Five Times Walter Almost Told Paige He Loves Her (And One Time He Did) #4

WriterFreak001

Summary: Part 4. Ray returns to the garage on short notice, disappointed to find Walter and Paige STILL not together. He decides it's time for an intervention. A "5 Things" Fic collaboration by WeBuiltThePyramids, WriterFreak001 and FoxPhile. Cover art designed by WriterFreak001.

Author's Note: This fic is part of a collaboration between WeBuiltThePyramids, WriterFreak001 and FoxPhile, inspired by discussions on the Scorpion FanFiction thread on FanForum. Each Author has written two stories that, together, make up the collection. The stories are best read in order. You can find information on the next story in the series at the end of this chapter. Links to all the stories can be found on my profile page.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Scorpion (CBS). (Though, I wish I did).

Chapter 4 – cRAYzy Intervention

"Some say the world will end in fire. Some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate to say that, for destruction, ice is also great and would suffice." – Robert Frost, Fire and Ice

He knew he should have called before pulling up to the garage, but… that really wasn't his style. He was more for the surprises, and causing the surprises, and boy, he could not wait to see the looks on everyone's faces once they find out that Ray Spiewack – Scorppeon's most enthusiastic teammate - has rayturned.

As soon as he climbed out of his yellow gremlin, with one bag of donuts from Kovelsky's crimped within his left hand, he kicked the door closed. Then, he raced up to the front door of the garage and yanked it open as fast as he could, exclaiming: "All right Scorpion peeps! As promised, like an uninvited cold sore pestering your lips, the Ray-Man is back and on track and ready to rumble! Let's all hug it out now!" He closed his eyes and lifted his hands to the ceiling, expecting the team (mostly Sylvester, Penelope and Wally) to flock him with an embrace, but nothing happened. "All right, that's okay," he kept his eyes closed, "Not everyone up at once."

The still overwhelmingly silent response forced him to frown as he opened his eyes and noticed he was the only one in the room. He sighed heavily and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "Aw man! I spent the whole drive practicing that!"

After placing his lunch on the conference table, he shoved his greasy hands into his pockets and strolled over to Walter's desk, hoping to find a photo of Piper and…and…and… that Ringo kid displayed proudly on his desktop, but, to Ray's dismay, Walter's desk area still seemed… ordinary.

Maybe he would have more luck with the objects on Priscilla's desk.

Eagerly, he pushed away from Wally's desk and skipped over to Paige's. Other than a photo of… of… of… – Gosh! Why could he never remember the kid's name?! – of Riley(?) on both her desk and her computer, there was absolutely nothing telling him that she and Wally were a thing.

It had been five months since he ventured on his own. Five months, and it still didn't seem like Wally and Polly were touching tamales.

He was greatly displeased.

The door suddenly opened, and Ray decided he could still surprise his friends. Without thinking, he bolted for the closest hiding place – behind Toby's desk – and squeezed into the chair space underneath. He could do this. He could totally do this. Covering his mouth with his right hand, he slowed his breathing and focused on the voices filling the room.

"For once, I am totally glad we had an easy case today," Sylvester was the first to speak, "It was a nice change of pace."

"I totally agree," Toby replied, followed by a clapping sound. "Which means…," the shrink exclaimed, "time to celebrate!"

"It's too early to celebrate," came Cabe's voice. "Let's wait to make sure we don't have any more cases today, doc."

A heavy sigh followed immediately. "Always so quick to ruin my fun, aren't you, old man?"

"Call me that again, and you'll be dancing to the bullets of my gun," Cabe growled, causing Ray to chuckle softly. He immediately brought his other hand to his mouth to muffle the sound.

"Did you hear that?"

Ray beamed. Wally!

"Probably just the possum," Happy replied casually.

"No… I am sure it was not the possum. Sounded like it came from," Walter paused briefly. "Whose Kovelsky's bag is that?"

Ray mentally smacked himself but didn't dare give up his cover.

"It's probably mine," Cabe was the next to speak. "I bought donuts this morning. I could have sworn I threw the bag away, but I could be wrong."

