A/N: This is NOT going to be super long, but a few chapters. And I promise (at least as of right now), I don't intend on harming Paige at all. I reserve the right to change my mind should the creative goblins in my head veer in that direction. This is set post finale, and breaking of my very soul, along with Scorpion and Waige. Will-It-Wont-It fix it. We shall see what the Goblins decide.

Enjoy!

Xoxo

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The business summit had her feeling a wash of relief, a break in dealing with all that had transpired over the last couple of months. As much as she didn't want to sit in a stuffy, and always too cold, hotel ballroom, and listen to mindless droning on by boring speakers for three days, she was excited to just have a break from everything.

Starting Centipede Partners had thus far been extremely challenging, stressful, and financially draining. Plus, there was the guilt. From all of them. Putting them all on edge. Truth was, she didn't think they'd survive. They weren't operating as a team anymore, and it was reflective in their work. She hoped that this summit would offer some ideas she hadn't thought of, some creative solutions to not lose absolutely everything she had.

She had already lost too much.

Yes, this trip would also serve as a nice break from her daily reminders of losing the man she loved so desperately. Whom she left in a heated argument, and regretted daily. How she wanted to put her tail between her legs and crawl home to him, beg for forgiveness, to take her back, but she couldn't. Her pride was too strong, feelings too raw, too much damage had been done. Especially when she started a rival company. She knew that. She saw that pain in his eyes at the Gettleman pitch. It had shredded her to pieces. The guilt hadn't hit her until that very day, and now it was consuming her.

Even Ralph was making her cry out for a time out. He was angry. So angry all the time. At her. For leaving Scorpion. For leaving Walter. For breaking up his family. For not letting him finish the satellite project to contact Cassie. Scornful, and so hostile. Long gone was the angered Ralph that was ready to fight Walter for hurting her the year before. Nope, this was angered Ralph who fought her every day for hurting Walter. Even Ralph could see this one was on her. Walter had lied, and they all knew that, knew it was wrong, even Ralph, but her response to it had been over the top, and downright cruel. And while the others wouldn't say it, Ralph had no qualms about doing so.

So, now, here she sat, 8:00am on a Wednesday, too soon to even check into the conference hotel, in the too cold ballroom, with her terrible coffee, her bag of free pens and badge reels and plenty of business cards, ready to spend the day listening to boring lectures about business by a bunch of computers nerds to get a temporary break from… well, from her business… and her computer nerds. She was so tired. Hadn't been sleeping well in months, and to try and save some money, hadn't stayed at the hotel the night before, resulting in having to hit the road at 5:00am to get here. She would need an entire vat of coffee to stay alert through this day, she was sure, already struggling to keep her eyes open.

The hour-long lecture was exactly how she expected it to be, dry, boring, but mildly informative. At its conclusion, and while awaiting the next speaker, everyone else, from all of the different ballroom presentations - there were six going at all times with thousands of attendees - tended to opt for networking, she, however, made a beeline line for the small breakfast buffet of pastries, muffins and that much needed coffee sludge. Filling her cup to the brim, and just reveling for a moment in the heat the cup provided, she leaned back against the wall by the table, desperate for warmth, and a pillow.

Why did they keep these rooms so cold?

Bringing the cup up to her lips, she nearly dropped it.

Was that…?

No…

Trying to glimpse what she thought she had seen once more, she sighed. No, when she peered around the crowd, she saw a man, with dark curly hair and olive skin, but not the man she thought she had seen.

She didn't know if that was a relief or a disappointment, which was the most troubling.

"Mind is playing tricks on you." She muttered to herself, shaking her head as if to free the images forcefully from their confines in her overtired brain, as she took a large swig of her coffee.

But she had been so sure she had seen him.

Or maybe she had just hoped to see him.

They had planned to go to this conference together, after all. But he had protested it, calling it unnecessary, frivolous, and a waste of time - among many other very Walter complaints. He planned to attend simply to humor her, she knew that. Truth was, when everything fell apart, she had forgotten all about the conference, until she received an email last week with a reminder, and sign up for her lecture selections. It would have been easy to cancel it, but it had already been paid for, granted by the Scorpion corporate credit card, which she planned to reimburse Walter for, and it would have been a wasted opportunity given her failing company. She did consider, for the briefest of moments, forwarding the email to Walter, giving him the option to go instead, but selfishly, she needed the break, and wasn't prepared for contact with him, no matter how much she craved it.

Shaking away the thoughts of her former lover, boss, friend, love, she grabbed a muffin and headed back for the next lecture.

It was definitely going to be a long day.