A/N: Well...I obviously couldn't resist. This fic is officially 'in progress' again, because after this, I still have 2 chapters planned, and way too many ideas floating around.
Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing, I am delighted to see that this crack!ship is getting love XD For those who might wonder, I am not giving up on P/O at all, let's just say that I'm not exactly thinking with my brain when it comes to this :p
I apologize for the typos and else! Enjoy :)) This part is from Liv's POV.
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL
PART THREE
Of all the things that should have been bothering Liv about having gotten ridiculously drunk the previous night, the headache honestly had to be the worst of them all.
Her first thought upon awaking from a very short and restless sleep was 'Fuck, I'm never drinking again.' She hadn't even opened her eyes yet, and she already hated everything about what had to be the start of a bad hangover.
Then, squinting her eyes open in the dim light of the hotel room, she forgot about the headache for a moment. Even though she had never been much of a drinker herself, she had heard her share of stories, Lincoln having provided quite a few of them. She knew all about how some people woke up after a night of heavy drinking and found unexpected guess in their beds. She was pretty sure she had just won all the awards, though.
Seriously, how many people could say alcohol had led them to have sex with an alternate version of themselves? Even without alcohol, this had to be rather exceptional in itself.
Liv had been awake for a good ten minutes now, and she had barely moved at all, except for some blinking and breathing, but she wasn't exactly doing these things consciously. All she could do was stare at Olivia, who was still sleeping unsurprisingly soundly. After her initial few seconds of shock and confusion, Liv had remembered quite vividly everything that had happened a few hours before; apparently, the whole 'you never remember what you did when you're drunk' was a big fat myth. Hence the staring.
There was no way she could have those memories in her head, that woman curled up in bed next to her with her toes digging in the front of her calf, and manage anything but bewildered staring.
She might remember the entire progression of what had happened, she had a harder time believing it. Sure, she had always been aware of the tension that existed between them, had even played it, stretching it to the point of being uncomfortable because, as she had told Olivia last night, she did enjoy getting her all worked up.
She had never actually thought she should act on it in any way, though. Had it been any other person –man or woman, Liv really didn't care much, she would have loved the challenge, and tried her best to get her way.
But this hadn't been any other person; this had been her Alternate, an Alternate who seemed to think Fun should be prohibited.
As they began to work together more and more often, Liv came to think of that crackling tension between them as the pull that existed between the opposite poles of two identical magnets. If they had been exactly the same in every way, and not just on a cellular level, they would have repelled each other.
They hadn't.
Despite their irrefutable similarities, their differences were, and would always be, too strong. And that had created some attraction alright.
Apparently, 'unattainable' ceased to be a problem once you lost all of your inhibitions. Liv was not exactly surprised by how daring and cheeky she had become after drinking so much. What was harder to believe was how attainable Olivia had gotten, and she had been completely sober.
One thing for sure, she had been in great need of relaxation, and Liv had been all too happy to help.
Still, she was fairly certain her Alternate was not going to approve of this once she woke up. Liv couldn't say she herself was proud of what they'd done, but her guilt was caused by the fact that she actually had a boyfriend, whom she loved very much –even if she hadn't seen him in two freaking months and it had seemed completely irrelevant a few hours ago. She had no doubt that, in the light of day, Olivia's reluctance and qualms would come back full force.
Maybe she should leave the room now, while she was still asleep. Let her wake up alone, allowing her to pretend nothing had ever happened. In a way, it was almost tempting. It sure would make a lot of things easier.
But as she stared at her sleeping face, with these strands of hair stuck to her skin where a thin layer of sweat had been glistening not so long ago, Liv could still see and feel her coming undone against her, and that memory alone was enough to heat up more than just her blood.
That kind of thinking and feelings made the idea of pretending nothing had happened rather unappealing.
In any case, the time for deep reflections was coming to an abrupt end, judging by the chirping sound that was suddenly piercing the silence, a sound Liv's aching brain instantly disapproved off. She immediately recognized it, though, and knew what it was emanating from.
As Olivia's body started to uncurl and stretch, stirred from her slumber by an incoming call on her earpiece –the one Fringe Division had provided her with for the duration of the case, Liv didn't hesitate, reaching over her to grab the beeping device on the nightstand.
Her sore, hangover body did not approve of the sudden movements, but the aches didn't seem that important anymore when she realized that most of her upper body was now leaning over Olivia's, and that they were still equally naked. There was also the fact that, in a reflex motion, Olivia had sleepily and instinctively grabbed both her upper arms.
