Author's Note: Another Fringe/TSCC crossover fic. That is…absolutely not the angsty romance thing I said I'd write next. Angsty romance is still on my computer, but for now we have another not-to-be-taken-too-seriously fic, much like certain episodes of Fringe. I'm jumping forward here again, which doesn't mean I won't jump backward or sideways, should I revisit this place again. Enjoy the lighthearted crazy, and review if you're inclined to be that awesome.
Disclaimer: Not mine, wish they were.
She looked into Olivia's eyes as she held the gun. That was beyond disconcerting, even for Sarah. Those fucking eyes. Three pairs of the same fucking eyes, one of them locked on her. And the gun.
It'd been years since she waved a weapon at a Bishop, and Peter wasn't one for grudges. Olivia was probably more pissed than he was. Sarah remembered it distinctly. The swearing, the threats that Olivia would kill them both if they didn't stop trying to kill each other. Sarah admitted now that it hadn't been her finest hour, but that was an especially long day.
That was what, a decade ago? At least. Sarah couldn't remember. It wasn't even nine in the morning, there was no fucking coffee in this place, and she had three pairs of the same green eyes to contend with.
Another long day.
She wasn't actually holding the gun on Henry Bishop, wishes aside. It was on the coffee table between them, barrel pointed in his direction. Not ideal, but enough to make the point, judging by the fear in his eyes.
Fuck.
She sat in a home that wasn't hers. With two Olivias, one of whom was hers. That woman occupied the space next to Sarah on the couch. That woman, who Sarah loved more than almost anyone, was currently crushing her hand. This might or might not be an attempt to keep her from going for the gun.
Across from them, on another couch that wasn't theirs sat a redhead with blue eyes. She was special, one of two people who came before Olivia on Sarah's list. It was a high honor.
Savannah was also one of a very select few who could look at Sarah when the brunette leveled that particular glare. Henry's eyes kept flicking downward, but Savannah held her ground.
Barely.
"All right," said a quiet voice. "Who wants to start?"
A chorus of conflicting voices tore through the silence.
"What were you thinking?"
"We didn't mean for-"
"Of all the-"
Astrid released a loud, piercing whistle that brought quiet again. From the chair she'd pulled up near the coffee table, she surveyed the two factions. Savannah Weaver and Henry Dunham on one couch. Loveseat, actually. Their parents, biological and otherwise, claimed the other side of the room. A redheaded Olivia leaned on the arm of a recliner. Peter Bishop stood by the fireplace, staring into unlit depths.
Astrid looked around, scanning the room. "I think we need a pillow."
"Sorry?" This came from the Olivia by Sarah's side.
"A pillow. Actually, it doesn't have to be a pillow, just something we can pass around, so we're not talking all over each other. We had one during my cousin's intervention." Astrid's eyes narrowed under the scrutiny of the group. "Hey, you asked me here. On a Saturday. If anyone has a better idea, speak up."
No one did. There were no pillows in the immediate vicinity. Rolling her eyes, Sarah picked up the gun with her free hand, causing Henry to flinch. Ignoring Olivia's nails digging into her palm, Sarah ejected the clip, setting the empty weapon back on the table. "This work?" she asked, holding up the gun magazine.
"Perfect," Astrid replied, taking the object from Sarah. "Now. Whoever has the talking clip, they have the floor. So, who wants the talking clip?"
Obviously pained, Savannah raised her hand. Smiling encouraging, Astrid passed her the clip. "Okay. Go ahead, Savannah."
"Fine," the redhead replied, regarding the clip with bemused disdain "Can I just say, I think this is a tad excessive? I mean-"
"Excessive?" Sarah prompted. "If this is excessive, what would you call last night?"
"The first time I ever wished for death?"
"This isn't the time for your clever little-"
Astrid held up two hands. "See this? This is exactly why we need the talking clip. Sarah, would you like to respond to Savannah? With the talking clip?" she added quickly.
"Good God," Peter muttered under his breath.
Scowling, Sarah held her hand out. Savannah pushed the clip across the table. Sarah held it in a death grip." I agree that this," she nodded towards Astrid, "is completely unnecessary. No offense, Astrid."
The FBI's best codes analyst nodded, unfazed. "Sometimes it's good to have a mediator," she said. "Someone unbiased."
"And sane," Savannah muttered.
