A/N: the last chapter was set in the last few days of November, so this one is a continuation, but crossing to the first few days of December.

Early December 2012

It wasn't a matter of whether she could tell Peter what had happened, but more of whether she wanted Peter to know.

Olivia hadn't slept at all for the first two nights. Sitting wide awake huddled in the corner. Ignoring Peter, Astrid, Walter, even Charlie, and completely rejecting any kind of motherly duties towards Ashley.

Peter had been forced to use extremely water-down powdered milk. He didn't know how long until Olivia would feed Ashley again, or hold her, comfort her. But he knew that he'd need to make the powdered milk last as long as possible.

Ella had returned to her usual self, playing games with Walter. Going outside with Astrid. She'd started sleeping better. Ella and the little girl, Katie, were much better together now. Katie had started talking. A lot. Once she started to open up, nothing could stop her. She'd talk about any and everything. Her favourite foods, games, her family, everything.

John and Peter had mended the 'feud' they had, taking turns to help care for Ashley for Olivia's sake. Charlie and Broyles had started taking Ella and Katie out with them. They had plenty of test tube bombs to last a few weeks. They all hoped Olivia would be, 'sane' wouldn't be the correct word, 'better', maybe, by the time they ran out. They all had started feeling safer to venture outside. Pushing 'return' times on searches to just before dusk, enabling them to search further away from the lab, further into the city.

3 weeks after Peter had found her, the days had now become routine. Either Olivia didn't sleep at all, or she would wake screaming from a nightmare. Peter would help her eat, shower, dress. But usually she'd sit in the corner, eyes full of fear, mute. She'd just stare into space. She had become mechanical, only performing basic tasks.

"How long do you think?" John asked Charlie one day, "You know, till Liv gets better?" They were sitting, leaning over the table trying to make a card tower. Charlie had offered to keep an eye on Ashley and Olivia, Peter desperately needing sleep, so did Astrid. Between Ashley and a screaming Olivia during the nights, Peter was exhausted. No, exhausted didn't even come close to what he was feeling.

Broyles and Astrid had started on food and supply runs. Broyles usually standing in the background, not sure what to do. He'd never seen Olivia like this. Ever. She was his best agent, the one who was able to pull through anything and everything. The agent who survived god-knows-what was no reduced to tears and screams.

"Soon, I hope. Peter can't keep feeding Ashley that powdered stuff. It's not good for her, being so young."

"Why doesn't she hold her? She's her mother after all." John placed a card on top of the small rectangle 'card-house', trying to balance two together to form a triangle.

"I don't know. Peter said she was talking in her sleep the other night. Something about her being scared that Ashley would know what she did. What she did to protect herself."

They both looked over at Olivia, still sitting. Still staring aimlessly.

"Babies can sense fear. They can sense when their parents are fighting or upset."

The card tower fell as Walter shoved the lab doors open. Clanging against the wall behind it with a loud 'bang', causing Olivia to jump, becoming scared almost immediately. She stood, back pressed against the cold concrete wall of the lab.

"Olivia!" he beamed, noticing her standing in the corner. "It's absolutely delightful to see you up and about. I was positive you would sleep longer, since you didn't wake during the night." Walter was obviously unaware of her frightened state, rambling on like he always would.

"Walter, go . . . play with your . . . experiments, or whatever. Liv, do you want to go outside for a bit?" Charlie stood, walking carefully, slowly towards her. He saw she wanted an out, wanted to leave, to be away from everything.

Olivia looked around, looking at the watching pairs of eyes, before nodding timidly.

"Come on." Charlie held out his hand for Olivia to take. She slipped her hand into his, holding it tightly.

John watched them leaving, promising to keep an eye on Walter. Astrid and Broyles had promised to return before dark with whatever food they could find. Their tins of labels-torn-off-mystery fruits, vegetables, soups, were running low.

oOo

Charlie led them through the buildings, just wandering the halls. The classrooms were eerily haunting. They'd been empty, deserted for years. The dust on the desks had built up, the sun light seeping through closed blinds, shining on the dust their feet kicked up as they walked.

They'd never been this far. It was ironic. They'd explored so far out from the lab into the city, but never the building they occupied. Peter and Olivia hadn't made it this far. Needless to say, they weren't thinking about where in the building they were when they'd taken the first lockable room they could find. Their thoughts having been otherwise preoccupied.