"Having memory problems, Cabe?" Toby chuckled as Ray heard the cocking of a gun.

"What was that?!"

Ray heard Cabe cocking his gun.

"N-Nothing!"

The door opened again. "Uh, guys?"

Peggy! Finally!

"What is it, Paige?" came Walter's immediate reply.

At least they were on speaking terms…

Before Paige could answer, Ray heard Toby's voice grow louder. The chair was rolled away from him, and a pair of legs met his eyes as the owner sank into his computer chair. Toby's eyes were closed as he slumped his head, and Ray thought it would be the perfect opportunity for a grand entrance.

As best as he could, he stretched his neck until he was somewhat planted between Toby's knees and the moment Toby saw him, he grinned widely and gave a gentle wave.

Toby shrieked loudly and jumped backwards, hitting his head on a bookshelf. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

Ray climbed out from underneath the desk chair space and stretched his back, unaware of everyone staring at him. Then he turned around and exclaimed, "TA DA!"

"Everyone," Paige giggled softly and gestured towards him, "Ray's back."

It had been a few hours since Ray had returned to the garage, and he was already noticing the big, fat elephant in the room. He did notice some tension between Happy and Toby, but based on his observations, he was pretty sure they were going to be all right. It might take some time, but their relationship – whatever it was – was on the mend.

If only he could say the same thing about his OTP.

They'd barely spoken two words since his arrival, but whenever Pam wasn't looking, Walter would glance in her direction as though he had wanted to sprint over to her desk and tell her he loved her (which, by the way, WHY ARE THEY STILL DECOUPLED?!). Their relationship was obviously more of a train wreck than he thought.

Just what the heck happened during the last five months?

He seriously needed to get to the bottom of this, and fast.

But first thing's first… he needed some grub.

…

After finishing his lunch, he pranced over to his best friend's should-be wife and leaned against the side of her desk. "Hey, Patty, mind helping me unpack the gremlin?"

"Oh, not at all," the liaison smiled warmly and pushed away from her computer. "I'd be happy to help."

"Great! Fantastic!" Ray beamed and followed her out of the garage and into the alley. He leapt to the driver's side of the car and popped the locks open with his master key. "And while we're out here, do you mind answering a question?"

"Not at all," she nodded, unaware of what she was setting herself up for.

"Okay, awesome! So…," he ran his index finger over the hood of his car and swiped off a streak of dirt before mindlessly rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. "Can you explain to me why you and Wally aren't together yet? I thought I gave you explicit instructions on how to approach the whole 'I want to be with you' thing."

"Oh," Paige's smile fell, and she frowned deeply. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Of course there is, Paige," Ray leaned against the side of his car as her eyes snapped to his. He chuckled quietly. "I've known your name this whole time, and now you know that me using your actual name means me turning off my funny bone and being serious for once. So… as a friend… as Walter's best friend, talk to me."

"How do I know what I say won't find its way to Walter?"

"It won't," Ray swore. "Trust me. You can trust me."

Paige inhaled a slow, deep breath and sighed. "Let's take a drive."

"Of course," he smiled, willing to comply. Without another word, he hopped into the driver's seat of his car, and she climbed into the front passenger seat after knocking a few forgotten fries into the floor. Both of them fastened their seatbelts, and Ray started the engine.

…

…

And nothing.

He flashed an awkward smile towards Paige and scratched the back of his head. "I forgot… I ran out of gas just as I arrived." As Paige rolled her eyes and shook her head as though she was expecting something like this to happen, he chuckled a little and added, "We can just talk here if that's okay."

"Sure," Paige compromised and leaned backwards a little, staring beyond the windshield towards the bright blue sky above and in front of them. "Honestly…," she crossed her arms and sighed softly through her nose, "I sometimes ask myself the same question. I wonder…," she bit her lip casually, "I wonder why I didn't approach him like you suggested. Perhaps… Perhaps if I had… Perhaps if I did confront him before Linda… before Tim… then maybe… then maybe we would be together."

Ray's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "So a lot did happen while I was gone."

Paige nodded slowly.

