Maybe it is because of Lawsuits, but this story came out and needed to be told. It is a long one shot. Was sure if I would share it but, why not?

To the Adventure! -Tim

Paige sighed as she hung up her phone. It had been three days since the Gettleman bid and Walter wasn't responding to her calls, texts or emails. Not that she blamed him. She'd been brutal when she broke up with him. Then helping to form CP had obviously hurt Walter even more.

"Still not responding?" Happy asked as she had been standing there watching without Paige knowing it.

Paige jumped as her eyes looked up and saw her standing there.

"How long have you been there?" Paige demanded.

"You'd just picked up your phone when I stepped up." Happy told her before stepping into her office and sitting down.

"Yeah, he is ignoring me, which, I get it, I do, but. He's been ignoring Ralph too since we saw him at the Gettleman pitch." Paige sighed. "I don't want Walter cutting Ralph off. Surely he wouldn't be that petty would he?"

Happy shrugged.

"The old Walter, probably not, the Walter you brought out and changed. I just don't know." Happy sighed.

"Cabe is here." They heard Sylvester call out.

"That's different, you think Walt sent him over to tell you to quit calling?" Happy frowned as they both stood.

"Well that would fit his immaturity." Paige said and then shook her head. "Sorry, that was uncalled for. What is wrong with me?"

"You'd have to ask the doc, that is more his department." Happy grinned.

Paige smiled but shook her head before they stepped out of her office. Paige stepped to the main door and pushed it open.

"Well this is a surprise, how are you Cabe?" Paige asked.

Cabe gave her a half smile as his hand took the door before stepping inside. He whipped his sunglasses off with his right hand.

"I'm okay kid, how are you guys?" Cabe asked.

"We're trying to get by." Paige smiled.

"What's wrong?" Toby asked from the hallway behind them.

"Just cause Cabe came over here doesn't mean something is wrong Toby." Paige rolled her eyes.

"Actually, there might be." Cabe said. "Have you got a place to talk?"

Paige frowned but nodded as she pointed down the hallway towards Toby.

"So." Cabe said as he settled into the chair in their conference room. "I went by the Garage two days after we last saw you guys and it was locked up tight." Cabe told them.

"Your key won't open it?" Happy frowned.

Cabe shook his head.

"Is his car there?" Paige asked concerned.

Cabe nodded.

"I went to Florence's side and she said she hadn't seen or heard from Walter but she came around and tried but her key didn't work either. Then she noticed that the locks had been changed, they were brand new. Walter isn't answering any of his phones, text or email. Knocking doesn't get a response. I've gone over at different times and his car is there and there are never any lights on. I thought I would give him a few days but still no go. And Homeland needs him to help NASA with a project. I didn't want to make a big case out of it. So I was hoping maybe you'd come with me and see if you can get me inside the Garage." Cabe said the last as he looked at Happy.

"Not good." Happy said mostly under her breath. "Of course I'll come." Happy stood up.

"We'll all come." Paige said as she stood up.

Cabe nodded and stood with the other two guys.

—-

"Have you talked to any of the neighboring businesses? Has anyone seen him coming or going?" Toby asked as Cabe drove them over.

"Yeah, the machine shop across the way. He was kind enough to go through the footage of his security system and said after Walter went into the Garage after the Gettleman pitch he hadn't come back out. Of course he could have gone out the back but, why would he do that?" Cabe said as he turned on the street to the Garage.

"Something odd is definitely going on." Toby said as they saw the old place before them.

Everyone got out of the SUV and Happy moved quickly up to the door. Toby walked around just surveying the surroundings. Happy had her lockpicks out before she reached the door and quickly slipped them into the keyhole. A moment later she smiled.

"Open says-a-me." Happy said as she took hold of the handle but the door remained closed.

"Was something supposed to happen?" Toby asked sarcastically.

Happy shot him a look before she looked back at the door. Her fingers traced down the seam and stopped.

"I can't access the wifi either." Sylvester told them as he failed to connect with his laptop.

"He's installed some kind of lock that only unlocks from the inside." Happy said as she looked back at Cabe. "Maybe the overhead door around the back?"

