewed him about Scorpion. He quickly learned his lesson during the Mexico rescue mission that had happened several weeks before the whole Mark Collins debacle. Even Paige didn't appreciate the anchor calling her the super nanny; she eventually came around, but she didn't let Walter forget his error very easily. In some ways, Paige had been worse than Toby, when the shrink kept rubbing the local morning news fiasco in his face. "You're right. That's probably a good idea."
"Should we call them now?"
"No. Let's wait until we know all of the details first." Walter replied as Hetty reappeared.
"Okay," Paige smiled and kissed his cheek as Hetty sat back down.
"Good news," Hetty smiled, "My acquaintance can officiate your ceremony at eleven, which is…," she looked at her watch, "ninety minutes. However, I couldn't waive the fee so I'll pay it out of pocket once we get over to the LAX Courthouse. Judge Naylor recommends the two of you to arrive no later than 10:30 AM so that all of your paperwork can be updated into the system. I'm having one of my best agents deliver a new copy of your proof of divorce document, Paige," Hetty gave Paige a smile, "at the courthouse by that time. So, follow me; I have the perfect outfits for both of you, and if Ralph is interested, I might have something for him too."
"Okay," Both Walter and Paige said in unison as they followed Hetty around back. "Come on, Ralph," Paige called out to her son. The boy placed Walter's tablet on the small table next to the chair he had been using and made his way towards his mother. Walter quickly explained to him as to what was going on, and both geniuses were handed tuxedos. Walter stepped into the fitting room with Ralph and first helped him change, knowing that the first time he had worn formalwear when he was around Ralph's age, it was not an easy task - especially when dressing blindly and having no clue as to how men wear such formal attire. He straightened out the boy's bowtie, and after he sent him out, he heard Hetty comment on how dashing Ralph looked.
It took no time for Walter to change into the tuxedo, and when he stepped out of the dressing booth, Hetty smiled. "Looking sharp, Mr. O'Brien."
"Mm," was all Walter said as he fumbled with the collar.
"By the way, the boy went back to your tablet around the corner." Hetty said before Walter could ask her where Ralph had run off to. "Perhaps you should join him; it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the ceremony."
"I don't / He doesn't believe in superstitions." Walter and Paige said simultaneously. "On second thought," Walter realized he needed to pick something up, "I think I'll go ahead and take Ralph up to the courthouse," he said to Paige.
"Then how will I get there?" Paige asked as she poked her head out from behind the white trifold wall.
"I can take you," Hetty smirked. "After all, I need to be there anyway to pay the fee."
"Are you sure?" Paige looked at Walter. "It's awful early to be there so soon."
"I'm sure," Walter nodded. "While I'm waiting, I can inquire about the adoption process."
Paige smiled. "Okay."
Walter then turned to Hetty, "Could you do us another favor and find a way to convince Cabe to get my sister and the other members of Scorpion to the courthouse without mentioning the ceremony?"
"You can leave that to me, Mr. O'Brien." Hetty grinned.
"Kay. Thanks." Walter said as he started towards Ralph but paused when he remembered his bag that was still behind the trifold he had changed behind. He circled around the white wall of material and grabbed his bag; he began walking towards Ralph again and then paused. He was forgetting something else. He knew he was. Ah. That's right. Walter spun around and scrambled towards Paige's trifold; she was patiently waiting for him to return.
"There we go," Paige laughed as he leaned in and kissed her goodbye.
The kiss went a lot longer than he had anticipated. Hetty cleared her throat. "Time is of the essence today, Mr. O'Brien."
"Oh. Right. Yeah. Okay." Walter stammered as he pulled away from Paige and awkwardly scuttled towards the door, beckoning Ralph to follow.
~ SCORPION ~
WriterFreak001:
I apologize for those of you who wanted Walter and Paige to have a traditional wedding; I just didn't think they were the type. Plus, if you think about it, who would they invite to a traditional wedding besides Cabe, Toby, Happy, Sylvester, Ralph and Megan? While I've set up my version of Paige to be a woman who has moved forward from her past, I don't know if the Paige in the show is any different. She doesn't speak about her past that much, and as far as we know, she hasn't reached out to any friends from before Scorpion. I feel like Paige spent most of her time working at the diner and at her second job rather than having a social life.
PS. I'm going to prepare your minds before I continue. I am not stretching this fic out to the birth of the baby. I am planning for a whole other volume (a different story but part of the same series) that'll focus on the majority of the pregnancy and the birth of the baby. That volume will not be worked on until (most likely) closer to the season finale because I want to wait and see if Scorpion will encounter another baddie on the show before creating my own.)
That being said, after this volume is done (probably has about five chapters left or so), I am going to put this storyline on hiatus for a while and focus on one-shots I have in mind or other shorter stories I am concocting. :) Needless to say this, but just because I will be putting this storyline on hold for a while after Mind Games is completed, it does not mean I am done writing Waige stories for a while. You'll get your Waige! I promise! Just from other stories that are not in conjunction with "Deception" or "Mind Games."
Anyway, let me know what you think!