So hey. Do you guys even read the author notes? Hmmm. Well, anyway. I'm glad you approve of Daniel. I was worried about how introducing a new major character to the story would go. (: Thanks for all your support.
By the way, I keep forgetting to put this.
I do not own Fringe.
But sometimes I call the Make a Wish Foundation. (;
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Peter ran his fingers through his hair for the second time since stepping out of the car and straightened his jacket.
His body was still yelling at him for not allowing whatever was going to happen between Olivia and him, well, happen. He knew he did the right thing. He cared too much about Olivia to move things so fast. Besides, he still wasn't sure whether or not he was willing to risk their "professional" relationship. It was better to have a professional relationship with her rather than not have one at all.
Most knew that their relationship was deeper then strictly professional.
They were friends. More then friends, dare he admit.
Peter knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't admit to having feelings for him. Even though she was on his speed dial. Even though she relied on him just as much as he relied on her. That's why he had to blink a few times at what she'd admitted to him back on the "other" side. Her words still rang in his head from time to time, keeping him from sleep.
The scene played in his head.
"Peter?"
He looked up, forcing his tears to stay at bay. He was ashamed at a woman as strong as Olivia seeing him in this emotional state.
You don't belong here."
He allowed a few seconds of silence to ensue.
"No, I don't belong here." he replied softly, anger rising in his chest. "But I don't belong there either." He kept his head down, staring at the floor.
Olivia took a step forward, causing him to look up.
"I have thought of a hundred reasons of why you should come back. To fight the shape-shifters. . . to- - to take care of Walter, to save the world." She paused, tears blurring her vision for a moment. "But in the end, you have to come back. . . because you belong with me."
The way she looked at him made his heart flutter. Like she was afraid of how much she wanted him to come back.
She stepped toward him hesitantly as he bent his head down at an angle.
And with that, she kissed him. A gentle, comforting kiss of sorts. One he wouldn't trade for anything.
Peter sighed and let the scene pass as he opened the front door to his and Walter's house.
"Walter!" he yelled, shutting the door behind him. "I'm home."
"Indeed you are, son." Walter said as he walked around the corner, a smile where his frown should be at his pun.
Peter sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was going to be a long night. Perfectly matched with his long day.
"What's wrong, Peter?" Walter asked. Concern seeped through his voice.
"Gee, Walter. I don't know. Do you think that maybe, just maybe I might be a little exhausted from the events of today?" He opened his eyes and peered at his father, wishing he hadn't been so harsh.
Walter flinched at Peter's statement.
"Well you know what Peter?" He said grinding out his son's name. "Chasing your son around between two different realities because he's about to end ours, isn't light work."
Peter laughed. An ugly horrible sound wrenching from his throat.
He put his arms back to his sides and pointed an accusing finger at Walter as he stepped toward him, who was now standing a couple of feet in front of the staircase that lead to his room.
Walter didn't move as Peter approached him, but Peter knew he was just being stubborn. He was afraid of him. Walter was, that is.
"You are the one who kept this secret from me all these years." he spat. "You are the one who stole me from where I rightfully belonged. Another man's son. Out of your own selfishness."
He didn't want to fight with Walter, but he was irritated at the fact that everything just went back to normal. Like nothing happened. Like no body cared how he felt.
A look of hurt splashed over Walter's face.
"You think I did it out of selfishness?" he responded. "I did it to save you." His voice softened as he continued. "The "other" you died, Peter. All Because I wasn't smart enough to figure out how to save him in time. He was a bright kid, you know. Always trying to help me in the lab when he wasn't sick in bed, which was rare." Walter chuckled softly. "I remember when he used to come up with these ridiculous plans to trick my wife into letting him out of bed. He succeeded some of the time, but his mother was just as bright as I was, only in different aspects."
Peter listened intently, the anger subsiding for a moment., caught up in hearing the details of his "other" self.
