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_Scorpion_

He didn't actually have a destination in mind. So he found himself at Zumba beach. Of course, he didn't stay long; he knew he needed to go back to the garage.

He wanted to be there when Ralph woke up because he wasn't sure the next time he would see the small genius. So when he comes back into the garage, he doesn't even glance in the direction of the ex-liaison. He assumes she was asleep anyway.

He quietly moves a seat next to her son and watches him sleep. His mouth was open slightly as he lies on his side. Walter notices Ralph had kicked the blanket off of him and was now getting cold. Slowly he covers the small boy again and begins running his fingered through his hair the way he remembers his mother doing.

Walter sighs when he's able to make out Ralph's black eye and kisses his forehead before going to take a quick shower.

It isn't until after he's changed and the room is silent that he hears the sniffling.

He quickly makes his way to Ralph but he was fine, still fast asleep.

Slowly, he turns towards the two couches, where the liaison occupied one and hesitantly heads in her direction. He could see her body shaking under her blankets. He stalls before quietly cleaning this throat.

"Paige?" Her body freezes for a moment and he wonders if she's pretending sleep.

Slowly he walks towards the couch.

"Are you uh...okay?"

Slowly, she sits up, her face blocked by her hair as she looks at the floor below her. Her hands clutch the couch she was sitting on.

He hesitantly walks towards her, sitting on the couch across from her with the table dividing them. He sighs.

"Look, Paige." He leans forward, "What I said before-"

"I get that your mad at me Walter." She cuts him off, her voice quietly exuding strength she doesn't possess.

"I'm not-"

"And you know what? These last two months have been heck for me." Walter straitens up. She refuses to look at her. "So stop making me feel bad because I know I made the right decision to protect my son and-"

"Protect him from what exactly?" Walter hisses, beginning to loose his patience.

She glares at him.

"You know from what." She hisses.

Walter stands and stuffs his hands in his pockets.

"Actually I don't." The man moves closer to her, sitting on the table directly in from of her, though his body leaned backwards. It was his subconscious way of distancing himself from the woman. "I've replayed the scenario in my head and logically, it makes no sense."

"Well let me remind you that the last case I was here for, my son nearly died."

"But he didn't." Walter insists. " And now you took that boy 3,000 miles away from his home and you're both miserable." He stands and begins walking towards the kitchen and Paige stares after him, her jaw dropped in shock.

"F-for your information," She stutters, shakily standing up and making her way towards him. Even in the dim lights he could see her eyes were red. She was crying before he came. "We aren't miserable, Ralph loves Portland-"

"Yeah," Walter chuckles cruelly as he takes out two mugs from the cabinet. "That's why he snuck over here."

She ignores him.

"Ralph loves having Drew around all the time. In fact, Drew is missing an away game to take Ralph on a boat ride for his birthday on Friday."

Walter freezes his process of making hot chocolate.

"Ralph's birthday is Friday?" He asks glaring down at the two hot chocolate packets in his hands. The room was silent, except for Ralph's almost inaudible breathing from the bedroom.

"Yeah, but you wouldn't know that, would you?" She crosses her arms.

Slowly Walter looks up at her.

"What happened to you?" Walter asks. "Drew ruined you."

"Excuse me?" She walks up the other side of the kitchen peninsula.

"You were an incredible mother." Walter just shakes his head in confusion. "Of course I know Ralph's birthday and it was last week. The twenty first, he was born at 10:23 am on a Wednesday and weighed seven pounds, seven ounces." Walter looks down and continues making the hot chocolate, as the liaison remains speechless. " It was last week, one of those times when you worked the night shift and he didn't see you."

Paige's hand slowly covers her mouth as she notices the date on his watch.

"That's why he ran away?" Paige's voice cracks.

"No. That was the final straw." Walter hands her a mug. "He hates it there. He hates Drew and as for you-"

He was going to tell her that Ralph didn't even want to looks at her, but she looks up at him and he notices her eyes already beginning to tear again. Taking another path would be the wise decision.

"As for me what?" Her voice quivers as she presses him.

"He hates it, Paige. Now that boy is sleeping in my bedroom with a black eye that matches mine."

"That wasn't what you were going to say."

Walter hesitates and holds her gaze. It was so weird having her here, staying here.

Being able to physically look at her rather than blocking out his memory of her. Walter sighs.

"He knows the decision you made was illogical."

She puts her mug down on the table.

"Please stop saying that." She finally says, " It wasn't illogical. I made a decision to protect my son-"

"From what Paige? And at what cost?"

"Scorpions jobs are dangerous and-"

"He has an exceptionally high IQ. He would understand if you tell him not to risk his life. So logically speaking that isn't why you left."

He crosses his arms as he also puts down him mug.

"Drew is a child and judging by the way you look, he doesn't help you or make you happy. You don't love the moron so he isn't why you left."

"It's safer in Portland than it is here." Paige states.

"Run the numbers on that." Walter scoffs, once again taking his mug as he heads towards the couch. He doesn't sit and Paige follows after him, also standing.

"The way crime rates work is that it is given a number- a percent- up to one hundred. Portland's is at 12%, meaning it's safer than 12 % of places in the United

States."

"Of course, you would start stating facts." She mumbles but he ignores her, his voice raising slightly but not enough the wake up the sleeping little boy genius.

