Hey guys! I know, I know - long time, no see! So...Fringe is going to drive me crazy. I am positive that this season is going to kill me because I have become so utterly invested in what is happening on my television. I am so frustrated and in love with the writers right now. They are brilliant sadists.

Anyway - so, this story came into being because I have been obsessively trying to figure what the hell is going to happen when Olivia finally gets home. And plot bunnies are attacking me. And the hiatus is going to be too long. So, I've decided to create this story. It is my first Fringe fanfiction and will be a series of unrelated one-shots, each of which dealing in a different way that Olivia will return to our universe. I already have tons of ideas, but if you have any that you want to see written that you don't have time/don't want to/haven't seen, then let me know in a review and I'll see if I have any luck with it.

Also, I would really love feedback on A.) how believable you think each story is B.) if everyone is in character and C.) which ones you enjoy the most. I probably won't add to this story after Fringe returns, since it looks like Olivia will be returning soon afterwards.

Disclaimer - if I owned Fringe, do you really think I would have let Altlivia get it on with Peter? I DON'T THINK SO. Also, I do not own the song "How to Return Home" by Kerrigan & Lowdermilk or the song "Shattered" by Trading Yesterday from which the titles for this story/chapter were derived.

In this installment - Peter avoids Olivia. Spoilers for 304 Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep?

how to return home

one: all of the questions we call home

Two weeks. Olivia had been home for two weeks.

It was strange. She had returned expecting the other her to still be living her life. To still be fooling Peter and Walter and everyone. To still be living in her house and wearing her clothes.

But she wasn't.

Olivia returned to find that the other Olivia Dunham had been locked away almost two weeks before she found her way home. It was a happy surprise. Olivia had not expected anyone to realise the truth. No one had realised that she wasn't the other Olivia over there. Not until the very end, anyway.

But they had.

It was flattering and made her feel loved. It may have taken them two months to realise the truth, but they did. When she woke up in the hospital, Walter told her that Peter was the one who figured it out. No matter how hard she pressed, however, he would not tell her how he had discovered the truth or why he would not come and see her.

And that is what was truly strange to Olivia. Peter had never avoided her. Even when she had been hallucinating, he was always there to annoy her in some way.

She hated it.

She wanted to see him again. Talk to him. Feel him. Know that he was real and not a hallucination. She needed to see him.

The other Olivia's memories were still very much a part of her mind. She needed to see Peter – see him and be sure for the first time since escaping of who she was.

But he had not come. The doctors were only just releasing her. She still wasn't entirely sure why they had kept her for so long. She had been too preoccupied with questioning Walter and Astrid and wondering why Peter wasn't there.

Now, Olivia was determined to see Peter. She would find out why he was avoiding her. She would make things right again.

Walter had told her that he and Astrid would be at the lab to see if there was a way to rid her of the other Olivia's memories. Olivia had confessed to him after awaking that sometimes she was not sure which memories were hers and which were not. For once, she was glad for Walter's penchant towards experimentation. Then he had told her that Peter would be at home and Olivia knew that Walter was more perceptive than anyone gave him credit for.

She did not bother knocking. She knew he would not answer. She had intended to pick the lock, but she found that the door was unlocked. The house was silent but, somehow, Olivia knew where Peter would be. She headed up the stairs, finding the door to his room closed. She took a deep breath and knocked before opening the door.

Peter was sitting on his bed, back to the door. His elbows were on his knees and he was bent over. "Go away, Walter," he murmured hoarsely.

"I'm not Walter," Olivia replied simply. He did not react except for a noticeable tightening in his shoulders. She did not move closer even though she wished he would turn around. There was a long pause in which Olivia studied Peter's back and the visible tenseness in his body. "You've been avoiding me."

He did not reply. Suddenly, Olivia was struck with a horrible notion. It gripped her and made breathing difficult and her chest tight. As she looked at Peter, the glimmer returned in her moment of fear.

"Why?" Her voice was desperate now. She had to know that she was overreacting. It couldn't be true. Not after everything. It couldn't be true.

Still, he said nothing. It was enough for Olivia. She could feel herself start to tremble. You were wrong. You were wrong. The thought would not live her mind. It made her sick, made her angry, made her lonely.

"You...you liked her better than me."

This did not cause the reaction she expected. Peter sprang to his feet, spinning on the spot. There were dark circles under his eyes and more scruff than usual on his chin. His brow was furrowed – she could not tell if it was in anger or confusion.

"No," he said firmly. "No, Olivia, that's not true."

She shook her head, avoiding his gaze. "It's okay. I...I'm not as easy to deal with. I...I understand."

Suddenly, he was in front of her, his hand under his chin to make her look at him. "Stop it, Olivia. Just stop. This isn't because of you."

"Then why?" Her voice was still desperate. "Why, Peter? I...I needed you."

Guilt. She finally placed the look on his face. Not anger or confusion – guilt. He looked away and his hand returned to his side. "Because you're going to hate me."

Olivia was not naive enough to try and dissuade him. She knew he was stubborn. She also knew that she had never seen him so conflicted before. She knew he would tell her. She knew that he would fear her reaction (which only gave her the determination to make sure her reaction was not what he expected).

"I...I thought she was you, 'Livia," he murmured. She had to bite back the small smile that wanted to form when he said her name. She had always loved how he said her name. Never shortening it further than the drop of the first syllable, a drop so subtle she almost didn't notice the first time he did it.

"I know." Her reply was soft and succinct.

"No, Olivia, you don't! I thought she was you! I should have known! I should have realised! I shouldn't have –" Abruptly, he spun around, his fists clenched at his sides. Olivia blinked.

And she knew. She knew why he was so upset. Why he looked so guilty. She needed to be sure, though. "You...you slept with her." It was neither a question nor an accusation. It was a statement. A fact. The only sign of anything amiss in her tone was the pitch – her voice was just slightly higher than normal.

She could see him tremble. "I'm sorry," he whispered brokenly. "I'm so sorry."

Olivia was not sure what to do. A part of her was angry – so very, very angry. She had not expected anyone to realise the difference, but she also did not expect Peter to be fooled so easily. That part of her wanted to leave, to walk from the house, from the man, from her life, even. That part of her wanted to make the other Olivia pay for what she had done to her life.

But a larger part of her could only see the man that hated himself for what he had done. She loved Peter – she did not see any point in denying that anymore, not after being separated by universes and having visions of him pleading with her to remember herself. That part of her wanted only to reassure him that things would get better. That part of her wanted to make it clear that she did not hate him and probably never could. That part of her wanted to make the other Olivia pay for what she had done to him.

And Olivia knew which part of her was right. She knew that even though she had every right to be angry and hateful to everyone that it was not what was important now. She was home. She had known that her alternate would cause damage. She had not expected things to be perfect once she returned home.

The choice was easy, really.

She took a step forward, touching Peter's shoulder lightly. Again, he made no reaction except for the telltale tightening of his shoulders. When he did not push her away, she moved closer. Her free hand reached out and forced its way into his clenched fist, making the muscles relax.

"We'll be okay," she murmured almost inaudibly. "We're...we're going to be fine."

Olivia knew that he did not believe her yet. But she could feel his relief. Beautiful, visible relief. His muscles relaxed and he leaned into her touch. "'Livia..." he murmured, tears making his voice thick.

"I'm here," she replied. "I'm here."

Let me know what you think! I adore feedback. And don't forget to let me know if there are any scenarios you would like to see pan out.