Only force of habit made Liv slip the earpiece on so swiftly, her eyes finding the hazy gaze of the woman lying beneath her as she pressed the call button.
"Dunham," she said, in a perfect imitation of her Alternate's serious greeting tone.
Most of her concentration remained focused on Olivia and ton he changes already taking place in her eyes and across her face, as she was clearly starting to realize what was happening –and what had happened.
"Olivia, this is agent Lee." Lincoln was speaking in a formal tone Liv was not familiar with anymore.
She surely would have smirked a bit at that, if Olivia hadn't started to to look all kind of freaked out beneath her, her hold on her arms tightening; pressed together as they were, Liv could even feel her breathing getting shallower.
She tried hard to pay attention to Lincoln, trying to understand why he was calling Olivia in the first place, but her throbbing head was not exactly helping. She had been in more stressful situations, though, most of them having happened when she was on mission Over Here. She thought she had figured out the reason for his call when she threw a quick glance at the clock, before promptly going back to her intense staring.
"I'm late, aren't I?" she asked, trying to sound appalled by her own behavior.
Olivia's face had now contracted in a beautiful mask of aggravation, her cheeks a bright pink again; she opened her mouth as if to say something, but Liv pressed her finger to her lips, shaking her head a little, and Olivia froze.
"We were supposed to meet at the car ten minutes ago," Lincoln admitted, and Liv was pretty sure he was smiling kindheartedly, the way he always did when he was trying to be sweet and understanding. "And I can't reach Liv either, so I thought you two might be already up together somewhere."
"No, no, we're not," Liv quickly negated, aware that had to be her best impression of Olivia she had ever done, having now actually spent some quality time with the woman and having assimilated her body language.
As well as her body body, really.
"But we were working on the case until pretty late last night," she added, improvising. "So it's possible she overslept, too."
As she spoke, her index finger started to move slowly over Olivia's bottom lip, truly loving the feel of the plump flesh as she toyed with it. The way it caused Olivia's blush to worsen and her breathing to hitch was even more enjoyable, and Liv was becoming more and more aware of just how bare their chests were.
"She's only a few doors down the hall, I'll go knock on her door and wake her up. We'll meet you in fifteen minutes, top. I'm really sorry about this, I never oversleep, I just-"
"No need to apologize," Lincoln stopped her, and she knew he was definitely smiling, now. "I'm not even surprised you two were up working late on this, though I'm not sure it's healthy. Two workaholics like you together in a room, I find it hard to believe you got any sleep at all."
Liv would have answered with something cheeky, but Olivia definitely would not. And so she muttered a few more awkward, apologetic words, promising they would be there soon, before turning the device off.
In the last minute, Olivia's face had become rather grave again, and she was incredibly tensed under her, as if afraid to move a single inch. Liv knew she was doing her best not to openly freak out, and expected her to verbally prove it any second now.
"Get off me," Olivia finally whispered, sounding as stern as she looked.
Yep, there it was.
For a second, Liv was tempted to stay right where she was, and force her to physically move her away if she really wanted to. But Olivia seemed to be getting really mad, now, and Liv still felt pretty shitty, truth be told, and in great need of some painkillers. And so, not without a heavy sigh, she rolled off her until she was back on her side of the bed, Olivia already sitting up, quick to grab the sheet to cover herself.
For a few, endless seconds, Liv simply went back to her staring, not surprised in the least when one of Olivia's hands practically jumped to her hair, long and disheveled golden strands pouring down her bare back; with her eyes closed and the sheet clenched to her chest, she seemed to be working hard on getting a grip on herself, while Liv merely lay there, almost leisurely.
She was all too aware of how quickly Olivia's thick walls had come back. She couldn't say she was enjoying the awkwardness oozing out of her, but after all, she'd expected just that. Keeping her mouth shut surely was the wisest thing to do, right now.
Speaking would probably make things worse.
Eventually, Olivia did let go of her hair and reopened her eyes. Looking straight ahead of her, she held out a hand to Liv. "Give me the earpiece," was all she said, and she said it rather coldly.
Liv was really not enjoying this at all, to be honest. And that's exactly why she smiled, not moving an inch, before replying cheekily: "You forgot the magic word."
Olivia pursed her lips, hard, finally turning her head to look at her, hand still held out. "Give me. The earpiece."
