Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's note: This is my first foray into fan fiction and it is also unbeated. All errors are my own.

Chapter 1

As the commuter train slowly made its way into Boston, Olivia Dunham tried to pinpoint the exact time her life had turned to hell.

Her life was never perfect - in her thirty odd years on this planet it was hard for her to recall a lengthy period of unmitigated bliss - but damnit she expected something more than this. Olivia has been lead investigator in Fringe division for almost three years now. Three years since she forced an unwilling son to reconnect with his unhinged father. Three years since her relationship with these men morphed from wary to amiable to something closer than family. Three years since she thought she finally found a place where she belonged.

Then seven months ago reality shifted and her world came crashing down. The father's deception was exposed, her own lie of omission revealed, and the son fled into the night. But Olivia had always been a fighter. She wouldn't give up on her makeshift family so easily. She wouldn't give up on him so easily. Olivia searched the ends of the earth for him. She crossed into another earth to find him and bring him back where he belonged. In doing so Olivia stripped away her amour and laid her heart bare for the first time in her adult life.

That, she thought dejectedly, was the moment it all blew to hell.

The train rolled into a stop, luring Olivia from her thoughts. Sighing, she pulled a small suitcase from the overhead storage compartment and made her way to the exit, using her free hand to claps the lapels of her coat together for added protection against the bitterly cold wind. The winter was a bad one, even by Boston standards, so it was an easy decision to travel by train instead of car on her impromptu long weekend.

Ever since she returned three months ago Broyles had been insinuating that she was reinstated too early and should take additional time off. She was assigned cases in much lighter loads than she was used to. Before the incident the ink would barely dry on a finished case report before she was thrust back into the world of the weird and mysterious. Now she would have lengthy breaks - days even – before she received her next assignment. At first Olivia spent those days secluded in her office in the federal building. She did not want to return to a house that was no longer her home. She didn't want to deal with anything that reminded her of the incident.

Astrid was the one to snap her out of it. She appeared in her office one night with little warning, placing a fresh cup of coffee in front of Olivia as she took a seat in the visitor's chair.

"This isn't like you," she said simply.

Olivia cocked her head slightly to the side. "What isn't?"

"Hiding. I never thought I'd see the day Olivia Dunham run away from a problem" and then Astrid took a sip from her own cup of coffee. Just like that.

"Hiding? I'm not hiding Astrid. She's – she's – that woman is everywhere"

Astrid simply raised an eyebrow and asked, "So what are you going to do about it"?

Olivia spent the very next Saturday searching for an apartment. The new place was cozy with nine-foot ceilings, a fireplace in the master and a second bedroom that she prepared for family visits. Olivia's wardrobe was next. She donated most of her clothes to a local woman's shelter. There were a few pieces that Olivia didn't recognize and knew that she had purchased them. Those items never made it to the donation pile – Olivia took great pleasure burning them in the fireplace.

Olivia took the following week off of work, her first real vacation in almost four years, and headed over to Chicago to spend time with Rachel and Ella. She spent the days playing with her niece and the nights reconnecting with her sister over a bottle of good red wine. For the first time in long time she found herself able to smile again. She laughed, too. Not as often, and not as easily, but when the laughter came it was sharp and real and she never held it back. And some nights when she curled up alone in bed and listened to the wind race past the windows she found that her mind was at peace. Those were the nights she managed not to think of him.

But Olivia couldn't stay in Chicago forever. Her niece had school and her sister had work and life couldn't stop just because Olivia so desperately wanted it too. So she hugged her family goodbye and took a red eye flight back home. And because she wasn't going to hide – it wasn't her style, after all – Olivia Dunham walked into the Kresge building with her head held high the following Monday.

Walter Bishop was the first to notice her arrival. He was in the middle of the lab standing before a fresh corpse, the scalpel moments away from its first incision. He looked up at the sound of the door and exclaimed "Agent Dunham!"

She smiled a greeting at Walter and nodded hello to Astrid who quickly appeared at his side. It seemed that the three of them had the lab to themselves at the moment.

Olivia tilted her head towards to corpse. "Do I even want to know"?

Walter smiled even wider "Oh Mr. Jacobs here? It appears that he drowned whilst locked in a room with no liquids of any sorts. Isn't that delightful"?

His answer was weird and wonderful so very Walter that Olivia felt good – almost normal - for the first time in a long time. She laughed a little and called Broyles for an update on the case. Her superior gave her a brief rundown and promised to email her the details in the next fifteen minutes. She decided to give the late Mr. Jacobs some privacy when the autopsy began in earnest and strolled over to scratch her favorite bovine behind the ear. Things weren't so bad.