"- - you were dying over there peter, the same as my son over "here". I know this because your mother and I designed a sort of a portal that allowed us to see into the "other" side. I communicated and followed his progress. Walter figured part of the solution out, but he didn't see the chemical reaction as I did. Someone interrupted him. Someone I couldn't see. So I created an even bigger portal, except this one would allow me to not only look, but pass through physically. I entered and came back with you. Your mother and I originally planned to give you the solution and take you back, but my son, well he passed away and looking at you, I knew I had been given a second chance, even if you can't see it that way." Recently made tear streaks could be seen on his face when he finished.
"I was so worried I'd lost you- - I love you, Peter." he said before sniffing and shuffling in the direction of the kitchen.
Peter watched him go, tears threatening to fall. He stood there for a few minutes, processing what he heard, when Walter called from the kitchen.
"Son?"
"Yes, Walter."
"I don't think this is how the pudding is supposed to look."
"What does it look like?" he replied with an annoyed yet amused tone.
"It's green. . . and I think it may be bubbling."
Peter sighed and headed toward the kitchen. At least now he was ok with things being back to normal. Except things between him and Olivia. Maybe he would take her to his favorite bar up the street tomorrow, the one he'd taken her to a couple times now.
He smiled at the thought of having an excuse to call her and entered the kitchen.
He took one surprised, but disgusted look at the bowl of pudding and burst out laughing. It felt good to laugh again.
"Ok, Walter." he said holding his stomach. "That is definitely not pudding."
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The soft rhythm of a machine to her left was the first thing she heard.
Beep.
. . .
Beep.
. . .
Beep.
. . .
Olivia shifted in the hospital bed, but hissed when she felt a sharp pain in her arm. Looking down, she noticed the IV running in her wrist, while her left was handcuffed to the railing.
Where was she?
She jiggled the handcuff around her wrist for good measure and grunted.
Great, she thought. I'm right back where I started.
She looked up at the bag hanging by where she was laying and watched as a drop of liquid was pumped from the tube to her wrist.
And it looks like I'm a little worse off.
Whatever was in that bag concerned her. Who knew what they were pumping into her body?
A tap to her right caught her attention. Snapping her head around, she got a glimpse of Daniel walking by the glass. So she was back in the holding quarters?
Memories flooded her mind, interrupting thoughts of her predicament.
Daniel was taking her to get something to eat. . . He blindfolded her. But she remembered trusting him. They were walking outside when. . .
If Olivia were able to, she would have face palmed. As the image of her hitting Daniel over the head entered her mind, her stomach churned. Daniel was the only person in here she trusted, the only chance she had of ever getting out of this place.
"Daniel?" she croaked.
Clearing her throat, she tried again.
"Daniel?"
Panic flooded her chest.
"Daniel!"
"Daniel isn't available at the moment." a voice replied. A figure came out of the shadows, the light glinting off of his gray hair. Walter.
"What have you done with him?" she asked quietly, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"Absolutely nothing my dear, I assure you. He did his job. You tried to escape and he kept you from doing so."
She paused. She saw him outside of the room earlier, so Walter must be telling the truth.
"Can I see him? Talk to him?" she was pleading.
"I'm afraid not. He's been reassigned."
Reassigned?
"Why did you reassign him?"
He chuckled softly. "I didn't. He did. He asked to be. You know, I've never seen him so emotionally attached to one of our captives before. It's very interesting. . ."
She wasn't their first captive?
Walter glanced at her wrist where the IV was resting.
Olivia followed his gaze and lifted her arm up.
"What are you giving me?"
A nasty grin etched itself on Walter's face.
"Just a little something we're trying. I'm not exactly sure how it's going to work and neither is Robert, but you're a strong woman. You should be able to handle it."
Olivia's curiosity got the best of her.
"Does the "other" me have abilities too?" She'd been pondering over this ever since she learned about the "other" reality.
Walter seemed a little caught off guard by her question, but quickly recovered.
"Oh no. Agent Dunham is a normal human being. Like the most of us."
Olivia nodded and looked away. In some ways she was jealous of her "other" self. Being normal was one thing she's always wanted.
"Where is she?"
"Well, I'm not quite sure at the moment , but what I am sure of is that she and my son are probably getting very acquainted."
