November 3rd

Woke up early. Average hours per sleep each night is seven hours and twenty-three minutes. The longest time frame last night was about three hours and two minutes. Other lengths varied between twenty-six minutes and forty-seven. Total sleep was barely over five hours and sixteen minutes. Would not consider a good night sleep. In Paige's words I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. This is an inane thought. There are no wrong sides of bed. Had a hot dog for lunch with Cabe while on stake out of Ralph's genetic provider. Paige ran hand through hair helped me fall asleep.

Walter slammed the door to the Scorpion Garage as he returned from his afternoon stake out. Cabe and Walter had tried tailing Drew, to find some incriminating evidence to evict him from the lives of Ralph and Paige. But it ended up being a waste of time, eating an overcooked hotdog and getting into a disagreement with the federal agent. It was only a slightly heightened verbal disagreement, which ended with Agent Gallo pulling to a stop outside of the garage dictating to Walter to cool his head, and get some rest.

"Did deadbeat daddy recon go well?" Toby asked from his reclined position at his desk. He had his feet resting on his desk and his laptop situated on his lap. His work boots were dripping mud. After yesterday's water fight, a cold front had decided to move in and the rainclouds thundered to life. This caused the muddy patches surrounding the garage, where the concrete seemed to crack apart and end. Walter stared at Toby's feet, flexing his fingers into a fist. "I sense from your lack of communication and your slight defensive stance that you got into it with your own deadbeat daddy."

Walter rolled his eyes, and as he passed by the desk, he shoved his friend's feet to the floor. This caused the psychologist to tip out of the chair and fall to the floor. "Sorry." Walter muttered to no one as he moved further into the recesses of the garage. He walked into Sylvester's chemical room. They had converted the area into a makeshift lab, so he could work on his cures for incurable diseases. Since the mission when he had to run through the biohazard room, Sylvester decided he required a lab of his own to work on the lacking abilities of the CDC. As Walter banged into the room, it disturbed Sylvester's concentration and he dropped a vial, and it shattered to the floor.

Walter walked up to the metal lab table, not acknowledging the disaster he caused and slammed his fist on the top. Sylvester squeaked, "Can I be of service?"

"I just don't see what she sees in him." Walter snapped. The Scorpion team was made of several dynamics that varied in many degrees of friendship and personal relationships. It was not hidden that Toby made his wanton affections for Happy. It was a secret that it was somewhat reciprocated by the tiny mechanic. She enjoyed the wanton affections. The friendship between Happy and Walter was more of a sibling mentality. Walter and Toby had a competitive friendship, and had ways of cutting each other to the bone. They knew each other buttons and pushed them often. The closest of friendships existed between Walter and Sylvester. Walter was protective of Sylvester due his overly emotional and highly anxiety self, he tended to get bullied and pushed over. Sylvester was protective of Walter's emotions. Because his EQ was elevated, he was able to suss out his emotional shortcomings.

"I think you are talking about Paige and Drew?" Sylvester asked and he was answered by Walter's dark stare. "So I take the tail did not go so well."

"No." Walter slammed his fist again on the table. Sylvester winced at the outwardly display of physicality.

"You know aggression is not the answer." Sylvester pushed the glasses of his face. He went to grab a rag to clean up the mess on the floor and find a way to safely sweep up the shattered glass. Walter gave him a darker look at the admonishment. "Have you talked to Cabe about your suspicion?"

"Yes."

"What did he say?" Sylvester queried and pulled out a broom from the stock closest. He set about sweeping up the shards of glass and then swept it into the dust pan. He poured it into the garbage. He went about wetting paper towel and placing it to pick up the mess and any microscopic pieces of glass. Walter stewed at his end of the room. The agent had stated that Walter needed to keep his jealousy intact or he would run the risk of having any claim to Ralph or Paige. Cabe had tried to guide him to understanding that just because Walter had a genius intellect he needed to tread lightly. Paige was an emotional being, and that she did not take it lightly when the genius's undermined her parenting. Walter yelled back at the Agent. This was the start of the fight, that escalated to deeper issues.