Astrid shot her a look and Savannah stopped talking. "Unbiased," Astrid repeated.
Sarah wasn't sure, but she thought Olivia, her Olivia, might've met Astrid's gaze. The pair of them might or might not be reliving the incident with Peter and the gun.
"Look," said the blonde Dunham, "We're not angry-"
"Like hell we're not," Peter interrupted, turning to face the rest.
Olivia ignored him. "You just…this was a shock. You have to understand that."
"I didn't know you'd be home," Savannah retorted. "You told me you'd be out, so I-"
"Used the opportunity to fuck on our couch," Sarah finished.
"Don't say it like that," Olivia ordered.
"I'll say it the way that I saw it, Olivia."
Savannah finally lost her nerve, along with Sarah's gaze. Henry blushed, skin turning a shade that was close to his mother's hair. "May I please have the…talking clip?
"You mean you haven't had enough yet?" It was the first time she'd talked to him recently. First time with his clothes on, anyway.
"Sarah," Astrid said.
Gritting her teeth, Sarah threw the clip in Henry's direction, nearly taking out his right eye.
"Miss Connor," he began, hands shaking a bit from the rough catch.
"Don't do that."
"Sarah?" he tried hesitantly.
"Worse."
Sarah read the word 'ma'am' on his lips, but he never spoke it aloud. "I'm so sorry," he said instead.
The eyes. Olivia's eyes and Peter's face. Jesus. "I am too, You might want to get that thing on your ass cheek checked out."
"It's a birthmark," his mother said helpfully. "I made sure."
"Mom! For God's sake!"
"What?"
"You don't have the talking clip. And even if you did, do you have to say things like that?"
"It's my house. I don't need a damn gun clip to speak in my own house."
"Those weren't the rules," Henry argued.
Savannah squeezed Henry's hand, then wilted under Sarah's scrutiny.
Sarah watched in grim satisfaction as 'the kids' as they always were in her mind, scooted as far away from each other as they could. Didn't make much difference on the cramped loveseat.
"I think it might help," Astrid stated, "if you put away the gun, Sarah."
"Agreed," Savannah said eagerly,
"It's empty. What am I going to do with an empty gun?"
"The last time I saw you with an empty gun," Liv stated, "the guy you used it on needed reconstructive surgery."
"Are you trying to give me ideas? Sarah asked. "I'm not putting the gun away."
"You don't have to," Liv said from her place by the recliner. "My house, my rules. Rule on guest weaponry is temporarily suspended."
"Thank you." Sarah paused, eyeing her girlfriend's double. "Sometimes I don't hate you. Your son though-"
"I know," Liv agreed. "I have this taser, stun ray thing in the basement. New toy from work, experimental. We could-"
"Let's not," Olivia cut in, remembering why Sarah and Liv shouldn't be in a room together for long periods. "I don't think we need violence here."
"Thank you, Olivia," Henry replied, smiling at the woman who could've been his mother. Was her, in a sense.
Olivia didn't smile back. "I don't think we need violence. I haven't decided yet."
"Noted," Henry murmured, shoulders slumping. "Have we given up on this clip thing then?"
Astrid shrugged. "I tried."
"Oh for…" Without asking, Savannah snatched the clip from Henry's hands. "If it's the age thing, there's no age thing anymore. Peter, I know you don't like talking about it, but that hole in the timestream-"
"I remember," Peter replied. "Let's not relive it. I can't deal with timelag right now, Savannah."
Savannah ducked her head. "Okay. I'm just saying that it's not, you know… statutory."
"Savannah," Henry said from the corner of his mouth, hiding his face in his hands. "Please don't."
Olivia couldn't look at Henry when he was younger, not for a long time. Here they were again. With a warped sense of déjà vu, she spoke to her best friend. "Did you know about this?"
"If I knew about this," said Peter, "why the hell wouldn't you know about it?"
"I had to ask."
"No, you didn't."
"Hey!" Savannah's sharp cry drew everyone's attention. "'This;" she indicated herself and Henry, "is not that big a deal. I'm sorry you found out that way. It was stupid and wrong and humiliating. But do we really need to hold a whole damn war council about it?"
"We're not having a whole one," Sarah said coolly. "The bomb thing in Jersey is running long, but James promises to talk to you when he gets back."
