Insomnia

No in FRiNGEment intended. I'm just playing with the characters. Who wouldn't?

Note: set after "Bound"…. The last scene of the episode was calling for a proper closure… So here you are. I'd love to hear what you think…

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"Livvie? Liv…"

Olivia Dunham opened her eyes. Her right arm was numb from her niece sleeping on it and she felt totally drowsy. Her sister's face was only inches from hers and she looked alarmed.

Suddenly she felt alert and nodded. "Yes," she answered softly, her hand slipping away from the girl's hair. "What's going on?"

"I hate to wake you up but I think you should see that. It's weird."

Weird.

That was definitely not a word Olivia was anxious to hear anytime soon, especially not in her sister's mouth, especially not now. She had put away her gun when she had come home a few hours ago and she would have hated to be unprepared should somebody choose to attack them for some reason.

"Weird? Weird how?" she asked, hoping it was only a matter of finding sheets or changing a light bulb.

"I think… there's someone in front of the building and he's watching your apartment," Rachel whispered, careful not to wake up her daughter.

Olivia swapped carefully her weight on the edge of the couch and untangled herself from under her niece. In two steps she was out of the room, thrusting Rachel out. She retrieved her gun from a cabinet and faced Rachel.

"Calm down Rach. There's no need to panic," she instructed when realisation sank in that Rachel was actually more afraid of her weapon than she was of an intruder. "I will have a look now, you don't need to worry. It's probably someone waiting for his girlfriend to be ready or pondering whether he should go home after a fight."

"I… --I'm no cop, but I don't think so. He's been staying put across the street and and…"

Olivia gestured her to sit down, killed the lights and proceeded with caution to the next room and to the main window. Rachel had pulled down the blinds. There was no way she could get a good look outside with the blinds down.

"You see him?" Rachel's voice was slightly hysterical. "A scruffy guy in a derelict family wagon."

Olivia turned around, a smile twitching her mouth.

"I should have called the police but it's your place…" Rachel continued.

"Right, -- my place, my call," said Olivia.

Lifting up the blind with the barrel of her gun she gave a good look outside to the beige and brown old family wagon and waved.

"Rach, don't bother…"

"How am I supposed to do that Livvie? He's been there for the last two hours. He scared the shit out of me!"

"I said don't bother Rach," she switched the light back on. "I know him. He works with me."

"You mean you work with professional stalkers now?"

"He's not a… --you wouldn't understand."

"He's not from the Bureau is he?"

Olivia sighed. "It's been a tough couple of days Rach. You wouldn't understand.'

"You're telling me it's your friend out there but he can't even come to your door and have a word with you? Why can't he call you and have a decent conversation?"

"He's just worried, he's my friend. And he can't sleep…"

"Okay. I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear what you just said sis. I guess I'm not the only one with a problem. Sleep tight."

Olivia watched helplessly her sister leave the room and sighed again. She was not sleepy or tired any more and sleep will probably elude her until the wee hours. Rachel was right. She will invite Peter in for a last nightcap. She went to the front door and opened it.

He was gone.

-o-

So? What do you think? Good idea?