Author: thornbug

Rating: K

Disclaimer: I do not own Fringe. Don't make me say it again.

Summary: set post-finale. Olivia finds herself opening up to the the last person she expects. Mild Peter/Olivia tones. Mild Olivia/Altlivia allusions (because two Olivias are always better than one ;)

mEmento

It's late when she gets the call, almost 3am. Broyles' voice on the other end of the line is apologetic and raspy as if he had just been pulled out of the depths of sleep. There's been a disturbance at 'The Lab' he says. Being in New York, you're the closest one there, he says. I'm sorry to have woken you he says. She doesn't tell him that she wasn't sleeping, that she was lying awake, staring into darkness as the shadows of the raindrops on the window reflect against the ceiling.

It's been two months since the overlap, two months since the creation of 'The Lab' as they call it. A common room, the one place in all of creation where two universes can exist in relative harmony.

Relative is an apt term, because despite their best efforts, there is no muting the tension that lies heavy in the atmosphere of a room which should not technically exist. In the first few days they struggled to understand how to work together, they struggled to understand how any of it was even possible. Slowly however, the unique benefits of the situation made itself clear and it was Walter who first discovered that by monitoring frequencies and vibrations of both universes simultaneously, they could begin to understand how the two were connected. Shifts were orchestrated; a small team of scientists from "Over There" assigned to watch the screens. Broyles insisted that employees from this side be present so with the help of Nina Sharp, they acquired a few Massive Dynamic employees. Yet the inner room, the actual meeting point of the two universes is strictly off limits to all but a few. The disturbance Broyles mentioned was picked up inside the inner room. Olivia knows that only she has authorisation to fully investigate.

Liberty Island at 3am is strangely beautiful. The Statue is all lit up and despite the rain and nippy winds, the night feels still. Olivia stares up at the green-blue glow and for the tiniest fraction of a second remembers seeing it as bronze. Perhaps on a postcard, she thinks, one of those arty ones they market at tourists. The officer on duty gives her a tired nod and pushes a button somewhere in his florescent stall which raises the beam that allows her entry through the gates. She follows a series of passages, keying in one security code after the other. At some points there are security guards stationed, at others, she finds herself alone. The whirring sound of strange and foreign technology hums through the air as she reaches the inner room.

'The Lab' is dominated by a large piece of equipment. 'The Machine', they call it. Its origins remain a mystery, though Walter has dated its parts back to the late Palaeozoic era. It stands large and looming, its presence ominous. Olivia can only stand to look at it for so long before feeling a strange sense of unease creep over her. Tonight, the lab is silent and empty, but for a single figure standing before the flickering screens. One hand on her hip, the other clutching a steaming mug of coffee - Olivia Dunham's auburn-haired alternate turns to look at her as she enters the room, a slow smirk spreading across her face. "You're late."

"What are you doing here?" Olivia doesn't mean for it to come off as cold as it does, but she's confused. Seeing the woman who wears her face with a cocky grin and a careless swagger generally has her all tangled up inside anyway, but tonight, she doesn't expect her here at all.

"Same thing as you I expect." Liv says with a shrug of her shoulder. 'Liv' they call her. Liv in her cargo pants and zip-up jackets. Liv with her perfect hair and her quick laugh. Even in the few short weeks the differences are striking. Olivia self-consciously tugs off her scarf.

"Broyles sent me," she says, advancing towards the twelve large screens all broadcasting fluctuating frequencies, each reading and measuring various forms of data from the different universes. "He said there was a disturbance."

"Yeah, we picked it up too." She points at one of the lower monitors. "Turns out a cable short-circuited. We lost the signal over Lower Manhatan for a bit."

"And now?" Olivia crosses her arms over her chest as she inspects the screens. She doesn't quite understand how to read the data – that's mostly Walter's job. But she does know what an anomaly would look like.

"It looks fine. I've got Astrid running diagnostics over on our side, and apparently it was just a technical glitch, nothing serious. We'll keep monitoring the status of the output charge and if there seem to be any discrepancies, our side'll pick it up." When she discusses the work, she talks like a soldier, like an agent, she talks like Olivia and the lines become just a little blurry.

Liv sips her coffee, closing her eyes for a second as she savours the taste. Olivia takes this moment to sneak a glance at her doppelganger. After eight weeks, the likeness still takes some getting used to. Liv opens her eyes to meet Olivia's gaze and she looks down quickly, suddenly feeling foolish and strangely edgy under alternate's direct stare.

"You uh, you okay?" Liv asks with a slight tilt of her head. She examines Olivia with an almost penetrating curiosity, as one would a new kind of animal that's just been discovered, its strengths and weaknesses yet unknown.

"I'm fine," Olivia clears her throat. "I should call Broyles, tell him everything looks normal."

