So I really, really wish Scorpion would cut it out with the "guy and girl hang out which means there must be something going on" crap and I really want to see Florence and Walter become buddies who do lectures and science experiments together with no romantic overtones and no insecure Paige Dineens. I'm sure if that happens it certainly won't be this season, so I'm just gonna write in "missing scenes" so I can have my high IQ cute friendship.

"I cannot believe that lady in front of us," Florence said, her eyes wide. "Not only did she fall asleep less than halfway through the lecture, she was – "

"Snoring," they said together.

"I learned a lot about the concept of a white lie today," Walter said. "I believe the folks next to her were employing that tactic when they said that they hadn't noticed."

"Oh, they noticed," Florence said immediately. "They had to have noticed. That was the weirdest snore. It sounded like when a cat sleeps."

"I'm not overly familiar with how the respiratory structures of felines vibrate," Walter admitted, "but we do have a ferret, and he will snore on occasion."

"Wait," Florence said, "how come I've never seen this ferret?"

"Well, when you started coming over it was usually to yell at us. So he's probably learned to associate your voice with tension and other general unpleasantness." At the look on her face, Walter cleared his throat. "I mean, uh…hmm. Perhaps I haven't quite gotten the hang of the white lie."

"No," Florenece said, "it makes sense. Animals are extremely sensitive to tone. And I'm not…I mean, I suppose I'm a rather guarded person, and when you have your defenses up all the time, that could certainly signal to an animal that you aren't friendly." She offered him a look that he recognized as one that tended to accompany attempts at humor. "Maybe that's why you and I got off on the wrong foot. The left brained part of us was operating but the animal part, the EQ part, was responding to only that half of the other person, the one that's blunt and closed off."

"That's a bit too Toby for me to process," Walter confessed.

They reached his car and he pressed the button to unlock the doors. "Normally it would be too introspective for me, too," Florence said, "but I've been working on that part of myself, and I've gotten to practice a lot lately with helping Sylvester with his water filter project. He's a fascinating balance of IQ and EQ."

"He is," Walter said. He glanced at her, a question on his tongue, but ultimately decided that he didn't know her well enough to ask it. He thought if the answer was no she might become uncomfortable working with the younger genius, and he knew they'd been thoroughly enjoying each other's company. Best not to meddle. Paige would be proud of his decision.

They drove in relative silence until a few streets before where the chemist lived. Then it was her who spoke up. "Hey, Walter?"

"Yeah?" He turned to look at her.

"I know I've apologized before, but I'm sorry about that."

"About what?" He should know what. He wracked his brain. He couldn't come up with it.

"About how crass I was when I met you all. And how I kept insisting I wasn't on this team. I mean, I know I'm not, but the frequency with which I brought that up probably made it seem like being a part of Team Scorpion was some kind of insult. And it's not. You've got a wonderful thing going there. And I'm glad to be a part of it, even if only sometimes, and from the outside."

"You are a part of it," Walter said. "You help us. You've been instrumental on several occasions. I told Paige this when she joined us; everyone has a place. And Team Scorpion is a place for people who don't have one anywhere else."

"Well, I don't have many friends," Florence said. "In fact, if I really counted it all up, I would say most of my friends work for you. So, you know, I appreciate it. Being able to work with you guys. And for things like tonight. I'm not used to being included."

Walter smiled. That was something he understood.

"This one's mine," Florence said, even though he was already slowing down. "Thanks again for inviting me along."

"Well, as I said, I thought you would be able to appreciate it. The lecture, I mean."

"Absolutely." She smiled at him. "I'm not big on being sentimental or mushy or whatever but, uh…I'm glad we're friends, Walter."

He nodded. "Me too."

She undid her seatbelt and exited the car. Before closing the door, she peeked back in. "Tell Paige I hope she feels better soon, after today. I'll text her tomorrow to see if she's sore; I can whip up this concoction of mine that will ease muscle pain."

"I will. Thank you."

She smiled. "Night."

When she was gone, Walter put the car back in drive and headed toward the garage. The night had been so pleasant. In ordinary circumstances he would text Paige about it. She'd been the one to encourage him to befriend their neighbor. She liked when he did well in a social setting. And he hadn't been rude to the snoring woman. She would be so proud of him.

Or she would be very, very upset with him for spending the evening with a woman she'd felt threatened by just a few months before. She had nothing to worry about. His interest in Florence was purely platonic, and he was sure she felt the same way about him. But Paige had been cheated on before, and she would no doubt blow tonight out of proportion. Perhaps she wouldn't even give him a chance to explain, to reassure her as he'd done in January that there was no one else in the world that could interest him. Perhaps she would give him that chance and he would blow it because he was Walter O'Brien and he absolutely sucked at word choice.

Best she didn't find out. Best if he continued practicing the white lie.