A/N - Hey folks! This story has been tucked in the dark realms of my computer. I hope that you enjoy it.

Read...review...you all know the drill

And of course, I don't own Fringe. I wish I did. Cause that would be awesome.

Chapter One – Rolling In The Deep

"So, are you going to tell me where we are going?"

Olivia laughed lightly and pulled the note that she had jotted from her pocket.

"We have a body near Lowell Holly."

"The lake?"

"Yup."

"What else do we know?"

Olivia shrugged.

"That's it."

It was unusually warm for that time of the year, and Olivia had put her coat in the backseat, enjoying the heat on her bare arms. She rested her head on the headrest and sighed, closing her eyes, the light breeze pushing her hair from her face. She felt Peter's eyes on her and she opened one of her own.

"Yes?"

Peter smiled his eyes going back to the road.

"I was just watching you enjoy the sun."

"You should be enjoying it too."

Peter shrugged in his light jacket.

"I've been in hotter."

"Where?"

"Africa. Don't talk to me about heat until you've been there. I'll take you there one day and we can compare notes."

Feeling reckless, Olivia pushed off her boots and socks, putting her feet onto the dash board.

"I do like that colour on you."

"You should. You picked it."

Somehow last night, he had ended up painting her toe nails. Her feet where on his lap and she watched as he became completely absorbed in the task of making her normally plain feet respectable.

"You have great feet."

Olivia snorted.

"You are more deluded then I thought."

Olivia closed her eyes again and smiled to herself. Since she had gotten back from the other side, she found herself living in a bubble with only one other resident; Peter. Whenever they were alone, it was as if the rest of the world didn't exist. With all the madness their lives, it was nice to have something to hold onto. Peter had become her rock, the one solid thing in her ever shifting life. She had been so hurt when she had found out that he had been with her. He would question her but she could never find the words to describe her shattered heart. Slowly, she had found her way back to him. It wasn't without pain and it certainly wasn't without risk but on thing she had learnt over and over again is that she could trust him. He would never intentionally hurt her. He made a mistake and paid for it just as she had. The fear that she felt initially was long gone now, she knew that they were good together. He made her feel safer than anything else in the world. He was home to her now.

"I believe we are here."

Olivia sighed and pulled on her shoes, deciding to leave her coat in the back seat. She tugged her hair back into a ponytail and slipped out of the car. They walked silently side by side to where the scene was waiting for them.

"Agent Dunham?"

A man a few years younger than her, his suit straight and neat to the point of no return extended his hand. His grip was firm.

"Simon Wallace. Nina Sharp sent me."

She should have known. It was the suit that gave him away.

"Well, this is my scene until told otherwise."

He nodded sharply.

"Understood. I'm here to observe more than anything else."

"Fine. This is Peter Bishop."

Olivia kept moving forward, annoyed. She hated it when people stepped into her cases; worse still was when it was a Fringe case. There were enough horrors in the world without the real reality getting through to those in the pleasant bliss of ignorance. She sometimes wanted so desperately to be one of those people. People swamped the scene but it was silent. Olivia and Peter continued to follow Wallace until she spotted the white sheet with the shape of a body underneath. Wallace stood back and Olivia knelt down and lifted the sheet. It was a young girl, her face peaceful. As Olivia's eyes travelled down, her stomach twisted. Her arm was missing. A neat, unnatural amputation.

"Samantha Mitchell."

Olivia turned to locate the source of the voice. A small, elderly man in a sheriff's uniform watched her, his face drawn and pale.

"Agent Dunham. You are?"

The sheriff pulled his hand from his pocket, offering it to her.

"Sheriff Duncan Lootes."

"Nice to meet you. Is she local?"

Lootes nodded, his hand running over his chin.

"Yeah. Her brother is Shawn Mitchell."

"Sorry?"

Peter, who had moved beside her, glancing at the remains.

"Shawn Mitchell, Olympic swimmer. We watched him the other night."

It was a slip, a simple one but Olivia didn't miss the glance that Lootes cast over them. Peter gave the Sheriff a small smile, extending a hand.

"Peter Bishop."

"Sheriff Lootes. Forgive me for asking, but why exactly are you here?"

Olivia stood and glanced at the body of water that seemed to extend far into the skyline.

"Has this happened before?"

"No."

"How far does the lake go?"

"It connects to the ocean but we have netting to keep the larger beasties at bay."

"So no sharks?"

"No. I have my men out there now, checking the nets."

Olivia narrowed her eyes against the sun and she could see the small outline of the boat.

"Where are her parents?"

Sheriff Lootes pointed to the right, Olivia following his gaze. There was a house perched on the ledge, big and beautiful.

"I told them to stay there. No one should see their child like this."

"So her identity has been confirmed."

"Yes."

"By who?"

"By me. I've known her since she was a child."

Olivia nodded, glancing at Peter.

"Walter?"

