In case anyone asks...I'm a bit pressed for time in regards to working on "History Repeats Itself" and will update at my earliest convenience. The muse was calling me again...

Disclaimer: I don't own Fringe or any of the characters. I just have on freaking imaginative mind with them.

Spoilers: set in the "Subject 13" storyverse but will probably advance into the future as the story progresses. Assuming that both Peter and Olivia were both around 7-8 during that episode this story begins around 1-2 YEARS after. Nothing epic. Mostly fluffy. Just let me have my fun here.


1987

The first sign of trouble Walter saw was that the lock on the Daycare Center door had completely melted. Parts of the door itself seemed scorched. Walter knew he had an intruder on his hands at this point. But he didn't think to arm himself as he walked on in. Something in him told him he didn't need to.

He had only return here to retrieve some more file boxes since the closure of the daycare not too long ago. He didn't want to close it down. William and Nina had both pressured him to with the rising of universal imbalance. There was nothing major going on in this universe yet. But lots of terrible things were already happening in the other universe, Peter's true home.

He heard scuffling coming from one of the rooms and against his better judgment went towards it. He opened the door and froze. The girl who was lying on one of the beds in room 8 made no attempt to move or even respond to the man who found her.

"Olivia?" Walter smiled. "This is a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?"

Olivia didn't respond. As Walter got closer, he realized that in the last year and a half since he saw her, Olivia had no looked very skinny and her face was dark. Both eyes were now blackened and there were sore red spots on her cheeks.

Anger boiled up in Walter. He knew her stepfather had done this to her. It was worst than last he saw her.

"He's done this to you again, Olivia? You can come with me. We'll see to it that that bastard be sent away from you for good."

He reached out to pull Olivia by the hand. But she moaned and said, "he's gone."

"Gone?" asked Walter. "What do you mean, he's gone?"

Olive's eyes began to water. "I shot him."

"You shot him?" But in Walter's mind, he was thinking 'good'. "Child, where's your mother? Why are you here?"

"She dropped me off here." She looked over at the two small suitcases packed with her clothes by her bed. "She doesn't want me anymore."

This made Walter angrier. "That's not acceptable…for a mother to abandon a child over a justifiable action."

Olivia sniffled. "We should go to the police," said Walter.

"No please! I don't want to go to jail!"

"Olivia, you had every reason to do what you did. But I can't, in good conscience, have a 9-year-old child be left here all alone. Where will you go? Where will you live?"

Olivia looked up at Walter and pleaded, "can't I just stay here?"

Walter smiled. "If only it were possible. The Daycare is soon to be taken over by new management. It won't be the same place it once was when we were here." Olivia understood. It would become a standard daycare and it wouldn't be the type that would accept someone who can do the things Olivia does.

"Get your things, Olivia Dunham," said Walter. Olivia didn't move. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"We're going home," he said.

"My mom will be mad if I come home," Olivia cried.

"Not to your home, my dear. I meant to my home. It's very far away from here, but it's still a home for you."

After Walter gathered his things, he and Olivia were on a small plane back to New York. Olivia had never been on a plane before and felt sick the whole flight.

They then drove hours into the New York countryside. They saw lots of snow during the drive but it wasn't snow that she was conjuring up. This was real and natural…a beautiful sight in comparison to life in the trailer park she felt trapped in back in Florida.

They entered a lovely looking lake house.

"Walter? Is that you?" A nice familiar looking woman came into the living room and she was shocked to see the little girl that appeared with Walter. "Elizabeth, we have a guest that will be staying with us. Her name is Olivia."

"Walter, isn't this one of your children? From Jacksonville?"

"I'll explain everything in due time, dear. But please for now could you clear up the guest room for Olivia?"

Footsteps could be heard descending down the stairs. "Mom, I can't find my green sweater."

"It's being washed, Peter."

But the little boy who appeared at the stairs did not hear his mother. Instead, Peter froze upon seeing his father and the girl that was with him. Even now he still remembered her.

And Olivia just grew the biggest smile on her face. "Hi."

"Hi," said Peter, who now bore nervous smile.

Walter could see that there was no need for introductions. "Peter, son. Olivia will be staying with us for a while. I'm sure she would love for you to show her around."

"Okay," he said.

Walter nudged Olivia as she went to Peter and the two children went upstairs. Elizabeth was very worried as she looked at her husband. "Walter, please tell me. You didn't bring her here to…"

"No, of course not, Elizabeth!"

"But you've talked about it," she said. "How she might be able to take Peter back."

"That was a long time ago. And Peter has been much happier with us since then. I thought you wanted this."

"To be honest, Walter. I don't know what I want anymore."

"What do you mean? You want me to take him back?"

"I…" Elizabeth was trailing off. "I don't know. I'm sorry." She left Walter alone and waited for him to retread to his office until she could go to her secret stash of liquor in the kitchen and drown herself in her fears and worries.


Upcoming in this story: Peter and Olivia catch up on old times and get to know each other. Walter and Elizabeth continue to have angst.