Disclaimer: I don't own Scorpion but you probably knew that by now.

I know I've been MIA and I still have to post the final chapter of Salty Sweet but life has just been crazy. My hubby is opening an art gallery and I've been up to my eyeballs helping him. Sometimes it's harder to go back and edit a chapter that's already written than to write something new from scratch as evidenced by Apology and now this. But I will get the end of Salty Sweet edited and post after things calm down next week. Thanks to everyone who keeps nudging me and for your patience.

Also I like to personally reply to all my reviews but I'm behind on those too. I'll get caught up soon.

So this was written before I watched tonight's finale so it clearly doesn't follow canon….… but is my version of what could happen when Paige and Tim go to Tahoe. This will be 2 chapters and the second one is mostly written but I won't have a chance to look at it again to finish and edit until the weekend.

Anyway, as always, thanks for reading and reviewing.

Enjoy!

Another Life

Tim pushed the door to their hotel room open and stood back to allow Paige to enter before him. The one bedroom suite was rustic but comfortably appointed with warm colors. A small kitchenette was just to the right of the door; there was a wood burning fireplace in one corner of the living room and a hot tub in the other. To the left was the door to the bedroom and, from her vantage point, Paige could see a king size bed and, just beyond, a plate glass window that looked out over the lake.

It was just after seven in the evening and Paige could see the last vestiges of the sunset glistening on the water and the sight was breathtaking.

"Nice digs," Tim said casually as he set their suitcases on the floor next to the sofa.

"Why are we in a suite?" she asked curiously as she stepped deeper into the room.

Tim shrugged. "It's the room Walter booked as part of his festival package I guess."

It didn't look like the kind of room Walter would reserve.

"Tim, we didn't have to stay in the room Walter booked," Paige said as she turned to look at him. "We could have gotten a regular room. This is too expensive," she insisted with a frown. The suite was clearly designed for a romantic weekend getaway and her stomach twisted a little at the thought that Walter was supposed to be sharing this suite with Linda.

"The clerk said the lodge is booked solid because of the festival," Tim replied as he walked into the bedroom to get a better look at the lake. "Besides look at this view."

Tim let out a low whistle and Paige followed him into the bedroom. She ignored the large bed in the center refusing to contemplate the implications of the fact that Walter had deliberately booked a suite that only had one bed.

"You have to let me at least pay for half then," Paige replied as she stepped up beside him. "I invited you and it's only right."

"Not a chance," He scoffed good-naturedly as he opened the window to let the cool night air into the room. "A gentleman doesn't let a woman pay for something like this."

She rolled her eyes. "I never took you for a sexist."

He laughed as he turned to face her. "Nothing sexist about this. It doesn't matter who invited whom, my mama would box my ears if she found out I allowed a woman pay for a hotel room."

"So your mother is the sexist then?" Paige teased as she smirked.

"Absolutely," he agreed and grinned with no hint of embarrassment. "Besides, the room was already paid for."

"Huh?" Paige said as her smirk faded and her brows furrowed in confusion.

"The room was prepaid in full by Walter when it was booked. I just had to put my credit card down for incidentals."

Paige bit her lower lip. "Then I'll take it up with Walter when we get back," she murmured to herself. When he'd offered the room to her before she left the garage that night, he implied that he almost forgot he'd even booked it. But clearly he'd put some thought into it to have paid for it completely in advance. Paige's stomach twisted again.

"In the meantime, why don't we go get some dinner? That was a long drive," Tim suggested as he stepped closer to her.

She wasn't sure she could even eat but Paige smiled and nodded her head.

He pressed his hand to the small of her back and guided her out of the bedroom and toward the door. She felt his fingers gently caress the silk fabric of her shirt. He'd done that on every one of their dates. Tim was very tactile and it was something she wasn't used to. But it felt good.

It felt incredibly good to feel wanted for a change.

As they stepped into the lodge hallway, Paige stopped and looked over at him.

"Everything okay?" he asked with a curious arch of his brow.

"I just…." she paused not sure what she was planning to say to him. "Thanks for coming with me," she finally said genuinely as her lips curved.

"Thanks for asking." He grasped her hand and entwined their fingers before lifting the other hand to sweep her hair behind her ear. "Now what do you feel like eating?"

Paige's ears had always been incredibly sensitive and the gentle caress should have made her shiver, but it didn't. Instead she pushed down the longing for another man's hands caressing her as she let Tim lead her away to dinner.

##############

"Hey, Walt, do you want to get pizza with me and Ralph?"