Cabe nodded before they began walking around the building.

Florence saw Cabe come into view from her one window and she hurried over and opened the door.

"Cabe, have you." Florence said as she came out of her side and then immediately stopped as she saw Paige and the gang. "Oh."

"The gang agreed to come over and see if they can find a way in." Cabe told her.

"Okay." Florence said before entering her building and closing the door quickly.

They decided to ignore the interruption and moved on around the building. Happy looked all around the overhead door first and then slipped her tools into the lock and worked her magic. She turned the knob and felt the locking bar disengage.

"So far so good." Happy said but then the door wouldn't rise up. Cabe tried to help her but it was significantly too heavy or there was some other mechanism preventing it from moving.

"Smash a window?" Happy grinned.

"I'm not ready to go that far." Cabe sighed as he looked up at the roof. "Walter, son, come on."

Happy looked to see what Cabe was looking at and nodded at what she saw.

"We're in luck, that is one of the old style utility poles with hand bars. With a boost I can scale that utility pole. It is just the right distance that I can jump off of it and land on the roof safely." Happy told them.

"Insane engineer said what now?" Toby asked.

"What else are we going to do?" Happy asked him.

"And what if Walter has gone around the bend and attacks you?" Toby asked.

"Then I'll make him cry like a little kid." Happy shrugged. Happy grabbed up a handful of dirt and worked it into the palms of her hands. After she did a series of deep knee bends and leg stretches to get ready.

"Happy you got to be careful." Paige told her as She stepped over to the pole with Cabe and Toby.

"No sweat." Happy grinned even as she stepped up into Cabe's hand and then Toby's and they began lifting her up to grab the next to the bottom hand bars. As her hands got a solid grip she pulled herself up while bringing a leg up and her foot made it on top of the bottom bar and she pushed up as she began climbing.

"What are you folks doing?" A male voice rang out.

Happy froze seeing two cops come around the corner.

"Officers." Cabe spoke up. "Agent Cabe Gallo, Homeland." Cabe told them. "I've got my credentials.

"And do you have some kind of warrant or order for what you are doing here agent Gallo?" The officer asked.

Cabe gestured to his jacket and the cop nodded.

Cabe pulled out his credentials and showed them.

"No, Walter O'Brien is a government asset and he's gone silent. Changed the locks and these are friends of his. They agreed to come over and see if they could help me get in to ensure he is okay." Cabe told him.

"Well Mr. O'Brien called and said people were trying to break into his building here." The cop told him.

"Walter." Cabe sighed.

"We were just trying to get in to be sure he was safe." Cabe promised him.

"Call dispatch." The lead cop told his partner. "Come on down here Ms."

His partner nodded and stepped away a few steps and began talking on his radio. Happy sighed and climbed back down and dropped the last few feet.

"Well I can understand you being concerned but you can't take this upon yourself. Why didn't you contact dispatch and request assistance? Would have made this all a lot easier." The cop asked.

"You're right and I should have. But Walt's like my son and I wasn't thinking straight. I'm sorry." Cabe told him.

"Agent Gallo." The other cop said as he walked back over.

"Dispatch called Mr O'Brien back and he says he is fine but he does not wish to be disturb and he absolutely forbids these people to be around here. He's got forms filled out for an order of protection against all four of them." The cop told him. "He said he's just waiting for the hearing."

"What?" Paige looked shocked even as the other three muttered.

"He said he looked out and saw all of you and identified each of you as the people he is seeking an order of protection from." The cop told her again.

"Well I think that is all we need to know here today. So why don't you folks get back in your vehicle and leave Mr O'Brien alone. Make sure you get to the hearing if you are opposing it." The first cop told them.

"Walter?" Paige stared at the back window with confusion written across her face.

"Come on kid." Cabe said gently as the other three had all moved off.

"Why would he seek an order of protection against me?" Paige asked.

"I don't know, kid." Cabe said as he put his arm around her shoulders.

Two Weeks Later at the LA County Courthouse:

Centipede Partners entered the courtroom and looked about but didn't see Walter anywhere.

