Girl With The Broken Smile

A/N: So this is basically an expansion or subplot of my other fic "There Are Many Things That I Would Like to Say to You". You don't need to have read it for this story to make sense, but I encourage you to. It takes place sometime in season 2 but before "Jacksonville". I do not own Fringe, the song "Wonderwall" or the song "She Will Be Loved".

Enjoy!

Most people look forward to their birthdays every year. Most, but not Olivia. All of the color drained from her face as she picked up the envelope off of the floor.

It came.

The bastard had slid it under the door, just like last year and the year before that. Every bone in her body told her to just forget about it. Don't open it. Throw it away. Forget about it. It was the same mantra she would silently chant to herself when her annual unmarked letters would appear. Yet, just like every year, she couldn't bring herself to take even the slightest step towards the trash bin. Taking a deep breath, she shakily broke the seal of the crisp envelope and removed a card.

Missing You

That was it. No signature. No personal message. No way to determine the source of the haunting note. However, Olivia knew exactly where it came from. All the card gave her was the same conformation like it had for the past twenty years; her stepfather was still out there.

Still alive.

Still watching.

And there was nothing she could do about it.

She felt sick to her stomach so naturally she reached for a glass and the bottle of bourbon that she kept on the top self of her liquor cabinet. She poured the amber liquid into a tumbler and brought the drink to her lips. She swallowed the whole thing in one toss, feeling the burn travel all the way down to her belly.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The sound made her jump, causing the glass in her hand to shatter on the floor of her kitchen.

"Shit!" Olivia swore as reached for her gun that was thankfully still strapped to her belt.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Livia, you there?" A familiar voice called. Olivia let out the breath she had been holding and peered through the peephole.

Peter. Nobody else, just Peter. She unclicked the latch and opened the door.

"Hey," She greeted, flashing a small smile.

"Hey, you didn't come by the lab today." Peter replied.

"Yeah, I got swamped with meetings all day, and then Broyles had me go to a seminar in New York-"

"Relax, you don't need to explain." He chuckled, effectively cutting her off mid-sentence. "I just didn't have a chance to give you these." He said, holding up a large brown paper bag.

"What's in it?" She inquired, raising one brow.

"I don't know why don't you let me in and find out?" Peter suggested, poorly feigning ignorance… smart ass.

Olivia held the door open and let him in. He walked towards the living room, passing the kitchen on the way and spotting the mess of glass still scattered across the tile.

"What happened in there?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, you just startled me when you knocked, no big deal." She brushed off, walking into the scene of the shattered shards.

"You want any help cleaning up?"

"Nah, I'll get it. Have you eaten yet? If not, I was going to order in and you're welcome to stay."

"Sure, I've got nowhere to be. Menus are…?"

"Coffee table, second drawer on the right." She supplied.

"Thanks!"

She grabbed the broom and dust pan and once she was sure that all the glass had been cleared, she left the kitchen. Plopping down on the sofa next to Peter, she handed him one of the beers she had snatched on the way. He nodded in gratitude as he hung up the phone.

"What are we eating?" She asked.

"Damiano's, that okay?"

"Excellent! So can I open my gifts now?"

"Yes, but only if you say the magic word." He teased causing her to swat his arm playfully. He faked outrage for a moment before handing the bag over to her, leaning back to watch her invade its contents.

"Happy birthday, Olivia." He said.

She took out three items; a tin of home-made cookies from Astrid (which she and Peter crack open instantly) and a book on theoretical physics from Walter (useless but still thoughtful). She withdraws Peter's gift from the bag last; a thin square, wrapped in newspaper with a red bow on top.

"Newspaper, really?" Olivia gave him a skeptical look.

"Oh shut up, it's what I had on hand." He said as he sipped from his beer. She removed the so-called "wrapping paper", revealing a CD.

"I made you a playlist," Peter said.

"Trust me you'll like it?" She asked, reading the hand written label.

"Just thought I'd add that extra little touch. Besides, I honestly do think you will like it." He said, shooting her a charming smile.

"Is that so? What makes you so sure?" She asked playfully, well, playful for her.

"Because, believe it or not," he teased "After a year of working together, I know you and I know how your mind works. More to the point, I know your music taste. Further, I know that currently it is seriously lacking."

"I have told you countless times that you are more than welcome to bring your own music when we're in a car together." She said, recalling all of the times he had lightly given her shit about it.

"And I've told you that you need to get your own music and not constantly mooch off of mine." He countered.

"This isn't mooching?" She asked sarcastically.

"I prefer to call this guidance," He smirked.

"In all honesty, thank you. I actually really do like it, it's a nice gift." She said getting up to pop the disc into her stereo. Acoustic strumming and the opening lyrics of Oasis's Wonderwall filled the silence in the living room.

Today is gonna be the day

That they're gonna throw it back to you

By now you should've somehow

Realized what you gotta do

I don't believe that anybody

Feels the way I do about you now

"I love this song," She marveled at his accuracy of her taste in music.

"Told you," He said smugly.

