A/N: This popped into my head while I was at work today, and I got the giggles. It needed to be written! This is the usual fluff you'll see me write, with a dash of humor just for fun. I hope you enjoy, this is my second oneshot in two days! Please review if you read, I really appreciate it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fringe, or any of these wonderful characters. I do, however own the idea and the plot for this particular piece of fanfiction.
He had arrived at her apartment, under the assumption that he would be hanging around with her and the little tyke. Not a single part of him thought for a minute that he would be assigned babysitting duty while she was doing other things. "Care to tell me why you're leaving me alone with him?" He asked, and she shrugged, walking towards her bedroom.
"Just wait a minute, I need to get changed. Play with him, or something." She nodded towards the baby, who was looking up at Lincoln with eyes that seemed to say, "Okay, let's see what you've got. If you try the 'I've-got-your-nose' thing, I will scream". He was having fun with the little guy, better known to everyone else as Liam. He was having enough fun, that he didn't notice Olivia coming out of her bedroom.
She cleared her throat, and he looked up, immediately wishing he hadn't. He knew the reason she called, now. She was wearing a black dress that ended just past her knees. She had on high heels. She never wore heels. Her hair wasn't any different, but she was wearing more makeup than she usually did, and she had a black bag that matched her dress.
He cleared his throat, "So."
"So… I have a date."
He let out an incredulous laugh and looked at Liam, "Hear that, buddy? Mom's got a hot date tonight!" The baby gurgled and kicked his feet a little, looking at his mother, and then back at Lincoln. "You have a date. Who are you going on a date with?" He asked her, getting on his feet.
"It's no one you know." She said, tucking a strand of auburn hair behind her ear.
"All the more reason you shouldn't go with them. Okay! That's that then. Come on, let's watch a movie." He grabbed her and tried to lead her back to the couch when she laughed and pulled her hand away.
"Linc, stop it. I'm going on this date, whether you like it or not, Dad." She put her hands on her hips and took a stance that reminded him of Charlie for a minute, but he shook the thought away.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at her. He didn't want her to go. He just wasn't man enough to admit it to her, he thought.
"I think it's a great idea, for me to have one night to have fun and have someone take me out to dinner." She said, and he made a face.
You can get that here with me, he thought, but he didn't say it out loud. Oh, no. He wouldn't tell her that. Hell, she already knew he loved her, but apparently that hadn't made a difference, and they had both ignored that he had ever said it. He decided bringing it up again wouldn't be a great idea.
"I don't trust someone I've never met."
"You don't trust half the people you already know." She countered.
Damn it. She had him there. He didn't. But he especially didn't trust anyone with Olivia after everything that happened. He hadn't be able to help her before, but he would be damned if he was going to let her go out with someone that could have other intentions. "Seriously, Liv."
She arched a perfectly manicured eyebrow, "Seriously, Lincoln. I'm going on this date. He should be here any minute."
And perfectly on cue, the doorbell rang. Lincoln looked at Olivia, and she looked back at him before looking down at Liam, who looked back and forth between the two adults. "I'll be right back." She said slowly, before she went to the door.
Lincoln threw his hands up in defeat and plopped onto the couch next to Liam. "That's all I am, the babysitter." He said and Liam made a little noise. Lincoln looked at him, "Don't agree with her, your mother is a tricky one, you don't know what she's up to!" He said, and looked up when he noticed that Olivia had come back into the room, with the man he assumed was her date.
"Lincoln, this is Adam. Adam, this is Lincoln Lee, my boss."
Lincoln thrust his hand out roughly. "Hey." He said, his voice coming out tight.
Olivia gave him a look of warning before picking up Liam. "And this little guy is my Prince. This is Liam!" She said, grinning down at the baby, who gave a toothless grin back to his mother. "We're going to get going. Please, for the love of God, don't give him anything sugary again. He won't stop babbling if you do."
"What? He loves cereal, what am I supposed to do, not feed him?" Lincoln noticed that Adam was watching them warily from where he was standing and had barely said a word since entering the apartment. Lincoln resisted the urge to send a smug smile his way.
"He has formula in the kitchen. Just use that and everything will be fine."
"Yeah yeah, go have your date." Lincoln said bitterly and took the baby from her before sitting back down and turning on the TV.
Olivia eyed him for a minute before she seemed to have made up her mind about something. She turned around and looked apologetically at Adam, "Sorry for taking so long. Let's go."
He said something to her quietly that Lincoln couldn't hear, and he glared at the man's back as the two of them walked out the door and left the apartment.