Liv had been wrong; she wasn't mad. She was furious.
Narrowing her eyes, she obeyed, taking the device off her ear and dropping it in Olivia's open hand. As soon as she had it, she literally jumped off the bed, angrily wrapping herself in the sheet, before bending down to pick up something. As it turned out when she threw it unceremoniously into Liv's face, it was her shirt. A second later, she was receiving her pants just as gently.
"Get dressed and get out," Olivia ordered her, already making her way to the bathroom.
But Liv was not agreeing with this in the slightest, her own annoyance strong now, causing her head to throb even more forcefully. "So that's it? You're just going to treat me like shit and pretend nothing happened?"
Olivia span around, offering her a scornful glare. "You will never get it, will you?" She almost growled. "You really think it's alright for you to just go ahead and pretend to be me whenever you feel like it?"
Liv was quite honestly taken aback by this, not immediately understanding what she meant. And when the meaning of her words finally sank in, it only caused her frown to deepen. "Is it…are you mad because of that phone call?" She almost laughed at that, but was glad she didn't when she saw the fury in Olivia's eyes.
"What do you think?" She said angrily. "You stole my life. You can't expect me to ever be okay with this."
Liv couldn't help it. She chuckled.
It was a humorless laugh, a pure defensive reaction, as she was now well aware that she had screwed up royally, but it was a laugh nonetheless, and Olivia looked ready to explode.
"Yeah," Liv almost snorted as she sat up, still holding her clothes in her arms, which was hardly enough to cover her. "That, and the fact that it gives you the perfect excuse to throw me out of your room without even acknowledging what we did last night."
There was nothing but contempt and something close to disgust on Olivia's face when she said, shaking her head firmly. "I don't need an excuse. What happened last night was sick and wrong and stupid, and the way you're acting now only reminds me just how much I don't want to have anything to do with you, ever again. I'm going to go in the bathroom now, and when I come out, you better be gone."
But Liv had had enough, stung by her words more than she would ever admit, and she was so freaking tired of her behavior. For all she said, with her annoying insecurities and that darkness that seemed to follow her wherever she went, Olivia somehow always managed to sound like she was the righteous one, while Liv was nothing but an immoral bitch, and she was getting sick of her lectures.
As far as she remembered, she hadn't forced her to do anything.
"Don't bother, I'll get out right now," she spat angrily, almost bouncing off the bed, and she had to scoff again when Olivia turned her head away, averting her eyes. "Oh, right, get all fucking prude on me. As if you hadn't seen that body before. Isn't it why you thought this was all so wrong, last night? How we are sooo obviously the same person?"
Olivia turned her gaze back to her, and Liv had rarely seen her so infuriated. "You know what? Fuck you," she said in a perfect impersonation of…well, herself, before zooming to the bathroom's door.
"Guess what?" Liv almost shouted as she fought with her pants. "I just did!"
To which Olivia answered with a loud "BANG", the bathroom's door closing forcefully, causing Liv's brain to nearly bleed out in pain.
She wasn't exactly sure how she found herself angrily opening the passenger's door of her car, only a few minutes later; all she knew was that she had taken the quickest shower in the world(s) and had managed to put her clothes and gun on. She had also swallowed a few pills at some point, but those had clearly not kicked in yet.
Lincoln eyed her suspiciously, obviously taken aback by whatever he was seeing. She decided to speak before he even had a chance to talk: "Move. You're driving today."
"Hello to you, too," he said with a cheeky smile, sinking into the passenger seat. "You look like hell."
"Nothing a few extra hours of sleep couldn't cure," she replied without losing a beat. "You, on the other hand, are stuck with that face for the rest of your life."
He hissed, finally moving, casually hopping onto the driver seat, and she sat down heavily in his place. It was her turn to hiss in pain when she closed her door a bit too loudly.
"Someone forgot to take their happy pills today," he kept on going as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "If I didn't know better, I would think you're hangover. Or is it just that time of the month when I'm not supposed to even talk to you?"
He was saved by the sound of another door opening in the back. He looked around to watch as Olivia got into the car; Liv kept on staring straight ahead.
"Agent Dunham," he greeted her a bit too cheerfully, surely trying to make up for Liv's disastrous mood. "Had a good night sleep?"
Liv actually had to glance at him, narrowing her eyes. He knew she hadn't slept that much, according to what he had been told on the phone. And yet, he seemed genuinely inquisitive as he stared at her Alternate.
"Why do you ask?" Olivia asked just as tersely as Liv had done a minute ago, and his smile faltered a little.
"I don't know," he shrugged a bit awkwardly, surely starting to feel cornered now. "You just look more, uhm…"
Liv couldn't help it. She actually stretched her neck to look around at Olivia. She had pulled her hair up in a tight ponytail, her shirt and jacket completely buttoned up.
She still looked livid, truth be told, but Lincoln was right of course. She also looked more…
"You definitely look more relaxed, agent Dunham," Liv told her sardonically. "What's your secret?"
Olivia met her gaze, then, and Liv was pretty sure even Lincoln felt the tension that imploded within the car. Because they both remembered what had relaxed her so well.
Actually, a few vivid images flashed inside Liv's head. And it wasn't just images. It was a full sensory overload of memories, from the taste of her sweaty skin to the feel of her nails in her scalp, the sound of her raspy sighs against her lips and above all, the look of blissful abandon constricting every trait of her face as she got higher and higher and higher.
Despite the current tension that was stiffening all of Olivia's muscles, especially those in her neck, Liv could still see indelible traces of that oblivion. Basically, she looked like someone who had just gotten spectacularly laid after a few years of nothing.
It made Liv feel quite proud…and oh so ready to make her look like that again, even if she had to use every ounce of persuasion she had in her.
She had faced trickier challenges in the past, and few had ever been so tempting.
She could tell something pretty similar was going on in Olivia's mind, judging by the blush already creeping back onto her face, or how she finally had to look away, focusing on her belt as she buckled it. "You look like hell," she told her gravely.
"Well, I didn't get much sleep last night," Liv replied in a suggestive tone, simply so that she could enjoy the sight of her darkening cheeks.
"Let me guess; you girls had another fight?"
They both turned their heated glares on Lincoln, who recoiled in his seat.
"They gave you that job because of your perspicacity, didn't they Linc?" Liv asked sarcastically. "They showed you a picture of a wormhole and you said 'OH! That's a wormhole!'?"
Lincoln sighed loudly, finally turning the engine on. "You have no idea how much I miss Charlie right now," he muttered. "Two Dunhams against one is no fair game. I can tell this is going to be one of these days."
He was right about that.
...
Unsurprisingly, Liv found herself back in front of Olivia's hotel room door less than twenty-four hours after having strutted there the first time, drunk as can be.
She wasn't drunk, tonight. She was actually pretty sure that she had reached a mood that was the perfect opposite of drunk.
She was still obviously suffering from her hangover, and their day of work had hardly been productive enough, something neither Olivia Dunham ever approved of, even on a good day. Needless to say that by the time they got back to the hotel, Lincoln just about flew out the car –and yet, somehow, Olivia managed to escape it even faster.
Liv, being her usual self –even after almost twelve hours of hell, followed her quite closely into the entrance hall, but Olivia beat her to the elevator.
Their eyes briefly met as the doors were closing, one of Olivia's hands already up to the back of her head as she freed her hair from the ponytail holder. Liv could tell that meeting her gaze hadn't been intentional, seeing how she had been especially good at not doing it all day long, but the result was the same.
For that unguarded, two-seconds long stare followed Liv back to her room, refusing to let her be as she took a lengthy shower, and now was undoubtedly the reason why she was knocking on Olivia's door again, hair still dripping and slowly drenching the back of her shirt.
This was ridiculous. They were both adults, smart adults; she refused to believe they couldn't behave any other way than with this stupid, tensed bickering. Of course, this was how she rationalized and justified her presence here.
The less rational reason had everything to do with that stupid tension, indeed.
Also, she was a daredevil. An impulsive daredevil. And when her gut was telling her to do something, well, she rarely fought against her instincts.
Predictably, Olivia did not open the door, although Liv was sure she was now standing on the other side, surely looking stubbornly moody.
And so she knocked again. And again. And again, until the door finally opened abruptly. Olivia kept it mostly closed, as if making sure Liv wouldn't try and force her way in, like she had done the previous night. Liv was still able to see enough of her to notice that Olivia had just escaped the shower herself, wrapped in nothing but a robe, her hair even wetter than hers.
Even though it wasn't that uncommon for people to shower after a tense day of work, Liv still couldn't help but smile a little at this obvious similarity.
Olivia, of course, did not smile.
