It was a quiet Saturday afternoon in the middle of March. The sun was shining brightly, making the small amount of snow that still remained on the ground sparkle like tiny diamonds. Brighton was beautiful this time of the year, in the early spring, when the cold winter weather started to disappear and the heat from the sun started to find its way through the thick grey clouds once again. One of her favorite things about living in Massachusetts was the early hours in the morning, when the sun was rising.
Olivia Dunham sat at her kitchen table in her apartment with a cup filled with steaming hot coffee in her hand. There were a few work files scattered on the table in front of her, which was not that unusual. Almost every night had been spent with a glass of whiskey in hand whilst looking through old case files. Sleeping more than a few hours every night had been something she had never been able to do. But he had changed that. When they had finally acknowledged their love for each other and begun a stable relationship everything just seemed to get better in an instant. There had been a few obstacles in the beginning, most of them caused by her inability to trust and confide in people, but other than that they were just like any other couple.
A small smile formed on her lips as she thought about him. About his perfect smile that made her melt, his soft brown hair that she loved to draw her fingers through and his absolutely perfect body. As she picked up her coffee and continued scanning the information in the files she heard the front door open followed by the familiar footsteps of her boyfriend entering. She looked up as he entered the kitchen in his old sweatpants and a grey sweater.
"Hi! How was your workout?" She said with a smile as he leaned down and kissed her.
"Sweaty." Peter said as he moved to stand behind her and wrapped his arms around her, putting his chin on her shoulder. "Would've been more fun if you'd been there though."
"Ugh. Get off!" She said as she pushed him away. "You're all sweaty and…ick."
"Oh, you don't like it?" He said with a smirk as pulled her back against his chest and nuzzled his head in the crook of her neck. Olivia laughed and tried to push him away once again but he continued teasing her. "See, you do like it!"
"Nooo. Stop it!" Olivia said with a laugh. "You need to go and shower and I need to get this done." She continued as she looked up at him.
He had a huge smile on his face. His smile. She could still remember the first time that she saw it. That day in Baghdad, three years ago, when she first met him and brought him back to Massachusetts against his own will. It felt like a lifetime ago. So many things had changed since then, both her work and her personal life. Olivia had brought him back so that she could get his father's help to save the man she loved at the time. But she ended up losing him anyhow. Then Broyles came along, trying to get her to begin to work for him at the FBI, which she had refused and told him that she was happy with her current job. I just want to go back to before, she'd told him after he had showed her a few files with cases linked to The Pattern. But at the end of the day she had joined Fringe Division anyway. For the last three years they have solved all the unexplainable cases they got and seen things that no one could possibly imagine exists. And although it was horrible, she loved it.
Their friendship had been strong. Even though neither of them wanted to admit at first, they had cared for one another from the beginning. When Peter decided to stay and work with her and Walter, it had not been only because she threatened him, but also because he saw that she needed it. He could read people. I'm usually pretty good at reading people, that's sort of what I do, he'd told her over their first coffee together. There had been something about her that made him feel like he had to stay and help her. He had never met anyone like her; there was no one like her.
After she had come back from the other side and found out everything that happened while she was away, she did what her instincts told her to do; retreat. The time when she and Walter had traveled to the other universe to bring Peter back, and she confessed that she did had feelings for him by telling him that he belonged with her, was a great step for her. She had always kept people at an arm's length, staying in the background and trying to blend in to avoid getting hurt. She had been hurt both physically and mentally her entire childhood and that made her struggle with both commitment and trust issues. But she trusted Peter, and that made her realize that she wanted to be with him. Even after the things they had been through.
"Fine." He said as he massaged her shoulders gently whilst looking down at the files that lay on the table. "What are you working on anyway? I thought you had the day off?"
"I do…I just need to get this done." Olivia answered slowly.
"Need any help?" Peter asked as he grabbed her coffee.
"No, I don't think so." She replied with a smile. "Did you see Walter today?"
"Yeah, I stopped by the house on my way home." He said as he walked over and placed the cup in the dishwasher.
"Is he doing okay? I mean, with you staying here more…" She asked slowly as she turned slightly to look at him.
"Yeah, he seems fine." He answered with a shrug. "Astrid was gonna come over and play monopoly with him tonight. He's made an entire bowl of his homemade strawberry ice cream."
"That sounds like Walter." She said with a smile and turned back to her work.
"You hungry?" He asked as he walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of beer.
"No, not really." Olivia answered without looking up.
