Hey, it's Erin. This is my first Fringe fic, and I'm not one hundred percent okay with it, but we'll see how it goes, right? Set somewhere after "The Equation". Peter/Olivia because, well, come on. You know. I really hope you all enjoy it. Please review.

Disclaimer:;; I do NOT own Fringe or it's characters, or else this scene would have actually occured...and I don't think it did.

He wasn't surprised to see her there, after hours. Her being the workaholic that she was. It was even less surprising to see her there at the lab table, with every beaker and work equipment pushed away, and surrounded by papers. A pen in her hand as she feverishly scribbled down whatever it was she was thinking about. It was impossible for him not to stop at the door and watch her for a moment. He wanted to read everything unseeable in her. Decode what it meant when she pulled her ponytail to rest on her other shoulder, when she tapped her nose with the pen when she stopped writing, when her lips twitched as if wanting to smile but unable to.

But she wasn't stupid, she was an agent, and could quickly catch on when someone was staring at her. Looking up, her eyebrow still furrowed as when she had been staring at the paper, her eyes met his. He did his best to act like he had just arrived, and shoved his hands in his pockets, trotting down the steps and offering her his best smile. "Hey Liv." He greeted her warmly.

"What are you doing here, Peter?" She questioned him. He noted how frustrated and irritated her voice was. And the way her face mirrored her tone. Peter glanced at her casually as he pulled a chair up on the other side of the table as her.

"I could ask you the same thing." He responded, leaning against the table, crossing his arms.

"I'm doing paperwork." She answered, looking away from him and back at the work. There was definitely something bothering her. He considered himself a good people reader, but an idiot could figure this one out. A braver man might reach out and brush his fingers on the back of her hand, and whisper to her to tell him what was wrong. But around Olivia, Peter felt like a coward. He never really met a girl like Olivia before. She was straight forward, but never said what she really felt. She was tough, and he knew it wasn't a mask. At rare moments, when he was at his best, he could get her to smile, or even laugh, but it was always followed by regretful silence. If he picked a fight with her, there was more than a slight chance she would win. She tried to pretend to not care, but he was positive she was the one that cared the most. And he just wanted to look at her, and have her allow him to really see her.

"Fun." He answered after a moment as he glanced at the table.

"Was there something you wanted?" She asked him, but when he looked up at her she wasn't looking at him.

"Yeah, to be somewhere besides my hotel room." He explained, smiling.

"What's Walter doing this time?" Olivia answered with the faintest hint of humor in her voice.

Peter chuckled. "Uh...oh, you know, just reciting the Fibonacci sequence."

"I'm sorry." She answered, finally looking up at him, smiling.

"Not as much as I am when he forgets his spot and starts all over again...five times." Peter answered and she chuckled. She turned back to the papers and her face resumed the former, frustrated, look. He watched her for a moment, but didn't want her to think he was staring, so he looked down at the table again. "So, tell me, Liv..." He waited till she glanced up at him, "Why are you here?"

"I already-,"

But Peter cut her off, waving his hand. "No, I mean, why are you here doing paperwork? Couldn't you be at the bureau?" He asked her, and watched as she understood and nodded.

"It's quieter here. At night, when everyone is gone. And I was tired of looking around, and knowing exactly what I was gonna see, there." She answered shrugging. He watched as she went back to work, her pen flying again. He was quiet and watched her. He couldn't help himself. Whenever he was around her, his eyes were drawn to her. She always seemed to surprise him, even when she did something he expected. After a moment she slammed her pen down on the table, and sighed loudly. Angrily, she started to pick the papers up, cramming them into a messy pile. After a moment, she sighed angrily again and just pushed the papers away.

"What's wrong?" He asked her after a moment of silence.

"Nothing...I'm just...I'm just tired." She answered shaking her head. He gingerly reached over and took the papers, pulling them towards him. He casted her a look that read I don't believe you. "I don't know...it's just...seeing that little boy...strapped to that chair like an experiment..." Her voice broke and he neatly piled the papers before looking back up at her, but didn't say anything. "I just don't know how much longer I can do this." He watched as she sat up straight again, and shook her head, looking away from him. "It's nothing, I shouldn't have said anything."

"Livvy." He whispered, even though they were the only ones in the room. "It's okay to be scared." He wanted to reach out and do just what that braver man would. He wanted to take her warm hands in his and make her promises he knew he would die to keep. He burned with the desire to do so, but he knew he couldn't. She wasn't like the rest of the girls; she wouldn't be so easily won. He'd just make her uncomfortable and screw things up like he always did. She shook her head and he pushed further. "I'm scared too."

"Of what?" She asked, finally looking at him.

"Lots of things. I'm scared of what will happen if I stay here...if I leave. I'm scared of slipping up and falling on my ass. I was scared that night I was taken by that man. I was scared to face my...father." He wanted to continue. He's scared that one day she won't run fast enough and get herself killed. He's scared that he'll say something that upsets her and makes her never look at him again. He's scared he won't be able to make her laugh. He's scared of telling her those things.

"I just..." She trailed off and looked away.

"But they need you, Olivia. That little boy needed you, or else he could have died. They all need you, Liv. To protect them...to save them." He explained her. Do it, Peter. Just reach forward and let your hand take hers. Come on, be a man for one damn time in your life. He had to look away from her, he couldn't risk screwing this up.

They sat in silence for a long moment until she finally spoke. "Thank you, Peter." Her voice held no sign that she had been on the verge of tears just moments ago, and Peter hurt for her. He hated the way she did that, concealed her feelings from everyone.

"Yeah." He answered weakly as he handed her the papers. She took them from him and put them in the file she had kept them in. Standing up, she fixed her jacket and turned to leave. But Peter was faster and scrambled off the chair, stepping in front of her. "Wait." He told her. She watched him expectantly, and his voice caught in his throat. Had that ever happened to him before?

"What, Peter?" She asked him after a moment, and he could see it in her eyes. She wanted him to say something. To keep her from leaving a minute longer. He longed to say something that would sweep her off her feet. But he couldn't think of anything that could easily charm her. Not with Olivia.

Her head tilted, and she looked almost disappointed, and her eyes flickered behind him towards the door. Think, damn it Peter, think! Instead he did the exact opposite, and just reacted. Stepping forward, he meant to place his hand on her arm to get her attention back, but instead he kept moving. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her to him. He could feel her react. Feel her stiffen for a moment, before her own arms hesitantly at first, wrapped themselves around him.

The scent of her hair was so effective, and it took everything inside of him not to nuzzle her neck like some sort of love sick couple. He sighed instead and leaned closer to her ear. "I'll be here for you...whenever you get scared." He whispered, wishing he could say more.

He could feel her nod slightly against his shoulder and he stepped back. She gave him a small smile, and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Peter." She said, and this time he could hear the gratitude and pain. He nodded and turned to watch her disappear out of the door without a second glance. The voice in the back of his head was silent, and he could have smiled in triumph for doing something that made it speechless. However, he was more discouraged knowing that the rest of the night would be full of tossing and turning, unable to think of anything but her.