A/N - Hey folks...weare getting there slowly but surely...

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Chapter Twenty-Five – Death Becomes Her

Olivia sighed as she unlocked the front door, pausing to shrug off her coat and headed up the stairs. She was exhausted. She ran herself a deep, hot bath filled with bubbles and sunk into the heat gratefully. After an hour, her muscles had relaxed and she got out, pulling on her track pants and t-shirt slipping under the covers. She closed her eyes with a sigh. But sleep didn't come. Her brain was still spinning after the body in the park. After another hour, she sighed and took out her phone.

"Hey Peter. What's the verdict?"

"Aren't you meant to be sleeping?"

"The wheels won't stop spinning. What did Walter say?"

There was a slight commotion and Walter's voice took the place of Peter's.

"Olivia my dear, this is Walter. You were right."

"His heart stopped?"

"Yes. It collapsed under the strain of the B-serum But there is something else."

Olivia pulled herself up the bed before rearranging the pillows.

"What?"

"He has enough drugs in his system to start a small pharmacy. Someone was experimenting on him."

"Interesting."

"Isn't it?"

"Thanks for that Walter. Can you put Peter back on?"

"Very well."

There was another shuffle before Peter came back on the line.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good, now that I 've had a bath."

"Well, I should be home in a few hours. I'll wait until Walter is finished with this body and then drop him off."

"Ok. I'll try and get some sleep."

"Take one of those pills that the doctor gave you, that should help."

"Yes boss."

"Night, sleeping beauty."

Olivia was still smiling as she put the phone on the bedside table. She glanced at the pills before sighing and popping one in her hand, pushing it down with a glass of water. She settled herself back under the covers and waited for the pill to work its magic. Her eyes were just starting to get heavy when her phone rang. She didn't open her eyes when she answered.

"Dunham."

"It's Broyles. We've managed to find a few connections to your case."

"How so?"

"There has been a slight rise in missing persons in the last couple of weeks. The man in the park? He was reported missing a week and a half ago. And I am of the belief that he is not the only test subject that is on the missing person on the list."

"How many?"

"Going by instinct, I would say at least two dozen."

"So someone is collecting the subjects and experimenting on them?"

"Sorry?"

She had forgotten that Broyles wasn't aware of the theory.

"That body in the park? It was experimented on."

"Freelancer?"

"I would be inclined to think so. He's still missing and this was his experiment."

"What do we know about the other test subjects?"

"Not much. Astrid was still working through the codes, trying to find the names."

"Ok. I can get another computer tech to have a look at that."

"Thanks."

There was a sudden silence at Olivia was wondering if Broyles had been cut off or merely hung up until she heard him sigh.

"Olivia, have you re-considered taking some time off?"

Olivia sat up in the bed again, now awake and feeling slightly foolish.

"Yes."

"And what have you decided?"

"I'm willing to compromise."

"How so?"

Olivia sighed.

"I can't just stop Phillip, you know that. And it makes me anxious the idea of Peter being out there alone."

"We can have another agent with him. That is not an issue."

"I know. It's also my sanity that I need to consider. So I have decided that I can cut my hours. If I'm not needed, I will be home. Just like I am now."

She could hear the surprise as Broyles spoke again.

"You're at home?"

"Yes. Down side of being pregnant? I get exhausted far too easily."

Broyles chuckled.

"Yes that is a side effect of growing a person."

Olivia fiddled with the edge of the bed spread.

"So is that enough to get the big wigs off your back?"

"It should be. My concern is for you and the baby, not office politics. You know that, right?"

"Yeah I do. Between you and Peter you have the whole worried thing completely covered."

"Let me know if you need anything else."

"Ok."

The line went dead and Olivia put it back on the bed side table. She sat there for a few more moments wondering what to do next. She wasn't tired anymore, just restless. She pushed off the covers, tugging off her pyjamas as she went.

When she arrived back at the lab, she was greeted by a peculiar sight. The first thing she noticed was a rather tall man in a black suit, his hands folded neatly in front of him as he stood motionless by the door. She took a step back in surprise before moving forward. The next thing made her pause. Nina, Walter and Peter were sitting at the table, heads close together, voices low as they discussed something in hurried tones. It was Peter who noticed her first, raising his head with a frown.

"Liv?"

Olivia pushed her hair from her face.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Did you take ones of the pills?"

