WriterFreak001:

Enjoy!

Title | I Need Us

Fandom | Scorpion (CBS)

Description | Short Waige drabble.

Rating| This fanfiction will be rated T for suggestive themes and fluff.

POV | Limited Third Person

Disclaimer | While CBS owns Scorpion, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

Claimer | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

I Need Us

Written by WriterFreak001

One-Shot

~ SCORPION ~

She knew she shouldn't have called him, but she did. He was still recovering from his accident a few weeks ago, and she should have placed his wellbeing above her own, but she desperately needed a friend… someone to talk to… a confidant… a voice of reason. She could have called anybody, really, but his number was at the top of her call history. And she knew, deep down, that no matter the reason, he would come. He was always there for her even when he didn't make his presence known. He was always there for her son, too. Her son… her baby boy… the love of her life.

She could count on Walter to answer; he always did.

In all reality… she just needed him.

And when she finally did call, he answered almost immediately. She couldn't bring herself to speak to him for the fear of breaking down over the phone. He found her silence alarming and told her he was leaving for her apartment. He didn't ask her why she was upset, and she was glad he didn't.

Twenty long minutes passed since she called Walter before she heard three solid knocks sounding from her apartment door. She heard him calling her name, and the sound of his concerned voice gave her the strength she needed to drag her feet to the door. She slowly twisted the handle and pulled the door open before she found herself crying in his arms. She had tried to be strong for days, but her ex's constant threats to take her son away from her had finally taken its toll.

She cried for what seemed like an eternity, and all Walter did was hold her in his arms. He had frozen at first when she collapsed against him, partially from a spark of discomfort, but he was mostly shocked. He knew something had been bothering Paige based on her drastic behavioral changes over the past few weeks, but he didn't think it was this bad. "Paige," he found the will to speak some time after her sobs had subsided, "What's wrong?"

She didn't say anything. She really didn't know what to say.

He tried talking to her again with a different approach. Without giving it much thought, he brought his palms to her wet cheeks and forced her to look at him. He wanted her to see his face… to see how worried he was. He didn't like seeing or hearing her cry, and he was determined to fix whatever problem she was facing. "Paige," his voice was soft and sincere, "What's going on?"

She tore away from him and scurried off to the couch. He followed, sitting next to her. She had called him. He wasn't going anywhere until she told him why she was crying. She owed him that much. After a moment of silence, she wiped away her tears and pulled a string of words out of her mouth. "It's Drew…."

Walter tensed in response to hearing something he didn't want to hear. His reaction did not go unnoticed by Paige. "Is he… in town?"

"No," she answered almost immediately. "No he's not."

"Then what's wrong?" Walter's palms covered her own. She stared at their hands, and he watched her religiously. He wasn't sure why he was overly affectionate, but he desperately wanted to be able to connect with her on an emotional level. He worked twice as hard to try to see the world through her eyes, and even though he didn't understand more than half of the things she saw, he still tried.

He just hoped she was recognizing his efforts.

It was then that he noticed how quiet the apartment was. His expression darkened. "Where's Ralph?" He started to get up to search for the boy, but Paige grabbed his arm, silently begging him to sit back down.

"Walter, calm down. He's fine; he's at Billy's for the night." Paige's explanation soothed Walter's fear and concern as he dropped back down onto the cushion.

"Sorry."

"It's okay," she grinned weakly. "I'm glad you care so much for him."

Walter inhaled a deep breath and nodded. "I… I care just as much… if not more… for you too."

Paige smiled sweetly as slid her fingers down his forearm and entwined them together with his. She leaned back against the sofa and pressed her cheek against this shoulder, closing her eyes and willing herself to sit quiet and enjoy the tiny, tingling moment between them. She eventually spoke without looking at him. "Shortly after I decided it was in Ralph's best interest to stay in LA, I called Drew. He at least deserved an explanation, and I told him that if he wanted to be in his son's life, then he needed to make some effort to visit every once in a while. Just to keep him from whining, I promised to at least bring Ralph up to see him a few times a year."