"Joy," Savannah groaned. "I'm surprised he didn't dump the bomb thing to come here and ambush us like the rest of you."
"He wanted to," Olivia stated. "I talked him out of it. Which only worked because John lied about needing the help."
"And nobody's ambushing you," said Astrid.
"They are," Savannah argued. "They really are."
Astrid didn't contradict her this time. "Well, they're going to stop now. Right?" Astrid gave the older group members a look, which none of them returned. Sighing, she squared her shoulders and pressed on. "Would you mind telling us how long you two have been…seeing each other?" she finished, ignoring a derisive noise from Sarah.
The couple exchanged quick glances. Henry was the one to answer. "Six months. Since the tear in Colorado."
"Lovely weekend that was," Walter enthused, words and footsteps preceding him down the stairs. "Fantastic skiing."
"Walter," Peter said, bringing a hand to his temple. "I asked you to hang out upstairs for awhile. We're having an important conversation here."
"Yes, I heard. A family conversation. I'm family, and I'm thrilled for you both."
"We're not family," Sarah argued. It was more habit than anything else. Habit and a terrible mood.
"Oh nonsense, my dear. You've been saying that for ages, and you've always been wrong."
Walter was one of the few people alive who could do that, dismiss her so easily without consequence. He was also looking remarkably good for his age. As she had several times already, Sarah wondered if he and Nina didn't have a man-made elixir of youth hidden in the bowels of Massive Dynamic. The older woman was aging unnaturally well, something Sarah didn't want to be jealous of.
She was almost certain the two of them had cooked something up. Probably something that could be smoked, or mixed into baked goods.
"Thanks for the thumbs up, Walter," Henry said, clearly aware that his grandfather's endorsement only hurt his case.
"Not at all, my boy. Savannah dear, I'm so thrilled. Six months was it? I hope you bought her a nice anniversary present, Henry."
"I hope that the sex on my couch wasn't the present," Sarah drawled.
Savannah and Henry both tried to speak. Olivia put up a hand. "So. Since Colorado."
Sarah watched them nod, almost in unison. Most of the Fringe events had tapered off over the years, but there was still the occasional 'hiccup' as Walter called them. The hiccup in question had nearly torn the United States, both versions, in half. This required a joint effort between the two worlds. A particularly long weekend that had been. Even longer for Savannah and Henry, apparently.
Where had they found the time, much less the energy?
As usual, Olivia's thoughts were in sync with Sarah's. "I see. So while you should've been focusing on saving millions of people, you two were-"
"Don't," Savannah said earnestly. "I love you, and I'm truly sorry we kept this from you, but please. Don't question my ability to do my job. I know how to complete a mission, and I was as focused as the rest of you. I wouldn't put anyone in danger for some stupid fling, and neither would Henry. You did better than that with us. All of you."
Savannah gazed around the room, making eye contact with all of them. Astrid smiled softly. Liv's was more obvious. Peter shared a look with Olivia and in spite of herself, Sarah visibly relaxed. Walter took it a step further, clapping his hands twice.
"Well said, my dear. No one here is foolish enough to question your dedication to the Bureau. And speaking of, congratulations on your promotion."
"Thank you, Walter."
The words were genuine, but also laced with defeat. The promotion was what had them sitting here. Savannah got a raise in pay and status. That and a burst pipe had outed Savannah and Henry. The redhead had her own apartment, one that had been badly flooded while she was out of town on a case. She could've stayed in a motel while the repairs were done, but Sarah and Olivia wouldn't hear of it. They did hear about the promotion though, from Astrid. And then they cancelled a dinner for two so they could surprise Savannah with a celebratory night out for four.
Except there'd been five people in the brownstone, two of whom were already celebrating. Dinner was cancelled, but there had been a near-miss with a very sharp knife from the silverware drawer.
Sarah suspected that Astrid felt guilty for her accidental role in Savannah's utter humiliation and Henry's almost-castration. She wouldn't be trying to control this circus otherwise.
Or perhaps she would. Maybe there really was no fazing her anymore.
"So. Colorado," said Liv. The redhead didn't sound angry anymore. She now resembled nothing so much as a teenage girl gossiping at the lunch table. "How did that happen?"
"Well," said Walter. "In laymen's terms, the spatial vortex between the two worlds underwent a massive shift, causing-"
"Grandpa!" Henry interrupted, lowering his voice when the man stopped rambling. "I think they're asking for specifics on Savannah and I, not the event itself."
