Firstly, and most obviously, I don't own any rights to the show or its characters.
This story takes place during 'Jacksonville' and I haven't seen anything after this episode, so all of Peter's thoughts are just my interpretation of what he was thinking. This story is from Peter's POV and any quotes are taken directly from the show, I'm just filling in the blanks. I'm currently half way through Olivia's POV, so if this gets any attention, I can add it later. Happy reading.
Reflection~ Peter's POV
They had run out of time, that's what Walter had told them. There was a time when this wouldn't have bothered Peter. There was a time, when quite frankly he hadn't cared at all. But that had changed, and so had he. A gradual change, not so noticeable at first, and it had all started when she came along. She saw him for what he really was, and offered him an out. Sure the offer was more of a threat, if he didn't come back with her; some very incriminating files would be leaked to the right people. All he had to do was babysit his mentally unstable father twenty-four hours a day, all in all it depended on which definition of prison he least hated. And try as he may to keep his relationship with his father, as distant as possible, he'd come to depend on Walter as much as he had on Peter. They were a way off entering father-son bowling tournaments, but he could see a future that involved some semblance of a family. That was all thanks to Olivia, those were words he thought he'd never say, once upon a time. Yet each case they worked, every time she put herself on the line to save complete strangers, brought them closer together. She taught him to care, about the job they were doing, the lives they were saving, even each other. It was as if her righteousness was rubbing off on him, because here he was, still hoping that Walter was wrong. One last ditch effort to try and save those people, it mattered to Olivia, so it mattered to him.
He saw her silhouette through the obscured glass, and she came into view at the door way, his attention, hardly straying from the task at hand. He glanced from the computer to her and back again. "Hey. I figured if I could shut down all the non essential functions, I can make these things run faster." He empathised, pointing at the systems in front of him. He awaited a response, maybe some sort of praise, he wasn't sure, but he couldn't have predicted the next words that were to escape her lips. "It's too late...I failed...I failed and I'm supposed to be the one who can stop things like this." Suddenly the computers were the last thing on his mind. He had come to think that after all this time, he knew her, Olivia was a lot of things, but quitter had never been one of them. He had seen her push past the limits of most human beings, subjected herself to a number of Walter's tests, all for the greater good. It was the very reason they had returned to Jacksonville, returned to a childhood she had no recollection of, and although she knew it would only lead to more questions, and more pain, she had done it. He still remembered that look on her face, and those words that sounded so hollow. "I'm not afraid of anything anymore." It was that fear that she was searching for, not only to rekindle her gift, but as Peter suspected, to regain some form of normalcy in their somewhat unusual lives.
He closed the distance between them, he had never seen her look so lost, so fragile, and whispering as if afraid he would break her, he smiled, shaking his head slightly. "I've never met anyone, who can do the things that you do." He reached out, placing a soothing hand to her cheek, the human contact they had been craving. At this point he was running on instinct, there was so much between them, unspoken words and hidden desires, and in the light of their apparent failure to stop this week's catastrophe, putting themselves first seemed like the next logical step. As the distance between them grew smaller, she spoke. "Peter...I'm scared." Scared of what? That this time they were too late? That they had exhausted all of their options? Scared that this failure would lead to more? Scared for the people she couldn't save? Or was she scared of him, and what she felt? Scared that if something didn't stop them, she would give into this feeling? Either way, Peter was reassuring. "Don't be." was all he whispered, as they both leaned in. It was as if at that moment lightening had struck, and she stopped her movements, causing him to question her. "What?" Her expression was now one of realisation, and belief. It was the look she got whenever she found the answer that had evaded her till this point, and his suspicions were verified as she repeated herself. "Peter, I'm scared." He searched her eyes for some sort of explanation for what had suddenly brought on this fear, which one of the many he had listed off in his head? But it didn't matter, because she was already running from the room. His answer would have to wait, because their sudden last ditch effort was all that was stopping the death of many. Following her out the door, he rushed to where he was needed.