"What do you want?" She asked as coldly as ever, and Liv shrugged a shoulder.
"I just want to talk," she honestly answered...but they both remembered how she had just come here to 'talk' the night before, and how somehow, it had led to something that did not require that much talking.
What she was thinking about must have been showing on her face –she couldn't exactly control it- because sure enough, Olivia's cheeks were getting slightly pinker already. But she didn't move or said a word, looking at her suspiciously, eyes narrowed.
"I'm not drunk or anything," Liv sighed. "I just figured we could actually act like adults and talk about what happened. But if you would rather sulk, then fine. Close the door in my face and keep on ignoring me."
Olivia's glare darkened; she knew she was cornered. Because if she did close the door and refused to let her in, then she would be the one behaving immaturely.
And God forbid she would ever let that happen.
Eventually, after a few more seconds of staring and glowering, she moved aside to let her in. Liv didn't miss the fact that she didn't stay near the door after closing it, and she had to repress another smile.
She watched as Olivia positioned herself a good few feet away, arms tightly wrapped in front of her chest, her robe wrapped even more tightly around her body. Not for the first time, Liv found herself wondering how she managed to get that tense so quickly, because she doubted she had ever achieved such stiffness herself.
Now more than ever, she felt the urge to make her loosen up again. After all, she had seen firsthand just how loose she could get.
But Liv knew she should act wisely and cautiously. She could tell Olivia was already more affected by her presence than she let it show. It was rather entertaining to watch her, as she clearly didn't really know where to look; she was still avoiding her gaze, but also seemed unwilling to look at the bed, for obvious reasons. She settled for staring stubbornly at the floor, lips pursed.
"What are you so freaked out about?" Liv finally asked softly, realizing that honesty surely was the safest option.
Olivia briefly met her gaze, and she narrowed her eyes again. Somehow, she managed to tighten the hold on herself. "What do you think?"
"Oh c'mon," Liv said, her hand swooping in front of her a bit exasperatedly. "We've covered this last night. Stop beating yourself up thinking this is all wrong."
"And you should stop pretending you don't think it is," Olivia replied annoyingly, now starting to pace again. "You were all too keen to point it out this morning."
"This morning, I was pissed off," Liv retorted, and she sounded pretty pissed off again. She couldn't help it. No matter how much she wanted to stay calm, or how understanding she was trying to be, watching Olivia pace like that, being nothing but a ball of nerves, was extremely infectious. "I only said that because I knew it would make you react."
"Again, such a mature thing to do," Olivia said contemptuously, stopping her pacing to scowl at her. "This must be so hilarious to you, isn't it? To have me cornered like that."
"Oh yeah, I'm obviously laughing my ass off," she snapped back. "Why won't stop being your paranoid self for a minute? Can't you just see this as, I don't know, a drunken one night stand?"
"I wasn't drunk!" Olivia shouted quite forcefully, and shocking them both by doing so.
She seemed almost taken aback by her own words, as if she finally understood what the problem was, her face constricted in annoyance and a bunch of other conflicting feelings. She held her gaze though, as she shook her head.
"That's the thing. You were drunk. You have the perfect excuse. I have nothing. I can't explain what happened."
Liv sighed, her shoulders slumping, now seeing clearly beyond Olivia's angry demeanor. She now looked more embarrassed than aggravated as she carefully avoided her gaze again, her cheeks a bright pink.
"You know," Liv told her tranquilly. "Technically, it was nothing more than…self-gratification."
As she expected, Olivia met her eyes again, and she definitely was not amused. "Are you kidding me?"
"What?" Liv shrugged. "Don't tell me you haven't thought of it that way yet."
Olivia unwrapped her arms, briefly bringing a hand to her face to wipe her nose, eyes closed, before running her fingers through her wet hair. When she reopened her eyes, she looked more tired than anything else. At least, some of her tension was gone.
"I can't reply anything to that," Olivia admitted, resigned. "Whatever it was, it's over."
Liv stared at her intensely. "Is it?"
The effect was instantaneous. The tension had been there from the moment she had opened the door and they started interacting, but Olivia had been so guarded that it had remained to a low pulse, like small static electricity humming in the room.
Now, as they stood there with their eyes locked, it was as if someone had turned the power all the way up.
"Don't," Olivia said after a few long seconds of heavy silence, and her voice was slightly hoarse.