Peter took another look at the body under the sheet, his eyes narrowed.

"I think that would be a good idea. I can't think of anything that would make this kind of injury."

Peter slipped away, his phone already against his ear.

"So are you going to tell me why you are here?"

Lootes was watching her closely as she stood, facing him completely.

"I will let you know what I do. Since this has never happened before, I should be out of your way fairly quickly."

She saw the twitch, the stiffening of his shoulders. He was lying. She looked to the lake where the boat was making its way back. Two men in black wetsuits came onto the shore.

"How are the nets?"

"All secure, Sir. There is nothing coming in or out of the lake."

Sheriff Lootes nodded. Olivia was still studying him when her phone rang, frowning as she glanced at the screen.

"Dunham."

"Olivia, its Nina Sharp."

"Are you calling to explain why I have a suit trailing me?"

"Yes. Wallace is taking over for one of the other scientists in our division and it has been brought to my attention that some of them need more work in the field."

"And Broyles?"

"He agreed to it. He's been through all the security checks obviously."

Olivia sighed running out of arguments. She turned to find Wallace's eyes on her, watching her closely. He dropped his gaze quickly, turning to Sheriff Lootes.

"He's very green."

"Hence the need to be out in the field. Just pretend he isn't there. If all else fails, he's a fresh set of eyes."

"What science does he deal with?"

She could hear Nina's slight chuckle, the sound oddly jarring on the phone. Nina Sharp wasn't one to chuckle.

"Marine mostly. I thought that all things considered, he was the most appropriate for the case."

"We will soon see."

Olivia hung up before Nina could comment further and moved back to Sheriff Lootes.

"I will need to speak with the family."

"Fine. I can take you there."

Olivia turned on her heel to find Wallace standing slightly too close. She took a half step back.

"I need you to stay with the body until Dr Bishop arrives. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Do you know how to use the gun you are carrying?"

Olivia would be the first to admit that she was letting her annoyance at Nina Sharp dictate her harsh tones but it bugged her no end. Wallace nodded slightly, frowning.

"Yes Ma'am. I was in the US Navy before this."

"Good. Your whole entire goal is to get that body back to the lab safely."

She moved back to Peter, who was waiting, hand in pockets. Sheriff Lootes indicated his patrol car.

"It will be easier than walking."

Peter opened the passenger door for her before slipping into the back seat. They drove in silence up a narrow drive and the house just got grander and grander as they got closer. When they knocked on the door, a young man, no more than twenty, ushered them inside with a tense nod. Sheriff Lootes was in front of them when Peter leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

"That's Shawn Mitchell."

Olivia nodded slightly as they followed him through to the living room. Samantha's parents sat side by side, leaning against each other. Sheriff Lootes moved forward, talking quietly and Olivia stood back slightly, watching.

"Excuse me."

Olivia turned, coming face to face with Shawn Mitchell again. His dark eyes flicked to his parents before nodding down the hall. Olivia only paused for a few moments before following him. Shawn ushered Olivia into his room, closing the door quietly behind him. He offered his hand to Olivia.

"Shawn Mitchell."

Olivia took his hand, nodding slightly.

"Agent Olivia Dunham. I am sorry for your loss."

The only reaction to her words was a clenching of the jaw and bunching of his muscles when he clenched his fist.

"It was bound to happen again."

Olivia narrowed her eyes.

"What?"

Shawn sat heavily on the bed and Olivia took a quick glance around the room, which was covered in ribbons, trophy's and articles from his swimming career.

"It's happened before."

Olivia paced slightly.

"Sheriff Lootes said this was the first time."

"He's lying."

"Why?"

"Because he wants to stay Sheriff."

Olivia stilled her movements, taking a seat next to Shawn on the bed.

"How do you know that this is happened before?"

Shawn sighed and reached a long arm under his bed, pulling out a shoebox. He slipped off the lid and shuffled through the contents for a moment before handing her an old newspaper clipping. She narrowed her eyes as she read the faded print.

Conner Flinch, 12, who went missing a week ago, has finally been located on the banks of the local lake. Lake Howell coroner, Doctor Billy Oakes released a statement stating that it was a simple accident with tragic results.

The Flinch family have yet to release a statement over the loss of their son.

"He was my best friend."

"So how do you know-"

"I was there the day he got taken. He didn't bump his head."

Olivia handed him back the tiny article.

"So why didn't you tell the Sheriff?"

"I did. But I was twelve. No one believed me."

"So tell me."

Shawn looked up, measuring her with his eyes. She waited for him to decide.

"He didn't bump his head. Something took him."

"What took him?"

Shawn shivered slightly and for a moment he didn't look like a man, he looked like nothing more than a child. She could see the fear in his eyes and feel it coming off his body. For a man that was one of the fastest swimmers in the world, it was disarming to see it.

"A monster. Conner Flinch was taken by a monster."