AN: And this is where we get Fringe-weird! These next couple chapters follow the episode The Abducted, for all you Fringies out there. If anyone cares to read the transcript of the original episode to get a sense of what I'm doing with it, (or just out of curiosity) it's on the fringepedia wiki. Again, let me know if I confuse you too much with the Fringe bits.

Also, some people have wondered about the Rose/Doctor and River/Doctor relationship in this and the next story, so if you'd like to know my view on Journey's End and why I'm taking the story the way it's going, feel free to PM me; I'll yack your ear off about it. Okay! Onward!

4: No more dreaming like a girl
so in love with the wrong world

"Let me tell you, Livvie," Charlie Francis said as he and Olivia watched the new agent sent over go through security to get into the Situation room, "I don't see why we need to work with those Brits. This 'new evidence' didn't come up the last time the Candyman surfaced. Why do they feel the need to send over an agent to work with us now?"

Olivia Dunham shrugged her shoulders, pasting on a wry smile as she said, "Don't know. Guess we'll see, though. What's the name again?"

"Agent Rose Tyler, of UNIT," Charlie said.

Tyler. That name sounds familiar, she thought to herself. She wasn't sure why or how… but it seemed important to part of her, nagging at her memories. The other part of her had no idea why that name should be important. To anyone else, this would be a random flash of déjà vu or some such thing, brushed off in the next instant.

But she knew the truth –those were not her memories. She was not from this New York. She was not this Olivia Dunham.

She didn't belong here. This was not her world.

But she couldn't let on, or she'd never get home. And she was so close. Henry was going to try to get her a boat; she had spoken to him this morning. She felt a flash of gratitude towards Henry Higgins. The cabbie was a good man, and more importantly, he believed in her. He was all she had on this side, since her memory mirages of Peter had stopped.

She missed him badly.

"You okay, Livvie?" Charlie asked.

Just in time, Olivia remembered. This Olivia, the one she was pretending to be, wasn't drawn and sad. She wasn't burdened. She didn't have the same kinds of troubles. "Yeah," she replied, pulling her mouth into a smile. "I just keep thinking of that guy climbing into bedrooms and snatching kids up right under their parents' noses."

"What a world we live in, huh?" Charlie asked rhetorically.

"Yeah," Olivia replied, feeling the heavy hit of irony.

Lincoln brought the woman with blond hair over to the two of them and introduced her. "Agent Rose Tyler, this is Agent Olivia Dunham and Agent Charlie Francis. Agent Tyler will be helping us with our investigation."

"Call me Rose," the woman said immediately, smiling. "Pleased to meet you."

Olivia shook her hand, and Charlie nodded to her respectfully, before taking the initiative. "We need a lead, folks," he said as he addressed the room. "Something to go on. It's been eighteen hours since the Clayton boy went missing. That gives us until tomorrow night to find him."

"Okay," Olivia said. "What have we got?" she asked both Lincoln Lee and Rose Tyler.

"The Candy Man's last kidnapping was two years ago, before you joined Fringe Division," Lincoln said, as images flashed onto the screen. A digital clock kept time in the upper left corner, reminding them all that time was running out for this child.

Olivia hoped that they would find him in time. The images of the children on the screen were unreal. "It's like they've had the life drained out of them."

"That's sick," the new Agent said in her London accent.

"Acute deterioration of organ tissue… depleted immune systems… some of the kids even came back with cancer," Lincoln said grimly, looking up from his scanner.

Olivia leaned back and stared at the images of hurt and wounded children. What had happened to them? Who hurt them like that, and why? A small file popped up and magnified on screen. It showed a healing scar on the back of a boy's neck. "Those incisions-" Olivia said, pointing at the screen. "Why there?"

Lincoln checked his pad. "Posterior cerebral cortex," he said. "From that point on the body, you can access the spine."

Some light bulb decided to go off in Olivia's mind, flashing at her as if to say, 'pay attention. This is important.' "Okay, Astrid, what do we know about these cases?" she asked, walking over to Astrid's workstation.