The panic that had risen in her chest a few minutes ago, never left and now it amplified. The thought of Peter and her being together made her skin crawl. A pang of hurt also erupted. He still hasn't noticed she isn't me yet. Doesn't he know me well enough to know when someone is impersonating me?
Alternate Walter grinned at the hurt on her face.
Olivia forced herself to keep quiet. Making a scene wasn't going to help the situation.
"That's right, my dear. He still doesn't know. Oh he'll figure it out eventually, but by then it'll be too late. After all, he is my son. One of the brightest."
She was disgusted by this man. Here he was beaming over how bright his son was when only a while ago he was willing to sacrifice him just to satisfy his revenge agenda. And by the looks of it, he was planning on doing it again.
"For someone who is so proud of their son, you sure are hasty to get rid of him."
Walter flinched.
"My son's death is necessary. My priority is the safety of this world, no matter what my feelings are. It is the death of one or the death of many others. Sacrifices are part of the natural cycle of life."
His logic strangely made sense, but the fact that he was so calm about it made it very ,very wrong.
"So what do you need me for?"
Walter seemed to be deciding between telling her or leaving her in the dark without any knowledge as to what his plan was. If she escaped, there was always a risk she would tell Peter before his Agent Dunham had the chance to capture him. But, even if she did manage to escape, Walter could always give the word before Olivia could get to the "other" side. That's assuming she even knew how without the machine or the drug.
"You're here because the machine that Belle and Walter used to get back to the "other" side went with them. We have no way to get there and Agent Dunham and Peter have no way to get back."
"What makes you think I'd help you?"
Walter cocked his head to the side.
"Frankly, you don't have a choice."
Olivia smiled.
"You don't have anything to force me with. I'm trained to handle torture. You can't threaten to kill me because without me, you wouldn't get Peter. You can't threaten to kill Peter because that would defeat the whole purpose if it came down to it."
"You're right."
He picked at his cuticles.
"But I have Daniel. There are dozens of other agents that are as equally qualified as he is, if not more. And most of them wouldn't let their feelings interfere."
This man was sick.
She ignored the dull heartache at the thought of Daniel dead.
"You'd kill one of your own just make a fugitive cooperate?"
He looked up.
"As I've explained to you before, sacrifices have to be made."
"Does Daniel know about this?"
"He understands that there are "risks" when it comes to working for me."
"I'm guessing that wasn't in the fine print."
Olivia watched as Alternate Walter's eyes narrowed.
"The people who work for me are loyal. Just because Daniel has a tendency to have a soul, doesn't mean he wouldn't kill you if I asked it of him."
Olivia glared at him. She doubted Daniel would do such a thing.
Walter met her glare with just as much force and walked toward the door.
"You're just lucky Daniel convinced me to let you have some light in here."
He proceeded to open the door.
"Try to get some sleep Olivia." he said tenderly before closing the door.
The lights dimmed and Olivia noticed how tired she was, even though she had only been awake for fifteen minutes, at most.
Worried about Peter, worried about Daniel, worried about how she was going to escape, she eventually fell asleep.
Olivia rubbed her eyes and sat up. Feeling the lightness of her wrists, she glanced at them and noticed that the handcuffs and IV were gone.
Looking around, she gasped.
She was in a forest. Almost the same as the one she'd been in when Walter had taken her to Jacksonville, when he gave her Cortexiphan. But this forest was different. It was broken. Pieces in the sky were missing, blank spots. Trees were at odd angles.
So this is what Alternate Walter had put into her system. They were trying to create the drug Cortexiphan, but by the looks of it, they didn't have it quite right. That worried her. This meant anything could go wrong. That anything could happen.
Suddenly, a flash of movement could be seen out of the corner of her eye. She turned and saw a figure walking out from behind a tree.
"Peter?" Olivia whispered.
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So, I enjoyed writing this chapter. I know Olivia is the fighting type and that you may find it a little out of character for her to be so calm about everything, but Olivia will get her wake up call soon. Just stick with me.
Anyway, review obviously. I like em almost as much as pickles. (: