A/N: Sorry for the delay I've gotten pretty far in the next chapter and just need to type it up so that's something at least right?

"How about I help you upstairs and you can nap in your own bed for a while?" Paige offered.

Walter shook his head. "No, I promised Ralph I'd have a surprise for him when he got back from school. It should be delivered soon."

Walter wasn't about to let any of them know that he had no intention of sleeping. Later he would go up to the loft and pretend for their sake but not now. They had a case and he had to be there for Ralph, he had put the boy through so much. He owed this much to him.

"What is this big surprise?" Paige asked letting it go for now. She wanted Walter to take care of himself but she knew that he wanted to do something with Ralph as much as Ralph wanted to be with him. If Walter needed to rest Ralph would have understood but she knew that Walter would never willingly disappoint Ralph.

"Well it's not exactly as cool as a rocket but I thought he might enjoy experimenting with – "

"Walter! What in the Hell?" Cabe shouted from the garage door. Paige helped Walter off the couch and with his crutches. They went outside and found Cabe's SUV blocked by a large truck where two men were unloading a large cage. The cage was just the right size for two people to stand in.

"Sly!" Walter called. Sly came outside and smiled.

"Did they follow our dimensions?" Walter asked.

Sly looked over the cage and nodded. "It's perfect Walter."

"Do you want to explain what you plan on putting in that cage?" Cabe asked.

"It's for Ralph," Walter said eagerly.

"Look Walt, I know the kid can be a tad clingy lately but a cage might just be a bit much." Happy said as she came outside.

"What the heck Walter?" Paige cried.

Walter's grin faded. "It's for his protection and I'd be in there with him or someone would be." Walter tried to explain.

"It's a faraday cage. Walter is going to build giant tesla coils with Ralph. When controlled properly you can shoot bolts of electricity at different frequencies. It not only looks cool but you can even play music with it." Sly seemed just as excited as a kid at Christmas.

"Okay, now that's going to make Ralph's year." Happy said as the workers also unloaded parts to build the massive tesla coils.

"How did you pay for this?" Paige asked with a smile. Walter had outdone himself.

"Well you didn't think Homeland would leave me to be tortured to death and not pay me did you?" Walter said stoically. "I used the paycheck on this and to boost the Scorpion slush fund so you guys have the money for your own projects," Walter said with a smile.

"You spent all the money on Ralph and the team?" Paige asked. "You should have done something for yourself." Paige admonished.

Walter looked at her curiously. "I did spend it on stuff for me. Doing stuff for Ralph and the team makes me happy."

"Well Ralph is going to be stuck at school and lunch will be cold if they don't get a move on," Cabe said.

"Where did Elia and Simone go?" Toby asked coming out. "Is that a faraday cage? Cool." Toby said.

"They decided to go out to lunch," Cabe said. "Since we know she's not the target it should be safe."

"Wow Simone and Elia, didn't see that coming." Happy said.

"It's just lunch," Walter said.

"Getting jealous? Sorry, you missed your chance with a sexy Interpol agent?" Toby teased.

"No I've always had my eye on someone much better," Walter said pulling Paige over for a kiss.

"Ugh get a room." Happy said.

"Or is that what the cage is really for?" Toby suggested with raised eyebrows.

"Gross Toby," Sly said with a shudder.

Walter directed the men to bring all the equipment to the far end of the garage where his rocket used to be. He couldn't wait for Ralph to get there.

"Not sure who is more excited, you, Sly, or Ralph once he sees all this," Paige said next to Walter as they looked at all the components.

"Well I've missed doing things with him like the rocket and after what I put him through I owe it to him," Walter said.

"You don't owe him anything. Having you back is all we ever wanted." Paige said leaning against him.

As long as I can get back to normal. Walter thought. As long as his leg and weakness were all temporary. But even if it did all heal what of the rest of it? Could he ever be the same with those memories in his head? With Baghdad, he couldn't sleep for months and started hallucinating fields of bodies. Would this time be worse? The body count was so much lower but his distance from it, and his responsibility was so much higher.

"Thanks, Paige but I want to give him good memories to replace the bad, to let him put it all behind him," Walter said.

"We can't leave our past Walter. The memories will always be there and the way that month changed us will always be. But we're here now, and that's what matters." Paige said giving him a hug that was supposed to be comforting but Walter wasn't ready for it and it caused him to be off balance and nearly fall. Paige was able to catch him and stabilize him but he frowned. He couldn't even be hugged without showing how weak he was.

The team all waited eagerly for Cabe to return. Everyone was excited to show the young genius their new project.

