Day 145

Walter and the group had been up to something for a while now. And they were terrible at hiding it. For a bunch of geniuses, they were excruciatingly transparent. There was an awful lot of grinning while exchanging glances and going quiet whenever I walked into the room.

It appeared that even Cabe was in on it. Knowing this put my mind somewhat at ease. I knew that the Homeland agent would never be part of anything too ridiculous. Still, I was nervous about what they were cooking up.

Whatever it was they were up to, it was obvious that Walter was the mastermind. I hadn't seen him this excited since he was working on that Russian rocket to win the Karman prize to try to save Megan.

I knew today was the day because from the moment Walter woke up, it was almost as if someone had placed a live wire right up his spine. He was practically crackling with electricity and expectation. He didn't even mention that the hazelnut creamer was the only one in the fridge.

As we took a few moments to enjoy our coffee before the rest of the team arrived at the Garage, Walter worked to convince me to let Ralph take a mental health day off from school. He promised that he would personally ensure that all of Ralph's schoolwork would be done. There was a one-day Super Fun Guy exhibit at the convention center that Sly was dying to see and he really wanted to take Ralph with him.

The story felt a little thin, but I agreed, mostly because if I didn't I worried that Walter would have a breakdown, it was that important to him. Plus Ralph had been doing well in school lately. He was turning in his schoolwork on time and wasn't hassling me to let him stay at the Garage to work on a project with Walter nearly as often as usual.

With a spring in their step, Ralph and Sly hustled off to the bus stop, eager to make it to the exhibit before the crowds were too large. It was a quiet morning at the Garage which made for a nice change of pace, but I'll admit I did start to get a little bored as the morning dragged on.

Lunchtime finally arrived and Walter offered to take me to lunch at Kovelsky's. I guess he was lulling me into a false sense of security by making such mundane lunch plans. But my Walter-is-up-to-something-radar was pinging like mad when he chose NOT to order fermented fish. Even the waitress had to take a moment to shut her mouth because it was hanging open in surprise and disbelief.

Okay, buddy, I thought. You're not going to trick me again. I kept on high alert all through lunch. When we finished the meal, I suggested we head back to the Garage, but Walter wanted to drive for a bit. Go for a drive? We all know how this story ends for Walter. But I was playing this cool, "What a fun idea!" I told him. He is definitely up to something!

We meandered around a bit until we reached the Hollywood Bowl, then drove along Mulholland to San Vicente Park. It was early afternoon and traffic was light enough that it wasn't a completely terrible way to spend a gorgeous spring day in LA.

After a brief stop to admire the view at the decommissioned radar tower, we started to head back towards Scorpion headquarters. As the streets grew more familiar and we drew closer to home, I noticed that Walter was checking his watch almost constantly. My Walter radar was on high alert at this point, but I was just so curious, I just wanted to see how this would play out.

I could tell we were getting closer to wherever we were going when I started to see beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Walter was also less responsive to my attempts at conversation as we drove. Finally, embracing the silence, I just decided to slip on my sunglasses and enjoy the ride, wherever it was taking me.

At last, we turned onto the block where Nemos' diner was… wait, used to be…? The building was still there, but it wasn't Nemos'.

Then I remembered, I had heard from one of my fellow waitresses, Gloria, a few months after I got the job at Scorpion that his run-in with Homeland had made him nervous and he had sold the diner and moved out of state. But I couldn't remember who Gloria said he sold the diner to and I hadn't been back since I picked up my last paycheck anyway.

Walter stopped the car in front of the building where Nemos' had been. I read the name of the new shop. I removed my sunglasses because I needed to read it again: Feathered Temptations Emporium. Was I hallucinating? Walter had brought me to Nemos' now a burlesque costume shop?! Walter was up to something at a whole other level than he ever had been before!

Walter parked the car directly in front of the building. I sat in shock as I took in the familiar and yet unfamiliar sight in front of me. Walter got out of the car and hurried over to the passenger side. He opened the door and offered his hand to help me exit the vehicle. "Trust me," he said softly, he could tell I was worried I would refuse.

"Always," I murmured. Still holding my hand he led me into the store.

I blinked allowing my eyes to adjust to the dimmer light inside after a bright Califonia afternoon, taking in the feathers, high-heeled boots, mirrors, and corsets.

The proprietress of the store smiled at Walter, "Hello, Mr. O'Brien."

She knew him? He had been here before?... recently?... I was having trouble wrapping my mind around this twist of events. This definitely would not have made my weird-things-geniuses-do bingo card, even if I lived to be a hundred.

"Everything is ready." she continued, smiling at Walter. Then she smiled at me. "Oh, honey, you've got a good one."

I blinked, unable to construct a coherent response.

Walter looked around calculating… something.

He led me to the left just to the end of the sales counter before the racks of skirts in varying patterns and materials began. He positioned me facing toward the interior rows of the store and the proprietress threw me a wink over her shoulder as she disappeared through the door marked "Employees" behind the sales counter. Curiouser and curiouser…

"Wait here," Walter commanded softly, pressing a comms case into my hand. I searched his eyes. He gave me no clue other than the silent plea to trust him. I sighed, of course I did. I nodded and watched him as he continued further into the store.