The computer and statistics specialist began recounting all known information on the Candy Man abductions. "The abductions themselves appear to be random, occurring every two years. The victims are always children, ages seven through nine. They are taken, then released forty-eight hours later with massive internal degradation. The victims describe the suspect as male, age unknown. In the majority of cases, other than a shaved head, there's no physical description given, because he wore a mask." She avoided looking the agents in the eyes.

"Anything to add, Agent?" Lincoln asked Rose.

Olivia turned her eyes onto the British woman, who was having difficulty pulling her attention from the view screen. She brushed her blond hair over her ear and said, "The connection made to the Candy Man only surfaced recently, when we cross referenced old files onto our new database," she said. "Kidnappings identical to yours were discovered in the records of the London area, three possible cases. They're dated earlier than most of the Candy Man crimes, possibly some of his first," she said. "I was sent to help make any connections on that angle as I could."

Olivia began to mull this information over, but something Astrid had said stuck in her brain. "What do you mean, in the majority of cases?" she asked.

"Two of our victims reported being held captive by two suspects, one young and one old," Astrid explained, eyes on her screen. "One of the London victims recounted this as well."

Olivia turned to look at Charlie. "Then why haven't we expanded the profile to look for two suspects?" She tried to keep the snappiness out of her tone –there was an outsider here after all –but really, they might get some leads here!

"Liv, these kids were really scared," Charlie said in a soft voice. "There are a lot of inconsistencies in their statements."

"Doesn't mean that they're wrong," Rose said, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the desk behind her. "Seems pretty consistent to me. How do three kids who never met have the same story?"

"Exactly!" Olivia said, feeling a rush of gratitude towards this woman she didn't know for backing her up. "Astrid, can you please pull up the victim's bios?" They were immediately onscreen. "Okay," Olivia said, processing. "Sarah Anderson, Amanda Holt and Christopher... Broyles." The smiling face of the little boy on the screen made her stop and swallow. Many things were suddenly clearer about the stern and harsh quality of this side's Phillip Broyles.

Lincoln and Charlie were both giving her warning looks. She ignored them. "We should speak to Christopher again," Olivia said, nodding decisively.

"That's not a good idea, Liv," Lincoln said, taking her aside. "You weren't here when it happened. Broyles is …protective."

"Well… we should at least ask," Olivia asserted, looking between him and Charlie. They'd back her up… wouldn't they?

"Liv… don't even think about it," Charlie said, and then Olivia remembered.

This wasn't her world. This wasn't her Charlie.

He didn't have her back.

Both men moved away and began to sort through the tip line information, searching for any possible leads. Olivia clenched her jaw and took a deep breath. The loss hurt, but she didn't need that right now. Focus on this little boy now, she told herself. Find Max Clayton by any way possible.

"I think you're right, if it's any consolation," Rose told her quietly. "Not that it's any of my business."

"If you're on this team to find Max, it's your business," Olivia told her. "It's everybody's business." She frowned, and then said, "Do you really think this is a good idea?"

"I think we don't have anything solid to go on yet," Rose said, "And this seems like the best idea we've got for now. 'Go down every rabbit hole; you never know what's down there.' S'what my dad always says."

Something clicked in Olivia's mind. "Rose Tyler…. You're Pete Tyler's daughter."

Rose laughed, sticking her tongue in between her teeth. "Yep. Wondered how long it'd take you to work that out."

"Everyone knows the story –or the rumors. It's almost as famous as –" She stopped.

She had almost said 'Peter's disappearance.'

"The Secretary's son's kidnapping," she finished lamely.

"Not quite like that," Rose said, still smiling.

"What happened?"

"It's…kind of a long story," she said. "Long and boring."

"Oh." Olivia said. Inwardly, she didn't buy it.

Rose seemed to see something on her face. "Actually, it's classified," Rose admitted. "I usually just say that to make people not want to hear it. But yeah, I can't really say."

