A/N : this ficlet takes place after the season 3 finale. As always, I would love to read what you think about it ! (don't be shy)
Thank you LeeLee for helping me with this !
Disclaimer : no copyright infringement intended.
Olivia Dunham, the one from the universe where coffee was still a daily beverage, was feeling a bit under the weather. She'd been having stomach aches for the last few days and her body felt numb all over, as if wrapped inside a tight ball of cotton, slowing her movements down. Her head felt slushy, and her incredible ability to solve cases had suffered the consequences. This was the reason why she was currently sitting cross-legged on her bed, instead of working for thirteen hours straight to solve a new case. Her boss, Phillip Broyles, had insisted she take a few days off - to go see a doctor and get some proper rest; she was no use to the FBI if she was sick.
The amount of Fringe events had not lessened since the two universes had merged. However, the pull at the fabric of the universes had eased off. Nobody knew how it had happened, but both worlds had been bonded and were now working on repairing Walter's mistake. He had not meant for it to happen, but he and William Bell had been young, ecstatic but careless scientists back then. They had discovered the existence of another universe, a parallel world where everything was the same as here - or so they thought. Walter's wife, Elizabeth, from over here, was peacefully staying at home while her alternate was picking up tulips in a field. They could not have known that, when they had sent a car over there. There was no possibility of foreseeing the accident.
Despite the other world being medically more advanced, the emergency room staff could not save her. And thus began the war between the two worlds, where Walternate was seeking revenge, and Walter mercy. Olivia had not understood everything, for science and physics were not her field of expertise; she understood that both worlds would eventually crumble if nothing was done, and that was enough for her. Her job kept her busy, and she liked it that way. She had a sister and a lovely niece, whom visited regularly, her sister nagging her about her lack of romantic interest. She had a job she loved, wonderful partners and a supportive boss ; what more could she ask for ?
She certainly wasn't asking for what was now resting in front of her, on her bed covers. The nurse had insisted on taking blood sample for analysis - it was just the routine checks, she had reassured her. She had received the results through her fax machine a good forty minutes before, had read the results three times before calling the hospital, asking them to check if her blood samples had been mixed with someone else's. Three nurses, one doctor and ten minutes later, she had the undeniable confirmation that those results were indeed hers.
As an agent of the Fringe division, she thought it was pretty ironic; she was now a - a what ? A victim ? A subject ? Whatever the term, she did not like it. She went to the local hospital to redo the exams, just to be sure, before bringing her case to the division. She had asked for discreetness and nobody had judged her, this was another reason why she loved her job so much. Her boss had been understanding and had allowed her to come back to work, on the condition that she worked solely on her case. This would not be a problem, as she would be unable to concentrate on anything else.
Months went by as her case remained unsolved. Her body was slowly changing, the whole division now aware of her distress, everybody being supportive. They had asked the other universe to help, but no scientist from either side could explain what was happening to her. She had been poked and prodded more times than she could remember. She had been through all the possible exams, to no avail. Her sister had helped her accept her condition, visiting more often. They had never been as close as they were now.
She was now incapable of moving much, which was not a problem since her boss had assigned her to a desk job for the remainder of her ordeal. She did not know how long that would last, but she definitely did not like it. She had to live through her partners' stories from the field, drinking tea or fruit juice as she listened to them, laughing at the local bar with them.
One day, as she was climbing the stairs to her apartment, all hell broke lose. She was rushed to the hospital, the pain radiating through her body was nothing she had experienced before. She knew bullet wounds, she knew third degree burns, she knew pulsing gunshots; but it was nothing compared to what she was going through. Nobody could stop the pain, the supportive nurse promising her it would stop soon enough. She wished she wasn't alone in that moment, surrounded by strangers. She wished she had listened to her sister's advice and found someone to share her life with, so they could help each other through rough times. She wished for so many things, but her biggest wish was that the pain would stop; it was unbearable.
Her body felt numb after a few hours of intense pain ; she could barely move her limbs on the hospital bed, sweat pearling on her forehead each time she tried to find a more comfortable position. Another nameless nurse came into the room, waving sheets of paper to her.
"I figured it out !" the tall man exclaimed. He told him he was not a nurse, but a scientist from the other universe. He had been working on her case for months, trying to resolve the mystery.
"We run your blood samples' analysis through both worlds' DNA database. We have a close match, it's not really clear right now but it's a start. We have a lead." She tried to concentrate on his words as another wave of pain gripped her stomach, her hands clutching the bed sheets as she prayed for it to stop. "The closest match we have found is Walter Bishop. He shares a quarter of his DNA with..." he could not finish his sentence as nurses rushed to Olivia's bedside, rolling her bed away as she screamed in pain.
Twenty minutes later, after some major cursing and regrets for choosing to go through with it since the beginning, Olivia could not have been happier. The pain was almost gone, even though she felt she had been hit by a train at full speed. The sounds filling the room were music to her ears, a grin spreading on her face as a nurse approached her, carefully placing something on her torso. As she looked down, everything else disappeared ; she could only see him, the little perfect human being she had created. He was wrestling against an invisible enemy, his mouth moving in the cutest pout she had ever seen. And as he opened his baby-blue eyes and turned his head to look at her, everything came back to her.
A plane, sitting in the desert. A tall, dark-haired man wishing her happy birthday. Touches. Kisses. A warmth spreading from her heart through her body whenever he was near her. Whiskey. His eyes, full of sleep as she cuddled close to him in his bed. Laughter. Love.
Her eyes filled with tears, the memories of a man she had forgotten about flooding her brain, melting her heart. "Peter."