THE GIRL NEXT DOOR – chapter one
Peter had expected Olivia to arrive at the lab a lot earlier then she did. Glancing at the clock on the wall told him it was just after 12. 8 was the latest, ever, for Olivia. Broyles hadn't called, they had no cases that Peter knew of, but Olivia was a work Nazi. She had no other life, knew no other life, and since she had returned, she would completely engross herself into her work, hiding behind stacks of paperwork.
Whenever she wasn't at the FBI building, she was hiding in her office at the lab. Emerging once or twice for a quick snack and a coffee refill, that was it.
He had mentally hit himself for the coffee incident. Double and triple checking each time he got her coffee now just to be careful.
He'd bought her a coffee when he got one for himself. That was at 8 when he turned up, expecting to see her in the office or have Astrid tell him she was at the FBI building. Not 4 hours later getting out of a car that was definitely not hers.
He and Astrid had left when Walter started his 'autopsy' of a man who Broyles had delivered. Peter really didn't want to be around for it and Walter demanded that Astrid fetch him some raspberry liquorice. Not Peter. It had to be Astrid. Peter sometimes wondered if Walter knew he existed when they left the house.
They were returning with 3 pizza boxes. Peter had gotten half a pizza with Olivia's favourite toppings, in case she turned up. Which turned out to be a good idea. As they rounded the corner from the parking lot, Peter watched a blue sedan pull up to the side of the drop of zone.
A woman with straight blonde hair got out, closing the door behind her. The women he recognised as Olivia leant back through the window of the car, talking with the driver. As he got closer, he saw the driver. Another woman, her hair a chestnut brown, or what looked to be brown through the front screen.
When Olivia saw Peter, she waved goodbye to the sedan driver as she pulled out back onto the street. She walked over to Peter, Astrid continuing on with a pizza and Walter's liquorice.
"Hey,"
"Hey. Everything okay? You weren't here this morning." Peter asked,
"Huh? Oh yeah. I asked Broyles if I could have the morning off since we don't have a case. I wanted to come in this afternoon and finish up on some paperwork."
"Sleep in?"
Olivia threw a quick glance over her shoulder at where the sedan had been moments before. Peter didn't know if she realised she had done it, but he certainly had.
"I guess you could say that." She wore a smile that Peter had never seen on her. She seemed happy. Peter began to wonder who the hell the woman in the car was. A friend? Olivia never mentioned friends, he didn't think she had any other then Charlie. But whoever she was, she seemed to make Olivia happy.
Despite his slight confusion, he was glad she was having some time off. Even if it was just a few hours.
"Oh, I got you a coffee. But I think after 4 hours its cold." Peter joked.
"Well, it's the thought that counts." Olivia just smiled up at him as they walked to the lab.
oOo
Their day included 3 hours of paperwork. 2 hours of Walter rambling and experiments. And 1 hour of hearing Astrid's annoyed yells from out in the lab. The day went by slowly. Half day an all. By 7pm Peter and Olivia combined, had only finished one of the mountainous paper stacks. The other contained what Peter had called 'Walter reports".
Broyles rarely visited the lab and had entrusted Peter and Olivia to write up reports on what happened at the lab during cases. Usually just Walter's experiments and what damages had been done. These were usually easier to write, occasionally fun when reminiscing over whatever had happen.
Olivia had just started a new folder when her mobile vibrated on the desk next to her. She took one look at who the sender of the text message was from before writing a quick reply and hitting send. Moments later her phone vibrated again, she replied. This continued on for a few minutes until she read one message which made her blush.
"I, um, I need to make a call. I'll be right back." She smiled at him. Peter nodded and turned back to the paper in front of him.
He heard Olivia stop just outside of the office door, closing the door partially. Peter strained his ears to hear what was being said.
". . . . I know, and I'm so sorry. If my making it up to you is anything like those texts . . . . . yeah . . . ."
Peter heard Olivia laugh at something, and when he turned to look at her, she was blushing brightly, and her face looked nervously excited.
She smiled widely, "that only seems fair," she managed to say before laughing at whatever the other person had said,
She hadn't noticed Peter listening or watching her, "well don't get too many ideas, I've been writing up reports all day. My hand won't be very useful tonight . . . . . . ."
Peter felt his face redden at the sentence. Jealousy? Embarrassment? He couldn't tell the difference anymore.
"Uh huh, may-be," she said, still laughing, "You too. Bye."
She hung up, slipping the phone into her pocket before returning to the office. She was still smiling widely, trying, and failing to keep things professional.