"I get that," Olivia said, smiling crookedly. "Story of my life." They smiled at each other, and something seemed to be exchanged –a mutual trust, or some kind of camaraderie… perhaps friendship. It felt right to Olivia. "Listen," she said suddenly. "If I go to the Colonel and ask to re-interview Christopher, will you back me up?"

"As far as I can," Rose said. "I don't know if an outsider gets much clout."

"That's all I need," Olivia promised.

Olivia knocked on the doorframe of Colonel Broyles's office and walked in with Rose behind her. He looked up from his desk and raised one black eyebrow. She squared her shoulders and reminded herself, act like this Olivia. She locked her hands in front of her and said, "I would like to re-interview your son."

"Excuse me?"

Not a very good beginning.

Olivia began to explain her position in a rational manner, using her hands to illustrate her point. "Christopher reported that he was held by two men –an older man and a younger man." She was losing him; she could tell by the way he sighed and shifted in his chair, away from her. "Now, if that's true, he may remember other things about this guy that could help our investigation."

"Agent Dunham…" Broyles said. She pursed her lips. "My son went through something no child should ever have to go through. And when he came home, I had to ask him questions about it, going over the details again and again, forcing him to relive it, when all he wanted to do was forget. And for what? I didn't solve the case. And I didn't help my little boy sleep at night."

"I'm sure that you did your best," Olivia said. "But if I spoke to him, maybe I could get more out of him."

He glared at her. "I'm his father."

Uh oh. He's defensive now. She smiled tightly. "Perhaps that's the problem. Maybe there are some things that you don't want to hear."

Rose put in from behind her, "With respect, sir, I believe that Agent Dunham has a valid point. And we do need every possible lead to help us find Max."

The colonel stood and came up right beside her, letting his glance shift from her to Rose and back again. "Now, there's something I want you two to hear," he said in a stern voice. "My son's condition since he was taken has deteriorated so rapidly that he'll be lucky if he makes it to his eighteenth birthday. Now, what little childhood Christopher has left, I intend to protect it."

"I get that," Olivia said firmly, emboldened by a friend by her side. "But Christopher's childhood is not the only one at stake right now."

"You're dismissed," he said unyieldingly.

Olivia held his gaze for a few seconds before turning and leaving, with Rose behind her. She walked directly through the situation room into the women's restroom.

"I can't believe he'd be so hidebound and defensive of his son that he wouldn't even let me talk to him," Olivia said tightly. Rose had followed her in.

"He's a dad," Rose said. "Parents protect their kids." She laughed a little. "I think my mum could beat him in a protective contest, though."

Olivia shook her head, still staring into the mirror with her hands braced on both sides of the sink.

"You put a lot of yourself into your cases, don't you?"

Her head snapped around to Rose, who was smiling at her.

"Yeah," Rose said. "I know someone like that. I'm like that a lot myself, too. It's good, you know?"

"Charlie sometimes says I care too much," Olivia said.

"I don't think you can ever care too much," Rose said.

Olivia smiled slightly. "Thanks for backing me up in there."

"I didn't do that much. It was all you."

"Still. Thanks." She couldn't take much more of this Lone Ranger stuff, all by herself on the other side without even a Tonto.

Rose nodded. "You're welcome."

Olivia was back at her desk, working on the case. Rose was supposed to be working on the London angle and finding any connections in Zeppelin flights, moves, and other things with Astrid, the statistics specialist. Her mind wasn't totally focused on it; she was still trying to figure out who Torchwood's mole could be. She hadn't heard the agreed upon sign yet. But she had a job at hand, and she pulled her mind back to it. Apparently, as you went further and further back about 15 or 20 years, the records got sketchier and sketchier. It was the same with Torchwood, Rose knew. Record keeping was never as good as it could be.

