A/N: DaToad mentioned the writers failing to show Walter's openness to doing things, and I fully agree. I feel as though they really failed Walter and Paige in general. Walter has shown repeatedly his thoughtfulness. Hacking the sprinklers at the cemetery for Cabe's daughter, putting his ego aside to try and foster a positive relationship with Ralph and Drew, conceding to miracles for both Megan and Paige, offering to return to Ireland for Happy, everything he had done for Paige over the years, his trinket box of memories, every time he accepts Sly's anxieties and goes with it, going to Ralph's Halloween dance, and making him a costume, etc. But then they get together, and the writers turned him into this guy who has never considered someone else ever. I found it very wrong, but also just so shameful to all of the character development he had, as well as Paige's. He outwardly comes across as being unable to relate to humans, but his actions showed he very much pays attention, and will do anything for those in his cyclone, even if it costs him everything. Sorry, I get so angry with how awful they treated my favorite character! So, in my stories, he flourishes in being thoughtful, methodical, meticulous and loving openly.

Okay, that's my rant for today! I'm glad you're loving the date! This story is literally seeping into my soul, like, I wake up with an idea and have to open my notes app to write it down. Lol. I think it's becoming an obsession.

The location they're going to next is real, but I've never been and is solely based off of the limited info I can find online, and therefore I am taking some creative licenses with how it may be. Sorry if you've been and I'm totally off in advance!

Xoxo

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"Are you really not going to tell me where we're going?" She pried, again. Walter's lips were sealed up tight, and as stubborn as she knew she was, she knew he was far more. They had enjoyed a quick lunch at the sub shop, where Walter had learned that when Paige said pickles as a topping on her grinder, she meant an unhealthy and overpowering amount of pickles. It was a pickle sandwich with a sprinkling of deli meat, so of course, he took a mental note of that to file away, and had made sure to educate her on the health benefits of eating pickles, such as one whole dill pickle containing about 20% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin K, which would aid in blood clotting and bone health, and had teased her stating that with the amount of pickles on her sandwich, she had easily met the full daily recommendation. To which she had thrown a pickle at him. Again he hadn't let her pay, to which she attempted to argue, but had failed. And she had accosted him for hints of their next adventure to no avail.

Together they had made a quick check in call to Ralph, Paige laughing her way through explaining how Walter got himself a new love interest at the zoo in the form of Nibbles. She was careful to shelter him from any of the negativity of her family, telling him that she and Walter had made the best of it, and had a fun night and everyone had asked about him. Ralph had been keen on reminding her he did not say hi. They both carefully dodged Ralph's question about how their rooms were, giving each other a knowing smile, and Paige thoughtfully responded with how the beds didn't feel as large as she had expected, but were very comfortable, to which Walter had blushed and stopped chewing for a moment. Walter assured him he was taking pictures, including of his mom being eaten by a giraffe, and that he would continue to do so as promised, and the two had briefly conversed about his AI software and how Tyler, and Tyler's dad, had been thoroughly impressed. The call was only a few minutes, but as was the case with both of her genius boys, it was efficient. The day she got small talk would surely be the end of the world.

But, then her curiosity had piqued and she had started incessantly asking where they were going, much to the amusement and annoyance of Walter. So, now she sat once again in the passenger seat, turned in her seat to face him, begging for information.

"Nope." Efficiency.

"Ugh. Alright, fine. Then tell me something… anything." She didn't even really care where they were headed, she just enjoyed the smirk on his lips, and those humorous eyes he'd throw her way as she pleaded with him like a petulant child.

"You're beautiful." No eyes thrown, just fixated on the road ahead, but that smirk never left. Spoken as simple facts.

She had not expected that. She must have misunderstood. Misheard him.

"What?" A toothy smile was plastered on her face, while shocked by his statement, she was not put off by it at all.

"You said to tell you something, anything. Which implies a remark about quite literally, anything, so I told you that you are beautiful. Which you are. And I'm not sure if you know that, so I told you… as it is something, which is reflective of anything."

Walter O'Brien… the nerdiest Shakespeare.

To her, his words carried the world. To him he was just stating facts. Calling her beautiful was no different than him stating that hydrogen has an atomic mass of 1.0080u. Which only made his words carry that much more weight, because to him it was such a basic fact, rather than a pleasantry or flattery.

