A/N - So read and review folks! Thank you for the feedback!

I live for the odd, little things

:)

Chapter Seven – Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

Olivia was having trouble keeping her eyes open by the time they made their way back to the truck. It was dark and cold, the sun long gone and the stars high in the sky. Over and the over the questions they had asked were rolling in her mind. They had spent hours trying to seek the truth but none were willing to give it. On the drive home, eyes half closed; she wondered when she had started getting so tried so easily. She used to be able to go days without sleeping. Now, at the end of the day, she slipped into bed with the same gratefulness that she greeted her morning coffee.

"Liv?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't fall asleep in the car. You'll hurt your neck."

"No I won't."

Peter chuckled.

"Yes you will."

Olivia stretched the best she could in the enclosed space.

"It's been a long day."

"I know. I'm feeling it too. I'll run you a hot bath when we get home if you like."

"We have work to do."

"You can spare a few minutes to have a bath."

Olivia said nothing as she watched the shops and street lights whip past as they drove. She could see it thin out the closer they got to home and she felt herself wake up slightly. When they entered their home, Kathleen was on the sofa with Etta, reading to her, the TV making soft sounds mixed with her voice.

"Momma!"

Olivia lifted Etta into her arms and pressed kisses onto her neck. She hadn't had her bath yet and was still dressed in the tiny jeans and sparkly sweater that Olivia had dressed her in earlier that day.

"Hey Peanut. Did you have a good day?"

Etta nodded, pointing to Kathleen.

"Lena."

"I know."

Kathleen smiled and stretched.

"I've written a few more books for my thesis, I was testing them out on her. She has a favourite one. She made me read it to her six times."

Olivia laughed.

"Are there ducks in it by any chance?"

"Of course."

Etta started bouncing in her arms when she spotted Peter.

"Dada! Lena with cars!"

"Is that right?"

"Yes."

Peter laughed, giving his daughter a quick kiss.

"Hi Kathleen. How was she today?"

"Good, as always. Which reminds me, I called Gus."

"Good. Did you tell him I sent you?"

"Yes. I need to go in tomorrow with the car. He said he would give me a new transmission for half the price."

"Happy to hear that. Right, I'm going to go and run a bath."

Kathleen moved past Olivia, making a move into the kitchen.

"We made some cookies. I'm fairly certain that Etta ate her own body weight in the dough."

Olivia chuckled.

"Sounds like Etta. Thanks Kathleen."

"Did you have a good day?"

"Not really. But it's nothing that a hot bath and some cookies can't fix."

"Well, I hope you like peanut butter and chocolate chip. Walter gave me the recipe last night."

"They are fantastic cookies. Has Etta eaten?"

"Yes, we both have. I had better get going. Nick and I have a date tonight."

Kathleen gathered her belongings, giving Etta kiss and snagged a few cookies on her way out the door. Olivia took Etta upstairs, heading into the nursery. She kept Etta on her hip as she fished out pyjamas from the white chest of drawers. Etta chatted softly in her ear before they made their way into the bathroom, which smelt like vanilla. Peter smiled as they walked in.

"The bath was meant for you."

Olivia smiled as she started to undress Etta.

"Killing two birds with one stone."

"If I had known that was the plan, I would have put Etta to bed faster and joined you myself."

Olivia nudged Peter with her shoulder as she carefully placed Etta in the tub. Etta instantly started splashing, smearing the bubbles on her head.

"You, husband of mine, can go and get all that pretty paperwork from the truck."

She started to undress, Peter lingering in the doorway, a small smile on his face.

"I don't know. I get the feeling that you two might need supervision."

Olivia pointed to the door.

"Out."

Peter slid reluctantly from the room and Olivia finished getting undressed and got into the tub with Etta. For the first time all day, she was able to focus on Etta completely. She allowed herself to forget the case and the missing children, the frustrating suspects and the lack of connections. Instead she played with Etta, getting lost in the pure delight of her daughter. Etta had just finished helping Olivia wash her hair when Peter appeared, two large towels in his hand.

"Fresh from the dryer."

Olivia finished washing the shampoo from her hair before focusing on Etta. She soaped Etta up as Etta played with the hotly debated duck.

"So I had a thought."

Peter settled himself on the edge of the tub.

"What's that?"

Peter frowned.

"Do you remember what Walter said about six equalling one?"

"Yes, another great Walter statement that made no sense to me I might add."

Peter chuckled. Etta leaned over, grabbing the edge of the tub to pull herself up. She slapped the duck onto Peter's leg, spraying him with bubbles from the tub.

"Dada, car!"

Etta slipped slightly, landing back into the water with a splash.

"Be careful Etta."

"No."

Peter chuckled and pressed the duck into the water before allowing it to spring to the surface again. Etta squealed and clapped her hands.

"Again."

Peter repeated the process before continuing.

"What if we are looking for a big bad?"

"How so?"

"Think about it. These kid's talents took time to process. I.Q tests, medicals and everything like that."

"So do you think that the fact that they are six is nothing more than a coincidence?"

"I think so."

Olivia nodded slightly.

"Ok. So do you think these kids are nothing more than medical slip ups?"

"Maybe. Except now, someone wants them. And I think Walter had the right idea. Someone wants these kids to something."

"But what?"

"I'm not sure. But if you think about it, it makes sense. Each child had a different talent, different skill sets. The only one without a set talent is Michael."

Olivia frowned.

"And that means what?"

"I did some background on Michael's parents. They were both incredible intelligent. They started their own company just out of college."

"What kind of company?"

"They both had a knack with computers. That's why he's sitting on all that money. Just after they died his Aunt sold the last of the company and put it into a trust fund for him. The house, the land and Michael's education are all paid via an account set up for him when he was born."

"That explains Michael's hacking ability."

"Precisely. So what if he is a natural and the others-"

"Were created."

Peter snapped his fingers.

"Exactly. I did some research and discovered that there are several different definitions of child prodigy. And Michael is a rare breed. Apparently, a child who is gifted in multiple areas occurs one in a million."

"So the likelihood of having six prodigies in one lab-"

"Is completely unlikely. I made dinner by the way."

Olivia smiled.

"What are we having?"

"Italian."

"Sounds good."

"And it was an effort too. I couldn't find the menu in the takeaway drawer."

Olivia laughed and pulled the plug from the tub, handing a protesting Etta to Peter before taking the other towel.

The house was quiet and still but Olivia remained awake. Even with Peter's idea, there were still so many other things they needed to consider. Anger could be a fantastic motive. There were only four other families that had registered complaints with the company in regards to their children. Olivia still couldn't work out why they paid Turlock off but none of these families. Peter turned in his sleep, mumbling to himself, his hand reaching out to Olivia, coming to rest on her leg. She smiled before turning back to her notes. They needed to see these families. Olivia sighed, gathering the files and putting them on the floor beside the bed. She flicked off the bedside light and snuggled into Peter. She had almost drifted to sleep when she heard the car coming to stop outside the house. It took her only a second to register that the sound of shattering glass was coming from the kitchen. Peter heard it too, sitting up in the bed next to her.

"What was that?"

"I don't know."

Olivia jumped out of bed, grabbing her gun from the top of the wardrobe and heading downstairs. She inched her way down, avoiding the creaky third step that Peter had been promising to fix. She saw the shattered glass in the kitchen before clearing the rest of the house. There was no one there. She flicked on the safety and turned on the light in the kitchen. Peter joined her a moment later, Etta still fast asleep in his arms.

"What is it?"

Olivia glanced under the table, seeing a large rock with a note around it, a simple rubber band holding it in place.

"I don't know. Stay here."

She moved around Peter and opened the front door, standing on the front steps for a moment, looking up and down the street. It was silent and still once again. She moved back into the house, closing the door and securing the locks.

"I'll put Etta back to bed. We need to call Broyles."

"Why?"

"Because this is a warning Liv. I can guarantee it. And whoever did this, knows where we live."

Peter moved back upstairs and Olivia inched her way into the kitchen. The rock had completely shattered the window above the sink, allowing the cool night air to bellow into the kitchen. Olivia tried to step carefully and it wasn't until she had the rock in her hand, turning on her heel, did she realize that she had missed a large piece that hid in the shadows.

"Shit."

Peter re-entered the kitchen in time to hear her curse and see the poll of blood that accompanied it.

"Liv, what are you doing? The rock isn't going anywhere."

Peter had put on some slippers, a bit of an oversight on Olivia's part. Peter scooped her up and placed her on the counter. He handed her a towel to put on her foot before he started sweeping up the glass. Olivia put the towel on her lap rather than her foot, distracted by the rock still clutched in her hand. She carefully took off the rubber band, putting it on the counter before allowing the paper to fall into her hand. It was plain and white, the writing large and blocked.

STOP LOOKING. YOU WILL FIND NOTHING BUT TROUBLE

Olivia flipped the paper over, trying to find any other clue as to where it may have come from. There wasn't any. She heard Peter's sigh as his hand came to rest on her ankle, examining the sole of her foot.

"Liv, I gave you the towel for a reason."

Olivia held up the paper for Peter to read, his face pulling into a deep frown.

"I'll dress your foot. You need to call Broyles."

He handed her the phone before getting up to get the first aid kit. She was dialling when he returned, the reality finally sinking in. Someone knew where they lived.