A/N : I should be able to post one chapter a day, given there's only the last three chapters to write, and the plot is already down on paper. Thanks again to all of you for reading this fic!
Walter and Astrid were running various tests on the samples they had gathered from the crime scene when Olivia entered the lab, followed by Peter. They both looked up expectantly, only to see two muted persons.
"Broyles should have sent me the complete background check on the Cowens, I'm going to have a look at it in the office." Olivia motioned to the room with her thumb and quickly disappeared.
Peter sighed and took his coat off, placing it on the back of a chair.
"What is it, son? Did something happen with agent Dunham in the car?" If only, Peter thought. Nothing had happened at all. They haven't said a word. He knew it was hard for Olivia, he knew he'd betrayed her on a way that few people could even begin to imagine. But he had been tricked, too. He'd been played by her, he had just been a pawn in their cruel game against this universe.
"No, Walter, nothing happened."
"Oh." Walter seemed relieved, but disappointed as well. He'd hoped for things to get better between his son and agent Dunham. He could see how their relationship was quickly disintegrating, and it was gnawing them all. He was overjoyed that Peter had came back, finally enjoying a sweet romance with agent Dunham. But, like his son, he had been crushed when he learnt that they hadn't brought their Olivia back. He'd been lied to, thinking she had became nicer to him. He should have seen it.
"Walter! I asked how it was going with the samples?" Peter insisted.
"Oh, sorry, I must have lost track of my thoughts for an instant." Walter smiled and walked toward the lab bench. "So far I haven't been able to determine the cause of the death. I have extracted something from his blood, and Asteroid was just helping me synthetizing it." Peter nodded and sat down on a stool, rubbing his eyes.
He couldn't assist his father, nor could he offer to help Olivia. It was already late in the evening, and with as little sleep as he had had the last days, he was getting tired. Suddenly, the lab phone rang, startling him.
"Bishop's den." He answered.
"This is Broyles. We have another body. I'll send the file to the lab, so you can look it over with agent Dunham. Please ask to Walter and agent Farnsworth to be here ASAP to proceed with the autopsy. Like the previous one, I don't want to risk spreading anything when we open him up. I'll send the location to your phone."
"Astrid, Walter, we've got another body." Walter stood up and quickly put his coat on, barely waiting for Peter to give the address to Astrid.
"Don't worry, I'll drop him off by your place once we're done with the case, and dinner. I'll see you tomorrow." The duo left him alone in the lab. Finally, he stood up to join Olivia in the office, and tell her about the latest development.
"Liv?" he poked his head in the office, expecting her to be studying the family's files. Instead, he found her sleeping, her head resting on her crossed arms, sitting at the desk.
"Olivia?" he shook her shoulder softly, calling her name. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and for a mere seconds he saw her eyes light up, a small smile playing at the corner of her mouth. However, she quickly straightened herself on the chair.
"Peter?" she cleared her throat. "What time is it?"
"About half past nine. You should go home and get some rest." He immediately cringed, hearing the words back in his head. 'I don't want to live in my apartment'.
"No, I'll, uh…I'm not done with the files yet." Peter took the time to look at her, and to really see her. She had dark circles under her eyes, and a constant frown between her eyebrows. Her hair was cutely messy, her eyes still sleepy.
"Broyles just called, they found another body. He's sending us the file here, let's have a look at it." She nodded and followed him out of the door, toward the faxing machine that stood in the lab.
Peter had his hand on the door handle when he was projected backward, sending Olivia on the ground with him. The last thought he had before loosing consciousness was for Olivia, whom he could see foggily a few feet from him, unmoving.