"Have you eaten anything since breakfast?" He asked with a frown. When he did not get an answer, he tried again. "Olivia?"
"What?" She said as she looked up. "No, I didn't."
"Olivia." He sighed as he put down his beer and sat down next to her. "I thought we we'd talked about the working and skipping meals thing."
"Peter…" She said slowly as she looked over at him.
"Olivia…" He said softly as he grabbed her hand and kissed it gently.
"I'm sorry, but I got caught up with this and then Rachel called. " She said with a smile. "But now that you mention it, I'm actually a bit hungry."
"Well, I'm just gonna take a shower and then we'll order pizza?" He smiled and leaned and kissed her softly.
"Yeah, that sounds good." Olivia answered with a smile.
"Wanna join me?" He asked as he stood up and gave her a playful smirk. "To help the environment, you know."
"The environment?" She asked with raised eyebrows.
"Yeah. If we shower together, we save hot water." He answered simply but she could see the mischief in his eyes.
"Well, I can't really say no to that, can I?" She said with a grin as she stood up and faced him.
"No, you can't." He whispered as he placed his hands on her sides and leaned down to kiss her softly before he took her hand and went upstairs.
Fringe – Fringe – Fringe – Fringe - Fringe – Fringe – Fringe – Fringe – Fringe
"We're really bad for the environment." Olivia said with a grin as she stepped out of the steaming shower and wrapped a red fluffy towel around body. Her soaked blond hair was hanging down on her shoulders, dripping down on her chest. "I don't think we saved any water at all."
"No, probably not." He said as he wrapped his own towel around his waist, leaving his chest uncovered much to Olivia's happiness. "But it was worth it though."
"It was." She said with a smile as she went to their bedroom to get dressed. A few minutes later she came back into the bathroom where Peter was currently putting on a new pair of comfortable pants. He smiled as she walked in, clad in sweatpants and his MIT sweater.
"I see you've found my shirt." He said with a small grin as he moved to stand behind her. "I should've known."
"It's comfy." Olivia replied with a shrug as she grabbed her hairbrush. She met his in the mirror and smiled softly at him. They had been together for a few months now and everything as going well. Although they had not moved in together, Peter spent most nights at her apartment. And as much as she actually wanted him to live there, she knew that would not happen anytime soon with Walter in the picture. Everyone knew he was not quite capable of living alone.
"Yeah, that's kind of why I like to sleep in it." He answered as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck before he met her gaze in the mirror once again.
"Well, you can't have it." She answered with a small yawn.
"Tired?" He said softly, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"A bit." She answered as she leaned back, letting him support most of her weight.
"What do you say about pizza and a movie on the couch?" Peter suggested and kissed her cheek.
"Yeah, I'd like that." She answered as she turned around in his arms and looked up at him. He smiled at her, his green eyes soft and filled with love. "If you order the pizza."
"I can do that." He said with a grin as he let her go. "Hawaiian or Pepperoni?"
"Pepperoni." She replied as he went to the kitchen to make the call. Olivia turned off the lights in the bathroom and went to her bed to retrieve one of the fluffy blankets that lay there. One of the things she loved the most about having Peter with her at night, was to snuggle on the couch wrapped in a blanket together.
As she walked towards the couch she felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen and she stopped to lean against the doorframe for a moment. She could hear Peter talking on the phone in the kitchen and for a moment she considered calling for him but the pain disappeared as fast as it came. She closed her eyes and pressed her hand against her abdomen as she exhaled slowly. Just as she was about to open her eyes she heard his footsteps.
"Pizza will be here in about–" he stopped abruptly. "Olivia?"
Olivia opened her eyes and saw Peter standing in the door opening between the kitchen and her living room. His eyes were filled with worry and confusion as he quickly dropped the phone and rushed to her side.
"Olivia, what's wrong?" He said firmly as he looked into her eyes.
"Nothing, my stomach just..." She said slowly as she felt the dull pain in her abdomen. "I think it's just cramps. I'm due for my period this week."
"Are you sure?" Peter said softly. "You usually don't even mention it."
"Peter I'm fine." She told him slowly. "I just got surprised, that's all."
"Okay, anything I can do to help?" He asked sympathetically.
"Actually there is." She answered with a small smile. "You can start the movie and then lay down on the couch with me."
"Oh, you wanna cuddle?" He teased as he smiled at her. "FBI agent Olivia Dunham wants to cuddle on the couch."
"What? You're telling me the con man doesn't?" She said with raised eyebrows and a playful smirk. "Let me guess. You're too insecure about your manhood for that."
