This has become a lot longer than my usual chapters. Once I knew how I wanted to end the story, it didn't do it justice by splitting it into smaller chapters. And because it took so long to write, I spent more time reading it to make sure it flowed. I wrote it every chance I got, even when I'm at work, to get it published in time for the weekend.

For sure Olivia is gonna feel worse before she finds happiness. Some of you may wonder why she is so emotional all the time. As one gets older, you often have feelings of self-doubt, regrets and self-pity.

Olivia was nodding off in Charlie's car. He should have suspected something was wrong when she agreed so easily to go out for drinks after work. She wasn't a social drinker. She was very quiet after her brief experience in the holo-chambered. If Bishop was the cause of Olivia's troubles, Charlie was not going to forgive him, even if he was the Secretary's son. He became worried when she quickly downed three shots before he finished even one drink. The evening ended more or less when she fell, on the way to use the washroom. Now that they have arrived at her house, Charlie half guided and half carried Olivia up the porch steps. Mrs. Dunham opened the door after the first ring. She instructed him to take Olivia to the living room sofa.

Mother Dunham thanked Charlie and walked him out. By the time she had returned with a damp towel to wipe her face with, Olivia had already kicked off her shoes and stripped down to her blouse. She saw Olivia lying on her stomach, her face buried in her arms. It saddened her to see her girl get this low even now. She grabbed the throw blanket that was still on the back and draped it over her. She had lost track how many nights Olivia spent on this sofa.

Roused by the slightest touch, Olivia turned onto her side. She was concerned to see Olivia visibly distraught about something. Olivia averted her eyes to hide her carefully restrained tears, but couldn't hide the one tear that escaped down her cheek.

As if by instinct, she began to rub Olivia's back, remembering how it usually comforted her own girls. It prompted her to open up.

"Mom?" There was an earnest pleading in her voice.

"Yes dear?" She leaned in closer to hear her.

"Peter loves me." Olivia whispered very calmly.

She didn't have to say anymore. That explained everything. Mrs. Dunham knew then why Olivia was hurting tonight.

~Ma Dunham vs. Walterate~

While he waited for his guest to arrive, Secretary Bishop removed the books from the shelf and packed them in the banker box with care.

"Walter." He turned to greet his old acquaintance.

"Ellen, it's good to see you, as always. What can I do for you?"

"I want you to stop meddling with the affairs of the heart."

"What do you mean?"

"I was referring to your halfwit attempts at matchmaking."

"Oh. You mean the meeting between Peter and Olivia. How did that go?"

"Ugh. You are so dense. You have no idea, do you?"

Walter Bishop shrugged.

"What you have done this week has undermined my efforts for the past ten years." Mrs. Dunham paused to take a breath. "Olivia was adjusting fine to her situation here at last. No thanks to you, now she's left to wonder if she will ever have a future with Peter."

The Secretary sat down a bit deflated.

"I am so sorry. I thought I was helping."

"Do you have a plan to bring Peter home?"

"I'm not sure if he is willing to, but I know someone who might be able to help.

~Hungover~

If the pounding in her head didn't stop, Olivia was going to jump out the first floor window to end her misery. Whatever she drank last night was definitely not whiskey. She turned her head and saw a bottle of pills and a note. She reached for the note.

If you still feel crappy when you wake up, take two of these and go back to bed.
-Love Mom.

She swallowed two pills immediately and headed straight up to her bedroom. Lying in bed, she could feel the effects of the drug working already.

Olivia thought back to yesterday's incident. She didn't really have a chance to talk to Peter. The sight of the child sent her reeling; she was completely mortified. It wouldn't have surprised her then if Peter had move on with his life. They really didn't make any commitments after all. Was he serious now? Did he mean what he said? Or was he just saying it casually? Does he actually love her? How could he? He's over there, and she wasn't. It was not helping any to keep thinking about it. Soon she fell asleep wishing she hadn't seen him again.

~Friendly Visit~

Walter Bishop's expression brightened when Peter entered the room.

"Peter!"

"Hey Walter. I got you something." He produced a carton and spoon. "It's your favorite. Strawberry ice cream. I think it's batch #147. Come on. Taste it before it melts."

"Hmm. Tell Astrid she's almost got it. It's almost taste like Strawberry Supreme."

Peter helped himself to some of the ice cream with his finger.

"Walter. Do you remember where you put that diary of yours?"

Walter tapped the side of his head. "It should be on my desk."

"I checked it's not there."

"Well. I don't know where else it could be. Are you sure, you didn't already take it?"

While Peter searches the closet and drawers, Walter became suddenly became wistful. "Did you know Olivia is unhappy?"

Peter paused in his task and turned to Walter. "How could you possibly know that?"

"I don't know. I just do...You must go and comfort her."

~Pillow Talk~

Olivia's hackles were up. She could feel someone was watching her. She spun around to see who it was. She didn't expect to see him sitting on her bed. He was watching her with the innocence of a child. Feeling completely exposed, Olivia held the bedsheets close to her bossom. Her quick actions prompted him to stand up so stiffly, that under other circumstances it would have looked comedic.

"You! What are you doing in my bed?"

The Observer reflected for a moment.

"You are the gatekeeper. You have to keep the gate open. Find the crack."

"What? What are you talking about?"

He held out a leather bound book. Olivia took it and flipped through a few pages. It was Walter's diary. Judging by the entry dates, it was the very one that Peter had mentioned. How did it fall into the Observer's hands? She was about to ask him, but when she looked up again and he was gone.

She heard a ring tone. It was coming from her old cell phone, sitting on the night stand. It went off again. Olivia didn't know who would be calling her on that number. She flipped open the phone.

"Hello?"

"Olivia. It's me."

"Peter?"

"I am the last person you'd want to hear from right now. Don't say anything. Just listen. I am calling to make sure you are alright. Walter here seems to think that you were unhappy." Olivia smiled. "It's probably my fault. We didn't have a chance to talk much yesterday. And I apologize. I never told you how much I missed you. This is going to sound sappy. But seeing you there took my breath away. The last few years, I realized that it doesn't matter where I am, so long as I am with you." She wiped a tear from her eye. "Olivia? You still there?"

"I'm still here."

"Let's wipe the slate clean and start over then. If there was a way to crossover again..." Olivia remembered what the Observer just said. "I would be there in a heartbeat..."

"Shut up, Peter. I may know a way." She looked at the counter on the cell phone. "Meet me in woods at the border of New York and Massachusetts in eight hours. I'll explain when you get there."

Olivia hung up. Walter's diary laid opened to the recipe for Cortexiphan. She needed to find Charlie.

~Together At Last~

"Is this stuff safe to use?" Charlie found himself doubting Olivia's sanity for subjecting herself to this science experiment gone awry. Right now all he knew for sure was that she trusted him to inject her with the drug.

A moment later, Olivia exclaimed, "Nothing happened."

"Maybe nothing is supposed happen. After all, it says here it's a new recipe."

The closer she got to the border, Olivia felt the effects of the drug. It started with a deep pain in her bowels and then she would see a glow. She knew then all she had to do was follow that glow.

With only twenty minutes left on the counter, she called Peter.

"I see it; the crack...I see you too."

"Where?"

"Due east."

Peter looked west but he couldn't see Olivia.

The pain got worse. "Ugh."

"What's wrong?"

"Ahh. It's nothing."

Using her Cortexiphan-enhanced ability, Olivia widen a crack between universes. It was still just that, a crack; it was not nearly big enough for a person to fit through. The crack was closing so she decided to step into the crack and use herself to wedge it.

Peter could see the crack now too. He also saw Olivia. He saw how much strain she put on herself to make a gateway for him to crossover. He watched her face as blood was trickling from her nose. She wore a mask of pain but remained in place.

"Stop it Olivia! Can't you see it's killing you! We can find another way!"

"Come on, Peter! I can't hold it open much longer."

Peter took a deep breath and jumped through the crack, in so doing, knocked Olivia backward onto the forest floor. During his fall, Peter compensated so as not to land right on top of her. When he recovered, he looked over at Olivia, who was out cold. He stroked her sweat covered face hoping his touch would be enough to bring her back. He continued to stay with her so that he was the first thing she would see when she woke up. She opened her eyes slowly. Her gaze met his concerned expression.

"Happy birthday." Olivia smiled.

Seeing that Olivia was physically too weak to move, Peter scooped her up into his arms, letting her head rest on his shoulder and retraced her steps back to her car. And together they drove off into the sunset.

"Peter. That's not how it ended."

"It's my memoir; I'm allowed a little creative license."

"It will never sell."

~The End~

That's it. Olivia and Peter spend the rest of their lives bickering and arguing over who is right about anything, which leaves us to wonder what they saw in each other to begin with...I'm kidding.
Seriously, I think I can follow this up either by telling how Olivia adjusted to life on the Other Side or invent stories of Peter and Olivia living together there.

I hope you enjoy reading it. If you haven't read chapter 3 again, I have made modifications to the date scene to make it flow better.