Olivia opened her eyes and took in the bright sunlight. She was walking through a forest filled with tall, sparse trees, and occasionally, she stepped over a fallen one. Next to her was the familiar young blonde woman, Etta, she corrected herself. A few yards away, Peter and Walter were walking in the same direction.
"You know, I used to imagine this—going on a mission with you," Etta admitted. "You have no idea how many battles we won together."
Olivia smiled nervously. "You know, that's a lot to live up to."
Etta paused. "No, you're… you're more than I imagined."
Olivia woke up with a start, confused. This dream wasn't a nightmare. Etta wasn't dying; she was alive and healthy and moving around. But this dream still left Olivia with the familiar ache in her chest. Originally, she had tried to write off her recurring nightmare as some sort of internal fear of losing her daughter manifesting itself in an unusual way—ignoring the sense she'd already lived the event. However, after her most recent dream, Olivia didn't know what to think.
Glancing at her alarm, she realized it was 8:00 am, and she was due to take Rachel and the kids to the airport in a couple hours. Olivia was surprised to realize that Broyles had honored her request for a day off. On New Year's Eve, he had told Olivia that since their case load was a little slow, she could use up some of her vacation days for January first and fourth if she wanted, giving her a four day weekend. Olivia had eagerly accepted, excited to spend some time with her family. Now that it was Monday, Olivia had gone shopping with Rachel, Ella and Etta, taken Etta and Eddie to Chuck E Cheese, had a rare date night with Peter while Rachel babysat, and cleaned the entire house. Having four days off was an uncommon thing for Olivia and she was not good at sitting still.
Pulling on a pair of athletic leggings and one of Peter's wrinkled button downs, Olivia quietly slipped out of bed and went downstairs to make breakfast for everyone.
Etta came hobbling down the stairs as Olivia was pouring the batter into the waffle iron. "Morning, Mama," she said, rubbing her eyes. "What's for breakfast?"
"Good Morning, Beautiful," Olivia greeted her daughter, kissing the top of her head and smoothing her sleep-crumpled curls. "I'm making waffles. Is there anything else you think we should have?"
Etta thoughtfully tapped a finger to her lips in an almost comical manner. "Maybe some bacon and eggs. I think Daddy would like that. Also strawberry sauce. Because you need that if you make waffles," she said seriously.
"Very true," Olivia said, matching Etta's serious tone. "Do you wanna help me cook?"
Etta nodded quickly, and ran to grab her step stool. Dragging it over to the counter, she climbed up and looked at her mother expectantly. "What would you like me to do?"
Olivia smiled, "How about I crack the eggs and you can stir them?"
Peter woke up to his favorite smell—the smell of bacon. He inhaled deeply and smiled. "That's my girl," he murmured, knowing Etta must have requested it. Pulling on a pair of sweatpants and a plain white V-neck, he walked downstairs to greet his family.
"Good morning, Princess," he said, picking up Etta. "Did you sleep well?"
She nodded. "I had a dream that I could fly!" Etta exclaimed, spreading out her arms like wings. "I flew to Disney World and went on rides with all of the princesses."
"Did you bring me with you?" Peter asked, to which Etta shook her head. "That sounds pretty great. I'm bummed I missed out."
"Sorry, Daddy. Maybe next time."
The door to the basement opened, revealing Ella and Eddie. "Morning," sang Ella. "Mom's in the shower still, but she should be up soon."
"What smells so good?" asked Eddie curiously, standing on his tip toes in order to see the food on the counter.
"My mommy and I made eggs and bacon and waffles with strawberry sauce," Etta said, proud of her handiwork.
"Aunt Liv, can we start eating now?" Ella asked. "I'm too hungry to wait for my mom."
"Sure," laughed Olivia. "Just make sure we save some for her, okay?"
After everyone had finished eating, Rachel and her kids went downstairs to finish packing up all their stuff, Etta went upstairs to brush her teeth and get ready for day care, and Peter and Olivia began washing the dishes.
"How'd you sleep last night?" Peter asked Olivia as he took a wet plate from her and began drying it. "You seemed less restless than normal. This whole 'trying for number two' thing wearing you out?" he asked mischievously.
Olivia blushed, "I don't know, maybe it is. Or maybe it was chasing your daughter around the arcade at Chuck E Cheese yesterday."
"I would guess a combination of the both. Are you still planning on taking Rachel and the kids to the airport? Or do you need me to do it?"
As Peter asked that, he sparked an idea in Olivia. "Actually, I think I have some errands to run. I was just gonna drop off some of the paperwork I brought home from work, and I think I should hit the gym. I've been on desk duty too long. I'm afraid I'm getting out of shape. Could you take them to Logan for me?"
"Sure," smiled Peter, kissing Olivia quickly. "In that case, I'm gonna go change. Think you can finish the rest of these dishes without me?"
"I believe I can manage it," Olivia called after Peter as he bounded up the stairs.
Packing a bag for the gym and for work, Olivia changed into jeans and a plain grey t shirt and pulled her hair up into a pony tail. Olivia helped Rachel and Ella load up their luggage into Peter's SUV, then kissed and hugged everyone goodbye.
"Make sure you call me when you land," she reminded Rachel. "Also, call me and keep me updated with everything that happens with Greg. Or call me if you need anything. I always have my phone on me."
"Alright, Liv, I'll call you if I breathe or sneeze or anything in between," Rachel said tiredly. "Don't you worry about us. We'll be fine. I love you," she finished, kissing her sister on the cheek once more.
"Love you, too. Hope you guys have a safe trip!" She called, getting in her car and driving off.
Since it was a Monday and Peter was about to take her sister and her family to the airport, Olivia knew it would be her only chance in the foreseeable future where she had free time to stop at Massive Dynamic while Peter was otherwise preoccupied.
When she got to MD and security buzzed her through, Olivia walked briskly to the elevator and hit the button to go up to the 23rd floor. When she arrived, she received a curious look from Brandon. "Agent Dunham," he greeted her, "what a pleasant surprise. Ms. Sharp didn't tell us you'd be in today. Is everything alright?"
"Actually, no," she sighed, "I need your help with something."
A/N: Hope you guys are liking the story! I really, really love reading your reviews :)