All The Moments We Should Have Shared

Disclaimer: Yes, I do own Fringe… in another reality.

Summary: Amidst all the tragedy, it's so easy to forget that Peter and Olivia shared fifteen years worth of beautiful moments that we will never see, that they will never have. References to the Pilot (Specifically "And call me Sweetheart one more time, I'd really like that.") and The Day We Died ("There's no telling what the cost could be.").

And I'd give up forever to touch you

'Cause I know that you feel me somehow

You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be

And I don't want to go home right now

And all I can taste is this moment

And all I can breathe is your life

'Cause sooner or later it's over

I just don't want to miss you tonight

Iris, Goo Goo Dolls

Chapter 1: Iris Peter Bishop switched the two bags of Chinese takeout into his left hand before pushing open the door of his home. The home he had shared with his wife for one year now.

"Sweetheart," Peter called, walking in. He made a point to call her that often.

In all seriousness, his day had been one of those days, a day where Peter just felt hopeless. So many people, innocent people, were dying every day in fringe events. In the past, Peter would be in a bar somewhere right about now drowning away his sorrows. But he had Olivia now. He may have been the one who had turned on the machine, who destroyed the other world, but Olivia for some reason shouldered even more guilt than he did. Since the day Peter met her, Olivia was always on the verge of spiraling out of control. She just felt so much for everyone. If he succumbed to the depression, she would undoubtedly plunge right alongside him. Peter refused to see that happen.

Olivia dedicated herself fully to work. She protected everyone, him especially, she stayed in charge, made the decisions, and pushed for answers relentlessly. But Peter was the one who held her together, who made sure she didn't get herself killed, who made sure she never regretted a decision, and who made sure she never pushed too hard.

They depended on one another. They were everything to each other. It was what drove the hopelessness away every time.

"In here, Peter," Olivia answered from the living room.

Peter wandered in, takeout still in hand, to find Olivia leaned against the couch with papers and files surrounding her.

She glanced up at him briefly before returning to the papers but it gave Peter plenty of time to notice the deep-set, dark circles beneath her eyes.

"I still haven't found the link we were looking for between Kevin Myers and Connor Leland. I mean, for all appearances they never met each other which we know, isn't true. There has-"

Olivia stopped abruptly staring in shock as Peter began picking up all the papers and putting them back in their files.

"Peter! What are you doing?" Olivia demanded. She didn't sound nearly as affronted as usual giving Peter a decent gauge of just how tired she really was.

"Broyles called you to the scene at 3:00 in the morning and it's now 9:00 at night. And yesterday wasn't any better. I'm not sure I even remember the last time I saw you sleeping. You have to be exhausted. You are done with work for today," Peter announced with finality, setting all the files behind him on a bookcase.

He turned back to her smiling softly. He could almost see the internal struggle waging behind her eyes. After all these years, Olivia still had to force herself to let people care for her.

"I love you," Peter told her softly, breaking the last of her resolve as he gently tugged her into his arms.

She laid her head against his chest, sinking into his arms. She breathed him in deeply before murmuring into his shirt, "Love you too."

Peter kissed the top of her head reverently. "Come on, I've got dinner."

Taking her hand, he pulled her behind him into the kitchen. "Now sit," Peter ordered teasingly, dropping the bags onto the table, "We are going to sit here and pretend like we're a normal couple, eating dinner and talking about how our day went."

Peter pulled two plates and some utensils from the cabinet and sat down across from her.

Olivia grinned as she pulled a box of Sesame Chicken from the bag. "So, I'm trying to figure out how to make finding out two guys have mind control over animals sound like a conversation a normal couple would have."

Peter shuddered recalling the particularly gruesome crime scene. It had caused him to promptly add 'Being eaten alive by any animal' to his list of ways he did not want to die.

"Okay so we'll drop the whole normal thing. We're better than that anyway," Peter allowed, around a mouthful of fried rice.