"Do you think he changed his mind?" Paige asked quietly.

"I never thought he would have done this in the first place." Happy answered her just as quietly.

They all sat down and waited. And finally the bailiff called the case and they all stood and walked up and sat down on the right side of the litigant's area.

The judge looked up at the officer in the back.

"Officer, go and get Mr O'Brien." The judge told him.

A moment later the door opened and Walter stepped in with the officer. He looked about skittishly but slowly made his way up as the officer walked before him. The officer opened the small gate and stood facing Centipede Partners. Walter maximized the distance from them as he entered the litigant's area and moved to the far side of the left hand table.

The judge looked at everyone.

"Very well. Mr O'Brien, I've examined your papers and evidence and I must say I am appalled by what I've read. And I grant your motion not to have to speak. Centipede Partners et al. Do you have anything you wish to say in this matter?" The judge asked.

"We're really confused about this, your honor." Sylvester said as he stood up. "We don't know anything we've done to warrant this. We were simply concerned about our friend's wellbeing when agent Gallo came to us for help."

"Your friend? By what I read here, I wouldn't even use the term acquaintance. And you claim you don't know what you've done? Is it true that on Oct. 17th 2016 that a Dr Tobias Curtis attacked Mr O'Brien? That he had to be pulled off of him by an agent Cabe Gallo?" The judge asked.

Sylvester swallowed but nodded.

"That did happen, yes your honor but there was a circumstance around it." Sylvester tried.

"You are alleging the fact that Ms Quinn and Mr O'Brien hadn't told anyone that they were a married couple. That she was having an affair with Dr Curtis while married to Mr O'Brien. That's your defense for this attack?" The judge demanded.

"Well, not really a defense, your honor." Sylvester sighed.

"And a Ms Dineen who through dereliction of the duties in her position with the company. Which resulted in Mr O'Brien being attacked twice before cultivating into a life saving rescue because Mr O'Brien accepted a case that put Mr O'Brien's life and hers in danger? One in which he had to swim through shark infested waters to ensure she was able to escape with her life?" The judge asked as he went to the next thing on his desk.

"Uh, well yes that did happen, your honor. But there were a number of contributing factors involved with that." Sylvester wavered.

"Walter." Paige said fearfully as she looked at Walter.

"Silence." The judge nearly roared as he gavelled. "You will not try to address Mr O'Brien. If you have something to say you direct it to this court." The judge demanded as he pointed his finger hard into the top of his bench. "I take abuse in any form very seriously and you will not use your power to intimidate him." The judge demanded.

"We're sorry, your honor. It is just that we all go back a ways and while it seems strange to you. We do care about Walter." Sylvester tried to explain.

"You will only address Mr O'Brien as Mr O'Brien. You will not try to use your past familiarity with Mr O'Brien as some kind of intimidation tactic to try and sway him." The judge told them harshly. "And you consider him as such a friend that most recently you yourself attacked Mr O'Brien and unprovoked as well? The four of you verbally and emotionally berated the man at that time as well. That all four of you quit your jobs that same night. That for two weeks all four of you ignored Mr O'Brien when he tried to contact you to try and discuss the problems between you?" The judge asked.

"I promise you, your honor, we were not trying to sway or intimidate Mr O'Brien. And yes your honor, I'm afraid that is true too, I did push Mr O'Brien." Sylvester swallowed. "But we were really concerned about him and that is why we went over to the Garage to see him."

The judge huffed.

"So ultimately after all that he has detailed here. Because he took another employee of his company to a lecture his now former girlfriend didn't want to go to. A woman whom you had feelings for but never discussed with him or the woman in question. You all abused your employer, or as you call him, friend, one final time and then walked out without even giving notice. You formed a company to compete against him and you went after jobs you knew he needed to save his company even after he gave." The judge looked at the paperwork.

"Dr Curtis and Ms Quinn, a large sum of money to try and have a child. And then for two weeks you ignored him and then because he didn't want to talk to agent Gallo for a few days you suddenly grew concerned? After all you have done and admitted you did? I say poppycock." The judge told him. "It is my belief that Mr O'Brien is rightly concerned for his safety around you. You used tools to pick the locks on his doors and you were in the process of trying to climb a utility pole to gain access to Mr O'Brien's building when the police arrived." The judge said angrily.