Walter looked up from the computer screen he'd been blankly staring at for the past few hours. He'd gotten nothing productive accomplished the entire day because he couldn't get the thought of Paige and Tim alone in Tahoe, together, out of his mind.

"I'm not hungry," Walter said brusquely.

He sat back in his chair and looked at the clock. They should have been there by now. They left early enough in the day after having dropped Ralph off at the garage. He was spending the weekend with Sly and Walter couldn't help feeling a little resentful that Paige hadn't asked him to watch Ralph.

But that was nothing compared to the resentment that had been brewing under his skin all week long, ever since Paige invited Tim to the jazz festival. But it was Walter's own fault. If he hadn't been such a coward and had just asked Paige to go to the festival with him, then he wouldn't be sitting here obsessing over what Paige and Tim were doing. Or what they very likely would be doing at some point over the weekend.

Just thinking about it made him nauseous. He knew it was a colossal mistake as soon as the words "with Tim" had come out of his mouth. He thought Happy was going to reach across the garage and slap him. And he wouldn't have blamed her.

After Paige and Ralph left Happy stomped over to his desk and glared at him. But when he looked up at her, she faltered and he wondered what she saw on his face that made her change her mind about berating him. He was just glad she did because there was nothing she could have said that was worse than he was saying to himself.

After a restless and sleepless night, he had decided to tell Paige the truth. When he heard her arrive at the garage the next morning he was halfway down the stairs on his way to her when the call from Mark Collins came in and they learned Toby had been kidnapped. By the time the team rescued him and they all had a moment to breathe with relief, he overheard Paige asking Tim if he wanted to go to the festival and Walter realized he'd lost his chance.

And now Walter feared that Happy was right – he was going to lose Paige all together, all because he was incapable to telling her how he felt.

"Walter?" Ralph's voice rang out from beside him and Walter turned to look at him.

"Hey, buddy, what's up?"

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us? You haven't eaten anything all day."

Walter's lips curved up because Ralph sounded just like his mother. Paige always had to remind him to eat and often scolded him when she would come in on Monday morning to find he'd hardly eaten anything all weekend long. He never could figure out how she knew but she did.

Walter wanted to refuse but the young genius was looking at him with the same worried look as his mother often gave him and Walter suspected that look would be his undoing one day.

"I guess I should eat something," he agreed even though he didn't want anything.

Walter was rewarded with a wide smile, yet another physical trait Ralph inherited from his mother.

"Cool," Ralph exclaimed as he turned to Sylvester. "He's gonna come with us Sly."

"Good, let's go. My blood sugar is plummeting."

"I just have to do one thing," Walter said as he grabbed his tablet and started typing. "I'll meet you in the car, okay, bud."

"Okay," Ralph replied before he followed Sly out the front door. "I call shotgun," he called out to the mathematician and Walter vaguely registered Sylvester's protest as the door slammed shut.

He quickly hacked into the Cedar Glen Lodge reservation system and found that the suite he'd reserved was now occupied and Tim had put his credit card down for incidentals. He quickly hacked into the lobby cameras and rewound them until he saw Tim standing at the front desk checking in. A few seconds later Paige walked up and Tim put his hand on the small of her back. They were laughing and chatting and Paige was smiling at him.

At least he knew they'd made it safely but suddenly Walter was feeling nauseated again.

###############

Tim held the door open for Paige again as she entered the suite.

"So is that how you got the job?" Paige asked as she tossed her purse on the coffee table. Tim had been sharing Navy Seal stories all throughout dinner; at least the ones that weren't classified.

He mainly shared humorous ones but despite how funny they were, Paige couldn't help but think that his Seal team was way more dysfunctional than her geniuses would ever be.

"Well I look cool in sunglasses, too, so that kind of clinched it," Tim replied with a straight face but it quickly slipped as his lips curved as Paige chuckled in response.

"And so very modest too," Paige teased as she toed off her sandals, lifting them with her fingers and walking into the bedroom. She dropped them just inside the door before walking into the bathroom.

She used the facilities and then washed her hands, looking at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were flushed from the wine she drank at dinner and her eyes a little glassy. She knew having that third glass of wine probably wasn't the wisest choice but she needed a little liquid courage for what was likely coming.

She splashed a little cold water on her face before walking back into the bedroom to find Tim sitting on the end of the bed checking his phone. He had brought her suitcase into the bedroom and set on the dresser against the wall.

"So what time does this thing start tomorrow?" He asked as he looked up.