It was late. The baby was asleep, but Lincoln was not. Olivia still wasn't home. He couldn't help it. He knew she was capable of taking care of herself, but he had called her at least 4 times and she hadn't picked up. He was paranoid and too afraid to lose her when the last thing they had done together was fight. About what to give Liam to eat. It was ridiculous, the entire thing.
He heard keys in the door, and leapt to his feet, from where he had been sitting on a chair next to Liam's crib. He walked to the door and opened it before she could get the locks undone, and reset the alarm after she pushed her way inside. "You're home late." He commented, and she held up a hand.
"You're going to wake Liam."
"He sleeps like a rock; he's not going to wake up. I'm just curious. What were you two doing that he had you out so late? I was worried."
"Yeah, I gathered that after you called me four times during my date."
Lincoln scowled, "Forgive me for caring about your safety, Olivia."
Olivia narrowed her eyes, "Don't give me that. What is your problem, anyway?"
"My problem?"
"Yes, your problem! All I'm trying to do is go out and have one night of fun where I don't have to always worry about Liam and his safety. That's why I called you, because I knew you'd take care of him. I asked you to do one thing, and you were moody the whole night and rude to Adam."
"Well sorry if I don't want to be nice to a guy who probably only has one thing on his mind!" Lincoln blurted, and regretted it when he saw her eyes flash.
"Excuse me?" She took a step closer to him, and he stood his ground, refusing to back up.
"I saw the way he was looking at you, Liv."
"First of all, I don't care how you think he was looking at me. Second, what I do or don't do with my sex life is none of your business."
Lincoln flinched. He didn't want to think about her with other guys. Ever. "I'm not trying to tell you what to do." He said calmly.
"Then what are you doing?" She nearly shouted, and he lost it, he completely lost it.
"I'm trying to tell you that you don't need to go out with some jerk to be happy! You don't need to make up excuses to get out of the house because I'd go with you! I'd try to make you happy! I think I can make you happy and I want to try to do that! I don't want you to go out with Adam, or anyone else, because I love you, dammit!" He was breathing heavily, and he involuntarily backed away from her, afraid of what he'd do if he didn't move.
He watched her carefully. She opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, but changed her mind at the last second and launched herself at him, kissing him like he had always dreamed she would.
Her hands were on his face and he shook himself out of his stupor so he could respond. He kissed her with a hunger that he didn't know he possessed, and let out a small groan when he heard her sigh. The strength of his embrace nearly lifted her feet off the ground. He pushed her backwards, against the living room wall, and ran his hands down her stomach, as her arms wound around his neck. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him, and she gasped.
He slowed the kiss down so all he felt was her, and her warmth, and he felt her melt into him even more, if that was possible. He was consumed by her, and the delicious strokes of her tongue, and he thought, for a frightening minute, that his emotions were going to get the best of him and that he might let out a tear or two.
He broke the kiss and let go of her slowly, wanting to never let go, if he could have his way. She let out a breath and they both tried to regain control. He was afraid to look at her, but she beat him to it and met his eyes with something like a guilty smile gracing her face. "You don't have to say anything…" He started, but she shook her head.
"You love me." She said breathlessly, "You love me, and you love him," she looked in the direction of Liam's room, "and you care about me so much that you interrupt my dinner by calling me four times to make sure I'm okay."
He didn't know what to say, but he was he was horrified to feel tears welling up in his eyes as she continued, "You helped me give birth to my son in China Town." She said, her voice starting to sound choked up, "You knew what I did and how I got pregnant and how I betrayed you, and you still loved me." She whispered, and he saw her start to cry.
"Look at me," he demanded, and she did. "I would do anything for you." He said forcefully, "Anything." He took a breath, "Because you're right. I do love you. And I do love him, and I'd do anything to make sure you were both safe."
She took a step closer so they were only inches apart, and brought her hand up to his cheek. "I don't deserve this. I don't deserve you."
A tear leaked out of his left eye, and it was a minute before he spoke. "This is the second time you've seen me cry, you know."
She laughed and it was like music to his ears. "Linc…"
"Wait." He said, "Are we going to do this? Are we going to try to… to try to…" He couldn't finish his thought. He was too freaked out that she was going to say no.
"If you want to try." She said, and he thought he was going to explode from happiness.
"Are you kidding? Of course I want to try, Liv, you're everything and I just have always wanted-" She cut him off with a kiss, and as he wrapped his arms around her, he swore he could hear Liam laughing from the crib in the other room.