Walter responded to the question by slamming his fist to the table. "Not well I take it." Sylvester sighed sweeping up the paper towels into the trash bin. Walter muttered something about getting into a fight and that he needed more sleep. Walter left the room and edged back in main office space of the garage. Walter noticed that Happy was standing close to Toby. They were talking in her garage bay. She had her hand against his cheek, and when she noticed Walter she didn't retract her hand and sent a glare in Walter's direction. Walter let out a frustrated puff and retreated upstair. He decided maybe a shower would staunch the pain in the front of his head. Nipping the headache in the bud.

It was shortly after drying himself off, and shrugging on loose fitting track pants, and thin cable knit sweater in his favorite shade of grey. He was struggling on a pair of socks when he walked out into the apartments living room. It was the clearing of her throat that caused him to look up from his clothe footwear. Paige was sitting on the leather sectional. She patted the couch next to her, silently commanding his presence next to her on the couch.

"What are you doing here?" Walter asked leaning against the jam of his door. She noticed the defensive stance and leaned back against the couch. She kept her arms at her side, and relaxed. She had been reading the parenting books recommended by Toby. They had been incredibly insightful to handling her co-workers. "I figured you would still be out with Ralph and him."

Paige kept her eyes impassive. "I kept the meeting short. Ralph and Drew met and chatted. Ralph grew restless and asked to go home." She wanted to tell Walter about how Drew tried to engage Ralph with baseball facts, and tried to persuade him from his shell with some cards that he had been gathering to share with boy. Paige wanted to tell Walter about how Ralph looked at the cards, and then proceeded to tell his father about all the science experiments he did with Walter. How he raved about Walter. How her heart swelled at her son's love for a man that was not his father. How her heart swelled whenever she saw her son do anything with this curly haired genius. "Please come sit down." She commanded in a question.

"Why are you here, Paige?" Walter asked moving from the jam, and across the room to the couch. He did not sit next to her and she winced at his distance. She knew he was angry. She suspected as much from the text from Agent Gallo. It was short and to the point. 'Walter needs you.'

Then there was the loquacious voice mail from Toby. "Hi Paige. I know you are busy with setting up the foundation of a very bad idea between your son and his ex, but we are experiencing some issues with our resident megalomaniac. His sleep pattern was jacked up last night so he is not firing on all cylinders and taking out his aggression on his team. He literally pushed me to the floor, and I have a stage two concussion. He put three hefty dents in Sylvester's lab table which I am sure bruised his knuckles, and I am fairly certain he fought his Cabe. So you can only assume what is next. Since you are the resident intra-personal liaison of geniuses, I think we require your expertise. Thanks, and this is Toby if you were wondering. Don't roll your eyes at me, Happy. You know what that does to me." The voice mail ended before she could hear Happy's response.

Then there was the meeting on the front step of the garage. She had just put her car in park when she noticed Sylvester sitting on the step, his hands on his knees and he was nearly doubled over. Paige rushed from her compact and over to the mathematician. "Walter. Mad." Paige muttered and apology and hugged him. She held him until the his sobs ended and then went up to deal with the last genius.

"It seems like I have some HR issues to deal with." Paige said shifting closer to Walter. "It came to me that you are having a difficult day." Walter sighed and shifted deeper into the couch. Paige reached her hand into his hair. He looked just like Ralph did when he was tired and couldn't relax his mind. She started scratching his head, at first he tensed at her touch but after a few passes his body seemed to liquify into the couch. "Why didn't you sleep last night?"

Walter sighed and shifted lower. "I don't know. My mind just could not relax. I tried tea, breathing exercises and meditation. But nothing. I tried a homeopathic remedy. I just couldn't stop the thoughts."

He shifted once more, and Paige scooted farther down the couch, "Can I try something?" Walter nodded, and she guiding him to a vertical position and his head happened to land on her lap. She continued to stroke his hair. "Why don't you tell me about your thoughts." Walter let out a sigh.