"I think the tickets said ten," Paige replied as she walked to the dresser and unzipped her suitcase. "It's an all day thing but we don't have to go that early."

Tim stood up and walked over to her. Paige stilled when she felt his hands on her hips.

Before they arrived, Paige had assumed any room that Walter had booked would have two beds. Although she also assumed she and Tim would likely share only one of them, just having a second one would at least gave her an out if she wanted to slow things down. They had yet to talk about sleeping arrangements but as Tim lifted one hand and brushed her hair over her shoulder, Paige knew what he assumed.

"Tim," she said his name as she met his eyes in the dresser mirror. She could see his desire for her and watched as he lowered his head. When his lips brushed softly over the nape of her neck, she released a breathy sigh.

Paige wasn't sure she was ready for this but the way he looked at her made her, once again, feel wanted. It had been so long since she'd felt desired by a man and she couldn't help the soft moan that escaped her lips.

Clearly encouraged, Tim took that as an invitation to turn her around and kiss her.

As Tim's lips met hers, Paige closed her eyes and let her head fall back. She lifted her hands and gripped his shoulders gently as his arms came around her, trapping her against his chest. Slowly the kiss deepened as Paige lifted her hands and slid them into his short hair just as Tim turned them and walked her slowly backward toward the bed.

Over the course of their handful of dates, he'd kissed her goodnight each time. But the kisses were brief and nothing like this one. She hadn't been kissed like this in a very long time, slow and sensual and thorough. But unlike the kiss she shared with Walter almost a year ago, which was frantic and desperate and messy and passionate, Tim's kiss didn't steal her breath or make her dizzy.

Vaguely Paige realized she shouldn't be comparing Tim's kisses to Walters, particularly because she and Walter only kissed once and she and Tim had shared more. But she couldn't help it. The lips currently moving against hers were not the ones she wanted.

Before Paige could register their movements, Tim was guiding and urging her back onto the bed. He leaned over her and deepened the kiss further as his hand slowly travel up the side of her body, over her ribcage until his fingertips were gently caressing the underside of her breast.

Paige tried to respond, wishing she could lose herself in it and in him for one night. But despite his attention and attempt, there was no heat to it, at least not for Paige.

It didn't feel right because it wasn't the touch she wanted.

"Tim," Paige mumbled his name as she pulled her lips away and pushed on his chest at the same time. "I can't do this."

Tim lifted his head and looked down at her. The desire she saw in his eyes, even more intense than a few minutes ago, was humbling but she only wanted to see that kind of desire in one pair of eyes.

Why was everything she wanted tied up in a man who didn't want her back?

"What's wrong?" Tim asked. "Are we going too fast?"

Paige wiggled out from beneath him and sat up. He sat up beside her and she could feel his eyes on her as she rubbed her hands over her face.

"It's not that," Paige replied her tone laced with regret. "I just…." For once Paige struggled with words when they normally came so easily to her. She looked over at him and saw the confusion in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Tim. I haven't been fair to you at all."

Tim shifted slightly and Paige didn't need to look at his lap to know why he was uncomfortable. "You have nothing to apologize for, Paige. Why don't you just tell me what's wrong? Did I do something wrong here?"

"No," Paige replied quickly as she reached for his hand and squeezed it. "It's not you. I….I shouldn't have….," Paige paused briefly and exhaled a long breath before continuing. "I knew what this invitation looked like and I thought I could do it. But I can't."

"If you're not ready for this, that's okay," Tim reassured her softly as he squeezed her hand back. "We can take this at whatever pace you're comfortable with."

Paige smiled gratefully and she reached up and caressed his cheek. "In another life, Tim, I could have easily fallen in love with you," Paige said softly and the confusion in his eyes slowly morphed into understanding.

"But not in this one." A small almost sad smile curved her lips at the disappointed tone of his voice. "Because you're already in love with Walter," he finished and it was a statement rather than a question.

She held his gaze and finally nodded her head slowly but was unable to force the confirmation past her lips. Admitting it to herself was one thing but saying it out loud to anyone else was another. Her feelings for Walter were inconsequential. He'd made that very obvious.

"I knew it was a long shot, but you can't blame a man for trying," Tim said as he sighed.

"I shouldn't have led you on."

"You didn't," he insisted. "I think deep down I knew but I just hoped maybe I was reading it wrong. Anyone with eyes can see how he feels about you but you're very good at keeping your feelings close to the vest."

"I have well over a year of practice," she admitted quietly.

"I have to say I was surprised when you asked me. I was even more surprised Walter hadn't asked you to go with him but then again it's obvious he's desperately trying to deny his feelings."