He stood in the hallway with the phone to his ear. He was dressed and ready to go; all that he had to worry about was Walter. Luckily his resolution hung at the other end of the line. "Yeah Monopoly's great, he loves the coloured money...okay thanks again, see you soon." Walter hovered beside him, pudding pot in hand, obviously interested in the telephone exchange. "Walter, that was Astrid, she's gonna come over and play some games with you." He watched as his father's face lit up at the mention of Agent Farnsworth. She was as close to Walter as anyone, maybe even more so, and if Peter were to guess, probably the closest thing his father had to a best friend. Peter, of course didn't count in this instance, as he was family, or so Walter would have said. He was proud of him for partaking in the social norms such as friendship, ever since he left it had been a daily struggle to adjust to the outside world. Walter spoke as he swallowed more pudding, "Hmm good. I hope she likes Monopoly." Peter chuckled at how well he knew his father.
As he made his way upstairs, it dawned upon Walter to ask why Astrid would be making this scheduled visit. "Where are you going?" Peter stopped his ascent, and looked down at Walter's questioning eyes. "Me? I'm going out for drinks." Walter's quizzical mind was getting the better of him tonight, but Peter didn't care, he kind of liked the interest he was paying. Almost like a concerned parent worrying over a teenager. "Oh, who are you drinking with?" Peter knew the reaction her name would bring; after all it wasn't that long ago Walter had suggested marriage and the prospect of her calling him dad. "Olivia." The pudding was forgotten, and now Walter wore the smile of a proud father, whose son had a date with the head cheerleader. "Agent Dunham?" he questioned, almost in disbelief, how many Olivia's did the man know? "Date?" he added hopefully. Peter smiled at the level of excitement in Walter's voice. Although it wasn't officially a date, what had happened between them earlier that night, must have had something to do with the sudden invitation for drinks. It wasn't something the pair of them had done together, drinking after a case was usually an activity he took part in solo. Olivia on the other hand, seemed more likely to hit the gym or call Rachel. He guessed he had left Walter hanging for long enough. "No, just drinks. Apparently that's what normal people do. They go out for drinks." Before Walter could bombard him with more questions, Peter finished his climb, leaving a very happy Walter in his wake.
Peter sat at the desk, scribbling with pen in hand, Walter had been hovering again, the excitement coming off him in waves. To be honest, Peter wasn't sure who was more excited, himself or Walter. "If you need to reach me, I'll leave you the number of the restaurant right here." Before Walter could speak, there was a knock at the door. "She's here Peter." Standing, he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him; Walter could barely contain his excitement. "I know, I heard it too." This new Walter was somewhat of an experience, having been raised by his mother, this side of him was interesting to say the least. "Shall I get the door?" It only took him a second to respond, tack was never Walter's strong suit, and he could only imagine the things he would say, all of them ending in embarrassment, most likely Peter's. "Absolutely not. In fact it would be my preference if you could be somewhere else altogether." It was said in jest, but sarcasm was usually lost on Walter, and as Peter neared the door, he reacted to the comment as predicted. "Oh where?" Deciding in this mood he might as well continue with his joke, he shrugged, pick a city. "Chicago?" Before Walter could respond the door was open, and Peter and Olivia exchanged greetings. "Hey" was followed by "Hey." Stepping aside he gave her room to enter. "Come on in." She was casually dressed, but what did he expect? It was drinks not prom. The one thing that did catch his eye was her hair. Usually at work it was up, out of the way, she meant business. But now it was down, making her look more relaxed, more like the Olivia who was tired of being serious and, quite literally wanted to let her hair down. They smiled at each other, as Peter casually told her his plan for the evening. Although it had been her idea to meet up, she had left the details up to him. "I know a great place; it's just a couple of blocks away, thought we'd walk?" He wouldn't admit it aloud, but he was a little nervous about tonight. He waited for an objection to his plan, but instead was rewarded with a small smile. Taking that as an okay, he left her waiting by the door. "I'll go get my coat." Although he knew Walter was eavesdropping somewhere, he was confident he could be back downstairs and out the door before Walter's mouth could get him into any serious trouble.
Grabbing his coat Peter checked his reflection once more in the mirror. A genuine smile graced his features, as he thought about the possibilities that awaited. Tonight he thought, could change everything.
