Chapter Title: Hanukah

Pairing: Peter/Liv,Kashner/Astrid, Astrid/Walter

Characters: Astrid F, Olivia D, Peter B, Walter B, Agent Kashner

POV: Peter, Astrid

Genres: Holiday, Family/Friends, Humour, Romance

Spoilers: Seasons One & Two, 'A Very Fringe Christmahanufestivus

Warnings: Language?

Challenges: Hanukkah, December 19 2009

Part of a Series?: Yes, "A Very Fringe Holiday"

Chapters: ¼

Peter's hands were full of shopping bags that had been stored away since last year and as Walter—who couldn't be bothered to carry more than his hot chocolate—chattered away, Peter attempted unlocking the door to the laboratory only to find it already open.

Still bundled up in her coat and scarf stood Astrid stuffing files in her purse, looking somewhat like a deer caught in a car's headlights. Walter shoved past Peter roughly to hurry over to her.

"Ah! My dear—you're just who I was looking for! I need coffee filters (white), red felt poms, artichokes, pink lemonade, pepper corns, red sequined pasties in the shape of stars, iced tea spoons, Elmer's glue, a stuffed polar bear, two fresh squirrel hearts, a six pack of light bulbs, festive but nondenominational cocktail napkins—"

She put a gloved finger to his lips and gave an apologetic smile. "Walter, I was actually just leaving. I was going to call you guys on my way to the airport."

Peter was somewhat taken aback. "Airport?"

She began moving slowly to the door. "I got called up to help Agent Kashner with his report on that case you did a few months ago. Broyles said I was the only one he could really spare from the team…"

Walter looked absolutely heartbroken. "But…my Hanukah party…"

"I'm really sorry." She glanced down at her watch and touched his shoulder softly. "I have to leave right now to make my flight."

"Call us when you get to Seattle," Peter said with a smile.

"Please hurry back," Walter begged.

Paused in the doorway of the lab, she promised, "I will."

The door opened a moment later and while Peter expected it to be Astrid returning for something forgotten, it was merely Olivia with her own morning coffee and a fresh pot of poinsettias. "Where is Astrid off to is such a hurry?"

"She just went out to pick up some supplies," Walter said, wiping at his eyes with the hem of his sleeve and threw his hot chocolate on the floor, running off to lock himself in the bathroom.

"What's with him?" the agent asked, a confused smile quirking her lips as she set the poinsettias on one of the nearby worktables.

"Astrid's going off to Seattle—wait, are you wearing your holiday sweater?" Peter asked, pulling at the neckline of her parka to see if she was in fact wearing the travesty the Bishops had bought her last year.

Her face went beet red and she hurried with her coffee to the office; Peter completely forgot about his father as he went off to heckle the blonde about her unfortunate declaration of holiday cheer.

A tall man holding a carefully written sign with her name on it waited by the luggage claim, bearing a sunny smile as he waved at Astrid when she hurried over to find her purple suitcase.

"Agent Farnsworth!" he called out.

She couldn't help but smile, too. "Agent Kashner!"

For a moment they seemed torn between hugging and shaking hands, so they settled on friendly nods; both still felt weird about the whole experience he'd had at their lab.

"How are you? Good flight?" he asked as he carried her suitcase for her.

"I'm good. I played Animal Crossing the whole way over," she said, patting the trusty DS in her purse.

"That's great. The weather has been a bit touchy this morning so I was really keeping my fingers crossed that you wouldn't be delayed or rerouted—let me get the door for you," he offered, letting her walk through first.

"I've missed being treated like a lady—you really spoiled me when you were back in Boston," she teased as they walked through the parking lot—god knows Walter wouldn't have done it. "I guess chivalry isn't dead."

His smile became wider and when they reached his car in the parking garage, he not only put her luggage in the back, but opened her passenger door for her.

A small chirp from her pocket made him stare at her when he started up the car. "What's that noise?"

She rolled her eyes. "My cellphone—it's dying. I'll charge it when I get to the office."

"I had them move a desk for you into my office. We can work together!" he said cheerfully.

Her own desk? As apposed to fighting for a worktable with Walter? "Great!"

"Almost everyone's gone for the holidays, so we'll pretty much have the place to ourselves," he said matter-of-factly.

She smiled and looked out the window at a residential street that was smattered with conifers. "I've been imagining that because you live in the Pacific Northwest, your field office is just full of wreathes and garlands and fresh pine—"

"No, we keep things nondenominational here. Don't want to offend anyone," he said as he put on the turn signal.

Astrid was shocked. "Nothing?"

"Nope!"

"Oh," she said sadly.

"Do they decorate the Boston field office?" he asked curiously.

She thought of the flurry of paper snowflakes, the Christmas tree, and the sweaters that they'd enjoyed last year at the lab and that as she'd been running out this morning, Walter and Peter had been bringing in all those ornaments she'd bought…she kept back a disappointed sigh.

