WriterFreak001:

I'm still very upset with the finale, but renewal or no renewal, we all need to help each other out and provide the best therapy we can offer. I was furious with how Paige treated Walter, embarrassing him in front of everybody, listing his faults and failures, not even giving him a chance to explain things, and I hated how everyone just left Walter and blamed him for things out of his control. I could rant all day, but then I wouldn't be able to write the content below.

Title | Fading

Fandom | Scorpion (CBS)

Description | Post Season 4 Finale. My attempt for a fix-it fic between Waige. I promise it'll get better.

Rating| This fanfiction will be rated T.

Disclaimer | I don't own Scorpion. (And at this point, I'm kinda glad.)

"You sometimes think you want to disappear, but all you really want is to be found."
― Kid Cudi

Fading

Chapter One

~ SCORPION ~

He should have never trusted them.

He should have never offered them a home… a place to belong… a family….

What family? Walter slammed his suitcase shut and roughly zipped it closed. If he had known… if he had only known that they were going to stab him in the back, steal his clients and disintegrate his company, he would have never given them a single damn thing.

But that was a lie, and he knew it. While he regretted ever taking a chance on her, he couldn't say he regretted mentoring her son. They had some good times, and the poor boy was caught in the crossfire. Not once had Walter seen him since his mother left his life for good, but he couldn't blame the child. After all, it was initially Walter's fault everything went sideways. He was mature enough to at least acknowledge that.

He would admit that inviting Florence was not a good idea (regardless of not knowing her feelings), but he stood by his argument that nothing happened, and nothing ever would happen. He made sure of that when he flat-out turned down her dating proposal, angry at the blonde woman for even asking him such a thing. After Scorpion's funds were nearly depleted, Florence didn't stick around and sought work in Elia's chemistry division. For a while, whatever was left of Scorpion was just him and Cabe…, but eventually, due to the company not making enough revenue, Cabe was asked to handle Team Centipede instead.

Walter gave him his blessing when he had left, and even though he didn't voice it, he hoped Cabe would look out for Paige and Ralph… keep them safe. Walter didn't have that right anymore, and he doubt he ever would.

Two long, cruel months of Scorpion following in Centipede's shadow eventually destroyed Walter's reputation, and he was forced to apply for a computer tech job at a university to pay for his loans and outstanding bills.

Scorpion was then no more.

It was a stupid dream anyway.

After working at the local university for a month, Walter was able to use the money he saved to purchase a small apartment downtown, and he was currently in the process of moving. Without a company… without a cyclone… it was a waste of space and money to continue living in the garage. And besides, the sooner he got rid of that thorn on his side, the better. There were way too many memories in that loft that he wanted desperately to forget.

And luckily for him, he was meeting up with an interested buyer the next day to settle the sale.

As he headed down the steps from the loft to the former office space, he glanced back up the stairs and took a deep breath.

This was for the best.

Slowly exhaling, he descended the rest of the stairs and dragged his suitcase across the hard floor as he strolled towards the entrance. He paused before touching the handle and took one last moment to look around the very empty space. Once Scorpion lost its revenue, he had to sell almost everything to keep Cabe onboard for a while.

His eyes swept the office area and stared at the column next to where she had sat. They had shared their first kiss there… That had been an experiment too. One which also eventually lead to heartbreak.

He closed his eyes and blew out a breath as he blinked back his tears.

He wouldn't cry. He refused to cry. She didn't deserve his tears.

Once everything he was carrying was in the trunk of his car, he sped away from the garage, hoping to never see that godawful building again.

That afternoon, he drove to a phone store and switched out his phone for an international one. Then he went to the bank and withdrew all the money he had left before going back to his apartment. He made sure everything was still packed and nothing was forgotten. Once the sale on the garage was complete, he was going to deposit that money into his bank account and wirelessly transfer it to a new account that can be accessed far, far away from Los Angeles. The money he recently withdrew was for travel expenses until he arrived at his destination.

Walter didn't sleep a wink that night.

"Thank you for your time, sir. I hope the garage fits your needs as it once did mine," Walter said with a forced smile as he shook the tall, broad-shouldered man in front of him. "I best be going."

"If anyone is to look for you, where shall I send them?" The gentleman asked politely.

Walter hesitated for a moment and drew in a slow breath before answering. "Tell them… not to look for me." He dipped his hand into his pocket and tightly clutched two notes in his hand. After a few seconds, his shaky fingers lifted them up towards the man. "And if a mother and son named Paige and Ralph ever stop by when you're around, give them these." Without another word or explanation, the genius left, climbed into his car and drove off to the bank.

There wasn't a heist this time.

He had most of his belongings shipped to his destination in small increments over time, leaving him with only a luggage bag and a small backpack to bring with him. He met with his landlord and terminated his lease agreement effective immediately. He would no longer need to live there anymore.

Without so much of a trace, Walter picked up his belongings, dropped them into his trunk and then slid into the car after shutting the door. And without anything to hold him back, he said goodbye to Los Angeles, perhaps forever.

It was time for Walter Patrick O'Brien to go back home.

WriterFreak001:

Please let me know what you think! :)

This is the first real inspiration I've had for writing waige stories in months (strange, huh?)

This was originally going to be a one-shot, but like I said, my muse took over.