Of course it was that moment when Peter Bishop entered the lab. His attention was drawn down to the pink box of pastries in his hands. His eyes were bright and he was smiling. Like he didn't have a care in the Goddamn world.

"I'm sorry Walter but they were out of chocolate éclairs. Don't worry, I got extra maple creams to make up for it" And he looked so happy and beautiful that it felt like her heart quite literally exploded in her chest. She raised a hand to her breastbone and the movement caught his eye because he turned to look at her in surprise. Peter's eyes widened in as he took her in her unexpected appearance. For a moment the smile dropped off his face, just a second really, but it was enough.

"Uh.. Just got off the phone with Broyles" Olivia lied "He needs me to head to the federal building for an update. I'll, uh, I'll be in touch."

She speed out of the room without a second glance and Peter. She couldn't look at him again. It hurt too much.

One step forward. Two steps back.

Anyone unfamiliar with the details of the incident may have assumed that Olivia was simply recovering from a broken heart. Girl meets boy, girl blackmails boy, girl and boy fall in love, boy unwittingly begins affair with doppelganger from alternate universe, boy loses girl. Just the kind of story you hear everyday.

Olivia was mourning the end of her almost romance with the younger Bishop, that much is true, but it wasn't the sole reason from her self-imposed isolation. Hell, it wasn't even the main reason she felt so disconnected from her friends and colleagues. The simply fact is Olivia was replaced by a not-so-identical version of herself and the people closest to her never bothered to notice the difference. It was the first time she allowed herself to trust someone, the first time she completely and utterly needed someone to fight for her, and it backfired like she always feared it would.

They. Never. Noticed.

And that wasn't even the most hurtful part of it all. Olivia had spent time in her alternate's shoes while trapped on the other side. The other one had a boyfriend that loved her, a mother that cared for her, friends that would do anything to keep her safe, and colleagues that would literally die for her. She had a fuller life – a happier life. Peter had confessed that the alternate was quicker with a smile. Was she a better person? Did her people like the alternate version better? Was this Olivia Dunham too broken to be loved?

Olivia feared that she would never know the answer.

The Bishops solved the death of Mr. Jacobs without her help. Broyles had sent her to Langley for re-certification, she was due for it after all, and then she spent two week in New York assisting on a counter-terrorism task force. Not her usual line of work but a welcomed change. It felt good to throw herself back into the job without painful reminders of the incident. She felt stronger, invigorated and back in control for the first time in recent memory. Olivia started to wear her hair down again and when she caught her reflection in passing she would no longer be startled by the new look. The bangs belonged there now. They were a part of her identity and no longer a reminder of the other one.

The task force wrapped up early and she found herself back home in Boston three days before she was scheduled to return to Fringe. She called Astrid and learnt that everything was quiet on their end as well. They hadn't had a case in a couple of days and Walter was occupied recreating a version of his grandmother's Rindsrouladen. Interesting, to be sure, but she was certain this puzzle could be solved without Olivia's immediate attention.

She checked her voicemail and found a week old reminder from her college roommate. She was celebrating her four-year wedding anniversary in New Hampshire and would Olivia finally make it down for a visit? It was this weekend; she wasn't schedule to be back to work until Monday and had no other plans. Why not go?

Olivia repacked the remaining clean clothes into a small overnight bag, sent a quick text to Broyles to inform him that she would be out of town for he next couple of days, entered the destination into her GPS and drove out of town. She didn't get very far, though, as the blowing winter snow reduced visibility almost zero. There was no reason to be on the freeway unless you were suicidal. On the spur of the moment she pulled into the train station and was happy to learn the trains were running on schedule. As luck would have it the next train out was leaving in twenty minutes. Olivia was grateful that good luck was finally headed her way and paid for her ticket in cash.

She didn't realize that she left her cell phone in the car until after the train left the station. That should be okay, though, because what could happen in few days?

Present Day

It hadn't snowed since the night she left Boston so Olivia didn't have too much trouble digging her car out from the train station parking lot. The roads were cleared and salted so she let her mind wander on the drive back to her apartment. It was great visiting her old friend but she was glad to be home. She had one last day to get her apartment back in order and make some attempt at cleaning up the mountain of laundry waiting for her.

Then I have to clean up the mess waiting for me at work. She thought wistfully.

Peter. Things have been so difficult between them since her return. They had both retreated to separate corners to lick their wounds in private. They both needed time to heal before they could reattempt an open exchange, to see if there was anything worth salvaging from the ashes of their relationship. But then she was called into training and afterwards she was assigned to the task force and before she knew it a month had gone by without so much as a word between them. Now so much time had passed she didn't even know where to begin.