"Yes. And then Broyles called me."

"What about?"

Olivia glanced at Walter and Nina, passing them a smile.

"Hi. Peter, can we talk?"

"Of course."

He moved to her, taking her hand and leading her into Walter's office. He closed it behind them, looking anxious.

"What happened?"

Olivia gave him a smile, trying to ease some of the tension on his face. She grabbed his hand again and lead him to the sofa, pulling him down beside her.

"Broyles called me to let me know that the man out there? He's a missing person. He thinks that at least two dozen of the people on missing person are on the trial. He's going to finish working on the list that Astrid was trying to process of the trial subjects."

"That's good. We might be able to get some names."

"I know. And we reached a compromise about me taking maternity leave."

Peter's face softened.

"Oh. What was the compromise?"

"Well, I explained that having you on the field without me made me anxious. And he said he could arrange for another agent to work with you."

"Walter won't like that."

"I know. But the only way that I can stay in the loop somewhat is if I cut my hours. So that's what I'll do. But I'm not going on desk duty. I'll hire someone to carry me around on their back all day before I do that."

Peter laughed.

"That could be interesting."

Olivia linked their fingers together.

"I really don't like the idea of someone else having your back. I don't trust anyone else to do it properly."

"Hypocrite."

"Sorry?"

"You won't let me worry about you but you feel free to worry about me."

Olivia ran her thumb across his knuckles.

"You're my husband."

"And you're my wife. I'm allowed to worry too."

Olivia smiled.

"You worry too much."

Peter leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers. She closed her eyes and breathed in the appealing scent of Peter. Even when the scent of chemicals lingered there, he still smelt like everything that was good in her life. Without conscious thought, she moved slightly, capturing his lips with her own. It was meant to be light, an act of love and comfort but within seconds it became something else entirely. Olivia moved closer, pressing herself into Peter. He didn't fight her, leaning back until they were laying on the sofa, her hands searching desperately for his skin that was hidden beneath his clothes. A part of her suddenly knew what Rachel was talking about. It didn't matter that they had a case or that just beyond the door were Walter and Nina. She wanted him. She wanted him with an urgency that she felt with every inch of her body and soul. He whispered her name, his mouth finding the skin of her neck.

"Peter, I need your help with-"

Walter stood frozen in the door way, Olivia feeling the heat drain from her body as quickly as it had consumed her in the first place. This wasn't the first time that Walter had walked in on them. At least they still had their clothes on. But the effect was still the same. It not only killed the mood, it buried it deep in the ground.

"Excuse me."

Walter closed the door quietly as he left. Olivia leaned back into Peter, breathing him in again, knowing that this stolen little moment would not come again anytime soon.

"I love Walter but right now, not so much."

Peter chuckled beneath her, his hands on her hips, keeping her in place.

"Yeah I know the feeling. We had better get back to work."

Olivia nipped the skin of his neck.

"Are you sure?"

"We can keep going but you know that Walter will just come in again."

Olivia sighed.

"I know. Got to give a girl points for trying."

Peter laughed again as Olivia climbed off him. They both h rearranged their clothes before heading back out into the lab. Nina was gone and Olivia frowned at Walter.

"Where is Nina?"

"Oh she had to go. Had another appointment apparently. But she had time to drop these off."

He held up a small vial of clear fluid.

"What is that?"

"The very thing we need for a cure."

"The stem cells."

"Precisely. But I don't know how much this will make. Nina said that it was hard enough to find the three vials she gave me."

"Do you have enough for Astrid?"

"Yes. And it's almost ready."

When her phone started to ring, Olivia stepped away from the two men slightly.

"Dunham."

"Hello Olivia, this is Stephen Farnsworth."

Olivia's stomach sunk to her shoes.

"Is Astrid ok?"

"She's getting worse. They had to put in a machine to help her breath and she's having issues with her heart."

She remained silent as she heard Astrid's father start to weep. She waited for him to compose himself. When he spoke again, his voice was shaky.

"They said that I needed to make calls for her family to come and say goodbye. So I found your number on her phone. They don't know how long she has. She will want you here."

"Ok. We will be there soon."

"Thank you."

Olivia lowered the phone from her ear, her hands trembling slightly.

"How much longer Walter?"

Walter glanced at his watch.

"I need another ten minutes or so. Why?"

"Astrid is dying."