"As much as I don't like the guy," Walter set his jaw and inhaled a slow breath, "I don't see what the problem is." He knew it was only fair to Ralph to see his father every once in a while. Walter realized he wasn't the boy's father, and he couldn't keep him from visiting Drew, but it didn't mean he had to like it.

Little did he know, Paige didn't like it either.

"That's not the issue," Paige stared intently at their conjoined hands as Walter waited for her to continue. "He wouldn't compromise…."

"He's choosing not to visit?" Walter guessed, but she shook her head at his speculation. He expected her to explain her headshake, but she remained silent. Her lips twitched as though she wanted to say something, but she kept her mouth closed. The reticence between them was almost too deafening. Walter decided to guess again. "He's more persistent in having you move to Portland?"

Paige lightly chuckled as she pulled one of her hands from his and brushed her fingers through her hair. A single tear fell from her left eye, and Walter suddenly grew uncomfortable, thinking something he said had upset her. Her response, however, was certainly not one he had anticipated. "He's threatening to take Ralph away from me."

"He c-can't do that," was the only words Walter could physically pull past his teeth. And for reasons unknown, he added, "I won't let him." Paige, clearly distressed, pulled her other hand from his and buried her face in her palms. "How serious were his threats?" She heaved a loud sigh but didn't answer him. He waited a few seconds before muttering her name. "Paige?"

Without a word, she pushed herself to her feet and circled around the couch, heading for the kitchen counter. His eyes followed her, but he remained on the couch as she briskly grabbed something and marched back to him, handing him some sort of legal document. "I thought Drew was just being… well, Drew, when he first mentioned he was going to fight for custody so I didn't take him seriously, and in the back of my mind, I was telling myself he was just trying to get under my skin to convince me to move to Portland. It wasn't until this afternoon when I received that did I realize Drew was actually being serious about custody rights." Paige pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed loudly. "This is all my fault."

Walter quickly read the court order and then tossed it aside. He approached her but kept a respectable distance. "How is this your fault?"

"I don't know," she closed her eyes and clenched her jaw. "I just… There are a lot of things I could have done differently to avoid all of this." Paige leaned against the back of the couch and exhaled the breath she had been holding. "Perhaps it was a bad idea to let Ralph meet his father…. Or… maybe it was a bad idea to stay in LA…. I don't know…."

"You don't mean that…," Walter found himself stammering to the second premise.

Paige avoided his gaze. "I'm beginning to think I don't know much of anything anymore. Parenting-wise, that is."

Walter wouldn't hear any more of it. He marched over to the fallen paper and snatched it up off of the floor. "Don't let this," he waved the court order into the air, "this thin piece of paper discredit anything you've ever done for Ralph, Paige. You are a good mother; you're giving your son an opportunity to socialize with people who not only care about him but also want to make sure he meets his full potential. Sure…, there's risk involved, and I admit, it's my fault Ralph placed himself in harm's way a few weeks ago, but Scorpion is a good thing for him. Not many child geniuses have the same opportunities as he does, and if Drew cannot see the bigger picture of what Scorpion does for both you and Ralph, then he has no right to be Ralph's father!" Walter crumpled up the court order and tossed it across the room before mindlessly gripping Paige's shoulders. "You are a great mother, Paige. The best, even."

"Even if that's true," Paige flicked her eyes towards Walter's and willed herself not to cry, "The judge might not see things your way. Drew has what most people would consider a successful career, and Ralph wouldn't endanger himself in Portland like he did if he was to stay here. And… don't get me wrong, but Drew is also doing what he thinks is right for Ralph. His opinion is just different from mine…. As much as I want my son to live with me, who is to say the judge won't favor Drew over me?"

"You don't know that," Walter swallowed and pursed his lips.

"Neither do you," Another tear fell down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away.

"You may work a dangerous job, but the judge cannot favor someone who abandoned Ralph for a silly sport. That would be idiotic." Walter's palms jumped to her cheeks as his eyes landed on hers. "And… any judge who ever sided with Drew would have to be corrupted." He fiercely shook his head. "It's just not plausible."

