A/N: Merry (belated) Christmas everyone!!! I'll be sharing a few recent one shots throughout the week as my gift to you! (Dont worry, more Secrets to come, just stuck on the current chapter and working it out in my head!)

Hope you all who celebrate had a joyous and blessed holiday with your loved ones!

Xoxo

The Scorpion garage was uncharacteristically festive, but all too characteristic for Christmas at Scorpion since Paige first entered their lives. String lights draped across the rafters, a large artificial Christmas tree stood tall in the corner full of ornaments, and a holiday playlist curated by Sylvester hummed through the speakers. It was mostly Paige's doing, of course, Christmas was her favorite time of year. But the rest of the gang had contributed, possibly by force or threat. Walter had no objections though, mostly because seeing Paige smile the way she did when Christmas was going smoothly, made the disruption of routine worthwhile.

Every single day this week, she arranged for some Christmas activity. Light stroll. A Polar Express train ride. Caroling at the local senior living. A local play about a man named Scrooge. Turning the garage into Santa's workshop. If she wanted it, they did it. He did so begrudgingly, but he did it. For her.

Tonight's activity? Gingerbread houses.

"Okay!" Paige called out excitedly, clapping her hands. "We've got gingerbread, icing, candy, and more candy. Now… no blueprints, no schematics, just holiday creativity. Let's keep it fun this year!"

Walter raised a skeptical eyebrow as he examined the ingredients in front of him.

"No schematics? How do you expect to ensure structural integrity without a proper design?"

"Because it's Christmas, Walter." Paige replied with a grin, nudging him playfully. "It's about fun, not precision. When it falls apart, that's part of the magic!"

Walter eyed her disapprovingly, but wisely chose not to remark.

Sylvester, Toby, and Happy had long since ducked out of the activity, leaving Paige and Walter at the center table. Paige dove into her work, humming softly as she piped white icing onto her walls, carefully constructing a charming, classic gingerbread house with gumdrop shingles and a peppermint path. Her artistic flair shone through as she added tiny candy wreaths and twinkling lights made of colorful sprinkles.

Walter, however, had other ideas.

He donned safety goggles and rolled out a tray of small power tools, complete with a miniature hand drill and a soldering iron. Paige's jaw dropped.

"Walter! What on earth are you doing?" She asked, a mix of exasperation and amusement.

"Optimizing." He said matter-of-factly, picking up his drill. "Traditional icing applications are inefficient for long-term stability. I'm going to use this drill to create anchor points for the candy roof. Also, I'm conducting a caramelization process to reinforce the walls."

Paige tried to suppress her laughter as she watched him melt sugar in a beaker over a small Bunsen burner.

"Walter, it's a gingerbread house, not a science experiment."

"Why can't it be both?" Walter retorted. His hands were steady as he began fusing the gingerbread pieces together with his caramel mixture. "This method will prevent collapse under weight stress. Unlike traditional icing, caramel--"

"--hardens faster, creates a stronger bond, and looks completely over-the-top." Paige finished, unable to hold back her smile.

Walter looked up, a hint of a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Exactly. Look, I promised I would partake in this--" he gestured uneasily to the mess extending over the table, before redonning his forced grin at her pensive stare. "--tradition of Christmas joy and bonding. But, I can only take it so far."

"Fair enough. Have at it, genius boy."

As Paige added delicate gumdrops to her roof, she glanced at Walter's project. What had started as a simple gingerbread house was now an elaborate gingerbread skyscraper complete with gummy-bear scaffolding, licorice support beams, and a candy cane elevator shaft. He even wired LED lights through the structure, making it glow like a Christmas tree.

"Is that… a working wind turbine made out of peppermint sticks?" Paige asked, incredulous.

"Yes." Walter said, completely serious. "What else would power the lighting system and provide ventilation for the gummy-bear residents? Plus! Eco friendly."

Paige burst out laughing, leaning on the table for support.

"Walter, you're ridiculous. Brilliant, but ridiculous."

He looked at her, his expression softening.

"You're not upset I'm not following the 'traditional' approach?"

Paige shook her head, smiling warmly.

"No, Walter. I think it's perfect. It's you. And honestly…" She gestured to her own quaint gingerbread house. "Yours makes mine look boring."

Walter glanced at her creation, tilting his head thoughtfully.

"Yours isn't boring. It's classic. It's... beautiful. Like you."

Paige blinked, her heart skipping a beat.

"You really think that?"

"Yes." Walter said simply, a statement of fact.

Paige felt her cheeks flush as she smiled at him, her voice soft.

"Thank you, Walter."

For a moment, the world felt still, the only sound the faint crooning of Bing Crosby in the background. Then Walter broke the silence.

"Do you think it's too late to add a candy cane monorail to mine?"

Paige burst out laughing again.

"Let's save that for next year, genius."

They spent the rest of the evening side by side, their gingerbread creations as different and complementary as they were. And as Walter placed the final gumdrop on his architectural masterpiece, he couldn't help but think that, for once, the chaos of Christmas wasn't so bad. Especially with Paige by his side.

Maybe by next christmas, his and Paige's gingerbread houses could be connected by that monorail.