"Yes, your honor." Sylvester said weakly.

"With friends like you, who would need an enemy? Is it true that during one case Mr O'Brien and Ms Dineen admitted their feelings for each other? And that after that, because of oxygen loss Mr O'Brien didn't remember? And so Dr Curtis abused him by telling Ms Dineen it would be in Mr O'Brien's best interest that she not help Walter to remember?" The judge looked at them in disbelief.

"Uh." Sylvester looked at Toby and Paige. Toby had wide eyes but didn't speak. But Paige nodded her head in fear. "I wasn't aware of that, your honor but apparently it is true." Sylvester swallowed.

"And that this secret was kept from Mr O'Brien for months? And when Mr O'Brien finally recovered it, he felt betrayed, felt like he was made a fool of. And so even in all this pain he made provisions for Ms Dineen to have a great job. And yet you all abused him that day too? Am I reading this right?" The judge demanded.

Sylvester nodded as he recalled that blow up.

"Well I don't think I did but both Ms Quinn and Dr Curtis were upset, yes." Sylvester answered.

"And still this so-called Dr Curtis couldn't even admit that it was his recommendation that she not tell him? Do you hate Mr O'Brien that much Dr Curtis? You slept with his wife even after learning she was still his legally wedded wife and you actively made his life hell with all these various shenanigans. What kind of Dr are you?" The judge demanded.

Sylvester stood there stunned he had nothing to reply with.

"Mr O'Brien, it is clear to this court that you have been unbelievably kind and patient with a motley crew that doesn't care one bit for you. And most likely never did if they can do these things you've noted and they admit. You might be too naive for your own good. I am granting your order of protection and recommend you do some soul searching to see why you have allowed such behavior against you for so long. There are true criminals in prison who don't deserve to have people in their lives that think so little of them that they are comfortable doing this nonsense to them. The court officer will escort you safely to your car before this lot will be allowed to leave." The judge gavelled.

"Thank you, your honor. I will do my best." Walter promised weakly and nodded as he stood. Walter watched as the officer walked back up and opened the gate towards Centipede Partners and then stood with his back towards them so he was between them and Walter.

Walter tucked his head a bit and almost mouse-like he moved out of the litigant area. He moved quickly to the doors and left with the other officer from the back.

As Paige and the gang tried to leave the courtroom, reporters were snapping pictures and bombarding them with questions about why they were so angry and seeking Mr O'Brien's demise. It was growing and various officers of the building finally had to come and break it up before moving the group of friends out of the building.

CP's phone rang off the hook all afternoon as reporter after reporter were trying to get answers to the questions they had. They watched as a number of reporters stood vigil outside their office waiting for them to come out. Finally unable to put it off any longer they left and waded through the mob to get in their cars and leave.

Not that it did a lot of good, reporters are good at running down information and as soon as each one got home they found reporters there waiting too.

To try and minimize things they agreed to work from their homes the next day.

Paige kept Ralph home from school hoping that the weekend would help this to blow over and he could go back to school Monday. He had been very upset after reading the evening paper and all the things the articles had posted about what had been going on at Scorpion.

As Paige logged into her email account, she found a number of emails from Gettleman and Beauchamp. Both were backing out of their contracts, using the clause that would allow them to break it because of possible damage to their image by hiring them.

Centipede was in trouble. They had been counting on those two jobs to make a name for themselves and now, the name they had was mud.

Paige had problems sleeping that night, she tossed and turned. The vision of Walter's face as the judge had gone over Walter's account of all they had done as well as how she felt that day on the raft plagued her. She woke up as she bolted upright as Walter's voice once again rang out, proclaiming she had abandoned him, her mind.

Paige shuddered. She had to do something, she couldn't let it lie like this. She jumped out of bed and pulled on her sneakers. She had worn her sweats to bed so she didn't need to worry about changing. She paused as she looked in on Ralph sound asleep in his bed. She smiled as she blew him a kiss and then left the apartment.