But Liv took a step forward her, half expecting her to take a step back…but she didn't. Liv couldn't help a small smirk from pulling at the corner of her lips. "I'll leave this room right now, and leave you alone, if you honestly tell me that you didn't enjoy it."
She couldn't lie; she truly loved watching Olivia react to her words, ever since she'd realized the night before that they were the source of her power, in this situation.
Liv could be very good with words.
Olivia's breathing was already getting shallower, and Liv could almost hear the sound of her heartbeat quickening, knew how it would feel, how it would pulse against her lips if she pressed her mouth to her jugular.
Olivia remained still as Liv kept on advancing towards her, very similarly to the way they had started to 'dance' the previous night. "You really think this is going to work again?"
Liv's smile widened, as they both knew Olivia had just discarded her easy way out, apparently unable to lie. "You tell me…" Liv taunted her, still coming closer and closer. "We're both sober this time. Do you think it's going to change anything?"
"You think too highly of yourself," Olivia replied with an annoyed glare…but she still hadn't moved an inch, even though Liv was now coming to a stop right in front her. "You're delusional if you think I'm going to let you touch me."
Without even blinking, Liv grabbed the belt of her robe, and pulled slightly to bring her closer, curious to see if she was going to push her away, indeed.
She did not.
Olivia's pupils dilated instead, her breathing hitching as their bodies brushed.
"Stop being so hard on yourself," Liv told her in a low voice, as her fingers slowly started to work on the knot. "You're enjoying this, just admit it."
"I could stop you," Olivia insisted, sounding slightly breathless now. She was still being very unsuccessful at even trying to stop her.
Liv didn't smile, holding her gaze firmly as her hands kept on working on her belt, which was now completely loosened. "Do you know why you don't? Why you're not even trying?" She spoke almost in a whisper, her fingers now intent on getting her robe to open up for her, purposefully taking her time, well aware of how much effect she was having. "It's because it's easier to resist something tempting when you've never tried it. Once you've given in, though…" Her hands had disappeared inside the robe, grazing the skin of her lower back with light fingertips, goose-bumps erupting under her touch. "You can't stop thinking about how good it felt, and it's so hard to stop…"
Olivia's hands had fallen on her hips, and her grip was firm, as if she was suspended in doubt, unsure of what she should do…push her away, or bring her closer?
"Stop it…" She whispered, and their faces were so close now that Liv could feel her breath on her skin, inhaling the smell of her shampoo with every intake of breath.
Liv decidedly slid her hands lower, over the ridiculously smooth skin of her ass, squeezing the flesh and bringing her much closer, and Olivia gasped soundlessly. "Stop me," she breathed against her lips.
Instead of stopping her, one of Olivia's hands left her waist and came up to her face, sliding her fingers through her wet hair, and soon, the feel of her nails digging in her scalp combined with the feel of her lips meeting hers with delicious urgency.
Liv had briefly wondered throughout the day if the alcohol she'd drunk had been the reason why this had felt so outrageously good. Because everything had felt easier while she was drunk; it had taken the edges off, giving the world a shimmering glow. Everything had felt blurry, everything but her.
Liv was sober as can be now, and she was still luscious. Tonight, her sharp mind made Liv that much more aware of every detail that had been blurred out the last time. Very quickly, she started to feel like she was getting intoxicated again. She was getting drunk on the feel of her, on her taste.
Olivia's robe was wide open now, hanging off her shoulders, and shivers ran endlessly under her skin, following the path of Liv's fingers and palms, and the scent of her was so warm and enticing. Liv could feel herself react just as strongly to Olivia's touch, more assertive than it had ever been so far; her hand had left her face to join the other under her shirt, mirroring her caresses as Olivia pressed her bare flesh more and more firmly against her, their kissing becoming more avid by the second.
None of them expected the knock that suddenly resonated in the room, causing Olivia to jump away from Liv as if she had been electrocuted.
For a fleeting, hazy second, they just stared at each other, their breathing loud and uneven. And then there was another knock, and Olivia seemed to snap out of it, hurriedly wrapping her robe close again as she made a beeline for the door, seeming a bit wobbly on her legs. She practically crashed against the wood as she pressed an eye to the peephole, before looking back at Liv, apparently horrified by what she had just seen.
"It's Lincoln," she breathed out, already looking ready to have a real nervous breakdown.
Straightening her shirt casually, Liv simply offered her a cocky smile before joining her at the door. Olivia was so in shock that she hardly reacted when Liv pushed her aside.