Facts. Just basic facts.

How she would love to see herself through his eyes. What beauty she imagined she'd behold.

"Well, thank you, Walter. For sharing something." She had no doubt her cheeks were as red as a hydrant, she could feel the warmth of it, and he just shrugged like it was nothing. Facts. "But, uh, I meant something about where we're going." Now his cheeks gained a rosy hue to match hers as he realized.

"Oh." He peeked over at her, an embarrassed turn of his lips present forcing a smile, before turning back to the road. "Do you really want to know where we're going? Would that make you feel more at ease? Contented?"

Her grin reached her eyes as she took his hand in hers, interlacing their fingers, and laid her head back against the headrest.

"Nah, I kinda like this side of Walter. Just full of fun surprises."

And comments.

And kisses.

Oh she really liked this Walter.

Resting her head back, a comfortable silence falling between them, she couldn't help that feeling of dread that hit her chest once more mixing with the pure joy she also felt, like Nibbles herself was sat upon her chest. Was she being foolish to allow herself to believe this could work? To give in to this magical, beautiful, forbidden love? To go into something knowing there was no chance of it surviving? Was she just setting herself up for her world to fall apart? Inflating her heart so it would hurt that much harder when it did?

She loved Walter. She knew that with every fiber of her being. Real, true love. You jump, I jump kind of love. To which they had actually jumped, a few times. And unless she was really terrible at reading him, and his invisi-Paige confession were a lie, she knew he loved her. Loved her enough to believe in love. It was genuine and strong and the kind of love that she had only ever experienced in movies and fairytales, but she knew it.

But could even the strongest love survive when the world was trying to tear it apart? Could it survive the scrutiny? Survive ultimatums? Could it survive an end to Scorpion? Could a profoundly genius mind survive losing his life's work of valued intellect and finding a home, to be with someone who was neither genius nor able to offer him that world?

When it all did fall apart, would she lose the love of her life, her career she adored, and her best friend?

Would two days of this forbidden romance be worth the years of pain it would undoubtedly bring?

Perhaps she should just tell him. Tell him she had heard it all. Tell him how she understood. Beg him to find a way for them to come out of this together. Tell him how sorry she was.

I can't risk Scorpion not working. He had spoken those words to her once. They weren't together because of those words. Those words had rattled around her head for nearly two years, a constant grim reminder of not being worth the risk. But, now, could they be worth it? Could she be worth it? Could she find a way to make him see that they could have a wonderful life together and still have Scorpion? Happy and Toby had worked out after all, they were getting married in a few short weeks. Why couldn't they also be a success story?

They could be. She knew they could be. If he would just… see that. He took risks all the time. What was it he said to Nana? That is not as risky when knowing the odds? Is that why? Because he couldn't calculate the odds? Couldn't fully grasp a concrete number of risk versus reward?

All this anguish and conflicting emotions was making her tired.

"Paige? Are you okay? You seem… bothered." His voice, so drawn, so weary. Just seeing her in somnolence had him concerned for her. How could that not be real love?

Plastering her best smile back to her face and locking eyes with his beautiful dark ones, she sighed.

"Yeah, just a little tired I guess. Not used to knocking back a couple bottles of wine and then getting up before the sun I suppose." She lied. A dirty, dirty liar. She could just tell him. Be honest. Direct.

Walter, I'm in love with you. I know about the threat. We can find a way to be together and keep Scorpion. Please give us a chance.

But, no. If three years with Walter has taught her nothing else, it's that she and Walter suck at communicating when it counts. Clearly that much has yet to change. Why? She couldn't say. Fear perhaps. Fear of being rejected again. Fear of hearing the words directly to her face and not just overheard to her grandmother that Scorpion was too important to risk for her. Fear of him saying there was no way to save them both.

Fear.

Or cowardice.

Her attention was grabbed when he pulled over to the side of the road, prepping to turn the car around.

"I'm sorry Paige, I didn't think this through. We can go back to the Inn, you could take a nap. Be rested. We can do this another time."