"Oh yes. Quite. Well, proceed my boy. Regale us with tales of young love in bloom."
Peter observed the ceiling. "Talk, Henry, but do not do what your grandfather just said."
"No worries, Dad."
Sarah shot Olivia a glance, saw that they were sharing a mind again. The exasperated half-smile, the way he curtailed Walter mid-rant…Henry was so like Peter. It wasn't that Sarah hadn't known this to an extent; they'd worked together a handful of times, Henry in his capacity as a Fringe agent on this side. They'd spoken, been on the same side in fights. This was different.
"I know," Liv said quietly, locking eyes with the other two women. "It's crazy, isn't it? Scares me sometimes. In a good way."
Of course. Of course they'd have the same thought, all three of them. This wasn't as alarming as it could've been to Sarah, not after all this time. Olivia's hand loosened in hers, and something in Sarah's gut followed suit.
"It was kind of Grandpa's fault," Henry admitted. "I know you didn't mean it," he added, noting the look of chagrin on Walter's face. "While you were all out doing damage control, Savannah and I…"
"We got stuck in a pocket universe," Savannah finished, as if she were describing a mildly eventful trip to the grocery store. "He trapped us in a pocket universe."
The shocked questions came from all sides. Even Astrid was caught off-guard. "I was just on the other side of the command center; I didn't see you go anywhere. Either of you."
Henry shrugged. "We were only gone a couple seconds in real time."
"Real time as opposed to what?" Olivia asked, dreading the answer.
"That particular universe," said Henry, "time was a lot slower. We were stranded for a couple weeks."
The cries got louder. There were curses. Despite a very low tone, Liv made herself heard over the rest.
"You," she said, staring daggers at Walter. "Put my son, and what might as well be their daughter," she indicated Sarah and Olivia. "In a pocket universe. For two weeks?"
Alarm bells were clanging in Sarah's head. She'd rarely seen the redhead lose her easy smile, the one that bordered on cocky. When that disappeared, there were storms ahead. Bad, bad storms. Mentally she calculated how long it would take her to move in front of Walter. Just in case.
Henry seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Mom. It's okay, I swear. You don't need to-"
"What if there was no air?" Liv pressed, talking over her son. "What if the air was poisoned? What if they'd starved?"
"We didn't," Savannah interjected. "Honestly, it was fine. The air was fine, we had plenty of food. There was a beach."
"Oh God," Olivia said suddenly, shaking her head.
"What?" Sarah asked.
Olivia swore, eyeing Savannah. "You were tan. All that lightning and hail, and you were tan when we came back." The blond half-turned to address her doppelganger. "I told you that. Remember? You kept shooting me down, saying I was crazy"
Liv managed to appear both defensive and sheepish at the same time. "I'm sorry, all right? Forgive me for not being as familiar with Savannah's skin tone as you are. I thought you were just sleep deprived. Sometimes I jump at shadows when I'm sleep deprived."
"I don't, I told you that. You didn't listen. You never listen."
"Really, I never listen? What about you? Do you never exaggerate?"
Sarah interrupted. Occasionally, it amused and aroused her to watch those two fight. Not so much today. "Walter. How did they get trapped in a pocket universe to begin with? On top of the earthquakes that almost buried all of us, how exactly does that happen?"
Walter took a long time to answer, looking at no one when he did. "I wanted coffee, you see. The regular machine wasn't working; you'll recall how spotty the power was. Anyway, I dug out my own model, only-"
Peter released a long, loud, string of curses. "Only you, Walter. Only you would worry about coffee during an apocalypse. Only you would confuse the coffee machine for the one that sends our children into a pocket universe during an apocalypse!"
"It was an accident, Dad."
"And it didn't take me long to fix, not at all," Walter added, buckling under all the anger. "Once Mr. Lee assisted me, we got them right back, no harm done."
"Lincoln helped you?" Olivia asked. She was in full interrogation mode, except she didn't normally display so much rage during interrogations. "Lincoln knew about this?"
Liv, predictably asked the next logical question. "Which Lincoln?"
Walter hung his head and bit lip. He resembled an elderly toddler.