"What are you-"
But she didn't finish her sentence, the door opening already.
The expression on Lincoln's face was almost comical. He clearly hadn't expected this Olivia to greet him. He opened his mouth, a bit at a loss for words, and then he frowned. "Don't tell me you were working on the case again. I don't know if you've noticed, but that usually leads to the two of you fighting, and I don't want it to end in murder."
Liv chuckled, leaning casually against the door. "Nah, we decided to kiss and make up instead, but you kinda interrupted us."
Olivia literally swooped in front of her then, her turn to push her away as she grabbed the side of the door to hide most of the room –even though there was nothing to hide, really. "Hi, Lincoln," She said a bit too cheerfully, despite being clearly livid.
Lincoln gave her a look. "You don't happen to share her twisted sense of humor, do you?" He asked a bit warily, and Olivia shook her head, offering him a fake smile, her arms now tightly crossed in front of her chest again.
"No, I really don't." She answered, still sounding a bit breathless.
"There might still be hope for one of you,then," he said with a small smile, though he still looked a bit perplexed, surely wondering what the heck was going on.
"We were uhm…just going to brainstorm on the case some more," Olivia felt the need to say, her pallor turning back into a blush already. "She literally got here five minutes ago…I was in the shower."
"No need to brainstorm any longer," Lincoln said then, deciding not to over-think this, to Olivia's obvious relief. "The new samples we found today and sent back to the lab? We finally got a match; we know where our guy is. You two should get dressed, I'll wait for you in the car."
"That's great news," Olivia said, her relief apparent now, and Liv knew that it wasn't only the Agent talking. Lincoln didn't move, looking at Liv, obviously waiting for her to join him in the hallway. "Give us a minute," Olivia added then. "We have one more thing to talk about." And she closed the door without even giving him a chance to say anything else.
She gave Liv her darkest look as soon as the door was closed. "Why the hell did you say that for?"
She didn't even wait for an answer, already reaching for her clothes.
"Oh please, he's completely oblivious," Liv chuckled. "I can assure you he would still have believed your lame excuse if he had interrupted us in the middle of-"
"Stop," Olivia said firmly, arms full of clothes. "We're closing this case tonight, and I'll go back to my world. Next time we have to work together, this never happened, and won't ever happen again. Does that sound like a reasonable option to you?"
Liv held her gaze for a few seconds, then shrugged. "Sure."
"I mean it," Olivia insisted. "This never happened."
"I get it," Liv nodded. "It never happened, won't happen again, yadda yadda."
"Why do I get the feeling you don't mean it?"
Liv tilted her head. "I do mean it. I just don't think you do."
Olivia sighed exasperatedly, briefly closing her eyes. "Just…go get dressed, so we can get this over with." And as Liv turned around to open the door again, she added: "And I do mean it."
"Okay, then," Liv said with a casual wave, not even turning around as she left her room. She offered Lincoln a smirk as she closed the door, before starting down the hall to go back to her room, strutting a little again. He quickly joined her, matching her pace.
"You know, I think you should give her a break," he told her a bit disapprovingly. "I know you enjoy bickering with her, but I really think it would be better for everybody if in the future, you didn't purposefully make her mad. You guys honestly scare me."
She had to chuckle at that, shaking her head. "Just admit it, you just wish Charlie was here so you two could bet on us ending up in mud fight or something." They had reached her door. She turned towards him, and he was smiling, too.
"You know me too well," he admitted with a defeated shrug. "Still, I think she deserves a break. Her life seems more stressful than yours."
Liv decided to ignore that comment. There was only one person with whom she was willing to debate on the matter, and Lincoln wasn't that person.
"Fine," she agreed, opening her door. "I promise I'll let her be."
After all, that was all Olivia wanted as well.
The next time they saw each other, Liv would be as professional as can be, more professional than she had ever behaved around her. No more teasing, or flirting, and definitely no innuendos about what had happened here.
Because she could bet anything that before the end of their next joined case, Olivia would be the one seeking her out.
And she couldn't wait to see just how right she was about that.
TBC...
A/N: Please don't hate Lincoln XD He's just an adorable clueless guy. The next part (if you want it :p) shall be M again. I really regret nothing.
Reviews are lovely, lovely, lovely :D Oh, and don't forget to cheer for the Rangers (baseball) tonight, because if they lose, we have no Fringe tomorrow!