Hey guys. First, thank you to all those who left reviews for my story. I really appreciated what you guys had to say about my first attempt at writing. I have decided to turn my first story into a multi-chapter fanfiction (there will probably be three or four chapters). Here is the second installment. Unlike the first chapter, this one will be more dialogue-heavy. I hope you enjoy it. Please read and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Scorpion.

Beep beep beep beep…beep beep beep beep…

Ughhhh. Not wanting to remove herself from the warmth and comfort of the sheets and comforter, Paige Dineen hesitantly opened her eyes, blew her bangs off her face, and got up from her bed to prepare for the day ahead of her. It was Friday. Just one more day to endure before the weekend will allow whatever happened last night to slowly fade away and dissipate forever. Having already taken a shower the night before, Paige quickly brushed her teeth, applied some makeup, and got dressed. Sauntering down the hallway in the direction of the kitchen, Paige noticed that Ralph had already awoken and was perched on the armrest of the living room couch, staring intently at the bare wall in front of him.

"He was here last night", Ralph stated.

Already knowing whom this 'he' was, Paige decided to play along anyway, "Who was here, sweetie?"

Ralph turned to face his mother and answered, "Walter."

Not wanting to lie to her son, Paige replied, "You're right honey, I saw him through the window last night walking to his car. How did you know he was here?"

"I memorized the exact mechanical rasp that the engine of his car emits while running. I heard his Datsun pull up to our apartment complex last night…Why was he here, Mom?", Ralph gazed at his mother with puppy-dog eyes.

Paige let out a sigh, "I'm not sure Ralph, but let's not mention any of this to Walter today. If he wants to explain to us why he drove over here last night, he will. If he doesn't, then we will respect his decision. Now go get your school stuff, we leave for the garage in five minutes."

Ralph hopped off the armrest and sulked to his room. Paige was worried for him. Ralph not only viewed Walter as a mentor, friend and fellow genius, but also as a father, the father he never had. Ralph was always depressed whenever he sensed frustration and conflict in Walter. While Paige never took pleasure in seeing her son in anything but the most joyful of moods, she did find it comforting that Ralph showed signs of empathy. She was determined to prevent him from developing into the stereotypical genius robot. Hopeful that the situation surrounding Walter's mysterious late-night appearance would go away on its own, Paige took to the task of preparing Ralph's lunch before she and her son made their departure for the garage.

It was a quiet start to the morning at the garage. Happy, wanting nothing to do with anyone at the moment, was busily working on her latest gadget. Toby was reading two books simultaneously, as usual. Sensing the awkwardness in the room, Sylvester took to cleaning his desk for the umpteenth time that week. Lastly, there was Walter, who was so engrossed in his rocket that he didn't even notice when the garage door opened and Scorpion's liaison and pet genius entered the building.

"Hey guys," Paige greeted everyone with a bright smile plastered to her face.

Sylvester looked up, adjusted his glasses, and replied, "Good morning Paige, good morning Ralph."

"Miss Dineen, Ralphy boy" Toby tipped his hat.

Happy made no attempt to acknowledge the presence of either Paige or Ralph.

"Where's Walter?", Paige looked around.

Before anyone could reply, Ralph had already taken off into the back of the garage to help Walter with the rocket.

"I believe that answers your question," Toby stated.

Paige set her purse down and followed Ralph deeper into the garage. As she approached the rocket, Paige took time to enjoy the scene unfolding before her very own eyes. As Walter tinkered with the intricacies of the rocket, he spoke to the young genius, coaching him through the process, step-by-step. The focus displayed in each of their eyes was unlike anything Paige had seen before. Part of her wished Ralph could stay at the garage all day and fully immerse himself in genius-caliber work, but she knew that her son needed to experience a balanced lifestyle.

"Ralph, time for school," Paige walked up and placed her hand on her son's shoulder.

"I'd rather stay here and work on the rocket with Walter," Ralph replied without taking his eyes off Walter's quick moving fingers.

"Well, if you come with me right now, a trip to the ice cream shop may be in store for you after school," Paige looked at Ralph with a smirk on her face.

"Scoop swear?", Ralph asked, finally turning to look at his mother.

Paige's smirk turned into a full-blown smile, "Scoop swear."

Walter ruffled the young genius's hair before the boy took off in search of the backpack he haphazardly tossed aside as soon as he stepped foot in the garage.

As Paige turned to follow her son, her boss's voice caught her attention.

"Wait", Walter said with a barely noticeable tremble in his voice.

Paige turned and looked expectantly in the direction of Walter.

"Even though I-I know my employees fa-fairly well, I've undertaken a Scorpion pr-profiling project in order to b-better understand my friends and colleagues," Walter's eyes scanned the room but never once fell on Paige while he talked.

"Umm okay, do you have some questions for me?", Paige asked.

"Just a f-few, it won't take long," Walter replied.

"Hit me," Paige straightened her posture and crossed her arms.

"W-what? N-no, Paige I would never hit you! Why would you say that?" Walter was baffled.

Paige face-palmed, "It's an expression Walter!"

"Oh…", Walter's lips formed a perfect oval.

"Just ask the questions," Paige's voice came out more frustrated than she would have liked.

Sensing the mood shift in their conversation, Walter decided to abort the mission, "Actually, never mind, it really isn't that big of a deal. I-I apologize for h-hindering yours and Ralph's exodus to school. Carry on." With that, Walter flashed Paige a quick, awkward smile and then proceeded to bury his nose in the rocket.

Unsure of how to respond to Walter's fidgety statement/apology/farewell…what even was that, Paige decided to find Ralph and finally leave for school. Before walking outside, however, Paige just had to ask somebody, is Walter actually conducting a Scorpion employee-profiling project?

"Hey Toby," Paige waltzed on up to the psychiatrist.

Toby looked up from his books, "You've already said hello to me this morning, so this must be one of those 'heys' that precedes a request."

"Sure, whatever you say, sooooo I was just wondering if Walter mentioned anything to you about a Scorpion employee-profiling project; ring a bell?", Paige asked as she leaned on Toby's desk.

Toby's lips curved up into a smile, "Why, as a matter of fact he has not." Toby's smile continued to grow. "I'd be willing to say that you're the only person Walt has talked to about this Scorpion employee-profiling project", Toby threw up air quotes toward the end of his statement.

"You don't know that," Paige said with a defensive tone.

"Remember Paige, I'm alllllways right," Toby turned his attention back to his books.

"Keep telling yourself that doc," Paige slumped off Toby's desk and began to guide Ralph out of the garage. "Be back in a bit!", she yelled.

The ride to Ralph's school was a quiet one. All the while, Paige could only think of one thing, why would Water fabricate an employee-profiling project just to ask me a couple questions? What did he desperately want to know? Paige began to feel uneasy. The smooth Friday she had hoped for had undertaken a rough beginning.