"So what did go on at your end of things?" Olivia asked curiously.

"Hmm. I watched the surveillance footage you sent me of the attacks. It was nothing short of completely disturbing," Peter paused, considering something before he admitted, "I don't think we're ever going to be able to have a pet after I saw that."

"No judgment here. Astrid said she was going to close her cat up in her laundry room until those guys were dead or behind bars," Olivia said seriously.

"You were right though about the victims being random. I was able to read Myers and Leland's lips at one point during the video," Peter informed her.

Thirty minutes later, the two were stuffed full of Chinese, had a new theory to test out tomorrow, and had ate dinner together almost like a normal couple.

Peter stood up first from the table and started to collect the leftovers afraid that Olivia may actually fall asleep at the table if they stayed any longer.

"You were right about dinner. It was nice," Olivia conceded, moving to pick up Peter's plate.

"Of course I was," Peter smirked, snatching both his plate and reaching for hers, "You go get ready for bed. I'll be right behind you. Clean-up will only take me second."

Olivia narrowed her eyes and stared at him. "Peter-" she tried to debate.

"Olivia, I love you. Now go," Peter cut her off. Cupping her cheek lightly with one hand, he dropped a kiss on her lips.

She glared but marched off towards their bedroom nonetheless.

Peter shoved the rest of the leftovers into the fridge, put their dishes in the dishwasher, and wiped down the table. Like he had said, it took only a couple of minutes.

Peter made his way to the their bedroom, stopping to turn off the lights in various rooms. It was still pretty early to be going to bed but he wasn't sure when they'd get called in. It was best to sleep when they still could.

"Olivia-" Peter started to say before stopping abruptly. Olivia was on top of the covers, half hanging off the bed, fast asleep. He grinned at the scene, his heart aching with love for her.

Thankfully she was already in her pj's so he didn't have to worry about that. Gingerly, trying not to wake her, Peter maneuvered her to the top of the bed so her head was on her pillow. The only response he got was her rolling over, eyes still shut, to face him.

"Peter," she mumbled, still, for the most part, asleep.

"It's okay, Sweetheart. I'm just going to pull the covers over you," Peter told her softly. He did so, carefully again, pulling them up over her small frame. Then he kneeled down beside the bed, at her level, gazing at his wife. Brushing her long blonde hair away from her face, he kissed her forehead.

"She's so beautiful," Peter sighed, watching his own memory as if it were a movie.

He was caught in a space in between then and now, caught in between 15 years of time, watching his life in rewind. He was cheating the rules of time. He could still hear the haunting whisper of Walter's voice saying, "There's no telling what the cost may be." Except that he knew now what the cost would be, his existence.

"Are you willing to give this up, this life with her, all these moments you would have shared with her?" A voice, sounding eerily like one of the Observer's, asked him.

Peter watched the memory of himself walk around to the other side of the bed and crawl in spooning up close to Olivia. He could almost feel the warmth of her body beside him before the sensation disappeared.

"I'll get see them all one last time?" Peter questioned.

"Yes," the Voice confirmed.

"Then yes. I know we shared so many happy, beautiful moments but I also know how it ends. If I make the choice to destroy their world, I'll be effectively killing us all. This gives them the chance to repair the damage, to save both sides. It gives Olivia more than fifteen years, right?"

"Yes," the Voice confirmed again.

"Then my choice is made," Peter resolved, a tear slipping down his cheek as he observed the sleeping figures of himself and Olivia snuggled up beside each other.

To Anyone Who Cares: Because I think it's impossible to have watched that season finale and not write a fic about it. So all of these will be just little moments from what I'm dubbing "the Unseen Years". They will be in no such order whatsoever because I'm not nearly that organized. Also, the end of each will feature a brief moment with Peter in the "in between" because I like the idea of him hovering there watching the life he's about to give up with the Observer/Grim Reaper type person to guide him. So let me know what you think, if the idea seems interesting at all. Thanks!