6 months later:
Walter smiled as he rapped gently against the door to their bedroom and turned the knob at the same time. He smiled as Paige came into view, still curled up in bed. He heard her sigh.
"Just a little longer, please?" Paige begged.
Walter stepped around the bed and sat down on the bed next to her.
"Love, if you want to stay up here that is up to you. As long as you are doing what Dr Rubbia wants you to do I'm happy as long as you are happy." Walter told her sweetly.
Paige pulled the blanket down exposing her face.
"How'd I get so lucky? After helping to screw things up so badly between us?" Paige asked for probably the one hundredth time since they became a couple again.
"I'm just a prince of a guy." Walter teased. "That and you have a soft spot for animals and hurting people."
Paige smiled.
"Well I'm at least going to get up. I can't put it off any longer." Paige told him seriously.
Walter nodded knowing she needed the bathroom.
"I'll see you later, remember, no stairs." Walter told her as he moved out of the room as she got up and moved into the bathroom.
Cabe frowned as Walter came down the stairs alone.
"Where's our girl?" Cabe asked before walking with Walter to his office.
"She just got up." Walter chuckled. "I'd imagine she'll just stay upstairs. We probably won't see her again until after she decides on what to wear and what make up to put on for the party." Walter's grin changed to one of chagrin.
Cabe chuckled.
"Are you sure you are finally up to seeing the guys socially?" Cabe asked.
"As ready as I can be." Walter said as he opened the door to his office.
"So what time tomorrow are you guys off?" Cabe asked as he sat down in the chair beside Walter's desk.
"Our flight leaves at 4 pm provided it is on time. Scorpion Inc is going to be closed for the next three weeks anyway. You sure you and Allie don't want to go? Spring is a beautiful time to visit Ireland. I'm sure the flight has a couple of extra seats open. I'd be happy to get them for you." Walter told him.
Cabe rubbed his chin as he thought about it.
"Well I would have liked to have gone but Allie wants to go visit her sister and then we're taking a relaxing trip to the family winery in New York. She's been interested in meeting the Italian half of my family. I figured we should do that before we get married." Cabe told him.
Walter nodded.
"That's a good point. I didn't realize you hadn't introduced them yet." Walter told him.
"Well they weren't too happy when I went to work for Homeland. It was too much like being a cop to them." Cabe laughed. "And Uncle Enzo isn't doing too well from the last email I got and I want to be sure we clear the air."
Walter nodded.
"Well if you guys need anything, call." Walter told him seriously.
"You look awfully anxious, Fungus." Happy said to Toby as they drove towards the Garage.
"Well it is the first time I'm going to see Walter in a social situation in a year. Not counting after the paternity hearing. We both avoided each other then." Toby sighed.
"Hey, you could have made an effort that day at the celebration for being Ralph's Dad. I can't help it if the two of you wouldn't talk. And it isn't our fault Walter hasn't wanted to be around us socially. Well maybe in a way it is. But you know what I mean, we've let him know we'd be interested in getting together and settling things." Happy said as she slowly pulled up out front of the Garage. "Man, this place looks so much better. I still can't get over the changes."
"I get the feeling if this wasn't a company wide party we still wouldn't be seeing him socially. And we haven't even seen Paige in three months. What is that about?" Toby asked as they unbuckled their belts.
"Well she said she hasn't been feeling very good the last three months and her doctor put her on a bunch of restrictions. I would have thought after all this time she'd have recovered from the stress. Do you think there was more damage to her body than we've been told?" Happy asked as she suddenly began feeling afraid.
"Well, stress is often called a silent killer, so it is possible." Toby nodded as they both got out of her truck.
Sylvester quickly came out of the Garage.
"Guys, you aren't going to believe what the Garage looks like now. I can't even go down the north side of the building now." Sylvester shuddered.
Happy looked at Toby puzzled.
"I think that is where all the health stuff is. His fear of body sweat would terrify him about going around it." Toby told her as he held out his hand.
Sylvester nodded vigorously even as Happy took Toby's hand.
"I thought you came with Carol?" Happy asked as they moved towards the front door.
"I did. She parked in the parking lot in the back." Sylvester told her as he opened the door for them.
"What is this?" Toby lifted the bottom of the lei around Sylvester's neck.
"Part of the party." Sylvester complained.
"I take it everyone is already on the roof?" Toby asked.
Sylvester nodded as they moved down the west side hallway.
"Paige hasn't come up yet though. I saw you guys turn on the street and headed down to greet you." Sylvester told them as he turned into the hall where Paige's desk used to sit.
"Uh, Sly?" Toby said, pointing up the stairs to the Loft.
"Oh, no, the Loft is now walled off from the roof and downstairs. Without a passcode you can't get into it. We have to go to the stairs Walter had put in back." Sylvester pointed.
Toby sighed as they continued following.
