With the Last He Said Goodbye Pt 2

They were going to get him. To the other side, Olivia, Walter and three others from the Cortexiphan trials.

Astrid watched the flurry of movement around the lab, a long white envelope clutched in her grip as she tried to get up the nerve to approach Olivia. Doing so would lay Astrid's heart out in the open. It would reveal the delicate string attaching her heart to Peter's on the Other Side and she was worried (terrified) that its strength was even more tenuous than she thought.

When Olivia had come back from Washington, with the tape that showed Peter voluntarily going with his real father, Astrid had felt her already shattered heart break into even smaller pieces. Through his journey, he'd text her, once a week on Saturday. Nothing big, just something to let her know that he was all right and that he was thinking of her. And even though it was obvious from the footage that Walternate hadn't given Peter a chance to grab a change of clothes, much less time to send a text, it still hurt unbelievably that he had gone so easily. So willingly. So, so far away from her.

It had taken all Astrid had not to break down right there. To show her hand before she was ready. So she focused on being the Astrid they knew. Smart, reliable, steady. She worked the cases they were presented with, cleaned up the lab, watched over Walter (this was for herself as much as it was for Peter) and tried to breathe.

When Olivia and Walter hatched a plan to rescue him, Astrid had dared to hope that they (she) might get him back. She wondered if Olivia would be able to convince him, if Peter would come back for her. Then she worried that he would come back for Olivia and only her.

Astrid would have given anything to be able to go. Usually she was happy that she hadn't been subjected to any of Walter's mad scientist experiments. But right now, as she watched another woman, that was possibly in love with the same man she was, who was possibly in love with her as well, Astrid wanted nothing more than to be pumped full of Cotexiphan so she could go get him herself.

Obviously, that wasn't an option. Somebody had to monitor things on this end, and that job fell to her. So, with a deep breath for courage, Astrid called out to the blond woman, who came over to her immediately.

"When you see Peter," Astrid started, looking straight into the other woman's eyes. She held out the envelope and kept her face as neutral as she could. Everything she was feeling was threatening to spill out to overwhelm her and make her a blubbering mess. Something that was very un-Astrid like. "Would you give him this?"

Olivia looked at the envelope, sealed tight against prying eyes with Peter's name written in Astrid's flowing hand on the front. A curious smile curved Olivia's mouth and her pale brow's scrunched together. "Sure. What is it?"

Astrid held back her temper at the intrusive question and she tried not to let it show. "It's for Peter."

Something flickered in the other woman's eyes. Something that looked a lot like jealously and more than a little like pity. But her smile never faded and she nodded before sliding the envelope into the inside of her jacket.

"Please, Olivia. It's…it's important." Astrid raised her chin, quietly telling Olivia all she needed to know.

"I promise. I will." Olivia nodded, offering one last sad smile and turned away. Astrid watched her for a few seconds before allowing herself to trust that Olivia would do as she said. Then she threw herself into helping them get ready.

"Olivia?" Peter stared in shock at the woman standing in front of him. Her hair was red now, but there was no mistaking who she was. Never did he expect to see her here. But after what he'd realized about the machine, he couldn't say he was sorry to see her. "What…how…why are you here?" He finally settled on, pulling her inside and shutting the door. Olivia moved into the apartment, her nerves obvious as she faced him.

"Walter and I are both here."

"Walter?" Shock had his mouth dropping for a second, then he snapped it shut and tried to deal with the woman in front of him.

"You don't belong here, Peter." Olivia started, her eyes large and imploring on his. She shook her head, as if that would drive her point home and took a step closer. Peter sighed and nodded.

"I don't think I belong anywhere." He said sadly, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. He'd been born here, but he felt no real connection. And knowing that his real father apparently wanted him to use that machine to…what he wasn't sure. But he had a feeling it wasn't good.

"That's not true. You belong on the Other Side. With us." Olivia took a deep breath and sighed it out, gathering her courage. Something about the way she looked at him had an alarm going off in his head. Something about it had the image of a pair of large, doe shaped brown eyes laughing at him as he kissed her springing to his head. Or the way those same doe eyes filled with tears and cried for him when he had to go.

"Olivia," he started, raising a hand and taking a small step towards her. "Don't." He said softly, hating the way her face fell but not feeling sorry for being honest. He'd let the ship of his feelings sail when it had been obvious to him that Olivia didn't share them. And now…now? No. There had only been one woman he'd thought of since he'd left.

Olivia backed away, her face the stoic mask that she usually hid behind. She nodded, swallowed hard and let her gaze rise back to his. She slid her hand into the inside of her coat and handed him the long, white envelope. It looked a little worse for wear, her journey to him hadn't been easy. Peter felt his heart race at the sight of the familiar handwriting.

"It's from Astrid." Olivia said unnecessarily, a mildly accusing tone to her voice. Peter took it, running it between his fingers like he was touching the soft, coffee and cream skin of the junior agent. He turned from Olivia then, ripping open the envelope and taking out the single sheet of paper.

"Peter. We don't have a lot of time." Olivia encouraged. Peter held up and a hand with a slight shake of his head. He knew. This wouldn't take long. Something told him whatever this letter said would cement his decision to return to the other Universe.

Peter,

I've thought and rethought of a thousand different reasons on why you should come home. And the only one I keep coming back to is, I need you to come home. Completely selfish I know. But I've barely been able to breathe since you left. There's no one here to laugh with when Walter says something crazy, or to correct him when he says my name wrong. Again. There's no one here to take those baby corn out of Chinese because you know I don't like them. There's no one to hug me the way you do, whether it's because of something good or bad. Being in your arms makes whatever it is bearable or even more joyful. I need you to come home, Peter.

I need you.