"Dad. Guys," said Henry. "It's fine. It was fine. We just got stuck for a little while. We didn't know each other well, we had nothing but time, we got to talking." Henry shrugged, gazing fondly at Savannah. "Turns out I adore her."
Savannah rolled her eyes, but the blush gave her away. "Don't be corny for their benefit."
"I'm not."
Cautiously, Henry encased Savannah's hand in his. When he wasn't verbally or physically attacked, he kept it there, thumb running over Savannah's palm.
Sensing an opening, Astrid quietly requested the talking clip, which Savannah relinquished. "Okay. So you two really care about each other."
"Of course we do."
"Definitely."
"Well, then I don't see a problem here. I think that aside from the shock, our main concern was that this was just a-"
"It's not."
"I'd never do that to her."
"He wouldn't."
"Okay," Astrid repeated. "So this isn't a fleeting thing. This matters to both of them. They're happy. Doesn't that make a whole lot of difference?"
No one spoke, not right away. Peter was the one to break the silence. "So what you're actually saying is that you guys spent two weeks sunning on a beach while the rest of us worked like hell doing a patch job on the fabric of reality. Is that what I'm getting from this?"
Savannah and Henry exchanged glances, their linked hands going slightly white at the knuckles.
"It wasn't really two weeks," Savannah said finally. "More like ten days, twelve tops."
"I see. Well. Thanks for clarifying that. Who wants a drink?"
No one refused the offer, never mind it being hours before noon. Peter managed to carry an impressive number of glasses from the kitchen and back, while Liv retrieved a bottle from the top cabinet.
"Have you finally graduated to adult drinks now?" Sarah asked, reading the label.
"Learned from the best," Liv replied smoothly. "I'll always be grateful to you for teaching me the finer points of alcoholism."
"No problem. At least it won't be my carpet you puke on."
Walter didn't get a glass. There was an unspoken understanding that the oldest Bishop didn't need to be more impaired than he already was at any given time. Savannah and Henry were also left empty handed. Liv had taken it upon herself to pour, and she held a considerably lighter bottle between her fingers as she surveyed the youngest members of their group.
"So. You got to talking. Is that all you did for two weeks straight?"
"Mom," Henry said on a groan, a muscle clenching in his jaw. "I think everyone's heard enough about Savannah and I and our…"
"Sexual habits?"
"Mom!"
"What? I'm just trying to make sure you're being safe about things."
"Stop torturing them," Olivia ordered, sipping from her glass.
"I'm not," Liv refuted, her smile saying otherwise. "I'm making sure these two don't make the same mistakes I did."
Henry rolled his eyes. "Thank you, Mother. That's very much appreciated."
"Don't pout, Henry, especially in front of your girlfriend. You know I love you to death, but you damn near caused an interuniversal incident."
"I do know, Mom. You've been reminding me since I was twelve."
"Your mother's right," said Walter. "Better safe than sorry in these cases. In the early '70's, I had a brief dalliance with Farrah Fawcett that resulted in a scare for both of us. She was still with Lee Majors at the time, and it would've been quite the mess if-"
"Walter," Peter interrupted. "That never happened."
"There's no need to be angry, son. This was before I met your mother. Well, before we were seriously involved."
"Farrah Fawcett?" Savannah asked. "Really?"
"Don't encourage him," Peter ordered. "He makes things up, you know that."
"Yeah," Henry countered, drawing out the word. "But not all the time, Dad."
"I'll talk to him about it later," Astrid promised. She was usually best at separating the truth from the drug induced hallucinations, and she was as intrigued as Henry and Savannah by this small bombshell.
"Can we get back on track here, please?" requested Peter.
"Were we ever?" Sarah retorted.
Peter didn't respond. "I'm going to take a wild guess at why neither of you felt you could talk to any of us about this."
"It wasn't that we really wanted to hide anything," Savannah replied. "Honestly."
"We didn't want to get Grandpa in trouble," Henry explained.
"I appreciate your loyalty, Henry," Walter stated. "And yours, my dear," he said, smiling at Savannah.
"I don't" Peter retorted. "How many times have we asked you, both of you, not to cover for him? We need to know about things like this."
Savannah and Henry might have been ten years younger as they bowed their heads.
"You're just trying to build a case for me being senile," Walter declared. "You want to prove that I can't be trusted on my own, you want to put me in facility for people who are losing their faculties."
