A/N: Oh my god, I am soooooo soooooo sorry for the late update. No excuse really, I've been lazy, with the end of my uni year and having nothing to do, I've forgot to update. For me, it's been one of those 'sleep till 2 in the evening' weeks
So part one of my two part apology, I've written 2000+ word chapters and I am uploading two chapters tonight
PREVIOUSLY
It was the longest three minutes of Olivia's life. She glanced at the small stick every few seconds, mentally demanding it to be negative, for only one line to appear. But sure enough, when the three-longest-most-agonising-minutes were over, there it was. Two pink lines.
She was pregnant.
Chapter Five
January 2012 (part 2)
– two days after part 1
I need to tell Peter, Peter first, then the others. Olivia thought, as she paced outside the doors to the lab. Just as she managed to convince herself to tell him more thoughts flooded her mind, what if he doesn't want it? What if he freaks out? Oh shit, what am I going to do if Peter doesn't want it? Maybe I could tell Charlie. Yeah, Charlie would support me, help me through. He always has.
Peter and Broyles had ventured outside. Charlie had been 'charged' with Walter duty because he had mistakenly brought back different medicines from a pharmacy for whatever their use could be (you never know when paracetamol or antiseptic drops would come in handy). Walter had spent the entire day now trying to create drugs. Mainly things to relieve the stress and help him 'have fun', all in his words of course. After Walter tried to drug them, and in his defence said "so everyone would relax and have fun", Broyles made Charlie watch over him since it was Charlie who gave him the medicines.
Olivia had almost freaked when she found out, Astrid and her wondering about the effects on the baby, but keeping things lull since no one else knew.
The past events made Olivia more confident that telling Charlie would be best, and since he was actually nearby, she could tell him before she changed her mind about telling anyone.
Looking through the lab silently, she could see Charlie watching over Walter from a reasonable distance and John sitting glumly playing with a tennis ball.
She stepped silently into the lab. Astrid looked at her from in the office, smiling sweetly, encouragingly, before Ella wanted her attention again. They had started building a house from a deck of cards and after the two times Walter accidentally knocked it over, they moved into the office.
Charlie saw Olivia approaching him and stood up smiling. "Hey, Liv. You alright now?"
Of course Charlie would see the frequent trips to the bathroom.
"Yeah, can I talk to you?" she looked around, trying to find somewhere where John couldn't hear them,
"Sure, do you want to go somewhere private or..." they both laughed at Charlie's attempt at sarcasm.
Astrid looked up from her game with Ella, meeting Olivia's sad eyes.
"Hey, 'Livia, I'm going to take Ella outside for some fresh air. We'll be back in a few." She said, taking Ella's hand and weaving her out of the lab. Olivia smiled and nodded a 'thank you'.
"Come here, Charlie." Olivia pulled him into the office.
Once inside, she closed and locked the door, pressing her back against the door. She stared at her feet, unsure of how to start the conversation. She needed to talk to someone. She needed someone's support. She needed her best friend.
"Liv? What's wrong?" Charlie asked after she didn't move.
"We . . . I . . . I'm . . ." she couldn't find the words. Choking on every sentence, one every word as she tried to tell Charlie.
"'Livia?" Charlie walked up to her, holding her arms, comfortingly.
Outside, John looked up from his tennis ball, not having previously noticed everyone's sudden departure, or the silence.
"Liv, what's wrong? Are, are you sick? Did something happen?" Charlie was guessing now. Trying to find the words that Olivia couldn't. But she knew he wouldn't guess it.
Olivia looked up at him, her eyes welling with silent tears.
"I'm pregnant." She said, barely an audible whisper.
Charlie couldn't find anything to say. Now he was the one choked on words.
He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, his other hand reaching out towards her stomach but stopping halfway. He was trying to grapple with the news.
Charlie looked at her, seeing the hurt, he pulled her into a big hug. Massaging his hands over her back, trying to calm her as she broke down in front of him.
Charlie had never seen Olivia Dunham so scared, so upset or broken. But he didn't know whether it was because that she didn't want to raise a child in a world like this, or because she was pregnant. But his thoughts shifted,
"Have you told Peter?" he whispered into her hair, stroking it.
Olivia shook her head against his chest.
"You should. He needs to know. You won't be able to not tell him, Liv."
John watched their encounter through the office window. What was wrong? Had something happened to Olivia? John had never seen Olivia cry. Ever. John's mind jumped straight to Peter. What had he done to hurt her? But John could only sit and wonder what could possibly make her cry as Charlie comforted her.
