Merry Christmas to all of you reading this. I hope that this chapter makes your day even more special.

Rating has changed to 'T.' I own nothing. Probably one more chapter after this will wrap things up.

Please review. It's one of the best presents EVER!

Olivia Dunham tells Peter Bishop what she has recently come to realize.

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same-Chapter 10

Peter lay there on the sofa, cold and lonely, watching the flickering light from the wood stove on things around him. He thought about how sad it was that they had gotten to this point. Only weeks ago he dared to imagine what a holiday such as Christmas might be like while being so in love with Olivia Dunham. And now thanks to his most major screw-up, he knew. It hurt. Loving someone who didn't let you in. He knew in his unique case it was even worse. The other Olivia had let him in and it was bliss. But it wasn't her and as a result it was all taken cruelly away from him. And to be honest she was the last person on earth he thought would totally hold it against him. How come she couldn't see that he was as much of a victim in that most inhumane con as she was?

"'Livia," he whispered into the living room. Minutes later he fell asleep with the wetness of his tears still palpable on his face.

Olivia didn't have a clue what time it was. She only knew she couldn't sleep. She couldn't get warm, no matter how many layers of Mrs. McLaughlin's tops she wore. Finally with a mild swear she threw the covers back and got up. There was only one place to go for warmth. She told herself she was only going there to get warmer, but her brain wasn't buying it. She felt around for her flashlight and held it firmly as she took the few steps and quietly opened the bedroom door. All she could hear as she made her way down the stairs were the noises from the stove and possibly Peter's breathing.

Things looked differently though as she moved closer. It was then she noticed the full-sized air mattress near the stove, several blankets on top of it and Peter underneath those clutching them tightly. Her goal was to move in there quietly without waking him which she feared was folly, but she just...wanted to get warm...and be near him you know you want to, her brain told her. As she pressed a hand on the air mattress she stumbled a little and Peter's eyes shot open. It took him a second to figure out what was going on. "'Livia, you OK?" he asked her concernedly.

She decided honesty was the best policy. "I was cold, so I decided to come down here. I'm really sorry I woke you, Peter. I stumbled a little-"

"S'OK," he said quickly, pleasantly surprised by this sudden change of events. To have her close to him even just to get warm was fine with him, he reasoned, as he moved over to give her more room. As Olivia got next to him and replaced the covers Peter made the rest of the way to the state of wakefulness. He longed to put his arm around her and considered for a moment the consequences of doing such. He decided to use humor to diffuse his sudden anxiousness. "Maybe one of us should tell the other a bedtime story?" he offered with a laugh.

Olivia cleared her throat and decided it was time to tell him, as scary as it felt. "Peter. I need you to tell me something. Last night you asked me to tell you everything about Over There, and you listened to me. I want you to do that for me now. Would you please tell me about everything after the 3 of you got back, from your point of view?"

Peter sat up a bit and gave her a look. "Olivia. I don't know if it's such a good idea to-"

"These last four weeks I was only looking at everything from my point of view, but you were duped also, Peter, and I want to hear how you reacted to it all."

He stared at her for a moment a gave a great sigh.

"Please," she begged him with the same look she had given him in the lower level of Massive Dynamic after Jacksonville, and the same look she gave him in that apartment in another universe what felt like a lifetime ago.

"OK," he said resignedly, hoping that telling her wouldn't turn out badly. Peter lay back down. He told her everything he could think of regarding the last 4 weeks. He told her about Astrid offering him 3 pieces of pie the night they got back. He told her about how the other Olivia was quiet on the trip home, and how all he thought about was Olivia during the debriefing in Washington. He told her about kissing the other Olivia who he thought was her on the steps as soon as he got out. He told her about going out for drinks with her 3 nights after they got back and retold how the other Olivia said meeting another Olivia Dunham had given her a different outlook on her life, appreciating things more. He told her how he stupidly thought she was talking about him. He told her about how she had asked him to dance, about how the Other Side hadn't felt real but she did. He told her about showing up unannounced at her apartment to vent about how easy it would have been to make up with Walter but he wasn't ready to, and about how that picture of him with fire coming out of his eyes drove him crazy with fear. He told her about how she distracted him with kisses on the couch and how they were interrupted by their cell phones. He told her about the case with the box and its ability to kill people who opened it, and about how the other Olivia had pushed him off the rails to save him from an oncoming train he couldn't hear. After some more breaths he told her about having dinner with the other Olivia and hinting that they would take it to the next level. He told her about the unexpected text he'd gotten the next night that she wanted to talk. He told her about how when he got there she said she'd lied, that she didn't want to talk.

While watching her eyes he told her about how the other Olivia had made the first move towards sleeping together, and how they were together frequently after that. He told her about the conversation he had with her at Massive Dynamic concerning the small changes he noticed in her. And he told her about that cruel night when he got the phone call from the cleaning lady from the Liberty Island gift shop while he was lying next to the other Olivia, and how that phone call had changed everything.

Somewhere between that point and when Peter told her he didn't believe the other Olivia when she'd said her assignment had grown into something more while handcuffed, Olivia put her hand on Peter's face. It was then that he noticed the tears running down her face and he grabbed her arm as he started to cry also.

"Peter," she whispered. "She did this to both of us. I realize now that what you felt... It was for me. Not for the other Olivia who you didn't know." Peter shook his head in acknowledgement.

"You know I never would have-"

"I know," Olivia cut him off, her other hand moved to the other side of his face and they stayed like that. "I...I forgive you, Peter."

Peter watched her, his eyes widening and turning the deepest blue. He leaned in and their lips touched gently. They could taste each other's tears as the kiss continued into something deeper. Then Peter broke the kiss and pulled back. "You have no idea what that means to me to hear you say that 'Livia."

Olivia leaned in and took another taste of his lips. He was warm and yielding and full of love for her. For me,she reminded herself. She pushed herself against him and touched his side, her hand landing on warm skin as his shirt had ridden up. Peter jerked a little at the sheer bliss of her hand against his skin. She opened her mouth to him and he hastily explored it with his tongue as she moaned. He was pretty sure he knew what she wanted as he wanted it oh so badly, but he had to be sure.

Peter pulled back for the second time and looked at her, his breathing rough. "Are you sure, Olivia? With me?"

She gave a sad smile when his voice cracked on the last word. "Yes, you. You didn't know. She conned you. She conned us. She took what we are to each other and used it against us. That's not your fault. I forgive you. I-"

His lips were on hers again, but more forcefully. He was pretty sure he knew what she was going to say next but he wasn't quite ready to hear those words from her lips just yet. Peter decided he'd show her rather than tell her what she meant to him.

They undressed each other quickly, anxious to feel the lusciousness of skin on skin. He let her choose whatever she wanted, and was relieved when she let him move her to be under him. Their union was slow and beautiful, their eyes locked on each other. They set a rhythm and fairly quicly went over that plateau together and did not pull apart on the way back down.

Once it became necessary for them to separate, he held her flush against him, their body heat keeping each other warm. He stroked her hair as she fell into blissful sleep. When Peter was sure she was sleeping he whispered against her hair, "Merry Christmas, Olivia. I love you."

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