Thankfully none of the reporters were there waiting on her at 3 am. She was quickly in her car and gone. No time was good for LA traffic but at 3 am it was better. She pulled up at the Garage at 3:28 am as she looked at the clock. She swallowed knowing she was now in violation of the court order. But she had to talk to Walter. She had to at least apologize face to face. In an environment where she'd be allowed the time to do so.

She didn't even think about it as she slipped her key into the lock that the locks had been changed. But by the time she had, her key had already turned and the lock retracted into the door. Paige frowned but turned the handle and the door opened.

"Walter?" Paige said softly as she stepped inside slowly.

The Garage was dark and silent. She closed and locked the door before stepping to the alarm. She entered her code and saw the system reset. Paige let out her breath in relief that things had gone this smoothly.

She walked cautiously towards the stairs and began climbing them. As she reached the top she could hear Walter's light snoring. She knew he had to have taken the sleep aids. He only ever snored when he took them or she was in bed and sleeping with him.

Knowing she would be in a world of legal trouble she advanced and made her way to the area where Walter's bed was. She paused at the wall looking in and smiling at him. He looked at peace at least.

Amidst the next snore she heard. "Paige?" He seemed to question even as her eyes went wide with fear.

"Paige, are you there?" Walter said again before his eyes opened and he looked around. His eyes went wide seeing her silhouette by the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Walter, I'm sorry, I had to see you. How did you know I was here? Please don't be mad at me and please don't call the police. I need to know you are okay." Paige said. "I need to talk to you, just you and me. With no distractions. Please?" Paige asked desperately.

"Your lavender." Walter said as he slowly nodded while he kind of pulled himself up into a sitting position bed.

Paige stepped a bit closer and Walter pulled his pajama top together and buttoned it. A bit of embarrassment on his face was covered by the shadows.

Paige inhaled slowly and pointed at the edge of the bed.

"Is it okay if I sit?" Paige asked cautiously.

Walter nodded.

"Walter, I am so sorry." Paige started as she sat down. "You know when I listened back over all those things the other day I couldn't believe just how crazy our lives were, how much I had confused you during these past four years. And the truth is, you have been a remarkable man during all of it. Even when I hid the truth because Toby told me to, with what happened on the rocket. I got so mad at you for firing me. But even then you went out of your way to ensure that I had someplace safe and secure to go to. Who does that?" Paige asked but before he could say anything she continued.

"No one. No one but Walter O'Brien that is. There aren't many who would put up with all the nonsense that happened and still humble themselves even more to apologize for something they did correctly. And then even after we came together, I still failed you and you always strived to overlook it. Even the lecture. It was wrong you took Florence and didn't tell me, but." Paige sighed.

"I'm sorry Walter. I wish I knew how to make this up to you. But I want you to know I don't blame you for getting that order of protection against me. I was horrible to you and you deserved better. I just hope you can forgive me one day." Paige smiled at him and gently touched his face before she stood. She said what she needed and now she needed to leave.

"Paige?" Walter said after she'd passed the opening in the wall.

Paige turned around and stepped back in.

"Walter?" Paige asked quietly.

"What order of protection are you talking about?" Walter asked.

Paige frowned as she stepped over to the bed and sat down.

"You know, the one you got to force me and the guys to stay away from you because of how bad we mistreated you." Paige said softly.

Walter reached out and took her hand as she caressed his face again.

"I'm not trying to argue or be disagreeable but, I never applied for an order of protection. Not from you or anyone." Walter told her.

"What day is it?" Paige frowned as she looked at him.

"It's Thursday, we just saw each other at the Gettleman pitch yesterday." Walter told her. "Are you okay? Did you hit your head?" His hand came up to gently touch her head.

"It must have been a dream then. It was so real." Paige said even as she enjoyed the touch of his fingers to her head.

"Oh, okay then. I guess I should let you get back to Ralph then and get some sleep." Walter said.

"Walter?" Paige said again. "Can I come back to you? As your partner both in life and work?"

Walter smiled.

"I'd love that." Walter nodded.