A/N: Again, sorry it took so long! Classes have been getting the way with papers and exams, but Thanksgiving break is coming up!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!

Peter may be a little OOC in this, but just go with me on it. There is a method to my madness! lol

Anyway, here's chapter 3! Let me know what you think. As of now the next chapter will focus on what Olivia's been up to since she left.

Smoke Screen

Chapter 3

Don't Walk Away

"I've never been so ashamed. It really felt like you and me were getting better. I hope that you still want me. I hope it's not too late. Don't walk away and leave without a reason when there's too much to say that hasn't been said. I know I was wrong and I'm sorry….Don't walk away."

-Sick Puppies

That night Peter sat alone at a bar while Walter sat at home watching a SpongeBob marathon on TV. He sipped his beer quietly and let his thoughts surround him. He didn't know when Olivia would come back. He didn't know if she would come back and now the delicate balance of their Fringe team had drastically changed with her absence and the addition of a replacement. His sadness and depression were slowly turning into anger and the alcohol didn't help. For the first time since Olivia left Peter was not only angry with himself, but also with her. Deep down he knew she had her reasons and she deserved her space, but he resented the fact that she had left before they got the chance to even try a real relationship. He had told her once, after she got back from the other side, that he had gotten the chance to see what the two of them together looked like and it was beautiful. She walked away without giving him a reason or listening to him.

Peter really did understand most of what she was feeling and some of why she was doing what she was doing. However, his feelings clouded the rational part of his brain. The alternate Olivia had betrayed his trust and used him like their lives were nothing more than a game. A game she wanted to be sure her team won. Now, his Olivia was disappointed, angry, upset and above all else, gone. He could tell his Olivia was hurting, but she wasn't the only one. It was those kinds of feelings that made Peter stay at the bar and order a second drink instead of going home to his father.

Halfway through his new beer Peter noticed the bar stool next to him suddenly became occupied. He decided he wouldn't even look up. He didn't care who it was and he wasn't in the mood to talk.

"Come here often?" Peter recognized the female voice from somewhere. He looked up from his beer and turned to the person next to him. It was Jess. She greeted Peter with a smile.

Peter wasn't happy to see her, but he gave a faint half smile in return before looking back down at his beer as she ordered one for herself.

Jess received her beer and turned her barstool so she could face Peter directly, leaving him no escape from a conversation. He downed more of his drink wishing he had gone home before she showed up.

"Are you waiting for you girlfriend?" She asked with a small smile, the curiosity evident in her voice.

"No." Peter said. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to elaborate. He sighed. "I don't have a girlfriend."

On the outside Jess looked concerned and slightly confused, but inside she was ecstatic. So he is single. She thought. However, she did wonder why Astrid had told her he was taken. "Oh, Astrid gave the impression that you did." She said. "I assumed the two of you were together."

Her last comment took Peter by surprise. Did she really think he and Astrid were dating? "It's complicated." He replied before finishing his beer. "And there's nothing between Astrid and I." He got up to leave, but before he could Jess put a hand on his arm to stop him.

"Don't go." She said sweetly. "I'm sorry. Let's talk about something else!"

Peter stopped, looking down at the hand on his arm before looking up to Jess' face. She gave him a kind smile and he thought he saw a look of sincerity in her eyes. Although somehow he knew he shouldn't, he sat back down anyway. Jess ordered him another drink. They sat there talking and drinking well into the night.

Soon there were only a handful of people left in the bar besides Peter and Jess. His mind was only slightly fuzzy from the alcohol while she was well on her way to being hammered. He couldn't help but compare her to Olivia who had always been able to keep up with him when it came to alcohol. Jess, on the other hand, had tried to keep up, but she had failed miserably.

Finally, Peter decided he had had enough of her annoying laughter and innocent touches that grew bolder with every drink. At first she had been a welcome distraction, but now she was someone who reminded him exactly how Olivia wasn't.

As much as Peter wanted to simply leave Jess at the bar he knew giving her a ride home was the right thing to do. He pushed away the voice in his head that told him he would have never considered what the 'right thing' to do in a situation was if it hadn't been for Olivia forcing him to change his con man ways.

"Come on." Peter said, standing. "I'll take you home."

"Ok!" Jess replied, cheerfully, hopping up from her barstool.

She was a happy, giggly drunk Peter noted as he started for the door. At least she could walk straight he thought, but as soon as the words formed in his mind she caught up to him, wrapping her arms around his right arm and laid her head on his shoulder. He decided to let it slide, reveling in the small semblance of comfort it gave him.

They exited the bar and Jess let go of Peter to dig through her purse as they walked towards Peter's car, almost falling down in the process. Peter put a hand on her elbow to steady her. She giggled as she regained her balance and immediately resumed her search through her purse until they reached the passenger side of Peter's car.

"What are you looking for?" Peter finally asked, annoyed.

Jess reached into her bag on last time with a frown of concentration. A few seconds later her face lit up with a drunken smile. "I've been looking everywhere for these!" She triumphantly held up a pack of cigarettes. "I don't know how I've made it through this night without on. They didn't even cross my mind until we got outside." Jess laughed again. "You must be a very good distraction." She took a step closer to Peter and pointed a finger at him, a smile still plastered on her face.

"Ok." Peter said, taking a step around her to open the passenger side door of his car. Her not so subtle advances were beginning to make him feel uncomfortable. He just wanted to go home and go to bed. He wasn't in the mood to deal with a drunken Jess. He wished Olivia hadn't left so he wouldn't have to.

Peter started the car and began the drive to Jess' house which, thankfully, she had informed him wasn't far from the bar.

Jess rolled down her window slightly and after a couple failed attempts she managed to light a cigarette. She let out a sigh of contentment as she exhaled her first drag before offering a cigarette to Peter. "Want one?" She asked.

"I'm good." Peter replied, keeping his eyes on the road. Although part of him did want to join her, he knew he shouldn't. He'd given up smoking years ago and he did not want to go through the process of quitting again.

"Oh, come on! One's not gonna hurt you! Have some fun once in a while!" Some of Jess' words were slurred together.

"Fine." Peter mumbled and accepted the cigarette. He did not feel like arguing with her.

The rest of the ride was silent. Peter pulled up in front of a small white house.

"Thanks for the ride!" Jess said enthusiastically before giving Peter a quick kiss on the cheek and running up to the front door.

Peter sat in the driver's seat slightly stunned. Once she disappeared inside the house he finished his cigarette and drove home, wishing it was Olivia who had kissed him.