"No. They don't."

Once at the field office, which truly was devoid of people save an occasional agent they passed in the halls. Her phone beeped at her repeatedly and once they reached what appeared to be Kashner's new personal office, she dug through her purse to find her power cord only to discover…

"My cell phone charger. I must not have packed it. Shit!" she complained, then quickly apologised. "Pardon my language."

"Is it the same kind as mine? I have a handful of chargers from my previous cell phones and maybe one of those will work," he offered.

"I bet it's still on my kitchen counter," she groaned, putting her fingers to her forehead. "I need to call Peter super quick to tell him I'm here."

Kashner nodded and began to dig chargers and cords out of one of his file drawers as she hit the speed dial button to call Peter's cell. Thankfully he picked up after two rings.

"Hey! I arrived all in one piece!" she greeted and she could hear Peter make a sigh of relief.

"Great! I saw the weather report and it looked pretty iffy, but I guess it missed you by about ten minutes. Hey, was that kielbasa in the fridge any good?"

"No. I threw it out two days ago. Did Walter dig it out of the garbage?" she asked, planting on hand on her hip.

"He must have. I told him it didn't smell right when he was cooking it. He's trying to rid the lab of non-kosher food before the party."

She laughed. "Where is he?"

"Walking off the stomach cramp."

Her phone chirped again and she realised it was probably going to cut out.

"Hey Peter, my cell phone's dying and I left my phone charger at home," she said quickly.

"Do you want me to mail it over to you?"

She shook her head."No, I'm just going to buy another. But if you need to reach me, call me on Kashner's phone. You should still have his card."

"'kay."

"I miss you guys! I can't wait to come ho—" the phone cut off and she finished softly, "—me."

The lab was definitely different without Astrid there. Walter was still holed up in the bathroom and Peter grimaced because he could imagine the older man unrolling all the toilet paper, huffing the cleaning supplies, or worse with the amount of time he was in there. At least Astrid's questioning would have enlightened them as to what he was doing.

"Look what I found!" Olivia called out from the office and he turned around to see a treasured holiday icon in her hand.

"Ah, the Hanukah hula hoop," Peter said with a fond smile.

She spared him a mischievous smile as she slipped into it. "Wanna do a competition?"

Peter knew he could do for a break from the 'worrying about Walter' situation. "Sure!"

Astrid set her pen down firmly on top of the stack of papers Kashner has happily organised on her desk. "I need a break. I can't focus."

Kashner, who looked up at her with wide-eyed curiosity, didn't pause in his writing. "Is there anything I can do?"

She glanced around the dour, beige room they shared. "I think it's this office."

He set his pen down as well. "What do you need?"

She thought for a second and a sly smile crossed her lips. "Can we take an early lunch break?"

"C'mon, Walter. I thought you wanted to decorate the Christmas tree," Peter asked as he pointed over to the fresh pine tree they'd bought earlier that morning.

His father sat on the steps of the lap, his face balanced in his hands, elbows on his knees. "No."

"Are you going to just sit here and pout?" Olivia asked, obviously trying to help (she was also no longer hiding the fact she was wearing that hideous sweater).

"Yes," he said sourly.

Peter rubbed his father's back. "Who's going to make the latkes? I thought you had a party all planned out."

"It doesn't work with just three people. I don't like being the third wheel," he muttered, glancing between him and Olivia.

"You can have a party with three people. Besides, Gene's here! Doesn't she count for something? She came to my birthday party, after all," Peter pointed out.

"Walter, don't you think Astrid would love to come back to the lab and see it's all decorated?" Olivia added sweetly.

Walter huffed slightly and his lips threatened a pout, but finally he agreed and Peter put his arm around Olivia's shoulder as they watched the older man wander off to find the ornaments and decorations that they'd brought in earlier.

"So what's the hula hoop for again?" Kashner asked her with a somewhat skeptic tone as he looked up at her.

Astrid was standing on top of her desk, swaying her hips circularly as a hot pink hula-hoop orbited her waist. "It helps me think."

His eyes left her body momentarily to glance behind her. "And the record player?"

"Same thing." She hummed along to the music and then began singing with Vera Lynn. "I'm in the mood for love! Simply because you're near me!"

He glanced around his new decorated office and she could see the small fake Christmas tree, the tinsel, and the basket of fruit was making him uncomfortable. "So this is how you work back in Boston? All this…chaos?"

"Oh, trust me—this is nothing," she assured him. "Oh! Idea!" As she hula-hooped, she verbalised her brainstorming. "Maybe we should say that the implants had nothing to do with it. That the doctor was able to, um, brainwash them into committing these acts. I don't want this to become a witchhunt for people using new technology. This guy was just a bad apple and there's a no reason he has to ruin it for everyone."

"I hadn't thought of that." He glanced up from his notes and smiled at her. "If it works for you, then it works for me."