"We're here. I picked up everyone's order from Kovelsky's and the kid insisted he was hungry and needed a slice of cake." Cabe said with a smile.

"Walter!" Ralph said running up to him. "Did it come? Is it ready?" Ralph asked.

Walter nodded. "Yep, it's right back where the rocket was."

Ralph ran over and the others followed. Walter was slower on his crutches but Paige and Cabe stayed to walk at his pace.

"Is that a faraday cage? And these components…what sort of electromagnetic field are we building Walter?" Ralph asked.

"Well, I was thinking we could start with some massive tesla coils and see if we can put on a light show for your mom," Walter said.

"Really? Can we start building them now?" Ralph asked.

"Of course. We'll all help."

The team took turns working on finding more details of the case and building with Ralph. Walter found a lot of the building was still a struggle but he kept trying as much as he could and he was rewarded every time by a huge smile from Ralph. Even with his shortcomings, it was one of the best days of Walter's life. He was able to banish the pain and nightmares for a few hours.

But eventually, it was dinner and bed and meds and Walter felt his heart sort to race. He knew Paige was going to be on watch to make sure he slept and he had no intention of doing that.

"Do you want something to help you sleep? It's still early they won't keep you asleep past the meeting." Paige said.

Walter shook his head. He felt bad but he was about to do something that he knew would only upset Paige if she found out. He had asked Ralph what his mom did when she couldn't sleep and Ralph suggested lavender tea and her favorite old movie. She knew all the words so it often relaxed her right to sleep.

While Paige changed his fixed the tea and set up a screen in front of the bed. It was something he had never done, watching T.V. in bed, but he figured the more comfortable she was the faster she would fall asleep and he could sneak away to the computer.

When Paige emerged from the bathroom she found Walter with two cups of lavender tea and her favorite cheesy movie queued up on a screen by the bed. Walter was still dressed but looking very comfortable in bed.

"What is this?" Paige asked.

"I asked Ralph what you did when you can't sleep. I thought it might help." Walter only stated facts and what he was said was true but Paige was likely to think he meant that he hoped it would help him sleep not that he hoped it would help her fall asleep. He planned to get back in bed early in the morning and pretend to be asleep whenever she woke up. It would ensure he would be awake for tomorrow; Paige wouldn't have to know he couldn't sleep because he brain remembered every second with the terrorists in perfect detail, and he could have to face those nightmares. Paige of him was still wondering if he was just disassociating and he was still a prisoner. In what reality would Paige really leave Tim for him? But even if it was all a figment of his mind, he much preferred it, he would fight to stay here.

"Well, it might not work for you. It works for me because I know this movie so well I can see it even when I close my eyes and lavender tea calms me. I've never even seen you drink it." Paige said as she curled up beside him.

"Well, you calm me especially when you are happy and relaxed. And I am curious to see the move you like so much you have it memorized." Walter said sincerely.

Walter sat up in bed and Paige leaned him against him to sip her tea as the movie began. Eventually, they both slid lower so that Walter's head was on the pillow and Paige was resting on his chest. She was incredibly relaxed and Walter found the gentle rhythm of her breathing was very soothing to him. He had to keep thinking up theorems in order to keep from falling asleep before Paige. He was exhausted and logically he knew his body needed sleep. But he wasn't strong enough to face it.

When he heard her gentle snores he knew it was safe to slide out and go to his desk. He wanted to spend the night looking at the changes to Elia's code. There had to be some signatures in the re that showed who their target was and once they knew who they were dealing with, they might find who the girl was and where she might be.

There was a note on his laptop and Walter recognized Toby's handwriting.

Why aren't you sleeping? Go back to bed.

Walter smiled and opened his laptop and found another note.

Take two and I'll see you in the morning.

Two pills in a small bag were taped to the note. As pain raged in his chest and leg, the pills were tempting. He pulled the note off the laptop screen and noticed his hands were shaking. Sleep would be good for him and it would mean there would be no reason for Paige to be angry with him if she found out he tricked her into falling asleep before him.

He put the pills on the table and turned on the computer. He had too much to do. He needed to learn everything he could about what was done to Elia's code, learn anything that could help confirm the Honjo, and learn all he could about the tech mogul they were about to see. What little anyone knew was that he was paranoid and rich. All the top security companies in the world had worked for him. It was a bit flattering that he had specifically asked for Scorpion but if he was as informed as people believed he probably knew about many of their missions for Homeland. Walter wondered if he could know about his own solo mission in the Middle East.