They walked, hand in hand for several minutes. They found a shaded patch of grass on the lawn and just sat. Sat in silence. Olivia watched the clouds above them. They were so peaceful, light weighted, free. She became mesmerised watching them. While Charlie watched her. Watched her emotions play across her face as she lay on the grass watching the sky. She'd been couped up in the lab. Scared to leave, uncertain. This was the most relaxed Charlie had seen her since.

Charlie was content on just sitting, giving her time, space.

"I was next." She didn't look at him as she spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"George. He caught me off guard. He'd disappeared for a second when I wasn't looking and then hit me over the head with something. Tied me up, cut me." She lifted her shirt, showing him the nearly healed cut-wound-would-be-scar on her stomach.

"He kept saying how Katie wasn't his type. She was too skinny, not enough 'meat'. Told me he liked women better. Tastier. He'd bite me, drawing blood, tearing the skin."

"Blood. He liked watching it. Said the less blood, the less human they are. He justifies eating them to survive if they are already dead and bloodless. Says it's just like eating a chicken or lamb. Survival of the fittest."

Olivia was shaking now. She'd closed her eyes, still unable to met Charlie's.

"Liv, you don't have to—"

"He let me go. Said he wanted a fighter. Hadn't had someone who fought back. Killed them in their sleep, the ones in the vault." She was speaking in short sentences, unable to keep her emotions in check.

"He tormented me. Saying once he was done with me, he'd do the same to Ella and then Astrid and Ashley. He liked babies. Younger. Said they tasted like chicken."

She pushed back tears.

"and I hit him with pipe. And I didn't stop. I smashed him, broke him. I . . . I don't do that. I've never done that. I shoot people. I've never had to get so close to them. I can still feel his blood on my hands, on my body."

Another silence. Charlie's mind was in overdrive. She'd told him. And he didn't know what to make of it. He understood it. She was emotionally driven to protect her daughter and those she cared about.

"Why haven't you told Peter?"

There was an uncomfortable silence. Charlie wondered if he had asked too soon.

"He won't want me. Not if he knew." It came out in a whisper, her voice laced with fear.

"Every time, I look at him, look in his eyes, I can't help thinking that he sees me as a freak, dangerous. I'm nowhere near normal, I'm a 1000 miles away from normal. Normal is a dot on the horizon for me." It was all coming loose now. Charlie knew he'd opened a gate and was ready for anything, ready to be the friend she needed right now.

"Peter deserves normal. Ashley deserves normal. But because of me, because of what's in me, Ashley won't have normal. But, at least I can protect her from this. She shouldn't know what her mum did. I want her to look up at me and see her mother, but how can she see that when even I can't? I look at myself and wonder, 'what am I capable of?'." She was in a phase. Her face full of fear, worry, her hands waving about, unknowing what to do with them. Her blonde hair hung down her shoulders.

"Liv." He turned to face her, drawing her attention to him. "Peter loves you for you. He loved you when you were at your worst. When you were pregnant. He loved you when you became a pyromaniac. He loved you long before this whole mess started, long before the creatures. He's always loved you. We've all seen it. Hell, we've seen the guy head over heels in love with you and you not see a thing. He only cares that your safe and well. He's worried that you won't get better, that Ashley will grow up without a mum. He needs you. Ashley needs you. And you need them. So tell Peter. Let him in. Let him help you. Let him love you."

Olivia could see the sincerity in Charlie's eyes as he spoke.

Then she laughed.

"What?"

"Since when did you become a romantic?"

"Well, I have my talents. Come on." He stood, holding out his hand for her.

When they returned to the lab, Peter was awake, cuddling Ashley to his chest.

"Hi." She spoke softly.

"Hi."

"Can we talk, in the office?"

"Sure. John, can you take Ashley for a bit?"

"Yeah. Come 'ere baby girl." He took a sleepy Ashley into his arms, rubbing her back.

Olivia led them to the office, sitting on the couch, Peter sitting next to her.

"I need to tell, about what happened."

And she did.

A/N: I am SOOOOOOO sorry for the extremely long update. Uni started for me and I got loaded with 4 assignments, one an essay, so I've been writing slowly in my free time. Updates maybe hanky for a bit till I find my rhythm again (holidays messed me up goooood)

I know I don't deserve reviews as punishment, but they are nice. This topic's been getting a bit difficult to write, emotionally – so if I go too far and creep you guys out, tell me and I'll delete it and make it 'softer'.