Her palms rested over the back of his hands as she closed her eyes and nodded violently as tears plopped from her lashes, landing on the knuckles of his thumbs. Her fingers curled over the spaces between his fingers, and she firmly held his palms to her face, needed desperately to feel his touch. "I can't lose him, Walter," Paige opened her eyes, and more tears fell. "I can't lose my baby boy."

"You won't," Walter muttered before lightly pressing his lips to her forehead. "I'll make sure of it." He rested his forehead against hers and inhaled her sweet lavender scent as she brought his palms to her lips.

"How can you be so sure?" She mumbled, pulling his hands away from her face. She did not let go, though.

He found the courage to grin, wanting to reassure her everything was going to be all right. "Facts are my specialty, remember?" As he squeezed her hands, he softly kissed her forehead again. His lips lingered a few more seconds longer than expected, and when they peeled off of her skin, he whispered, "Ralph's not going anywhere, Paige." Her eyes were closed, and he was tempted to kiss her eyelids, but he restrained himself. "I promise."

Her eyes fluttered open as she took a small, daring step towards him. Coffee-colored irises mixed with chocolate, and she eventually said, "And you?"

He boldly curled a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I'm not going anywhere, either."

"You promise?" A tear dropped from her eye as she blinked.

"Yeah," Walter mumbled quietly, "I promise."

"Good," she said as she hooked her arms around his neck and closed the distance between them with a gentle, fleeting kiss. She pulled away ever so slightly and gazed into his eyes as though she was asking permission to kiss him again. And without much thought, his palms grabbed her face and tugged her lips back to his full force. As she clutched the back of his shirt in her palm, her other hand weaved through his soft curls. Nothing but them mattered in the moment as the world around them obscured to oblivion.

His hands fell from her cheeks and found her waist, pulling her body closer to him; she kissed him harder, wanting him as close as he could be to her. Fingers tugged at the hem of her deep red blouse and slowly slid the material over her head, dropping it onto the floor. She loosened his tie and glided it off of his neck before working at his buttons. Slowly, she pushed the cotton shirt off of his shoulders and slithered it down his arms until the sleeves fell off of his fingers. As she latched her fingers behind his neck again, she drew him down for another searing kiss and wrapped her legs around his waist. Feeling extra daring, she then reached behind herself and unhooked her bra, letting it fall to the rug along with the other discarded clothing. Walter locked one arm around her bare back and firmly grabbed her backside to hold her against him as he walked them to her bedroom, kicking the door closed behind him.

…

"Walter?"

"Hm?" Walter turned towards the naked woman resting beside him, mindlessly combing her matted hair with his fingers.

"Thank you," she whispered before placing a light kiss against his chest.

"For what?" he cocked a brow.

She reached up and brushed the tips of her fingers over his cheek. "For coming…."

"I'll always come when you call," Walter muttered as she climbed on top of him and rewarded him with a searing kiss. "No buts."

She smiled. "I know."

"And Paige?" Walter's palm found her back and pressed her against him.

"Yes?"

"Ralph will stay in LA with you… with us… All of us…." Walter curled a strand of hair behind her ear. "We will find a way."

"I know we will," Paige brought her mouth to his and kissed him gingerly, pushing her belly towards his. "I trust you, Walter."

Walter struggled to speak, but he somehow managed to force at least some of his scrambled thoughts out of his mind. "A-and I thought you should know… in case it isn't obvious already… I w-want this… us…." He held her tighter to him. "I need us," he paused. "And that's a fact."

The man's words brought a thousand smiles to her heart and lips. "Walter?"

"Yeah?" He gulped, wondering if he had said something wrong.

She kissed him once and smiled. "I love you too."

~ SCORPION ~

WriterFreak001:

And there's my short one-shot!

Some of you may ask me to continue this, wanting to know what fate would Ralph have, but my intention isn't to start a story. I just wanted a short drabble to show a what-if situation in regards to Drew's response to Paige and Ralph staying in LA. I have no intention to continue. I'll continue to write one-shots every now and then like this one where I pick a moment in time and draw it out more. :)

Anyway, reviews are always welcome! :D