A/N - Only two more chapters to go after this one. I'm a sucker for even numbers! I hope that this closes off some of the questions you might have.

Read and review folks - that's all I require.

:)

Chapter Twelve – The Middle Of The Middle

While they waited for Lootes to think over the terms, Astrid delivered once again. Olivia was smiling when she got off the phone and Peter cocked his head.

"What's with the grin?"

"Geller made some….rather unusual purchases recently."

"Unusual how?"

Olivia turned to Simon, who was still watching Lootes.

"A large tank, some cow meat, you know the usual."

Simon nodded slightly.

"You were right, he has the Parnornavate."

"That's what I'm thinking. Think Lootes is ready to give us a location yet?"

Peter offered her a small smile and headed back into the room. Within a few minutes, Lootes had spilled his secrets and given him the location of Geller.

Olivia let Peter drive, her thoughts too far away. She didn't know what to expect when they finally pulled up, but it wasn't this. A barn, a large red one, the kind that you saw in stories but this was run down and abandoned. She glanced at Simon, who slid in beside her, gun in hand. They approached as silently as possible, reaching the door, with no sound from the inside. The door was open slightly and Olivia peered around the edge, her eyes locking on what little light there was in the barn. Geller was beside a large glass tank, throwing pieces of meat into it. She couldn't see what was in the tank but she could hear the slaps of water as the creature moved within in it. She shifted the door lightly with her foot, sending up a silent prayer that the door would betray the old age of the barn. It drifted open slowly, silently and that was enough. She slipped through the gap, Simon and Peter following her through. Olivia adjusted the grip on her gun, stiffened her stance and finally spoke.

"Freeze Geller."

Geller glanced up but ignored the command, continuing to feed the creature in the tank. He only looked at her for a moment before he lowered his eyes again.

"You are welcome to see her Agent Dunham. She is surprisingly beautiful."

Olivia saw the movement out of the corner of her eye and glanced to her left, noticing Simon's disappearance. She glanced at Peter, who suddenly had a gun in his hands. It was in that moment that she realized how similar Simon was to Peter in that regard. Both men could blend into the background, becoming part of the shadows. She focused her attention on Geller, sliding forward again. When he offered no reaction to her movements, she moved closer still. The tank was huge, the kind that magicians used when they were plunged under water, expecting to escape from the chains that they had shackled themselves in. Deep and wide, it contained a creature that Olivia only vaguely recognised. She could feel its cold eyes watching her as she examined it and she got the distinct impression that it was more intelligent than any of them realized. It didn't blink, a hard stare that reminded her of a shark. The sketch that Bell had left behind was nothing like the creature before her. The Parnornavate was the size of a Labrador, its sharp claws hitting the glass as it turned in the tank, its tail curving close to its body. It was a light shade of green, perfect camouflage for the lake Olivia guessed. Its skin looked smooth and flawless but it was its teeth, flashing at her as it lunged for the meat that Geller was still dropping into the tank, which gained her attention. She could finally see why the wound on the victims and the one on her foot had been so neat. These were not normal teeth; it was as if razor blades had been slipped into its mouth. Even without the toxin, it would be a more then formidable predator. Geller shifted slightly on the top of the metal steps that were attached to the tank.

"She's so big now."

Geller voice held a note of pride and Olivia wondered what Lootes had told him to ensure that his alliances remained with this creature, one that they were willing to sacrifice people for.

"She's killing people."

Geller nodded slightly.

"I'm aware of that. The deaths, they were….unfortunate but necessary."

"She needs to be stopped."

Geller frowned as he looked down at the Parnornavate.

"I know. But I'm not going to prison."

Olivia frowned and glanced at Peter. She saw a slight movement coming out of the shadows behind Geller, Simon emerged, gun extended, slowly moving towards the steps.

"She saved our community. And I want to give her one last gift."

Geller moved the bucket of meat aside and stepped up the last two metal rungs until he was directly standing over the top of the tank, the water spilling over and lapping at his feet. Olivia became very quickly aware of what Geller's final gift would be.

"Geller, you don't have to do this."

Geller shook his head, offering her a sad smile.

"I'm not going to prison."

Olivia couldn't shoot him; he would just fall into the tank. And she got the distinct impression that she would not be talking this man down from the ledge. In the same moment that Geller lifted his foot, lowering it into the water, Simon lunged forward. He grabbed the collar of Geller's shirt but in that second of movement, his balance was lost. Olivia had barely taken a breath before both men were plunged into the tank.

"Simon!"

Her yell was pointless but it hung in the air all the same. The water changed quickly as the two men and the creature tumbled within the tank, blood soon becoming all that Olivia could see. She flinched as a gunshot echoed through the barn. Peter shot at the corner of the tank, the safest place to avoid shooting the men inside. Olivia took her gun and did the same, the moments passing endlessly before the tank finally imploded, the men and creature spilling out. Olivia took a step back as the Parnornavate slid towards her, still lashing and snapping its teeth. It only took Peter a second to decide what to do. He took aim and shot at the creature until it lay still. Then he re-loaded his gun, and shot it twice more. Olivia brushed her fingers over Geller's neck, not holding out much hope of a pulse. It looked as if he had taken the brunt of the Parnornavate's attack, huge chunks of flesh torn from his body, bone glistening under blood. She slid slightly as she checked over Simon. She could see a jagged wound on his thigh, lower legs and bites all over his hands and face.