"Insecure about my manhood?" He said and looked at her, his green eyes sparkling. "Do you remember who you're talking to here? I'm more than confident about my manliness. You of all people should know that."
"I do know that." Olivia stated with a grin. "Still wanna watch a movie?"
"Yeah, of course." He replied as he leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "I'm just gonna get a beer, then we can watch whatever you want. You want anything to drink?"
"No, I'm good." She said as she sat down on the couch. Peter nodded and walked to the kitchen. "When did you say the pizza was gonna be here?"
And at that moment the doorbell rang and the words 'Pizza Delivery' echoed through the door. Just as she was about to get up, Peter came back from the kitchen and opened the door. He gave the young delivery boy the money and a quick 'thanks' before he shut the door and handed her the pizza box.
"God this smells good." Olivia said as she opened the pizza box and grabbed a slice.
"Any movie preferences?" Peter asked as he sat down next to her and reached for the remote.
"Lord of the Rings?" Olivia suggested and leaned back against the couch with a slice of pizza in her hand.
"Oh, come on." Peter groaned as he turned his head to look at her. "We've seen that movie like 15 times this month."
"Please?" She said as she took a bite of her pizza.
"Fine, but I want to see the last one this time." He said and pressed the play button on the remote. "Happy?"
"Yes, thank you." Olivia answered as she finished her last piece of pizza.
"How are you feeling?" He asked as he leaned back and pulled her against him. "Any pain?"
"Just a little cramping." She mumbled. "I'm fine."
"I know you are." He said honestly as he placed one of his hands on her abdomen, providing warmth to ease the little pain she had. He hated seeing her pain more than anything. "Does that feel good?"
"Yeah, it helps a bit." She answered softly as she shifted to get comfortable. "Thank you."
A few hours later, Peter lay stretched on the bed with his arms around the half sleeping Olivia in his arms. She was practically lying on top of him, her head buried in the space where his neck met his shoulder and collarbone. One of her hands rested on his chest, just above his heart, and the other was gripping his hand. He could feel her warm breath on his skin every time she exhaled and he watched as she struggled to keep her eyes open. The movie was almost over, all Frodo had to do now was to throw the Ring in the fire, return to the Shire and sail away from his friends. Peter had always liked the three movies, but Olivia, she absolutely loved them. He couldn't even remember how many times they had watched them together during the couple of months.
The lights in the living room were dimmed, and it was almost completely dark with the exception of the TV and the light shining from the street and in through the window. When the movie had ended, Peter turned the TV off and pressed a gentle kiss to Olivia's temple to wake her up.
"Olivia, sweetheart?" He whispered as he squeezed her hand. "Come on, the movie is over, let's go to bed."
"M'sleepin." She answered, her voice muffled against his skin.
"Yeah, I noticed." He chuckled as he sat up, Olivia still leaning against his shoulder. "You missed the entire movie."
"No, I didn't!" Olivia protested as he helped her up. "Ask me a question about it and I'll tell you."
"You'd be able to do that anyway, since you've seen the movie more times than normal people have." He told her with a grin as he locked the door and walked to the bathroom.
"I'm not normal." She shrugged as she grabbed her toothbrush. "I'm a freak."
"Hey, stop that." Peter said firmly as he grabbed her wrist gently. "You know that's not true Olivia."
"I'm a test subject." She said nonchalantly.
"No, you were a test subject, and only because of them." He said firmly as he looked into her eyes. "And you're not a freak, Olivia. Don't think like that."
Olivia looked deeply into his eyes, those beautiful green eyes that told her everything he felt, anger - happiness - sadness - desire, she had seen them all. She had seen him get angry a few times, most of them at Walter. He had gotten irritated and a bit mad at her a few times, but never had she seen him get absolutely furious, or cry for that matter. After her car accident his eyes had been red and puffy, indicating that he had been crying, but she had never seen him actually cry. He had seen her a few times though.
Ever since she was a kid, she'd had this emotional wall around her that blocked everyone out and all of her emotions in. The people at her boarding school had called her Han, which had actually fit with her personality. She had always been on her own and tried to do everything without anyone's help. But now, with Peter, she allowed herself to be herself and open up to him. She had told him things that nobody else knew and also about how she really felt about things, something she had never been able to do with anyone else. Over the past three years, he had been there through the ups and downs. He offered her protection, a lot of love and affection.
"I know. I know." She admitted as she dropped her gaze to the porcelain sink, avoiding eye contact with him.
