Disclaimer: Fringe and V aren't mine. If they were, there'd be a lot less science/alien stuff and lot more sexin'... just sayin'. (see profiles for a REAL disclaimer)
A/N: For the sake of argument (and this fic), V takes place in the other universe and Erica moved to Boston after divorcing Joe instead of staying in NYC with Tyler.
Olivia knew it was wrong. She knew that before she snuck into Walter's lab in the middle of the night, tiptoeing past Gene, big brown eyes judging her as she fumbled her way around loosening rusted clamps, and she knew it as she set up the vintage tech on a stand inside the bathtub in her apartment.
It was too tempting.
Olivia stripped down, her hands shaking slightly as she brushed her long, still red hair over her shoulder and turned the shower on, letting the room steam up just enough to warm her chilled skin. She sat at the far end of the basin on the edge of the tub, water swirling around her feet as she caressed the window frame in front of her. It was almost show time.
She'd seen the flashes before- just little glimmers here and there, out of the corner of her eye and in her bed in the middle of the night. It started not long after she got back from the other side. At first she thought she was going crazy, somehow managing to convince herself that it was just the ghost of her alter ego, an apparition of her own insecurities. But then Peter told her why he came back, to be with her, the other Olivia, and she lost it. Everything she'd fought for, fought to get back to, had been taken from her. Everything.
That was the first night her visions became more than just a shiny shimmer, they became real. They became hers, something that only belonged to her.
Whomever she was seeing on the other side, Olivia knew that she was beautiful. She was fascinated by her, vague outlines and shapes haunted her day and night. The first time she saw the curve of a bare shoulder standing next to her by the bathroom sink and smelled the lingering scent coconut shampoo in the woman's hair as they passed each other in the hall, she savored it. Olivia clung to it- her- and every time it happened it began getting easier and easier for her to focus on clearing the image, but the woman still remained a mystery.
Olivia took a deep breath and flicked the switch on the side of the window, sighing in relief when it flickered to life and a gorgeous blonde woman appeared standing under the spray on the other side of the pane. Her arms were pressed against the wall, her head bowed as hot water washed away her tears.
This wasn't what she'd been expecting. Olivia had known the woman would be there. Like herself, she stuck to a schedule- shower between ten and eleven, read until the day's troubles melted away, and if she was lucky sleep would find her soon after. She'd expected to see the woman humming a happy song as she lathered up her hair, or maybe even enjoying a relaxing bath, but not this.
The woman, she leaned forward, resting her forehead against the tile between her palms. Her shoulders started shaking softly and Olivia felt her heart clench, her fingers itching to reach out and touch her, to soothe her pain. She couldn't though, not if she wanted to stay on this side. Not if she wanted to stay home and out of Walternate's grasp.
Biting her lower lip, she looked down at the water swirling down the drain, suddenly feeling like an intruder as she watched the scene unfold in front of her. Tears began stinging her own eyes before she could stop them and she automatically brought her hand up to massage the tension out of the base of her neck, fingertips brushing over still sensitive skin.
Olivia had forgotten about the tattoo.
Her arm dropped to her side as if she'd been burnt. Tonight wasn't about Fauxlivia, it was about her. It was about her and the woman who shared her house on the other side. It was about standing on her own and taking charge of her life, of staving off the isolation that she felt slowly closing in around her.
The fingertips that had previously caressed the back of her neck slid cautiously over her thigh. She could do this, she had to do this. Goosebumps rose over her skin, spreading across her deadened nerves like wildfire as she watched the woman do the same on the other side of the glass.
Olivia's eyes widened as the woman turned, her shoulder leaning against the wall just out of spray's reach. Her gaze followed a drop of water sliding down the curve of the woman's chest, catching a glint of light as it dropped from the edge of her breast and continued down her toned stomach. Olivia had never been particularly attracted to women before, there was always too much drama involved whenever the opportunity had come up throughout her life, but the sight before her was certainly something to behold.
She was finally seeing her for the first time, seeing her face, her lips, everything... and she was beautiful.
Her own touch found its way between her legs, copying the woman as she slowly slid a finger through slick heat. The caress was teasing at first. It felt wrong somehow after being denied this type of indulgence for so many months, of being tortured and held captive, but Olivia didn't waver. She took in every shiver that ran through the vulnerable body in front of her, every breath, every silent moan, letting herself get lost in the experience, She pretended that it was her touch, that it was her hands caressing that gorgeous, tan skin. It didn't take much more to imagine herself standing behind the woman's body, feeling the weight of her slightly taller frame leaning back into her embrace. Just the thought of sliding her hand between the blond's thighs, of slipping inside her, feeling velvety muscles ripple around her, made a familiar warmth coil tightly in her abdomen.
She wanted to feel the woman fall apart in her arms. Desperately. Hard and fast, or soft and slow.
Their synced strokes began to quicken, the woman's back arching delicately as the longing for release became unbearable in both of them. All Olivia felt and saw and heard was that moment- the rush of blood pumping through her veins, her eyes struggling to stay open as her body finally broke.
Struggling to stay upright, her vision dimmed as she floated atop waves of crippling pleasure. Olivia breath hitched in the back of her throat, oxygen seeping back into her senses and she witnessed the other woman tense and throw her head back in uncensored pleasure. The sight caused an unexpected ripple inside of her and she instinctively curled her fingers forward, hitting that spot inside of her that always made her mind explode and her body melt. But, in this instance it only served to draw out her high, to cling to the moment as long as she could.
The woman seemed to have other ideas though.
Olivia's stomach dropped when she saw her lean against the wall, bright blue eyes staring right at her, surprise and fear transforming her entire body's stance. The woman stood like her, like a cop assessing a threat.
Oh, God. The woman could see her.
What the fuck did she do?
Panicking, Olivia turned her head, frantically searching the bathroom. It had changed colors. Instead of the boring cobalt blue she'd painted it after moving it, it was a cheery yellow, and the window pane that had been in front of her only seconds ago was nowhere to be found.
Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, she thought about home- of her apartment, of Peter and Walter and Astrid, of Saturday morning cartoons with Ella and Sunday brunches over the phone with her sister. She could feel her nails digging into her palms, could feel them slicing into her skin, and the ripple of air shifting unnaturally around her.
"Wait! " she thought she heard the woman shout, but it was too late.
She plummet back into herself, sitting on the edge of the porcelain tub, her mind spinning as vertigo settled in. Olivia fell forward, just barely missing the window's tripod as she heaved emptied her stomach until there was nothing left. When she came to a few seconds later she noticed that the water had turned cold. She welcomed it, the icy sting helping to ease her guilt, prickling against her overheated skin.
When her strength returned, she sat up and dared to peer through the glass one last time before turning it off. What she found surprised her. The woman was still standing under the showerhead, her fingers caressed her lips, her gaze curiously searching the empty area where she currently sat, safely on the other side- her side. She was smiling. It was barely there, but Olivia saw it, the corner of the woman's mouth curving upward, a small dimple puckering one cheek.
She knew it was wrong. There were too many risks and too many factors. Billions of lives at stake and they all rested upon her shoulders. But, as Olivia pressed the off switch and the woman faded away, she felt the faintest flicker of hope.
Maybe she wasn't as lost as she thought after all.
End.