"It's like Walter's been nothing but a walking contradiction since you've left, and I'm not blaming you, Ray," Paige turned slightly and touched his arm. "You were good to him, and you helped him see things in different ways… ways that I could never teach him, but… I guess… I guess after Megan's death, something changed…. I don't… I can't really explain it myself because, at one point, I thought things were going well… I thought we were finally going somewhere, but… then he started a speed dating experiment."

"Speed dating?"

"Speed dating," Paige frowned as she focused on picking at her fingernails. "He thought it was a good experiment to meet new people, and well, I encouraged him to meet new people, to branch out of Scorpion, but… I never… I never anticipated he would want to meet other women."

"Wow," Ray blinked. "Just… wow."

"Yeah…."

"So I'm guessing he met this Linda girl at that speed dating joint…." Ray concluded, and Paige nodded again, confirming his thoughts.

"And at first, Linda didn't want to date Walter anymore because of his involvement with Scorpion… because someone targeted her in order to get to us… the team…. Dating a genius was not something she signed up for, so, after Linda left, things started going well again between us, but he still believed workplace entanglements were bad for the team so… I didn't bother telling him." She took a deep breath and continued, and Ray didn't dare interrupt again. "He said one thing, but his actions, the way he was willing to throw everything away to save me from certain deadly situations, was something completely different, and it was all so confusing! And then Tim came along… the newest addition to the team. Tim was so nice to me and paid attention to me, and I started to like him – a lot – but… but he wasn't Walter, and yet I tried so hard to put aside my feelings for Walter and see where things would go with Tim, but… Walter….

"And then Linda came back! LINDA CAME BACK, and Walter didn't think twice about giving her a second shot so I decided that if Walter wasn't going to admit his feelings, then I figured it was time for me to move on so I said yes to Tim about going to dinner. Just dinner. But then it turned out that Linda had developed some sort of Superman Complex or whatever and that she was blinded by Walter's heroism to realize that she didn't like any of the things Walter liked, and so they broke up. A few weeks passed, and nothing. Nothing, but… when Tim left for physical therapy or training or whatever – I really can't remember at this point, Walter and I had a few moments, and they reminded me how much I… I…, but then Tahoe. He gave Tim and me tickets to Tahoe." Paige suddenly grabbed Ray by the shoulders and shook him more violently than he expected. "Did you hear me?! Walter Patrick O'Brien gave me tickets to go to a weekend getaway with another man! WHO DOES THAT?!"

Ray opened his mouth to speak because he thought she was done, but he didn't realize what sort of Pandora's Box he had unleashed until she started rambling again.

"I gave Walter a second chance… I don't know if it was because I didn't want to leave when Happy and Toby were so messed up and upset and hurt or if it was because I subconsciously didn't want to go to Tahoe without… without Walter, or maybe it was both, but I gave that big idiot a second chance." Her sudden laugh sent chills down Ray's spine. It was almost like they were at a bar, and she was drowning her sorrows in small increments, taking another sip of scotch as she shared with him the different pieces of her broken heart. Her toned soften and her fists clenched tightly. "But…," her voice quivered, "But he still insisted I leave for Tahoe… with Tim." She finally looked at Ray as tears fell down her cheeks. "Tell me…, was I wrong to wait? Was I foolish for thinking that he and I… that he and I could make things work?"

Ray's eyes softened and he touched her hand. "I don't think so… Walter may be an idiot sometimes – and sometimes a bigger idiot than yours truly," she smiled and giggled a little at his response, "but don't give up just yet. Something tells me you two will be okay… Maybe not now… maybe not tomorrow, but someday, Paige. Someday things will be great, and you wanna know why?"

Paige sniffed softly and dabbed her eyes, careful not to smear her mascara.

"Because you've got me, the Ray Man, and the Raymyster," he pointed to himself, "puts the RAY into GRAYT!"

Paige bit her lip and smiled appreciatively, giving Ray a small hug. "I hope you're right."

"I am," Ray patted her softly on the back. "I know I am." He pulled back gently and said, "You and me. Dinner tonight. I want to tell you where I've been and what I've been doing these past five months. I would if I could right now, but I'm sweating like a pig. So… let's say…, Escala at Seven?"

