Olivia stirred awake. For a brief moment, she forgot where she was because she wasn't in her bedroom or familiar surroundings. But then she smiled as she remembered Peter tucking her in and then standing at the doorway telling her that he would be downstairs if she needed anything. He said was going to wake her up at 3:00 a.m. He was serious about following the medical team's advice about not letting her sleep through the entire night due to her concussion. She glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. It was 1:52 am.

She was wide awake now. As she lay there, she pondered the vision she had earlier of seeing William Bell again. Could it be possible that she traveled to the alternate universe for a second time? That somehow, perhaps with the help of the Observer, Bell pulled her out of the river to save her from drowning, and then gave her a shot of Lorazepam to help ease the transition of sending her back? How crazy is that? Olivia thought. Yet it's the only explanation that makes sense right now.

The house was quiet until she heard the 'tick tick tick' of the furnace two floors below her kick on. The noise made her sit straight up in bed. It was so loud, and she knew right away that she was again experiencing the super-hearing ability that came with her last "trip" to the other side. Her sensitive ears then honed in on the whooshing sound of the warm air blowing out of the heat register in the floor. To her, it sounded like she was in a wind tunnel. It was really starting to hurt her ears, not to mention that it just plain scared her. She needed to get out of there. She grabbed the pillow and a blanket and went downstairs in search of Peter.

The noise went away as soon as she started descending the stairs, and she was grateful. She quietly walked through the dining room so as not to disturb a snoring Walter, who still refused to have his bed set up in his real bedroom upstairs. When she reached the living room, she saw Peter curled up on the brown leather couch, illuminated by the glowing light of the full moon that peaked through the curtains.

She sat down on the love seat directly across from the couch. She plopped the blanket down next to her and hugged the pillow to her chest while she quietly stared at Peter. He was asleep, and Olivia sat there contemplating whether or not she could wake him up just because she got scared. She felt completely vulnerable, and she hated showing that side of her to anyone. She was supposed to be Olivia Dunham, FBI Agent. Tough. Strong. Invincible. Out to save the world with her gun in hand.

But this wasn't just anyone. This was Peter. During the short course of one year, they had become friends, partners. They protected each other. She could do this. She could trust him. She could talk to him.

Right when she had made up her mind to wake him, Peter sensed that someone was in the room. His eyes opened, and when he saw Olivia sitting across from him, he was immediately worried.

"Olivia? What's wrong?" He sat up. The blanket that had covered him fell from his shoulders to his lap, revealing his bare chest.

"I'm sorry...I...I guess I can't sleep. I didn't mean to wake you."

Peter turned on the small lamp that was next to him on the side table. He noticed that her hands were shaking severely. She looked scared.

"Did something happen? What's wrong?" he repeated.

Olivia didn't answer right away. It was making Peter nervous.

"'Livia, it's okay. You can tell me."

She looked him in the eyes and noticed how genuinely concerned he was for her.

She slowly started her confession. "After my accident in New York, I experienced something and I kept it from you. From everyone."

"What?"

"Severe side effects from traveling to the alternate universe," Olivia blurted out.

Peter kept silent.

"You think I'm crazy," Olivia said.

"No, no. Of course not," Peter said seriously. "I just wish you would have told me sooner. What kinds of side effects?"

"Well, some you already know about. Bad headaches, flashes of light, visions, nausea, shaky hands. But there's more...I developed an ultra-sensitivity to soft sounds. I could hear a buzzing fly from way across the room or a dripping faucet three doors down...all magnified and extremely loud. And if I sat too long in one spot, I would start to hear EVERYTHING and it all came at me at once."

"Did you talk to your doctor about it?"

"No. Well, kind of. I was seeing Nina Sharp's physical therapist for a while. Amazingly he understood everything that was happening to me. He claimed it was because I traveled to the other universe. I saw him for a few weeks and then my symptoms went away. He said they wouldn't be permanent. The thing is though, Peter... tonight all of the symptoms came back."

Peter slowly began to understand. "You think you went back, to the alternate universe?"

"How else do you explain why I didn't die of hypothermia? I think it was because I wasn't in the water the whole time. William Bell pulled me out of this world and into his, with the help of the Observer. It was Bell that gave me that shot in my arm when it was time to send me back. I had a vision when your phone rang at dinner."

Peter was quiet again as he contemplated all that she was telling him.

"Olivia, there's something I haven't told you either about what happened today. I guess I didn't really understand it until just now."

"What?"

"Right before Walter and I found you, we experienced something weird. I thought I heard a bell ringing. And then it was like time stopped. There was no sound. But then all of a sudden, there you were in the water and all the sound came back. It reminded me of New York. You weren't in the car, but then the horn sounded, and then you just suddenly crashed through the windshield. And now you're saying you had a vision when my phone rang, just like you had a vision in the lab when I rang that bell."

"Why me, Peter? If this is what we're both thinking it is, then why me? And how many more times will it happen?"

"I don't know. I wish I knew. I'm really sorry I wasn't able to catch you from falling off that cliff...when you went over, I..." He was not able to finish the sentence.

"Peter..."

"I should have been there to catch you."

"Please don't blame yourself. It's not your fault."

"Look, I'm your partner now. I know I'm not Charlie, and I'm not out to take his place, but I want to be there for you."

"You have been, Peter. You're forgetting that you did save my life today."

Peter smiled at that and looked deep into her eyes. He began to remember the first time he set his eyes on her.

"I don't know how you did it, but from the day we first met, you made quite the impression on me. I don't know if it was because of your passion and strength...or maybe it was the way you blackmailed me," Peter laughed a little and then turned serious again. "I know at first I didn't want to stick around, but now I feel there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you, Olivia. I want you to know that."

"And I feel the same," Olivia agreed, not taking her eyes off him.

In another pause of silence, something passed between the two of them; a quiet understanding of a bond being formed, a commitment being made to always be there for each other. It was a good feeling.

Then the look on Olivia's face turned devious. "You called me 'sweetheart' when we first met," she teased. "You know I really hated that." Olivia yawned.

"Yeah, well, sweetheart, I think it's time for you to get some rest. You okay now?" Peter asked.

"Yeah," Olivia nodded and got comfortable where she was sitting by lying down and adjusting the pillow under her head and spreading the blanket over her. "Do you mind if I sleep here?"

Peter turned off the lamp and lay back down on the couch. "Not at all. Unless you have a habit of reciting the Fibonacci sequence out loud to help you fall asleep. Because if you do, then I'm making you sleep with Walter."

The morning sun broke through and alerted Walter's internal circadian rhythm that it was time to get up. He put on his robe, tucked his feet into his slippers, and headed to the kitchen for some breakfast. While passing the living room on his way to the kitchen, he noticed Olivia sleeping on the love seat and Peter sleeping on the couch. "How cute!" Walter quietly exclaimed to himself.

Walter proceeded into the kitchen and opened the cupboard. He rubbed his hands together and smiled with glee when he saw the box of Strawberry Pop Tarts. Taking down the box, he headed over to the toaster and placed two tarts into the appliance. He watched inside the toaster as the heating elements turned a bright orange. He then glanced over into the living room and waited for the moment to come. One minute later, the toaster made a loud "POP!" as the tarts sprang out. The noise woke both Olivia and Peter from their sound sleep.

"BREAKFAST IS READY!!"

The End