A/N: Sorry, another I thought I had loaded, but my sleep deprived brain screwed up on!

So, this was going to be one chapter, but decided to break it into 2 smaller chapters. So it's short, but there's one more FINAL chapter coming next!!!

Xoxo

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Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and the months now just over a year. Time had moved forward, sometimes quite painfully. With each day though, Paige had felt better, more like herself. Or at least the new version of herself.

Therapy with Dr Rizutto, despite Toby's pleading with her otherwise, was helpful. She was able to release a lot of the guilt she carried, and even brought Veronica in, where they were able to hash things out and resolve some issues to move forward. Building a new bond, a new dynamic, and doing fairly well.

Things with Walter had been, for the most part, pretty good. They had their quirks, like any relationship, but he never faltered on his promise to be there with the glue, or to make sure romantic Fresno Walter came back with them. She shared him willingly with Ralph, and that idea Walter had carried to have ice cream as a family together, was a weekly occurring event, and everything he'd hoped for.

Veronica had moved back stateside, squaring away her debts with Teddy's help and her savings, opening a yoga studio in Malibu right on the beach. She and Richard were still going strong, coming as quite the surprise to all. No one was more elated about her moving back than Ralph, having once weekly Gramma-Ralph dates so Paige and Walter could have some time alone together. She kept her word with him, no cons. Just normal Gramma-Genius grandson stuff.

Paige and Julia had done well at rebuilding their relationship, and Julia had been at her side for everything involving their grandmother, Paige's dad, and helping Teddy. It would never be what it once was, but they were actively working to make it better than that. Walter had even set up a surprise sleepover for them with Michael and Ralph's assist, when the local carnival came through town. Walter claimed he had important work to do, but when Julia slept over, Walter had woken both women up at midnight, making clown faced pancakes, setting up carnival games in Paige's living room, offering small prizes when they'd win. Both women had been fits of laughter and memories, replaying their days of youth.

Thanks to a great family law attorney hired by Teddy, in conjunction with Sylvester's legal assist, Drew had signed away all parental rights to Ralph, and was ordered by a judge to pay backdated child support, including his bribery money as new reportable income, and going back to when he left when Ralph was two. Walter and Happy had also done a little online erasing of Drew's existence. Not enough that he'd stop existing, but just enough that basic human needs would be very challenging. Like flying on a plane, or getting a bus ticket. Having a registered vehicle. Happy also set up his autopay accounts to actually be paying for the garage's wifi and electricity rather than his own, just until they'd get shut off. Then they'd fix it, let him get paid up, and do it again. Paige suspected they had done… something, but Walter had wisely told her not to ask questions she could be questioned about later. Paige, despite her attorney and Sly pleading with her otherwise, insisted there be a clause in the judgment that allowed contact via phone calls, should Ralph want it, putting her own feelings aside to do right by Ralph.

Ralph, however, being far more perceptive than Paige gave him credit for, had learned of what Betty had done on a general scale, difficult not to with it making headlines, and Scorpion's only focus when there wasn't a crisis, but when a courier delivered court documents to the condo while Paige was in the shower for her case with Drew, he had pieced it all together, and had closed the door to any relationship with Drew. Sending him a final, scathing email farewell, using harsh language he knew Paige would not approve of, he had called him out, but not for himself and what he had done to him as his son, but what he had put his mother through. How she was not only the best mother, and human, but she was an infinitely better father, too. How he may have gotten money, but they had gotten what was most important, each other. He hadn't spoken to the man since, and Drew hadn't made a single effort to reach out. Last Paige had heard, he had been fired from his position on the minors and, struggling to find work, had taken a job as a high school baseball coach, barely making ends meet. To which Veronica loved to call Karma.