"Escala? That's… That's a fancy restaurant. We couldn't possibly go there for dinner," Paige frowned. "I mean, I'd love to hear about your stories, but… Escala? Can you even afford Escala?"

"Nope," Ray grinned widely, "But… let's just say I've got a friend who owes me big and what better way than to spend a nice dinner conversation with my favorite Scorpion lady?"

Paige's lips grew into a colorful smile.

"Escala, it is, then."

After Paige finished helping Ray unpack his gremlin – a task he actually needed help with, he scampered up the stairs to the loft and found Walter at his desk, staring at his phone.

"You know," Ray chuckled when the genius jumped from his second sudden arrival, his phone fumbling from his hands, "when I returned from my five-month vacay, I totally thought you and Penny would be on your honeymoon by now." Ray ignored Walter's eye roll and leaned against the wall, catching a glimpse of Paige's portrait staining Walter's phone background. He smirked but didn't mention it, yet. "Care to tell me why you two haven't done the horizontal tango yet?"

"That," Walter forced a smile and mindlessly turned over his phone, "is none of your business."

"At least tell me why you two aren't dating yet. I mean, come on, I thought you two would be a pod of peas right now. If I knew five months would pass without any progress, then I would have stayed a little while longer to make sure you two were hitting it off." Ray decided against telling Walter about his previous conversation with Paige and threw his hands up into the air. "Come on, Wally! What happened?!"

"A lot."

"Explain."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because," Walter frowned, folding his arms in front of him, "like I said before, it's none of your business."

Walter thought he was putting on a good front, but Ray could read right through him.

"You're wanting to tell your future wife you love her but you have no frackin clue how to tell her, and each time you try, you're either interrupted or you chicken out at the last minute." Walter blinked with a horrified expression on his face, and Ray smirked. "Am I right?"

"Nnnnnoooo," Walter tugged at his collar and blushed deeply.

"You're a terrible liar," Ray chuckled and Walter actually smiled a little. "So, want some advice?"

"From you?" Walter paused for a minute and then shrugged. "Sure. Why not."

"Just tell her."

Walter cocked an eyebrow. "I've tried…."

"Wally. It's three words. The worst she could say is no or that she doesn't love you back, but… think about it. Do you really think Petunia –"

"Paige."

"Hm?"

"Paige. Her name is Paige."

"Oh. Right. Whatever. As I was saying: do you really think Patsy would say no? I mean, come on, dude! She has the hots for you!" Ray practically jumped up and down and pointed to the door. "Now go down there and tell her! Don't worry about having an audience. Just tell her. You need to tell her before it's too late."

"Before it's too late…" Walter repeated as he stared at the door.

"Yes. Now tell her."

Walter recalled what Cabe had said and frowned. Women didn't like being told those sorts of things in public settings. He couldn't just barge downstairs in the middle of the workday and blurt it out to her…. That would be horrifying!

"If you don't," Ray back stepped towards the door, "I will."

"You wouldn't."

"I would."

He took another back step, and Walter advanced him. Ray spun around and sprinted towards the door, swinging it open just wide enough to squeeze through the opening and grab the railing. "HEY PAYTON!" Everyone glanced up at him, including Paige. "WALTER'S IN L—"

Before he knew it, a hand flew to his mouth, and he was dragged inside the loft with incredible strength.

"What the hell, Ray?!"

"If you're not going to tell her, then someone has to. She needs to know, and I think you've made her wait long enough. If you don't tell her soon, then she may never want to reciprocate no matter how much she wants to because, if memory serves me correctly, she's been heartbroken once already. There's only so much time before she decides to close herself up to you in order to guard her heart. Do you want that?"

"No," Walter shook his head immediately. "I don't." He raked his fingers through his curly hair and sighed. "I want her to know… I need her to know how much I love her, but… I just…," Walter's eyes found Rays. "I've never done this before, and I want to do it right. You have no idea how many times I've tried to tell her… I promise I will, but I need it to be right. I want her to know that I'm in 100%... I just don't know how."