"What? No! Walter, no. I'm okay. I'm having so much fun." He looked uncertain, guilt ridden eyes looking her over. "Really Walter. Please, I don't want to go back yet. I want to continue this adventure with you… for as long as possible. I'm, uh, not ready for this to be over yet." Subtle. Very subtle. He gave her a brief, odd look, and she wondered if he suspected she knew again, but quickly dismissed that notion.

"You're sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything." Her eyes never left his, her hand squeezing his, both telling him that her heart was committed to this adventure, however long it would last.

It was going to hurt like hell when it ended, but she would regret not giving into it for the rest of her life if she didn't. Inwardly she laughed at herself, for ever really believing she had a choice. Her heart had belonged to that man the moment she had met him.

"As you wish, my dear. But, uh, how about another coffee?" He chuckled, carefully pulling back out onto the road, never releasing her hand.

"Now you're talking!"

After a quick pit stop at Starbucks, a safe choice Walter had quipped since no matter where it was, the coffee was always the same, they had made route for their next destination.

"What on earth…" Paige muttered as they pulled up, a vast grin on Walter's face. He was clearly excited for this part of the day.

"Technically, it would be what in earth…"

She looked up to his amused, yet serious face.

"Well, what in earth is an underground garden? This isn't like potato farming is it a some weird nod to Ireland is it? The wolves were cool, but…"

He chuckled at her perplexity, throwing the car into park.

"Uh, no. No potatoes. At least not that I am aware of. This is an entire 10 acre homestead built completely under the ground, by hand. Truly fascinating. We'll be doing a guided tour of some of the networks of rooms, passageways, gardens…"

"You would never even know there was anything here!" She exclaimed, getting out of the car and taking in the dry, seemingly infertile land in the expanse around them. Stark contrast to the vineyard.

"My understanding from their website is that the man who created it purchased the land in hopes of farming it, but the soil here was a total wasteland. So, he dug it down, to where the soil was usable, creating this whole world beneath the surface, with fruit trees, plants, shrubs, living quarters. The man passed long before his efforts were recognized. Scientifically quite fascinating."

"That's incredible, Walt. Something of such beauty and wonder hidden just beneath the surface. What most people would instantly give up on because of what it appeared to be… but with the right effort, the right mindset, turned into a masterpiece to outlast a lifetime. It's so… beautiful, you know?" It didn't take much for him to recognize that she was talking about far more than the grounds before them. Her eyes were telling him to see beyond her words, and he so desperately wanted to tell her how he would put in the effort, with the right mindset for them to be a timeless masterpiece.

"Truly… remarkable. If there's one thing I've learned from you it's how to recognize and appreciate beauty when it appears before me. I think you're right… about having the right mindset and effort to create something… lasting." He made no attempt to hide his own meaning, and by the look in her eye, and the shy smile tugging at the corner of her lip, she knew his intended message.

"Well, how about we go see what the right effort and mindset really can build out of a barren wasteland." She held her hand out to him, no disguising her need to hold his, a smirk playing on her face. With a lick to his lips, he nodded, took her hand and they walked the distance to the entrance for their guided tour.

A few minutes into their guided tour, they stepped down with two other couples into a culvert to gather to start the tour, surrounded by hand built stone walls and arches, lush greenery surrounding them, with a canopy of green leaves above them creating a ceiling between them and the harsh California sun. Large stone box planters were everywhere with different types of vegetation, trees, fruits, and vines. The air was cooler, easily ten to twenty degrees inside the culvert, and Paige found herself shivering at the rapid decline, to which Walter was quick and wordless to wrap his arm around her, rubbing her arm and sternly to transfer his heat to her. The sun shone down from above, casting twinkling lights and stark shadows. The cavern was still brightly lit despite the canopy of tree line, and was absolutely breathtaking to behold. The series of steps they took to enter, each one hand carved, with elegant railings made from tree limbs. It was like walking down into a fairytale world, like Wonderland, but in the Enchanted Forest.

"Walter, I've never seen anything like this…" She was absolutely, without a doubt captivated with their surroundings. But him, he was captivated once again by watching her appreciate the beauty of it all. He couldn't deny his own amazement with what little they had seen already, the science, architecture, horticulture, was truly astonishing, and had he been on this tour alone, would be the most riveting in his sight, but he would see it for its structure, engineering, and would completely miss the simple beauty of it all. Having her here, forced his perspective to shift, to see the world through Paige colored glasses. And through her eyes, it truly was a beautiful place.