At that moment, a knock sounded on her door, signaling the arrival of the pizza man. Naturally Peter had insisted on paying, using her birthday as an excuse. They brought the steaming box into the living room and resumed their positions on the sofa. They ate, drank, and laughed as they told horror stories of exes past. Just like any other night of hanging out for the two of them.

"Did it come today?" Peter asked in a serious voice after conversation had died down for a while. Olivia only nodded, feeling the nausea creep back into her stomach.

"Livia-"

"Don't,"

"I'm serious; you need to go to the Bureau about this." He said.

"And tell them what? To follow a long cold trail because one of their agents is being left creepy cards once a year for the past twenty? If he doesn't want to be found then he won't be. Peter, I've you this." She snapped.

"And what if next year, he does more than leave you a creepy card? What then?" He asked desperately, searching her green eyes for an answer. Olivia hunched forward and dropped her gaze to her lap, Peter was right. Maybe next year the man that had stalked her for years would resurface, this time in person. And that terrified her.

Peter leaned over and placed a gentle hand on her back, moving it in comforting circles. Olivia leaned ever so slightly into his touch, encouraging him to continue the repetitive motion.

"I'm scared," She whispered.

"C'mre," He murmured, pulling her into his arms. Neither of them knew how long they stayed like that. It seemed like hours later when he finally spoke again.

"Do you want me to stay?"

She shrugged but didn't say a word. He sighed and kissed her blonde hair.

"I'm scared too," He murmured after a moment, causing her to look up at him.

"Peter,"

"I'm honestly terrified that he's going to show up next year or the year after and…" He trailed off, tearing his blue eyes away from her face. He took a deep breath before continuing.

"You're my best friend, Liv. And I swear to God if that sociopathic bastard ever lays a finger on you again-" She pressed a finger to his lips, halting his speech.

"Shhh, I don't want to think about him right now. He's not here and he hasn't given any indication he will show up in person next year. If history repeats itself then he won't," She said, trying to seem confident in her answer… Even though they both knew that she wasn't.

Peter knew that at this point he was beating a dead horse. Getting her to admit that she was scared was huge, but as always, when he'd tried to get her to really open up about her fear, she'd disregarded it. Acting as if he was the victim here, not her. Vulnerability was a trait she tried to avoid at all costs, as far as anyone knew she was invincible. No, she wasn't invincible, but she'd pretended to be for so long. Who was he to stop her?

"Sorry, I ruined your night. I'm an ass." He sighed, reluctantly pulling away from her warm embrace.

"You are, but that's alright, you're my ass." She said, then turning beet red once she'd realized her unfortunate phrasing.

"Sorry, that came out wrong! I didn't mean it like- shit!" Olivia sputtered nervously, burying her face in her hands.

"You're fine. I know what you meant. You just want my body!" Peter teased as he pulled her hand from her face. She swatted his hand away, causing him to laugh harder. She joined in and soon they were laughing hysterically, both not really sure why. They laughed until they were sore sided and out of breath.

Olivia and Peter locked eyes once they registered how close they had become on the couch. Neither of them uttered a word while they continued to stare at each other, the only sound in the living room coming from the stereo still playing Peter's playlist.

"I don't mind spending every day

Out on your corner in the pouring rain

Look for the girl with the broken smile

Ask her if she wants to stay a while

And she will be loved"

"Good song," She remarked, not moving an inch.

"I know," He replied, leaning in a little closer. Unfortunately, right at that moment his phone rang. He let out a frustrated sigh and pulled away from her.

"Peter Bishop," he answered stoically.

Sure enough, it had been Walter. Apparently, the Bishop household was entirely out of Oreos and it was to the utmost importance that Peter buy some immediately. He helped her clean up and put away left overs, insisting that she shouldn't have pick up his mess on her birthday. Eventually they were outside of his car, reluctantly saying their goodbyes.

"Well, I hope despite the obvious, you had a good birthday,"

"I actually did have a nice time tonight, thanks for coming over."

"Anytime, Livia."

"Peter?" Olivia called just before he sat down in the car.

"Yeah?"

"Am I really your best friend?" she asked, remembering what he had said earlier that evening.

"Huh, I guess you are. Happy birthday, Olivia."

"Good night, Peter."

And with that he drove away. Olivia walked back up to her apartment, alone with her thoughts. Best friend, she pondered. She couldn't remember the last time someone had referred to her as such. She liked it, she decided, it had a nice ring to it. However, there was something about the phrasing that didn't feel quite right. And for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why. Probably just not used to it, she mused.

She walked through the door, spying the card that was still on the counter. Without a second thought, Olivia tossed it in the trash. On her way to her bedroom, she grabbed the CD out of the stereo and popped it into the player built into her alarm clock. Pressing play and turning the volume to a semi-soft level, she got ready for bed.

She slept soundly on her birthday for the first time in twenty years.

A/N: So that's it for now. I'm debating on adding another chapter but for now it's a one-shot. Anyway I hope you liked it. Don't forget to drop a review and tell me what you think!