"Big date?" Peter pried. He was interested. Couldn't help himself. Not after hearing what he did.
"Why are you interested?" she was still smiling,
"Professional capacity," he grinned at her from across the desk, "of course."
Olivia just shook her head, she knew he was lying, "Just dinner with a friend. But," she indicated to the pile of paperwork, "we had to push back our . . . plans." She paused before the last word, trying to find what fitted properly.
"This friend?"
Boy or girl. Boy or Girl! Was all that was running through Peter's head.
"Kate. Moved in the apartment across the hall a few weeks ago." She explained.
"Kate just went through a bad break up." Olivia's smile faded slightly, "we have that in common. Sort of." She smiled weakly at him, Peter grimaced at the memory, "but anyway, it's nice to have a friend who doesn't know what we do. Someone to just be able to relax with."
"She's a temp-nurse, so the late hours work well. Midnight scary movies." She smiled at the last part.
"Well, I can finish up here. Just need to write a bit more. You go and have dinner. Relax. Be normal." He offered. He was a tad curious about the phone conversation, but Peter had a habit of over thinking everything Olivia did. Worrying if she ever found another man to be with. But Kate's a girl. He was good now.
"You sure? I can stay, Kate won't mind?"
"Yes. I'm sure. Now, go. Be normal."
Olivia smiled. "Thanks Peter. I'll make it up to you." Peter blushed slightly, recalling her earlier conversation on the phone.
She gathered what she could and left the lab eagerly. Saying quick goodbyes to Astrid and Walter.
oOo
It was quarter to ten when Peter decided he'd call it a night. Astrid had taken Walter home a while ago, but Peter wanted to finish what he could while he was in the 'zone'. Might as well do it before you realise the time and then end up doing it the next morning.
He had 4 reports left and decided they could wait. Sleep couldn't.
As he was leaving he noticed Olivia's blazer hanging on the back of her chair. At least he had a reason to go around and visit her.
It was 10:30 when he arrived at her apartment building. It was pitch black and eerily silent. Her apartment building was smaller than most. The first and second floors only had 2 apartments per floor, they were the biggest. The others above them had 3-4 apartments each level, but were much smaller. Olivia was lucky. She lived on the second floor. She liked it. Enough room for Ella and Rachel for when they visited and she only had one neighbour, which was now this 'Kate' woman. She didn't have to fret about rustling around during the middle of the night when called out and waking her neighbours.
Before she'd moved into that apartment she'd just been starting out at the FBI. 3 in the morning call outs, midnight returns. Her neighbours didn't like it very much.
Just as Peter pulled into and parked in a space opposite her building he saw two women waltzing down the street, arms linked, giggling like school girls. He recognised one to be Olivia, her blonde hair and slim figure recognisable no matter what the distance. The other must have been Kate. They disappeared into the lobby of the building and Peter went after them, Blazer in hand.
As he rounded the corner to Olivia's apartment he was stopped dead in his tracks by the sight in front of him.
The brown haired woman, Kate, had pushed Olivia against the wall next to her apartment door. Their lips locked in a passionate kiss. They were the same height, Olivia's hands tangled in Kate's brown wavy hair. Kate's hands moving up and under Olivia's shirt. The higher Kate's hands ventured, the more skin Peter saw of Olivia's stomach.
Peter saw Olivia fumble for the door key in her pocket, managing to unlock her door and open it without breaking their heated kiss. They moved towards the door, arms and lips locked together, un-breaking, un-noticing of Peter standing there in complete shock-awe.
He waited until the door shut before silently approaching it. He could hear their laughter and soft moans through the wooden door. He wasn't sure whether he should knock or not. He decided to leave the blazer. Placing it neatly on the ground he knocked twice and made a mad dash to the stairwell, disappearing just in time as Olivia opened the door. Seeing her blazer she looked around, catching a glimpse of someone's leg as they rounded the corner.
Knock and run. How mature. He thought to himself as he left her building and headed home. All he could picture now was the two of them. Together.
Peter had nothing against lesbians or bisexuals or gays. But he couldn't overcome the shock surprise of actually seeing one of his best friends and the women he loved being with another woman.
There were going to be a lot of questions and awkward moments tomorrow.
A/N: not really sure where that came from.
I'm gonna write this a quick, plot-less, smutty story.
Besides I wanted to write a story to make up for Butterfly Effect – since that's going absolutely NOWHERE! Help needed on that one folks.
Please REVIEW. I need love and support right now after the fringe episode 3x13 :'(