"Neither have I…"

"Well good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to Forestiere Underground Gardens! We're so happy to have you with us for a tour today. My name is Amy and I will be your guide today."

They listened intently about the history of the structures, and the Sicilian immigrant who had dreamed of creating a citrus farm and a Mediterranean style resort on the land in the early 1900s, but due to the harsh and sweltering central valley summer heat, the land he had purchased was unusable. How for forty years, he, using only hand tools like pick axes and shovels, he excavated ten acres of land, as deep as twenty five feet, turning the wasteland into networks of rooms, tunnels and courtyards, growing fruit, grape vines, and vast arrays of plant life. The stone work they were admiring was all hand crafted using the local hardpan sedimentary rock he had excavated, and how nothing he created was ever done from plans, but rather just in his mind's eye, creating as he went, but inspired by the catacombs he admired from his youth in Sicily.

"I can't imagine doing all of this by hand." Paige commented as she ran her hand over the intricate archway.

"I can't even keep a cactus alive. But there is vegetation here twenty five feet underground, in what was considered uninhabitable land, well over seventy years after the completion, and still thriving."

"Wow. Do I hear Walter O'Brien being genuinely impressed by someone else's work? And there is no technology involved!" She teased, smirking over her shoulder at him, delighting in the look on his face as he took in the thriving orange tree.

"I grew up on a farm, Paige. This… it's impressive. My parents would love to see this." She smiled, it wasn't often Walter spoke of his parents in general, but speaking fondly of them was even more rare.

"Here, stay there. I'll get a photo and you can send it to them." He was quick to hand her his phone, weary that if she took another opportunity to slide her hand into his pocket he would not be able to hide his physiological reaction.

She noticed, and bit her lip.

She took a couple very awkward photos of Walter and giggled to herself at how inelegant he was when taking photos, like a sixth grade boy with thumbs up and cheesy smile. It warmed her heart. She surmised that Louise O'Brien likely had a whole slew of awkward Walter photos, but wondered at what age Walter simply stopped posing for any for her, and how happy she would be to see this one… or, if things found a way of working out, maybe the whole album he was creating. The guide assisted in taking several other photos of them together, as well as the other couples, before leading them down a passage and on with the tour.

They spent the next hour touring the grounds, through long passageways, to small carved out bedrooms, complete with beds built into the walls and dressed with patchwork quilts, to fruit trees that Paige had never even heard of, and each new space feeling more complex and magical than the one before it. Tunnels up to the ground with trees growing inside of them to reach the sunlight, and underground ponds, now drained of water, but with ceramic fish scattered within, to working kitchens, built in dining tables, fireplaces, and even bathrooms. It was truly a sight to behold, and both Paige and Walter were at full attention soaking in the unique experience.

The guided tour ending, Walter claimed Paige's hand as they made their way toward the entrance.

"Can you imagine having lived here?" She had asked, still in complete awe of what they had seen.

"There is no electricity, and therefore no wifi, so… no." She laughed, trying to actually picture him with no access to modern technology.

"Yeah, now that would be a sight to see. You with no computers."

"Not a sight I want to see. You'd thrive, though. Like the plants. The simplistic beauty of it all."

"Oh, I would love it. Peaceful, quiet, curl up with a good book and cup of tea by the fire. No Cabe calls, no world threats, just me and my plants and whatever fictional character I had fallen in love with that week."

"I can picture you that way. It's very… serene." The thought crossed his mind, wondering if that was what she wanted for her life. Just simple, no life threatening dangers on a weekly basis. Just, to have quiet, leisurely afternoons on the sofa, rather than stealthy missions jumping from airplanes into communist countries. "Would you… prefer… that? That, uh, lifestyle, I mean? Um, a lifestyle different than the world threats and Cabe calls that is. Would that make you happier?" He was so nervous to ask, but, he would do anything. He didn't need the constant life or death. He enjoyed his work, and was greatly fulfilled by it, but he could do anything. Work a 9-5 coding for far more money, and provide her and Ralph with that life if that's what she wanted.