Monday. First things first. Peter would have to wait until Monday. She told herself that she wasn't compartmentalizing. Uh-huh. Might as well convince herself Walter was newly elected President of the United States. And Nina Sharpe is her fairy godmother. And Philip Broyles is the tooth fairy. Olivia snorted at the images as she pulled into her parking spot. It was almost midnight – too late to call Peter. He would have to wait until tomorrow morning at the earliest.

She closed her car door with her hip and headed to the apartment. The only thing Olivia wanted to do right now was curl into her bed. She spent the better part of a month living out of a three star hotel. It felt damn good to be home.

She unlocked her front door with a quick flick of her wrist and began to weigh the options of bubble bath verses sleep. This is probably the reason why she didn't see the shadowed figure in her kitchen. Olivia dropped her overnight bag in the center of the room and stretched her arms above her head, enjoying the sensation as the tight muscles were finally given a chance to stretch out.

"Bubble bath it is" she muttered to herself as peeled off her winter jacket and let it fall onto her couch.

Olivia turned around to grab towels from her linen closet and walked directly into the previously unseen figure. Startled, she let out a yelp before automatically grabbing at her waist for the Glock that wasn't there. Her sidearm was in a lockbox under her bed. She was debating between making a run for her weapon or taking down the intruder then and there when hands gently grasped her shoulders and a familiar voice asked "Olivia"?

"Peter? Jesus! Peter? You scared the living hell out of me" She took a deep breath and finally looked at him. He was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. His hair was disheveled and she could detect a faint odor of whiskey on his breath. They had been through a lot together over the years but she could not remember seeing him this worn down.

Her emotions changed gears from startled to concern to fearful in a matter of seconds. Something was wrong. Someone had died. Oh dear God, Walter. It had to be Walter. She had foolishly gone and left her people unprotected and now they had paid the ultimate price.

"Did something happen? Is Walter okay?"

"No. 'Livia no. Walter is fine" and before she knew it she was crushed against his chest. One large hand held her face against his chest while the other wrapped around her waist to pull her close. Confused, Olivia remained still for a moment, feeling the rise and fall of his chest. Belatedly she realized that she'd never been this physically close to him before. The few kisses they shared were soft and gentle. Peter had been restrained and she had been a little cagey, fearful of crossing the line and forever altering their relationship. Olivia stayed in his arms for a minute until her mind finally caught up with her. She pushed at his chest for a couple of seconds before Peter finally released her.

She stepped away and looked up at him, trying to decipher the emotions running across his face. Okay, Walter was alive, Peter was alive, but something was still very wrong,

"Are you going to tell me what's going on then?"

He regarded her for another minute before finally telling her "You'd better grab your coat"

Her apartment was only a ten-minute drive to Harvard but she made it there in seven. He spent the most of the time on his phone, reassuring the speaker on the other line that yes he found her and yes they would be there momentary. Peter didn't hang up until they pulled into the parking lot. She hopped out of the car and followed Peter down the familiar steps to Walter's lab.

"So you going to tell me what's going on?"

"You were gone. We couldn't get a hold of you. We couldn't find your car"

Olivia blew her bangs out of her eyes as she hurried to match his long strides.

"Yes, I told Broyles I was taking off for the weekend and I forgot my cell phone. I wasn't due back until Monday. I didn't think it'd be a problem"

Peter stopped so abruptly that she almost walked into his back. He gently put two fingers under her chin to angle her head up to meet his.

"You were gone Olivia. And we didn't know - I didn't know if I would see you again"

Their sudden closeness made her uncomfortable. She had only left town for a couple of days after all and had no idea why this had upset everyone. The lab door swung open and Astrid popped out breathing a sigh of relief when she spotted Olivia and Peter.

"You're here! Thank God. I spoke to Broyles and he should be here any moment"

"That's nice." said Olivia "Anybody mind telling me what's going on?"

Astrid's eyes darted up to meet Peter. "You didn't tell her yet?"

"I didn't have the chance to. She just got home"

Olivia push down a flash of annoyance. This was getting ridiculous. She quickly stepped around Peter and made her way into the lab. Walter was there, as always, reviewing a clipboard. She was about to ask Walter for an explanation – how bad is it when she has to rely on intel from a crazy person? – when she finally noticed the body on the slab.

"Oh" she said as it all came together for her.

For not ten feet away from her was the lifeless body of Olivia Dunham. Only this Olivia Dunham had brown hair.

Congratulations – you've made it this far! I have the next two chapters outlined so please let me know if this is worth continuing.