"I know." This was a broken sob.
Charlie held her close as she cried against his chest.
Charlie was stilling hugging Olivia when Peter and Broyles returned. They hadn't moved, Charlie slowly rocking Olivia in his arms as she calmed down and (Charlie had began to think) possibly having fallen asleep.
Peter's first thoughts were that John had hurt her. But John was sitting idly on the floor on the other side of the lab, throwing his tennis ball back and forth against the wall. He glared at Peter as he and Broyles entered and walked through the lab. Neither knew what was wrong with Olivia, but sure-as-hell, were willing to blame the other.
Just as Charlie thought, Olivia had fallen asleep. He placed her softly on the couch in the office, tucking the blanket over her.
He exited the office, leaving her to sleep, and walking towards a worried Peter.
"We saw Astrid and Ella at the park. They said that they will be back in a few." Peter spoke, his eyes never leaving Olivia's sleeping figure. He walked up to Charlie, still watching Olivia and placing a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "Charlie, what's wrong with her? Is she sick, did John don something?" he asked, concerned, slightly demanding.
"No, no. She's just . . ." Charlie looked at Olivia too, She should tell him herself, he thought, deciding not to break the news, "she's been really stressed, she needs to rest, so I'd really appreciate it if we all let her sleep." He answered.
Peter seemed doubtful of Charlie's truth, but thinking back through the last month and a bit, Olivia had been stressed and not sleeping well.
They all kept quiet for the rest of the day.
POPOPOPOP
It wasn't until high pitched screams echoed through the lab did Olivia wake suddenly.
She left the confines of the office to find Peter and John shooting out through the barred windows into the partially set sun surrounds.
"What, what's happening?" she was still dazed, stumbling.
"Astrid and Ella. They got caught out as the sun set. They're not far off," John called over the noise created by the weapons,
"But they've got creatures on their six." Broyles added,
It took Olivia a minute to fully understand the situation, "Wait, why did they stay outside?"
No one answered. No one knew.
Olivia immediately grabbed her hand gun, running to the lab door. She unlocked it with lightning speed, disappearing out into the hallway.
"O-LIVIA!" Charlie called after her desperately. He abandoned the window and chased after her.
"OLIVIA!" he chased her through the hallways of Harvard, both sprinting outside towards a desperately running Ella and Astrid.
Both Charlie and Olivia let loose two clips of ammo into the three creatures running behind Ella and Astrid.
Two of the creatures fell to the ground, the third tearing, viciously through the overgrowth towards them. The creature lunged at Olivia, its claws cutting the flesh on her arm and near her near, above her chest.
Charlie emptied several more rounds into the creature. It collapsed in a heap on the ground, screeching in pain.
Ella ran into Olivia's arms, gripping her tightly. Astrid, panting uncontrollably as she tried to regain her balance and calm herself. Her weapon was empty, having fired the nine rounds.
The creature opened its mouth, trying to breathe, its claws digging into the ground, trying to crawl closer to them. Hissing, its fangs retracted into the gums of its mouth, its final breath escaping from between its sharp teeth.
"Ella, sweetie, are you okay?" Olivia clutched the seven-year-old closer.
"Uh-huh." She nodded into her chest. Small tears flowed down her face. Ella only cried when her mother, Rachel, had died. This was the first time in years that she was really scared. She always had her Aunt Liv and Uncle's Peter and Charlie to protect her.
They stood in the night, catching their breath. The sounds of other creatures broke the eerie silence.
"Ella, come one." Astrid grabbed Ella's hand, dragging her back inside, to the safety of the lab.
Charlie pulled Olivia towards the building. "Liv, come on. Let's GO!"
Olivia snapped out of her haze, running back the lab.
Once they were inside the hallways, Charlie stopped, standing in front of Olivia. Face red, eyes angry.
"What the Hell where you thinking!" he demanded.
"What?"
"Running off like that! What if it wasn't your arm that got torn?" he held up her now bleeding profusely arm, the blood having flown down to her wrist, dripping on the floor. The cuts on her neck were only small, scratches.
"Ella was out there, so was Astrid! They wouldn't have made it without our help!"
"But what about the baby? You shouldn't risk you life like that!"
"I'm fine, Charlie." Olivia insisted. "I risk my life every day. It was my job. And if you haven't noticed Charlie, the world has gone to hell; just living in it is taking a risk!" Olivia raise her voice, trying to get the point across.
"Why did you tell me about the baby? So I could watch out for you? Help you while you tried to tell Peter? That's exactly what I'm trying to do! I want to keep you and the baby safe, which means no more midnight runs in the dark after scary monsters."
Olivia accepted his argument. She had told him for exactly that reason.
Olivia pulled Charlie into a hug, "Thank you, Charlie. For looking out for me." She admitted, resting her head against his neck.
"When the baby is born, may I suggest the name Charlie? It suits boys AND girls."
"I haven't told Peter that I'm pregnant," Olivia pulled away from the hug, looking up at Charlie, "So we'll have to ask him when I do . . . eventually . . . if he wants to keep it." She lowered her head to the floor at the possibility that Peter may not want to raise the baby with her.
"I do." came a voice from down the hall.
Olivia jumped away from Charlie. Both turning to face the person. It was Peter, standing just outside the lab doors.
"Oh my god, Peter." Olivia called; she walked towards him, leaving Charlie, "I didn't want you to find out this way."
"But you told Charlie first." He stated. He had heard everything, having come out looking for them. Peter's heart had torn when he heard her talking with Charlie. Peter loved her, but was broken when he found out she told Charlie first. But somehow, he understood. They were best friends, of course she'd tell him. She needed support, someone she could lean on when things went sour. Peter knew that he wanted everything with her. He wanted the baby; he would do everything to keep him, or her, safe. Grow up healthy. In the few seconds between words, Peter had mapped out everything he wanted to do.
"Yes . . . but only because I was unsure of how you would react. I didn't know what you would want."
"I love you, Olivia. This is everything I've wanted. Sure, our current situation could be better, but I have you nonetheless." He smiled at her, taking her outstretched hand and pulling her into a hug. She smiled against his chest.
The trio entered the lab, Peter and Olivia holding hands, Olivia beaming with happiness.
Astrid saw her bright glow, relieved she had told him. Soon, in their own time, they would tell Broyles and Walter, and John.
Peter took Olivia, sitting her down near the desk in the corner of the lab, near the tank, first aid kit in hand.
He started to wash away the dirt from the wound on her arm, sterilizing it and bandaging it, before moving onto her neck. Her neck was only a shallow cut, stopping the bleeding and keeping it clean would do.
Broyles deadlocked the lab doors, everyone sighing in relief as a thick sense of safety fell over everyone.
The howling of the creatures outside didn't stop them from doing the normal routine. It was John's turn to fashion together a meal, in one form or another. Bread and noodles was all he could create. Passing it around, Ella ate eagerly, tired and hungry from experience outside, she fell asleep soundly soon after finishing her noodles.
Peter and Olivia sat in the corner, near the sensory deprivation tank, talking to themselves about the baby, keeping their voices low. They didn't want John or Walter to know just yet. They didn't mind telling Broyles. He'd become more relaxed around them, but Walter and John were the ones that would make a big fuss over it.
"What if it's a girl?" Olivia asked him.
"Pepper?" Peter suggested.
Olivia scrunched her face at the name. She didn't want her child to be named after any food, flavouring included. Peter had suggested fruit names like Peach and Pear. Flowers, like Rose and Petunia. Olivia knew he was teasing her.
He then suggested, "Rachel." And Olivia's face lit up. It was perfect.
"And what about if it's a boy?" she asked,
Peter still held her hand, his thumb stroking over the top, soothingly.
"Sequoya." He teased,
She just glared at him. "I know that your family may be full of loonies, but I refuse to let our baby be called Sequoya."
They hadn't decided on a boy name before sleep overcame them. Curled up together on the worn and torn mattress next to the tank, Peter had his arm wrapped around Olivia's waist, his hand placed on her stomach under her shirt, lightly tracing patterns on the bare flesh as they slept.
For the first time in a very long while, Peter dreamt. Not about monsters, or some case, or the creatures that hunted them. Instead, he dreamt about the baby, about his and Olivia's future. He wanted the baby so much. But what if none of them survived for the child to have a full life? What if they all died, leaving the child alone in this horrible place for a world? What if Olivia died before the baby could be born? His happy dreams of their future quickly turned sour as he remembered their situation.
The end of the world.
It's no place to raise a family.
A/N: so this is 2600 words, 5 pages in Word. The second part of my apology for the late delay will be up in a few minutes. Please forgive me and please review