Another Look
By Relm
The life of Lincoln Lee was a complicated one. Well no, it hadn't started off that way. He had been a reasonably normal man doing a reasonably normal fed job. But then things got turned upside down.
He'd lost his partner. It had been sad. But then he met a woman, a very pretty woman. She made him temporarily forget about his pain. She had shown him wonders and horrors he couldn't have even dreamed of. And it had been worth it because as I said she was a very pretty woman.
But then he came into the picture. He just wanted to go home. Lincoln just wanted to help. And it seems that he wanted to help too. Wanted to help Lincoln catch her eye. Lincoln was so close to getting the girl of his dreams...
Except she changed. She wasn't the girl of Lincoln's dreams anymore. She was the girl of his dreams. He stole her away from him.
He wanted to be mad. But how could he? The Olivia he knew was slipping through his fingers. Forgetting a bit more of him every day. Being replaced by this equally enchanting Olivia. One that could never be his.
It's with a heavy sigh that Agent Lincoln Lee heads to Doctor Walter Bishop's lab that night. He really didn't need to go to the lab as the current case had been wrapped up. But the truth was he didn't really want to go home at that moment. It was too lonely there. At least at the lab he could be entertained by the eccentricities of Walter Bishop. He had thought the man odd at first, absolutely insane if I must be completely honest, but he was getting to like the older man very much. It was hard to wallow in your own self pity when the man was spouting nonsense about what the colour purple tastes like. (Apparently purple tastes like orange. Whether it's the fruit or the colour Lincoln will never know.)
Stepping into the lab the first thing that Lincoln notices is one of the newest pieces of furniture in the room. A ratty old sofa that Walter had 'rescued'. Peter had insisted of course the sofa be cleaned before it made its home in the lab.
The sofa itself wasn't what held Lincoln's interest. It was what was sleeping on it that made him give the couch a second glance.
She laid almost curled up like a cat on the ratty cushions. Her curly black hair framing her face like a halo on an angel. And did look like an angel as she slept like that.
Lincoln had spent most of his time with Fringe division mooning over Olivia that he rarely stopped and really looked at Agent Astrid Farnsworth. He was used to her big smile and reassuring eyes. She always seemed calm even in the strangest situations giving Lincoln reason to believe things would end up okay. Beyond that he never really looked at her. Maybe it was because he always had Olivia on his mind he never really noticed just how beautiful Astrid was. Well no, he did know Astrid was pretty any red blooded man would but just not that pretty.
She really did look like an angel.
Like a siren Lincoln found himself drawn to her. Before he knew it he was standing by the couch staring down at her. Her voluptuous red lips were parted as drew in each breath, chest rising and falling in turn. In the back of his mind Lincoln knew it was wrong to be watching Astrid sleep like this but for the life of him he couldn't remember why. It felt wrong when his eyes traveled from those enchanting lips to the other lower areas of Astrid's sleeping form.
Then like a snap to his brain Lincoln remembered why it was wrong and his eyes darted back to the safe zone of Astrid's face.
'What the hell am I doing?' Lincoln mentally asked himself but he still couldn't pry his eyes way.
Lincoln was surprised with himself. In all his obsessing over Olivia he had skipped over Astrid completely. Could it be that maybe he could end up having a thing for Astrid?
No... Lincoln was quick to dismiss the idea. He was just tired and not thinking clearly. Mistaking a normal male human reaction to a pretty lady as something else. Yes it seemed like a perfect explanation. It didn't exactly explain the quickening of his pace, the shortness of breath or how warm it suddenly felt in the lab but Lincoln was quick to ignore those symptoms. He was just tired. That had to be it.
"Are you staring at her because you're considering future copulation with her?" Walter's voice boomed into Lincoln's ear startling the agent.
Lincoln almost jumped a mile in fright. In all his musing over Astrid he had completely forgotten that it was Walter Bishop's lab he was in. "I-I-I was not thinking about that!" He stuttered out loud in a high pitched voice his face completely flushed with embarrassment.
Astrid mumbled and moved on the couch switching position. But still she remained sleeping.
"Really? It is true that most people tend to prefer mates that resemble themselves." Walter mused. "It's common narcissistic trait amongst men. However there is something to be said about pursuing a mate completely opposite to oneself. Quite exciting indeed."
"I wasn't thinking about Astrid that way." Lincoln insisted. But it was in vain as this was Walter Bishop he was talking to after all.
"Dilated pupils never lie. Unless of course one is high on drugs such as cocaine which can be a very delightful experience. Though you're not a drug user are you? So you much desire having sexual intercourse with Astrix." Walter concluded while tending to one of his experiments.
"It's Astrid. And no I do not want to have sex with her." His voice was almost whiny now. It didn't matter Walter was ignoring him. All he could do now was hope that Walter never voice his opinion of Lincoln's desires towards Astrid.
Whether it was right or not.