"Walter is a master at denying and suppressing his emotions," Paige agreed because it was the truth.

Tim reached up and brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear again. "If it's any consolation, I'm fairly certain he's in love with you too. He just lets that big brain of his get in the way."

Paige shook her head. "Walter doesn't believe in the concept of love."

"Then he's lying through his teeth. And if you're being honest with yourself, you know that too."

And deep down she did know. Or at least she suspected. Or maybe it was just hope that got a little more shattered with each woman Walter pursued who wasn't her.

"It doesn't matter, Tim, whether he feels anything for me because he's unwilling to act on it. He'd rather just push me toward you or probably anyone, at this point."

Paige knew she sounded bitter but she couldn't help it. She could see the pity in Tim's eyes and it was almost as unbearable was it was to see the indifference in Walter's.

"Maybe we should just go home," she murmured as she stood up.

Tim stood and grabbed her forearm gently, halting her retreat. "Hey, Paige, look….. we just drove over eight hours to get here. Now if you really want me to take you home I can have you there by the time the sun comes up."

Paige realized she couldn't ask Tim to drive another eight hours back tonight but the thought of staying here with him, in the room Walter had booked for him and Linda to share made her just want to get the hell out.

"If you still want to leave tomorrow morning, we'll go," he offered. "But how about we just enjoy this weekend as friends? No hanky panky," he said lightly as he smirked and she couldn't help the soft chuckle that left her lips. He really was a sweet guy, one that would probably be very good for her, if only she opened herself up to him.

"It's been a hell of a week," Tim continued as his voice took on a more serious tone as they were both reminded of Toby's kidnapping. "And you deserve to relax a little. Come on," he encouraged, "we'll do some sightseeing, eat some good food, listen to some jazz tomorrow night and then we'll go back on Sunday after having a great weekend on Walter's dime."

Paige couldn't help it she laughed out loud. Leave it to Tim to lighten the moment enough to make her laugh. That was something he was very good at and a small part of her wished she felt something for him. It would be so much easier.

But she didn't want easy. She wanted Walter with all his awkwardness and obliviousness and low EQ. And despite his stupidity for throwing her at Tim, Paige wasn't willing to give up on him just yet.

"I guess it's a good thing Walter had the forethought to ask for a room with a sleeper sofa, Huh?"

"What?" Paige asked.

"The woman at the check-in desk said he was very insistent that the suite have a sleeper sofa. Maybe this weekend wasn't so much of a romantic weekend as you thought."

Paige tucked her bottom lip beneath her teeth as she mulled over Tim's words.

"So what do you say?" Tim asked gently as he stepped closer to her before he grinned mischievously. "You want to take a chance on a handsome Seal, who looks killer in sunglasses, to show you a good, platonic time this weekend?"

Paige laughed and slid her arms around his waist as she hugged him. His suggestion was just what she needed.

"I'll take that as a yes," he murmured as he hugged her back.

################

Walter turned his head to stare at the clock for the sixty seventh time in the last one hundred and fifty eight minutes. It was just after three in the morning and he had yet to fall asleep as the night crawled by at a snail's pace.

Every hour, every minute, every second that ticked by was one more that taunted him, reminding him that he was here alone while Paige was in Tahoe with Tim.

Every time Walter closed his eyes all he could see were Paige and Tim together, the Seal's hands all over her, making her whimper and moan writhe and it made Walter's palms sweat. His stomach was in a constant state of nausea and it felt like there was an elephant sitting on his chest making it difficult to breathe.

But then again, maybe that was just Ferret Bueller who was currently sleeping on his chest. The small animal seemed about as restless and agitated as Walter was most of the night and had chattered in his cage, loudly and incessantly, until Walter finally let him out.

The ferret scurried across the loft apartment to one of the chairs in the main living area which had a sweater of Paige's hanging over the back. She'd left it there a few days earlier and the small animal tugged it down and only calmed down once he'd curled up on it.

When Walter had finally shut off the lights and headed to his bedroom, he heard scurrying again in the living room. A few minutes later Ferret Bueller climbed up onto Walter's bed dragging Paige's sweater in his teeth. He crawled all over the genius until the ferret finally settled his chest with the sweater bunched under his small body.

The soft lingering scent of Paige's lavender perfume surrounded him but that still didn't calm him the way her scent usually did.

And it was just one more thing taunting him and reminding him he was an idiot who very likely just lost the woman he loved.

Thanks again for reading.