Title: Why

Summary: Walter tells Olivia about Peter. What happens when Peter walks in on the end?

Spoilers: Basically everything up and including "Jacksonville"

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Fringe, but I'm just borrowing them for my own amusement. I promise I'll return them back to normal, perhaps a bit wiser.

A/N: Well here it is my first Fringe fic. I know the characters aren't spot on but it's the best I can do. I just finished re-watching Jacksonville for the fifth time and this plot bunny jumped into my head. I have five other ones bouncing around in there that I'll be posting soon enough.

"Please don't tell him Agent Dunham." Walters voice pleaded with her as she stood in the doorway.

The sound of Peter returning stopped her from saying anything, composing her face into a forced bright smile just as the phone rang. Grinning, Peter, who had no idea of what was happening put up a hand and walked over to it. Inwardly Olivia let out a sigh of relief, listening to the one sided conversation.

"Ok Astrid, no it's no problem. Sure, I'll come and help." Peter was saying never taking his eyes off of her, a worry line appearing on his brow. Hanging up two seconds later he walked over and shrugged,

"Sorry, Astrids' car broke down two blocks away from here. She has bags of food for Walter and can't bring them all herself. I'll just be ten minutes." He apologized to her, his blue eyes downright adorable as the glimmer around his face lessened.

She smiled and nodded, "It's okay Peter, I want to talk to Walter about something anyway." she replied glancing away from him to look pointedly at the older Bishop, who looked sheepish.

Quirking an eyebrow Peter shrugged before pulling his jacket on. "Okay, but if he gets out his experiments, run." he joked, trying to ease the obvious tension that had built in the room.

"I have my taser on me." she quipped, quirking an eyebrow in his direction before looking at Walter pointedly.

Peter chuckled moving to walk past her towards thee still opened door. The cool night air blew in and she smelt the faint hint of after shave. Taking a deep breath she smirked at him before nodding, her eyes meeting his. The glimmer had softened to the point where it wasn't the least bit distracting now and she was able to get a good look at his features. The Peter she had met two years previously was hardened, rough and intangible. This Peter, the one she was beginning to see more and more was softer, the roughened edges slowly giving way for the caring man he knew he was.

"Don't run away on me now." he whispered close to her ear, his breath tingling her neck before he stepped outside, his hand on the handle to close it. Winking he turned to walk away and turned his head to add "And Walter, no experiments!"

Waiting for the door to close, Olivias' smile dropped from its place, a shock look replacing it. It was obvious from the sound of things that it should be a good night; drinks then perhaps a movie over at her place. Something friends did. But now things had changed, though Peter had no idea - and hopefully wouldn't for awhile - about the ramifications of what was happening. She couldn't even put a single strand of hair on what was going on, all of her beliefs had been tossed out the window in a matter of two seconds.

Her mind, once a place full of endless possibilities had run dry as Peter walked out, its last breath shuddering in its throat as the ramifications of the glimmer finally sank in. Never would she have guessed that Peter, her friend, her correspondent, her…well she didn't know what else was from another universe. Let alone the same universe that had taken her childhood from her, her lover John Scott and countless innocent people. The same universe she was now at war with.

"Walter." she said in a strong voice which hid her pain.

He nodded snapping out of his misery for a brief second and looked around for something. Seeing the sitting room he gestured to it not offering her anything to drink or eat knowing she wouldn't want anything. He himself could go for an onion and peanut butter sandwich but that could wait. He still had to find the right ratio of onions to peanut butter which was proving more difficult than building the window to the other world. He had tried several different brands of peanut butter yet each one was more oily than the other. Walter was beginning to think he needed to make his own, the process something that would normally excite him, but not this time. As he stepped into the room memories of Peter flooded his mind and he felt his heart break anew.

Keeping her face neutral she stared at Walter as he led her into the other room, closing the door behind them lest Peter walk in when he came back. A part of her wanted him too, the same part that was demanding her to wake up and find out this was all a horrid nightmare. Nightmares she could handle; a nice cup of strong coffee and a hot shower fixing those dreams she had that woke her up shaking and screaming in her pillow. No amount of showers or strong coffees could fix this though. Sitting down on a foot stool far enough away from Walter she composed herself, putting on that impenetrable mask she always wore during work.

The man himself stood wringing his hands together as a look so utterly anguished it hurt to see crossed his face, his bright eyes darkening as a small sob threatened to escape. If this were any other time, Olivia would walk up and comfort the man who had helped save countless lives, hers included. Yet she felt an odd sense of vengeance at seeing him so broken. Tilting her head at him she stopped herself from telling him to hurry up, knowing he had to go on his own.

Finally he seemed to find a way of calming himself down, his eyes shading over into memories only he - and soon she - knew. Stopping his pacing he looked over at her, his face paler than normal as he began,

"Olivia, you must know I only had the very best of intentions in doing what I did." he said in a soft voice, the sounds carrying over to her ears making her sit up.