Astrid

"Oh, Astrid." Peter sighed, a real smile gracing his face for the first time in a long time. He tucked the letter back into the envelope then slid that into the pocket of his pants. When he turned back toward Olivia he nodded. "I'm ready."

Astrid was sitting in the lab, dutifully typing up the data Broyles had asked her to compile. She had a feeling he was giving her busy work, since she'd let her emotions let the best of her at the old Theater with each hour that ticked by. Without Walter there to distract her, she found her nerves spiraling out of control.

Doubts filled her head. Should she have sent the letter? Would Peter be receptive? Was she putting too much faith in a few shared kisses and the comfort of being around each other? She tried to remind herself that out of all the people he left, she was the one he contacted. Although a hastily typed still alive, wasn't exactly a profession of deep love.

But it was something, right?

"Ugh!" Astrid pushed away from her workstation and went to get (yet) another cup of coffee. She had it poured halfway when her suddenly twisted stomach decided water would be better. She walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle, said half a prayer that this was one Walter hadn't tampered with and took a large swig. She was just replacing the cap when the lab door swung open.

The bottle hit the floor as her dark brown eyes clashed with a pair of sparkling blue. His smile was wide as he walked down the steps into the lab. Astrid's hands came up to cover her mouth, as if she could keep the heart that had lodged itself into her throat inside. Her eyes blurred with tears that she blinked away to take in the beauty of his tall form. He looked incredible and whole and here.

"Astrid." Peter said, taking a step closer. He skidded to a stop when she took both hands off her mouth and held them palm up to stop him from getting any closer. His smile faded and he gave her a curious look.

"Why," she started, her voice breaking. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath to settle the army of butterflies swirling in her stomach. She vaguely noticed Olivia and Walter behind him, staring at the reunion with great curiosity. She ignored them, staring at Peter like they were the only two in the room. "Why did you come back?"

Peter studied her face for a long moment. She knew the second he understood what she was asking. His smile was wide and beautiful, shining straight from his eyes to hers. He pulled a rumpled envelope out of his pocket and held it up between two fingers.

"Because a beautiful woman asked me too." He told her in a voice husky with emotion. She laughed then, a short huff of air that had her smile equaling his. Next thing she was across the room, feeling the strong band of his arms clasp tight around her middle, his warm hands curling around her rib cage. Her legs wrapped around his waist in a very unprofessional way and she levered back to look into his face.

Peter held her up effortlessly, her slight weight nothing compared to the excitement he felt just looking at her. He didn't understand how he'd stayed away from her so long, when seeing her made him happier than he could remember feeling in a long time. And that included seeing his mother alive because there had been so much melancholy and despair attached to that meeting to qualify it as happy.

"I missed you," he said before leaning in to capture her full, enticing mouth in a sweet kiss. Her fingers tensed on the nape of his neck, her short nails scratching lightly and sending shivers over his skin. His eyes swept over her face, noting any differences from the last time he'd seen her. She was doing the same with him, her dark eyes silently telling him to never go away again.

"I missed you." She agreed, pulling him in for another kiss. They both missed the way Walter watched them, completely befuddled until a smile replaced the confusion. He nodded to himself, snickered and started to move away. He caught the sight of Olivia out of the corner of his eye and he moved closer to her, patting her arm in a friendly way. Walter gave her a sympathetic smile and started to draw her away from the reunion.

"Let's give them a moment, why don't we dear?"

"Did you know about this?" Olivia asked, pointing a finger at the pair that were wrapped around each other like lovers. Walter shook his head, his smile firmly in place.

"No, I did not." Sympathy took the place of his smile as he gently took her elbow and started to guide her back to her office. He liked Agent Dunham and while he had harbored a wish for his son and her to connect, it would seem Agent Farnsworth had beat Olivia to it. Walter was only concerned with Peter's happiness and from what he could see Astrid made Peter very happy. That didn't mean he wasn't sympathetic to Olivia's discomfort.

Olivia's eyes narrowed at the couple that was totally oblivious to them, her mind spinning with the implications of this little reunion. This was unexpected and she wasn't sure how it was going to affect her assignment. She'd have to report it and see how she was supposed to proceed.

Peter broke off kissing Astrid to brush his nose across hers. He wanted nothing more than to carry this reunion to the next level, but there was a lot for them to work out first. Her fingers feathered through his hair, their breath mingling between them. Her eyes were still closed, as if she were just basking in being near him. She pressed her forehead against his and finally opened those doe eyes to him.

"Are you ok?" She asked, her voice quiet. She brushed her thumbs across his cheek, enjoying the brush of stubble on her skin.

"I'm much better now." Peter replied honestly. He hadn't been one hundred percent sure that coming back to this universe was the right decision until she was in his arms. Whatever they had been building before he found out Walter's secret was stronger than he'd thought. Because he vowed, as he gently set her back on her feet, that he'd never leave her again.

"Me too." She agreed after she settled on the ground front of him. Not wanting to lose contact with him yet, she laced their fingers together. Peter drew her closer again, his hand curling around the nape of her neck and his nose burying in her hair. She sighed in relief when his arms came around her once again, cradling her against his beating heart like he never wanted to let her go. "Will you tell me what happened over there?"

"Are you busy now?" He pulled back to look at her. He found himself unable to resist kissing her again, this one a little more possessive, a little more heated. Their tongues tangled languidly together, tasting the bitterness of their separation and easing it away.

"No." She gasped when he pulled back. He let her go long enough for her to grab her coat and purse, then with their hands twined together once more, they left the lab together.

A/N-This seems to be turning into an alternate S3 thing. They are going to also start getting spicier from here on out too. The rating will change when I post the first one. Enjoy.