Richard had followed through with his promise to assist Teddy with his company, making a substantial investment, and with Walter, Michael and Richard, along with Scorpion assisting, Teddy's company was in its first quarter out of the red, and heading toward a great comeback. The news of Betty's arrest and nefarious actions, and headlines surrounding the police investigation into Paul Dineens's murder made national news, which also brought Teddy's company name along with it, which was, in turn helping with his stock prices, and rebuilding the company. Richard referred to it to Walter as sympathy sales, but also stated that sales are sales, and no press was bad press. Again, Veronica called it karma.

Cabe and Katherine at the lead, with Scorpion's aid, had done a full, painstaking investigation into Paul Dineen's homicide, learning that it had gone far deeper than anyone had even thought. The process had been excruciating for Paige, which was when she had taken to seeing Dr Rizutto.

Four officers had been arrested for conspiracy related to their cover up of the crime, obstruction of justice, accepting bribes from Betty's foundation in exchange for their hand in it all. Including Officer Haynes, now detective, that had held Paige's hand as she identified the body, who Betty had blackmailed with information regarding an illicit affair. Walter had been correct. The investigation was classified as an automobile accident and closed. No further investigation had been done after the autopsy. Everything coming to light, and in such a public and national setting, had shined a very public spotlight on that police precinct. The police chief, after making a public apology, resigned his position. Internal affairs was heavily involved in the department, cleaning it up and uncovering any and all corruption therein.

Several members of Betty's foundation were also facing charges as it pertained to fraud, extortion, bribery, and blackmail. Betty faced new charges constantly being added by Katherine, keeping her word that Betty would never leave that prison if she had been involved with Paige's dads death. Betty had refused to cooperate with the homicide investigation, refused any plea agreements, and thus, her trial had started early last week, with multiple charges on the docket, including second degree murder, aggravated assault, conspiracy, fraud, custodial interference, bribery, extortion, larceny… As Katherine put it to Paige, they were throwing the book at her. As Veronica put it, her deal with the devil was finally up… and karma.

Paige had been one of the first witnesses called to testify. Her testimony had been hard, long, drawn out over two days, and had brought her great distress multiple times breaking down on the stand. The things said about her father, about herself, her life, by Betty's attorneys that she had to defend herself against were challenging enough. But then various members of her family took the stand as she sat in the courtroom and reiterated those same things. Though, they corrected the record to say that they were things they believed at the time based on Betty's information, and no longer believed to be truthful, or simply viewpoints Betty had expressed over the years they had never shared. Regardless, though, it still hurt her to hear. It had been hard to swallow, taking her back months in her recovery, making her feel like that same shell of herself sitting in the fields of Luchesi Hills, staring off into the nothingness, feeling worthless, lost, and alone.

Despite having spent nearly every night together for months, and having celebrated their one year anniversary a couple of months ago, Paige had pulled away from Walter, retreating into herself when the trial began, and had spent the last week and a half alone, making excuses to Walter as to why. But the truth was, she didn't feel very lovable, very worthy of his time and attention, worthy of him, of the life they were building together. She felt that same insecurity she did the day everything came to light, that he would, or should, see her for the person her family did, and that he'd leave. That with her, people got hurt. He would, too. She was distancing herself to protect herself, to protect him.

It was not lost on anyone. And everyone had tried to talk to her about it. Very unsuccessfully. Walter, despite his best efforts, was unable to get through to her on a meaningful level, and had opted to just give her the space she needed, while still making efforts to be let into her walls. She would sit with him daily in the hard wooden galley seating of the courtroom, she would hold his hand, she would discuss the trial robotically, but otherwise had her walls erected so high and so strong that nothing was bringing them down. There were no hugs, no cuddles, no kisses, no nights together. She wouldn't let him in.

She wouldn't let anyone in.

After this morning's court session, where Veronica had completed her testimony and Richard had began his, so much of her life was broadcasted live to the world, thanks to the trial being streamed live on television as it was of "national interest". Anyone with a television, or internet access heard everything about her life. Her life was no longer private, no longer her own. Everyone she had ever known, every keyboard warrior on the internet knew about her life. The kids at Ralph's school knew what his father had done. Everyone knew how unlovable she was that time and time again men would leave her for the money.

