Withered

A/N: This is set after the end of 'The Last Sam Weiss' and based on the promo for the finale where the other side has been destroyed. Warning for angst and language. This is Part 1 of the 'Moments' series, there will be four parts.

Disclaimer: I don't own it, nope not me.

[Now]

He thinks that he's never felt so much damn pain until this moment. He's pretty sure that he's fractured his left wrist and both his legs burn. His head pounds and there's the taste of copper in his mouth.

That's until he sees a hand peeking out from under a pile of rubble. He would've kept crawling away from the wreckage of Fringe Division if he hadn't recognized it.

He pulls at the rubble frantically with his good hand, because seeing her hand sticking out from under the charred rock and spitting wires makes a thick dread fill his mind and choke his heart. He curses when he cuts his right hand open on a shard of glass, crimson trickling onto the ground.

He thinks that maybe when he's cleared the rock and shrapnel away he'll find her alive and it'll be fine.

He pulls away a large, flat stone and finds her face. He only has to look to know that she's dead. Her eyes are closed, gashes mar her soft face and jagged lines cut her lips. Her auburn hair fans around her, dull and motionless.

He should've known that it wouldn't be fine; their whole goddamn universe is falling apart.

He looks back at her body and is silent for a moment, only because his throat is so fucking tight that he's having trouble breathing.

He reaches his left hand (even though it hurts like hell) to gently brush a stray strand of her hair from her face, and cradles the right one against his side, he doesn't want to get blood on her sweet face.

He thinks that maybe if she knows that he's here she'll wake up.

When he brushes his hand against her cold face and she doesn't stir it hits him; full on smacks him in the face like a fucking baseball bat.

She's dead.

"Liv...," he only manages to choke out half her name.

He doesn't believe it, adamantly refuses to consider it. He can't understand how someone who he's always seen can just be gone in a flash. His heart is pounding and he's choking on sobs when he sees Charlie walking over from the corner of his eye; though when he's actually standing at Lincoln's side he doesn't acknowledge him.

He faintly hears him say: "Oh shit... Livvy."

Lincoln feels a hand on his shoulder; gentle and tentative as it grips him. He thinks for a second that Charlie's mistaken him for a bomb and that the slightest touch will set him off.

Charlie kneels next to him as he sobs over Olivia's body, his tears splashing gently on her pale cheeks.

He says to him: "Linc, there's nothing that you could've done."

He sucks in a shaky breath and tastes his salty tears on his tongue as the final roar begins; Charlie stands up and looks around swiftly.

Lincoln sits there, cradling his broken Olivia in his arms.

The sound is a grinding moan that crescendos to a point where Lincoln can't hear Charlie yelling at him to run.

As he wraps his arms around Olivia's cold body and holds her face to his he knows that Charlie is wrong.

He could have been there.

Fin

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