Every few steps he would stop and seem to recalibrate, and once he moved one aisle over. Now he was surrounded by tasseled bras. I wanted to giggle, but something about the way Walter moved through the gaudy bustiers made me stop myself. Walter appeared not to notice how strange he must have looked in the sea of tassels and feathers, ignoring the curious stares of the costume shop's customers as he moved through the store.

With one last calculation muttered under his breath, Walter finally stopped. There was a folded step stool a few feet from where he stood. Walter walked over and carried the stool to the exact spot where he had been standing only moments before. He swiftly unfolded it. Then climbed up the three steps to tower over the racks of skirts and dresses surrounding him. Walter looked over as if verifying that I hadn't moved. Satisfied that I was still there, he pulled out a matching case from his pocket which he opened.

Walter gestured to the box in my hand, "Comms in." I slipped the communication device in my ear. Walter had gone to a lot of trouble for whatever he was up to.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Cabe, Toby, Happy, Sly, and Ralph appeared from the private area behind the sales counter, huge grins on their faces as they slipped their comms into their ears.

I felt blood thunder through my ears as my heart began to beat so rapidly that I became a bit light-headed. What on earth had this wonderfully weird genius of mine done?

"Paige…" he cleared his throat and started again, "my Love…" I heard Walter's deep voice in my ear like I had almost every day of the past 4 years. But this was unlike any other time before.

Walter glanced at his watch one last time. "On Monday, September 22, 2014, at 2:47 PM I looked up from fixing Nemos' wifi and I saw you for the first time."

Walter paused as Sly began to sob. "Keep it together, man," Toby whispered even as Cabe handed Sly a handkerchief.

"I had never seen a woman as beautiful, kind, capable, and brilliant as you before that day, that moment." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ralph grinning like a fool. But my attention was quickly recaptured by the wonderful man standing several feet away from me, on a step stool, who continued talking in my ear. "Even though I wouldn't know it until much later. I looked up at that moment and I fell in love with you, Paige Dineen. What I did know at that moment was that my life would never be the same. You are the only woman I have ever loved, will ever love. Will you consent to be my bride?"

As I stood there nodding, tears streaming down my cheeks, I realized that Walter had recreated the first moment he had seen me that fateful day in Nemos' diner. Walter rushed toward me and as he reached out his hand to take mine, he asked me once again, "Will you marry me?"

"Yes," I replied as he pulled me close in his arms, "a million times, yes."

Toby and Sly high-fived as Ralph rushed over to hug both Walter and me. Several of the store's patrons were applauding and it looked like one woman was crying. Cabe moved toward us and clapped Walter on the shoulder in a hearty congratulations. Happy smiled at me as I caught her eye. "I guess it's a good thing Scorpion worked out for you after all, I'm not sure if this store is a good employment fit for you, Waitress." But for the first time, she didn't say 'waitress' derisively. I think Happy Quinn had made a joke!

As the team gathered around us, Walter pulled a small black velvet box out of his pocket, opened it, and showed me the ring inside. "May I?" he asked as he slid the ring out of the box. I nodded and he slipped an incredibly delicate diamond ring onto the ring finger of my left hand. "It's exquisite, is it an antique?" I breathed.

"It is," Walter smiled and brought my hand up to press a kiss onto the palm of my hand. "It belonged to my great-grandmother who lived with us when we were young. She gave the ring to Megan, but when she…" He paused and then gathered his thoughts, starting again. "Megan de-decided that she wanted me to give the ring to you."

I marveled at the gem as it sparkled on my finger. "It seems like there is a story to this ring."

"There is, but let's save it for another day." Walter kissed me. "I want today to be about you and me and our future, not the past."

I decided not to press him as Cabe swept me into a congratulatory hug, but I knew that at some point soon I would.

I leaned over and hugged Ralph, "I'm assuming you were an accomplice in this mission."

Toby was trying to convince Walter to participate in the manly ritual of the chest bump as Happy slugged the Doc on the upper arm. "Leave Walt alone for crying out loud. He just got engaged! Cabe and Sly stood watching the madness, lost in their own thoughts, eyes a bit misty with tears of happiness. Those two hopeless romantics.

Ralph smiled up at me proudly. "Yes. Walter was worried that he wouldn't get all the important factors of the re-creation correct."

Walter had finally extricated himself from the not-so-tender bromance Toby was trying to get him to participate in. I took his hand as he put his other arm across my shoulders. "All the, uh, factors were perfect, Walter. I loved it."

Walter gave an audible sigh of relief. "I wanted to create the exact moment of the first time I saw you for the moment of the proposal…"

"And you did, It was amazing!"

"But it wasn't the same day of the year. It wasn't September 22nd. It was a Monday, it was at 1:47 PM. It was at Nemos', you and I were in the same position. But not the correct date."

I was curious, in all the excitement, I hadn't thought about the date. "If it was that important to you, why not wait until September, why propose now, in March?"

"Because I couldn't stand waiting one day longer to ask you to marry me."

If anyone ever tells you a genius has a low EQ and doesn't know how to be romantic, send them to me. I'll set them straight.

Author's Note:

This is the first entry where the story I am telling diverges wildly from canon, so the early dates of Paige's journal entries will no longer line up with cases from Season 4. Any entry past day 73 will be solely the product of my vivid and overactive imagination. Thank you for your continued support of this story!