"Walter, you've never been trustworthy on your own, and you've been losing your faculties for a few decades now. If I wanted to put you in a home, I would've done it already. Don't be so paranoid."
Sarah sipped her drink and let the exchange go. She could've told Walter that Peter might well have placed him somewhere, if the son wasn't afraid of the lawsuits that would come if his father were to blow up an old folk's home. She also could've told Walter about the solution they'd agreed on a few years back. She saw no point in this though. She and Olivia had done pretty well during the straw drawing, and as long as nothing happened to Peter James or Liv, they were in the clear.
Astrid won the top spot. She'd only have to take responsibility for Walter if everyone else died. She'd claimed that this was the universe repaying her for all she'd already done for the man, and Sarah hadn't questioned that assessment.
"So," began Savannah, a hint of nervousness bleeding through "are those 'we're so happy for you' drinks or 'we couldn't be more disgusted with you' drinks?"
Peter held the bad cop pose a moment longer before breaking into a bemused smile. "What do you think, kid?"
"We could never be disgusted with either of you," Olivia added.
"Not counting those first few minutes after we walked in," said Sarah. She made a mental note to check out what new couches were selling for these days, once she was back in her own universe.
"You're both good people," Liv stated, handing Savannah the bottle. "Just be good to each other. Preferably in your own apartments."
Sarah nodded at the sentiment as Savannah took a quick swig before passing the bottle to Henry. They were as smart as two twenty-something's were ever going to be. Probably, everything would be good. And if it wasn't, if Henry wasn't, Sarah wouldn't have to employ John, Nina, or any of her other contacts to find him. It would certainly be less time consuming than it was with the last boy.
Putting that incident out of her mind, Sarah chose to hope for the best. Handing her drink to Olivia, she asked for the talking clip, which Astrid warily passed over. Making sure Henry was watching, Sarah reloaded the gun with exaggerated care before, tucking it beneath her jacket. She felt good, cautiously pleased. Whether that was due to warm looks on familiar faces or the comforting weight of a loaded weapon back where it belonged, Sarah wasn't sure.
"Well," Liv said. "Now that the ugly part's over, let's talk about the good stuff. Savannah, you'll have dinner here, assuming we can pry you away from headquarters for a few hours."
"Of course," the younger redhead replied. "If you're sure it's no trouble."
"None. But what are we going to do about the name thing? I know you don't usually like to address me directly-"
"That's not-"
"It's fine," Liv interrupted, smiling to prove it. "She's Liv, I'm Liv, it gets confusing. But if we're going to be seeing each other more than twice a year, we'll have to come up with something. Personally, I'm not averse to 'Mom."
"That's not happening," said Olivia.
"Not yet, you mean."
Henry cursed more quietly under his breath, while Liv pulled Savannah into conversation with her typical ease.
"We're never going to see her again," Olivia declared. "Liv will charm her into spending all her time here, and we'll never see Savannah again."
"She wouldn't goad you so much if you didn't let it matter," Sarah murmured, leaning close to Olivia's ear while Walter asked his grandson for further details on the pocket universe he'd been stranded in.
"It wouldn't matter so much if you didn't want to sleep with her," Olivia countered, voice equally low.
"I don't…" Olivia's expression made Sarah trail off midsentence. "I haven't slept with her."
Olivia downed the last of her drink and went for a refill.
"This is going to be so much fun," Liv enthused. "I have these friends, two couples. Their kids started seeing each other, and the parents got along so well that they became friends themselves. Took a cruise together last Christmas. Should I start checking ticket prices?"
Sarah raised her own glass to her lips. "I'd rather be stuck in a pocket universe with nothing but the Titanic and an ocean full of ice than take a cruise with you."
"I saw that movie, you know," Liv retorted. "Last time I had to spend a couple days on your side. If you want to reenact the drawing scene, just say so. I took a couple art classes in college."
Henry swore more loudly, advising his mother that flirting with Sarah was strictly off limits now. Liv made a token apology, then invited everyone to stay for breakfast. Booze and waffles were apparently a fabulous combination.
Sarah leaned back, surveying a living room that wasn't hers, filled with people she'd tried very hard not to care about. While Peter quizzed Savannah on whether or not Nina Sharp had known about any of this, Astrid was expertly guiding Walter through recollections a road trip during summer break that nearly resulted in a half-brother for Peter.
It was going to be another long day.