"Trust me," Ray gave his best friend a thumb's up. "When the time is right, you'll know when. Just… just don't wait too long, okay?"

"Okay," Walter nodded swiftly.

"Good talk," Ray patted Walter's shoulder. "Now, you. Me. Escala's at seven. I want to help you prep for the big reveal. What do you say?"

"Kovelsky's would work just fine…," Walter replied as though Ray had just opened an old wound of his. "Escala's is a place I'd like to take Paige one day…, and I'd rather my first time going there be with her and not you, no offence."

"None taken," Ray smiled, "but… if you plan on taking Paris to Escala's, then shouldn't you go there beforehand as research so you'd know exactly what to expect when you actually go there for real? That way, there would be no surprises, and your future date with Paisley will be perfecto!"

Walter paused for a moment, and Ray could tell he was considering his offer. "Okay. Fine. That's actually not a bad idea. But… who's paying for this?"

"Why you are," Ray grinned wickedly.

"And who's getting the reservations…? They only take reservations; you know?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Ray lifted an eyebrow, and Walter clucked his tongue.

"Right. One reservation for two under the name Spiewack coming right up…."

"Put it under O'Brien since I'm the one mooching. Plus… It's easier to pronounce." Ray beamed, and Walter rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Fine."

Seven was vastly approaching, but there was no sign of either Walter or Paige. In order for his plan to work, he convinced Tony – the restaurant's owner and also one of his few friends since way back when – to let him sit a few tables from the O'Brien reservation, and was dressed in a disguise so his friends wouldn't recognize him.

He was wearing a gray bearded wig, large glasses and a trench coat with a newspaper in his hands to make him look like he was busier than he needed to be. After reading the same article three times, in walked Walter, obviously looking for him. He heard the man ask for their table, and as he was being led to the O'Brien reservation, in walked Paige, also looking for him.

Walter actually suited up, but Paige was absolutely exquisite. Ray might not be the one smitten with her, but she was definitely a sight worth seeing. Her hair was gently curled, framing her face in a subtle fashion, and she was wearing a long black dress which flowed freely down her body, accentuating her features.

Walter definitely was in trouble tonight, and Ray was more than excited to witness a faltering Walter.

This plan was too perfect.

"Can I help you?" He heard the waitress ask the liaison, but Paige shook her head, claiming to be waiting for a friend.

Walter was close enough to hear her voice right away and immediately spun around, his breath catching at the mere sight of her. Ray grinned, and Paige's eyes lit up, surprised to see her boss, but then she smiled and walked towards him.

"Hi."

"Hi." Walter cleared his throat and offered her the seat in front of him.

"Oh, I shouldn't," Paige flushed slightly, and Ray could tell she was suddenly aware of the genius's eyes appreciating her ensemble. "I mean… You're waiting for someone, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but he's running late."

"He?" Paige cocked an eyebrow.

"It's a business dinner," Walter was quick to add.

"Oh…," Paige looked around as though she was looking for Ray again, and found Walter's soft brown eyes again. "Do you need me present? I'm sure I can help."

"I should be okay," Walter laughed lightly. "After all, all I am doing is talking to Ray."

"Ray?"

Uh-oh.

"Yeah."

"You're here to meet Ray?"

"Yes," Walter frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"No," she shook her head slowly, suddenly sitting down in front of Walter. "It's just that… I was supposed to meet Ray here, too. He wanted to tell me about where he's been and what he's been up to these past five months…. Did he invite you too?"

"Yes, but for a completely different reason," Walter blinked, definitely confused.

Ray couldn't help but snicker in the background. This was too good!

"Looks like Ray set us up…."

"You think so?"

Paige nodded with certainty. "Yes. I know so." She started to stand. "I'm… I'm sorry if I'm intruding…. I should go."

Walter suddenly reached for Paige's hand. "Don't."

Their eyes met instantly, and Walter immediately looked away and withdrew his palm from her wrist. "Sorry. I just… this is a nice restaurant and we're both already here…. We shouldn't waste a kind gesture even if… even if Ray's making me pay for it."

