[A/N]: I really love Scorpion, and hate to see so few fanfictions in the category! Enjoy!

Walter flicked through the letters in his hands. Bill, bill, junk mail, and...a letter from his sister's hospital? He put down the rest of the mail and picked up his letter opener. He pulled out the paper inside and read: 'Mr. O'Brien, we are saddened to inform you of Megan O'Brien's recent passing.' Walter let out a pained gasp. She couldn't be just...gone. Not Megan, who'd helped him when he was required to interact with people during his childhood, and who'd saved him from furious teachers more times than he could count. He slowly put down the letter without reading any more of it. Then he threw his coffee mug at the wall, numbly watching it shatter to pieces, just as he was.

Paige walked into Scorpion headquarters, smiling. "Hey, guys." She set her purse down on Walter's desk and did a double take. "He's not down yet?" Happy shrugged, not looking up from the circuit board she was fiddling with. "He has his days when he's not down until noon." Then, from upstairs, they all heard the crash of something hitting the wall and shattering. They all winced, and Toby looked heartbroken. "This is not good," he muttered, starting to pace back and forth. "Why?" Paige inquired. Toby whirled to face her. "Because the last time Walter broke something, he got bad news about his sister. And the time before that, it was when his mother died! This is Walter's response to anger, frustration, sorrow. He lashes out." Paige's face reflected the sadness on Toby's. Then she started to climb the stairs. "I-I wouldn't go up there," Sylvester said nervously. "During Walter's last episode, Toby went up there. He yelled at him so loudly that we all heard him clearly from two rooms away." Paige ignored Sylvester's comments and kept going. Before she knew it, she stood in front of Walter's door. She knocked lightly. "Walter? Is everything alright?" She was expecting the reply, but it still hurt. "Go away, Paige. I'm fine." She opened the door and walked in to find Walter sitting at the desk with his head in his hands. "You're clearly not," she said quietly. Walter didn't even look up. "Paige, go away," he ground out. "No," she said, closing the door behind her. Hearing the door close and Paige approach, Walter jumped up and whirled on her, yelling. "I told you to go away1 I don't need anyone! Why don't you just leave?!" Paige flinched at his volume, but she heard the broken undertone. Reserved, superior Walter O'Brien was falling apart. "I won't go because you need someone to help you with this," she said, gesturing to the hospital letter on the floor that informed of his sister's death. Paige's words must have ignited something in Walter, because he turned, picked up a vase, and pitched it at the wall. "I don't need anyone, Paige! I've always been alone, and I always will be! Caring isn't an advantage, it only leaves you broken in the end!" His words were full of years' worth of pent-up pain and suffering. Paige stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. He was so shocked that he didn't react. "You're not alone, Walter. You've got me, and you've got Ralph and Happy and Toby and Sylvester. We all care about you, and it's frustrating when you won't let us help." Hearing that, Walter seemed to shatter. He wrapped his arms around her. "I lose everyone, Paige," he whispered brokenly. "There's no words to describe it. Getting taken away from my family. Finding my sister again, only to lose her." Paige felt a tear drip onto her shoulder. "When I thought I was going to lose Toby, that time the gangs almost got him. When I thought that gunman in Vegas was going to shoot you. And I was helpless. There was nothing I could do. And that's the worst feeling there is." He pulled back and wiped his eyes. "Sorry," he muttered, looking embarrassed. "Don't apologize. Everyone needs to break down every now and then." He gave her a small smile. Then Paige grabbed his hand and pulled him down the stairs. "They need to see you. They're worried," she whispered when he resisted. He sighed, but obliged.

The team looked shocked, taking in the fact that Paige had gotten him to come downstairs. Toby glanced at their joined hands and smiled knowingly. Walter scowled at him, and pulled away from Paige. Toby noticed the flash of disappointment that crossed her face, but he didn't say anything. Walter cleared his throat. "Okay, team. We've got work to do."

[A/N]: Hope you liked it! I'll probably be posting another Scorpion story soon. Thanks for reading, and please leave a review!