"Meanwhile, California is 28% safer than other places in the United States. So logically, that isn't why you left."

Paige slowly walks towards her couch and sits, taking her first sip of hot chocolate as she looks up, attempting to stop tearing. She was trying to look strong.

"You're just filled with facts." Is all she says and Walter sits on the coffee table across from her, he remains silent. This wasn't new information.

"Look, Walter. That last case, with the saran gas. I-I'm still having nightmares about it."

"Ralf is fine."

"Don't you think I know that know that?" She snaps at him, before continuing with a sigh. "I was scared. I realized that I not only almost lost Ralph that day, I almost lost you too." She breathes deeply, attempting to control her emotions the way Walter has always managed to control his.

"Every case we were going on, your life was seconds from death. Bombs, poison, gas and it got me realizing how important you are to me, along with Ralph. I couldn't bear to loose you. I got scared so I left." Walter straitens up, his eyes furrowed in confusion.

"You were afraid of loosing me, so you left me?" He questions, "Is that meant to make sense?"

"I don't expect you to understand." She covers her face, "It's emotional."

He watches her for a minute, trying to solve the equation she put in his head.

"Goodnight Walter." She sighs and covers herself with her blanket before she lies down.

"No!" He finds himself jumping and she sits up in surprise.

"What?"

"I don't- I want, I need to understand." He begs her. " The decision was illogical"

"Yes, it was emotional." She agrees.

"So why are you taking my boy 3,000 miles away!" He hisses.

She quickly jumps up.

"He isn't yours Walter. He's mine, and what I decide for my son is what's best for him."

"This has nothing to do with him! This has to do with me and you- apparently- and I can't understand why!" His voice is raising and he has to remind himself to lower it. "And Ralph is my boy for as long as he wants to be."

"I don't remembered you at the hospital when he was born-"

"And yet I remember his birthday better that you." He hisses.

She slams her feet down and the floor and stands up, the lack of space between them makes her breath hitch but she continues.

"I made a mistake," She hisses, "it won't happen again."

"Come home Paige," He finds himself saying, "Paige, just come home."

"I can't control what happens to you, Walter. I have to let you be the superhero, but I don't have to subject Ralph to that."

"Come home Paige." He repeats, his eyes getting wide and he is also beginning to tear. Tears once again begin to stream down her face.

"Why?" She asks through her tears. "So I could hear everyday how you don't believe in love, while I'm slowly falling in love with you."

"What?"

"You heard me Walter. I can't do that anymore, I can't worry about your life constantly and you know what Ralph wants to be when he grows up?"

He shakes his head.

"You, Walter. Ralph wants to be you." She's crying now. " I can't loose you both. So I traded, this way I get to keep one. I get to keep my Ralph."

"You know I care about you!" Walter defends, " I told you that! The night Ralph won the science fair. Please, Paige just look at yourself! Your weak, exhausted and you're not eating-"

"And you look better?" She counters, "Your cloths don't even fit!"

"Stay Paige." He tries again, one tear beginning to fall.

"I have no reason too-"

"You have every reason too!" He finally yells and Paige quickly takes a step towards him, quickly covering his mouth with her hand. He pulls it off his face, not noticing how he continues holding it. "Ralph is miserable, you're miserable-"

"No I am not!" She defends, "I'm happy."

"Please Paige," He scoffs before his face seems to darken. "I hate seeing you like this."

"Well than its good you won't have too." She tells him, " My flight is tomorrow. 3 P.M sharp."

She tries to pull away from him but he pulls her back and to both of their surprises, he's hugging her.

This causes her to breakdown completely.

Her body wrecks with sobs. She clutches him tightly, his arms wrapped loosely around her waist. A frown is plastered on his face.

"I don't want to loose you both." She eventually says as she begins calming down, ignoring the tear stains on his shirt.

She looks up at him and him, down at her.

"I can't."

No one knew who initiated it, but their lips were on each other's.

He missed her; he knew he did. Kissing her made his stomach knot up, like being on a roller coaster. Kissing her made his heart pound and his toes curls.

Meanwhile she could feel butterflies going loose in her stomach as her figures combed through his hair, bringing her impossibly closer as Walters hands tighten around her waist.

This was different, unlike their past relationships. This kiss was... Electric.

Walter is the first to pull away and leans his forehead against hers.

"This is your home Paige," He begs her breathlessly. "Stay here."

She closes her eyes as more tears make their way down her check.

"I can't. I can't loose you both." She whispers her eyes still closed.

He frowns and wipes away her tears.

"If you hadn't noticed, by leaving scorpion, you already have." He quickly walks away, checking on Ralph before quickly making his way towards the exit of the loft.

"By leaving Scorpion, You lost us both." His voice cracks as he closes the door and exits the garage. He is extra cautious when he closes to the door. The last think he needs right now would be for the nosey shrink to wake up on the couch.

And for the fist time in his life, Walters's body wrecks with silent tears as he leans outside the front door of the garage.

Illogically, he punches the hard brick wall before recoiling his shocked hand.

Slowly, he moves his throbbing hand towards his still tingling lips. He notices- his figures are salty with a mix of his dark blood and Paige's bitter tears.

_Scorpion_

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