Paige laughed melodically, and Ray quietly fist-bumped the air. Yes!

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Both Paige's and Walter's eyes were wide, and he cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head. "I mean… I… I would enjoy your company greatly… if you wouldn't m-mind."

Paige dropped back down onto the seat and gave Walter a small smile. "I don't mind."

"Good."

Ray was impressed. He knew Wally had it bad for Paige Dineen, but he didn't realize just how much power the woman possessed over him. One minute, he was fine and fully functional, but now he was slightly impulsive.

Maybe he might even summon the courage to drop the L bomb on her tonight.

One could only hope.

"So," Paige was the first to speak after a while of silence, "I have a question…, and you might not want to answer it…, but something's been bothering me for a while, and… I just need to know the truth."

"Okay…?" Walter leaned forward slightly, filled with curiosity.

Paige took a sip of her wine before finding Walter's eyes. "Why did you go to Tahoe?"

Ray perked up and glanced over at his two friends. This was certainly new information, and something Paige did not tell him during her spiel earlier that day. And why didn't Walter tell him either?! Weren't they best friends? Didn't they share everything with each other? He frowned and was going to have a serious talk with Walter tomorrow, assuming that the genius wasn't going to be occupied elsewhere.

Ray had high hopes though.

"W-Why did I g-go to Tahoe?" Walter nearly choked on his water as he swallowed. "H-How did you know I went?"

Paige's fingers fiddled with each other underneath the table. "I… I overheard Sylvester saying something about it to you right before you wanted to say something to me… you claimed it was pretty important, too."

"Oh, um…," Walter scratched the side of his face nervously. "There's actually a simple explanation for that…."

"Which is," she leaned a little closer.

"Which is… Um… Well… You see, I…."

"You…?"

"I…."

"Yes?"

"Um…," Walter gulped loudly and mindlessly loosened his tie. "Paige," he clenched his hands, "I l—"

Splash!

"Oh my God," a waitress exclaimed. "I am sooo sorry! C-Can I get you a towel?"

Walter blinked for several seconds as an empty bucket of ice spiraled in circles around his head. He then noticed the empty bottle of Champagne rolling off his leg so he caught it quickly but not before it poured more than half of its contents over his crotch.

The waitress was absolutely horrified.

Walter slowly lifted the bucket off of his head and silently handed it and the bottle to the waitress before she scurried off to fetch her manager. Walter sighed, and Paige – from Ray's point of view – rolled her lips inward, trying so hard not to laugh.

But she couldn't hold it in any longer than Ray could keep himself from falling out of his chair in fits of laughter. He then heard Walter joining her, and hearing his best friend laugh was probably the best thing in the world right now. Ray gathered his composure, fixed his wig and coughed as he saw Paige drop quite a few bills on the table. Then she extended her hand over to Walter with a happy smile on her face and said, "Come on. Let's get back so you can dry off."

"Okay," Walter nodded, grinning. Taking her hand, she led him out of the restaurant, and Ray quickly followed, needing to see this night – well most of it, anyway – through. He followed the pair and found them heading towards Paige's car, and he ducked when Walter snapped his head into his direction. "Cabe had to borrow my car for the night so he dropped me off here… Do you mind…?"

"Taking you home?"

Walter swiftly nodded.

"It's no problem," Paige gestured for him to climb into the vehicle. "I'd be happy to."

"Thanks," Walter smiled, starting to make his way to the other side of the Chevy. He suddenly turned around. "Uh, Paige?"

"Yes?"

Walter bit his lip. "…Trust in me, okay?"

Paige inhaled a deep breath as her lips slightly parted.

And then she smiled. "Okay."

As soon as his friends were out of sight, he stripped out of his costume and jumped into the air in victory, knowing his plan had worked.

Even if neither of his friends confessed their feelings tonight, at least they were on the road to recoveRAY. And that in itself was a gRAYt accomplishment.

End Note: Be sure to check out the next story in this series, written by the talented FoxPhile. Links to all the stories can be found on my profile page. Enjoy! :D

(PS. Reviews are welcome! :D)