Sorry about the delay in updating. Real life intruded.

CorwinofAmber


Olivia Dunham angrily stalked the streets of Boston, following a trail that only she could perceive.

Having received her last dosage of Cortexiphan mere hours before, she was a pissed off Firestarter hopped up on drugs and out for revenge. And for once she was going to use that to her advantage.

When she'd realized that her abilities only worked to their fullest potential in Peter's presence, she'd also realized something else. That there must be some sort of connection between them, beyond the mundane. Peter was a part of her. Olivia thought she could use that connection to find him.

Although she didn't know where they stood in their relationship anymore - and she couldn't really blame him for that - she owed it to him. They always seemed to take turns saving each other, after all.

Olivia stopped at a street corner, closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to find a calm place inside herself where she could concentrate. Since it always calmed her down, she imagined Peter touching her - but that led to thoughts that didn't help her concentrate at all.

For some reason, white tulips kept blooming in her mind's eye. She pushed the visions aside and concentrated on finding the other half of her soul.

She opened her eyes, and then she saw it. It shimmered and wavered, cycling slowly through the all the colors of the rainbow. Not unlike how Peter shimmered when she was afraid.

Olivia followed the path towards the park by the river.


Peter watched himself meet Olivia at the hotel in Baghdad again. It was bizarre seeing the meeting once again, from a third person's perspective.

It also made Peter somewhat jealous of his younger self. If only he could meet her again, for the first time.

"So, do I get a do-over? Is that what this is about?" he asked, unable to keep the hope from his voice.

Peter thought he heard a trace of sympathy in September's voice when he replied.

"No do-overs. You can't change your own past, that would violate causality. Violating causality...causes more problems than it solves."

"So why are we here?" Peter asked.

"I think I left my wallet here." replied September.

Peter glared at the bald, fedora-ed man.

"Are you on drugs?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Very possibly. You were on drugs when you projected yourself into my mind. Our brain waves synced in that shared dream state. So yes, I am on drugs."

September handed him another four pack of Red Bull.

"Drink that, the Thiopental is going to reassert itself soon. Then we have to go."


Olivia followed the path she perceived to the steel and wood bench by the Charles River. Of course, Peter wasn't there now, but she had a definite feeling he had been, and recently.

She exhaled loudly and sat down on the bench and stare at the river...and her mind was suddenly filled with images and impressions . Reeling, she fought back a wave of nausea as she felt a completely new memory insert himself into her mind's eye.

This was completely different from the way she'd recalled the memories of the diverted timeline. That had been relatively painless, scales simply falling from her eyes, a glamor broken. This was more akin to someone using a hammer and chisel to open up her skull and rearrange things.

This was someone mucking about with time.


Peter and September appeared in another hotel room, one that Peter recognized instantly. He had spent a year living here with Walter at the FBI's expense, until his father had felt independent enough to agree to rent the house just off Harvard's campus.

Odd, how much he missed it, now. Spending so much in close proximity with Walter had forced him to start appreciating his father.

The room was dim, and Walter was asleep in the big double bed, his snores filling the room.

"Why are we here?" Peter asked.

"Shhhh..." September hissed, raising a finger to his lips.

"Why? Walter can't hear us..."

"Wait for it..." replied The Observer.

Peter shut up. He did not have to wait long. The door to the room opened and his past self swept into the room, followed by Olivia.

"Walter! Hey Walter!" he saw himself say, and clap his hands together, "Wake up!"

Walter startled awake, stared at the two young people before him.

"Oh, you two want to use the room!" Walter said.

Behind his past self, where he couldn't have seen back then, Olivia's face lit up, then she averted her eyes downward in amused embarrassment.

Peter gasped and pointed.

"She actually considered that!" he exclaimed, "I knew she was into me back then!"

"There it is!" exclaimed September, and bent down to retrieve his wallet from the floor, where it had fallen years ago.

Peter watched, annoyed at the interruption, as The Observer placed the wallet into the back pocket of his trousers. Then he actually smiled at Peter.

"Now I just have to find my hat!" September said.

Peter raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, it's on your head." he said drily. Indeed, it had been on his bald pate the whole time.

Peter turned back to the scene before them, and found past-Olivia looking directly at him, her piercing emerald stare sending a chill down his spine, and making him feel even more naked, if that were possible.

Olivia drew her gun and leveled the sights on the Observer.

"Stop messing around in Peters mind!" she demanded.

As both past-Walter and past-Peter gasped in astonishment, her green eyes flickered over present-Peter's nude form.

"Or at least let him put on some clothes!" she added.