"Sure looks a lot different. I guess better in a sense. But I miss the old Garage." Happy sighed as they saw the changes to the kitchen and dining area.
"Maybe we should have just come over before now. I guess I can't blame Walter for not wanting to see us. We weren't very good friends to him, even with all he did and has continued to do for us. Thanks to folding CP into a subsidiary of Scorpion Inc we're finally going to get to adopt." Toby sighed.
"What? You guys didn't say you were finally approved." Sylvester complained as he stopped at the stairs to the roof.
"We just found out a couple of hours ago. Now we can start the process of trying to find a child." Toby told him as Happy nodded.
As Sylvester opened the door they could hear the music and laughing of the people above them. Carol saw Sylvester and moved over quickly and as Toby and Happy came through she put a lei around their necks.
"About time you guys got up here." Carol smiled.
She led them around introducing them to the various employees and their partners.
Walter was off to the side talking to Richard and Cabe even as Cabe grilled. Toby's eyes had locked onto Walter and he barely took them off of him as they were introduced to the other people in attendance.
Suddenly Walter turned and ran towards the door and Toby looked to see it opening and Paige stepped out. She was wearing a bikini top and a grass skirt over a sarong skirt. Toby's mouth dropped open even as he nudged Happy.
Happy frowned and heard Toby and Sylvester gasp. She looked where Toby was staring and saw Paige, quite pregnant.
"Why didn't you message me that you were ready to come up." Walter asked as he finally reached her. "You know what Dr Rubbia said about stairs."
Paige just smiled as she moved into his arms and kissed him.
"Paige!" Happy finally found her voice even as she began moving over. "I can't believe you didn't say anything. I thought we were better friends than that." Happy complained.
Paige smiled as she hugged Happy.
"I'm sorry, because of my health at the time I got pregnant and everything Dr Rubbia classified me as high risk and I've been on a lot of restrictions. I hadn't told many people. I should have told you but, part of me didn't want to and then have something happen to the baby. And part of me was worried about you, and because of Toby's inability to get you pregnant." Paige tried to apologize.
"Bother all of that. I get why Walter didn't want to talk to us, but you. It hurts that you didn't want to share your news with me. I could have been a friend, could have been here to help you with anything. Made sure Walter was treating you right." Happy said the last with a bit of a smile.
Paige laughed.
"Well if you would be up for it, I would love for you to be my backup birth coach." Paige smiled at Happy.
"Hell yeah!" Happy told her.
Walter escorted Paige over to the table and waited on her to get situated in her chair before he sat down beside her.
"Is this chair taken?" Toby asked while standing next to Walter.
"Cabe generally sits there." Walter told him.
"Well since he isn't here right now." Toby smirked and pulled it out to sit down. "So how are you doing?"
Happy sat down on Paige's other side.
"The company is doing well." Walter told him.
"Clearly." Toby responded by gesturing around the roof. "But I was referring to you, personally. You know, how your health is, mental, physical. It was that kind of, how are you doing?"
"I've been up to my eyeballs with work and family." Walter told him.
"I can well imagine after all I've seen. By the way, congrats on being Ralph's biological Father. You've always been his real Father." Toby told him as he pulled a cigar out of his pocket and held it out to Walter.
"What's with all of this Toby?" Walter asked.
"Walt, you've been a very good friend to us for as long as we've known you. And we repaid a lot of that kindness horribly. Even after you made things so much easier on us with CP. I'm just trying to say I'm sorry for what I've done and what I enabled to be done against you. I hope you will be able to forgive me and we can find a way past this and begin to resume our friendship one day." Toby told him seriously.
Walter stared at Toby for almost a full minute. And then held out his hand.
"I hope so too." Walter told him before Toby shook his hand.
"So, when did you get pregnant?" Happy asked, clearly excited.
Paige smiled as she reached over and touched her hand.
"Well it had to happen following our first after break up date." Paige told her. "It was the same day Carol took over my position at CP. It was the only time we didn't use some kind of protection." Paige laughed. "And it was almost a month after that that Dr Evans told us we could resume our intimate life. She wasn't happy we had already done it that first time."
"What was she going to do? Make you take it back? How would that even work? Do it backwards?" Happy laughed with Paige. "So if that happened after the first date, that must mean the date went well." Happy grinned.
Paige nodded as she looked at Walter talking with Toby.
"It was amazing. He had a last minute call from Richard so we had to go there but thankfully that was taken care of quickly. And we had enough time so Walter took me to those cliffs by the ocean and we danced for about an hour before going to the 71Above." Paige grinned.
"Damn, I've wanted to try that place but to get on that list, it almost takes an act of Congress." Happy sighed.
"Or someone like Richard Elia." Paige nodded.
"That would do it. Not many want to alienate him in the business world." Happy nodded. "Hey, thanks for sending some of those Homeland cases to us to help us out."