"Rough night?" Liv puts her mug down on the table next to them and leans back against it.

Olivia frowns. "Excuse me?"

"Your uh," Liv motions towards Olivia's face. "You've got this frown line right-" she leans forward and Olivia literally has to fight the urge to jump back as Liv runs her finger down the middle of her brows. "-here. I get the same one when I don't get enough sleep. Which is often," she says with a half-smile.

"It's nothing," Olivia absently brushes her hand under her nose. "Really, I've just," she sighs. Liv is watching her with that searching gaze her green eyes, uncannily familiar, are surprisingly soft and unguarded. This is strange, because despite all the differences, the one thing Olivia recognised within Liv was the guardedness. She doesn't display it as obviously as Olivia does, in fact, she hides it very well under that easy laugh and charming smile, but it's there, behind those eyes, a certain sense of circumspection which Olivia appreciates and understands. But now, she's watching her with a patient stare, which is odd, considering patience is not one of either of their virtues.

"I've been having these dreams," Olivia says finally and leans back against the opposite counter, facing Liv.

"What kinda dreams?"

"Um, they're like flashes of moments. Like memories, except I've never lived them." Olivia runs her hand through her hair and looks to the ceiling for a second. "And there's this man," she continues, softer this time.

"What does he look like?" Liv asks and Olivia recognizes her voice as the one she herself uses on witnesses who have been shaken up or traumatised.

"Tall, dark hair, early thirties. Attractive, I suppose. But it's like," Olivia shakes her head, at a loss, "it's like I should know him, except I've never seen him before. And he's in all these flashes with me almost like, like a life I once lived." They're silent for a minute, with only the whirr of the screens echoing through the lab before Olivia whispers, "Memento."

Liv looks at her, peculiarly. "What?"

"That's the only word I ever remember when I wake up. Memento. I have no idea-"

"It's Latin." Liv cuts in. "It means 'remember'."

It's Olivia's turn to look surprised. "You speak Latin?"

Liv lets out a silent laugh, "No, I dated a guy in college. Linguistics major. Some of it stuck."

Olivia nods and purses her lips in slight amusement. "Ah."

"So," Liv looks down at her shoes. Her boots are similar Olivia's. "How long has this been goin' on?"

"The dreams?"

"Mmm."

Olivia shrugs, "I don't know, a few weeks?" She turns away from Liv's gaze, feeling way too vulnerable all of a sudden. "Look, I should go. Broyles will want to know-"

"I've been havin' them too."

Olivia looks back to Liv with a frown. "The dreams?"

"Yeah, except," Liv sighs, "uh, the flashes are different. I don't really remember anything but when I wake up, there's always…"

Olivia leans closer, "What?" she asks softly.

"There's a baby crying," Liv says, almost ashamed. "I mean, not in my dream. It sounds like it's coming from inside my apartment, you know? Like that's the reason I woke up, except there's no baby. But I feel…I feel almost sad?" Liv rolls her eyes at the absurdity of it; maybe she's just trying to lighten the mood. "Weird right?"

"Right." Olivia finds herself momentarily lost in the face staring back at her. It's a strange, meta moment, almost like looking into one of those carnival mirrors, except the face she sees is not contorted or disfigured in any way, it's merely lost, almost as lost as she is. And for a moment, she's overwhelmed by an almost intoxicating pull towards her alternate self.

She looks up to find Liv staring at her with equal intensity, her green eyes, inky with dilated pupils.

"Olivia," she murmurs, on a stilted breath a moment before a sharp ring pierces the air.

Olivia digs into her pocket and pulls out her phone. "Yes, sir," she says, turning away from Liv and keeping her eyes fixed on those flickering screens. "Well, as far as we can tell it was just a glitch. Yes sir. A full report." She briefly glances over her shoulder at Liv who is watching her with a raised eyebrow and a slightly amused expression. "I'll see you then." Olivia stuffs her phone back into her pocket and takes a breath before turning around.

"So, um, if everything's under control here-"

Liv's smile evolves into more of a smirk as she nods. "Yup. Everything's fine."

"Good," Olivia affirms, suddenly breathless. "I'll tell Dr Bishop about the anomaly. See if he has any theories."

"Olivia," Liv calls out as she was nears the exit. Olivia turns with a questioning look. "Milk and two spoons of honey," she says. "It's what Mo-it's what my mother would give me when I couldn't sleep."

Olivia smiles sadly, "Mine too."

Liv returns the smile and then she's gone, through the door into the opposite passage leading to another world and Olivia is left alone, hoping that for the first time in weeks, she might have a restful sleep, that she might have some peace from the shadow of a man that haunts her dreams.

But there is no peace, not in this world or the other.

eNd