"I don't know." Walter sighed. "I think with Drew coming back into Ralph's life, it caused me to think of my childhood. My parents didn't do much for me. My sister was the only one to really try to understand me. It was a rough way to grow up. Not having a support system. Then Cabe came along, and well he was in and out of my life." Paige fingers continued their pathway across the front of his head to the back of his skull. At points she would braid knots in the longer strands. He felt the muscles in his head relax. He continued on with his random thoughts.

It was four minutes later and Walter was sacked out on her lap. Thirteen minutes later Happy made her way silently up the stairs and found Paige with her head against the cushion. Walter was in a deep sleep. Happy made a hand gesture asking if she needed anything. Paige mouthed, "Magazine." Happy smirked and returned shortly with the most recent issue of Vogue. In the time between getting the magazine, she grabbed his her phone and snuck quietly back up the start to snap a scandalizing picture of the pair resting on the couch. Happy hid the phone and skipped up the stair granting the magazine to Paige and rushing back to the garage to share the photo with the team.

November 7th

I woke up to the noise of Toby screaming at the top of his lungs. He was playing some gambling game with Ralph before he went to school. Paige was wearing a yellow top. My favorite color. It brightened her complexion. I have been trying to find her ticklish spots. I found it.

They were standing in the kitchen for the mid-day meal. The team had been put on a strict regimen of meals by Paige. Well, as close as she could force the team of adults. Sylvester took to the idea and gave her a list of food that had different effects on his body. Toby shrugged his shoulder giving her tips on what food equated to psychology. Happy told her to drop dead when she exchanged a bag of chips with a plate of vegetables and hummus. Walter ate whatever she set before him, and also tried to assist when she was cooking in the kitchen. It was during one of these cooking sessions when he happened upon her ticklish spot.

He came into the kitchen after finishing modding a new game that Ralph and he were playing. He was in search of something sweet, but he was stopped short of the sight of Paige standing in-front of the window. Her top was yellow with grey polka dots. It was also flowy and seemed to dance about her body when she moved about the room.

"Hi Paige." Walter said, this was the first time seeing her since the start of the day. He had been locked in the office upstairs and missed the first meal. It was an easy day. She jumped back from the sink. He noticed the broccoli that she was washing.

"Oh, Walter, you startled me." Paige laughed and set the vegetables in the colander to dry. "I didn't think you were going to come out of the office." He laughed and moved to the counter opposite the sink. "I am just starting lunch. I thought stir fry and some steamed broccoli on the side."

"With your white cheddar cream sauce?" Walter asked salivating at the possibility. Her smile was all he needed. Walter began to roll up the sleeves to his elbow. "Can I help with anything?" Paige smiled graciously and set up a cutting board and some green peppers. He started to slowly dice them, and was halfway through his first pepper when Paige moved to his side. Paige went about dicing up her onion. Walter stilled but went about continuing his slicing. He was trying to slice at the right angle.

"Oh, Walter. This is going to take all week. It is dicing not surgery." Paige laughed and took over the next green pepper. He was chuckled and reached around her back to take the next onion. As he grabbed the onion, his arm grazed the small of her back. He caught the slight tremor.

"You okay?" Walter ask, and slowly moved his hand back to his side, but trailing his fingers through the same pathway. Paige jumped again at the touch and she dropped her knife. After nearly a week of claiming she wasn't ticklish.

Paige stepped away trying to get away from his hand. Walter took a step further effectively blocking her from getting out of the kitchen. "Walter, no." But it was nothing could stop the genius. He went in for the attack and brought the genius liaison to near tears. Paige tried to combat with tickling him return, but there was no deterring Walter. It was the peals of laughter that brought the resident worrier into the room. He found Paige pinned to the wall with Walter standing over her running his fingers about the small of her back. Paige had her hands on his shoulder trying to remain upright.

Sylvester backed out of the room not wanting to interrupt the pair, but before he left he snapped a picture with his cellphone and promptly texted to the rest of the team.

A second later Toby replied. 'Called it. Pay up, Happy.'

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Fin for this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Just short and sweet little journal entries.

Than you every one that reviewed, followed and favorite the story.

Ema