Things between Peter and Walter were still tense. Astrid tried to mitigate between them without much luck and without any help from the other person on the team. Olivia left them to sort it out between themselves. She had her own anger issues with Walter and did pretty much the same as Peter. Ignore it until it reared it's ugly head. Which tended to be anytime she jumped.
"Olivia!" She glanced up as Peter appeared in her doorway, his eyes searching for her frantically. A strange relief coming over him when he saw her.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"O... k..." Peter laughed as she dragged the two letter word out and held his gaze before glancing away and to the paperwork in front of her. Watching as he sat beside her, eyes still searching her and she tilted her head to watch him sideways. "Nightmares?"
"Yeah." He nodded as he stared at her. Watching as she stood and spun slowly, a small smile on her face.
"Perfectly fine." His hand reached out and she stepped forward. Let his hand find her wrist, that his fingers curved around to feel her pulse didn't escape her notice either. "Peter. I'm fine."
"I know." Olivia stayed standing before stepping closer and kneeling in front of him. "What is it?"
"I don't know. I just got this overwhelming feeling that you were... gone."
"I'm not gone. I'm right here." Olivia kept herself still as his hand reached up and settled against her cheek. Watched as he took a deep breathe and gave a smile, though it wasn't his normal smile.
"Sorry, I'm being weird."
"We're all a little prone to that." She said softly, watching as he nodded, "You gonna be okay?"
"I'm gonna be fine." Olivia nodded, watching as he took another deep breathe, felt his fingers slide down over her pulse point again. She reached up, setting her hand over his. Letting him linger a moment longer before cracking a small smile.
"So what is it?" Peter started slightly before giving her a sheepish smile and pulling his hand away.
"72." He answered softly, watching as she nodded.
"You gonna stick around for awhile?"
"If you don't mind."
"I don't mind."
*v*v*
Olivia blinked, the bathroom around her was her own but small things were different. Two toothbrushes, a man's razor, shaving cream... "You coming?" She looked over her shoulder, saw Peter standing in the doorway. "Come on. We've got a case."
"A case?"
"Yeah.' he paused, staring at her before sighing slightly. 'what are you doing here?"
"I don't know."
"Well get dressed. We've got a case." She glanced down, frowning slightly at the lack of clothes before her focus shifted to a scar on her leg.
"What is this?"
"You... she got shot. 2 years ago."
"What happened with John?" Peter frowned, taking a deep breathe.
"They've opened an investigation."
The lights made her head hurt, a drumming sensation along the back of her skull. Peter noticed when she closed her eyes and didn't open them again until the car stopped. Getting out of the car was a chore and she forced herself to move until she was listening to the debrief. Everything was fading, in and out, the voices sharpened and dulled until only Peter's remained. His hands on her face. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know." She squeezed her eyes closed before opening them and focusing on him. "Something is wrong."
"What do you mean wrong?"
"It feels... wrong." He frowned at her, his hand on her cheek and Olivia stared down on her hand. The ring was there, the tightness across her chest, the nausea in her stomach. "There wasn't any pain..."
"No... but isn't that a good thing."
"What is she taking?"
"What do you mean?"
"This Olivia... what is she taking?" Peter glanced around, watching as Olivia stared at him before leaning forwards and whispering the answer in her ear.
"Pre-natal." The dimness closed in and she let herself slip away with the flow.
*v*v*
Olivia stumbled into the lab, everything felt rough around the edges, like she had been caught in a whirlwind and couldn't find which was was north now. The door closed behind her and she caught sight of Peter leaning over the lab table listening to his father talk about something she didn't quite understand or that she wasn't able to make out. Her voice is soft when it calls Peter's name but he turns towards her anyways and his eyes are the thing she focuses on before feeling her knees finally give up the fight. Her hands catching her fall as they grasp for the closest thing to her.
"Walter!" Peter snatches his father's attention as he watches Olivia stumble into the support beam, both of her hands clutching the corners as she slowly looses the fight with gravity. Her eyes are locked on his and he hasn't see that fear since she woke up disoriented in the hospital all those months ago. He's across and beside her the next moment. Helping her slide the rest of the way down. Her skin is cold and she's shaking like she's run a marathon in the freezing rain.
"Oh god...' Peter held her as she shook, glancing up to see Astrid staring in a stunned shock. 'I hate this." Olivia whispered softly as she turned in Peter's embrace, felt his arms surround her.
"What happened?"
"I don't know... I was...' she was shivering against his warmth. 'it was different."
"What was different?"
"The jump, god, I'm exhausted." Peter pulled back, pressed his hand against her cheek. "I'm so cold." Peter stood, lifting her off the floor and carrying her into the office. Growing more concerned when she didn't protest, just relaxed in his arms to make it easier. He knew without looking that Astrid and Walter were following, Peter lowering her onto the couch and covering her with two blankets.
"What happened this time Agent Dunham? How was it different?"
"There wasn't any pain but it felt... harder to be there. It was like being drained. I couldn't focus. I didn't know what was happening. I didn't feel completely there."
"What do you mean not completely there?"
"I felt... distant."
"Distant?" Olivia nodded before turning towards Peter.
"She's pregnant." Peter frowned at her before his eyes cleared.
"The other you? Us? Their pregnant?" She nodded, before hearing Walter's hand clap together.
"Of course. Her body was trying to protect the baby. By not allowing complete control go... she forced an echo of yourself to stay in this world."
"Why am I so tired?"
"You needed to use extra energy to stay on that side. Because of the resistance. Why were you there?"
"I don't know. I found out that John Scoot is being investigated... and they have a new case."
"And about the baby."
"Yeah."
"Was that Olivia treated with Cortexiphan?"
"I don't know."
"You must ask the next time you are there... it's very important." Olivia nodded, letting herself lean back into the couch and relax.
*v*v*
The next jump didn't happen for almost 6 weeks. Cases filling their time. It wasn't making much sense.
Nothing made much sense anymore. Peter still showed up at the oddest times and Olivia grew used to his fingers snagging her wrist, ghosting over her pulse point. He was almost always touching her, hand on her back. Snagging her hand, calling at all hours because he knew she kept worse hours than he did. She was growing used to the change.
But the next jump when it did happened... it happened with a bang. One second she was driving home. The next she was ducking bullets, Peter's hand wrapped tightly around her arm. She was sluggish and tired. The pain wasn't there but the world was dimmed and tilted at the edges. So even without Peter's presence she knew exactly where she was. "Olivia... we've got to get out of here."
"Something is wrong." She whispered, feeling panic rise up in her chest. Panic that wasn't her own and she took a deep breathe and gripped Peter's neck with her free hand. "Did Olivia ever take Cortexiphan?"
"Yes."
"Does Walter know?" Peter nodded again, watching as Olivia shuddered through something before her eyes squeezed shut. Frowning at the blood that slowly seeped from her nose. Bruising spreading under her eye.
"What is going on?"
"I don't agree with being pregnant.' Olivia said softly. "Make sure that Walter knows that Olivia took the medicine."
"He's giving her something, something to ease the effects on the pregnancy."
"What is it?"
"It's an inhibitor... why are you bleeding?"
"I jumped in my car. I'm probably injured. Where is my gun?" Peter pulled it out of her holster, watching as she gripped the metal tightly. "I don't think I can walk..."
"I'll drag him around."
"Be careful." His hand cupped her cheek and she closed her eyes as his lips pressed against her quickly. Softly. No more than a ghost of a kiss.
"Always." She nodded, watching as he disappeared around the corner, leveling her gun at the area. 45 seconds later the gun man came through and she shot twice. Watching as he fell, mercury slowly drizzling from the bullet hole. Peter appeared a moment later kneeling beside her. "How are you holding up?"
"They're here too?" Peter nodded, watching as she shuddered slightly. The blood continuing to run from her nose, soaking the front of her shirt. "That doesn't make any sense."