Back at the garage, everyone working longer hours than usual to be able to maintain business while also being at the trial each day, she was struggling to get her work done, distracted by the days events, the hounding of calls, the commentary from the other side of the room.

"No comment! This is a business line, stop calling here!" She yelled into the phone, slamming down the receiver in a frustrated huff.

"More reporters?" Walter asked, hesitatingly from his desk across from her.

"Yup. They were camped outside the condo last night. Took ten minutes just to get to my car this morning, they kept shoving cameras in my face."

It angered him, he wanted to protect her, but she wouldn't let him. Standing, he approached her cautiously. He felt like he was walking on eggshells with her all week.

"Why don't you and Ralph stay here tonight? Get a break from the reporters, I'll make sure they leave you alone. We can get some take out, watch a movie?" He knew what she would say before she said it, it was the same discussion every day for a week.

"That's okay, Walter. I can handle them. I'm not letting some jerk with a camera dictate how I live my life." She wouldn't make eye contact with him, deep down she knew she was hurting him. She knew it made no logical sense. And yet, she was still doing it.

"Right. Yeah. Of course. Well, if you change your mind…" He stepped away, and though his voice was barely above a whisper, she heard him as he muttered, "I miss you."

It broke her heart.

He grabbed something from his desk and walked off, and she sighed. Knowing she needed to fix things with herself so she'd stop doing collateral damage, but she couldn't make sense of why he was still trying. Why he wanted anything to do with her. With everything that had come to light, every comment about her made on social media, how ugly she was, how fake, how she must have taken after her mother and is a master manipulator, trained by the best, how someone must be paying Walter to stay, how he must not be a genius to not run the other way, the news coverage picking her apart. It didn't make sense why he would want her. Immediately after Walter had testified, the comments online had gone wild, how he deserves so much better. How she probably doesn't even appreciate him. How handsome, articulate, smart and perfect he was, which she already knew, and how she was not even close to his league.

She could hear Toby and Sly reading comments at Sylvester's desk, for the last half hour, probably not realizing how loud they were, or that in the echoing garage, their voices carried right to her.

"It's like parking a Rolls Royce outside a trailer park. She is way out of his league… Won't last. Once the thrill of this trial winds down, he'll see it for what it is… just look at him, then look at her, clearly he's being paid to stay… Her own family cast her out. Clearly she's defective." Paige looked over solemnly to Toby's words, who looked up as he finished. "Sorry." He muttered sheepishly, moving back to his own desk.

"Waitress… got a sec?" Happy called out, forcing her attention away from the comment section to the younger woman.

"Yeah, Hap… what's up?" She gave her a quick look before turning back to the invoice system she was working on.

"Look, Paige… I know this isn't really our thing… the uh, female bonding thing…" Happy looked uncomfortable, like she'd rather jump off the roof that speak.

She hung her head, she didn't want to do this either. The talking thing.

"Happy, you don't have to…"

"I know… but I just wanted to show you something. Please." Happy's eyes made it clear it was not a question as she motioned toward her own workstation.

"Oh, um, okay. Sure, I guess. Yeah." Hesitantly, she got up from her chair and followed the petite brunette across the room. "Okay, so um, what did you want to show me?"

Gruffly, Happy pulled a tattered, greasy cardboard box from the shelf and dropped it onto the desk in front of Paige with a thump.

"This."

"Oh, um…" She peeked into the box, heavily confused. "it's um… yeah, I don't know what this is, Happy. I'm sorry."

"They're motorcycle parts." Happy's face was confident and pleased with herself, as if the simple statement answered everything and the conversation could be over now.

How Paige wished that could be the case.

"Oh, um. Of course… Yeah. No. I'm not sure I'm following."

"They're rare motorcycle parts."

