"Here! Turn here, son!"
Peter swerved the car into an alleyway nestled within a cluster of warehouses. "This can't be right, Walter."
"I assure you Agent Dunham's terror levels have intensified." The device was beeping rapidly as they were driving past one long building down the street. "This one, Peter!" Peter stopped the car and could hear a strange humming coming from the one warehouse. "Walter, stay in the car." The closer Peter got to the warehouse, the more cautious he became. He got to one of the windows and could see men with labcoats and guns. He could see machines humming but didn't know their purpose. In the far corner he could see a glimpse of Olivia.
He hurried back to the car. "Walter, call Broyles for backup. Tell him, they got Olivia held up in there.
Walter tried to fiddle with the phone. Peter groaned and grabbed the phone and dialed the number. "Just do it."
The noises of the machinery within the warehouses got louder but suddenly began to sputter.
"What happened?"
A labcoat checked the computers. "This can't be right. The computers say that both bombs were released but there's no reading of any damage."
The head doctor became angry. "Worthless little brat!" He pulled out his gun.
"Stop it!" Olivia cried. "What do you think you're doing?" But no one seemed to be listening to her. The doctor informed his men "grab all the blood samples. We can test them on another child. But these two must be eliminated."
To Olivia's horror, the doctor aimed a gun straight at Ella. He didn't even notice the loud crash from the window until he was tackled to the ground by Peter. The gun fired as the two men were wrestling for it, but fortunately missed it's intended target. Olivia was able to move so that the bullet could weaken her restraints. It didn't completely free her but, she was able to hold one guard back while the others went after Peter. But it was clear that Peter was greatly outnumbered. He was overpowered much quicker than expected.
The doors flew open and a new swarm of being stormed the building. "FBI! We have you surrounded!" In a matter of seconds, the captors were rounded up and Peter was freed. He hurried over to Olivia who was already being freed by an agent.
"Don't worry about me." The moment she was free, Olivia ran straight to the table Ella was still strapped to. Her eyes were still shot open from the drugs. "Ella? Baby, it's Aunt Liv." Olivia reached for the tiny little hand that was still grasping the flowers.
Despite her blurry vision, Ella could see glimpses of her Aunt Liv but it wasn't until she saw Peter by her side, did Ella's smile grew. "I did it, Aunt Liv."
The next 24 hrs were a blur. Olivia stayed at the hospital with Ella, while Broyles, Walter and Peter went to Chicago and New York to see the intended bombs. They were baffled at the sight of the tanks leaking out with tons of flowers. But it was Walter who discovered how it was possible as he collected a small sample of underdeveloped atoms from one of the sites.
"This is fascinating," said Walter. "These atoms were intended to develop into whatever the computer orders it and the instructions the computer gave is whatever little Elfman was envisioning in her mind...the flowers."
Ella had definitely become a far more powerful Cortexiphan child than any in Walter and Belly's tests. But after what happened with the bombs there was a spark of hope that Ella was capable of controlling her abilities. All she needed was a little more training, something Olivia, Peter, and Walter could easily provide.
Rachel arrived at the Bishop house one early summer morning to surprise Ella. "Mommy!" Rachel was stunned by the joyous look on her daughter's face. "Ella...how are you feeling?"
"I'm going to be okay now, Mommy. I don't need to drink that nasty stuff anymore when I go to sleep."
"What nasty stuff?"
Olivia shrugged. "It was just something to help her sleep."
"My dreams aren't so bad anymore," said Ella.
"Olivia, you seemed to doing well since you broke your limbs."
She smiled. "Ella helped with that, too."
The girls joined the Bishops for breakfast. It was unfortunately Walter's turn to make breakfast that day. "Are you sure you don't want any of my mushroom frittatas, little girl?"
Peter groaned. "Walter, just make some pancakes."
"Oh yes, pancakes for the hero girl."
Rachel asked "hero girl?"
"Don't listen to him," said Peter. He gave Olivia a strange look but Ella noticed and she giggled. "I don't know what you've all been doing...I probably don't wanna know," said Rachel. "But seeing that Ella is better now, she should be able to go back to school in the fall, won't she?"
"Oh that won't be a problem," said Olivia. "Peter has Ella caught up all the way to 4th grade curriculum."
"I can do fractions," said Ella.
Walter butted in and said "and I taught her the basic chemicals and herbs for medicinal inhalants...should she ever need them."
"She won't need them, Walter."
Ella convinced her mother to let her stay with Olivia for the remainder of the summer but as the days were winding down, Olivia could see Ella stiffing up as if she was scared of the summer ending. On her last day at Olivia's, she sat by Ella's bedside. "I know you love it here, Ella. But you have to go home. Don't you miss your mommy and daddy?"
The little girl nodded. "But I'm scared."
"Scared of what?"
"What if I do something at school? What if I get scared and start a fire?"
"Ella, you're getting so much better."
"I don't know if I can do it, Aunt Liv. How did you?"
Olivia sighed. "I got through because I forgot what it was like to be afraid. It won't be that easy for you but I know you're going to be okay if you just give it a chance." She held her hand. "I think I know how to help you."
The next week, Ella was beginning second grade in a school in Chicago, she looked out at all of the children who were getting excited about their first day but Ella was shaking, She felt her aunt's assuring hand on her shoulder. "Do you remember what I told you, about imagining things?"
"You said I have to imagine how I want things to be and then I can try and change them." She turned to her aunt and asked "Do you think I can be normal if I want to be?"
But Olivia couldn't answer that. How can she guarantee that Ella could ever be normal if she was going to be Cortexiphan for the rest of her life. They've done everything that can to help Ella. That was all she knew. "Ella, it's okay to be scared. Just remember it doesn't have to always be that way. And if you have any problems at all, you can call me, I'll always be there to help." She hugged Ella very tight. "Thank you for coming, Aunt Liv."
"You know I'll always be there for you." They looked over at Peter who was waiting by a car at the curve. "Uncle Peter will be there too."
Ella waved at Peter and she finally turned and started walking towards the front doors of the school. Olivia headed back to the car.
"Where did you hear that before?"
"Hear what?" asked Olivia.
"That stuff about imagining things how you want them to be?"
For some reason, to hear the words coming from Peter did seem familiar, and very comforting. "It's like I told her. I don't know, I just know it stuck with me." She turn and looked at the entrance to the school one last time but the bell had already rung and all the children were already inside.
"She's going to be fine, Liv."
"And how do you know that?"
Peter squeezed her hand and then he leaned over to give Olivia a kiss on the cheek. "Because she's just like you." They drove away from the school and headed for the airport, knowing that Rachel would be there to pick up Ella after she got through the day.
THE END!
Yes, It's over unfortunately. I do thank everyone for reading. I also must apologize to my readers for something: I originally promised that this fic was gonna have lots of P/O. Well, clearly that didn't work out. I blame myself. I'm really not good at writing P/O especially with a complex storyline like this thrown into the process. I'm so terribly sorry, benchies. I will do a better attempt at P/O in future fics if I can. Never was good at writing romances. I'm now gonna focus on "Anywhere We Go".