Paige smiled and pointed to Walter.
"He's the one that sent them, so thank Walter." Paige told her honestly.
"What's that my Love?" Walter turned from Toby hearing her say his name.
Paige laughed while shaking her head.
"Happy was thanking me for sending those Homeland cases to them to help them out. I pointed at you and told her to thank you." Paige smiled at him.
"Oh." Walter said as he thought. "You're welcome." Walter told her.
"Walt, can we be serious for a minute?" Happy asked.
"I was serious." Walter told her.
"Damn it Walt. I want to say I'm sorry." Happy said angrily.
"Then just say it Happy. I don't know why you do, you already apologized." Walter told her as people looked over and then turned away.
"I'm really sorry Walter." Happy said as she looked down. "I tried and failed to be a good friend back to you. And I really appreciate all you have done for us since we were stupid and left you. I just needed to say it again."
"You're welcome." Walter told her.
"I'd like you to consider bringing us back inside of Scorpion. No more CP." Happy told him to Toby's shock.
Walter pushed his water glass away a bit as he looked at it.
"I don't know Happy." Walter said after a long pause. "I've been more at peace here, with you guys in CP than I have been in a long time. But, I will consider it." Walter finally told her.
Paige smiled at him and squeezed his hand.
"Who's hungry?" Cabe asked from the grill.
Everyone let out a cheer as they began getting in line.
Allie took a plate to Walter and Paige first and then held out a plate and Cabe filled it with the requested entree before she passed it to the first person in line. It wasn't long before everyone was seated and eating. Conversations were lively and quite often hilarious. It wasn't long before people were calling for Dr Rubbia to demonstrate her balancing talent. She blushed but finally stood and took the dowel rod given to her and flexed it a few times. She tilted her head back and placed it in the small cleft of her chin. Allie handed her a plate next and Dr Rubbia slipped it up on top of the rod and held it for a moment. Dropping her hand the plate sat on the rod and someone grabbed a grape and tossed it. Everyone watched as the grape struck the plate and it started to teeter but she brought it back under control to a round of applause.
Walter stood as she removed the plate and rod and sat back down.
"Well, as some of us know today was a black day for me and Scorpion. On this day a year ago, right or wrong, Scorpion broke apart. And while it was very painful for me, it was also the start of a very transformative period. During this year I've learned more about myself and who I am, what I am capable of and with the help of new dear friends I transformed Scorpion 2.0 into Scorpion Inc. I was able to make things a little better for my former friends. I found out I was not just a Father in action but a Father in biology." Walter smiled at Ralph.
"With a lot of help the love of my life and I were able to work through a lot of problems. Admittedly most of them were of my own doing, but we are here today, together, happy and expecting. I don't know what the future holds but predictive models look very promising. With one exception. While Scorpion Inc and its subsidiary are shut down over the next three weeks I do have a task for each one of you." Walter told the puzzled gang.
"There is a menace from Scorpion's past still on the loose. When we return we need to locate and ensure that menace is forever rendered inert." Walter told them seriously. Your task is to love those closest to you, to the best of your ability. Don't let another minute go by that they don't know what they truly mean to you." Walter told them before lifting his glass of cider. "To love."
"To love." Everyone said as they raised their own glasses.
Greetings! I hope this finds you all well! And with this chapter, this little story has drawn to a close. Always a bitter sweet day when I post the last chapter of a story. Sad to see it end, excited to move on to posting the next story and writing whatever comes next. For those interested, on my profile page is a link to the floor plan of what the Garage floor looks like in this story now on my Twitter account. I forgot to write 90'x90' on it. The story has hinted a little of a future story but, so far my story "Donor" has been over talking everything else. Next up in posting will be continuing Callan for the year 2002, that's only 3 chapters for it. After that, I really hope to have the last chapter or 2 of Lady Aine finished for my "Knight's Tale" storyline, that will be 4 or 5 chapters and then I'll be posting "Donor". It should definitely be done by then.
Railman - hehe Hope the shower helped!
Lucy - lol Isn't it always that way?
Margaret - Thank you!
Supergirl - hehe Thank you! Glad you approved! Hope this chapter brought even more internal screaming! hehe
Marie Mac - Thank you! I will continue to do my best to write stories you guys will enjoy. Glad you are enjoying this version of Walter. Wonder no more! hehe Though I just realized I forgot to mark where the elevator is. It is in the corner across from the bottom of the stairs to the roof.
LouBe - Paige said the pampering has been wonderful! lol Almost worth what she went through to get it. lol She's extremely happy her nerd is still there and yes, she did repair the shirt, kind of. She only reattached the bottom 2 buttons...and it is her shirt now and only worn for special occasions...like when she wants her nerd to come out. lol Hope you like the floor plan.
To the Adventure! -Tim