No infringement intended, no money made, the characters belong to Bad Robot. Here's hoping for a mind-bending season 3!

This is my alternate ending for the Fringe season finale, the way it would've gone had I been in charge... xD

Title comes from the MGMT album, Congratulations, which I've been listening to a lot lately.

Part 1

Peter couldn't believe he was standing here, again, with Walter, helping to set up some crazy looking instrument that looked like a prop straight out of Back to the Future. He hoped it was going to get them out of here as quick as possible. He and Olivia had not spoken much after stashing Charlie in a closet and driving here. He was still a little shocked. Shocked that Olivia and Walter had crossed over just to warn him. Shocked at the paper she showed him and said the Observer had given to her. He wanted more answers about the machine, about the DNA sequences in the drawing, and why him?

A thousand questions were running through his mind, he also wanted to ask William Bell about what he meant about him 'holding up well', but there was no time to ask any of them. Walter was plugging in cables and adjusting knobs and flipping switches. It was too much like the bridge incident, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. His mind was in overdrive and he was trying to help in any way he could, no more "network cable unplugged" this time around. Not like this thing had a screen or anything helpful that might tell them what was wrong if they couldn't get it to work. He could only assume this movie prop reject was the way to get back over, the key to opening the doorway. If it was this easy, why was the other side making bridges appear and disappear? Another question for later.

He was sure that someone or many someones were hot on their heels, he could feel them pressing down on him, like a tingling in his nerve endings, like he wasn't alone. He'd felt strange ever since he woke up here, but not in a bad way. Like he was in a new, freshly pressed suit. Or like he'd been given a new set of eyes to see with. The colors here were so different, he was at times entranced by them. They were saturated with reds and glowed with a quiet fire, so unlike the other side. And the light was beautiful, he caught himself more than once staring at the play of light on his hand or on the waves of the sea at his mother's house, trying to see if any of it was familiar to him. At times, he felt like he'd won the golden ticket to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. And then Olivia showed up and burst his bubble. But he was still grateful to her. And reluctantly, to Walter. Deep down he had suspected it was all too good to be true.

The floor shook as a bomb went off outside and he turned his thoughts off. He suddenly became very worried about Olivia. And of course Bell, too. If they didn't make it back, what were they going to do? He would have to run, he was good at running. Him and Walter on the run. Would he bring Walter? Or would he leave him to fend for himself in a strange world?

He looked at Walter and their eyes met. Walter was contrite, worried, guilty. Somehow in the few minutes he'd seen him, he'd seemed more child-like, more fragile than he'd seen him in a long time. Peter was trying to keep his cool and not say anything, telling himself this wasn't the time for talking about heavy subjects, they needed to keep their focus. But he couldn't help himself. If these were their last few minutes in any universe, he needed to know something.

"What really happened to my mother?" he tried not to sound angry but it came out that way any way.

The question caught Walter a little off-guard. Of all the things he thought Peter would ask him about, his mother's death was not even in the top ten.

"She was killed in a car crash, you know that," Walter told him.

And Peter looked away. It wasn't the answer he wanted. Wasn't even in the same galaxy as the answer he was looking for. He wanted the truth and Walter was still pushing the same old story.

"Is she here?" Walter softly asked Peter.

"Yes," Peter said with a razor's edge to his voice.

Walter was shocked that in all the mayhem he had forgotten there was an alternate Elizabeth. And that he had met her all those years ago and lied to her. He had promised her something and then broken it. But she wasn't his Elizabeth and so it made it rather easier in a way. What would he say to alter-Elizabeth, given the opportunity to speak to her again? Should he apologize for his actions? Apologize for his alternate self's actions? That he hadn't wanted to disappoint her on the other side or make her any sadder than she already was, hadn't wanted to rip her son away from her twice which would've surely killed her? But he was happy that his son had gotten the chance to see her again. His real mother. And now he felt guilt at taking him away again.

"How was she, Peter?" Walter asked.

"She looked good. She was happy." It was all he could say about it. He was leaving her behind, the mother he'd lost twice and he might lose her again for a third time. Focus, focus, focus!

"Is this thing going to work?" he said to Walter a bit forcefully to change the subject.

Walter studied his son for a moment and the wheels in his head started turning again as he remembered they were in a very dire situation.

"We don't have enough power. Olivia had the others to get us through. I--I don't know if--"

"What others?" Peter interrupted, confused.

But Walter nattered on, there was no time to explain. "I don't know if she has enough strength to get us through. How do I even know if the batteries are charged on this? I didn't build this version." He was back on the knife edge of panic and losing his balance.

Olivia and William Bell came running in.

"Walter, they're here," Peter said to him.

Olivia stood beside him, no worse for the wear, but she was focused on the two men.

Walter Bishop and William Bell, two old friends separated by an entire universe and years of animosity, were sharing a moment and Peter was about to lose his patience and tell them to get on with it. Incredible, he thought and looked over at Olivia, that at a time like this of course his father wanted to get into an argument with Bell. He was actually a little surprised Olivia wasn't yelling Walter's name get him to stop and focus. She had that special gift to put Walter in his place. But her gaze was intent on the device and the two grumpy old men. He stared at her hair and her face, something was off about her, she moved differently, she felt different to him. Had something happened outside? He heard the exchange between Bell and Walter, but he couldn't shake the nagging feeling in his brain that something was wrong.

"I did it because you asked me to. Because of what you were becoming," Bell said.

The sounds of gunfire behind them prompted Bell to place his hands up and into the energy field. Streams of light began to pulse through his arms and Peter could feel it all around him, making the hair on his arms stand up. But he didn't break his gaze on Olivia, or the other Olivia if he was right. She reached over and grabbed his hand. She caught his eyes finally and smiled up at him. And with a jolt, he knew.

He felt the energy racing through him, the air shimmered and the sensation of being turned inside out was getting too familiar. But Peter acted quick, without reason, just knew that what he was doing was the right thing to do. It was beyond rational thought. There wasn't even time to think, it was all guts and no glory. He threw himself at the impostor who was attempting to sneak back with them. A wolf in wolf's clothing.

"Peter!" he heard Walter yell from far away..

He rushed into her as hard as he could, pushing them both backwards out of the pulsating ball of blue light and energy and onto the floor. The wind knocked out of both of them. The air crackled for a split second with electricity, there was a bright blue flash, and then there was silence.