"Peter, we need the Naloxone from the truck. And an ambulance."

Peter ran from the barn and Olivia turned her attention back to Simon. She pushed his hair from his face as she examined his wounds.

"I'm fine."

"I know. But you just got jacked up with a while lot of that toxin. I'm taking precautions."

Simon smiled slightly.

"Good. Because it hurts like a bitch."

"A bit of pain never did anyone any harm."

Simon tried to laugh but it came out in a hiss and he tried to move but Olivia pushed him down.

"Stay still."

"You're bossy."

"It will get worse if you don't listen."

Simon sighed and winced in pain.

"Hey Olivia?"

"Yeah."

"If I don't get through this-"

"Stop it. You're going to be fine."

"But if I don't, you need to contact my sister. Don't tell her what happened, she'll freak out. Break it to her as gently as possible, will you?"

"No. You can tell her yourself."

Simon continued as if she had said nothing at all.

"I want her to have the money in all of my accounts. She's always wanted to go to Spain. But it has to be by boat. She can't fly."

Simon's voice faded off and Olivia squeezed his hand.

"Come on Simon, open your eyes. Stay with me. Why can't your sister fly?"

Simon's eyes flicked slightly before they closed and didn't open again. Peter came back into the barn, a couple of syringes in his hand. He handed one to Olivia before pushing up Simon's sleeve, tapping his arm to find a vein. Olivia did the same, hoping that they had gotten to him in time. He was still breathing, she took comfort in the rise and fall of his chest but she wasn't sure just how much of the toxin had gotten through his system. She could hear the faint sounds of sirens as she looked at the Parnornavate before lowering her eyes to Simon again.

When Julia Wallace arrived at the hospital, Olivia could immediately see the family resemblance. Both she and Simon were tall, dark and silent. If she hadn't been wearing high heels, Olivia was fairly certain that she never would have noticed her. With her was a tall man with sandy hair, her arm around her, heads bent. Olivia approached them and introduced herself. Julia looked her up and down taking in the blood and the dampness that still lingered on her clothes. The man offered her a small smile, not examining her the way Julia was.

"What happened to Simon?"

Olivia wondered just how much Julia knew of her brother's career.

"I know there are some things you can't tell me, I understand that."

Olivia offered Julia a small smile and indicated to the hard seats that lined the waiting room. Julia took one, the man releasing her from his embrace. Olivia noticed the wedding bands and assumed that they were married. He seemed calmer than his wife, less edgy and nervous.

"We were investigating a local Sheriff. Simon put himself in danger trying to save a suspect."

"Did he save him?"

"No."

Julia nodded and lapsed into silence, her mouth in a tight line.

"The doctor said that he would be fine."

Olivia nodded her head slightly.

"Yeah, he will be. He has some of the best doctor's working on him."

She didn't tell Julia that she had called Nina Sharp and that Nina had sent over some of her very own medical staff to help Simon. It had been a close call though.

"So you're Agent Dunham?"

Olivia nodded.

"That's me."

"He talked about you that last time he came around for dinner. He likes you."

"He's a good guy."

Julia studied her for a second before the silence returned as they both waited for news. Olivia felt like she should apologize, after all, she was the one that had put Simon in danger; she was the one that had dragged him into a case where he could die. Peter had been telling her that it wasn't her fault, that Simon had made the choice to try and grab Geller but that didn't dislodge the guilt that sat hard in her stomach. This was why the Fringe division remained on the outskirts of the FBI. The less people knew of it, the less people it could get hurt.

"I'm going to get a coffee. Would you like one?"

Julia nodded.

"Yes please. Cream and sugar."

Olivia turned to her husband who offered her his hand.

"I'm Harry by the way."

They shook and Olivia repeated her offer, which Harry declined with a short shake of his head. Olivia turned on her heel and headed to the cafeteria and got the coffee, taking her time to get back to the waiting room. She checked her phone but didn't expect to see anything. Peter had taken the Parnornavate to the lab for Walter to examine and she figured that both men would be completely emerged in the task. When she arrived back, Julia was talking to a doctor, tears running down her cheeks. Olivia almost dropped the coffees, her mind shifting through the worse outcome possible. Simon was dead. When the doctor finally left, Olivia took a deep breath and hardened herself, preparing to hear the news. When Julia finally saw her, she gave Olivia a shaky smile.

"Simon's fine. He's going to be ok."

Olivia sunk back into her seat with weak knees. Julia took her coffee and wiped her eyes with the corner of her sleeve.

"I was ten when Simon was born."

"That's an impressive age gap."

Julia laughed shakily.

"Yeah I know. He's always been so smart; it used to drive me nuts. He always knew more than me."

Olivia chuckled. She sipped her coffee, wincing at the bitter brew.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Fire away."
"Before the ambulance came, Simon said something."

"What?"

"He said that you can't fly."

"Oh that. Our parents died in a plane crash when he was ten. After that, I never flew. Stupid I know but it's something that you never forget."

"So you raised Simon?"

"Yeah, I did. I sometimes wish he had a safer job though. I can't sleep sometimes thinking about what he does."

"My sister says the same about me."

They made idle chatter until the coffees were finished and a nurse gave Julia the all clear to go and see Simon. After a moment of thought, Olivia left the hospital. There was one more thing that she needed to do.