"William Bell designed them." Olivia's eyes jumped to his and Peter wasn't surprised by the anger in them. "But someone else created them."
"Who?"
"We're still trying to figure that out."
"Why?"
"They are trying to find the holes between your world and ours." Olivia nodded, "None of us are having any luck."
"That's because they're aren't any..."
"What do you mean?"
"Your father didn't create the first one here so the veil isn't as thin."
"The first?" His hand reached up, pressing against her cheek, "Olivia, what are you talking about?"
"I'm so very tired." He nodded, watching as she closed her eyes.
*v*v*
Peter held her hand gently between his own, they had stitched her forehead and stopped the nose bleed. But she wasn't in there... at least not completely. She reacted to pain but that was it. Like she was sort of here but not completely. She looked like hell, they had tried to intubate her to help her breathing but no amount of drugs suppress her gag reflex and Walter said because part of her wasn't there they couldn't suppress it, no matter how hard they tried. They had settled on a CPAP machine to help her breathing and the mask was covering most of her face.
"We can use her as a bridge. From our world into their." Walter said excited, watching as Olivia stared at him through sunken, exhausted eyes.
"It's killing them!"
"She's still here for a reason. This might be the reason."
"That is my soon to be wife and unborn child. I want them safe. I want her safe."
"Then we should start as soon as possible." Walter crossed to her. "I want you to relax, okay. I need you to try and talk to your Peter."
Peter frowned as her hand twitched in his, pulling the mask off her face to see her eyes were open but far away. Like she was drugged. "Olivia."
"I can hear him." She whispered softly, like she was talking to someone else. Someone who wasn't there.
"Olivia... you were in an accident."
"I know." Her eyes weren't focused and he frowned as she stared at the ceiling. "Where is Walter?"
"He's right outside.'
"I need to ask him something."
"Okay... let me get him."
Olivia felt the ghost of pressure on her hand disappear, feeling Astrid set something cold on her stomach. A soft quick beeping filling the room. "The baby sounds good."
Peter nodded, relaxing slightly.
"Walter's here." Olivia whispered softly, "Tell me about the inhibitor." Peter watched as Walter said it slowly, Olivia repeating it piece by piece before repeating the process both ways.
"What is going on in...' Peter cut Broyles off with a look, saw as his eyes darted between Olivia's still form and the small group gathered around them. The conversation she was having with herself. The absolute horrid tone to her skin. Pale with bruising sliding over her skin. But it was just bruising, no swelling and it didn't look natural.
The conversation continued with Olivia getting progressively weaker until Astrid glanced up in alarm. "We need to stop."
"No... I just have a few more questions."
"No Walter. We need to stop." Astrid pushed him away, taking Olivia's hand and leaning over her. "You have to go back Olivia."
"I can't... I don't feel it."
"Olivia...' Astrid said softly, 'it's stressing the baby. Okay... You can't stay any longer."
"The baby?"
Peter felt his heart constrict at the anguish in her tone... didn't like the sound of her conversation from this side, watched as she let a silent tear go down her face.
"You need to go back...' Peter whispered softly, leaning over and pressing a kiss against her cheek. Moved her hand over the small bump, avoiding where Walter was now holding the probe. '...Okay. I need you to go back."
"He doesn't feel the same as you."
"I doubt that." Peter whispered gently, tilting her head towards him. "It took Liv and I so long to get where we are. I don't think it will take you that long."
"I want it...' Peter nodded, watching as another tear streaked down her cheek. 'I want it."
"You'll have it but you need to go back for it." Olivia nodded, closing her eyes. When she opened them again she was in a hospital bed, Peter holding her hand gently in both of his.
"Hey."
"Peter...' He pulled her hand to his cheek, setting it against the skin there with a small smile. 'I'm cold."
"We'll warm you up." She nodded, closing her eyes with a small smile. While this Peter wasn't as open with his feelings he was hers and she was damn well gonna keep him.