"Okay," she said, theorizing. "Earliest known Candy Man kidnappings are recorded in London, and then they move to the US, based mostly on the upper east coast. The Candy Man could be British, or he could have a work or family connection in Britain, or something like that," she said. "What do you think?"

"Without definitive information to support your theories, statistics are pointless. There is no information that the Candy Man is any of those things," Astrid said flatly.

"Blimey, do you always talk like this?" Rose asked. "Are you Data's clone or somethin'?"

"I do not understand," Astrid said.

Right, Rose thought. Over here, they hadn't had a show called Star Trek. They had had Galaxy Adventures, an animated kids' show that was canceled halfway through the second season. Astrid wouldn't get the Data reference.

"Never mind," Rose said.

Astrid's gaze stayed fixed onto her view screen, but she suddenly said, "Tonight there will be a full moon."

Rose's heart rate picked up a bit, but her expression remained nonchalant. Full moon: check. "Good for telling ghost stories," she said. Ghosts: check.

"I prefer to go dancing when the moon is full," Astrid said.

Rose inwardly rejoiced. Dancing: check. "What sort of dancing?"

"All kinds. I like Glenn Miller's music." The woman remained staring at her view screen, tapping in data and sorting numbers mechanically.

This side had never had a songwriter named Glenn Miller. There was only one way she could know that –or know any of the sign and countersign.

Astrid Farnsworth worked for Torchwood.

"Hey, Rose!" Olivia called.

Rose turned. "Yeah?"

"I need to bounce an idea off you."

"See you later," Rose said offhandedly to Astrid, who didn't reply. Rose got up and went to Olivia's desk, where Lincoln was leaning against it. If you asked her, Lincoln Lee was interested in Olivia, but it wasn't reciprocated. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I love Red Vines! Used to have them all the time as a kid. C'n I have some?"

Olivia passed the bag over as Lincoln gave her a weird look. "You couldn't have had them as a kid; they're new."

Rose paused with one hand in the bag, stopped by his words and by the little logo on the side of the bag: copyright Bad Wolf Candy Company. I take the words…I scatter them, in time and space… a message…

I'm still leaving myself trail markers, Rose thought. These taste better than breadcrumbs. "Oh. Guess… it must have been some other kind. I like 'em, though," she said, chewing on the red candy. "So what's your idea?" she asked Olivia.

"In all cases, the kids came back with massive cell degeneration and internal-organ atrophy, right?"

"Right," Rose said.

"All those conditions are symptoms of old age," Olivia said. "And aging is connected to the pituitary gland, which can be accessed through the back of the neck."

Rose stood up straight. "Those weird incisions on the kids!"

"Exactly! My point is that some of the victims mentioned there were two suspects, one old and one young. What if there was only one person who was literally changing from old to young? What if the Candy Man is stealing youth?

"I still think this is pretty far out," Lincoln pointed out.

"Okay, fine. But in theory, what would be the next logical step?" Olivia asked.

Lincoln thought about it. "I suppose in theory, concentrated pituitary hormones could be processed in some way to accelerate healing, maybe even reverse aging, but –if that's true, it would also cause some serious side effects."

"Such as?" Olivia prompted.

"Anemia, tremors, hypoglycemia," he listed off at random.

"High blood sugar? High enough that he could secrete sugar in his sweat?"

The three of them looked at each other in understanding.

"Well, now we've got a why and a how," Rose said. "He's becoming younger by stealing hormones from the kids. Now we just need a who."

Olivia sat up straighter and hit the earpiece she wore to receive a call. "This is Dunham." She listened for a minute, and then nodded. "Okay, I'll be there…. Thank you." She ended the call. "Come on, Rose," she said.

"Where are we going?" Rose asked, following her out of the situation room.

"To see Christopher Broyles."

I'm off to college for the first time (and pretty nervous!) so any reviews or comments you'd like to send my way to cheer me up would be spectacular! Thanks!

Edit 9/19/12: I meant Christopher Broyles! Thanks for catching that mistake! It's fixed now. :)