"Oookaaaay…"

"Look, Paige… if you took this box of what appears to be worthless garbage and put them in a yard sale, you'd maybe get $10 for the box… if you were lucky. Maybe a scrapper would take it."

She was not following the Happy logic at all. Happy was worse than Walter, and despite their longevity together, she still struggled to follow Walter logic.

"Okay… Happy, I would never sell your parts…"

"I know. Now if you went down to your local numbnuts mechanic to sell them, they'd maybe offer you a thousand bucks."

"And that's… bad?"

"Yeah. Keep up. Finally, if you took this box of worthless junk, and went to a gear head shop that specializes in rare parts, they'd know what they were looking at."

"And what is that?"

"About $200,000 in parts."

Her eyes went wide, peering back into the box.

"Oh… Wow. That's… wow." Shocking, and yet, somehow not at all surprising that Happy had a greasy box of parts worth enough to send Ralph to college. "But Happy, I'm still not understanding."

" You're the parts, nimrod. Okay? You're the parts." Realization was dawning on her, and she was overcome with emotion. "Look, in the right place, in Scorpion, here, with all of us, with Walt and the kid, we know that you're the rare parts worth the big bucks. Your so-called family, who are idiots by the way, your jailhouse granny, and all the idiots in those comments on facespace or whatever it's called, and on the news, they're the yard sale morons. They don't know you. They don't deserve you, because they don't see the value that you have. If they did, they wouldn't be selling you out at a yard sale. What Socio-Granny did, which is really messed up, was because she had no idea what value you have beyond yard sale junk. So, when you're feeling… things…, and when those jackasses are reading out stupidity on the internet, when you're thinking it's better to push people away… just remember that you are the rare motorcycle parts, straighten up and know you're where you belong. With the gear heads. With Scorpion. With Walter."

With tears wetting her eyes, swallowing the emotion brewing, she smiled at her friend.

"Thank you, Happy."

"Yeah, uh, don't mention it." And with that, the conversation was over, Happy sliding the box back into its place on the shelf, turning her back, making it clear that this show of emotional maturity was concluded. Shaking her head at the rather unique friendship they shared, Paige, too, turned on her heels. When she approached her desk, she noticed Walter in the kitchen making a cup of coffee, and made a beeline.

"Hey, would you like a cu--" Successfully, she shut him up with a fiery kiss, pinning him to the counter, her entire body pushed against him. His arms held straight out in shock, one holding a mug, as he struggled to comprehend what was happening. It was the kind of kiss that made time stand still and his thought process surrender to nothingness. Just as his hands caught up to what was happening and came down to her hips, awkwardly, as he balanced the mug, she pulled back, and he groaned in disappointment.

"I'd like to stay here… with you… tonight… if your offer still stands." He just nodded, dumbfounded by what was happening, and very aroused staring at her lips. "I, uh, I miss you, too. I'm… sorry. I know I've been… distant, and difficult, and… and well, I just… I love you, Walter O'Brien. I don't deserve the way you love me, but I'd like to be loved by you regardless of that. I'd like to spend the night with you, order take out, watch a movie, and maybe when Ralph's asleep, we can uh, make up for lost time?"

"Uh, y-ye-yeah, yes. Yes. That, uh, would be fine. Mmhmm. Yup. Great." He choked out, struggling with how close she was and controlling his physical being. "I love you, too, Paige." Placing a slow, lingering kiss to his lips, she pulled away, grabbing an apple from the table as she backed out of the kitchen.

"Hey Walt?" He rose his eyebrows in response, watching how she expertly walked backwards without hitting anything. "Thank you." She smiled, a flirty, but loving smile.

"For what?!" He called out to her, perplexed, but with a smile plastered to his face.

Shooting a smirk, and wink over her shoulder at him, she shrugged.

"For seeing the rare motorcycle parts."

Happy looked up from her station at the exchange, and smiled with a nod of approval, proud of her work.