She didn't know how to take that question. Was this is way of preparing for her having to leave Scorpion, coming to the same conclusion she had. That they wouldn't be able to work together if this wasn't able to work out. Or was it just a question?

"Oh, um… I don't know. I love what we do. Love the adventure, love being a part of the greater good, saving people. It's so rewarding. But, as you know, can also be insane and taxing. Someday I miss being able to take chicken out in the morning for dinner and know I'll be home after work to cook it, and now suddenly in Ukraine for a three day trip to stop the world from ending. But, even though I have to order pizza because the chicken is no longer good when I get home, I love sitting at the table and knowing that we did save the world. It makes it worth it. The day will come eventually to slow down, but I'm not ready for that yet. There's still so much work to be done, adventures to be had. I'm not prepared to say goodbye to all of that. Plus, when we do have calm days between the chaos, I feel we tend to appreciate them more. Like today."

"That makes sense. You're right. Many adventures still in store for us."

How she wished she could read minds. Not that she was brave enough to just simply ask.

No, couldn't do that. But she could veil it carefully beneath another conversation. They seemed to be quite skilled at that tactic.

"You know, walking through this place, hearing the history of Forestiere, I kept thinking how even when everything must have felt so bleak and hopeless, where the world itself was literally saying it was not possible, his hopes, his dreams were fruitless, he found a way to defy all of that, and fight back against what was telling him it couldn't be. He quite literally tore up the earth itself to say it is possible, it can be done and I will find a way. And he did… I just find that to be really… inspiring, you know?" Not for the first time that day, he questioned just what she was insinuating, questioning if it were somehow possible she knew of her grandmother's threat, but there was no way. She had been showering, and Leonard had seen her outside. It just wasn't possible.

Was it?

"Yeah. I uh, I think I can understand that mentality. Fighting for what you know is there, what you know you want, but having hurdles to overcome first. But, ultimately it worked our for Forestiere…"

Again, she couldn't help but wonder if she had missed something, if there was some ace up his sleeve. But that weren't possible. She had run through it a million times in her head, there was no way of beating this.

Or was there?

"Yeah. I guess it did work out in the end, didn't it?" As they reached ground level, feeling the heat set upon them in the mid afternoon sun, Paige lowered her sunglasses to her eyes, taking a last look behind them at the most beautiful place she had ever been to. "Thank you, Walter. This was incredible. I will be remembering this when I'm 90 years old in a nursing home. This place, this day, all of it. Thank you." Her heart felt swollen with love and gratitude and it reflected in her features.

"I'm very glad you trusted me to take you on this adventure. I greatly enjoyed the experience." Their eyes locked, through their sunglasses, and a weighted silence fell upon them, Paige's fingers dancing gently on Walter's forearm, his caressing her knuckles of the hand he held.

She wanted to kiss him. To kiss him and never stop.

Closer.

Closer.

Gulp.

Licking of lips.

Hearts pounding.

Closer.

"Oh. I'm so sorry!"

Barely a centimeter away from their lips touching, one of the other couples came up the steps, bumping into Paige's back, knocking them both off balance, and killing the moment.

"I'm fine. Sorry, we were uh, blocking the way." Paige sighed out, a wave of disappointment and embarrassment washing over her, followed by a giggle as she bit her lip and looked up at Walter in amusement. They were never going to get that kiss at this rate. "You, uh, wanna get out of here?" Her tone held suggestion, and it made him squirm nervously.

"Yes. Let's um, do… it-THAT. Let's do… that. Yes. Mmhmm. Yup."

"We should probably get back to the Inn, maybe if we get ready for the rehearsal dinner quickly we could take a walk through the vineyard?" She did not want to do more walking. Between searching for murals, walking the zoo, and then walking the underground city, her legs wanted to detach themselves and beat her senseless for even suggesting such a thing, but she also knew that she needed to kiss that man, and she wasn't going to do so in their room, that would be too dangerous in terms of not being able to stop herself, but still would want some semblance of privacy. So, her legs could hate her… tomorrow. After she had kissed Walter O'Brien, man of her dreams.

"That sounds like the best way to conclude the best day." She was rather enjoying how Walter so easily recalled her own words and told them back to her. It was oddly romantic.

It had truly been the best day.