"And I love you for who you are, Olivia." He said softly as he put his hand under her chin and made her look up at him. "Don't ever doubt that."
"I don't." She reassured him as she kissed him. "And I love you too."
"I know you do. I mean, who doesn't?" He said with a smirk as he got under the covers on her bed.
"You, Peter Bishop, are definitely something else." Olivia said with a grin as she got under the covers next to him and kissed him softly.
"I love you, Olivia." He mumbled between kisses as he brought one of his hands to her waist.
"You are absolutely adorable, but this is not gonna happen tonight." She said in a whisper and smiled against his lips. "I'm feeling good, but not that good."
"Do you have to call me adorable when I'm trying to seduce you?" He said as he rested his head on the pillow and looked down at her with a small grin.
"Yeah, I do." She answered with a yawn. "Because you are adorable."
"Well, thank you sleepyhead." He whispered as he pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. "Sleep, Olivia."
"Mhmm." She mumbled as she closed her eyes. "G'night."
"G'night." He whispered softly and closed his eyes, letting the darkness take him in.
Fringe – Fringe – Fringe – Fringe - Fringe – Fringe – Fringe – Fringe – Fringe
Olivia woke up early in the morning. It was still pitch black outside her bedroom window. One of Peter's arms was wrapped loosely around her torso, his legs tangled with hers and she could feel his warm breath on her neck. As she shifted to look at the time on her alarm clock, she winced. She was in pain. Her stomach was cramping, worse than before. Worse than she had ever felt. She bit her lip as she tried to get out of the bed. With a faint moan, she managed to stand up and stagger to the bathroom, her hand pressed against her abdomen. As she turned on the lights and looked down, she saw the red blood that had soaked through her sweatpants.
"Shit." She said as she slowly peeled of her blood stained clothing and dropped them on the tile floor. Olivia quietly flipped on the water in the shower and stepped inside the shower cabin. She knew that Peter would most likely not wake up, since he was a pretty deep sleeper. As she looked down, she watched the pink tinged water go down the drain. It was more pink than red. But it was definitely blood. A steady drip, not a high amount, but definitely more than she liked. She wobbled backwards as she began to feel weak.
"Peter!" She shouted loudly as she began to panic. She did not know if he had heard her or not, but just as she was about to call for him again, she heard movement from outside the door.
Peter awoke to the sound of the shower running and the fact that Olivia was not by his side. He blinked a few times and brought his hand to his face to rub the sleep from his eyes. He glanced at the alarm clock and frowned when he saw the time. It was still several hours until they had to get up. Olivia had no reason to be taking a shower now. Something was wrong.
"Peter!" He heard the panic in her voice and he threw the covers off and rushed to the bathroom.
As he entered the bathroom, he felt his heart stop for a moment. The first thing he saw was the bloody clothes on the tile floor, but the thing that made his insides churn was her. His Olivia was leaning against the shower wall, her face was pale and she looked terrified. Peter watched the blood trickle down her leg. He was frozen on the spot, not moving, not breathing, but when she was about to sit down on the shower floor he snapped out of his trance.
"Olivia!" he said as he rushed forward and wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from falling. "Olivia, what happened?"
"I– I don't know. But it's not stopping." She said as tears of pain mixed with fear slid down her cheeks.
"Okay. Okay." He said nervously as he helped her out of the shower and grabbed a towel. "We're gonna go to the hospital, okay?"
"Okay." She said as she swallowed hard and tried to blink away the tears. But they just kept coming.
"Hey, hey, it's gonna be alright." He said as he helped her put on a new pair of pants and one of his shirts. "You're gonna be alright 'Livia."
"Peter, what's happening?" Olivia cried, even though she knew he did not have any answer to give her.
"I don't know sweetheart. But we're going to go to the hospital and you're going to be fine." He tried to reassure her as they walked out of her apartment and towards her car.
"I love you, Peter." Olivia said weakly as she grabbed his hand. Peter clenched his jaw and squeezed her hand firmly to keep himself from panicking as he drove quickly down the road towards the hospital.
"I love you too, honey."
AN: Hello everybody! My name is Rebecca, I'm from Sweden and this is my first story for Fringe (:
I absolutely LOVE Fringe and the people in it.
I don't own Fringe or any of the characters in it.
English is not my first language so there will probably be mistakes.
BTW if anyone discovers the secret song lyrics in the text, tell me ;)
Anyway, if you like the story and want me to continue, please let me know! (: