January 2010 altverse

"There's good news and bad news."

Charlie glared unconvinced at the doctor standing next to Olivia and Lincoln through the plexi-glass shield as he nervously fiddled with his white coat. He looked through the translucent plastic screen at Charlie, who was wide-eyed and desperately trying to mask the panic he felt creeping up his face.

"The creature was what we call a chimera - a transgenic species, created using the best genetic traits of various species." He said through the intercom.

"Someone made this?" Olivia questioned, putting her hands on her hips. "To what end?"

"That I can't say." He said and turned back to the window. "But, what we do know is that the stinger implanted embryos under your skin, which is why it didn't eat you."

"Congratulations, daddy." Lincoln said jokingly. "Lucky for you, it doesn't mate in the traditional way, huh?"

Olivia swiped his arm in response, and Lincoln mouthed 'ow' back at her.

"Don't tell me that was the good news, doc?" Charlie asked, suddenly realizing he was adding nausea to the pain he was feeling in his veins.

"Oh, no!" The doctor quickly replied, looking quickly between Charlie and his colleagues standing at his side. "Well, not exactly. Dr Foster, one of our leading entomologists, developed an antidote of sorts, using samples we took from you while you were unconscious, and the creature's blood, mixed with a type of insecticide to prevent the embryos from gestating to full maturity. It keeps them at a harmless size, but this will mean injecting the shots yourself indefinitely with this…" He paused, pulling out a silver automatic injection pen from his pocket, holding it up to the glass. "... every few hours, much in the way a diabetic injects themselves with insulin with very little side-effects."

Charlie sighed in relief.

"Not to sound ungrateful, but I can't just have one shot?"

"Unfortunately, no. We haven't found another way to administer enough poison without it killing you, so until we do, this is the best we can do."

"So no baby worms?" Lincoln smiled, to a mutual eye roll from Olivia and Charlie.

"At least it's worms and not crabs, Lincoln." Charlie retorted as Lincoln mockingly sneered in reply.

"Actually, technically they'd be a type of arachnid because of the scorpion type stinger, but no, no baby worms." The doctor said, pausing. "Although you may experience some side-effects like itching. As long as you don't forget your shots - and it's imperative you don't - you'll be fine and discharged soon."

June 2013 altverse

By the time Lincoln left the bathroom to get ready for work in the morning, Olivia was already in the kitchen making breakfast while on a call. She'd scraped her back into a loose ponytail, padding across the tiled floor in her bare feet, combats and tank top.

"Yes sir… No, that's excellent news. I'll let Agent Lee know and we'll see you at the office ASAP. Thank you, sir."

She turned, ending the call to see Lincoln standing at the door, with a small awkward smile, dressed in his suit with his shirt unbuttoned and tie loose around his neck.

Olivia offered him a mug of tea and a sheepish smile as an olive branch.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, taking the mug from her and being mindful not to brush her fingers with his own.

"Fine. A little embarrassed, maybe." Olivia replied, looking at her feet for a moment as she recalled her actions from her birthday drinks the previous night. "I'm sorry that I-"

"Forget about it. It was nothing." Lincoln smiled dismissively, waving his hand to brush away the awkwardness, although they both knew it was anything but nothing and she looked back at him nodding. "Who was on the phone?"

"Colonel Erikson, he said Charlie is coming back to the Division today!"

"Charlie?" Lincoln asked, frowning as if he should know who he was.

"Yeah, Charlie! Charlie Francis, our old partner."

She stopped, realizing they'd never met as he'd left before Lincoln came to their side.

"He, er, transferred when he got married. He was getting treatment for his worms, but now they've finally found a permanent cure, so he's transferring back!"

"That's great." Lincoln smiled at her contagious excitement. "Wait - Did you say worms?"

"Well, technically, they were arachnids. But yeah." Olivia laughed, leaning forward to wipe away a smudge of shaving foam off the side of Lincoln's face.

"O-kay!" he huffed a smile, accepting it like it wasn't weird to be infested with parasitic worm spiders. "I just need to brush my teeth, and I'll be right there." He added, taking a last sip of his drink before putting down his mug and turning on his heel.

June 2013 altverse

Colonel Erikson entered the Fringe HQ rotunda flanked by two younger agents on either side of him; a shorter, younger man with cropped hair, dark eyes and a scar on his cheek, and a pretty, younger agent with dark hair pulled back into a bun, who heightened her petite stature in block heels.

Secretary Bishop had promoted Erikson to run Fringe Division when the bridge closed. An older handsome man in late 50s with sharp cheekbones and cropped fair graying hair, he had a hardened face from his military background that betrayed his empathetic and understanding personality and fondness for the Fringe Team that had become his family over the past year and a half.

"Pssst." Olivia whispered. She slyly nudged Lincoln with her elbow as he sat working at his console and he looked at her, eyeing the trio. "It's Charlie with the boss."

Lincoln studied the group quickly before looking back down so as not to draw any attention himself.

"Who's the woman?" Lincoln asked.

"Hmm, no idea. Erikson didn't mention her on the phone. Maybe she transferred with Charlie…" she cut off as Erikson began speaking.

"All agents, please gather round here and listen up." He paused for a moment to allow everyone to stop what they were doing and stand up.

Olivia strode over, with Lincoln a step behind, barely able to contain her smile at seeing her old friend again, and he mirrored a little smile back at her as they stepped closer.

"Sir." She nodded, echoed by the rest of the team.

"Okay, agents." Erikson began as everyone stood by. "As you know, since they made The Bridge, our world began healing, but when it had to be closed to save our world, that healing stopped. So although we've reopened many areas that were previously quarantined thanks to your hard work as a team, our work here is far from done. This trend of good news and bad news will come to no surprise to you, and today is no exception. The good news is that we have one of our veteran agents of the Fringe team who had to transfer for personal circumstances back with us. I am sure he will soon integrate back into the team and you will extend him the level of courtesy and professionalism I would expect from the Fringe agents as my elite team." He paused, looking from Charlie on his right, and turned to the woman on his left. "The same goes for Agent Jill Ruiz, who is also transferring on a temporary assignment on a case - which brings me to my bad news."

"Initially it was believed they'd died in their sleep naturally from heart failure, as apart from being pregnant, there were no other similarities between the victims," Ruiz began to explain as images of the women flashed on the screen in front of them, "all from different backgrounds, races and so on. It appeared some of them didn't even know they were pregnant. Then a mixture of morphine, scopolamine & hydrobromide was found in a tox report…"

"Twilight sleep?" Lincoln noted, frowning and meeting Ruiz's eyes who looked at him with an impressed surprise.

"Exactly, hence the nickname The Sandman once the local press caught wind of the investigation. We think when it was combined with the elevated levels of estrogen and progesterone, it triggered a reaction causing them to effectively overdose on dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin, and their hearts to fail. We're still trying to figure out what other effects it might have had."

"The love hormones?" Olivia said, pausing as she pondered the information, looking at Ruiz briefly and back at Lincoln as she read through the toxicology report. "So, there's a new drug on the streets. At least it's not Vertigo."

"Vertigo?" Lincoln asked, puzzled. "What's that?"

"A drug that was doing the rounds outside of San Francisco, it affected the brain's receptors for pain and also caused heart failure. Excuse me for a moment." She added as she walked away to talk to Erikson, who beckoned Lincoln over too, leaving Charlie and Olivia alone.

"Good to have you back, Charlie." Olivia smiled, tapping Charlie on the shoulder.

"Thanks, it's good to be back." He replied, with a slight look of concern Olivia knew all too well.

"Nothing like being thrown in at the deep end, huh?" She quipped as he smiled in reply.

"So, er," he leaned in, turning her by the elbow to face away from the group. "Erikson filled me in with what I missed while I was away." He looked back at Lincoln, where he stood with Astrid and Ruiz, as they analyzed the data and looked back at Olivia with a touch of uneasiness as he saw the sorrow in her eyes as she understood what he meant.

"I'm sorry I wasn't around, when I got news of Lincoln and then Broyles's involvement… I wish I could have made it to the funeral." Charlie said compassionately and sincerely.

As much as he and other Lincoln had squabbled and teased each other over the years, they were closer to each other than they were to their own siblings.

"It's okay," Olivia said understandingly. "You weren't exactly in a condition to help, what with having your treatment. I'm just glad they found a cure, and I didn't lose you, too." She added, stroking his arm in comfort, and smiled again forlornly.

"Looks like you had plenty of help without me, anyway." He teased, looking at the team as Lincoln looked up at them and then Olivia and smiled coyly. "How's it going? Is he fitting in okay?"

"Actually, yeah. He's been great." She smiled back at him. "We probably wouldn't have got the leads we did without him and Walter - the one from the other side. It's been kinda comforting to have him around."

"Anddd…?" Charlie asked, drawing out the word and narrowing his eyes as he probed for more information.

"And what?" Olivia replied and raised her eyebrows as the penny dropped, and she sensed what he was insinuating. "Oh, oh no, that's ridiculous." She blushed again.

"Okay!" He quipped with a smile. "Whatever. Let's see what they've got so far and we can catch up later, if you like?"

"Sounds great." She replied, jogging away, glad for the change of subject, and tucked her head down to hide her blush behind her curtain of hair.

The end of the week couldn't come soon enough. With no solid leads to get them any closer to finding The Sandman, the case frustrated the team, and tensions were getting high.

Ruiz had stormed off in exasperation after finding another lead was a dead end. Desperate to find a new angle as they were all disillusioned with the lack of progress, Charlie cornered Olivia as she returned after trying to reassure her that a break in the case will come soon.

"What d'you say you and Lincoln join me and Mona this weekend?" He asked as she sighed. "We have a couple of spare tickets for the football game, if you wanna come with? It'll give your mind a break for a couple of hours. We can pick you up on the way, providing nothing comes up here, of course. Consider it a late birthday present."

"Really? I can't remember the last time I went to a game." Olivia pondered and nodded. "Sure, why not? I don't think Lincoln follows football, but I'm sure I can convince him to come along."

"Pick you up tomorrow at about midday, then?" He replied. "Do you know where Lincoln lives so we can get him or do you want to tell him to -" Charlie cut himself off when Olivia's expression betrayed her. "What?"

"He, er, lives with me." She muttered under her breath, playfully whacking his arm when he raised his eyebrows teasingly, "He couldn't find an apartment and the hotel they put him in was a dive." She reeled off quickly, getting increasingly flustered.

"Uh-huh." Charlie said, unconvinced.

"And I-I needed some company."

"Hmmm."

"See you at 12, Charlie." Olivia smiled, walking away from Charlie's teasing tone.

June 2013 altvserse I Am Easy to Find - The National

True to his word, just before midday a car honked its horn outside their apartment and a few moments later Olivia and Lincoln excitedly bundled in the back seat, their knees bumping against each other in the middle but neither seemed to care.

"Hey Mona!" Olivia smiled. "Nice to meet you again, this is uh…" She paused, unsure if Charlie had told her about him, until she caught his eyes the reflection of the rear view mirror.

"... Lincoln." He finished, extending his hand to the front passenger seat, and she turned to shake it, revealing her swollen stomach.

"Oh my god, Charlie!" Olivia exclaimed as she noticed her bump, and beamed a huge smile quickly at Lincoln at her side then back at Charlie and Mona sitting in front of them. "You sly… he never told us! Congratulations!"

Mona patted her stomach with pride, her fiery hair longer and fuller than Olivia remembered, and she glowed with happiness behind her glasses.

"Surprise!" Charlie laughed. "It was another reason why we decided to move back here, so we could be closer to family."

"Thank you!" Mona smiled as she twisted back into her seat. "Now you don't have to worry about your shots, it made sense to us to come back, right hun?"

"Right." Charlie confirmed as the car pulled away from the curb.

"So you two met when you treated Charlie for his, um, worms?" Lincoln asked as Olivia burst into a fit of giggles and playfully whacked him on the leg, quickly withdrawing her hand as it brushed his upper thigh.

"Oh - my - GOD!" Charlie exclaimed in a cry of mock annoyance.

"What?" Lincoln questioned in confusion, as Mona erupted into laughter and Olivia covered her mouth.

They found their seats at the stadium, Charlie holding Mona's arm as they climbed the concrete steps.

"You sure you're okay?" Charlie asked protectively as they reached their row.

"I'm fine. Stop fussing. We're months away yet." Mona smiled, holding his hand as it rested on the swell of her abdomen. "Just let them two go in first. I'm probably going to need multiple trips to the restrooms the way this kickboxer likes to play with my bladder."

Olivia headed down the row first, followed by Lincoln, then Mona, and finally Charlie, who helped her to lower herself down on the chair.

"Giants versus the Bills," Olivia says, towards Charlie a few seats down. "I'm impressed. What did you have to do to get these seats?"

"As I have come to realize - it's best if you don't ask." Charlie replied cryptically.

Mona made it through nearly 45 minutes of the game before she began fidgeting and poked Charlie in the ribs while the game engrossed Olivia and Lincoln.

"Nature's calling," she winced slightly as she moved to stand.

"I'll give you a hand!" Charlie insisted, standing carefully to help her up. "We're off to the restroom before it gets busy during the break. Do you guys want anything?" He asked, looking down at the other two by his side.

"No, I'm good." Olivia held up her disposable cup in reply and rattled the icy fluid in it as proof.

"Lincoln?"

"Hmm? Oh no, thank you." Lincoln replied, shaking his head.

"Right, we'll be back in a few minutes. Let me know if you think of anything." Charlie added as they sidestepped to the end of the row and tentatively navigated the steep concrete steps.

The next break began, and they hadn't returned to their seats yet.

"Do you think we should check on them and make sure they're okay?" Lincoln asks nervously, glancing down the steps, anticipating their approach.

"They're fine. Charlie would call me if anything was wrong …"

Olivia stopped as the surrounding people began cheering and reacting to the display on the screen in front of them. To her horror, it was her and Lincoln surrounded by a frame of red and blue hearts, emblazoned with the words "KISS CAM" in bold, blazing letters on the screen.

Lincoln must have noticed it at exactly the same time as he turned to look at her, his face in shock and wide eyed with panic.

"C'mon dudes!" A man said behind them, tapping him on the shoulder impatiently.

Lincoln gulped as Olivia half shrugged a smile, raising her eyebrows in surrender. As Lincoln leaned in quickly to kiss her cheek, she moved in her seat, so the kiss landed on the side of her mouth. Cheers began rippling through the stadium with a plume of red and blue ticker tape and confetti that sprinkled over them before the screen focused on the next couple.

Olivia's lips barely had time to register the touch of his lips on hers before Lincoln pulled away quickly, blushing and shifted in his seat, kicking Olivia's drink on the floor by their feet.

"Shit! sorry!" He blushed, hurriedly bending over, attempting to catch it before it spilled, but only knocked his head clumsily into Olivia's as she attempted to pick it up at the same time. "I'll get you another one."

"It doesn't matter." She said honestly, as he took the cup from her to inspect it and noticed Charlie and Mona walking back up towards them.

"No, I won't be long, I'll be right back." Lincoln replied, his face flustered as he bolted up and out of the seats.

"Where's he rushing off to?" A perplexed Charlie asked Olivia, who huffed out a long sigh as he sat next to her.

Charlie paused, looking at Mona, who smiled back widely and patted him on the knee encouragingly.

"You know, kiddo, you should ask him out." He said, leaning in without making eye contact. "Because, let's face it, he's never gonna make the first move."

"It's not like that," she sighed, and Charlie raised his eyebrows.

"Mmm-hmm. You keep telling yourself that. I've been back a week and Mona met him less than 2 hours ago and she's already noticed the way you look at each other."

"Even if you're right, I've made things awkward enough as it is. I don't want to make them any worse." Olivia replied quickly, folding her arms across her chest defensively.

"Liv…" Charlie stated, seriously. "He defected universes to be with you."

She shook her head, and thinking back to that day when they had tried every other solution, but the only one left to stop Jones's plan was to close the bridge, the portal between their universes. The whole day had been a rollercoaster of emotions; the ache she had felt when she thought she'd never see him again, then the joy when he'd surprised her and said he would stay there. How he'd been there, a constant when she'd been grieving for their Lincoln and everything they could have been and never were.

"No, it was because of the shapeshifters that killed his partner and killed m- our Lincoln." She quickly corrected herself, justifying half to herself and half to Charlie, as she continued to look forward, rubbing her hands sticky with soda residue or sweat on her thighs.

"Is that what he told you or is that what you tell yourself?" He replied, and the excuse reverberated in her head, breaking apart with every thought she had about Lincoln. When she caught him looking at her and he smiled so widely that his dimples showed and creases appeared in the corner of his eyes. "Look, I know why you're fighting it, Liv and I know it's not really the same, but when I met Mona, after I lost Sonia, I was scared. I didn't want to love someone and lose them again. But…"

He looked back at Mona and drew in a long breath as she grabbed his hand in her long delicate fingers, the red varnish on her nails shimmering as she interlaced their fingers and squeezed tightly.

"In this line of work, we need to have someone, ya know? Someone we can rely on who has our backs. And you guys have the bonus of shared trauma!"

Charlie laughed, but his attempt at making her laugh too fell flat.

She pressed her lips together and gulped, folding her arms again and leaned back in the chair.

"Yeah, well. It's not that simple, it's complicated." Olivia sighed dejectedly.

"Complicated because you work together or because he's staying at yours?"

Olivia made eye contact with him then and his eyebrows raised in realization, his dark eyes widening in surprise. "You and our Lincoln…" She nodded slightly, turning her mouth up in confirmation, and Charlie took his turn to huff a sigh. "Yeah, I guess that would complicate things a bit."

"You weren't here, Charlie! There was so much weird stuff going on. Frank left me and Linc told me…" she said, protesting. Cutting herself off when she felt her eyes prickle, she looked away towards the screen and crowd, anywhere but at Charlie. "I'm sure he thinks I see him as a substitute for our Lincoln and I'm settling for him."

"Are you? Because if you are-"

Olivia shakes her head defiantly.

"I know how it looks like that, but it's not. I can't explain why, but it isn't like that."

"Did you love him, our Lincoln?"

"Of course I did!"

"But?"

"I don't know, this is different, but I'm so… torn. I can't stop thinking about how this feels like I'm betraying our Lincoln and his memory, but I also can't help myself from feeling this way either."

"I think he'd just want you to be happy." Charlie admitted, nodding.

"Even with his double? The one he was jealous of when they first met?"

"I think so. If he was jealous, it was only because he was afraid."

"Afraid?" Olivia scoffed. "Lincoln wasn't afraid of anything."

"Sure he was." Charlie replies. "He was just great at hiding it. He was probably afraid you'd want him instead," he nodded inconspicuously as Lincoln carefully climbed the stairs to their seats with two drinks in his hands, "because he knew he is the only other person in this universe - or any universe - who could love you as much as he did."

Olivia felt her heart skip a beat. He was right. Of course Charlie was right. He'd seen it all along, the looks and touches between them suffocated under layers of flippant comments and teasing glances. Looking back now it was obvious. Lincoln had found the courage to tell her once, under the influence of alcohol and had put it down to being drunk. But it was true. All that time, he'd felt that way about her, but was too scared to admit his real feelings to her, scared he'd push her away because she thought he was only her friend with an ulterior motive. Until he was faced with the possibility she'd prefer another Lincoln over him, and he'd seen no other option but to reveal his hand and his heart on that night they'd spent together. Lincoln had been afraid, and so had she. Scared of admitting what they meant to each other, scared of what it meant for them.

Charlie wrapped an arm around her for a brief hug before Lincoln took a seat at the end of the row. "Don't tell him, Charlie." Olivia begged in a whisper as they released from their embrace.

"Okay. Your secret is safe with me." He said, looking quickly at Mona again as she passed along the drink for Olivia from Lincoln. "But you really should."

July 2013 altverse

"Look at this," Astrid noted, as the rest of the Fringe team assembled around her to look at the information on the screen. "When we analyzed the pheromones found in the victims, we found they had a unique chemical composition and contained a very rare chemical not easily available even to chemists."

"So, can we trace the companies who have used it?" Olivia asked impatiently as she fidgeted nervously.

"Already done," Astrid replied almost proudly as Olivia smiled, looking at the other woman impressively. "We found three buyers of the chemical compound within 50 miles of the murders, two were companies that checked out…"

"And the other?"

"Was a Dr Alwold Erasmus who was, until recently, head of Molecular, Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale. Until he was relieved of his position for a reason they refused to disclose and went freelance."

"Do you have an address for him?" Lincoln said urgently, looking from Astrid to Olivia, who shared his concerned expression.

"I can do better than that. He's due to present a conference soon in West Haven, Connecticut, with the so-called dream analyst Reve Janak."

"So, what are you proposing?" Charlie added, scratching his jaw as he considered their options. "That we track him down at the venue?"

"Statistically, it is riskier with the public in the vicinity but if we continue the current method of investigation…" Astrid retorted, cut off by Ruiz as she nodded in agreement.

"...We have a much higher chance of success attending incognito and going undercover as attendees of the seminar, we can catch them out that way."

"Exactly!" Astrid confirmed.

Pursuing the suspects through the large beachfront building, Erikson split them up into two teams to tail the suspects; Lincoln and Ruiz followed Dr Reve in Fringe uniforms and flak jackets, while Charlie and Olivia tailed Janak while posing as subscribers to the latter's podcast, wearing cameras concealed in their jewelry and a special pair of glasses for Lincoln. Charlie and Olivia lost the tail of Janak in a crowd and Reve fled the venue spooked. Lincoln and Ruiz caught up with him at a nearby hotel, following him to a function preparing for their conference.

"He's going to see us and blow our cover! What do we do?" Jill cried out in panic, desperately looking around her surroundings for somewhere they could remain undetected.

"I don't…" Lincoln looked around frantically for an escape, unable to find a solution until he locked eyes with her. "… sorry."

He said, pushing her against the wall, covering her mouth with his and passionately holding her face with his hands to conceal their faces and maintain being undercover.

Lincoln closed his eyes as Jill's mouth opened up to his and began caressing his own lips in response. Her hands slid over his jacket to conceal the Fringe badge, and he moved one of his legs between hers to help. It had been so long, he could barely remember the last time he'd kissed someone this way. He didn't realize how much he'd missed the thrill of it; he felt like a reformed drug addict finally scoring a hit after years of being clean.

He'd accepted being alone for so long out of fear. Fear that he'd lose someone else he loved and for fear of falling for someone that didn't reciprocate his feelings, to protect himself from getting hurt. Instead, he distracted himself with his career in the FBI, staying detached and uninvolved.

It felt taboo, illicit and yet so fucking good to finally lose his inhibitions, like finally releasing all the love, desire and sensuality that he had been bottling up for years.

And yet wrong somehow, like it should be someone else.

Liv.

He pulled away quickly, straightening his jacket and fixing his skewed glasses as Jil looked at his mouth with dark, hooded eyes, her mouth still open and gasping, her bottom lip swollen and glistening, hoping it had worked and Reve was no longer nearby.

"Apology accepted." She gasped in reply, biting her lower lip when he pulled away.

Olivia stopped when she heard the unmistakable noise of their lips moving against each other's mouths, their heavy breathing from their mics and the approving moans and heaving sighs echoing in her ears. She stood still and leaned against a wall, her mouth down-turned and eyes flickering as she looked down at her feet, stubbing the toe of her boot on the floor, unable to disguise her disgust and disappointment. Charlie grabbed her, pulling her with him and laughing in amusement at her reaction until he realized from his own mic their attempt at avoiding being noticed didn't work and Reve had overpowered Jill and taken her gun, trapping her and Lincoln in a stand-off, and he sprinted off after them with Olivia in pursuit.

Charlie and Olivia tracked them down and burst in on them, taking Reve down as he fired Jill's gun at them, stray bullets spraying across the room. Olivia and Jill ducked for cover as Lincoln pushed Charlie out of the way of the gunfire, as a bullet hit the briefcase he'd been trying to take from Reve.

Olivia ran over to Lincoln as he fell down, holding his arm, as Charlie and Jill left to go after Janak, Reve's accomplice.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Olivia cried angrily in concern as blood seeped through his sleeve, holding pressure on the wound on Lincoln's arm as he winced. "You lucky bastard, you could have got yourself killed!"

"Yeah, I'm so lucky!" Lincoln quipped, carefully shrugging off his Fringe jacket to look at the damage. Although it seemed to be a superficial graze, blood seeped through the thin white material of his shirt and he quickly removed his tie, gingerly and deftly tying it one-handed around his arm as a tourniquet to stem the bleeding.

"You already lost your Lincoln. I didn't want you to lose Charlie too when he's only just come back and gonna be a dad soon. It's not like I have anyone that…"

He stopped abruptly as Olivia slumped down next to him, noticing the contents of the briefcase he had dropped had been escaping through a bullet hole, made by the bullet that had grazed his arm, and she'd been breathing in the gas as it hissed out of the hole.

"Olivia?" Lincoln cried out in alarm. He quickly threw his Fringe jacket on the case and forcefully pushed it away to stop any more gas escaping and watched it slide away on the cold concrete floor, laying her flat on her back and holding her neck to check her pulse. "Somebody help me!" He cried out, panicking as he looked at Olivia, feeling the heat from her skin searing his fingertips before hitting the button on his ear communicator.

"This is Agent Lee requesting urgent backup and a MedEvac team to this location right now!"

He looked down at Liv, trying not to panic as she panted, her eyes rolling in her head as they fluttered shut. "Liv? What's wrong? Talk to me!"

Tenderly touching her face, her eyes shot open again to look at him, exposing her dilated pupils, blacker than the night sky, the usual green and hazel tones barely visible around the periphery as they rolled back, and she squeezed her eyes shut again.

She began heaving in heavy breaths, bending her legs to bring her knees up as she dug her heels into the floor and grabbing fistfuls of his shirt drawing him so his face was dangerously close to hers, her breath coming in rapid puffs of air against his cheek.

"Oh god, Linc, I'm gonna… please, oh!" she sighed against his mouth, so close he could feel the warmth of her breath on his lips. "Kiss me like you kissed her. I need you to touch me."

Stunned, Lincoln tried to pull back from her grasp, narrowly avoiding her as she strained up to reach him.

"What? No, Liv. Stop it. Please." He whispered firmly as she tried to close the gap between them again. "I can't, not like this. You've been drugged, you're… I couldn't forgive myself." Lincoln repeated, still straining to pull away from her. "I need to get you out of here first."

He looked down and studied her face, as she let him go and slumped lifeless back down to the floor, sucking in a sharp intake of breath as she froze.

"L-Liv?" He whispered, as the fear that her heart was about to stop gripped him, and her brow furrowed in concentration as her face contorted in what he thought was pain, her face went from flushed to pale and clammy, coated in a fine layer of sweat.

"Oh God. Lincoln, I… ohhhhh!" Olivia gasped as her body suddenly stiffened under his and her head lolled back, another flush creeping up from her chest to her neck.

He realized it wasn't pain she was experiencing; it was pleasure. Extreme pleasure.

Tenderly grazing her neck with his fingertips, he pulled away quickly when the heat of her skin felt like it might burn him, and her racing pulse vibrated through his fingers.

"Oh my god, ahhh, ahhh ahh." She cried in sharp gasps, biting hard on her lip. Her hands began wildly lashing out to find anything to grab onto and he took her warm hands in his, linking his cool fingers through hers as ripples of pleasure spread through her body, making every nerve in her body ache in rapturous satisfaction. "Ohhhhh."

Letting one final long gasp, Olivia's body slackened again, her face pale, her lips and skin deathly white as her hand released her grip on his. Leaning forward to check her breathing and pulse, Lincoln jumped as she gasped again, unable to stop a smile from spreading across his face as her eyes opened, looking more normal and she focused her gaze on his face as he leaned over her.

"Oh, thank God!" He smiled in relief as she looked away self-consciously, his hand still on her neck from checking her pulse, tipping her chin to turn her back to him, as her rushing pulse slowed and her eyes drifted shut. "Try to stay awake, Liv."

Charlie burst back through the door with Jill and a MedEvac team who pushed Lincoln out of the way, placing an NRB mask over Olivia's face and loading her onto a stretcher. "She was exposed to an unknown chemical gas that seems to affect the heart rate, hormones and neurotransmitter levels," Lincoln explained, trying to remain calm and hide the panic in his voice as he followed the puzzled medics, holding the side of her gurney as they wheeled her to an ambulance.

"Let's give her 0.5ml of Narcan," the main medic said to his colleague, "check her pupils for dilation and blood pressure. Let's get an IV in her. Pulse is 95. Make sure they do full serum barb, bloodwork, gas and electrolyte checks at the ER. Babinski reflex, too. 1,2,3, up." He added as they loaded her into the ambulance and Jill caught up with them.

"I want to go with her," Lincoln insisted as the medics stepped up into the vehicle and Ruiz held his shoulder back.

"Sorry, one patient only. You can meet us at the hospital." The medic replied emphatically.

Lincoln frowned in protest, feeling anger and fear rising like a monster from the pit of his stomach, burning his throat until Ruiz pulled his arm back again.

"She's in the best hands and you need to get your arm looked at."

He relented, as his emotions finally gave way to logic and reason, and he watched the ambulance door close and drive away, the adrenaline of the moment subsiding so he began to feel the sting where the bullet had grazed his skin.

"Charlie and I caught Janak, he's being detained for questioning." Ruiz said, as another EMT approached to check and bandage up Lincoln's arm. " And we have sealed the briefcase as evidence, so let's see if we can get him to confess and confirm what Agent Dunham was exposed to."

"We need to get that stuff analyzed," Lincoln replied, his voice determined as he sighed in relief, " to see if it matches what was used on the victims. I'm just glad she didn't breathe more of it in."

July 2013 altverse

In a gray, bare room, Lincoln and Jill sat opposite Reve Janak, who sat handcuffed to a metallic table.

Interrogating him with evidence on a tablet in front of them as Charlie observed through the two-way mirror, Ruiz looked at Lee worriedly as he glared at the suspect, as if Janak's unrelenting arrogance was about to tip Lincoln over the edge.

"Dreams are answers to questions we haven't yet figured out how to ask… my drug merely helps you to understand the question." Janak sneered calmly, meeting Lincoln's eyes.

"You nearly got my partner killed. She's in hospital in a critical condition because of you!" Lincoln seethed through gritted teeth. "Your accomplice is in a coma, so you might as well tell us everything. And maybe you won't be spending the rest of your life in a room like this."

"Everyone consented to being part of the drug trial." Janak snapped. "They knew the risks and ignored them for the sake of a sexual high."

"We'll see about…" Lincoln whipped his head around as the door opened and Charlie beckoned Lincoln over.

"It's Liv." He began in a low whisper as Lincoln's face quickly filled with dread. "She's fine. She's awake and asking for you." He added quickly, as Lincoln looked conflicted, turning back to look back at Janak sitting behind him. "Go see her buddy. I'll take over here." Charlie said, lowering his voice further as Lincoln went to leave. "Just talk to her, like really talk to her, okay?"

Lincoln nodded in reply and frowned to himself a little as he left the room, promising to himself he would finally explain to Olivia what he wanted and needed her to know.

After dashing through the long, busy halls of the hospital, Lincoln approached the closed door to Olivia's hospital room and tapped on it lightly, waiting for a moment with his hand pressed against the veneered surface, leaning against it slightly until he heard her reply faintly and smiled with relief as he entered.

"Hey!" Lincoln said as he walked in and sat in the chair next to her bed. She looked pale and tired but she was alive, and that made him happy, more than he could say or express right now, as tears of relief pricked the back of his eyes and made his throat feel thick.

Olivia turned her head to look at him and smiled back as he offered her a disposable cup of tea he'd picked up from the machine down the hall on the way.

"Bought you a drink. Don't worry, it's just camomile, no caffeine." He explained as she frowned slightly, leaving it on her tray table. "How are you doing?"

"I don't really remember what happened. The doctors confirmed they found the same stuff they found in the victims in my blood but not a high enough dose to cause a cardiac arrest, thanks to you." Olivia said groggily, clearing her throat. "Hopefully they're gonna discharge me soon. How's the gunshot wound?"

"It's just a scratch," Lincoln said, touching his upper arm where the bullet had grazed him and her warm fingers burned through the material of his shirt. "At least we caught the perps. Are you sure you're okay?" He added, covering her hand with his own.

"I'm fine, Linc." Olivia replied with a small nod. "Apart from a thumping headache, which they said is to be expected. They told me I just need to rest for a bit. Which isn't exactly easy as I was having some very vivid dreams before I woke up."

Lincoln frowned and narrowed his eyes in concern, blinking as he recollected the interview from earlier.

"What is it?" Olivia asked as she noticed his concerned expression.

"Janak said something about dreams when we interrogated him earlier." He surmised. "What kind of dreams?"

Olivia strained to think of the images she'd seen in her sleep, ones she didn't know and some she didn't want to see again. Lincoln laid on the floor in a pool of blood, merging into him laughing, holding her face as they kissed, then naked while leaning over her, his face flushed with desire as they made love, then sobbing with his head in his hands as he sat in a car.

"I don't know, I only remember fragments, like they're hazy memories, but I don't remember living them. I remember you, and a ba…"

Baby. Olivia stopped herself shocked and looked away from him in horror, snatching her hand away from him to clasp her mouth, desperate to stop the thoughts and words from escaping.

How? Why?

It felt the same as the dream she had before Frank left. A dream that felt like a lost memory that she had no recollection of but finding its way to the surface despite being weighed down by other choices and lives not lived.

Lincoln's heart sank as he felt tears prick the back of his eyes again. What was the use of telling her he loved her now? It was happening again. How many times would this happen? How many Olivias would he come to know, only to find that their memories and minds were eventually replaced by a new one that no longer wanted him or needed him in their lives?

"I don't know." She repeated, turning her head to look at him again through heavy eyes as he fidgeted uncomfortably in his chair. He looked different somehow. His suit jacket and tie were missing. He'd rolled up his sleeves, exposing his tanned forearms, and an unusual shadow of stubble spread across his jaw. But that wasn't what was different. It was his eyes and the way they glistened, begging for her to see him, to want him, and a rainbow momentarily surrounded his silhouette like a shimmering aura. "Thank you." She said, reaching for the cup as he looked back with a slight smile.

"It's nothing, it's just tea."

"That's not what I meant. For before, I…" Olivia added.

"You've got nothing to thank me for. I was just doing my job." Lincoln blushed, looking away, recalling how she had looked at him, how she'd spoken to him, and the feelings of desire it had ignited in him.

"Yes, I do." she insisted, touching his arm, surprised by how warm and smooth his exposed skin was under her fingers and he looked at her hand in shock. "I can't really remember much but I'm sorry if I said anything I shouldn't have." She replied, and he turned back to face her, his eyes shimmering like a crystal clear lake on a cold winter's day.

"It doesn't matter. You don't have to explain yourself, it's not your fault. The drugs you were exposed to..." Lincoln said simply, and he shook his head slightly, twisting his mouth into a thin smile.

"No. Linc, I- I'm in…'' Olivia interrupted, shaking her head in protest, her voice stuttering with the confession she wanted to say. Lincoln swallowed hard and bit his lip when it began to tremble, remembering her warm breath and low voice causing an uncontrollable heat to creep up from his chest to his cheeks.

They jumped at a knock at the door, turning to see a nurse behind him, and he broke eye contact with Olivia.

"I'm sorry, Sir. But Agent Dunham really needs to rest now."

"You're right," he declared, standing up, pointing to the door, his insecurity winning the battle against courage once again. "It's been a long day, and I need to freshen up. I'm gonna go home and take a shower. I'll be back later, okay?"

"Lincoln?" Olivia protested groggily as the nurse fussed around her. "I need to tell you, I-"

"You need to rest, ma'am." The nurse said insistently, lowering her bed and escorting Lincoln out of the room, closing the door behind him.

July 2013 altverse

As soon as Lincoln got home, he stripped off and headed for the bathroom, letting the hot water in the shower run over him to wash away the frustration and carefully checked the scrape from the bullet on his arm. He didn't know whether he wanted to scream or cry as he caught his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Without his glasses and his hair spiked from the shower, he felt like it was the other Lincoln's ghost looking back at him. Two versions of the same man, in love with the same woman except his reflection, died from his bullet wound and his own was superficial.

He felt superficial, trivial.

Wrapping a towel around himself, he walked out of the bathroom back towards the lounge, as the phone began ringing.

"This is Agent Lee." Lincoln answered.

"Lee? We've had more information regarding the contents of that case you and Dunham were exposed to." Erikson's voice said down the line. "As suspected, it causes an overdose of dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin which in turn can cause cardiac arrest, but there was something else."

"Go on." Lincoln replied, wearily sitting down on the couch.

"Thanks to your quick action, Agent Dunham wasn't exposed to high enough levels to cause her heart to stop beating, but as it affects the thalamus part of the brain, it will most likely affect her sleep and memories in some way. But the reason it didn't have an effect on you was it requires elevated levels of specific hormones to activate."

"Sorry Sir," Lincoln said in confusion as he stood, jogging back to his bedroom to get dressed. "I don't understand, do you mean that -"

"It is triggered by emotions, similar to Cortexiphan, a drug I think you're aware of. But is ineffective if there aren't already high enough levels of hormones in the body, which is why many of the victims were pregnant; they had abnormally high levels of estrogen and progesterone in their system. The higher the levels of hormones combined with an emotional state, the more intense the reaction and side effects will be. As you don't have estrogen or progesterone in high enough levels in your body being a man, it had no discernible effect on you."

Lincoln sat back down again to process the information, frowning as he stared vacantly in shock into the distance thinking about Olivia. What if her memories would be replaced like the Olivia from his own world, and she'd forget how close they'd become in the last year? He could understand the hormones, but why was she emotional? It concerned him that she wouldn't tell him if there was when they'd become so close and told each other things they'd never shared with anyone else before.

"Are you still there, Agent?" Erikson said on the line, shaking Lincoln from his thoughts.

"Yes sir. I, er, thank you." Lincoln replied with a choke as the line disconnected. He dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and simple plain shirt, after carefully re-bandaging his arm and left the apartment to drive back up to the hospital.

July 2013 altverse

The hospital ward was dark and quiet and Lincoln convinced a younger nurse to let him visit for a quick out of hour's visit after showing her his Fringe badge.

"You have 5 minutes until the ward sister gets back." She urged as he turned from the desk towards Olivia's room.

The light in her room was even dimmer, lit only by the flashing LED screens on her medical equipment and low lighting from the hall. Her slow, soft breathing echoed in the room in tandem with the reassuring beeps of the monitor of her heart rate.

"Liv?" Lincoln asked in a low whisper, brushing her hand with his as he eagerly checked her face for a response, and sat next to her when she remained asleep.

"I'm in love -" he stopped as her breathing hitched and then returned to being slow and soft. "- with you."

He reached across again, pulling the blanket from the foot of the bed and draped it across her, tucking her auburn hair off her face but couldn't stop his eyes from flickering down to her stomach.

"I love you, but I wish I didn't because you don't love me too." He sighed bitterly, choking on his words as his sight blurred with the mist in his eyes. "I wish I was someone else and didn't remind you of him. I wish I was the one from this universe and I wish I'd been the one who met you first. Maybe in another timeline I did."

His voice trembled as he wiped a stray tear as it crept down his cheek. "And most of all, I wish I had the courage to tell you." He sniffed, standing up and walking back out of the room, his shoulders slumped in surrender and his heart stuck in his throat.

July 2013 altverse

Sweet Disposition

watch?v=LQekjdbMC6U

The door to the apartment opened and Olivia stepped in, her mother carrying her bag behind her and leaving it on the floor as she placed the kettle on the stove.

"Mom, I can do that!" Olivia protested, stopping as she noticed the frown on her face.

"No, you need to rest." Marilyn argued, shooing her away towards the couch. "Sit down, put your feet up and let me do it for once."

Olivia obeyed, slumping down on the couch and resting her head back, knowing that there was no point arguing with her mother as she was even more stubborn than Olivia was and because she's right. She let her eyes drift shut, opening them a few minutes later when Marilyn brought over two hot mugs of tea.

"Are you sure you're okay to be home? It seems you were discharged very quickly." She asked, a concerned expression spreading across her face."I'd prefer it if you came to stay with me for a while so you're not alone."

"I'm fine, mom." Olivia replied, taking her mug. "Being in the hospital drives me mad. Besides, I'm not on my own. Lincoln should be home from work soon. He'll keep an eye on me."

Marilyn nodded, looking at her daughter suspiciously with narrowed eyes. She knew they could both be as stubborn as each other, especially when asking for help.

"Is it working out well with him being here?" She replied.

"Oh yeah, good. I wouldn't even know he was here, except the place is probably tidier since he moved in and he cooks, which is probably for the best."

"Mmm, I always said you could burn water!" Marilyn laughed. "Remember that pie you made that looked like it was cremated and you tried to blame the oven?"

"It was the settings!" Olivia cried out defensively, playfully whacking her mother on the arm. "And we have a movie night most weeks, and we talk about what's diff-"

She trailed off, remembering she wasn't supposed to disclose his identity and where he came from.

"So, you two are serious, then?" Marilyn replied, taking a mouthful of tea as Olivia's head jolted to look at her.

"What do you… noooo… It's not, we aren't… " Olivia stuttered, her eyes wide. "He's just a friend. A good friend, but a friend."

"- that you live with." Marilyn finished suspiciously.

"That I live with."

"Right…"

"Right." Olivia replied as Marilyn gulped down her drink and the front door opened.

Lincoln appeared with a bag of groceries in his arms and grinned when he unexpectedly saw them on the couch.

"Hey!" He smiled as Marilyn stood to move Olivia's bag out of the way. "You're home already. I would've picked you up if I'd known you'd be allowed to come home today."

"That's okay. My mom was there when they discharged me, so she brought me home. Mom, this is Lincoln. Lincoln, this is my mom." Olivia explained.

Lincoln put the paper bag down on the counter and regarded the older woman, holding out his hand in a greeting.

"Nice to finally meet you, Mrs Dunham." He smiled, firmly shaking her hand and looking briefly at Olivia, who had an expression he couldn't quite place.

"Marilyn, please." She replied, and he nodded in reply. "I've heard a lot about you."

Lincoln's eyebrows raised as his mouth twisted into a smirk at the revelation.

"Is that right?" He scoffed, noticing Olivia trying to hide her embarrassment. "Are you staying for dinner? I didn't get much food in as I wasn't expecting you, but I have some soup or we can order in." Lincoln added, motioning to the bag on the kitchen counter

"No, No. Now I know you're here, I'll go." The older woman interrupted. "I just wanted to make sure she was okay and in safe hands before I left." Marilyn added, watching him packing away the contents of the bag, then looked back at her daughter with a little wink and nod, mouthing "He seems nice" as he turned his back and Olivia glared back at her.

"I'll call you later?"

"Thanks Mom," Olivia said, watching her shrug her coat over her shoulders and went to stand as her mother protested.

"Don't get up, I'll see myself out." She replied, returning to where Olivia sat. "And you could do a lot worse, you know." She whispered, as Olivia's eyes widened, looking at Lincoln, then back at her mother in warning as she looked over at him. "Look after her, won't you? She can be pret-ty stubborn."

"You should know!" Olivia protested.

"Of course, Mrs, uh, Marilyn." Lincoln said, correcting himself, as she left with a quick wave, closing the door behind her. "Are you sure you're okay?" He offered, taking Marilyn's place on the sofa next to Olivia, hoping she'd take the invitation to tell him anything was on her mind.

"I'm good." she said simply, finishing her drink and shifting slightly to make some room between them when his knee brushed hers, causing a nervous spark to jolt through her body.

"Good." He repeated back, pausing when he felt her flinch on contact.

"I'm still getting messed up dreams, though. Hopefully that won't last much longer…" Olivia began, stopping as he looked away and fiddled with his tie distractedly. "… Lincoln, is everything okay with you?"

She leaned forward, her eyes wide with concern as his face whipped up at the call of his name. Like at the hospital, he seemed different. The usual light blue of his eyes had darkened, like the sky before a storm breaks, gray and colorless. Shadows cast over his face, making him look weary and unsettled, and she could feel it as if his mood was contagious. "I thought you said you were going to come back and see me at the hospital."

"Oh yeah, I'm fine." Lincoln said dismissively, unable to stop a hint of sarcasm tainting his voice as he nervously pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. "I did, but you were asleep when I came back and I didn't want to wake you."

She looked at him again, unable to read his expression as she usually could and so was unsure what to say or think. He was unusually stoic and emotionless, almost cold towards her and she felt herself recoil and her eyes prickle with emotion as she tried to fathom his response, what might have happened that would cause him to be this way to her so suddenly when he'd been fine earlier.

He held his distance despite catching the sadness he saw in her face, refusing to be drawn in again for the sake of his own self-preservation.

"Lincoln?" Olivia implored again, her voice barely louder than a whisper, as she tried to vocalize the words she wanted to say to make him understand, but how could he if she didn't understand herself?

A kiss, a cry, a laugh, death, life, love. Rights and wrongs of a life she didn't know flashed before her eyes. Flashes of dreams or memories like lightning strikes in the middle of the night, still hazy but enough for her to see the moments through the mist.

"Just let me know when you want me… to make you something to eat." Lincoln said with a sigh as he stood and she watched him leave the room, powerless to explain or stop him.

February 2011 altverse

"Just squeeze my hand. As hard as you need to...It's you and me...I love you... I promise... you have a son."

Olivia woke up with a jump, her heart racing in her chest, and skin clammy to the touch. She blinked, opening her eyes as they adjusted to the dim light that filtered through the curtains, a crack highlighting the screen of the electronic alarm clock that blinked 4.27am.

The vibrant echoes of the dream bounced in her mind; she was in Lincoln's arms and holding a baby - her baby?

The feeling of fear & pain had been overwhelming, and yet she felt so much love and joy too when he'd looked at her and when he'd handed her the child. She rubbed the sweat from her forehead with her palm and, moving her hand down, she realized her eyes were wet. It was the third time she'd had this dream in the past month, but this was the first time it had felt so intensely real and vivid, like a memory more than a dream.

She rolled over in bed, confused. Why did it feel so real, so authentic? It didn't seem right that she would think of her best friend in this way, even subconsciously, but through the haze and colors, they suddenly all made sense. It was where she was supposed to be.

She jumped with shock as an arm snaked around her waist as a body tucked in behind her. The hand laid flat against her flat stomach, and a gasp escaped her mouth at the loss she felt knowing she had never had the child from her dream.

"You okay?" The male voice asked groggily, and she moved the arm back as she rolled onto her back again. "What's wrong?"

"Frank?"

"Yeah, who else were you expecting?"

"But we… you… the baby…" she stuttered.

"Liv, what are you talking about?" He sat up and she flinched in the bright light as he turned on the bedside lamp. "What baby? Wait, are you - pregnant?"

"No. I…" Olivia replied, tripping over her words and thoughts.

"So, you wanna try making one?" Frank smiled suggestively, and she shook her head, looking away.

"No!" she retorted quickly, pushing him away. "I'm never gonna have a son." She whispered with a sob, mourning for the baby she knew she loved in another life.

"We might." Frank tried to say reassuringly, "Or a daughter. Just because your sister…" he paused, "...it doesn't mean we can't have a family. You might not even have VPE..."

Olivia threw back the covers and jumped out of bed and untucked her hair from a T shirt she put on over her head.

"It's a 4 in 5 chance I'm a carrier, Frank. I can't risk it." She retorted angrily.

"Can't or won't? We could adopt or…"

"With our jobs? We'd never get through screening."

"Other options then? What about surrogacy?" He lifted his hands up, exasperated.

"NO!" she snapped loudly. "I don't want to have a baby -"

"Why the hell d'you bring it up then?" He roared in reply as Olivia stepped back, recoiling at the outburst.

"I don't want a baby with you."

He nodded, also getting out of bed on this side, pulling on his jeans discarded on the floor from the night before.

"Well, thanks for letting me know at nearly 5am in the morning, I guess it couldn't wait, huh?" He spat sarcastically as he left the room, then stopped, holding the door frame and turned back to face Olivia.

"You know, I was gonna ask you to marry me despite what my mother said - Happy Valentine's day, Olivia. "

Then he was gone, slamming the door behind him.

She slumped down on the bed, shaking and sobbing, still reeling from the dream that wouldn't disappear, as if she'd unlocked a traumatic memory that she'd tried so hard to bury. Her head throbbed with the intensity of the emotions and experience, and she turned off the lamp to kill the light, to help relieve herself of the increasing throbbing pain behind her eyes that seemed to get worse with every moment. She pinched the bridge of her nose as the excruciating pain pulsated in her head like a migraine, but one she'd never experienced before. Curling up on the bed, she reached out, desperately scrambling for her ear cuff, and pressed it as she attached it to her ear.

"Hello?" A voice groggily answered after a few rings. She paused, trying to talk through the pain. "Hello?" The voice repeated, more annoyed this time. "Who is this?"

"Lincoln?" Olivia could barely talk, her voice croaking as she broke through the pain. "I need help, I -"

"God, Olivia, what's wrong?" He demanded, the worry in his voice carrying through the crackle on the line and the throbbing whoosh of her pulse in her ears as it faded out into a ringing white noise. She could only muster a groan as a reply. The last thing she heard before she blacked out was him trying to reassure her on the phone. "Don't move. I'll be right there, okay?"

She felt the sensation of cool hands on her forehead trying to open her eyes, a relief on her hot, clammy skin. Slowly opening her eyes into flashes of light, Lincoln's shadowed face emerged, leaning over her, the relief in his face obvious as he beamed a large but concerned bright smile.

"Hey!" He gasped, breathing a sigh of relief. "You had me worried…"

"Lincoln?" She replied in confusion. "Are you really here?"

"Yeah, you called me, remember? You sounded awful." The nausea and anxiety he felt when he rushed there - breaking all the speed limits and red lights, that she wouldn't be there when he arrived or worse still, dead - was fading, but the dread still hung like a stone in his core; cold, heavy, and unbreakable. "I let myself in with my lock pick. What happened, Liv? Do you need an ambulance?" He asked worriedly, gently wiping away the strands of hair matted to her face and searching her for signs of injury.

"Frank. He…" Olivia stuttered, holding her head and groaning as she tried to sit up and ignore the pain behind her eyes, but Lincoln's hands stayed on her shoulders to steady her, pressing down lightly, knowing her sitting up could make things worse. "Oh God, my head.".

"Frank?" He replied, puzzled. His brow knotted in confusion and she rubbed her closed eyes with her fingertips as the pressure subsided. Or she was getting accustomed to it. She wasn't sure which.

"I don't understand. What did he do? Did he hurt you?" He demanded almost impatiently, the anger rising in his voice at her distress, then lowered it as she winced at the sound. "If he hurt you, I'll…"

"Yes - no, I don't…." she mumbled, interrupting him quickly through her hands. Breathing heavily, he nodded. "Lincoln, I thought I had, that we…" Olivia sobbed as she stopped herself, meeting his gaze, his eyes full of concern and uncertainty as they studied her face. He didn't know or seem to remember what she did, and it broke her heart. She felt ashamed and ridiculous, and looked away.

"We what? We like you and me, or we like you and Frank?..." Lincoln gulped, trying to understand as she groaned again in frustration and pain, pressing her palms against her eyes. "Just try not to move, okay?"

He wanted to help her, save her, do anything for her, but he didn't know what to do and it worried him almost as much as her being in pain.

"Can you just stay here with me, please?" Olivia pleaded, her green eyes wide with worry as she looked back at him.

"Of course, there's no place else for me to be." He smiled, trying to reassure her.

He quickly dumped his jacket and shoes on the floor and jogged around the side of the bed, curled up behind her on top of the comforter and wrapped his arm around her until he felt her body relax and her breathing slow.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Lincoln whispered, and he felt the movement as she shook her head slightly in reply against him. "And you're sure you don't want me to hit him?" He smiled, his voice soft and low, his warm breath next to her ear. "He's twice my size and will probably whoop my ass, but I'd do it for you if you want me to."

Olivia let out a little huff of laughter, shaking her head.

"Just promise you'll stay."

"I promise."

In the blue universe, Olivia received her first dose of Cortexiphan from the alternative Nina Sharp and, like Nick Lane's dose from David Robert Jones, it connected the two versions of the same person.

DREAM Bury A Friend

When we all fall asleep, where do we go?

The Fringe HQ hub seemed eerily empty as Olivia entered the rotunda area and looked around to find a group of junior agents huddled together around a desk. They lowered their eyes and voices as they noticed her approach them until the room was deadly quiet, as if she wasn't privy to their conversation

As she drew nearer, the indistinguishable mumble of their words became clearer.

"Why is she here?"

"Does she know?"

"Has anyone told her?"

"Has anyone told me what?" She demanded defiantly, as annoyance and concern rose from the pit of her stomach and tightened in her chest when they all stopped, lowering their eyes from her challenging gaze. "Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Olivia added, staring at the blank faces in front of her when they refused to answer, the words laced with panic as they spilled from her mouth.

"Agent Dunham," a young male agent rose from his seat and smiled sympathetically after being nudged by his colleague sitting next to him, and straightened out his gray, camouflage uniform. "I'm so sorry to hear about Agent Lee. He was a good man, and agent. We're sorry for your loss."

Olivia sighed with slight relief, and relaxed her posture slightly when nodding in gratitude.

"You mean Captain Lee? I know, and thank you -" she interrupted, smiling in slight confusion at the junior agent.

He coughed awkwardly, then turned to look at his colleagues briefly for advice before turning back to Olivia.

"No ma'am," he corrected as cleared his throat. "Agent Lincoln Lee, from the other side. When he was killed by a single gunshot in the line of duty earlier today -" he said so softly and compassionately that she could barely hear him over the pounding of the blood rushing through her ears.

"No, you're mistaken!" She cried as the panic she felt stinging her eyes and the back of her throat turned into hysterical fear. "He I was with… He's not dead! I'll prove it!" She backed away, turning to run out of the room as a hand grabbed her by the elbow.

"Agent Dunham? Come with me, please?" The voice urged as an older man with long, stringy black hair in a suit pulled her to one side.

"Who are you? Where's Lincoln? Do you know where he is?" She asked angrily, pausing when the man nodded. "Take me to him!"

"As you wish."

He led her through a seemingly never ending cold, gray corridor, and turned to open a metallic, featureless door, gesturing her through to the small room where a body lay prone on an aluminum trolley, with just a white sheet covering it.

The figure in a white coat approached her, folding back the sheet to expose the body's face, handing her a pair of cracked glasses caked in dry blood. Lincoln's face was peaceful, as if he was in a deep sleep but so pale, like she was seeing him through a blue filter. The only color was a circular red hole in his forehead, where a bullet had entered his skull and flecks of blood peppered through his hair.

"No, No. He needs his glasses to see." She sobbed, shaking his shoulders as his head flopped back and the figure moved forward to grab her wrists to stop her.

"It's your fault - you killed him." He said plainly, as if it was obvious and Olivia should already know.

"No, no!" Olivia shook her head in denial. "Not again. Lincoln, please wake up! WAKE UP!"

JULY 2013 Alternative Redverse

In the middle of a dreamless sleep, Lincoln jumped awake, blinking and rubbing his eyes as he acclimated to being awake and conscious. Shifting in his bed and pulling up the covers, he looked at the clock in confusion, wondering what had stirred him from his sleep. The room was still dark, and dawn was hours away, but he threw back the covers to get a drink of water when a noise stopped him dead as he stepped out of bed.

It was quiet but unmistakable - it was Olivia's voice - she was in danger and calling out for help. Without getting his glasses or getting dressed, he stumbled as quickly as possible out of his room towards her voice in the t-shirt and boxers he'd been sleeping in, his hair spiked and disheveled, grabbing his weapon from beside the bed on the way.

"Lincoln, wake up!" Her voice sobbed as he burst into her room, the shape of her arms and legs thrashing against the confines of her sheets as her hands escaped the bedding.

He stopped, looking at her, confused. There was no intruder or attacker, she was in a dream. He hastily placed his gun down at a safe distance on her bedside cabinet drawers, and rushed into try to hold her reassuringly.

For weeks after his death, Robert had bled from Lincoln's subconsciousness into his dreams, leaving him with a sense of melancholy when he woke, so he understood why she'd still dream of the other Lincoln, even though it broke his heart he wasn't the one she dreamed about.

"It's okay," Lincoln said firmly, desperately trying to wake her without alarming her. "You're dreaming, 'Livia." He begged as he grasped her flailing arms by the wrists until she stopped moving, slowly releasing her as she stilled, except her chest that continued to heave with her labored breathing, her eyes still clenched shut. "Liv?..." He said again, as her eyes fluttered open.

"Linc?" Olivia gasped with a sob, her eyes springing open as she sat up and she pulled her arms from his loose grasp to fling them around his neck. "You're here? You're okay!"

"Yeah, I'm f…"

Fine, he began, stopping himself when he remembered his doppelgänger's last words to Olivia. "...here. I'm okay, you're okay."

His hands held her softly in reassurance until she pulled away to look at him to confirm he was really there. She rubbed her eyes, then dropped her hands down and looked at them in her lap.

"Sorry I woke you." She sighed, her chest still heaving. His heart ached for her as she seemed almost embarrassed.

"It's okay, don't worry about that." Lincoln whispered as he shifted on the edge of her bed, leaning forward towards her so he could see her face in the low, dim light without his glasses and gripped her hand. "I know you must miss him."

He stopped as she vigorously shook her head, looking up through her heavy eyelids.

"I wasn't dreaming about the other -." She intoned, as she sniffed, trying to stop her voice from breaking. She pulled her shaking hand away from him as he realized what she meant. "I thought I'd lost you too."

"It's just a dream. I'm not going anywhere, okay?" Lincoln replied simply.

"Promise?"

"I promise. Are you sure you're okay?" He asked as she nodded and gulped, and he reached out for her arm again. He flinched as he was aware of being in her room, an intimate space he shouldn't be intruding on. "God, you're really shaking, Liv. Do you want me to get you some tea or water, or something?"

"No!" Olivia exclaimed loudly, startling him and then making herself jump, and he shuffled back to the side of the bed. "Please don't go. Can you just stay here with me?" Olivia saw hesitance flicker across his face as leaned back, and loosened his grip on her arm, and looked up to meet his eyes. "Please?"

Lincoln nodded silently, shifting on the bed so he sat at the pillow end instead of the edge and lifted his feet up, feeling the warmth on the sheets where she'd been laying.

Just like her Lincoln had held her after her bad dreams, the dreams she'd had felt so real she could swear they could be repressed memories from a life she didn't live, and this Lincoln did the same as she prayed this dream wasn't real.

He leaned against the wooden headboard, pulling the covers over his legs and placing his hands in his lap until she reached her arm across his chest, pulling him like an anchor and he unfolded his arm from under her so it covered her shoulder and held her in.

He could try to swim against the tide all he wanted, but there was no point. He was being swept away, unable to escape, and destined to drown and smash against the rocks of her heart.

Lincoln stirred uncomfortably. Somehow he'd fallen back asleep sitting in Olivia's bed, and woke up with a jolt, remembering where he was. The wooden frame of the bed dug into his back and his neck was stiff from the awkward position. He shifted to help move the crick in his neck causing Olivia to stir and sigh, and he froze as her arm stretched out across his lap, holding his body close to her face. His eyes widened in mild panic, realizing if she woke now, she would certainly feel his growing morning erection under her arm, even with the covers between them.

Slowly sliding his hand down his side to meet hers, he took her wrist in his hand and gently tried to lift her arm back towards her as she again stirred in her sleep. Panicked, he let go of her arm and it fell, her hand landing millimeters from his semi-hard erection he was desperately willing to disappear but only seemed to get harder with the proximity of her hand.

Trying to subtly nudge her arm back so her hand was further down his thigh and closer to his knee or her own body, she stirred again and woke up from her sleep.

"Mmm," Olivia sighed contentedly as her eyes blinked open and Lincoln froze. Coming to the realization of their position, she suddenly whipped her arm away in horror. Olivia withdrew her body, dragging the covers with her as Lincoln scrambled to keep them to preserve his own modesty as the thin material of his boxer shorts would not disguise his hardening cock as well as the duvet had been when it was covering him.

"I'm so sorry!" she stuttered quickly, a blush creeping across her cheeks down her chest as he said the same.

"I didn't mean to…"

"Oh god, I am sorry. I don't know what I was…" Olivia turned away, hiding her face in embarrassment for herself and him, and he took the opportunity to quickly toss the remaining covers aside and get out of bed.

"It's fine. I - you didn't do anything, nothing happened." Lincoln awkwardly stuttered as he opened the bedroom door and bolted from the room. "I'm gonna get dressed."

He hurriedly ran back to his room, his bed still unkempt when he'd left it in the middle of the night and closed the door, half horrified and disgusted with the level of arousal he was currently feeling.

He sighed, and leaning against the back of the door, covered his eyes with his hands in mortified shame then cupped himself to relieve the aching pressure.

A while later, Lincoln saw Olivia in the kitchen making breakfast and hesitated before walking over.

"I'm just gonna leave for me if you need anything." He said quickly, trying to avoid any awkward confrontation."You sure you'll be okay on your own?"

"I'll be fine. Lincoln, wait," Olivia said, calling him back as he nodded and turned on his heel before he left the room. "I wanted to say I'm sorry for earlier."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Liv," Lincoln smiled again quickly as he turned back, avoiding eye contact and trying to avoid any further awkwardness.

"No, I do." she interrupted with a shrug and twisted her lips into a small, apologetic smile. "I woke you up screaming and then practically assaulted you. It wasn't okay. If this situation was reversed, it wouldn't be acceptable, and this isn't either. So I'm sorry, I hope you don't, but I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to leave."

Lincoln shook his head slightly, pursing his lips and rolled his eyes in frustration and disagreement.

"You didn't assault me. It was my - a man's - normal biological reaction..." he gesticulated his hands out in front of his body. "… to, uh, waking up. I was trying to move your arm away before you woke up, but I failed." He shook his head again, daring to briefly meet Olivia's eyes that were wide as she realized what he meant, and she bit down on her bottom lip to hide a smirk. "But about last night. I don't want you to think you always have to be strong. Liv. No one will think any less of you. Anyway, I should be the one to apologize for my…" he stopped himself as he blushed and her smile dropped just for a second, at his plea for her to be herself more, and not be afraid to be vulnerable around him.

"For your what? Your biological reaction?" Olivia chuckled when her smile returned and he laughed in relief too and shrugged. "I guess we should be glad you don't sleep naked like Walter did."

They laughed again, less awkwardly and happy to clear the air before Lincoln left for work, leaving her alone to think about what could have happened. Little did she know, he spent most of the day thinking about it, and her, too.