"Just tell me Walter." she found herself saying in a coherent voice. The voice of authority, the voice she used during interrogations of suspects. But Walter wasn't a suspect, he was a man who had done something grievous.

He paled even more at her words, nodding vigorously "You knew that when Peter was a young boy he was very sick. He had a form of the bird flu and nothing was saving him. I couldn't… I couldn't find a cure." he paused then, his voice drifting off into far away memories of a small boy covered in a sheen of sweat as he moaned in pain as he allowed the words to sink in. Before Olivia could say anything to interrupt him however he continued, "He… he died in his bed when he was 7 years old. He shouldn't have died; if I had only worked harder, he could have been saved. But I was reckless at that time Olivia but know this, I love my son. I created a window of sorts to bring the other Peter, the one you know today back to this universe from the Alternative one.

"It was actually easier than I thought it would be. Peter was sleeping in his bed when I snuck in…"

"Enough Walter, I get it." Olivia said standing up and rearranging her jacket. She could see just how much this was bothering him to tell her, to relive this nightmare all over again, but there was still more she needed to know. Walking over to him she pursed her lips, her brow creasing slightly as she pondered the scenario. Peter, a small pale ill-beaten Peter lying in a bed dying from an illness that was easily curable now. Seeing his mother sit by his bed day and night while his father tried to find some way to cure him. Watching him die each minute, each second until there was nothing left. She could only imagine the pain that would cause the man, surely enough to have his brain removed from his own head, small pieces that would stop him from hurting anymore.

Obviously it hadn't been enough and she looked up as he continued, not knowing there was now an audience behind them.

"I didn't want to do it Agent Dunham, but I had no choice. What would you do in my position? If you had a way of getting your loved one back, of keeping the one thing you needed more than air itself, wouldn't you do the same?" he asked, the question sitting in the air around them, sizzling her skin.

Would she? Could she do something like that, knowing there was another universe out there where she could just step into and take what was rightfully hers? In her minds' eye she watched Rachel disappear from her life; Rachel as a young girl before they fell apart. Seeing her vanish before her, then watching as she went to the other universe and taking the other Rachel away. There would be no Ella, no beautiful little mini Rachel to smother in kisses after a long day at work, no hugs or shoulders to cry on when needed.

Snapping back into the present her eyes narrowed, the ramifications of what happened now the forefront of her mind. Could this be the reason for the war; one man getting his heart back before he went totally insane? She tried not to think that this was the main reason; surely there had been something that William Bell and him had done before all of this to start it. Or perhaps the war was already being waged before Walter found the window? She didn't believe that though and she turned her head looking out the window trying to imagine the alternative universes Walter and Rebecca grieving over their lost son. The loss of a loved one was enough to rage a war. Turning back to Walter she spoke when venom,

"Walter… how could you do that though? Couldn't you grieve like a normal person and move on? Everyday people lose loved ones, but they move on. It's not like they have a choice and can't just walk over to the other side and get them back. Peter died, you can't play God!" she trailed off in her triad, her voice rising dangerously as she stopped, not realizing she was moving towards him. Taking a step back she looked anywhere but at him, her heart pounding at what she had just said.

Walter was crying now, tears gently falling down his face as he listened to her words. Hands shaking, he took a step towards her but she shook him off with a glare. "No Walter, don't touch me. How could you do this? Do you know what this is going to do to him?"

"Yes."

"You have to tell him. If I know him like I think I'm beginning too he might not leave." us she thought before continuing, "He's not the same man I first met in Iraq. He can't be." her voice shook slightly as she watched him shaking in front of her, his face changing from pale to red in a matter of moments as the tears continued to flow.

"I can't Agent Dunham, I…I just can't."

Watching Walter change before her eyes, she found herself falling into his shoes, feeling what it was he had been feeling at that time. It was a different time, the 80's. She didn't remember it, but now seeing it through his eyes, as if it were her who had watched her son die in front of her, before finding a way of getting her heart back she began to change her mind. Now she understood why he had gone crazy all those years ago, without the missing brain pieces. The pain of loosing his flesh and blood, then having his wife die after was enough to send anyone over the edge. Especially a genius like him. While she still couldn't understand the hows and whats of what he did, she understood the why.

Love.

Wasn't it always the answer?

A creak on the floor boards startled them out of their revere and Olivia looked up to see a stricken Peter Bishop standing in the door way, his hand on the door handle. His eyes were filled with confusion, pain and anger as he looked from her to Walter and back again. Olivias' heart dropped into the pits of Hell at the look on his face as he strode into the room ignoring her completely before standing face to face with his father. Walter for his part had stopped crying and was now wringing his hands together in his normal nervous habit. Olivia backed up a step, feeling the anger radiate off every pore as Peter opened his mouth, one word forming on his lips.

"Why?"

See that button right there, the one that say review? If you click that Peter Bishop will hug you ;)